My Younger Sister Was My First Love

1. It Was Settled. With My Little Sister.

I got accepted into college!

And not just any college, but the best one in South Korea.

I, who was once a plain-looking, bespectacled repeater, became an invincible, fearless person on the day the acceptance results were announced.

I was confident that I could laugh off any criticism!

Even if a stranger slapped me on the back of the head and walked away, I could still manage a bright smile.

On a day as joyful as this, it’s only natural to indulge in delicious food as well!

My mom took me to a fancy restaurant in Cheongdam-dong.

“Son, you’ve worked hard!”

If it were any other day, I would have rolled my eyes at her over-the-top praise, but today I was infinitely gracious.

“No way, Mom! You’re the one who worked hard!”

I beamed with a smile as I poured champagne into her glass.

“You raised me all by yourself after Dad passed away, didn’t you?”

The phrase “worked hard” here really meant “suffered greatly”.

Dad passed away when I was 8 years old.

I don’t have many clear memories of that time, but it seems he wasn’t a good person.

Unlike Mom, who worked diligently at her job every day, Dad was always drinking makgeolli at home.

Even at a young age, I wondered why Mom married someone like him.

It seemed like their fundamental human qualities were different, with Mom being kind and beautiful.

In the end, Dad passed away from cancer.

Anyway…

“Haha.”

Maybe I brought up Dad’s story after too long a time?

A strange, awkward smile spread across Mom’s lips.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, nothing.”

“Is something bothering you?”

Mom’s eyes seemed troubled as she raised her glass, as if to toast.

What’s going on?

Is she really sick or something?

Or is it because my tuition fees are too high and she’s worried about debt?

No way, it can’t be that…

I heard that Grandfather supports us financially…

“Hey, Joon-ho.”

Mom’s eyes, which had been gazing down, now held a rare seriousness.

“…Yeah.”

I was so tense that my saliva was drying up.

“It’s just that I’m saying this now.”

“Yeah, go ahead and talk comfortably.”

What kind of story am I supposed to tell to make it this big of a deal?

I’ve already started to get cold feet.

“Mom, actually, I have someone I’m seeing.”

“What?”

“I have a boyfriend, you know…”

My mom looked like she’d committed a crime, bowing her head in front of me.

It was surprising, but I thought, “Is this something my mom should be bowing her head for?”

My mom is a person too.

She’s been alone for a long time.

To be honest, she’s been so busy taking care of me that she hasn’t even had a proper romance.

Shouldn’t I be the one bowing my head instead?

“Ah, really? Oh, what’s wrong with that? You’re pretty, Mom! You should date too!”

My reaction wasn’t bad, and my mom seemed to gain a bit of confidence.

“I was really worried about telling you, but you were a student, and I didn’t want to burden you with my problems…”

That’s just like her.

There’s nothing unexpected about it.

“Thank you.”

I genuinely thanked my mom.

“I’m all grown up now, so you should live your life comfortably, Mom! Don’t worry about me. Go travel, have fun! Whoever he is, go have a good time with him too!”

My mom’s worried face slowly started to relax.

“So, what’s he like?”

From what my mom told me, the guy wasn’t bad at all.

He’s two years older than my mom.

He lives in our neighborhood.

He’s even a high-ranking executive at a large corporation.

The only drawback is that he’s divorced, but my mom had a partner before too, so I considered it a fair trade.

“So, you’re seriously thinking of getting remarried…”

I grabbed my mom’s hesitant hand tightly.

“If you’re happy, Mom, then I’m really okay with it! You do whatever you want!”

I really thought it was all okay…

…until my cousin with a fetish for relatives was born.

* * *

There’s always a reason for everything!

Just looking at my re-take, you can tell, but I wasn’t born a genius who only got first place. My college entrance certificate was a product of blood and sweat.

And that tearful effort had a clear reason behind it.

Winter, when I was 17.

I made my first confession to a girl who was one year younger than me and had been attending the same academy for a long time.

There wasn’t any grand reason.

It was because he was too handsome.

I agree that it’s not a romantic reason, but for a 17-year-old boy to have a narrative that makes him cry is just weird.

It’s like a spider’s web, where school, academy, and home are all connected, but where would a touching story come from?

At the time, I didn’t even know he was so famous, and I hadn’t even talked to him a few times.

As someone who had almost no experience with girls and had never really talked to them, I was a shadowboxing expert.

I would indulge in solo fantasies, thinking about my future schedule, and it seemed like I would be extremely busy when I became a high school student.

So, I wanted to confess my feelings before it was too late.

[What exactly do you see in me that you want me to accept your confession?]

The response that came back was suffocating.

Looking back, it was a pretty rough rejection method, but there was nothing to refute in terms of content.

That’s right.

Having a crush on someone doesn’t mean you can win their favor.

Just because I like someone, there’s no reason for them to like me back.

