My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 12

—–CROW—– 

Hmm, what was this? I felt like I’d only closed my eyes for a moment…but why did my body feel so refreshed?

I rubbed my blurry eyes and looked around.  It was definitely the ceiling of our house above me, but somehow, the air in the room felt different from my own.  It felt sweet, fragrant, and cozy.

Was it because of Noona lying next to me?

I turned my head, and a soft breast pressed against my cheek.  Honestly, Su-jeong Noona was always so careless.  It was the same in the bathroom; who was she to give *me* advice?

‘She’s the one acting the most recklessly…ha.  But it’s a good thing I woke up first.’

If Noona had woken up first, she might have freaked out at our awkward position.

I pushed the flesh against my cheek away and tried to get up, but my legs were tangled with something.

‘Ugh? Did my legs get tangled with Noona’s while we were sleeping? I thought she was a quiet sleeper…guess not. She was groping my butt this morning too.’

From oversleeping to bad sleeping habits, Su-jeong Noona’s image was gradually crumbling.

…But wasn’t she wearing dolphin shorts to sleep? Why was she wearing short jeans?

‘Come to think of it, her breasts seem a bit smaller than usual…huh? And when did I get into bed?  My last memory was finishing cleaning, and someone dragging me away…?’

“Yang Ji-gu.”

“Huh?  Eh?”

“Where are you touching?”

“Uh…? Geum-bi Noona? What are you doing here?”

“This is my room.  More importantly, where are you touching right now?”

“Huh? Whoa, what is this!  No, it’s not like that, Noona!”

“Explain yourself properly.  I’m not that mad yet, so I’ll listen.”

It came back to me.  I was stumbling around after cleaning, and Geum-bi Noona called me.  I somehow made it to the second floor…and then my memory went blank.

‘Did I fall asleep in Geum-bi Noona’s bed? When? How?  More importantly, how do I explain this?’

I must have collapsed from exhaustion, but…groping her breast?  I was caught red-handed, no matter how you looked at it.  And since Noona saw it with her own eyes, I couldn’t deny it.

“Ugh, well, it’s a misunderstanding. I definitely wasn’t trying to touch you.”

“You turned your head and grabbed my breast as soon as you woke up, and you’re saying you weren’t trying to touch me?”

“I-I was just waking up, I wasn’t thinking straight! Something bumped against my face, so I tried to push it away, and I didn’t even know it was your breast, Geum-bi Noona!”

“Fine, let’s say you were trying to push it away at first. Then why did you stop and grab it?”

“Uh, something was tangled around my legs, so I was checking that for a moment…anyway, it was a mistake.  I really wasn’t thinking anything weird…!”

It was a misunderstanding caused by a series of coincidences.

…That’s what I desperately insisted, but Geum-bi Noona’s narrowed eyes didn’t soften.

‘I know.  It doesn’t even make sense to me.’

Honestly, I couldn’t say I didn’t have even the slightest ulterior motive.  Of course, I wasn’t thinking anything lewd about my Noona, but when my hand touched something soft…I might have instinctively squeezed it a little in my sleep. It couldn’t be helped; it was instinctual.

I gulped, awaiting Geum-bi Noona’s judgment.  Even though she was shorter than me, she was positioned above me on the bed, which made her seem even more intimidating.

‘This position was wrong from the start. I lay down first, and Noona lay down later, right?  So, it’s not entirely my fault…but if I say that, I’ll really get hit.’

I didn’t know where to look under her sharp gaze.  Then, as if inevitable, Geum-bi Noona’s hand touched my cheek.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes…!”

“Why are you so nervous? Just say it was a mistake you made in your sleep.”

“Oh, yeah.  That’s what I was trying to say…yes.”

“It was obviously a mistake, did you think I’d seriously be mad about that?”

“No, but…you were looking at me so scary.”

“You know I have a naturally intense gaze, right? It’s a complex of mine, and you’re pointing it out?”

“S-sorry.  I was wrong.”

“Fine.  I’ll forgive you for what happened earlier too, hmph.”

Unlike me, who was incredibly nervous, Geum-bi Noona was relaxed.  She exuded an older sister’s charm and generously dismissed my mistake as sleep-induced fidgeting.

‘Thank goodness.  I thought I was in trouble after what Su-jeong Noona said…’

I breathed a sigh of relief and finally tried to get out of bed, but Geum-bi Noona’s foot, which had been tangled with my legs, pressed down on me, preventing me from moving.

“Ugh?  Noona?”

“But you know, Ji-gu.”

“Yeah, what…?”

“There’s something I don’t understand about what you said earlier.”

“What?”

“You said you touched me without knowing it was me, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.  I’m not lying, I really didn’t know it was you, Geum-bi Noona.”

“Then who did you think it was?”

“…Huh?”

“Everyone in our house besides you is female, so whose breasts did you think it was okay to touch?”

Squeeze.

The toes pressing against my calves increased their pressure.  Geum-bi Noona’s hand, which had been stroking my cheek, now gripped the back of my neck, and I was trapped, looking into her eyes.  Her gaze was burning with an intensity that was incomparable to before.

“Think carefully before you answer.  I’ll seriously decide what to do with you, Ji-gu, based on your answer.”

“…Gulp.”

What did she mean by “decide”?  This was Geum-bi Noona’s room, and the door was locked, so surely I wasn’t…going to die or be imprisoned here, right?

