My Younger Sister Was My First Love

57. The Owner of the Item

The start of May meant that the first semester was already halfway over.

That fact felt quite strange.

In just a month and a half, summer vacation would arrive.

It felt like the semester had passed without us doing much of anything.

In reality, compared to the entrance exam period, the density of studying was extremely low, so I couldn’t help but think that I could just carry my bag and go back and forth, and one semester would be over.

“Junho hyung!”

After the morning classes ended, Jihyun and his friends would always eat lunch together.

“Yes.”

“Hyung, are you going to the festival this time?”

“Are you guys going?”

“Yeah, we have to go. We paid the registration fee, so it would be a waste if we didn’t go.”

“Is that so.”

My lukewarm response seemed to disappoint Jihyun, who looked frustrated.

“What, hyung? You don’t like girl groups?”

“Aren’t you a fan of girl groups? You like them, don’t you?”

“No, I’m not a fan, but I can’t miss the opportunity to see them up close!”

Jihyun and Jihui were the same.

It briefly crossed my mind, “Do people who are [ㅈㅎ] like watching celebrities?”

But then I remembered that I was also a part of the [ㅈㅎ] group.

It was all just a bunch of nonsense.

“So, hyung, are you going or not?”

“I’ll go.”

“Then, hyung, let’s go see the festival together and have a second round of hunting afterwards?”

Hunting for idols, something I had no connection to.

“I’ll go see the festival, but not with you guys.”

“Why not! Is it because you don’t want to go to the hunting event?”

“That’s not the only reason, but I promised my younger sibling to go see the festival together.”

“Huh? Isn’t that the kid who came to our school’s clubroom before?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t that friend say they were going to retake the exam? What was their name again? Jihui?”

“That’s right.”

“But they’re going to the festival?”

It was clear that the people at Korea University were serious about studying, and I reacted similarly to Minju.

“I said the same thing, but they got angry and said they wanted to go.”

“Then, since we’re already playing, why don’t we all go together, including your younger sibling?”

Jihyun didn’t push the issue further, unlike Jihui’s teacher, and coolly moved on to the next step.

“No way.”

“Aww, why not!”

It seemed like the mind of an older brother with a pretty younger sibling was like this.

I felt like a strong gatekeeper, temporarily guarding a solid fortress.

“I promised to go with the two of them.”

“Let’s all go together until the end and then have a drink afterwards~”

“No, I won’t do that.”

The air had become heavy and suffocating.

It was all because I had become too serious.

“Hey, I get it. Why are you getting angry like that?”

Ji-hoon, who had become embarrassed, wiped his mouth with a tissue.

“……I’m not angry or anything.”

“Are you being too protective of your little sibling?”

“He’s a student, and if he hangs out with you guys, he’ll definitely want to have more fun, so I did that.”

“It’s not like we’re going to party for just one day anyway.”

“Ah, Ji-hwan, stop it already.”

It was actually Kyungho, sitting diagonally across from us, who had stopped Ji-hoon.

“Kid, I studied hard during my third year of high school, so why do you bother others who are studying?”

I wanted to give a standing ovation to his unexpectedly sensible remark.

“Shh, it’s because I’m frustrated, so that’s why. It’s because I’m frustrated.”

“And you have someone you’re in contact with, right?”

“Ah, don’t even bring that up, it’s annoying.”

“Are you going to get dumped again?”

The sound of snickering laughter erupted from all directions.

The topic naturally shifted from the festival and Ji-hee to Ji-hoon’s recent dating business.

Still, among this group, only Kyungho had successfully scored in the love department, and I thought it was a remarkable feat that was hard to understand.

After finishing our meal, we dispersed, and I returned to the academy’s study room, which was like a second home to me.

Today was the day I was supposed to go home with Min-ju.

I decided to wait for her here until our classes ended.

“Joon-ho!”

It was the greeting of the academy’s president, who treated this place like his own home.

“Hello.”

