My Younger Sister Was My First Love

59. One-Day Girlfriend

“……Why did you leave it on the desk? It’s misleading.”

I felt relieved, just as Jihee had said.

It was because there were no unfamiliar guests at our house, and because the item had not been used.

“What’s the reason it can’t be here?”

“What’s wrong with it.”

“If I buy it with my own money and put it on my desk, what’s the reason it can’t be here.”

“That’s……”

Jihee was saying that there was no reason to buy condoms and not put them on the desk.

I couldn’t come up with a quick response.

“……It’s embarrassing.”

“Who’s.”

“The person who sees it.”

“It’s not like it’s a porn video or something, what’s embarrassing about it.”

“Anyway, it’s something that should be tidied up when we have guests.”

“But this is my room?”

Jihee spread her arms wide and spun around in a circle.

“Isn’t my room the most private space on earth? I’m not carrying it around like a trophy in the subway or a public place.”

Jihee was definitely clever.

She had a talent for shutting people up with her sharp words.

“Still, do you think it’s okay for me to keep it in my room?”

I vigorously nodded my head up and down.

“Yes. Even if I bought it with my own money, I won’t say anything, but please tidy it up when we have guests.”

“I don’t need it, so you can take it, okay?”

A question mark appeared above my head.

“Are you giving it to me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“In case I need it someday?”

Jihee had already slowly inserted her finger into the torn condom package.

The pink rubber stretched and changed shape to fit the long, thin fingers of Ji-hui.

For a moment, I lost my words.

What should I say to my sister, who had put her finger into a condom, calling me “oppa”?

“Look at this. I’m holding it, but it’s not like I can play with it.”

“Why did you buy something you’re not going to use?”

“It’s fun. And interesting too.”

“Ji-hui.”

“But my finger is too big for this. This thing.”

Ji-hui chuckled and dropped the rubber into the trash can with a clinking sound.

“I guess it’s better to use this kind of thing for its intended purpose. Right?”

As I watched my sister’s performance, I couldn’t help but touch the paper box in my palm.

“If you’re not going to take it, I’ll use it again?”

When Ji-hui held out her hand, I clenched my fist tightly, as if I didn’t care.

“Never mind. I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you going to throw away what your sister gave you?”

“I will throw it away.”

“I’m hurt. If you give me something, I’ll treasure it no matter what.”

“No. If you’re going to give a gift, give it properly. Don’t give something like this and expect me to treasure it.”

“Are you really giving me something?”

Ji-hui smiled sweetly and took another step forward.

“Is there really a gift??”

“Just close your eyes and wait for a moment.”

This instruction to close my eyes and wait was really suspicious.

“You’re going to give me something weird again.”

“Tsk. Oppa, don’t you trust me at all?”

“Yeah. Considering what you’ve done so far, it’s natural.”

Ji-hui quietly held out her finger and placed it on the bridge of her nose.

“If I really have a gift, can’t you just close your eyes once?”

“…… Are you serious?”

“I’m serious.”

I closed my eyes, thinking I was being tricked, and heard a rustling sound coming from the closet.

What is this? Is there really a gift?

Is she going to take out something like trash from the closet and give it to me?

Then, I heard the sound of the closet closing, and Ji-hui’s footsteps indicated that she had come closer.

“…… Can I open my eyes now?”

“Not yet.”

“Can I hold out my hand?”

“No.”

I wondered what on earth she was going to give me.

– The end.

The sound of Yang Mal’s slipping lips felt unfamiliar, a sensation that refused to settle.

“Well, a gift.”

“……yeah.”

I had somewhat expected it, but when it actually happened, I felt my ears burning.

“Isn’t this a pretty good gift?”

“I knew you’d do this to me.”

“So, you knew I’d take it and prepared for it?”

The words……

The words were a bit……

How could I possibly justify this?

“You gave it to me.”

“Yeah, our oppa.”

Jihee’s fingers stroked the end of my chin.

“Want to do it one more time?”

“Are you crazy?”

“We’ve kissed, slept together in our underwear, and even exchanged condoms.”

“Stop it.”

“What’s with you always telling me to stop when we haven’t even done anything?”

Jihee playfully giggled and plopped down on the bed.

“Still, didn’t we clear up the misunderstanding now?”

No man had entered our house, and no condoms were used.

In the end, this incident was just an unnecessary worry between me and Minju.

It would be an ending like ‘We lived happily ever after~’.

“Okay.”

“But Minju unni is also worried. She went to tell oppa about it.”

“You must have said something to worry her.”

“Which part is worrying? That I secretly brought a man into the house? Or……”

Jihee smiled mischievously, covering her mouth.

“That I did it with oppa?”

“You keep showing Minju your weird behavior, so she’s worried, isn’t she?”

“Who would leave their younger sibling with someone else? Even if it’s hard, I promised to help with their studies every day, and this wouldn’t have happened.”

It was ridiculous to say that I was the one who provided the cause, but it was true.

“I’m leaving.”

“Don’t throw away the gift.”

“I will throw it away.”

“Then you’ll have to buy a new one. It’s a waste of money.”

I had wanted to ask where I could use the condom, but I bit my tongue and left Jihee’s room.

As I returned to my room, I locked the door, worried that Jihee might come in.

