My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 21

—–CROW—– 

I returned home and lay on the bed, but with nothing to do, I scrolled through similar short-form videos before quickly putting my phone down.

I sat in the living room and turned on the TV, but there was nothing interesting to watch, and the feel of the sofa was strangely prickly, so I soon turned it off.

‘Should I take a shower to clear my head….’

Even though I hadn’t exercised enough to break a sweat, I felt restless just sitting still, so I started moving.

It was a bit hot, but I didn’t mind, letting the hot water wash over my entire body.

“Huu… I feel a little better now.”

It was more of a warming activity than a cooling one,

But with the heat, the blood flow to my brain also seemed to improve, and my thoughts flowed more smoothly.

What happened with Geum-bi Noona yesterday.

Teasing Hwa-yeon at the cafe.

Su-jeong Noona… going to work with a troubled expression.

“Just in case, should I send her a message?”

Learning from the last incident, I kept my phone close.

I sent Su-jeong Noona a quick message while showering and then tossed the phone back into the dressing room.

About ten minutes later, as I dried my hair, I checked the messages.

There was a reply from Noona, asking me to meet her at the park in the evening.

“…Let’s do some home training.  To burn off some energy in advance.”

I laid out a mat in the living room and went through push-ups, squats, and crunches.

It felt strange to go for a walk, then shower, and then immediately work out again,

But moving my body like this made me feel much better.

‘It helps me think less about unnecessary things.’

After being discharged from the military, my body felt stiff, and perhaps my energy had become stagnant as well.

Regretting not doing this sooner, I repeated the home training until I was out of breath, thinking of the future.

Soon, the youngest came home, and about an hour later, Hwa-yeon returned as well.

Since it would be Geum-bi Noona’s arrival time soon, I decided to head to the nearby park in advance.

“Ah!”

“Ugh…! J-Ji-gu.”

Did the subway arrive right on time today?

As I was about to turn the corner, I ran into Geum-bi Noona, who was coming back.

“Are you… going somewhere?”

“Mm.  Are you just getting off work, Noona?”

“Ah, yes. I thought the subway would be crowded… so I took a taxi straight home.”

“Ah, I see.”

So that’s why we ran into each other.

It seemed there was no point in leaving early.

“…….”

“…….”

“…Then, Noona. I’ll be going now.”

“Yes… but where are you going?”

“Just, I have an appointment.”

“An appointment? With whom?”

“…Someone you know, Noona.”

“…Su-jeong Noona.”

This was why I didn’t want to run into her.

Seeing Geum-bi Noona’s surprised expression, I cursed myself for not being able to lie comfortably.

‘But she’ll find out anyway even if I lie.  It’s not something I need to hide.’

I was just going to meet Noona on her way home and chat with her for a bit.

There was nothing to be guilty about, but unlike Geum-bi Noona, who was looking directly at me, my gaze kept falling to the ground.

“What are you… meeting Unnie about?”

“She said she had something to talk about.”

“Outside… just the two of you?”

“Mm.”

“…You’re not going anywhere… strange, are you?”

“We’re going to talk at the nearby park. Don’t worry too much.”

I didn’t know what kind of “strange place” Geum-bi Noona was referring to,

But I felt guilty as I pointed to the park’s location with my finger, my throat bobbing as I swallowed.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence again.

There were many pauses in our conversations, and I hesitated to continue, concerned about Geum-bi Noona’s reaction as she looked down.

‘What kind of expression is she making? I can’t see from up here….’

Geum-bi Noona clenched her fists and held them in front of her chest, as if she wanted to pound out her frustration.

But she didn’t actually hit anything, just held them there, her knuckles white with the force.

“…Ji-gu.”

“Y-Yes, Noona.”

“Are you still… bothered by yesterday?”

“……!”

It seemed I was the one who needed to pound my chest.

I heard my heart drop, and the world around me momentarily darkened.

“Wh-Why are you suddenly asking that…?”

“I feel like… I might not be able to ask if I don’t now.”

“Why… is that?”

“Because you said you’re… meeting Unnie.”

“That’s…… No, no. It’s nothing.”

I didn’t know how last night’s mistake was related to Su-jeong Noona,

But if I asked, it felt like we would cross a point of no return.

‘But I can’t just ignore… what she just said.’

The fact that she brought this up in the middle of the street meant Geum-bi Noona wanted an immediate answer.

I didn’t think it was just an emotional outburst. She was older than me, and more mature.

‘So I should answer more maturely too.’

My stopped heart pounded again, and I clutched my chest, trying to calm myself down.

Taking a breath and looking at Geum-bi Noona, I saw she had lifted her head at some point and was looking directly into my eyes.

“By yesterday, you mean last night?”

“Yes… To be precise, until this morning.”

“You asked if I was still bothered by it?”

“Mm, yes… that’s right.”

