My Younger Sister Was My First Love

31. Kiss Mark

“Junho-hyung!”

The next day after the meeting.

Since our classes were only in the afternoon, we were able to safely reunite with our members in the lecture hall.

My body was still in a daze, just like yesterday.

The lack of sleep and the hangover didn’t seem to be subsiding.

“Hyung, what happened with Saerom yesterday?”

“What happened? What’s there to happen?”

I responded to Jihui’s question with a calm tone, as if nothing had happened.

If I said, “Actually, she’s my sister, and I took her home and kissed her!”, they’d probably faint.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single lie in that sentence.

“Ah, the atmosphere was good, wasn’t it? You sent a text in the morning, right?”

“There was nothing like that. I just told her to be careful and that was it.”

“What a bore. This guy Kyungho is getting scolded by Minji, isn’t he?”

It seemed that after Jihui and I went home, they had exchanged numbers among themselves.

Yeah, this kind of thing would be like a midsummer night’s dream to them.

“Ah, why didn’t you read it? You must have had time to check your phone…”

Kyungho was really just staring at his phone the whole time.

“I thought Junho-hyung was the most likely one to have a chance yesterday…”

“Why are you more disappointed?”

“It’s my words! You should be more disappointed, Hyung! Yesterday, you were like a black knight, and today, you’re like a southern gentleman… Saerom isn’t disappointed!”

They’re just trying to get my younger brother drunk!

Ah, I should stop talking.

As Jihui’s thoughts came to mind, I had to enter meditation mode again.

Just then, the professor came in, and naturally, the lecture hall became quiet.

“Okay, let’s take attendance.”

The reason I was able to study well during my student days was complex.

And one of them, I thought, was because I possessed a very calm personality.

I didn’t get flustered easily.

No matter what I heard, I could maintain my composure.

I didn’t get overly anxious or flustered even when taking mock exams or the CSAT.

But lately, I’ve been feeling that maybe this was only limited to studying, and doubts began to creep in.

In fact, I wasn’t a calm person at all.

Just thinking about my younger sibling made me unable to focus on anything.

Even the professor’s lectures.

Even the sound of the person sitting next to me chatting.

Even until the night before.

Starting the morning by making Ji-hui’s breakfast.

Ending the day by helping Ji-hui with her studies.

Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t think about Ji-hui now?

As I recalled the memories of yesterday, clouded by the influence of alcohol, I felt my head spinning again.

[Because I’m family. Because my older brother likes me, I don’t want to do it with others.]

Is our emotional state, which has only been a month since we became family, really the correct answer?

“……Hyung.”

“……Jun-ho hyung.”

“Hyung!

I was staring blankly at my textbook when Ji-hwon tapped my hand, and I came back to my senses.

“Uh……?”

“Is Jun-ho student not here?”

“Ah……! Yes, I am! Yes.”

Getting called out during class and not being able to hear my name – it was a first in my life.

* * *

The break until the next class was 1 hour and 30 minutes.

I naturally thought I’d kill some time in the empty classroom.

“Yo! Lee Jun-ho!”

I ran into Min-ju in the humanities building corridor.

As soon as she saw me, she quickly started walking towards me.

“……Hi.”

Don’t you look unwell? Did you drink a lot last night?”

“How did you know?”

“You told me yourself that you were going to the meeting on Tuesday. It’s obvious.”

She still remembers the conversation we had while passing by.

If I were in her shoes, I would have already forgotten it.

“Ah. That’s right.”

“That’s right, so how was it?”

A sly smile hung on his lips.

I pushed away my fellow idols, and he stuck to me.

“What’s up.”

“Ah, why are you leaving? It’s not fun?”

Minju still had a childish habit, poking my sides with her fingers, just like she did in elementary school.

It hurt back then, and it still hurts now.

“It’s not that I’m leaving, it’s just that there’s nothing to say.”

“What’s wrong with you? Did you get drunk or something? You’re not even making sense.”

“Let’s go inside. Stop messing around in the hallway.”

As we pushed open the door to the practice room, we saw a few seniors and fellow idols seated, having finished their introductions.

“Huh? Junho hyung!”

