My Younger Sister Was My First Love

27. How the Younger Brother Kidnaps Oppa

“Oppa, do you have something to contact this person about?”

I wonder what it is…

If Minju is looking for me, it means…

Ah, that’s it.

“You said you’d help me contact the girl, didn’t you?”

Jihee was making a face like “What kind of stupid thing is that?”

“Contacting is only necessary when it’s necessary. What help do you need?”

“We have a meeting scheduled for next week.”

“…You’re going to a meeting?”

Jihee’s pupils looked like those of a cartoon character who had just realized something.

It’s getting bigger and bigger.

“Yeah, and with the guys. What was it again? The girls from the nursing department, right?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You didn’t ask, so I didn’t say anything.”

“No! You should tell me these things right away!”

This is something that needs to be kept secret, or people will think I’ve committed a huge crime.

Jihee’s excited breathing sounds could be heard from here.

“When and where with how many people?”

“Tuesday evening at 7 pm. 4 on 4. The location hasn’t been decided yet, but it’ll probably be a bar.”

“Ugh…”

Jihee started to twist and turn her body, looking unhappy.

“Are you upset because I didn’t tell you?”

“That’s not the only thing. I also don’t like it when you go to meetings!”

“Why is that?”

“I’ll be left alone at home, waiting for you to come back!”

“If you’re worried about that, I’ll meet you early the next morning.”

“Mr. Lee Joon-ho, aren’t you my brother, not my private tutor? Family, remember?”

If Jihee really hated being alone at home that much, she would’ve gone to the academy.

I didn’t think Jihee’s words were trustworthy.

“Anyway, so I might be late on Tuesday.”

“Yeah. Let’s just say the meeting is a meeting. So, what about Democratic Unnie? You’re not meeting her, are you?”

“When you do something like a meeting, you usually ask someone you’re interested in to hang out afterwards.”

I explained the things that had happened calmly.

“Yeah.”

“If someone wants to ask you out, I’ll teach you how to contact them, so…”

“How would that unnie teach you that?”

“Assuming they’re interested, you try contacting them?”

“…Yeah?”

A laugh that seemed to say “you’re ridiculous”.

Despite the nice weather, Jihee was fanning herself with her hand.

“Huh. Brother, you don’t need to bother.”

“Why.”

“I’m here, so why do you need to rely on others?”

Jihee’s hand, which was fanning herself, gently stroked my cheek.

“Contact me, and if you want to practice flirting, you can do it with me too. I can even take you on a real date right now!”

As T’s blood was boiling fiercely, I could perfectly refute my younger sister’s proposal with logical reasoning.

Of course, I couldn’t refute her overly pretty face.

“First, as your sister, it’s not possible. Second, you’ve never been to a meeting or dated anyone, so your credibility is zero.”

“But isn’t it highly likely that I’ve received more contacts from guys than the girls you’ll meet at the meeting?”

“That’s a different story.”

The probability problem I solved yesterday came to mind.

“Anyway, if your goal is to show interest in someone you like, I can tell you the best way to contact them.”

I must have watched a lot of lectures, because Jihee’s explanation sounded just like a 1-ta lecturer.

“Anyway, the people who come out there are all around my age, university freshmen.”

“Exactly.”

“Then, don’t bother others and just ask your family. Jihee lecturer will perfectly explain it to you.”

“Alright, give me your phone.”

I picked up my phone, which was lying on the mat, and sent a reply to Minju.

[If you’re doing this because of how to talk to girls, then you don’t have to.]

Minju must have been looking at her phone, because she replied immediately.

[???]

[No, I’m doing it secretly, okay?]

[I want to try dating!]

[My younger sibling is coaching me.]

[Hey, high school graduates and university sophomores are completely different!]

[And I thought about it, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do it afterwards.]

Jihee was sticking close to me, peeking at my phone screen.

“Can’t you respect my personal life?”

“Let’s be honest. It’s not me, but that older sister of ours who’s interfering with our personal lives.”

I was about to retort, but stopped.

“Anyway, I’ll handle it myself. I don’t need to rely on you guys for meetings or dating.”

Jihee seemed like she had something to say, but she kept her mouth shut and leaned her head on my arm.

“……I also wanted to go to university.”

“You wanted to go to a meeting?”

“Yeah. I was supposed to attend a surprise meeting with the people from your department who entered university this year.”

That could have happened.

If the two of us were freshmen together, we might have sat across from each other at the meeting, like a stroke of bad luck.

Someone might say “Hey, that’s impossible!” but an even more unbelievable situation had already become our reality.

“Should we go buy something to eat?”

I felt a pang of hunger.

“Delivery?”

“Uh… do you want to order delivery? I was just going to buy some ramen or snacks.”

“Hmm, do whatever you want, oppa. I’m fine with anything.”

The sky, which had been red, was darkening, and streetlights were starting to turn on one by one.

We bought ramen, beer, and snacks at the convenience store and returned to our spot, where we had laid out the mat.

“It’s romantic.”

The sound of a can opening accompanied by the rustling of the wrapper.

Jihee was staring at the direction of the bridge, where the streetlights had come on.