I, Lee Joon-ho, a 17-year-old high school student, was disappointed and frustrated.

I would grab my hair and despair.

My appearance wasn’t that great, either.

I was just an average guy, and compared to that kid, I was like a passing squid.

My personality wasn’t that great, either.

If I had to categorize myself according to MBTI, I would be a mix of introverted and thinking types.

I was introverted and lacked empathy, they said.

And I didn’t have any special talents that would make others attracted to me…

So, I started studying.

If I didn’t do this, I would really become a nobody.

There weren’t many people who had tempted me since I entered high school, but every time, I would treat them like Satan, saying, “I need to study, why bother with you?”

I spent my school days like that, bleeding and struggling.

God must have thought that wasn’t enough, so he sent me to a re-taker’s academy.

Haha, but I succeeded on my second try.

It was a great age to have fun.

After getting accepted, in January.

My phone was unusually quiet.

I could count on one hand the number of times I went out with friends to drink after the college entrance exam.

I was spending my days in a gloomy mood, messing around with my phone in my room every day.

Sometimes, I would think, “Ah, I should have hung out with those kids back then,” but when I looked at the acceptance letter printed out on my desk, my values became ambiguous.

Yeah, is there anything in this world that’s free?

Isn’t everything about equal exchange?

Anyway.

So, I came to a conclusion.

When I go to college, I’ll really try to get along with those kids.

I’ll go out with my friends and have fun!

And I’ll add a new category to my human relationships – seniors and juniors!

I had a vague fantasy about romance, but I thought that was a problem to be addressed after establishing a foundation of friendship.

“Are you ready?”

The door opened with a knock.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

My mom scanned me from top to bottom, as if checking me out.

“You look great! Our son! Did you have a shirt like that?”

“This is the one you bought me, right?”

“I didn’t know you had it because you never wore it. You know, kiddo.”

To be honest, even I, the owner of the clothes, was surprised.

From my third year of high school to my repeater years, I always wore athletic wear, after all.

“Where are you meeting?”

“At the Chinese restaurant downstairs.”

“With that old man and three others?”

“Including the old man’s daughter, there are four of us.”

The moment a huge hook dropped on my head.

“……Daughter?”

“Yeah. Didn’t Mom tell you?”

I blinked slowly, my eyes wide open.

A daughter? That old man has a daughter?

“How old is she?”

“One year younger than you.”

“A high school student?”

“If she’s one year younger, that means she’s an adult now, right? She went to the same school as you!”

This seemed like incredibly important information.

Why didn’t she tell me about this that day?

As I made a slightly uncomfortable face, my mom’s face clouded over again.

“Oh… might you be uncomfortable…? Did I forget to tell you?”

Uh-huh.

I felt a sense of unease.

“No, no. I was just surprised because you didn’t tell me that day. Well, and it’s better if she’s younger! It’s like we’re a real family!”

Although I was taken aback, I didn’t want to ruin my mom’s happiness.

I hadn’t exactly been a filial son my whole life, and it would be a bit much to start now.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It might feel a bit awkward, but that can’t be helped. Whatever.”

“Mom has already met her a few times, and she’s really pretty.”

“Really?”

I wondered if I might know this girl.

No matter how much I tried to ignore others and live my life, there were people at school who were impossible to ignore.

There was the guy who broke a window during class by throwing a baseball as a joke, and the student council president who seemed to have fulfilled at least one of their campaign promises after being elected.

Even beautiful girls couldn’t be that different, after all.

Even if I didn’t want to know, there were girls at school who boasted excessively superior looks, like a different species, and were causing a stir in the hallway like Moses’ miracle.

Their daily lives became a hot topic, and the boys couldn’t help but worship them unconditionally.

Damn it. Again with this. They had to be worshipped.

It had been a while since I graduated from school, so I hadn’t heard about it in a long time.

“You’ll be surprised if you see them.”

My mom liked pretty girls.

She was even more knowledgeable about idols than I was these days.

“Let’s go out!”

My mom put on a Burberry coat that felt powerful and went out to the hallway.

It was the end of January.

My phone kept alerting me to the cold wave warning every day.

As soon as we went outside, the cold air hit me like a punch to the gut through my scarf.

The reserved restaurant was a Chinese restaurant that my mom and I had been to a few times.

It wasn’t a cheap jajangmyeon place, but it was a bit pricey.

If you made a reservation, they would even prepare a room for you.

My mom opened the door and entered, giving the man’s name as the reservation holder.

The man’s name, which I might end up calling “dad,” was Lee Seong-hak.

Lee Seong-hak.

Lee Seong-hak.

It was a convenient name that didn’t need to be changed even if we became a family.

The staff led us through the corridor and into the inner room.

“Ms. So-jin!”

As my mom entered, the man jumped up from his seat.

Wow, why was he so tall?

Was he 180? No, he looked more like 184?

I was overwhelmed by his physique at first glance.

“Mr. Seong-hak.”

