006. Sense of Distance
006. Sense of Distance
...What time is it.
It feels like it's still morning.
As I gently opened my eyes, faint sunlight was seeping through the curtains.
I fumbled near my pillow to check the time, but I couldn't reach my phone.
"...."
I flailed my hand around a few more times before giving up.
Should I sleep for just 5 more minutes?
I'm so sleepy I can't pull myself together.
...But why is it so cold?
There was something warm inside my arms, so I hugged it.
Ah.
Warm and nice....
**
My arm is numb.
I feel like I smell something strange, too.
When I opened my eyes, my little sister's head was right under my chin.
"...Ah."
Right, I slept with my sister yesterday.
My senses came back late.
...But why is she clinging so tightly to me?
My sister was sleeping almost fully embraced in my arms.
With one of her legs wedged between mine, and her hand resting on my waist.
Maybe she drooled in her sleep, because the sleeve of my t-shirt was slightly wet.
I don't think we were this close yesterday.
Even if we're siblings, hugging so tightly that skin rubs against skin is a bit...
Gross... well, not gross.
Embarrassing, should I say?
Anyway, it feels a bit weird.
"...."
Looking at my sister sleeping soundly, my face tickled for no reason.
Yesterday, I think I got carried away by the mood and showed off a bit.
Looking back now, I wondered how I could say something so cringe-worthy.
"Haeun-a."
"...."
There's no answer.
Is she still sleeping?
"Hey. Yoo Haeun. Wake up."
As I carefully pushed my sister's body away and tried to pull my arm out,
"...Eueum...."
My sister's eyebrows twitched slightly.
She looks at me with eyes half-open, drunk on sleep.
"Are you awake?"
"...Yeah...."
"Lift your head for a second."
"Yeah...."
I stood up while rubbing my numb arm.
I picked up my phone lying on the floor and checked the time; it was already almost lunch time.
"I'll wash up first, so wake yourself up in the meantime. You're gonna eat lunch, right?"
"Yeah...."
My sister nodded her head a few times, then flopped down onto the blanket.
Squirming on the bed like a sleepy child throwing a tantrum, she tightly embraced the blanket and went back to sleep.
Heoigo.
So that's why she was clinging to me like that.
**
I came out after taking a short cold shower.
Warm water is good for waking up, but it's too hot in the summer.
Even after washing up, I quickly start sweating again, so it feels uncomfortable.
In the meantime, my sister was lying on the sofa holding her head.
Well, she did drink quite a lot yesterday.
"Are you okay?"
"No...."
"Do you want to eat first and then wash up? Or wash up and then eat?"
"...Wash up."
"Then I'll set up the meal in 10 minutes, so wash up quickly and come out."
"...Yeah."
Groaning, my sister got up from her spot and headed to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, I went out into the yard and pulled out a cigarette.
As the nicotine kicked in, it felt like my vision finally cleared up.
As I was leisurely smoking, I heard my sister's voice from inside.
"Oppa...!"
"Yeah, what is it!"
"Wait a sec..., come over here...!"
I quickly stubbed out the cigarette and went inside the house, finding my sister peeking only her head out from the bathroom.
Her wet hair that hadn't dried yet was stuck to her cheek.
"Um... I'm sorry. Could you bring me some change of clothes...?"
"...."
No wonder she was tottering around.
Just as I was about to say okay, I suddenly remembered that I was smoking just a moment ago.
It's a bit much to get cigarette smoke smell on fresh clothes.
"I just smoked so my hands smell, you know? Just change on your own later. I won't look."
"That's... I don't want to."
"Then should I stay in the room?"
"No... it's not that. ...I don't want to go outside naked."
My sister mumbled with an embarrassed expression.
Is it because it's cold coming out with bare skin?
Since it's summer, it shouldn't be that cold.
"Then can I just bring you anything from your suitcase?"
At that, my sister shook her head.
"Can't you just bring any of oppa's clothes... the biggest one?"
"My clothes?"
"Yeah. Come to think of it, I don't want the smell getting on fresh clothes either..., and, um..."
My sister trailed off.
"...?"
