My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 7

—–CROW—– 

Thanks to Hwa-yeon, the tense atmosphere dissipated. 

Geum-bi Noona slowly lowered her arm from the bathroom door.  As if noticing my shirtless state, she took a half step back.

“…How long are you going to stand there like that?  Hurry up and go in or take off the rest of your clothes.”

“You were the one blocking my way…”

“That’s because you were avoiding my question.  Why were you backing away so suspiciously?!”

Perhaps embarrassed by her own actions, Geum-bi Noona shifted the blame to me.  But the chilling pressure from before was gone, and I scratched my head, glancing at the laundry basket next to her.

“I’ve already taken my shirt off, and the only thing left is my pants…do you want to see that too?”

“Gah?! Who would want to see that? I said that because you were being slow!”

“Then close your eyes while I take them off quickly.”

“F-fine…huh? Wait, you can just take them off inside the bathroom…ugh.”

Geum-bi Noona mumbled something, but I pulled my pants down before she could finish.  She closed her eyes and turned her head at the sight of me in my underwear, and I tossed my pants into the laundry basket before entering the bathroom.

“You can open your eyes now, Noona.”

“Geez…you have no shame, even though you’re the only guy in the house.”

“It’s called being manly.”

“That’s not manly, it’s just being insensitive.”

“As long as you didn’t see anything, it’s fine.  Why are you acting like you’re interested?”

“Do you want to die? I’m seriously going to get angry if you make another joke like that.”

I didn’t think I said anything wrong.  As if feeling guilty, Geum-bi Noona grumbled and tossed the towel she was using to dry her hair.

‘If she can see this much from the inside, then it’s the same for me, right?  Hmm, even if it’s just a silhouette, it’s quite embarrassing.’

I faced off with Geum-bi Noona by the bathroom door while waiting for the bathtub to fill.  It was an unavoidable choice since there was nowhere else to sit, but…perhaps because she could see my skin tone through the frosted glass, Geum-bi Noona kept her face turned towards the wall.

“You really are a pro at making things awkward.”

“Weren’t you partly responsible just now?  The biggest culprit is Hwa-yeon for barging in.”

“You’re right, I need to tell her off later. I told her not to slam the door, tsk.”

“Don’t be too harsh.  You’ll start another fight.”

We replayed the earlier situation, easing the tension, and as I saw the bathtub half-filled, I casually added,

“And don’t worry about what you’re thinking, it won’t happen.”

“…Are you sure? I can trust you, right?”

“I’m your younger brother.  If you can’t trust your family, who can you trust?”

“That’s true, but…given the circumstances.”

“I understand.  But it’s definitely not what you’re thinking.  I can at least tell you that much.”

“…You mean you can’t say anything more?”

“Sorry. I would tell you if it were my business, but I think Su-jeong Noona would be uncomfortable.”

I hoped she understood what I meant.  Looking at Geum-bi Noona, she seemed to be slowly nodding, though not with complete certainty.

“Okay…I’ll ask Unnie again later.”

“Su-jeong Noona seems to be having a hard time, so don’t pressure her too much.”

“I can read the room. I just said a few more words to you…since you keep getting involved.”

“A few words?  That was quite a lot.”

“That’s because you came into the changing room.  Come to think of it, what if I hadn’t finished dressing or was still showering?!”

“I would have closed the door and left immediately.  Besides, isn’t it funny that you’re saying that while we’re having this conversation while I’m about to shower?”

“Th-this is force majeure.  If I stop talking and leave now…I’ll feel uncomfortable even after showering.”

“Hmm~ fine, I’ll let it slide. Anyway, I’m going to shower now.  You’re not going to peek, are you?”

“I haven’t been looking at all~! Wash thoroughly and dry your hair properly when you come out.”

Geum-bi Noona gave me some sisterly advice before leaving the changing room.  I finally turned on the hot water and slowly stepped into the steaming bathtub.

‘She didn’t dry her hair properly either.  Did she forget she was going to use the hairdryer?’

I submerged myself in the water up to my shoulders, almost up to my chin, and stared blankly at the empty changing room beyond the frosted glass door.

* * *

Geum-bi Noona’s presence delayed my bath, and since it was already taking a while, I took my time in the bathroom.  By the time I finished and came out to the changing room, 30 minutes had passed.  Having skipped dinner, I was thinking about what to have for a late-night snack as I opened the door.

“Whoa?!  Geum-bi Noona? What are you doing here?”

“…Why do you take so long to shower?  Ugh, my legs are cramping.”

“You were sitting here the whole time? Why?”

“Why else?  We were talking earlier…and the bathroom door is broken, so I was telling the others.”

I tried the doorknob, and it wouldn’t lock even when I pressed the button.

So that’s why. That’s why Hwa-yeon and I were able to open the door so easily.  I might forget to lock the door, but Geum-bi Noona would never.

‘Or would she?  She seems to be forgetting things lately.’

As I was drying my hair, Geum-bi Noona massaged her cramped legs and grabbed my sleeve.

“Let’s go to the yard.  Let your hair air dry.”

“I prefer the hairdryer.”

“Just come with me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

It seemed I had no choice, so I followed Geum-bi Noona’s hand and sat on the porch in front of the yard.  Since the living room was empty, I figured she had something important to say, dragging me all the way out here.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“…The adopted one among us, is it Su-jeong Unnie?”

Geum-bi Noona looked around and got straight to the point.  I couldn’t hide my surprised expression, and she leaned closer.

“It is, isn’t it?  You said you couldn’t say anything because it wasn’t about you, so it must be Su-jeong Unnie, right?”

“…Sorry, I can’t say for sure.”

“Why?  There’s no reason you can’t tell me.”

