My Younger Sister Was My First Love

25. Is that normal?

Not everything can be perfect all the time.

And that’s especially true for gatherings like this.

“So, this general election is a crucial turning point, right?”

“No way, oppa! Look at the approval ratings and you’ll see.”

As we continued to chat and switch seats, I found myself sitting at a table that could be called a “tomb of conversation” – a politics discussion table.

“What do you think, Junho?”

I wanted to go home.

The passionate debate between the two seniors turned into an arrow pointing at me.

“Uh… I’m not really interested in that sort of thing. Haha…”

“That’s okay. Yeah, listen carefully.”

I checked the time while taking a sip of my drink.

9 pm.

It seemed like it was already late enough to excuse myself.

Okay, I’ll just make an excuse to leave.

“Thank you, dongsaeng (younger sibling).”

“That… senior.”

“Hmm?”

“I think I should go home and check on my younger sibling, so I’ll head out first.”

“Ah, okay? Then go ahead.”

I couldn’t really participate in the conversation, and it didn’t seem like the seniors were trying to hold me back.

I’ll just greet the student council president and tell Minju I’m leaving.

The president told me to go ahead, and all that was left was Minju.

“Park Minju.”

I tapped Minju’s back, who was laughing with our colleagues.

“Hmm? Why?”

“I’m going home.”

“What? Already? It’s only 9 pm?”

“Because of my younger sibling. Anyway, I’m leaving?”

I bowed my head to the remaining seniors at the table and quickly left the bar.

From now on, I won’t sit next to those seniors when we drink.

It was a really awkward situation.

“Hey! Lee Junho!”

I turned around at the sound of rapid footsteps, and Minju was running towards me.

“What’s going on?”

“Why did you just leave?”

Minju was breathing heavily.

“I said I had to go home because of my younger sibling.”

“You said you’d stay until 11 pm earlier.”

Minju remembered our conversation.

“Just… uh…”

“Did the seniors treat you badly or was it not fun?”

I trailed off, not wanting to start gossiping.

“I’m just a bit tired.”

“Are you thinking that coming to the student council was a mistake…?”

“It’s not that.”

Minju seemed to feel some responsibility for bringing me along.

“Really?”

“You’re being really stubborn.”

“No, it’s not that. There are still many people here, but you’re trying to leave too early.”

I felt sorry for making Minju worry unnecessarily.

“I’ll stay longer next time.”

I forced a bright smile to convey that I didn’t mean it.

If I’m in this kind of situation again, I won’t get swept away and will just stick with Minju.

It was a lesson-learned kind of situation.

“Alright. Then go in quietly.”

“You too. Don’t drink too much.”

After I forced a tense atmosphere, Min-ju finally relaxed her expression.

“Yeah! Bye!”

“Bye.”

After sending Min-ju off, I boarded the bus and leaned my head against the window.

The longer I’m with people, the more I feel my energy draining.

Especially when I hear about politics, it’s like I’m sitting on a bed of nails.

If only that weren’t the case, everything would be fun and good.

I dozed off in my single seat, and before I knew it, I arrived at the bus stop in front of my house.

I took the elevator and entered the password at the door.

It’s 9 pm, so Ji-hui’s study session should be over by now.

There’s a high chance that our teacher is in the living room.

-tring tring-

As I opened the door and went in, the inside was dark.

Is anyone in the room?

After washing my hands, I changed into comfortable clothes and knocked on Ji-hui’s door.

“Ji-hui.”

The moment I called out her name, I heard a thud and a loud crash from inside, like something had fallen to the floor.

What is she doing?

“Can I come in?”

“No, don’t!”

The slightly delayed response made me open the door, and Ji-hui was lying on the floor, her body pressed flat like a rugby player doing a touch down.

“I’m back.”

“…Leave.”

It was already going to be like that.

Ji-hui was only wearing a black tank top and underwear underneath, and the scene was somewhat embarrassing.

I averted my gaze, looking up at the ceiling.

“…Are you hurt?”

“Leave!”

I was worried she might have gotten hurt, but…

I readily accepted her suggestion and closed the door tightly again.

It’s not like we haven’t walked around the house in our underwear before.

But getting caught in an unexpected situation like this was embarrassing.

It’s Lee Jun-ho’s winning streak again.

I wasn’t wrong, after all.

But why was she lying on the floor like that?

It didn’t seem like she had been like that from the start, and her body language seemed to be hiding something.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t like she was embarrassed about her underwear being visible.

As I sat on the couch, replaying the scene in my mind, Ji-hui stormed out of her room, her face red and her eyes blazing.

“Why did you come so early!”

“……You told me to come early.”

“I said I’d be here at 11!”

“Is that important? And please put on some pants.”

Why is he still in his underwear?

“Ah, geez! Since Oppa was late, I was comfortable!”

The way he talks makes me feel like I’m the one who did something wrong.

“Sorry.”

Even though I apologized, Jihee took it as a sign to sit down next to me, her butt stuck to the couch.

“Did you drink a lot?”

“I had a few drinks, but it wasn’t fun, so I came home.”

“The academic conference was boring, right? I told you. It’s all about literature, no fun.”

