My Younger Sister Was My First Love

46. Sleeping with My Younger Sibling

Is this what they mean by “non-stop drinking”?

“Ah, I’m getting drunk.”

It was only the first round.

In just one hour, the two of us had downed three bottles.

After the storm named “Lee Jihee” had passed, we focused more on the drinking itself rather than the conversation.

Whenever the conversation dwindled and became awkward, we’d clink our glasses together once, like a ritual.

The speed at which empty bottles piled up was unbelievable.

“Want to go home if it’s tough?”

As Miju left the store, she slapped her bright red face with both hands, making a loud smacking sound.

It was obvious she was heavily drunk, even at a glance.

In situations like this, it was best to quietly head home.

“I don’t want to. I won’t go.”

I asked her with concern, but Miju showed her displeasure and shook her head violently.

“Then where will you go?”

“Let’s drink more. We still have a lot of time until 9 pm.”

“Are you overdoing it?”

“Yeah, we can’t just stop in the middle of a deep conversation like this and go home right away.”

“But it’s better to go home while you’re still in your right mind.”

“I Junho, you want to go home and see Ji Hui, don’t you?”

Just hearing that name made my body tremble.

It was like a cheat code that got to my heart.

“Oh, don’t make jokes like that. You know that’s not true.”

We were near the school.

I was worried someone might overhear us.

Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in my complicated family matters, but that’s just how people’s minds worked.

“Let’s just say you’re going home to see your little sibling.”

Ugh, I shouldn’t have said that.

The thought that I was already being used in a weird way started to creep up on me.

“Don’t do that.”

“Then will you come with me?”

“Yeah, I’ll come. It’s fine if we go.”

“You should’ve done that from the start.”

Miju’s slightly awkward laughter suggested she was quite drunk.

The second round was at a pocha not too far from there.

It was a place introduced by a senior who knew the owner, and it was quiet, so the atmosphere was good.

The shelves were filled with figurines, and it was clear the owner was deeply into subculture.

Even I, in my drunken state, thought the deer character at the very front was extremely cute.

“Owner! Give us two bottles of soju and some nuts!”

“……You’re ordering two bottles?”

“Well, one bottle might not be enough.”

“You’re not going to die from drinking like this, are you?”

At this point, I started to get worried that my companion might turn into a guardian.

“If I die, will you not take me to the hospital at 9 pm?”

“We’ll contact the hospital and take you, so don’t worry.”

“Wow, look at you talking?”

“Just be careful and drink responsibly, okay?”

Min-ju meticulously cracked open the peanut shells that had come out as a basic snack.

Whether it was a habit or a instinct, Min-ju focused intensely on perfectly removing the brown shell parts with her eyes wide open.

“Ji-hoon.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

The peanuts, now stripped bare, arrived at my palm.

“Are you telling me to eat them?”

“Yes. I’ll give them to you.”

“Why are you giving them to me after going through so much trouble?”

“You must have had a hard time, so…”

“What’s with that?”

Do I have to hear that I’ve had a hard time?

“……It’s not easy to live with someone who’s had that kind of experience. You couldn’t even talk about it comfortably anywhere.”

Min-ju didn’t used to be this empathetic in my memory.

I guess people do change as they grow up.

“No. There are a few people who know you besides me.”

I added a casual comment, feeling a bit awkward.

“Really?”

“Some high school friends.”

“Oh, what’s going on! I thought I was the only one who knew, and I was thinking, ‘Should I comfort you or something?’ Ugh, give me back the peanuts.”

It’s annoying when someone asks for something and then doesn’t want to give it back.

I completely ignored Min-ju’s words and popped the peanuts into my mouth.

“Delicious.”

“If you think it’s delicious, can I ask one more question?”

“Is it about Ji-hee again?”

“You gave me peanuts as a gift, so I’ll ask just one more as a favor.”

The most important fact had already been revealed, so I didn’t think I’d be too surprised no matter what came next.

