My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 10

—–CROW—– 

Geum-bi Noona wasn’t lenient with physical contact, to say the least.  

Recalling how flustered I was when she held my hand yesterday, and how tense she was herself, made it clear.

‘I’ve hugged Su-jeong Noona often, but with Geum-bi Noona…I never thought this would happen.’

My slowly extending hand gently landed on Geum-bi Noona’s shoulder. She flinched, and instead of asking if she was okay, I wrapped my fingers around her shoulder.

“Ugh.”

“…I’ll pull you closer.”

Even though we were right next to each other, there was still a handspan’s distance between us.  Instead of moving closer myself, I pulled Geum-bi Noona towards me.

Geum-bi Noona fell into my arms, and the top of her head brushed against my cheek.  As her slightly stiff body leaned against my chest, I closed my lips and held my breath.

“…”

“…”

It felt more like I had pulled her in and trapped her than hugged her.  I wasn’t sure if this was what she wanted, but it was more comfortable than hugging face-to-face.

‘Since we’re not looking at each other…it’ll be less awkward for her.’

I glanced at her, and saw her ears were bright red.  Her eyes were red from crying, but there was only one reason for her ears, neck, and twitching cheeks to be flushed.

‘She must be really embarrassed. Why did she ask for this…ahem.’

I felt my own face flush, but I kept my head down and waited quietly.  My fingers remained relaxed, my arms and shoulders firm, and as I listened to Geum-bi Noona’s breathing, she spoke softly.

“Sorry.  For asking you for something weird.”

“It’s okay.  Family is there to lean on when you’re having a hard time.”

“…Right. Family is there to lean on when you’re having a hard time.”

Geum-bi Noona nodded in agreement with my attempt at comfort.  Her reaction seemed to go beyond simple agreement and brought back the memory of the argument downstairs.  I unconsciously tensed up.

“You think so too, right, Ji-gu?”

“Think what?”

“That family is there for you when you’re having a hard time or struggling.”

“…That’s what people usually say.”

“Then conversely, if they’re not there for you when you’re struggling or suffering, or even when you’re happy or celebrating…can you call them family?”

It was obvious who Geum-bi Noona was referring to.  It was also obvious that she was saying this to convince someone downstairs, not me.  To comfort her, I should have just nodded quietly, but—

“It’s hard to make such a simple assertion.”

“ …!”

I chose honesty over empathy at that moment.  Geum-bi Noona turned and glared at me, her eyes sharp as if she had been betrayed by someone she trusted.  But I didn’t flinch, discarding my usual cheerful younger brother facade.  

It seemed like what Geum-bi Noona wanted wasn’t a cheerful brother, but someone who could reason with her.  If she had just wanted empty empathy, she would have pressed me for an answer downstairs.

“Do you think family should always be there for you, Noona? That’s not true, is it?”

“Of course not unconditionally. But…there are minimum requirements, right?”

“Who made those requirements?”

“Well…it’s common sense, or an agreement between family members.”

“Either way, it’s something someone arbitrarily decided.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Geum-bi Noona, despite her fiery personality, didn’t get angry at my rebuttal and instead asked about my intentions.  Considering it half a success, I quietly turned my head towards her.  This time, I could see her face, as well as her body, flinch.  Pretending not to notice, I pulled her closer and explained calmly.

“I think any form is fine, as long as the people involved are okay with it.”

“…Even if there’s no minimum consideration or obligation between family members?”

“There are various forms of families in the world, and each has its own story.  According to your logic, Noona, are geese fathers, separated couples, and divorced families not considered families?”

“That’s a different case. We’re not in any of those situations.”

“Right.  Our family has its own circumstances and its own form.”

“…So, you’re saying I should just understand?  That Mom had her reasons, and we just happened to end up like this, so I should just accept it?”

Geum-bi Noona seemed choked up, moving her head closer to mine.  But I didn’t back down, and because my hands were supporting her shoulders and back, she couldn’t move away.  I reached out and hugged her from the front.

“Gah?! Ji-gu, what are you doing…!”

“You don’t have to accept it.”

“…Huh?”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to understand or accept it.”

“Wh-what?”

Geum-bi Noona, nestled in my arms, was flustered, and my next words flustered her even more.  But the hand that was about to push me away instead gripped my shirt, a sign that she wanted to hear more.

“I told you, any form is fine as long as the people involved are okay with it.”

“…And?”

“Then conversely, if you don’t think they’re acting like family, you have the right to be angry at them.”

“…Like I’m angry at Mom now?”

“That’s a natural right between family members.”

Like Su-jeong Noona, some people could understand each other’s circumstances even if they didn’t see each other often.  But if, like Geum-bi Noona, someone felt it was wrong, they had the right to question the other person.