That’s because I wasn’t sure if it was really Su-jeong Noona.  If it wasn’t…then it might be you.  Unable to lie or make excuses, I closed my mouth.

Geum-bi Noona pouted, seemingly hurt by my reaction, and her uncharacteristic expression made my chest ache even more.

“Is it…because it’s me who was adopted that you keep hiding it?”

“…”

I thought silence was the best strategy, but was I wrong?  Geum-bi Noona’s face crumpled like Su-jeong Noona’s had last night, her head bowing low.

“After talking to you, Ji-gu, I thought about it. Maybe Su-jeong Unnie talked to you instead of me because…I’m the adopted one.”

It was a reasonable deduction.  After our conversation in the changing room, I was indirectly cleared as a suspect, so the arrow had to point somewhere else.  The fact that Su-jeong Noona confided in me instead of her was enough to make Geum-bi Noona suspicious.

‘She really thought of that.  What should I do? Should I tell her the truth?’

That it might be her.  But if it wasn’t, then it would be confirmed that it was Su-jeong Noona.  …No, I couldn’t do that.  If I spread it around like this, it would put Su-jeong Noona in a difficult position.

“Sorry, I can’t say for sure.  I don’t want to lie.”

“Is it because you don’t know, Ji-gu? Or do you have a guess but aren’t certain?”

“I think it’s both.”

“I see…ha.  This is difficult.  I’ll probably be agonizing over this all night.”

“…Didn’t you say you were going to ask Su-jeong Noona directly?”

“I was going to, but I got scared…After hearing what you said, Ji-gu, it felt disrespectful.”

My words and Su-jeong Noona’s words carried different weight and certainty.  Perhaps because I said Su-jeong Noona would be uncomfortable, Geum-bi Noona hadn’t knocked on her door.

“…So, you can’t tell me anything more, Ji-gu?”

“Yeah.  Sorry, Noona.”

“It’s okay. …But can you lend me your hand?”

“Hand? Why suddenly?”

“Just do it.  Place it here, palm down.”

“Like this…? Ugh?!”

I placed my hand palm down on the porch as Geum-bi Noona requested. She covered the back of my hand with her right hand and held my wrist with her left, preventing me from pulling away.

“W-what are you doing, Noona?”

“A test.”

“A test?”

“If you can’t tell me…I’ll ask your body.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“If you’re fine holding hands like this, then there’s no problem. You wouldn’t have these feelings towards your sister.”

“…Then what if I react?”

“You said you weren’t involved, so it would mean…that I’m different from the rest of the family.”

The words “different bloodline” seemed to linger on Geum-bi Noona’s lips.  This was bad. If I made a mistake here, Geum-bi Noona would misunderstand.

‘Calm down.  It’ll be fine if I just stay still.  As long as I don’t react to her hand…’

I was surprised at first, but after taking a deep breath, it wasn’t a big deal.  We were just holding hands.  She used to drag me around by the hand when we were in elementary school, so it was similar to that.  It was fine.

“…How is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you feel anything?”

“I don’t know.”

“Really? Then it’s not…”

As I answered calmly, Geum-bi Noona loosened her grip slightly.  I thought she was finally relieved, but then she said something I couldn’t ignore.

“Then it must be Su-jeong Unnie…”

“Gah?!”

This was bad. If it was confirmed that it wasn’t Geum-bi Noona, the suspicion would shift to Su-jeong Noona.

‘Either way, it puts Su-jeong Noona in a difficult position.  What should I do? Should I just…brush it off?’

I was supposed to pretend I didn’t know anything until the truth was revealed.  Remembering our promise, I vaguely changed the subject.

“I…think my heart is racing a little.”

“Huh? R-really?  Because of me…?”

“I don’t know.  My heart is just beating a little fast.”

“Really…?  Do you mean you’re…fluttered or excited?”

“No, it’s not like that. Don’t say gross things.”

“Hey, I’m serious! Which is it, tell me clearly.”

“I really don’t know.  I just showered, so maybe my body is still warm…”

I tried to deflect as much as possible, preventing her from focusing on a single possibility.  She continued to question me, but when I kept giving vague answers, she sighed and let go of my hand, seemingly giving up.

“Ha…forget it.  It’s impossible to figure it out like this anyway.”

“That’s true.  Is your head feeling better now?”

“Better than before. …Sorry for making you go along with my weird insistence.”

“It’s fine.  I also barged into your room while you were showering, so let’s call it even.”

“S-say that correctly. It was the changing room, and I was fully dressed.”

“Who said otherwise? I said *I* made the mistake, so don’t be so sensitive.”

“Tsk, girls are easily embarrassed by little things.”

“I think you’re just sensitive, Geum-bi Noona.  Ouch.”

“I’ll hit you again if you keep teasing me.  Sigh, I’m going back to my room.  You can come up when your hair is dry…oopsie.”

Despite our playful banter, Geum-bi Noona slapped my arm and left.  It didn’t hurt much, but I rubbed my slightly stinging arm, enjoying the cool night air.

‘…It’s not my arm, but the back of my hand that’s warm.’

For a while, my left hand, the one Geum-bi Noona had been holding, felt quite warm.  I kept patting my dry hair, watching the night sky until the heat subsided.

* * *

Back in my bed, it was much later than I thought.  The door creaked open, and a familiar face peeked in.

“Ji-gu, can I come in?”

Su-jeong Noona had come to my room as promised. I was about to beckon her in with my left hand, but for no particular reason, I switched to my right hand.

“Come in, Noona.”

Once again, the door locked silently. Su-jeong Noona was about to lie down on my left side, but I shifted my body, making space on my right.  Again, for no particular reason.

—–CROW—–