Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Han Ye-eun (1)
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Han Ye-eun, she thought.
That tiny face had such delicately gathered features, perfectly suited to it.
At first, she couldn't believe it was really her brother.
But seeing him put on a full-blown spectacle toward his phone in an empty place confirmed it—he was definitely her brother.
No, by now, even calling him "oppa" felt awkward.
No one would think the term "oppa" fit that feminine appearance. And not just any woman, but a stunning beauty at that.
So why did she stubbornly cling to that title?
Perhaps it was her own defense mechanism, not wanting to lose her one and only brother.
To Han Ye-eun, Han Jeong-ho's existence could be summed up in one word: love-hate.
Her only family.
Abandoned by her family, she hated them, yet that very abandonment made her crave family even more.
Han Jeong-ho was the sole family she had left.
Looking back, her brother had always worn shabby secondhand clothes.
While he always bought her clothes made of good materials, his own closet was filled with cheap fabrics bought for a few thousand won at the market.
That had always bothered her.
That was why she had taken him to an expensive clothing store.
She had gotten an earful after a long time, but seeing how much he secretly liked it filled her with a quiet sense of pride.
Then, she suddenly remembered that morning.
When she visited her brother's place after so long and found a strange woman there, she was utterly shocked.
At first, she thought it was a burglar.
Quickly scanning with her eyes, she saw the woman was alone in the house.
Had she sneaked in while her brother was away?
Or could it be a stalker?
A scenario formed in her head of a woman with perverse tastes breaking into Han Jeong-ho's home.
With thoughts of subduing her if necessary, she stepped inside, and the woman showed signs of panic.
But something strange happened.
A familiar scent, her brother's scent, emanated from this stranger.
The look in her eyes as she stared.
That expression filled with bewilderment yet tinged with a subtle joy flickering through.
Why did Han Jeong-ho's image project onto this unknown woman?
"Ye-eun-ah. Actually, I'm your half-sister."
Even more bizarrely, the woman knew her name.
She even called her affectionately.
Had her brother told her? Then was she a friend of his?
But did her brother have a beauty like that among his friends?
Doubts kept rising endlessly, soon blossoming into a new misunderstanding.
'Ah, so she's my brother's girlfriend.'
If he'd brought a woman into his bachelor pad, they had to be at least that close.
As his girlfriend, she would naturally know about his little sister.
Everything clicked perfectly.
That was her first thought upon seeing her brother's girlfriend (presumed).
The guy who hadn't properly dated anyone because he'd been supporting her had finally gotten a girlfriend.
A twinge of jealousy stirred.
The attention and affection that had been solely on her now belonged entirely to his girlfriend.
But she had to understand.
He had finally found his own life.
He couldn't keep living just for his little sister forever.
For a moment, she thought that was fine too, but who knew what her brother truly felt?
In truth, it wasn't too late yet.
Jeong-ho had received quite a few confessions during school.
This wasn't just bias as his sister; being family gave her an objective view, and he was quite handsome.
The kind of looks that would make any girl his age want to check him out at least once.
He'd gotten love letters now and then, and sometimes direct proposals to date.
But Jeong-ho always turned them down.
With part-time jobs filling his days, he had no time for dating.
Once, a fairly popular girl in class confessed to him.
As always, Jeong-ho smiled awkwardly and refused.
Up to that point, it was just an ordinary day, but the problem came after.
Han Ye-eun was attending the same middle school as Jeong-ho at the time.
On cleaning duty, she went to the back yard to empty the trash and overheard by chance.
"Honestly, isn't he a total jerk?"
"Right? Acting all aloof and shit. Like he's got some middle school syndrome."
"He doesn't even have many friends. No wonder, who would like a guy like that."
"Heard he does part-time jobs after school every day. Pfft, poor bastard."
They said they liked him, but the moment things soured, they trash-talked him behind his back like petty gossips. It was revolting.
Even as a kid, Han Ye-eun wanted to give that confessing girl a piece of her mind for badmouthing her brother.
So she started training.
That was how she got into jiu-jitsu.
But once she actually started at the jiu-jitsu academy, she felt like she'd made a mistake.
After that day, Jeong-ho came home even later.
To pay for her academy fees, he'd taken on another job.
'...Han Ye-eun, you idiot.'
It was mortifying to think she'd burdened her brother again, swept up in her emotions.
She had no face to show him.
He could've just gotten angry.
Complained that it was tough.
If he'd said the academy was too hard, she wouldn't have gone in the first place.