I didn’t think Jihwan would be here.

He was also part of the same academy.

“Yeah, Choi Jihwan! You had a meeting with her yesterday, right?”

Minju’s words made Jihwan nod vigorously.

“Wow, yesterday was amazing. We parted ways at 4 pm.”

“Don’t you have anything to say? It was that fun, Jihwan?”

When Minju turned her head, her razor-sharp bob swung perfectly.

“…Just, well, it was okay.”

“Sister, do you want to hear the story? Yesterday was really something.”

Aah……

Why did I forget that Jihwan might be here?

Well, I didn’t know Minju would be here either.

It was inevitable that the news of our meeting would spread outside, so I felt a little better.

“Whoa! So you two had a wild time, huh?”

“That’s right?”

“But why don’t you have anything to say about this exciting story?”

I, who had been hiding in the corner, playing games on my phone, scratched my cheek with a sheepish face.

“I just did, so…”

“Hey, Junho hyung. Are you the type who gets stronger after drinking?”

“No.”

“Minju noona, yesterday, he made a huge impression on the girl he liked, playing the knight in shining armor.”

I brushed my hair back, feeling like he was tattling on me to the teacher.

Jihwan-ah!

Why are you doing this?!

“It was just to create a good atmosphere and make her laugh.”

“You?”

Minju, who knew my personality, looked at me with a surprised expression.

I knew it too.

That’s not like me.

“Was it pretty?”

“It’s not like I’m lying. It’s really pretty.”

“Is there a photo?”

Why are Minkyu and Jihyun so interested in me?

I seriously think about escaping from here and going to a cafe or something.

“No? But Junho-hyung must have taken a photo, right? Junho-hyung didn’t get Saerom’s number?”

“I didn’t get it.”

“How did you take a taxi and send her home without getting her number?”

Saerom’s number really doesn’t exist.

Only Jihee’s number is left.

“Ah, don’t say that and show me! How pretty is she, anyway?”

“At least as pretty as Minkyu-nuna. Acknowledge?”

I didn’t want to show the photo, so I quickly shook my head with a dry tone.

“That’s right. That’s right. You’re about that pretty.”

“Oh, so you’re saying I’m pretty?”

“I want to revise that and say you’re way prettier than that.”

Minkyu’s face turned sour at my self-deprecating comment, and she changed her tone.

“What about after that?”

“I didn’t do it.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t think I’d get it.”

We’ve had our differences before.

We’re family, after all.

“Hmm… okay…?”

Minkyu, who was standing next to me, pulled out an empty chair and sat down beside me.

“Do you think you’ll go to another meeting?”

“No. I just don’t think meetings are my thing.”

“Really? I told you, didn’t I? You’re more suited to being a solo artist than going to those things?”

I don’t know why not going to meetings is so exciting.

There are so many fun things to do.

I turned off the game and put my phone screen down, then leaned my upper body forward and lay down on the desk.

“Junho, are you going to sleep?”

“I want to sleep, but thinking about going to class makes me uneasy, so I’m like this.”

I’ve lain down on the desk before, but I’ve never slept for hours like this.

“Then play with me.”

“Are you bored?”

“Don’t you know just by looking at me?”

“When’s your break over?”

“Thirty minutes left.”

When we first met, it was a bit awkward, but as we saw each other more often, I started to feel more at ease, like I used to.

It was like riding a bike after a long time, and gradually getting the hang of it again.

“What do you want to do?”

“Watch a movie.”

“There are 30 minutes left.”

“Let’s go watch a movie on the weekend.”

In that moment, I thought I must have misheard something and quickly sat up straight.

“Did you say you want to watch a movie with me? Just the two of us?”

“Yeah. I got a coupon that’s valid until the weekend, and my mom gave it to me, but I forgot to use it.”

Minju was casually scrolling through her phone screen with a calm expression.

“What have you been doing all this time without watching it? And why do you want to watch it with me.”

“Then who will you go with?”

“My friends.”

“You’re my friend too. We can go together.”

Minju and a movie?

When I think about it, it wasn’t the first time either.

Surprisingly, I had experience going to the theater with Minju before.