My mom greeted him with a bright smile.

The sweet, loving atmosphere between them was brief.

The man with the great physique quickly turned his attention to me.

“Nice to meet you! I’ve finally seen your face! Jun-ho!”

“Yes, nice to meet you too.”

The man extended his right hand first, and I hastily responded with a handshake.

“Congratulations on getting into Korea University! I’m really happy for you.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Ji-hui, come greet him too!”

The man’s enthusiastic welcome left me breathless for a moment.

As soon as I saw the girl Ji-hui, who seemed to be his daughter, I froze.

I had suspected it, but…

I couldn’t catch my breath.

Her black, straight hair cascaded down to her shoulders, radiating a lustrous sheen.

Her skin was flawless, without a single blemish.

Her small face was a perfect embodiment of proportions.

Lee Ji-hee.

I already knew her face.

No, to be exact, I couldn’t help but recognize the face sitting there.

“Hello.”

Wearing a navy blue polo shirt that reached up to her neck, she politely bowed her head to her mother.

“Have you been doing well?”

“Oh my goodness! You’re too beautiful today! Ji-hee!”

It was the moment when her mother’s unique skill, her excessive flattery, reached its peak.

Unlike the brief exchange between men, her mother grasped Ji-hee’s hand and wouldn’t let go.

“Mom, stop now.”

“Was I too burdensome? I’m sorry.”

Her mother addressed her father.

I sat facing Ji-hee, and for some reason, our eyes kept meeting. Every time, Ji-hee would flash me a subtle smile.

While I thought she was still beautiful, my feelings were complicated.

“Oppa.”

The unfamiliar yet sweet term almost made me spit out the water I was holding in my mouth.

“What? What?”

“Ah, sorry. I couldn’t think of any other term besides ‘oppa’.”

Ji-hee smiled awkwardly, as if apologizing.

This wasn’t something Ji-hee needed to apologize for; it was just that I wasn’t used to it.

Even if we were to become family, the only term to address a one-year-older male was “oppa”.

“No, no, it’s okay. You can call me ‘oppa’. Okay?”

“Then, oppa, you said you attended our school, right?”

“Yes.”

“Who was your homeroom teacher in 3rd grade?”

“It was Teacher Na Baehan.”

“Really? What was Teacher Na Baehan like?”

“Teacher Na Baehan…”

Ji-hee showed almost no signs of surprise, even after seeing me in person.

Was she just pretending to be calm in front of her parents, or had she already heard about me from her mother and was prepared?

Or maybe she had simply forgotten?

As the guy who had confessed to her in the same academy and was rejected, had I been forgotten?

While I answered her questions with my mouth, I kept revolving my own thoughts in my head.

That was that, and she was already graduated now.

No matter what I said, Ji-hee’s eyes sparkled brightly.

It didn’t seem like I had a reaction this good in my memory.

As it went on, I started to feel a bit burdened.

Although I didn’t know much, I had some information about high school student Lee Ji-hee.

Firstly, based on my graduation standards, she was known for being the prettiest girl in the second year.

Secondly, she had received several casting offers from a certain entertainment agency.

Thirdly, she had never had a boyfriend during her school days, despite her prickly personality.

Knowing these facts, I found it even harder to understand Ji-hee’s enthusiastic reaction today.

“Oppa, can I get your number?”

“……Yeah.”

Ji-hee, who was beaming with a smile, took my phone and input her number, saying she’d send me a text.

“Wow, you guys are already so close?”

My mom, with a thrilled expression, patted me on the back.

“Haha, Ji-hee is always like that with people close to her.”

Even my dad let out a hearty laugh, seemingly pleased with our chemistry.

I didn’t know what her sincerity was, but I didn’t think Ji-hee’s kindness was bad.

Even if it was an act, Ji-hee was a considerate person who wouldn’t show discomfort in front of family.

Dinner ended in a blur, with me not knowing whether I was eating with my mouth or nose.

My dad and mom seemed extremely happy, and I responded with a suitable smile and laugh before leaving.

“Ji-hee is really pretty, isn’t she, Jun-ho?”

My mom, like the boys in our class, couldn’t stop praising Ji-hee.

“Yeah, she’s cute.”

As my mom drove, I took out my phone from my pocket.

When I opened the messenger app, I saw a new profile added to the friend list.

[Little Sister♥]

It seemed Ji-hee had saved my number like this.

Ji-hee’s profile picture was a selfie with a V-sign.

Although it looked edited, it wasn’t much different from her real appearance.

She was still breathtakingly pretty.

By the way, do siblings usually save each other’s numbers with hearts?

We weren’t even family yet.

It seemed a bit excessive.

While I felt the name was strange, I left the profile as it was.

Editing it seemed like I was being too picky.

But was this really okay?

I didn’t think this would be a reason for them not to get married, but the fact that they were really remarrying…

……I had become the person who confessed to my little sister.