“Giving and taking, adjusting to each other…isn’t that how you become a real family?”

Mom wasn’t born a mother, and she didn’t start out raising five children alone.  So, it seemed like we needed to find a new way, adjusting to each other’s expectations, to become a true family.

“Actually, it sounds grand, but I don’t know if this will actually solve anything.”

Of course, this was just my personal opinion.  Feeling like I had talked too much, I took a step back and observed her reaction.

‘Did it sound like I was lecturing her?  I hope she’s not mad that I’m overstepping my boundaries as a younger brother…’

My built-up tension broke, and I gulped nervously.  I smiled gently at Geum-bi Noona, who had become quiet in my arms, and brought my face closer to hers.

“Yang Ji-gu.”

“Yeah, Noona.”

“…Thank you, brat.”

“Huh?  Uh…?”

“I said thank you.  Damn it, why don’t you understand? You’re embarrassing me!”

Geum-bi Noona’s face, as she lifted her head while cursing, was the reddest I had ever seen it.  A series of grumbles and clicks of her tongue followed, but I clearly heard her thank you before that.

“Right, what’s the point of worrying alone? I haven’t even talked to Mom, the person involved…ha. I’ve been putting this off and needlessly fighting with Unnie…haaa!”

“C-calm down, Noona. If you’d like, I can try to create an opportunity for you to reconcile.”

“Forget it! How much longer are you going to treat me like a child? I can reconcile without your help!”

“S-sorry.”

“It’s fine.  Hmph, anyway…it was somewhat helpful.  Thank you, dummy.”

Geum-bi Noona mumbled to herself, then yelled at me, thanked me, and finally insulted me.  It was all over the place, but it felt like she meant every word, which was so like her.

“Um, I’m glad you’re feeling better. …Should I let go of you now?”

“Hmph, it’s not entirely thanks to you. I felt like I would have been fine eventually anyway.”

“Yeah, right.  So I’m letting go now.”

“Do whatever you want. Why are you asking?”

“Because…you’re still holding onto my shirt.”

I tried to let go of Geum-bi Noona when the situation seemed to have calmed down, but her hand was gripping my shirt tightly, and no matter how much I signaled, she didn’t loosen her grip.

“Dummy.  You’re a man, can’t you just shake off a girl’s hand?”

“Wouldn’t it be rude to show off my strength to you, Noona?”

“…Then just keep holding me.  What can I do about you being so weak, hmph.”

“Ah, um, okay. I guess it’ll loosen up eventually…”

After a brief exchange, we seemed to have reached an agreement(?) to maintain our current position.  As we both fell silent, I became acutely aware of things I hadn’t noticed before, like the scent and shine of Geum-bi Noona’s hair and the soft feel of her skin against mine.

“Um, ahem.”

“Stay still.  It’s uncomfortable to lean on you.”

“Sorry.”

“…You don’t have to apologize for that.”

I was worried that someone might come in and misunderstand the situation, but then I remembered Geum-bi Noona had locked the door, so it was fine.

Yes.  Except for the two of us clinging to each other, there was absolutely no problem.

“Ji-gu.”

“Y-yeah.”

“You’ve been secretly meeting with Su-jeong Unnie every night, haven’t you?”

“Huh?  N-no?  That’s not…ugh.”

“Don’t lie.”

“…We didn’t do anything weird. I just listened to her.”

“Hmm~ really? Hmm, hmm.”

I wondered what she was thinking. Geum-bi Noona hummed for a while, as if deep in thought, then looked up at me.

“I understand why Unnie talked to you instead of me.”

“…It’s a misunderstanding. It’s not that she didn’t trust you, it just happened that way.”

“It’s okay. I don’t care about that now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But…if you’re going to Unnie’s room at night, come to my room during the day.”

“What…?”

“I want to talk to you too.  You’re surprisingly good at listening, Ji-gu.”

Had I discovered a hidden talent?  It was good to have more skills, but this was a bit awkward.

“Um, Geum-bi Noona, I don’t think that’s…”

“By the way, I won’t accept a refusal.  I don’t tolerate discrimination between family members.”

“Ugh…!”

Geum-bi Noona squeezed my chest as she said that. This time, she pinched my skin, not just my shirt, and I bit my lip and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

“I’ll be waiting. Lock the door when you come in, in case someone sees us.”

Her demands were increasing.  I wasn’t sure if I should be happy that Geum-bi Noona was in a better mood or sad that I had more work to do, so I tightened my arms around her with mixed feelings.

Geum-bi Noona, in my arms, let out a similar sound, “Ugh,” and I thought, ‘We really are siblings,’ convincing myself that this was also part of my duty as a family member.

—–CROW—– 

*Geum-bi*