Of course, back then, our moms were with us, so it wasn’t just the two of us.

There were four of us.

If my memory serves me right, it was a super popular family comedy movie back then.

“So, are you busy on the weekend?”

“I’m not that busy.”

“Then how about Sunday evening?”

Why do I keep thinking of Jihee’s face when I’m making plans with a friend?

The images of Jihee, who seemed to be fiercely possessive of Minju, flashed by.

Does Minju really have feelings for me? Or what?

I thought that was just a useless suspicion even now.

If Minju really had feelings for me, she wouldn’t be making such a casual offer.

If I had rejected her once more, Minju would have gone with someone else.

“It’s okay as long as we don’t go in late.”

“Because of your sibling?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal about hanging out late with you? There’s a lot to worry about. There’s a lot to worry about.”

That’s true too.

Maybe we’ll just watch the movie and have a meal, and then head back home.

“Alright.”

“Hehe. You’re buying the popcorn, right? The ticket is free anyway.”

“Yeah.”

Minju chatted with me about what movie to watch for the next 30 minutes, and finally, we decided on a romantic comedy movie that didn’t have bad reviews.

It had been a while since I’d been to the theater, so just the thought of going was somewhat exciting.

If I told Mom that I was going to the theater with Minju, she would say something.

That kid who always gets into trouble would probably say something like, “You’re going to the theater with that kid, huh?”

Anyway, it was a relief to have something to tell my mom, who was in the US.

I couldn’t tell her about the meeting, though.

After class, I returned to my neighborhood and quickly did some grocery shopping before going home.

Onions, peppers, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, and more.

Since Jihee mostly stayed at home, the speed at which our food supplies were depleted was incredibly fast.

When I lived alone, I could make one purchase last a week.

I bought a bunch of things and headed home with a full bag.

“Oppa!”

As soon as Jihee opened the door, she rushed out to the entrance hall.

“Yes.”

“I’ll take care of it!”

Before I could even take off my shoes, Jihee snatched the bag away.

It wasn’t necessary, but Jihee insisted on carrying the bag all the way to the kitchen.

“What did you buy all this for?”

“What’s with the questions? It’s for us to eat.”

“It’s so heavy.”

“Well, if you don’t go shopping for a long time, that’s what happens. What’s the big deal?”

I plopped down on the sofa, feeling like a slime that had melted.

“Just wait a bit. I’ll cook dinner soon.”

“Do you look tired?”

“You’re the one who didn’t study properly today. You barely got up this morning.”

I wasn’t the only one who had stayed out late for a meeting.

Jihee had come home drunk at dawn, so I thought it was natural that there would be some aftermath.

“Of course. I’m a bit tired, but I didn’t sleep and I accomplished my goals.”

“……That’s amazing?”

It wasn’t sarcasm; it was genuine admiration.

“Heh. If I don’t do it right.”

Jihee, who was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, slowly approached me and sat down beside me, resting their chin on my shoulder.

“You’re going to be disappointed in me, Oppa.”

I felt Jihee’s breath on the back of my neck.

My body instinctively trembled.

“It’s not like I’m going to take a test or anything. You don’t have to be so hard on yourself.”

“But if I don’t do well, you won’t like it, and it’ll be awkward when I talk to your mom. And it’s pointless for you to take time out to teach me too.”

Everything they said was ridiculous.

Except for the hand that was gently stroking my thigh, that is.

“Then I’ll ask you questions later.”

“Hmm. Okay. Oppa, where do you want to go this Sunday?”

“Sunday?”

“Yeah. I took a mock test on Saturday, and we got drunk together, so let’s have fun on Sunday too!”

The first two were already planned, but the last one wasn’t.

And didn’t we agree to drink anyway?

We already had drinks at the Han River and at the meeting too.

“I’m going out on Sunday.”

“Hmm? Where are you going?”

“To watch a movie.”

“With whom?”

“With Minju.”

At that moment, I felt a sharp, stinging pain.

I had been closing my eyes, feeling tired and relaxed, but I couldn’t help but open them wide.

“Ah!”

It was because Jihee, who had been resting her chin on my shoulder, had gently bitten my neck.