My Younger Sister Was My First Love

41. As a Friend

Huh.

I should have told Ji-hui clearly not to come here, but…

I instinctively blamed myself, but at the same time, I felt doubtful.

Is this really my fault?

Did Ji-hui suddenly come to school because of me?

“…Yes?”

Ji-hui, who had found Ji-hui, looked at him with a confused expression.

“Huh? You’re… the Park Saerom we had a meeting with… aren’t you…? You don’t know, do you?”

As Ji-hui shook her head, looking like she didn’t know who Ji-hui was, Ji-hui’s face turned pale with surprise.

“Jun-ho hyung! That’s… Saerom! Saerom! You’re the one who was our black knight!”

Ji-hui shouted at me, looking like he wanted me to say something quickly.

Sorry, Ji-hui.

I’ll make it up to you somehow later.

I couldn’t reveal the truth to everyone here that I had a meeting with my younger sibling.

I took a short, deep breath and told a blatant lie to deceive them all.

“Is this guy talking about my younger sibling?”

“Ah! Older brother! Is that so? The friend you met that day is the same person, right? You said you guys went out with the same person that day, and it was amazing!”

Although we hadn’t rehearsed a single word beforehand, my younger sibling and I showed perfect teamwork, like a well-practiced play.

Jihee’s acting was more natural than I had imagined.

Even I was almost fooled by her words.

“Huh? No way. Really? Is that true, hyung?”

Jihyun couldn’t hide his confusion, looking like he was in a state of cognitive dissonance.

It was as if the world was playing a prank on him.

But amazingly, it was true.

“That day, Saeromi had long hair, right? Although our faces are similar, my younger sibling always wears her hair tied up like this.”

For some reason, today’s Jihee came to find me with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

It was a hairstyle I was seeing for the first time.

Her slender neck was fully exposed.

Her outfit was also something I had never seen before.

She was wearing a large, loose-fitting cream-colored pants that schoolgirls often wore.

Her top was an off-the-shoulder blue knit.

Anyone could tell that her look was more like a college student than a student preparing for exams.

“Ah… so… haha. I’m a bit late with the introduction. I’m Jihee, Junho’s younger sibling! I heard that you guys studied late with your seniors, so I brought some food to share.”

Jihee took out plastic containers one by one from the bag.

The contents inside were sandwiches she had made herself and juice packs that were common in school cafeterias.

The people in the study room looked surprised, but only for a moment.

As soon as they saw the food, the atmosphere quickly turned welcoming.

Everyone was hungry anyway.

The stranger who had brought snacks was naturally welcomed.

“Wow, what is this at this hour? Are you forcing your younger sibling to do this, Junho?”

The club president represented everyone in expressing gratitude.

“I didn’t know my younger sibling was coming…?”

“My older sibling said you guys were a big help, so… yeah.”

Jihee smiled awkwardly, as if she was going to skip the rest of the explanation.

The atmosphere became warm and cozy.

This situation was embarrassing, but it was also receiving everyone’s envy and attention, which was a very strange feeling.

“Um… Jihee? Ah, what should I call you?”

“Ah, since I’m 20, you can just call me Jihee.”

“Then, Jihee, let’s eat together! We don’t have enough people to finish all this food.”

“Ah… but I think it might be uncomfortable if I stay… I was just going to drop off the food and leave.”

“Aww, how can you leave after coming all this way? We’re almost done with our studies anyway. Let’s eat and then go home together, Junho.”

When the club president looked at me as if asking if it was okay, I nodded my head vigorously up and down.

“Then… excuse me for a moment.”

Jihee brushed past Minju and plopped down beside me.

Teacher, who had stacked ham and vegetables in a sandwich, took one out and began to eat while making sounds of enjoyment.

It seemed to have started, the younger sibling’s handmade snack time.

“Did you make all of these?”

I whispered to Jihee, who was sitting beside me in a low voice.

“Yeah. I was going to buy them, but I thought it would be better to make them myself.”

The response also came back in a whisper.

“What about studying?”

“I finished everything and made these during the time I was abandoned by my oppa.”

Abandoned? What kind of talk is that?

“If you’re going to come, you should at least say so beforehand.”

“I made them thinking of my oppa, but the reaction is a bit disappointing?”

It’s not like I’m not grateful.

What’s with this?

I thought it was a fantasy-like story that only appears in Japanese shoujo manga – a younger sister who makes snacks for her oppa and delivers them to him, even taking on the tasks of their friends.

Do people like this really exist in real life?

Anyway.

“Thank you.”

Not saying anything beforehand is regretful, but what’s grateful is grateful.

Ji-hoon, who was sitting across from me, still seemed to be in a state of cognitive dissonance, constantly glancing back and forth between me and Jihee.

At this point, I’m the one who feels the most apologetic.

It’s surprisingly easy to make a normal person look like a fool.

“……Hey.”

Minju, who had been silent since her younger sibling’s appearance, finally spoke up, looking at me with a tilted head before switching her gaze to Jihee.

