The Spring Rain Fell
An early spring rain began to fall.
The shower that had started in the evening had grown quite heavy by the time I finished getting ready for bed. A low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, followed by a brilliant flash of lightning that lit up the darkness outside.
Remembering a post I had seen on an online community board, I grabbed my pillow straight away, stepped out into the hallway, and came to a halt in front of Yeo-eun Noona's room. Coincidentally, today was her day off.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Whaaat~?"
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah. Come on in."
I turned the handle and walked inside. Noona was sprawled across her bed, staring down at her phone.
"Haah... Noona."
"Huh? What?"
It was a sight I hadn't anticipated in the slightest. Dumbfounded, I called out to her again, but she replied without so much as glancing my way.
"Are you crazy?"
"What?"
Yeo-eun Noona was lying on her stomach, blissfully munching on a bag of snacks.
"Why are you eating those there?! You're dropping crumbs all over the place."
"Ah, whatever."
Hearing my complaint, she lazily brushed the stray crumbs off her bedding with the back of her hand, completely indifferent to the fact that I had cleaned the entire place earlier.
"There, happy?"
"Happy with what?! That didn't fix anything!"
This wasn't why I had come here. My plan had been to provoke her just enough to draw her out, since she stubbornly refused to take the bait. I even harbored a petty urge for mild revenge—to make her squirm with impatience. Yet seeing this mess, none of that mattered anymore.
I marched over to Noona, who showed no intention of getting up from her stomach.
Smack!
"Eeeek! Wh-what was that?! Why'd you hit me?!"
I flattened my palm and slapped her rear with a sharp crack. A shriek tore from her lips; she was wearing nothing more than a thin pair of panties, so the blow must have stung considerably.
"Seriously, Noona."
"Ouch, that smarts...! Here I was, cutting you slack just because you're my little brother..."
Yeo-eun Noona sprang up from the mattress, and the sudden jolt sent her precariously balanced snack bag tumbling over.
"You're in for a lecture today, mister."
"You spilled them everywhere!"
As she reached out toward me, she froze, blinking in surprise.
"Huh? Why are you holding a pillow...?"
Wham!
I swung the pillow with full force, planting it squarely across her face. I was genuinely irritated. Still, as expected, Noona proved to be an exceptional partner when it came to stirring up my emotions.
I retreated to my room. Going over to her door had only subjected me to an unsightly mess, leaving me to clean up before stomping back. Once she realized I was truly angry, Yeo-eun Noona had wilted in guilt and slunk outside to shake out her sheets.
Why on earth would anyone eat snacks in bed?
No matter how carefully you ate, crumbs were bound to settle into the fabric. Noona hadn't even attempted to be cautious; she had simply wiped her powdery fingers straight onto her clothes.
Knock, knock.
"Jeongseo-ya~"
I had recently come across a short webcomic on a gallery forum. It depicted a rainy night where a younger brother came knocking on the female protagonist's door, clutching a pillow to his chest. The narrative itself was simple enough, but the comment section below overflowed with raw lust and unbridled fantasies. Seeing how wild people went over that scenario, I had wondered if the same trick would work on Yeo-eun Noona, which was why I had marched over with a pillow in my arms.
"Jeongseo. Can Noona come in?"
Yeo-eun Noona continually defied my expectations. And no, I wasn't referring to her eating snacks in bed. I meant she was entirely different from the ordinary women I had studied, or the ones Jo Ihyeon had described.
From everything I had gathered so far, Yeo-eun Noona was unquestionably attracted to me—not merely as a younger brother, but as a man. Yet she never crossed the line.
"If you keep ignoring me, I'm just coming in, okay?"
It would be one thing if she looked at me with pure parental care like Auntie Dongja did. But every now and then, Yeo-eun Noona would gaze at me with thick, lingering eyes. Those looks weren't all that different from the lecherous stares predatory women cast my way on the subway—heavy, illicit glances drenched in sexual desire. And yet, she never took that decisive step forward, even though we lived under the same roof and no matter how defenseless I made myself appear.
She had to cross the line first so I could use her initiative as an excuse to indulge my own impulses.
Click.
"Jeongseo...? Are you still mad?"
"Haah... Noona, you're going to catch a cold."
"Ah... Yeah. I'm fine."
"Well, I'm not fine with it, so go change your clothes."
Yeo-eun Noona fidgeted like a restless puppy. Where on earth had she gone to shake out the blanket? Her clothes were completely soaked from the rain. Seeing her stand there shivering in see-through wet fabric made me feel a sudden pang of pity.
"Then I'll go change and come right back, okay?"
"Dry your hair, too."
"Yeah. I'll be quick."
Noona examined my face before scurrying off toward her room. Contrary to her worries, my anger had evaporated earlier—specifically, right around the time she had been rubbing her stinging backside. My silence was simply because I was deep in contemplation.
Why did she refuse to cross the threshold?
When the Monk had spoken of Auntie Dongja, he had invoked the Buddhist proverb: Even brushing sleeves is destiny. He had meant that I should cherish the family I was fated to live with, and that karmic bond naturally included Yeo-eun Noona. For that reason, I couldn't just treat her carelessly or do whatever struck my fancy.
It would look far better if she reached out her hand first, though...