“What is it?”

“You said you liked Ji-hee when you were younger, right?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you like her?”

It wasn’t a shocking question.

When someone says they like someone, it’s almost an automatic response to ask why.

“……Because she was pretty.”

There’s no special reason, really.

“Is that it?”

“Yes. Ji-hee was really pretty back then.”

“But didn’t you think she was pretty when you saw her at school before?”

“Yeah… but…”

Now it’s quite far away.

A distant memory from long ago comes to mind.

Jihee, wearing a white padded jacket, had her earphones on and was waiting for the school bus.

I couldn’t even say a word, and I would sneak glances at her, wondering if our eyes might meet.

It was a winter day when I was 16 years old.

“Back then, her face was really shocking to me.”

“……Yeah.”

Minju had a somewhat bitter smile on her face, as if she was disappointed that the date wasn’t going well.

It seemed like she had lost interest, like her energy had been drained.

“So, what was your impression of me when we first met?”

“You?”

“Yeah, like a first impression.”

Our conversation suddenly turned into a discussion about first impressions, and I had to press the rewind button all the way back to middle school.

Minju’s first impression……

Was there even such a thing as a first impression?

I couldn’t even remember when we first met.

“……The kid from the house below?”

“Not that.”

“The kid who would always come over and tease me.”

“Ah, I hated that.”

“But suddenly talking about the past makes me remember when you stole my snacks.”

“Ugh, can you just answer me properly?”

“The kid who would always hit me on the back? Ah, I don’t know. Why do you keep saying these embarrassing things?”

Was there even an answer I wanted to hear?

Minju kept throwing verbal jabs at me like someone rolling dice, trying to get a 1.

“……Is there nothing good about me?”

Minju’s plate was piled high with brown peanut shells, probably because she had been cracking them open for a while.

“You’re a good student. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“But that’s… only good for me, not for you.”

“What’s the point of being good for me?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s the point of that?”

“I don’t know. You’re such a bad guy.”

Minju spread her palms wide and docked her face inside, her forehead and all fitting neatly inside.

I wondered why she did that, but I turned the question she had asked me back on her.

“Now that we’ve started talking, I’ll ask you too.”

“What?”

“What was my impression like? The first time we met?”

“You?”

Minju removed her face from her hands and calmly looked into my eyes.

The pink-tinted cheeks.

Minju’s short hair, already unstable due to the alcohol, swayed precariously.

“Just a silly kid, what’s up with that.”

“Look, you’re not saying anything nice, but you’re only criticizing me. That’s not right.”

“No! First impressions are everything! Of course, I’ve changed since then!”

“How have you changed?”

“……For the better.”

The voice, which seemed to be laughing just a moment ago, suddenly subsided.

Minju sneakily handed me the peanuts again, this time placing them in my palm.

“Okay.”

“What do you mean by ‘for the better’? Be more specific.”

“I’ve had so much to drink, but I still want to crack open these peanuts for you.”

I guess that’s a way of saying I’ve improved a lot.

In the end, we managed to finish all the drinks we ordered.

Three bottles in three hours.

By my standards, it was unprecedented.

Even the time Jihee and I got drunk at home didn’t reach this level.

The total amount of alcohol we consumed was unknown, but in terms of intoxication, tonight was the highest.

“Park Minju, can you get home by yourself?”

After settling the bill and returning from the restroom, Minju was still having trouble maintaining her balance.

She couldn’t speak properly, and her body couldn’t move right either.

It seemed like the worst-case scenario was unfolding right before my eyes.

I managed to find her wallet in her pocket by holding her up with one arm around her shoulder.

If I took her to the address listed on her ID… ah, no.

It wasn’t her school address.

It was probably her hometown address.

In other words, it wasn’t her current residence in this area.

I thought about calling our seniors, but that didn’t seem like a good idea.

Those people might know Minju’s home address, and it could spread rumors.