But Han Jeong-ho never showed any sign of hardship.
Instead, he smiled and cheered her on.
"Whoa, number one in the academy? That's insane. Can't act cocky now."
As if it was nothing.
Dark circles under his eyes, his once-decent face losing its vitality bit by bit, yet whenever he looked at her, he never lost his smile.
Seeing him like that, she knew this wasn't right.
What was jiu-jitsu anyway?
In the end, despite the instructor's protests, she quit jiu-jitsu.
The instructor offered to waive fees, but she thought it better to work alongside her brother during that time to earn even a little more.
Of course, that was just a thought.
That day, for the first time, her brother got angry.
For the first time, she cried under the covers.
Seeing Han Jeong-ho truly angry was quite a shock to her young self.
He came to console her as she wept bitterly.
At her age, earning money was foolish, he said. Places that hired kids were rare anyway.
When she retorted that he had earned money at her age, he pondered and said men and women were different.
That day, to her who still didn't understand, he said:
If you don't like jiu-jitsu, you don't have to do it. Instead, focus on studying.
Just get into college. He couldn't because he wasn't smart enough, so she should go in his place.
That alone would satisfy him fully.
'Liar.'
The claim that he wasn't smart enough was a lie.
Jeong-ho had maintained top-tier grades in school.
She'd secretly seen his crumpled report card in his bag, so she knew.
For someone working part-time all day with no time to study, achieving that was impossible without brains.
He wasn't top-university material, but he was good enough for a decent capital-area school.
But he didn't go to college.
On CSAT day, his stomach hurt, and he bombed the test—that was the reason.
She knew even then it wasn't true.
She pretended not to know anyway.
Teased him, saying morning poops were essential, calling him dumb.
While others went on trips after CSAT, Jeong-ho went back to part-time work.
Watching him, she vowed.
Yeah. I'll go to college.
If that's his wish, I'll make it come true.
It's the only thing I can do.
That was during her sophomore year of high school.
Having dropped studies for jiu-jitsu, restarting from scratch wasn't easy.
Less than two years left to prepare for CSAT.
So she studied harder than others.
Got to school early for previews, reviewed lessons at home.
When that wasn't enough, she pulled all-nighters.
Pulling all-nighters became more frequent.
It was grueling, but for a better future, she could endure.
No, she had to.
Someone proving her pain was nothing was right beside her.
It was funny.
Her brother always came home later than her, even after she studied till dawn and slept.
She lived breathless days.
Snapped to—it was senior year. Snapped to—CSAT day.
With Jeong-ho skipping work to cheer her at the exam hall, she entered.
Condition was good.
September mock test scores were promising.
If it continued, her target university was within reach.
And it was.
The scores, announced soon after, were enough for her desired school.
She applied regular admission and got in as expected.
Passing was joyful, but his words—"You worked hard"—while seeing the acceptance letter made her happier.
That day, they ate out together for the first time in ages.
To her half-joking "Don't overdo it," he shrugged it off.
He handed her a cheesecake as a gift, and she was quite surprised.
'We only had cheesecake on birthdays.'
Opening the box wrapped in elegant paper revealed "Congrats on Admission" written on it.
That cake tasted better than any birthday one.
Time flew again.
High school graduation, college entrance approaching.
Unlike expectations that college admission would end worries, reality was harsh.
The school was farther from home than thought.
Public transport made commuting nearly impossible.
Dorm life was inevitable.
Tuition plus dorm fees: 10 million won per semester.
A problem.
She didn't have that much.
'This... this won't do.'
She'd gotten into college somehow, but reality's wall forced her to kneel.
Seeing her pale face, Jeong-ho asked what was wrong.
She said she'd have to give up college.
Other national universities had half the tuition, sadly unknown to her then.
She hadn't even applied.
Top Korean universities were mostly private.
Choices: retake or give up college for a job.
Retaking wasn't an option.
Only one path.
Maybe for the best.
Starting to earn now would improve their situation.
Jeong-ho was sensitive about her working.
The first time he'd yelled was etched deep in her mind.
But she couldn't just give up here.
She decided to tell him her thoughts.
Persuade him even if he got mad.
But the expected reaction didn't come.
After hearing everything, Jeong-ho smiled and shook his head.
He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her.
A bankbook.
On the cover: [Ye-eun's Tuition]
Inside, steady monthly deposits.
Total: 20 million won.
He said she could go to college now, thankfully.
That day.
She finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
The second time in her life she cried.