My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 6

—–CROW—– 

I wondered what Su-jeong Noona and Geum-bi Noona talked about.  The atmosphere between them wasn’t exactly friendly, but they didn’t yell and fight on the second floor, did they?

‘Nah, they wouldn’t. I didn’t hear anything loud, and Su-jeong Noona isn’t the type to argue back.’

The reason Geum-bi Noona was on edge when she was in my room was because she was also suspicious of me.  Su-jeong Noona was quick to defend others but was a pushover when it came to herself…hmm.  Saying it like that makes it sound like I’m being sarcastic, not supportive.

‘I kind of understand how they both feel, so it’s hard to intervene directly.  And there’s no useful information online either.’

I scrolled through my phone on my bed, but all I found were drama recaps and poorly written anecdotes.  The only information I could glean was about genetic testing and how to obtain adoption documents…things I couldn’t bring myself to do.

‘It’ll all be resolved once Mom comes back.  It would be overstepping to do anything now.’

Even Geum-bi Noona only gave us a warning; she didn’t suggest we get tested.  Lacking her initiative, I just fiddled with my phone, hugging my blanket and rolling around.

“Ugh, I can’t take it anymore. I need to clear my head with a shower.”

I hadn’t showered properly since yesterday because of the bombshell and then spending the whole afternoon agonizing over it. I didn’t know if Su-jeong Noona would really come again tonight, but I was embarrassed to greet her without having showered for two days.

With that thought, I stumbled towards the bathroom like a zombie.  The light was on, meaning someone was inside.

-Knock, knock.

“Is anyone in there?”

I knocked and waited, but there was no answer.  The doorknob turned easily, so it seemed one of my sisters had forgotten to turn off the light after showering.

‘It’s probably Hwa-yeon.  I tell her every time, but she never changes…huh?’

Click, I opened the door and walked in.  My eyes met Geum-bi Noona’s, who was drying her hair in the changing area in front of the bathroom.

“Oh, y-you were here? Why didn’t you answer…?”

“I couldn’t hear you over the sound of the hairdryer.  But shouldn’t you check if someone’s inside, even if they don’t answer?”

“I did! Not everyone is as sensitive as you, Noona.”

“Are you being sarcastic about me being sensitive?”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Geum-bi Noona was fully dressed, as if she had finished showering a while ago.  So, there wasn’t a dramatic scene like in the movies, but I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should go in.

‘I should go in…right? She’s my sister, it’s weird to wait outside.’

It would be different if she were naked or even in her underwear.  But it seemed like an overreaction to go back outside just because she was fully dressed.

…Ah, was this the ‘awkward behavior’ Geum-bi Noona was talking about?  Su-jeong Noona was right.  Acting normal was harder than I thought.

“Why are you just standing there? Do you want me to go outside?”

“No, I was just lost in thought.  Sorry.”

“Huh?  But why did you come in…?  To watch me dry my hair?”

“What are you talking about?  You do your thing, Noona. I’m here to shower.”

“Oh, okay. …Sorry for being confrontational.”

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one acting awkwardly.  Geum-bi Noona, who would usually avoid eye contact, was being unusually guarded with me as I walked further inside, and then apologized for her behavior, which was unlike her.

‘Don’t do that…it makes me even more nervous when you act like this, Noona.’

Had she forgotten all the things she accused Su-jeong Noona of?  Now, in the changing area in front of the bathroom, were two people acting like robots, one drying her hair and the other undressing.

‘It’s fine to take off my shirt, right? I walk around shirtless at home when it’s hot.’

When I did that, Su-jeong Noona would tease me, saying I was all grown up, Hwa-yeon would frown and call me disgusting, and our youngest would run to her room, embarrassed.  And Geum-bi Noona would nag, saying, “Keep your body to yourself in your room!”  That was the usual…

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Huh?  Wh-what am I doing?”

“You’re…staring at me.”

“Hey, when did I? Don’t say weird things!”

“If you say so.  Um, but could you turn your head?”

“You’re being overly sensitive for a grown man…happy now?  Tsk.”

After taking my arm out of my shirt, I looked at Geum-bi Noona, feeling her unusually intense gaze.  She quickly averted her eyes, denying she was staring, but her uncharacteristic behavior only confirmed my suspicion.

‘Normally, she wouldn’t listen to a word I said.  Why is she acting like this?’

Had she had a serious conversation with Su-jeong Noona?  Was that why she was acting awkward around me…? Hmm, but there was no reason for her to act like this towards me, right?

‘The adoption suspect is either Su-jeong Noona or Geum-bi Noona, right? This has nothing to do with me?’

Of course, it wasn’t completely unrelated since it was a family matter.  But I shouldn’t be this concerned since I wasn’t directly involved, so why was she being so awkward?

“Geum-bi Noona.”

“Yeah? What now? I turned my head like you asked.”

“Are you…done drying your hair?”

“Huh?”

“How long are you going to stay here?”

“Oh, well…I was going to use the hairdryer since I’m already here.”

“I’m about to shower.”

“You’ll be showering with the door closed, right? It’s frosted glass, what does it matter?”

That’s true.  It was frosted glass, but you could still see silhouettes.

‘We’re not close enough to be bothered by that…but I’ve never done anything to make her uncomfortable, right? Especially not Geum-bi Noona.’

