001. My Younger Sibling Returned Home
001. My Younger Sibling Returned Home
Sseupio-sseupio-
The sound of cicadas drifts in from beyond the blazing sun. Getting out of the car, the muggy air took my breath away.
"Huu......."
I quickly left the parking lot and entered the terminal, feeling like I could finally breathe.
I bought an iced coffee from the vending machine and sat on a waiting room chair.
Checked the clock: 8:25 AM.
Still have some time before my younger sister arrives.
"...Should I go have a smoke?"
I stood up, reached into my pocket for a cigarette, then hesitated.
...Haeun used to hate the smell of cigarettes.
"......."
After a moment of hesitation, I sat back down.
...Should I try quitting?
When I lived alone, I didn't have to worry about stuff like this.
The thought of living with my sister from now on still left me feeling unsettled.
[Where are you?]
I opened the messenger and sent a text.
I already know the arrival time, but just in case.
[.......]
But no reply came back.
...Is she sleeping or something?
I downed the rest of my coffee and stood up.
I paced around the drop-off area for a while until the bus from Jincheon arrived.
"......."
Haeun, who got off the bus, looked very different from a few months ago.
The hair she used to keep short had grown past her shoulders, and her back, which she always kept straight, was slightly hunched.
"...Oppa."
Her voice was slightly raspy.
Her face was swollen, too, as if she'd just woken up.
"...You're here?"
I took the carrier from her and glanced at my sister's legs.
My gaze landed on the black brace on her knee.
...Is it okay to ask?
Or would it be better not to say anything at all?
My sister noticed my gaze and smiled lightly.
"I'm fine now. ...Rehab is almost finished, too."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. I don't even limp anymore."
"......."
Ligament tear.
Possible to live daily life with rehab, but...
An injury that meant she could no longer continue her athletic career.
It was even briefly in the news.
'Next-generation national team prospect, retires due to injury.'
I still remember.
My sister's small shoulders, shaking as she cried silently in the corner of the hospital room.
That was already nearly a year ago.
"Here."
Arriving at the parking lot, I put the carrier in the trunk and opened the back door.
But my sister insisted on getting into the passenger seat.
"I'll sit here."
"...Isn't the back more comfortable?"
"I like it here."
"...Suit yourself, then."
If she sat in the back, she could stretch her legs out and be comfortable.
...I didn't say that out loud.
"Should I turn on the AC?"
"It's fine."
"Then I'll open the window for a bit."
"Okay."
The whole way home, my sister just looked out the window.
I thought about playing some music, but stopped.
Because no matter what song I played, it wouldn't fit the current situation.
Sseupio- sseupio- sseucheucheucheu....
The road back was filled only with the sound of cicadas.
**
"This is your room."
"Okay."
My sister looked around the room without a word.
It's not very big, but it's a cozy, nice room.
It was originally built as the master bedroom, so it's warm, and I added double-paned windows to the window frame.
My sister looked around the room for a bit, then immediately lay on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.
"Are you tired?"
"A little."
"...Alright. Just take your time unpacking. Let me know if you need anything."
"...Okay."
My sister, who had passed out without even changing her clothes.
Beside her, only the carrier she brought was left sitting there alone.
"......."
My chest tightened slightly.
The life of a kid who lived on the mat for over ten years,
I couldn't believe it all fit into that one small carrier.
I felt like I should say something,
but I felt like nothing I said would be a comfort.
...I just kept my mouth shut.
I quietly closed the door and came out to the living room.
I sat on the sofa, but didn't really feel like doing anything.
"......."
Actually, my sister and I weren't very close from back in the day.
There was a six-year age gap, and our personalities and interests were completely different.
My sister was mature for her age,
and I was immature for my age.
Was it since she was in the 3rd grade of elementary school?
My sister, who headed to the training center on the first bus every morning.
I even saw Mom crying secretly because the calluses on her palms had cracked from overuse.
When I was out drinking and hanging out with friends, my sister was practicing on the mat until she bled.
But even with all that effort, my sister failed to be selected for the national team several times.
It was never because she lacked skill.
It was just....
"Ha......."
I wiped my face.
The more I thought about my sister, the more complicated I felt.
How should I put it, I felt anew that the world is truly unfair.
She literally poured her whole life into it.
And all that's left is a single carrier.
I've never really poured my life into anything,
yet even I felt a sense of injustice.
"......."
Suddenly, I remembered the whole watermelon I had put in the fridge.
I had bought it while grocery shopping yesterday in preparation for my sister coming.
Using "because it's summer" as an excuse.
I cut the watermelon into bite-sized pieces, put it on a plate, and went to her door.
Two light knocks.
"...Are you sleeping?"