“Shall we cheers?”

I raised my hand, holding a beer can, from beside him.

“A single word of cheers.”

Jihee smiled slyly and discreetly pulled her can back.

“What’s with this when there are just two of us drinking?”

“I’m in pain. Hurry up.”

I couldn’t believe we were doing this here, something we didn’t even do in school.

My hesitation was short-lived.

“Jihee, let’s wish for success on the college entrance exam. Cheers.”

“Ugh… What a weird thing to say……”

“Just do it. You’re annoying.”

As I teased my younger sibling, Jihee chuckled and clinked her can against mine.

“Ha! I’ll make sure to get into college and become your junior!”

Jihee took a loud, triumphant swig, shouting towards the sky.

“That’s good, but don’t even think about majoring in English Literature.”

“Are you already regretting it?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, but seniors say it’s tough.”

“I don’t get why you’re putting down your own group like that.”

“It’s just something to say, don’t take it seriously.”

The wind was quite pleasant, and the Han River Ramen, which wasn’t particularly special, tasted surprisingly good.

Although we were here under the pretext of Jihee’s healing, I was also enjoying myself quite a bit.

Most of the conversations were meaningless, but that’s what family is all about, right?

It’s not like we’re in a business setting where we only exchange necessary words.

“Oppa, what are you thinking?”

The beer was all gone, and we’d exhausted our conversation topics.

The crowd had thinned out, leaving only a few people behind.

As I gazed out at the river, Jihee poked my cheek and started talking.

“Just…”

“Just what?”

“I was thinking… if I got a girlfriend, would it be more fun to come back here than this?”

Today was good enough.

If I got a girlfriend and came back, would it be several times more enjoyable?

Jihee looked up at me with a piercing gaze, smiled faintly, and said one word.

“Absolutely.”

The affirmation or negation that followed was left unspoken.

* * *

It seemed Oppa was more eager to have a ‘girlfriend’ than I thought.

Just looking at how he hastily set up a meeting, it was clear.

He was trying to go behind my back to get one.

“Sehwa, what’s the best way to do this?”

It was 2 pm, and my older brother was still attending classes.

I sneaked out of studying and called Sehwa, sitting her down at a neighborhood café.

“If you want to go, then go. What’s the big deal.”

“I want to interfere.”

“Is there a reason to do so?”

“There isn’t, so I came to find you.”

Sehwa made a face that said she couldn’t help but laugh, taking a sip of her croffle.

“So? How desperate are you?”

“I’d rather my brother die than go there.”

Half of it was serious, half a joke.

I had to emphasize how desperate I was.

“Hmm… then… shall we try to take it away once and for all?”

“Take it away?”

“The people sitting there didn’t come out to get engaged, what’s the big deal.”

The plan seemed quite intriguing, making my appetite grow.

Sehwa was no ordinary person either.

Perhaps she had a more cunning side than I did.

“How do we do it?”

“Well, I’ve recently attended a few meetings, and according to Sehwa’s theory, the deciding factor in a meeting is the visual.”

Sehwa believed that people, regardless of gender, preferred those who were pretty and handsome.

“So, if one side doesn’t like the other in the first round, they often get eliminated. There are even posts online that say they didn’t calculate and just ran away.”

“Not calculating and running away is too cowardly.”

“Anyway, the important thing is that the guys who come out there will likely follow the more attractive ones with high probability.”

“So?”

“We’ll go with Minji, the three of us, and it’ll be a game over.”

The plan was to observe the people from my brother’s department during the first round, and then secretly approach them to suggest doing the second round together.

According to Sehwa, if the first round didn’t go well, they would probably accept.

“But will Minji come with us? She’s been out playing every day lately.”

“If you treat her to drinks, she’ll definitely come. You have to pay for my drinks too, of course.”

“Ugh, you just want to get drunk with me, don’t you?”

“Jiheejihee. Did you think I’d try to take advantage of you? Can’t you even buy a drink for your beloved brother? You’re going to let him take love shots with other girls?”

Just imagining it made me feel sick.

Those people who weren’t even family were going to…….

“Ugh… if we fail, it’s N-bomb.”

“I’d rather die. Is the price of a drink more expensive than my life?”

“It’s true, though.”

“I’m already looking forward to it. Ah, can I just sit next to my oppa?”

“You’re going to get in trouble for real? Don’t do anything weird.”

“Jihee is really impacted by oppa’s presence, you know.”

“Ah! If I mess up, it’s game over. Do it properly.”

“Phew. Do we not have to study in the afternoon? This is ridiculous.”

“……Just go home and listen to the lecture at 2x speed.”

“No way. You’re being ridiculous, studying so hard. You know it too.”

“Ah, you’re saying that, but why do you always act like this when we meet?”

It’s karma for the times I teased him in the past.

This is why people should always be on their best behavior.

“Oh, the response came.”

[Do I have to say it?]

I asked where the meeting spot was, and this was the response.

Ah, why does our oppa make us say it twice?

[Yes, hurry up.]

[Is it the Lemon room salon or something?]

[Got it, thank you!]

“Sehwa, call Minji.”

Oppa’s expression is already looking forward to it.