I stared at my sister's face for a moment, then finally realized the situation.
...Ah.
She's on her period right now.
Aah, you clueless bastard.
"...Got it. Wait a moment."
I went into the room and opened the drawer.
I pulled out the largest and oldest t-shirt.
It was one I usually used as pajamas.
As for pants... something I wear for running should do.
I walked back to the front of the bathroom and knocked.
"Here. Take this."
I pushed the t-shirt and shorts through the gap in the door.
"...Thanks."
"I'm going to set up lunch now, so dry your hair and come out."
"Yeah."
For lunch, I cooked soybean paste stew.
I put in lots of tofu and sliced up some pork as well.
I poured plenty of water so it wouldn't be too salty.
Just as I was about to call my sister, Haeun came out of the room.
"What's that? Why are you still wearing that?"
"...Because it's comfortable."
"That is...?"
My t-shirt looked almost like a dress on Haeun.
The shoulders drooped so much her collarbones were visible, and the hem reached down to the middle of her thighs.
Though as for pants, she was wearing the dolphin shorts she always wore, maybe because my pants were too big.
"Yeah. ...It's a bit big, but it's comfortable."
My sister answered while fiddling with the sleeves with her fingers.
The t-shirt was so big that every time she moved her arms, the clothes slipped off her shoulders.
No matter how I look at it, it seems uncomfortable.
...Well, if she likes it, I guess it doesn't matter?
My sister scooped up a spoonful of soybean paste stew, brought it to her lips, and blinked in slight surprise.
"...It's delicious. Oppa isn't just good at making ramen."
"That's just instant paste with more ingredients added."
"Still. Are you good at other cooking too?"
I think it depends on what the criteria for being good at it is.
There's a reason the category of 'living-alone cooking' exists.
When you live on your own for a long time, you just get better at taking shortcuts.
"Well..., I can do basic things reasonably well...?"
Things like pasta, or omurice.
Ah, I also make curry and stews pretty decently.
"Then teach me how to cook later too."
"Why?"
"It's hard if oppa sets up meals all the time. I'll help too."
Haeun said as if it were obvious.
"It's going to be really annoying, though?"
Cooking is a much more tedious task than one might think.
When I started living alone, I had an ambitious plan to cook home meals every day, but I gave up after just one month.
"It's fine. I need to learn if I'm going to live with oppa from now on."
As she said that, my sister's eyes were strangely filled with motivation.
"......."
Right, well...
Since you'll have to live on your own when you go to college later.
Practicing in advance wouldn't be bad.
**
After finishing the meal, when I stood up to do the dishes, Haeun stood up following me.
"I'll do it."
"It's fine. You must still be tired, so sit down."
"But...."
"Forget it. There's cut watermelon in the fridge, right? Go set that up."
"...Yeah."
After finishing the dishes, we sat side by side on the wooden porch and ate watermelon.
"Ah, right. Can you do this?"
I spat the watermelon seed in my mouth far out with a Tuk.
Flying in a parabola, the seed landed almost in the middle of the yard.
"What? How did you do that?"
Haeun repeatedly looked back and forth between the watermelon and my mouth in wonder.
With my sister reacting so dramatically, I subtly felt puffed up with pride.
Even though it was no big deal.
"Like this..., put it on the tip of your tongue."
Twe! When you push it out like firing a cannon.
"Waaah...!"
My sister let out an exclamation of awe, her eyes wide as she tracked the watermelon seed flying with a Hwik.
"You try it too."
"Yeah. ...Te-et!"
However, the watermelon seed my sister spat out couldn't even fly properly and fell straight to the floor.
"...I want to try again."
Haeun frowned slightly, mumbling in her mouth.
However, my sister had zero knack for it.
By the time plenty of black dots had accumulated under the porch floorboards.
"...Why can't I do it? This is foul play."
"Foul play?"
"Only oppa is good at it. Originally, for stuff like this, beginners should get extra bonus points."
My sister poured out a passionate speech with absurd logic.
For some reason, seeing her like that was cute, so I giggled out loud.
"Don't tease me."
"I'm not teasing?"