“Come here for a second.”

The president, who was sitting on the other side, suddenly pulled out a laptop with a hotel reservation website open and handed it to me.

“What’s this?”

“We’re going to go on a trip.”

“Are we going on a trip?”

“Yeah, during the summer break. We have to go on an MT.”

“But isn’t it a bit too early to plan this in May?”

“Yeah, yeah. If we don’t plan ahead, all the reservations will be taken already.”

I thought it was commendable to plan ahead, but it still felt too early.

“When are you thinking of going?”

“July.”

“There are only two months left.”

“So, you come and choose. I’ve narrowed down the location to around here and here.”

“But I don’t think I can go.”

“Why not!”

The senior’s fist came crashing down on the desk.

“I have a younger sibling at home.”

“Jihee?”

“Yeah. You remember my name, senior.”

“Anyway, is that why you can’t come?”

The senior looked at me with an extremely serious face.

His gaze was piercing, making me feel uneasy.

I hadn’t heard the rumor about mandatory MT attendance, but…

The reaction was hotter than I had expected.

“Yes, I can’t leave my house empty for too long because my parents aren’t home.”

“Did they go on a business trip?”

“Yes.”

“Got it. Then, let’s take your sibling along too.”

“No way.”

Why do these people keep suggesting that I bring my sibling along?

Don’t they usually dislike outsiders joining their group?

“There are plenty of others who can come with us, anyway. There are so many people in our department.”

“I asked almost everyone except you, and they all said no.”

“So, what’s the point?”

“Some people need to get certified, and others have to attend semester classes. Like Seon-ah, who’s going abroad.”

Since I’m surrounded by people who aren’t too keen on studying at school, it’s no wonder, considering this is Korea University.

Naturally, the proportion of people who bring their intense study habits from high school into college life is high.

I’ve even seen people who participate in academic clubs just to build their specs.

“Anyway, so… Only four people have confirmed their attendance so far. If you don’t come, we’ll only have one freshman.”

“Then, should we just cancel the MT?”

Do we really need to go if there aren’t enough participants?

“You don’t know, but this is a long-standing tradition of our department.”

Ugh……

The senior is desperately trying to gather people, but I have my own circumstances to consider.

“So, did Min-ju agree to come?”

“Min-ju?”

“Yes.”

“Min-ju said she’s still undecided, though.”

For a brief moment, a glint appeared in the senior’s eyes and then disappeared.

“Why? If Min-ju goes, you’ll come along too, right? I’ll make sure to get Min-ju to come!”

“Ah, I was just asking.”

“You two are always together, anyway. Come and let’s have some fun together.”

“That’s why… Because of my sibling.”

“Why me?”

As if a tiger would listen to me.

Min-ju’s voice suddenly came from nowhere, and both my senior and I turned our heads in the opposite direction.

“Hey! You came well! Jun-ho said he’d go to the MT if you did. Min-ju, can you come?”

“Are you going? Is it Lee Jun-ho?”

Today’s Min-ju was dressed in an outfit that gave off a strong “private tutor” vibe, similar to last time.

“No, I can’t go because of Ji-hee.”

“Then you’re not going anywhere this summer?”

“I guess not.”

Min-ju put down her bag and sat down between me and my senior.

“Then I’ll go too. Lee Jun-ho, let’s go together.”

“No, you know the situation, so why.”

“You know the situation, so what’s with the fuss? Are you going to stay home until Ji-hee’s entrance exam is over? It’s the first summer break of university.”

It was clear that my daily life had become far removed from the ideal university life I had dreamed of before meeting Ji-hee.

It felt like Ji-hee’s entrance exam took priority over mine.

But that wasn’t much different from how my mom had acted towards me.

My mom had paid more attention to my entrance exam than her own work.

“What are we going to do then?”

“Just let Ji-hee stay home for two days. Give her one day off and one day to study alone.”

“Yeah, I have to cook and do household chores too.”

