My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 13

—–CROW—– 

Su-jeong Noona’s eyes asked if I had really napped with Geum-bi Noona. I responded with an awkward smile.  As if that was a sufficient answer, she wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and turned her back to me.

“I’m going to sleep first.  Goodnight.”

“Uh, yeah…goodnight, Noona.”

It was a normal goodnight, but her tone was stiff, unlike usual.  The atmosphere felt cold, and I had a strong feeling that I shouldn’t just close my eyes…

‘What should I say? I can’t say I did something wrong, I just slept, just like with Su-jeong Noona.’

What was I supposed to say?  Should I apologize for thoughtlessly sleeping in the same bed with Geum-bi Noona so soon after Noona warned me?  Should I confess that I initiated physical contact when I was only supposed to listen to her worries?

‘I was just being nosy.  Su-jeong Noona is in the same situation, so if I say anything, it’ll just sound hypocritical.’

Since both apologizing and confessing seemed inappropriate, I gave up on trying to find the right words.  Instead, I approached the inexplicably sullen Su-jeong Noona, gently hugged her from behind, and wrapped my arms around her waist.  Her curled-up body fit perfectly in my embrace.

Hugged from behind, she spoke from within the blankets.

“What are you doing?”

“Normal skinship between siblings?”

“…Is this normal skinship for you, Ji-gu?”

“You said so yourself, Noona.  That hugging and stroking each other was normal for your family.”

“That’s what *I* said. You never said it was normal for you too.”

“If you can do it, then you can receive it too.  Don’t you remember me hugging and stroking you just a few days ago?”

“…After we heard about Mom, it was an exception.”

“Not then.  When we were playing around in the kitchen and Geum-bi Noona caught us.”

Su-jeong Noona maintained her unusually cold attitude, but her body trembled slightly at my valid point.  If this were a debate, I would have pressed further, but I took a step back, giving her some room to breathe.

“Of course, that time I was reacting to you touching me first, it’s not like I usually initiate this. I know it’s weird.”

“…Yeah, you’re well aware of that.”

“But in other words, it means I’ve been holding back, even though I could have done it before.  So, I can do it when it’s necessary, right?”

“Are you saying now is that time?”

“Yeah.  Like it’s the appropriate skinship for you right now.”

Justifying my back hug, I pressed closer to Su-jeong Noona. As my pounding heart pressed against her back, she peeked her head out of the blankets and glared at me.

“Did you comfort Geum-bi like this too?”

“No way.  Knowing Geum-bi Noona’s personality, she’d kick me if I did this.”

“…Hehe, that’s true.”

As if imagining the scene, Su-jeong Noona chuckled slightly.  I seized the opportunity and smoothed her messy hair, softening the atmosphere.

“Nothing happened with Geum-bi Noona.  Not what you’re worried about, nor any other kind of skinship.”

“Really? Well, it’s not really my business to pry…”

“But you can still feel hurt.  I understand, Noona.  You gave me advice, and then you heard something suspicious right away. I’m sorry for causing a misunderstanding.”

“…I didn’t misunderstand.  It’s just that you two suddenly became close…so I wondered if you were ignoring my advice.”

“No way.  You’re always number one to me, Su-jeong Noona.”

“Don’t create weird competition. Do you think I’d be happy to hear that? Hmph.”

Like Geum-bi Noona on the second floor, Su-jeong Noona turned her head and blushed.  It was obvious she was happy, so I suppressed my laughter and gathered her hair.

‘So that’s what it was.  She’s so easily upset by little things, hehe.’

I placed her gathered hair, like a ponytail, on the pillow and tried to understand her feelings.  Knowing the responsibility she carried as the eldest, I didn’t dismiss it as nosiness or interference.  I simply inhaled the scent of her hair on the pillow and felt grateful.  I silently bowed my head in gratitude to Noona, who cared so much for me, Geum-bi Noona, and our family.

“Ugh? Why are you smelling my hair…like a creep.”

“Your shampoo smells nice, Noona. This is what the new one smells like.”

“We use the same shampoo, so what.  …Didn’t you smell Geum-bi’s?”

“I napped in Geum-bi Noona’s room before showering, and I fell asleep without realizing it.  I didn’t have time for weird things like that.”

“Hmm~ I see.  Is that so, hehe.”

“You seem happy.”

“What are you talking about? What’s there to be happy about?”

“The corners of your lips are twitching, Noona.”

“I’m laughing because it’s ridiculous.  I’m laughing because my little brother is pathetic, holding onto my hair even though he knows it’s weird.”

“Should I stop then?”