"Then why are you laughing?"
"No, it's funny. You can't even do something this easy."
The seed I spat with a smirk flew to a spot my sister had never even reached.
"See, you ARE teasing me!"
"Yeah, I am. You just realized?"
"Ah, oppa, seriously!"
My sister mumbled in her mouth again, then spat out a watermelon seed with all her strength, Twe! But.
"......."
The seed spat out with such vigor dropped straight down as soon as it left her mouth.
"......Ssii."
My sister flopped down after those final words and clamped her mouth tightly shut.
"What, you're not doing it anymore?"
"I'm not."
"Why? Are you mad?"
"I'm not mad."
"Then you're sulking."
"It's not like that."
"You're totally sulking though?"
"I said I'm not."
I poked the waist of my sister, who had turned her head away looking somewhere else.
"...Don't do that."
"You said you weren't sulking?"
"Yeah, so don't touch me."
"Alright. I won't touch you."
"If you touch me again, I won't talk to oppa."
"Got it."
I said I wouldn't touch her, but I didn't say I wouldn't tickle her.
As I gently tickled her waist with my fingertips, my sister's body flinched.
"Oh, impressive? You're holding this in?"
"......."
"Is it really not ticklish? That can't be possible?"
"......Eut."
Unable to hold back against my secret finisher in the end, my sister fell flat on her back.
"Ah...! It tickles! Seriously, stop!"
"Yap. Yap."
"Ah! Oppa, seriously!"
Since she started kicking, this time I reversed position and tickled the soles of her feet.
My sister screamed and writhed wildly.
"Ha...at, haa... Please..., oppa... stooop...."
"Are you really not sulking?"
"I'm sulking, I'm sulking so... stop...."
"Are you gonna mess around again?"
"N-ooo...."
Her ears were flushed red and she was panting heavily, so thinking this was enough, I let her go.
"I feel like I'm gonna die...."
"That's why you shouldn't mess with oppa."
"When did I..., ever...."
My sister lay limp on the wooden porch, looking at me resentfully.
Her bangs were soaked with sweat.
...Mm.
Come to think of it, I was the one who teased her first.
"Sorry. Are you okay?"
"...Hmph."
My sister turned her head away, then lay down spread-eagled.
Having nothing particular left to say, I also lay down with my head pointing in the opposite direction from Haeun.
Faintly from afar, the maem-maem- sound of cicadas echoed.
As I stared blankly at the ceiling, the breeze from the electric fan swept over my face.
My body temperature, elevated from making a racket, subsided in the gentle breeze.
"...."
This is what summer is.
As I closed my eyes and enjoyed the countryside atmosphere, I heard the sound of the wooden floor creaking.
Pretending not to notice and staying still, my sister quietly snuck up and lay down using my arm as a pillow.
With her back turned towards me.
"...What are you doing."
"...."
Since there was no answer, I gently shifted my body to the side.
Then Haeun followed along.
Once.
Twice.
"...."
No, why does she keep clinging to me?
Feeling suffocated, I backed my body away slightly.
"What's wrong? It's hot."
"Just because. Why? ...Do you hate it?"
"...."
I don't know.
Just do whatever you want.
As I stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time, my palm felt ticklish.
Turning my head, I saw Haeun rolling her hair between her fingers and tickling my palm with it.
Every time my sister's hair brushed against my palm, goosebumps broke out.
"...What are you doing."
"I'm bored. Tell me an interesting story."
Haeun looked up at me while lying on her side.
"...I don't have anything like that."
My nickname in college was no-fun serious nerd.
"...Still, there must have been something fun while we were living apart. Or..., tell me stories about oppa's college days."
Haeun asked while brushing her hair against my palm again.
"I haven't been to college, so I'm curious. Do classmates really flirt, have some flings, and date?"
"......."
I reflected on my undergraduate days for a moment.
The department I attended was relatively small and elite, with a high proportion of female students.
Naturally, there were a lot of campus couples in the department as well.
"...Well. Usually, I guess so."
Then Haeun looked at me with a curious expression and asked.
"Then..., did oppa do it too? ...Dating."