“The people were nice, but the politics talk was boring.”

As we chatted about what happened at the gathering, it felt like we were family from the start.

“Ugh, those serious people are the worst. Just ignore them.”

Teacher Dong was great at reacting to gossip.

“No way. If I leave, Park Minju might come after me.”

“Why would that noona come after Oppa?”

Somehow, whenever Jihee talks about Minju, her tone becomes strange.

……Is it because of my mood?

“Since you brought it up, I want to take care of it.”

“Ay, what’s up? So you’re just going to leave me hanging like Oppa Kim?”

“No way. I’m leaving first today, and you’re following me all the way out of the store?”

Jihee’s fingers, which were bothering my right knee, stopped moving.

“Why?”

“Are you going to see your younger sibling or something?”

“So what did you say?”

“I just said I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Hmm……”

Jihee touched her chin with her thumb and index finger, then suddenly asked a question.

“If Oppa were to date Minju noona, would you date her?”

“What kind of ridiculous question is that?”

“No, it’s not impossible. Even if we’re just acquaintances, you wouldn’t usually take care of someone that much.”

This is just nonsense because we didn’t spend our childhood together.

If Jihee knew about Minju’s past, she wouldn’t be saying this.

“She’s just naturally like that.”

“Oh, it’s an OX quiz. Yes or no.”

Jihee cut me off mid-sentence.

“If Minju were to ask me out……what……”

It’s not even worth considering the possibility.

Can we really become lovers, knowing each other’s ugly past?

Min-ju, who’s already perfect, doesn’t even need to meet someone like me.

Her popularity is already at its peak.

Her looks and educational background are unmatched.

Just looking at her, Ji-hui’s question, filled with IF power, seemed to have no nutritional value.

“I guess it’s not possible.”

“Why?”

“I don’t get that feeling from her.”

“What feeling?”

“The thrilling and affectionate one, the kind people call ‘liking’ someone.”

“I see. So the feeling you had for me back then…….”

“Yaaah!”

Are we going back to that conversation again!

I glared at my little sister, who was trying to bring up my painful past again.

“It’s not like that now! It’s not like that, so it doesn’t matter!”

“……Really not like that?”

“What kind of answer do you want to hear?”

Ji-hui smiled faintly and leaned forward.

Is she going to say something weird again and make me worry?

I thought she just liked to tease me like that, but right before I fell asleep, I always ended up thinking of Ji-hui’s face.

But today, Ji-hui started doing something that went far beyond my expectations.

“Ah, my back hurts.”

A fake whining sound that didn’t seem painful at all.

Ji-hui, who was wearing a T-shirt over her underwear, sat down on my leg, making herself comfortable.

“Hey, what are you doing!”

I couldn’t push her away, and my voice became urgent as I tried to stop her.

“It’s just that my back hurts for a moment.”

“If your back hurts, go lie down or sit somewhere!”

There was a reason why I was getting this worked up.

I could feel it.

It wasn’t just a slight touch.

The soft sensation of her skin was palpable.

The thin fabric of her pants and the even thinner fabric of her panties couldn’t provide much protection.

If I made a wrong move here…….

“Oppa, can you rub my back for me?”

“I’ll rub it for you, so get down right now.”

It was an emergency situation.

“Ai~”

The way she was being cute, making a sound like a mix of a sigh and a whine, was really adorable.

Damn it. Was I still drunk?

The joy of being an unstoppable man bursts out.

Jihee doesn’t know my inner speed and seems to think my upper body is a backrest, tilting her head slightly and rubbing her face against my chest.

“Hurry up and massage my back.”

“I know, so come down.”

My ears have already been burning for a while.

Jihee’s hips softly brush against my thighs and take off into the air.

“Oppa.”

“…Which part of your back hurts and how?”

“Don’t you look more hurt than me?”

“What nonsense is this?”

The corner of Jihee’s mouth rises slightly on one side.

Jihee, who has slightly bent her upper body, gently places her hand on my forehead.

“You’re flushed.”

“It’s because it’s hot.”

“Didn’t you turn on the heater?”

“Stop doing this to me.”

“…You’re the one who keeps provoking me, Oppa.”

“What did I do?”

It’s frustrating.

For the past month, I’ve been doing my best to take care of her, studying with her, paying attention to her on weekends, and cooking meals for her diligently.

Why do you keep making things difficult for me?

“You’re the one who keeps saying hurtful things, Oppa.”

“What’s so hurtful about that?”

“You always say you don’t like me anymore and that you don’t think about me at all.”

“No, no.”

Do I need to explain this in words?

It’s a well-known fact that Jihee isn’t one to miss subtle cues.

Knowing all this, she’s still acting like this, making my heart boil with frustration.

“This and that are different.”

“How are they different?”

“I like you enough as family.”

“Lie.”

“What’s a lie this time?”

Jihee slowly shakes her head from side to side, her left hand resting on her hip.

“Why don’t you believe me? I think I’ve been treating you with enough kindness…”

“You like me more than that, Oppa.”

“No, just as family.”

“Then answer me.”

Jihee’s two eyes stare straight at me.

“Is it normal for family members to touch each other like that?”