‘Th-think.  Should I tell the truth? That I touched her thinking it was Su-jeong Noona?’

That seemed problematic too.  But it would be even more problematic if it were any of the younger sisters.  Noona would never let me off the hook if I touched them.

‘It can’t be helped.  I’m sorry, Su-jeong Noona…!’

After much deliberation, I chose the name that would cause the least damage. I closed my eyes tightly, clasped my hands together, and bowed my head to Geum-bi Noona.

“I thought it was Su-jeong Noona.  Sometimes when we wake up in the morning, our bodies get tangled…I’m sorry!”

“…”

There was no response to my apology.  I gulped repeatedly, holding my breath, and after about 30 seconds, I cautiously opened my eyes and looked up.

“Eek!”

“I see.  So, you and Su-jeong Unnie were playing like this in bed?”

“N-no.  It just happens sometimes in the morning, by accident…”

“So, it wasn’t just once?  You said it wasn’t me, but you’ve been going to your room and sleeping with her every night?”

“W-we’ve only slept together for two days…”

“Two days, two weeks, it’s the same thing.  You lied to me, didn’t you?”

“Th-that’s true…I’m sorry.”

Like a cat grabbing its kitten, Geum-bi Noona’s hand tightened around the back of my neck.  Perhaps she could feel my trembling through her hand, as her eyes gleamed more intensely every time I flinched.

“Just one question.”

“Yeah, ask me anything…”

“Ji-gu, do you like Su-jeong Unnie?”

“Huh? …Wh-what do you mean?”

“You said what you couldn’t tell me about the adoption was related to Su-jeong Unnie, right?”

“That’s right…?  But why?”

“Is it because Unnie is adopted, and that’s why you two are secretly…you know…”

“What?! N-no!  That’s absolutely not true.  Don’t imagine weird things, Noona!”

“You’re making me imagine things.  Then why does Unnie sleep in your room?”

I had said it was because of counseling, but Geum-bi Noona didn’t seem convinced.  Having just experienced the suspicious physical contact herself, her suspicions seemed to have intensified.  To survive this situation, I had to reveal one thing about my relationship with Su-jeong Noona.

“Actually, Su-jeong Noona…has been feeling really anxious lately.  She said she can’t sleep alone, so I’ve been sleeping with her.”

“In your room, even though I’m here?”

“Well, things have been…a little awkward with you lately, Geum-bi Noona.  And the younger siblings are too young.”

“That’s…ugh. I was a little like that with Unnie for a while…”

“She asked me to keep it a secret because she’s worried everyone would be concerned if she showed her vulnerability. So, Geum-bi Noona…please pretend you don’t know.”

“…If that’s the case, I can’t say anything.”

Perhaps embarrassed that she had suspected something inappropriate, Geum-bi Noona blushed and looked away.  I sighed in relief as her anger subsided and concluded the conversation.

“But you’re right, so I’ll be more careful from now on.  So that this doesn’t happen again.”

“…Okay.  Just be aware of it.”

“Then can you let go of me now? I’m thinking about getting up.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

“My business hasn’t even started yet.”

“Huh?  Uh?  Ah…?”

Now that I thought about it, Geum-bi Noona had called me to her room, right?  I completely forgot while I was asleep.

“What is it? Do you have a favor to ask?”

“I told you, I want you to listen to my worries during the day.”

“Um, okay.  But do we have to be in this position…”

“I’m feeling anxious these days too.  So, do the same thing you do with Su-jeong Unnie.”

“Uh, what?”

“Like Unnie…let’s take a nap together.  An hour or two a day would be nice, even 30 minutes is fine.”

“Like Su-jeong Noona, in the same bed like this?”

“…I didn’t think about that, but after sleeping like this once, it feels pretty good.  I slept better than I expected.”

I hadn’t intended to, but I seemed to have given Geum-bi Noona a taste of her own desires.  I finally understood why she was in bed with me, and I couldn’t refuse her earnest gaze.

“…I’ll do that sometimes, until Mom comes back.”

“Okay. I’ll only ask this of you for a while…I don’t plan on doing this forever.”

Come to think of it, Geum-bi Noona had been the earliest riser among us lately.  I thought she was just diligent, but what if it was because of insomnia caused by anxiety…? What if her sharp eyes were also because of that?

“You can ask me anytime. I’ll even pat your head if you need it.”

“I don’t need that. Don’t treat me like a child, dummy.”

I accepted Geum-bi Noona’s request, adding some playful banter.  She showed a bright smile for the first time since we were in her room, pinching my cheek and grumbling.

Anyway, I was glad we overcame the crisis.  And I was relieved that I could be a source of comfort for Geum-bi Noona.

* * *

That night, as if it had become a daily routine, Su-jeong Noona came to my room.  She skillfully climbed into bed and settled down on my right side.

“Ji-gu, I heard you took a nap with Geum-bi in her room today.”

As soon as she lay down, she started questioning me, as if to check how much their sisterly bond had improved after their reconciliation.

‘Geum-bi Noona…she kept Su-jeong Noona’s secret, but she went around talking about her own business?  Seriously.’

I frowned, remembering the excessively honest Geum-bi Noona.  

Looking at Su-jeong Noona beside me, I forced a smile.

—–CROW—–