My Younger Sister Was My First Love

100. Progress

There are people who recover from fatigue through travel, and there are those who gain fatigue. This trip is quite something.

The next morning.

I woke up in bed and started flipping through the photos Jihee had sent me one by one.

From the beach photos to the ones where I was sleeping with my eyes scrunched up, there were around 100 of them.

Just looking at them, I could tell that Jihee had put in a lot of effort.

This solo shot of Jihee laughing brightly caught my attention.

It was too cute and too pretty.

I was already liking the morning by looking at my younger sibling’s photos.

As someone who had never been an idol fan, I could somewhat understand their mentality.

Is this what it means to be an idol fan?

No way. If I got caught acting like this, I’d definitely get teased.

As I thought this, I immediately got out of bed and headed out.

My morning routine during the break was simple.

Wake up, wash up, wake Jihee up, feed them, and then head to the café for work.

After glancing in the mirror and quickly tidying up my hair, I entered Jihee’s room to wake them up.

-Wow!

I opened the curtains and window.

The summer sun, which had yet to reach its peak, brightly lit up the room.

The spot where the sunlight fell was precisely Jihee’s face.

Even in their sleep, Jihee’s expression was scrunched up.

“Wake up. Jeehee.”

“……I don’t want to.”

“You had a good rest, didn’t you? You should do your best.”

Although Jeehee muttered that she didn’t want to, she slowly opened her eyes.

“……Are you going to work part-time?”

“I have to. I need to earn money.”

“I don’t want to.”

My younger sister, who had closed her eyes, weakly stretched out her arms towards me.

It was a clear signal that she wanted a hug.

I succeeded in lifting her up without hesitation.

“Did you sleep late?”

“No, it’s the same as usual.”

Jeehee, who was still tired, sat down at the table, slumped over.

Today’s breakfast menu was toast.

As I put bread into the toaster, I poked my sister’s hand with my fingernail from across the table.

“Why are you so out of it?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t feel like doing anything after playing all day.”

“That’s why I told you that once you break the pattern, it’s hard to get back on track.”

“But I don’t regret it at all.”

Jeehee’s hand grasped my finger like a trap.

“Will you do well today too?”

“You would have thought about it even if I hadn’t taken off your pants.”

I was really surprised when I woke up and saw that my pants were off.

I was so flustered that morning, trying to stop her from taking off her clothes, saying she would take them off too if I did.

It was truly a chaotic morning.

“You’re being childish.”

“I’m always childish.”

“But I like it.”

-Ding!

I was grateful for the perfectly timed toast timer.

One peanut butter.

One strawberry jam.

I carefully spread the jam on the toast with a knife and handed it to my sister along with some milk that was almost expired.

“I’ll eat well.”

“I’ll eat well.”

If yesterday was abnormal, today was normal.

The trip to Gangneung felt like a dream.

After finishing breakfast, Jeehee saw me off at the entrance like a wife sending off her husband.

“Work less and earn more.”

“Even if you work less, your hourly wage is fixed, right?”

“Then, if it’s annoying, just let Democratic Unnie handle it all. That person likes Oppa, doesn’t she?”

My body trembled at the forgotten name.

Did I have a conflicting schedule with Democratic today?

I’ll check later.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Hey, does Oppa have a crush on someone, so he’s being all fluttery?”

“Don’t use honorifics. It’s weird.”

“Next year, when I enter as a junior, I’ll have to use honorifics all the time, right?”

It’s really scary to think about.

After a long farewell, I arrived at the café at exactly 9:00.

The boss welcomed me as usual.

“Junho’s here?”

“Hello.”

“Did you have fun on your trip? Where did you go?”

As I put down my bag and apron, I was startled and turned to look at the boss.

“Did I mention it to you?”

“When Gyu-min was looking for someone to replace him, you said you couldn’t go on a trip.”

Ah, that’s right.

I had momentarily forgotten that I said that.

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Where did you go?”

“Gangneung.”

“With friends?”

“No, it was a family trip.”

There’s no need to say that I went with my younger sibling.

After completing all the routines at the store, I had some small talk with the boss before lunchtime.

“But, boss.”

“Yes?”

“Is there someone named Gyu-min?”

“Yes! What about Gyu-min?”

One boss, three employees.

Even though our schedules overlapped two weeks ago, I had never met Gyu-min.

“Gyu-min… um… well, you and Democratic are really different, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s two years older than Democratic, so he’s two years older than you, and… I don’t know what to say. He’s a free-spirited person who’s learning to be a tattoo artist because it’s his dream.”

Study-obsessed Lee Junho.

Throughout his life, he had only briefly exclaimed in amazement at stories from unrelated fields.

It felt more astonishing than bad.

“It’s true that it seems a bit sloppy, but the work is done well! I’ve worked with him the longest.”

“Is that so?”

“Isn’t there a conflicting schedule this week?”

“Ah, no, it wasn’t supposed to be the next schedule anyway.”

I had checked the schedule that morning, thanks to Jihee’s reminder.

“I’ll greet him later.”

“That’s the plan.”

It was my first time working with someone other than Minju, so I was a bit nervous, but what can you do.

It was inevitable that we would meet someday.

Since the boss said so, I didn’t worry too much.

As the lunch break that sucked the life out of me passed, I started cleaning up the remaining dishes.

I thought to myself, “It’s been a while since I’ve done this at home, but it’s actually helpful.”

The boss received a call nearby.

With a serious face, he looked at me.

“Why?”