“Jihee?”

“Yes?”

“Ah, I’m Minju, the friend who’s been close to your oppa since a long time ago. Maybe…Junho told you about me?”

Minju, who had been curious about Jihee since before, seemed to want to make a connection with her younger sibling.

“Ah! You’re Minju unni! Nice to meet you!”

Jihee received her greeting with a pure and innocent face, as if she already knew Minju’s face from photos.

“Yeah. I’ve heard a lot about you. The sandwich is really delicious. Thank you.”

“Hmm, no need to thank me. But it seems like our oppa talks about me outside too?”

“Yeah, not directly about you, but he says he has to go home to see you every day. Ahaha.”

It was a historic first meeting between the two.

“But did you really make all of these? They taste like they’re being sold. They’re extremely delicious.”

“Thank you. I made them after looking at a blog! Since our oppa usually does all the cooking, I wanted to take care of it for once today.”

Jihee seemed to want to show off our closeness, subtly bringing her shoulder close to mine.

“Junho must be touched. Even so, as a student, he shouldn’t be resting at home. At least, he shouldn’t be making excuses like us.”

Minju was speaking exactly what I wanted to say.

“Hmm… snacks are snacks, but to be honest, I’m also curious about the school, oppa.”

“What’s going on? Junho, your little sibling is curious about school, but you’re not even giving them a tour?”

I, who had never been teased by Minju before, looked down at Jihyun with a flustered face.

“Are you curious about our school?”

“A little? Ah, but oppa is busy.”

“I heard you’re studying for the re-take exam on your own, isn’t it hard to do it alone?”

Minju and Jihyun were having a conversation, with me in between them.

It was to the point where I thought I had to switch seats.

“Hul. So Junho studies every day without fail?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m delivering snacks and stuff. I’m grateful.”

“I see. You two have only known each other for a short time, but you’re already very close.”

“Since mom’s not around, I have to take care of things too.”

It’s only been two months since we, who were once strangers, became a family.

It’s true that to others, it might seem like we’ve become close really quickly.

“Anyway, Junho has always been good at taking care of others.”

“Unnie, didn’t you go to elementary school together with oppa?”

“Yes. Junho lived in the house above ours.”

“How was oppa when he was young?”

Minju looked at me with a playful expression.

Her mouth was twitching.

“Can I say it?”

“I don’t know what you’re going to say, but don’t.”

“Junho in elementary school was… different from now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now he’s completely different, isn’t he? Back then, he didn’t study hard, so I had to scold him a lot.”

“A bit of a careless boy style?”

“Hmm… it’s not that he was careless, but there were parts that seemed loose. But back then, he was really young.”

“Was it like that, oppa?”

Jihyun poked my side as if to confirm.

“It’s a lie. And to be honest, the one who’s changed the most since childhood isn’t me, but Minju.”

“Ah, why are you telling your little sibling this story!”

Minju, who was trying to tease me by bringing up the past, was taken aback and covered my mouth when I started to talk about old times.

“Anyway, Junho. I used to feel sorry for you, but now I don’t feel sorry at all. You have a pretty little sibling waiting at home, so you’re always trying to go back home, right?”

Minju blew air out of her nose like a detective who had found evidence.

“What’s the point of being pretty? You’re just a little sibling.”

As I spoke with a tone mixed with complaining, a suspicious movement was caught under the desk.

Jihee’s hand was slowly crawling up my thigh.

I quickly turned my gaze towards Jihee, as if asking what she was doing.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a cute younger sibling, right? You’re being pretty harsh today, oppa.”

I sent a signal to Jihee with my mouth shape, telling her not to do it, but it didn’t work at all.

“That’s right! If our family is good-looking and cute, it’s great!”

“But, noona.”

“What?”

“If we’ve been friends for so long, wouldn’t you think it’s weird to date our oppa?”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“You know, like how you can’t date someone you’ve been friends with for a long time, no matter what? That kind of thing?”

Jihee, who was whining about me liking her earlier, was now acting out of character, her words and actions not matching.

Meanwhile, I was curious about Minju’s reaction, so I turned my head to look at her face.

“Ah, me and Junho?”

“Yes.”

“What…?”

Minju’s words trailed off.

Her eyes scanned the ceiling and then returned to their original position.

Was it not the kind of thing that would make you exclaim, “Of course!”?

“…Friends, right? Me and Junho are.”

That was her answer, after a brief moment of hesitation.

I placed my hand on Jihee’s head, as if to say, “Look.”

I think this should clear up any misunderstandings.

I had also confirmed the atmosphere between Minju and me, and her face had changed.

“Yes? Then…?”

Jihee stood up from her chair, using my thigh as leverage.

Her destination was right in front of Minju’s nose.

Jihee slowly bowed her head and grasped Minju’s two hands.

“We’ll be good friends from now on, oppa.”

Even though Jihee wasn’t looking at me, my heart started racing.

It was the same smile that had captivated me in middle school.

The smile that had changed my life was unfolding before my eyes once again.

“As friends!”