Even setting aside the Monk's teachings, Yeo-eun Noona was vital to me. The Goddess had advised me to discover my dormant emotions through others, and Noona was undeniably my prime candidate. Though difficult to articulate, an overwhelming certainty resonated within me that she was bound to my fate. To heal my exhausted soul, I needed to forge a deeper bond with her—not merely through emotional companionship in this lifetime, but physically as well.
Of course, my assumption could be mistaken. That was precisely why I was trying to entice Yeo-eun Noona into crossing the boundary first, testing the waters before committing.
What on earth is holding her back?
I couldn't fathom it. There were moments I had even wondered if she, like me, retained memories of another world, simply because she acted so unlike the women of this society. Then again, seeing how she let me touch her breasts without a word of protest, that didn't seem to be the case.
"I'm back!"
"Why'd you come back?"
My scheme of clutching a pillow to bait her had ended in utter failure. If I couldn't deduce the answer on my own, I would just have to ask. Rather than probing endlessly from the shadows, I resolved to uncover Noona's true thoughts through conversation.
Yeo-eun Noona stepped into my room clad in a loose-fitting tank top and short shorts—though her top was anything but loose around the chest. After casting a brief glance around the room, she settled softly onto the foot of the bed where I lay.
"Noona won't eat snacks in bed anymore. That settles it, right?"
"Yeah."
"Don't be mad. Seriously, how do you nag more than Mom does?"
Both Auntie and Noona were undeniably good people. Yeo-eun Noona bickered and complained often, but at heart, she was gentle and kind. It often felt as though she deliberately yielded to me.
"It's fine. I'm not mad."
"Aww, c'mon. Why that stone-cold face, then? Here~ smile for me! Only good boys smile, don't they?"
I took back what I had thought about her being kind. Noona pinned me beneath the quilt and began kneading my cheeks with both hands, tugging at the corners of my mouth to stretch them into a forced grin. Straddled over me as she was, my strength wasn't enough to shake her off.
"Let go. And I'm not a kid."
"Hehe. You were the one holding a pillow earlier, weren't you?"
"So what?"
"Didn't you come looking for me because the lightning scared you? That makes you a total baby."
Did this woman really come here to soothe my temper? Why was she teasing me instead?
"I wasn't scared. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Sure, sure. Our Jeongseo isn't scared at all. You were just taking your pillow on a little stroll."
"I really wasn't scared!"
"Uh-huh, I hear you. But Noona's terrified, so do you mind if I stay here for a bit?"
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This was nothing like the reactions in that comic.
Giggling slyly, Noona slipped beneath the sheets beside me. She rubbed her arms, complaining that it was chilly. Lying on her side, her generous breasts squished together like heavy water balloons.
"Good grief... Pull up the blanket."
"Really? Thank you. Ahh, so warm."
Noona lifted the quilt and lay down beside me. When I slept alone, the bed had felt plenty spacious, but with her sharing the mattress, the space suddenly felt cramped, bringing our bare skin into close contact.
"It's almost bedtime, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Tucked under the covers, Yeo-eun Noona turned back onto her side. Propping her head up with one arm, she looked down at me.
"Noona will stay right here until you fall asleep. So don't be scared, just close your eyes."
"I told you, I'm not scared! Stop teasing me."
When I turned my head toward her, her voluptuous bust completely dominated my field of vision. For a second, I considered slapping her chest the way I had smacked her rear, but I held back. Unlike her bottom, breasts were sensitive and delicate.
Instead, I reached out and pinched her nipple, which poked tautly against the fabric of her top.
"Gah-eek! That hurts!"
"It's supposed to hurt."
Her nipple was stiff and erect. I hadn't even pinched that hard. With my thumb and forefinger, I gently rolled and kneaded the firm peak through the cloth.
"Hah-euk... Stop. Stop it..."
"Admit you were wrong."
"Yeah, Noona was wrong. Haaah... ngh."
Her gasps didn't quite sound like cries of pain, but after fondling her a bit, I let go. Immediately, Noona pulled down one strap of her tank top to inspect her nipple. It looked slightly flushed.
"Hnnng... I think it's swollen."
"How could it swell from just that? You're fine."
"No, look! Compared to this side..."
Sitting up, Yeo-eun Noona pulled off her tank top in one fluid motion. Cupping both breasts in her hands, she thrust them forward toward my face.
"Look. It's swollen, right?"
"They look identical to me."
They were pale, milky breasts with faint blue veins tracing beneath the translucent skin. Under the bright fluorescent light, Yeo-eun Noona looked down at me. I reached out and lightly brushed the taut, rosy nipple. For someone who had just complained about the cold, she sat stripped bare without a hint of hesitation.
Gulp.
I spent a few moments kneading her breasts and pressing her nipples as if exploring a sensory toy. Amidst the silence, the sound of Noona swallowing her saliva resonated with startling clarity.
Shwaaaaa—pat, patter, patter-patter.
The sound of rain lashing against the window pane abruptly intensified. At the same time, the atmosphere shifted, feeling as if the temperature in the room had plummeted in an instant. For a while, nothing filled the space save for the relentless drumming of the downpour.
"Jeongseo."
"Yeah."
Noona was the first to break the silence. Her voice was noticeably calmer, stripped of all playfulness. She locked eyes directly with mine as she spoke, her gaze carrying an emotion difficult to decipher.
"Are you really okay with this?"
Ah.
I think I finally understood, if only a little.
She looked insecure. Yeo-eun Noona was looking at me with an expression fraught with anxiety and apprehension—and beneath that worry, her eyes harbored a faint, desperate flicker of anticipation.