I couldn’t stand the curiosity any longer.  Throwing my shirt into the laundry basket, I strode towards Geum-bi Noona.

“W-what are you doing? Why are you coming closer?”

“Noona, did you hear something from Su-jeong Noona?”

“Hear what…what?”

“I’m curious.  Hwa-yeon came looking for Su-jeong Noona around lunchtime.  She said you called for her.”

“That’s…because you and Unnie were acting suspicious. I took her to talk about that.”

“Is that all you talked about?”

“Then what else would we talk about?”

“Knowing you, Noona, I think you would have pressed her for more information.”

Last night, Su-jeong Noona had narrowed down the suspects within the family through logical deduction.  And Geum-bi Noona, the second oldest and most experienced, would have at least guessed that Su-jeong Noona knew something.

‘Su-jeong Noona said she wouldn’t say anything about it, but Geum-bi Noona isn’t stupid, she must have sensed something.’

That she might be adopted, or that Su-jeong Noona and I had been discussing it since last night.  Su-jeong Noona was worried that Geum-bi Noona might feel insecure about her place in the family…

But I thought differently.  The frantic knocking this morning, the warning glare at lunchtime, and now her sudden concern about her younger brother’s body—

“Geum-bi Noona.”

“Huh?”

“Are you…guarding against me doing something?”

“Gah?! W-what are you talking about…that’s impossible.”

“Be honest, is it really not true?”

“No, it’s not! What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Then why did you react so sensitively earlier?  Just because siblings were in the same room.”

“That’s…it wasn’t just being in the same room! It happened early this morning too, and Hwa-yeon said you two were…hugging.”

“You saw that Su-jeong Noona was upset. I was just comforting her.”

“Do people usually lock the door to hug?”

“The door was open. That’s why Hwa-yeon saw us and ran away.”

“That’s just playing with words. It was closed when I went there.  You opened it later.”

“Whether it was open before or after, it was open.  That’s proof that we’re not hiding anything.”

“That’s…you can make up any excuse.”

“Hugging Su-jeong Noona is something that happens often, isn’t it? You saw us in the kitchen the day before yesterday, too. That was even before we talked to Mom.”

“That’s…Unnie might have known beforehand.”

“Noona, do you realize what you’re saying?”

I knew we were being awkward, but it seemed like we were acting very differently than usual.  I never thought I’d argue with and get angry at Geum-bi Noona like this.

‘But you’re saying things that make me mad! You even said Su-jeong Noona knew everything and did it on purpose…ha! Huh?’

I let out a scoff, and Geum-bi Noona seemed to realize her slip-up, biting her lip.  But she still seemed to have something to say, glaring at me.

“Then Ji-gu, is it really not true?”

“Stop it, Noona. I’m seriously getting angry.”

“But it’s suspicious. After Mom brought it up, Unnie kept going to your room.  She acts like she’s hiding something from me and keeps sticking to you.”

“That’s…hard to explain right now, but it’s not like that.”

“If you can’t explain it, how can I understand?  Unnie did the same, beating around the bush and not telling me anything important…!”

I understood Geum-bi Noona’s misunderstanding and frustration, but I couldn’t reveal everything.  As I said before, it was between Su-jeong Noona and Geum-bi Noona.  How could I tell her that one of them might be adopted?

‘If anyone’s going to tell her, it should be Su-jeong Noona. So…even if you stare at me like that, I can’t do anything.’

After being scolded by her younger brother and still not getting any answers, Geum-bi Noona clenched her fists and hung her head.  Seeing her shoulders tremble reminded me of someone crying last night, and I unconsciously reached out to her.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Ugh, sorry.”

“Ji-gu, just answer me this one thing.”

“…What?”

But unlike Su-jeong Noona’s sadness, Geum-bi Noona seemed filled with anger.  She lifted her head and asked me sharply,

“Are *you* the adopted one in our family, Ji-gu?  Is that why Unnie is only looking after you?”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, I was speechless, completely caught off guard.  But Geum-bi Noona’s gaze was serious, and I suddenly realized a possibility I hadn’t considered before.

‘Ah.  It makes sense if she thinks I’m the adopted one.  Su-jeong Noona only confided in me, and we were acting suspiciously…’

Perhaps both Su-jeong Noona and I had misinterpreted Geum-bi Noona’s worries.  And now, as Geum-bi Noona took a step towards me, I unconsciously backed away towards the bathroom door.

“Answer me, is that it? Is that why you two are…sticking together and acting so suspicious behind my back?”

When I ran out of space to retreat, Geum-bi Noona slammed her hand against the door, trapping me in her arms.  I gulped audibly, worried that my pounding heart would be visible since I was shirtless.

“Hey, Unnie~! Are you still showering?  I want to shower too…huh?”

To make matters worse, the changing room door burst open, and Hwa-yeon walked in.  But she froze after taking a single step.  

Exactly five seconds later, she rattled off a greeting like a rapper and disappeared as quickly as she came.

“Oh, right, I have homework! See you later, Unnie! O-oppa?”

As the door slammed shut, Geum-bi Noona and I both frowned and thought, ‘Don’t slam the door like that…’ at the same time.

—–CROW—–