“That’s a silly question.”

“Uh……!”

Geum-bi Noona flinched as I nervously scratched my head and started speaking.

Worried that my wording might cause a misunderstanding, I quickly got to the point.

“What man wouldn’t be bothered after doing that with a woman, especially his own sister?”

“R-Really? Then, you too, Ji-gu…?”

“Of course, I’m bothered.  Honestly, I still don’t know how to face you, Noona, haa.”

The reason I went for a walk to clear my head, the reason I took it out on Hwa-yeon, was all because of that.

As if she felt relieved only after hearing me say it, Geum-bi Noona chuckled as she watched me sigh, covering my face.

“Heheh, really?  Is that why you’re so embarrassed right now?”

“Wouldn’t I be embarrassed?  You were all nervous before hearing my answer too, Noona.”

“Well, you were being so strangely hesitant… so I was too.”

“Oh, yeah~ yeah~ I see.  Good for you for being so calm.”

As if forgetting the time when we were both too embarrassed to lift our heads, Geum-bi Noona put her hands behind her back and smirked, pretending to be nonchalant.

“Hmm~ Anyway, I’m glad you’re bothered by it. I was worried you’d be used to this kind of thing since you’re such a pervert.”

“Crazy, what pervert would be?  What kind of story are you making up?”

“Or that you wouldn’t care at all. If that were the case… I honestly would have been a little shocked.”

“That’s impossible. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

“Hehe, right.  So…… never mind. Let’s talk about the rest at home, okay?”

“…If you’re okay with it, Noona. It might be late, is that alright?”

“Let me know if it’s going to be very late.  And… talk to Unnie well.”

As if the matter was settled, Geum-bi Noona patted my shoulder and left.

Watching her retreating figure, I thought, ‘Is that what a real adult is like…’ at her unwavering gait.

‘In the end, it was Geum-bi Noona who brought it up first and made me reveal my true feelings.  I’ve been completely played.’

She didn’t pry into the details of why I was meeting Su-jeong Noona,

But that very point seemed to be a cause for concern for Geum-bi Noona, not just now, but also in the future.

‘It’s a good thing our Noona… doesn’t have any experience with men.  If she did, she would definitely have made many men cry.’

Her gently swaying ponytail felt like a taunting tail.

Shaking my head, I hurried towards the park.

* * *

– *Slam!*

The front door slammed shut as if thunder had struck.

Hwa-yeon, who was sitting in the living room eating snacks, widened her eyes and looked towards the sound.

“Geum-bi Unnie? Why did you slam the door like that?”

“S-Sorry… I didn’t mean to. Uh, is the bathroom occupied right now?”

“Mok-hee is showering, so the second floor should be empty.  Are you in a hurry?”

“Ah, yes, a little… I’ll go upstairs!  Study hard.”

“Huh? Ah, okay.  Good work… Uh.”

Hwa-yeon was puzzled by Geum-bi’s unusual behavior, as she usually only nagged at her.

But judging by her appearance, it seemed like she was in a hurry, so Hwa-yeon tried to understand.  But Geum-bi was so rushed that she even dropped her phone while running.

“Did you hold it in for that long? You should have used the restroom at work, tsk.”

Grumbling, Hwa-yeon picked up Geum-bi’s phone from the floor.

She didn’t feel obligated to take it upstairs, figuring Geum-bi would find it on the living room table.

“Huh? A text from Su-jeong Unnie?  Saying she’ll be home late today… Huh?”

The phone on the table vibrated with a new message.

The strange thing was that she sent a text only to Geum-bi, instead of using the family group chat.

“What the… Should I call her later?”

Hwa-yeon tilted her head in confusion, but her attention quickly shifted to the music show on TV.

Having forgotten her previous warning and turned up the volume, she didn’t hear the sound of the running water from the second-floor bathroom at all.

“Haa, haa, huu… haa.”

In front of the bathroom sink, Geum-bi repeatedly washed her face with her head down.

No matter how much she washed, the heat on her face remained, unending like the running water.

It was well over thirty minutes after Mok-hee finished showering that Geum-bi finally came out of the bathroom.

* * *

Under the shade of a tree in the park, two shadows merged into one.

I fumbled with my hands, then carefully embraced the person in my arms to steady myself.

Feeling my touch, the person nestled their cheek against my chest and whispered softly.

“Ji-gu.”

“M-Mm.”

“Do you love me?”

“Of course… I do, Noona.”

I answered Su-jeong Noona in my arms as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

But as if the question wasn’t over, Noona threw another, more difficult question at me.

“As family? Or as your Noona?”

“Huh?”

“Or if it’s neither, for what other reason?”

Su-jeong Noona lifted her head and lightly touched my cheek.

Her eyes, gazing at me, held an emotion too complex to describe, and I closed my mouth, even holding my breath.

—–CROW—–