“Junho, are you busy today?”

A chill ran down my spine.

“I don’t have any particular plans.”

“Can you work until the afternoon today?”

“What’s going on?”

“Yes, Geumini’s mother has been hospitalized, so…”

Just looking at the boss’s worried expression made my heart ache.

I was about to brush it off as a trivial reason, but with a reason like that…

“Ah, I’ll work until the afternoon then.”

“Is that okay? I already called Minju to come in early.”

“Minju?”

“Yes, I thought you wouldn’t be able to handle

“Hi.”

Every time I took a step, the silver earrings would swing and sparkle.

Minju naturally brushed past me and put on an apron.

“Minju, can I ask a favor?”

“Yeah, come on in!”

“Get something delicious with Junho.”

“Thank you!”

As soon as the glass door opened, the bell rang out, and it was just the two of us left.

It was a rare occasion when there were no customers.

“Hey.”

As soon as the boss left, Minju stuck close to me.

“Why?”

“Is it fun to bring your little sibling and play around?”

I had to be careful with my words due to the piercing sarcasm.

“No, my mom made a reservation.”

“You must have had fun too. Show me a picture. Let me take a look.”

“There isn’t one. Jihee took them all with her phone.”

An automatic lie.

I was becoming someone with many secrets.

“You’re lying. You went all the way there and didn’t take a single picture?”

“It’s not on my phone.”

“Then should I ask Jihee to show me?”

I quickly took out my phone and showed Minju a picture of the ocean.

“That’s all.”

“It’s really pretty, isn’t it?”

“Can I take a quick look?”

Minju, without any suspicion, took my phone and slid through the pictures.

“I knew it.”

With just one slide.

A picture of Jihee wearing a bikini appeared on the phone screen.

“Ah! What’s going on!”

“My hand slipped. Sorry.”

“It was just a picture that Jihee had taken and sent to me.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s how it is. That’s why I lied about not having a picture.”

I let out a short sigh at the unbelievable tone.

“But the picture is just a picture, and nothing special happened. I just went to the ocean, had some fun, and came back.”

“If it’s not a big deal, then why can’t I go with you like that too?”

“Why does it have to be like that?”

“Can’t I go with my younger sister, but not with my female friend?”

The first thing that came to mind was Ji-hui’s reaction, rather than my own thoughts.

If I told Ji-hui that I was going on a one-night trip with Min-ju, she might chase me all the way to hell and try to rip me apart.

“I’m busy. I have part-time jobs and kids to take care of.”

“When is Seon-ah coming?”

“Next week. We’ll have to pay attention when she comes.”

“I’m so exhausted from taking care of the kids.”

“That’s just how it is.”

It was my first time doing evening part-time work.

There weren’t as many customers as there were during lunchtime.

During lunch, it was bustling, but after lunch, there was a long empty period, whereas in the evening, a few customers came in steadily.

“It’s so delicious because we’re eating with Geu-min’s money.”

Following the boss’s instructions, we ordered hamburgers and took turns eating as we went back.

“Are you close with Geu-min oppa?”

“What are you talking about? You’re making me cringe. He’s just a hyung.”

“Anyway, are you close with Geu-min hyung?”

It seemed like we were pretty close when we chatted on Tok.

“It’s just like having a coworker or a school senior.”

“That’s right.”

“Why? Are you worried?”

Min-ju smiled slyly and moved half a step closer to me.

“No, I’m just curious. I’ve never met him before.”

“Don’t worry, Geu-min oppa has a girlfriend.”

……I didn’t ask that.

Min-ju lightly touched my pinky finger and went back to receiving customers.

As time passed, the number of customers decreased.

When it was almost closing time, Min-ju flipped over the sign and went back inside.

“I Jun-ho, have you not done the closing cleaning?”

“Yes, teach me. I’ll do it like that.”

“Then come here.”

It wasn’t a difficult task, but rather, there were many annoying things to do.

Min-ju was wiping the tables with all her might.

“Do you usually clean this thoroughly?”

“The boss is very particular about cleanliness, so it’s better to do it accurately. Sometimes if you don’t do it right, they’ll even review the CCTV footage.”

“Really?”

I was taken in by her innocent expression.

It didn’t feel like she would do that at all.

“Yes. Just in case, I’m saying this, but if you do anything weird in the store, the boss will see it all, so be careful.”

My saliva went down the wrong pipe.

“But I’ll be with the boss during open hours anyway.”

“It’s definitely got a rhythm to it.”

The store was being cleaned with a large mop, and it was finally time to turn off the lights.

“I Jun-ho.”

Democrat, who had taken off her apron, beckoned me with a small voice.

“Why?”

“I’ll give you a tip.”

“A tip?”

Democrat led me to the break room.

It was a small space where you could sit and store your bags or personal belongings, only fitting about one person.

“If you want to have some fun, come in here and play for a bit, I recommend it.”

“Why?”

“Because this is the only place where the CCTV doesn’t reach.”

It was a space that seemed like it wouldn’t be noticeable even if you looked closely.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Are you really grateful?”

I wonder what kind of answer she wanted to hear.

A subtle smile was hanging on Democrat’s lips.

“Uh… are you grateful?”

“Then you tell me too.”

“What?”

Although no one would come in, Democrat’s hand loudly pushed the lock on the door.

“You must have gone to the same place as I Ji-hee and taken a break, right?”

Democrat’s hand wrapped around my waist.

“You know how annoying it is when people secretly study and then pretend they didn’t, right?”