“That’s not going to turn the house into a trash dump if you delay it for a day. And the kid won’t starve either.”

“Yeah, Min-ju is right! My sister is an adult too. Or should I bring her along?”

Min-ju’s face turned red with anger at my senior’s words.

“No, why would we bring someone who’s not even from our school to the club MT?”

“Jun-ho is doing it because of his sister. And he’s an acquaintance too.”

“Is that okay?”

Overprotection.

Am I really overprotective?

It might look that way to outsiders, but there was a promise between my sister and me from the start.

[To make sure our parents’ absence isn’t felt]

At least our mom didn’t leave us behind to go on a solo trip, laughing and having fun.

That really gets to me.

“Are you going?”

Min-ju raised one eyebrow as if to confirm, and I decided to surrender for the time being.

“Hold on. Let me talk to my sister and I’ll let you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. Oh, well. Are you going, Min-ju?”

My senior seemed genuinely anxious.

“Yes, let’s go. Should we head out slowly?”

“Yes, senior. We’ll go.”

As I left the club room with Min-ju, I took a deep breath.

“MTla……”

“You didn’t come to the MT either, back then. Let’s go together this time.”

“Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t going to the MT?”

“Yeah, I’m the student council president, and I don’t even know who’s going from our grade.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Sometimes, Min-ju’s social skills would suddenly skyrocket, and she’d become a popular kid.

“But if Ji-hui opposes, we might not be able to go.”

“I’ll talk to her after class today.”

“Who’s going to?”

“Me.”

“Will it work out?”

It seemed like the success rate would be higher if I did the talking.

If we didn’t even have the festival to look forward to, and instead stayed home alone, it would be….

The thought of what Ji-hui might say was terrifying.

“Ah, right. How did Ji-hui do on her mock exam? Didn’t she take it the other day?”

“Yeah, she did better than expected.”

“Really?”

“She got 100 on Korean and over 60 on English and math.”

“……Then we can go to the festival together?”

Min-ju didn’t seem interested in the test scores and quickly moved on to the reward.

“A promise is a promise, so there’s nothing we can do.”

I nodded, smiling awkwardly, as if to say “don’t worry about it.”

I wish we could’ve just let this slide.

“Ji-hoon.”

“Yes?”

“……Don’t make promises like that to him in the future.”

Min-ju grasped my wrist, looking serious.

We stood still, looking like a bickering couple on campus.

“But it seems like he needs some kind of reward to work hard.”

Like giving candy to a good kid.

Like giving points to a hardworking student.

It seemed like we needed to give Ji-hui some kind of encouragement.

“The reward he’ll get is his grades. It’s not like you’re playing with him.”

“Min-ju.”

“Ji-hoon, if you keep giving in to him like that, it might be too late when you realize it.”

Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?

Min-ju’s attitude, which seemed to be pushing me, didn’t look good.

And I didn’t think going to the festival with Ji-hui was a big deal either.

It was just going to be a fun outing, and then we’d head home.

I didn’t think I’d be treated like a criminal for this.

“……I knew.”

Although my heart felt a bit annoyed, I didn’t let any harsh words slip out.

They must be worried about me, that’s why they’re saying this.

Min-ju, who did everything for me, even gave me private lessons.

“And one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“You… haven’t done that kind of thing with Jihee since then, right?”

“What do you mean by ‘that kind of thing’?”

“…Something dirty.”

Min-ju whispered in an extremely soft voice, as if afraid of being overheard.

Ah, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“No, Park Min-ju. I admit I’m not a saint, but I’m not that kind of shameless guy either!”

“Then, the condom in Jihee’s room wasn’t used by you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Condom? Condom? I had to question my own ears.

Why would Min-ju bring up the word ‘condom’?

“I saw it when I went to your house for private lessons for the first time.”

I felt Min-ju’s hand trembling as it grasped my wrist.

“There was a condom box and vinyl on Jihee’s desk.”

…I didn’t know anything about this.