“…Do whatever you want. It’s the shampoo we all use, so it’s good to know what it smells like…”

Su-jeong Noona said I could do what I wanted, but subtly added her opinion.  I took her advice and continued to indulge in the scent of her hair for a while, and perhaps because of the subtle aroma, I started to feel drowsy.

“Noona.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m getting sleepy, can I sleep like this?”

“…I’m still in your arms.”

“We’ve hugged and slept together many times already.”

“Hugging each other for comfort and being unilaterally hugged are different.”

“Are you saying you want to hug face-to-face?”

“…Don’t twist my words. I just meant it’s different from usual.”

“So, you don’t like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it…but if I toss and turn at night, I might bother you.”

“It’s okay.  I know your sleeping habits are bad now.”

“They’re not!  Where did you get that idea?”

“Well, you were asleep every time I woke up, so you wouldn’t know.”

“…”

“Noona?”

“Yeah, right.  I wouldn’t know because I wake up later than you.”

Su-jeong Noona seemed worried about her own sleeping habits, but I was already used to it.  In fact, it was easier to fall asleep holding her like this.  Her scent was making me drowsy.

‘Besides, in this position, what you’re worried about won’t happen.  We’re not facing each other, and our chests or other body parts won’t bump into each other.’

I could also prevent an incident like the one with Geum-bi Noona this morning.  …Come to think of it, I lied to Geum-bi Noona, saying nothing happened between us.  We didn’t do anything while we were sleeping, but right after waking up, I caused a big incident.

“Ji-gu.”

“Yeah, Noona.”

“Ha…okay.  If you’re comfortable…I think it’s okay to sleep like this.”

Just as I was feeling guilty about the incident this morning, Su-jeong Noona nodded and closed her eyes.  Perhaps embarrassed by her own words, she curled up with her hands together, as if she had immediately fallen asleep.  I hesitated to wake her…and decided to maintain our current position.

‘Ah, whatever. What’s done is done, and now is now.  I suggested this, so I’ll take responsibility.’

Geum-bi Noona had forgiven me for touching her breast.  Putting aside the thought of rekindling that extinguished fire, I lowered my hand to around Su-jeong Noona’s navel so my arm wouldn’t get stiff.

“Ugh, hmph…”

Su-jeong Noona let out a soft breath, perhaps tickled by my hand brushing against her thin shirt.  Pretending nothing happened so she wouldn’t be embarrassed, I placed my other hand on her back and finally shut down my brain.

‘Goodnight, Noona…I love you.’

Despite everything, Su-jeong Noona was the one who cared for us the most in our family.  I now held her tightly in my arms, the same Noona who used to beg me for hugs when we were younger, hiding the words “I love you” behind my bashful lips.

Tick-tock.

The bedroom was quiet enough to hear the ticking of the clock in the living room, and the sounds of someone tossing and turning in the darkness weren’t loud enough to wake the sleeping.

* * *

Morning came.  I knew, even without the alarm, because Su-jeong Noona, who had surprisingly woken up first, was bustling around.  She was moving things back and forth, changing clothes, making quite a commotion.  It seemed like she wasn’t the only one busy, as I could hear Geum-bi Noona’s and other voices occasionally.

‘What’s going on? Are they having a party without me…hmm.’

I was curious, but not enough to fully wake up.  I turned over and quietly held my breath, letting my brain drift back to sleep, when—

Someone climbed onto the bed. I heard the rustling of blankets being pulled back, and even though my eyes were still closed, I felt someone’s breath on my skin.

“Mmm…hmph? What?”

“Whoa?!  Y-you’re awake, Ji-gu?  You can sleep more.”

“Yeah…when did you wake up, Noona?”

“It’s a weekday again, starting today.  Working people have to wake up early to get ready for work.”

“Ah, right…ha…”

Still half-asleep, I sat up slightly to see Su-jeong Noona off.  She seemed to be checking her lip tint, touching her lips, and hurriedly got out of bed as if she was in a rush.

“Have a good day at work, Noona…haam.”

“Yeah, you go back to sleep, Ji-gu. You look really tired.”

“Ha, I will…mmm.”

I closed my eyes and lay back down as I heard the door close.  I shifted my body, trying to find a comfortable position, and felt something sticky on my cheek, as if I had drooled in my sleep.

‘Ugh?! What, so early in the morning…I hope Noona didn’t see that.  How embarrassing.’

I wiped my cheek, but the sticky feeling lingered.  I made a mental note to wash my face as soon as I got up and switched my brain back off.

Perhaps because we had slept so close together all night, I could faintly smell Su-jeong Noona’s scent on my face, especially on my flushed cheek.

—–CROW—–