No answer.
I opened the door slightly, and my sister was asleep, lying face down in the same position as before.
"...Tsk."
She must have been very tired.
She must have been under a ton of stress, too.
Even I feel this gloomy, so how suffocated must she feel?
I quietly placed the watermelon plate on the nightstand and turned on the fan in the corner.
I briefly debated turning on the AC... but if she gets cold in her sleep, she might catch a cold.
I brought a thin blanket from the room and covered my sleeping sister with it.
**
Dinner was slightly spicy curry.
I'm not particularly good at cooking, but I was confident about curry.
It's easier on the stomach than eating greasy food, and above all...
It was the food my sister liked when she was young.
After training, my sister always went to a small curry shop next to the training center.
Every time, we would make a bet.
Who could eat the spicier curry faster, something like that.
...I'm a natural wimp with spice, so my sister always won.
I remember her eating something spicier than Buldak and teasing me, "Oppa, you're weak," with a straight face.
My sister, sitting at the dining table, took a spoonful and slightly frowned.
"It's spicy...."
"Huh? You used to be good with spicy food."
"...That's a story from the past."
My sister answered with an awkward expression.
She must have found it quite spicy, as she kept drinking water.
"......."
Why didn't I know?
Come to think of it, we've barely eaten together since Mom passed away.
Right after the funeral, my sister went into the athletes' village, and I went to the army.
Even after I was discharged, I only visited a few times,
and I never actually asked what my sister liked or what she wanted to eat.
Even when she was hospitalized.
...I really was an indifferent guy.
"......Sorry."
"No, well... it's not that bad...."
"...Uh, if it tastes bad, you don't have to eat it."
"No. It's edible."
My sister shook her head and took a few more spoonfuls.
Anyone could tell she was forcing herself to eat it out of consideration for the person who made it.
My sister forced down nearly half of it before putting down her spoon.
"Thanks for the meal. ...I'm going to my room."
"...Okay."
The door closed, and I ate the rest of the curry alone.
It definitely tasted bad.
It was definitely fine when I tasted it.
...What am I doing from the very first day.
I did the dishes and took a can of beer out of the fridge.
I'm not particularly fond of alcohol, but... I felt like I needed to drink on a day like today.
I grabbed a bag of roasted peanuts as a snack, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV.
I was blankly flipping through channels when I heard the door open.
It was my sister.
In her hand was the watermelon plate I had brought earlier.
In one corner of the plate, black watermelon seeds were piled up.
"This..., is there a dishwasher...?"
"Sorry, but we don't have one. Give it here, I'll do it."
My sister was looking around holding the plate, so I quickly took it from her.
I finished the dishes and came back, and my sister was sitting on the sofa, staring at me.
"...Why?"
"...Do you drink, too?"
"Well... yeah. Not often, though."
"......."
My sister stared intently at the beer can in my hand.
"...Give me some, too."
"...Huh?"
"That. I want to try it, too."
"...No."
"Why?"
Why, she asks.
You're a patient.
Even if rehab is almost over, it's common sense not to give alcohol to a patient.
Even if I'm an indifferent guy, I'm not that stupid.
"...I'm an adult now. I can drink."
"That has nothing to do with it. What's not allowed is not allowed."
"...Then I'll go out and drink by myself."
"...What?"
My sister stared at me blankly and continued.
"I saw where the convenience store was on the way here. If you don't give me some, I'll go out."
"......."
She's being shamelessly stubborn.
She wants to go out in the middle of the night?
It's the countryside, so it's dark and she probably can't even see the road well?
"Either drink with me, or let me go drink by myself. You decide, Oppa."
"......."
Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?
My head suddenly got complicated, so I looked at my sister, and she was staring back at me blankly.
"...Just one."
In the end, I went to the fridge, took out a new can of beer, and handed it to her.
My sister sniffed the beer, took a cautious sip, and frowned.
"......It tastes bad."
"Then don't drink it."
When I reached out my hand, my sister quickly hid the beer can behind her back.
"I still want to drink it."
"......."
The sound of her gulping down the beer echoed in the living room.
The kid is chugging alcohol like it's water.
"...Eat some snacks and drink slowly. I'm not going to take it from you."
"...Puha."
My sister let out a small burp, then picked up some peanuts and ate them.
"...It still tastes bad."
Yet, with every sip of beer, she stuffs five peanuts into her mouth.
She's like a squirrel stocking up for winter....
My sister quickly finished the whole can and leaned back on the sofa with a flushed face.
"...I'm dizzy."
"......."
I told you not to drink it.
But there was nothing I could say now.
My sister put her arm over her eyes and let out a few breaths, "Huu."
...There was a faint smell of alcohol.