I didn’t want to make things complicated, but I couldn’t just abandon her because of Jihee.

I decided to take the best course of action that came to mind.

“Minju, just wait a bit.”

There was no response.

I quickly called a taxi using an app and got in with Minju.

“Take us to Taehak-dong, please.”

The distance that would take 30 minutes by bus took around 15 minutes by taxi.

I sent Jihee a message, but she hadn’t read it yet, probably because she was studying.

Hmm… I hope she’ll understand the situation when I explain it to her.

It was the first time I had brought an outsider into my home, so I was being cautious.

Moreover, I felt guilty for causing trouble to a student like her, and my mood wasn’t great.

I’ll make it up to her after she leaves.

After bringing her to my place, I strategized how to utilize the space.

I’ll give my bed to her.

I’ll just sleep on the sofa.

I asked Jihee to lend me some clothes.

Jihee, who was leaning on my shoulder with her eyes closed, kept mumbling my name.

“Lee Jun-ho…”

I should’ve taken her home earlier.

Somehow, I managed to get her into the elevator after getting off the taxi.

Ah, finally home.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt this way about my home.

I entered the password and brought her inside.

I took off her shoes and dragged her to the sofa like a child, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

First, I’ll get myself together, and then I’ll figure out what to do with her.

Honestly, I didn’t think I was in my right mind at the moment.

Just then, I heard the sound of the door opening.

“Oppa!”

Jihee, who came out with a bright smile, saw her and…

“What’s going on?”

The smile disappeared from her face.

“It’s… Jihee-ssi.”

“Why is Jihee-ssi sleeping at our place?”

Uh, I thought the reaction might not be good, but Jihee’s rejection was beyond my imagination.

“I… I got drunk and brought her here.”

“Then you should’ve taken her home or gotten permission from me first. Does this house belong to you alone? Is it yours?”

“I was going to, but… you didn’t answer my calls, and I thought you were studying.”

Jihee turned around and went back to her room, then came out with her phone.

“Lee Jun-ho, sending a text after calling a taxi is not an agreement, it’s a notification.”

“Sorry. I’ll try not to cause you any more trouble. She can sleep in my room, so you can just…”

“Just a minute!”

Min-ju was completely out of it, breathing softly on the sofa.

“Why?”

“Why did you say you’d let her sleep in your bed?”

“Even though she’s drunk, she’s still a guest, right? It’s not right to make a guest sleep on the sofa.”

“Are you crazy?”

What else is crazy?

“What do you want me to do? Just let her sleep on the sofa? Or in the inner room? The inner room is not an option, is it?”

“I’ll give her my bed. She can sleep in my bed.”

“So, where are you going to sleep?”

“I’m going to sleep in Oppa’s room.”

“Ah. So, Min-joo will sleep in your room, you’ll sleep in my room, and I’ll sleep on the sofa?”

“Oppa can sleep with me on the bed too. It’s a size that fits two people just fine.”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m not going to do anything weird with Oppa on the bed.”

Ji-hee showed no intention of backing down, arms crossed, looking down at Min-joo.

“That’s my condition. If you don’t like it, you can call a taxi right now and take Min-joo-ssi out.”

The condition for bringing a friend home was to share a bed with her younger sibling.

It was impossible to reject Ji-hee’s proposal and take a taxi back to wander the streets.

I was drunk too.

Min-joo wasn’t the only one who was drunk.

“Ji-hee.”

It was right to sleep separately, anyway.

I was planning to warn her, half-jokingly, while we were drunk.

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to do something weird while I’m sleeping, what are you going to do about it?”

“What’s weird about it?”

“Don’t you know? Between men and women, there’s…”

“Something indecent?”

Ji-hee approached me with a provocative gaze, her eyes inches from my nose.

I was the one who was supposed to be intimidating, but instead, I took a step back.

A sly smile began to form on Min-joo’s lips.

“So, Oppa, you want to do something with me while Min-joo-ssi is in this house?”