The condom box in my hand was damp from the sweat that had dripped from my hand during that short time.

……Will I ever use this?

The more I thought about Jihee’s words, the more I felt a chill run down my spine.

If I, who don’t even have a girlfriend, were to use this, who would I use it with?

Unbelievably, the first person who came to mind was my younger sibling, who had just been playing with rubber bands on their fingers a little while ago.

Jihee and I…

I knew that discovering my sibling’s secret hobby was not something to be taken lightly.

The thought that I might really do it started to destroy my brain.

The space of my home, where no one could discover my secret, was truly a temptation test site.

In the end, I stared at the condom for a long time before swiftly putting it in the drawer next to the letter.

* * *

May, with its refreshing breeze.

I was about to celebrate my first Parents’ Day without parents.

[Joon-ho! Jihee!]

The weather in the United States, on the other side of the world, looked quite nice too.

Mom and Dad were outside, receiving our video call.

In the background, I could see a green lawn, and it seemed like they were taking a stroll in the park.

It looked nice.

I wonder if I’ll ever get to go to the United States someday?

[Happy Parents’ Day!]

Jihee, who was sticking close to me, congratulated them on their first Parents’ Day with a bright smile.

[You must be busy studying, but you still remembered Parents’ Day.]

[Hey, it’s a special day that only comes once a year. It’s not like it takes a lot of time, so of course, we should celebrate.]

[Aww, you’re so sweet. Joon-ho, why are you so quiet? Is something bothering you?]

It wasn’t that I had something bothering me, but rather that Mom and Jihee were chatting so much that I couldn’t find a chance to join in.

[No, I don’t have anything bothering me.]

[Are your midterms over now?]

[Yes, they ended last week.]

[How was it? Did you study hard?]

[Just so-so. Honestly, I didn’t study that hard.]

Dad on the screen was, as usual, not saying much and just laughing.

[You should say something too. It’s Parents’ Day.]

[Thanks for calling us. Kids.]

[Hey, can’t you be a bit more sincere?]

[We’re all grown up now, and it’s annoying to hear this kind of thing.]

Dad was, as always, not very interested in us.

I felt like I was just a burden to him, but I thought he could at least be a bit more affectionate towards Jihee.

[We didn’t prepare a separate gift, but we’ll definitely get one for you when you come to Korea!]

Jihee was also giving off a completely uninterested vibe towards our unenthusiastic dad, instead focusing all her filial piety on Mom.

In reality, it was ambiguous whether she was really being filial or not.

No complaints, though.

I’m studying hard.

I’m also getting along well with my new oppa….

It seems like I’m doing well with him.

If I tell Mom that Jihee and I kissed, what would she say?

Surprisingly, if I’m honest, she might not scold me.

Mom has never been the type to pressure or force me into anything.

But if I’m honest, it’s certain that she’ll worry a lot on her own.

She’ll suffer in silence without saying a word to me.

It’s amazing that I was able to hide my relationship with ajusshi for a few years.

[Yeah. Jihee is studying hard. Junho is also doing well.]

[Yeah.]

[Got it.]

[You two are getting along so well, Mom is really relieved.]

As soon as Jihee finished saying that, she put her arm around my arm.

[It really seems like living together would be great, oppa is a good person.]

[Ugh. Jihee has a keen eye.]

[My intuition is usually accurate.]

[Ha ha ha. Yeah, yeah. I’ll call you again. Eat something delicious!]

[Yeah!]

Even after the video call ended, Jihee still didn’t let go of my arm.

“Let go.”

I asked politely.

“I want to stay like this.”

“Why.”

“Because ajumma likes it too.”

“Mom isn’t looking right now.”

“Heh… Were we really a show window sibling?”

We were pretending to be close, but our relationship was too good, which was the problem.

I didn’t care about her fake crying and pulled my arm out.

“Anyway, let go.”

“Fine.”

Jihee finally let go of my arm and went out to the living room.

“Ahh~ I want to take the college entrance exam soon~”

Jihee weakly stretched out her legs and then collapsed onto the sofa like she was diving.

“You still have a lot of studying left.”

“But it’s possible to want to finish it quickly.”

“That’s possible, I guess.”

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.

November is practically a non-existent month, so it’s exactly 6 months.

There’s too much time to make progress.

What’s important is completion.

The reason students can’t take the test isn’t because they haven’t attended classes from start to finish. It’s about how perfectly they understand and apply it to solve problems.

In that context, Jihee’s progress was unbelievably remarkable.

Once she learns something, she almost never gets it wrong.

Even if she makes a mistake, it’s not during regular mock exams, whether she’s studying with me or on her own.

It means she doesn’t pretend to know something she’s unsure about.

I’ve seen it many times while teaching her.

Even Minju, who recently became our teacher, agrees with this.

If two Korean students acknowledge Jihee’s intelligence, that’s like saying her brain is a treasure trove.

“Oppa.”

“Yes?”

“What time should I come tomorrow?”

Tomorrow is the day we promised to attend the festival together.

I took out my phone to check the time again.

“Tomorrow… um… I think we should finish studying by 5 pm? The singers will arrive at 7 pm, so we should stick to our schedule and study until then.”

“But I need to do my makeup.”

“Do your makeup and come.”

“I need to take a shower too.”

“Take a shower and come then.”

“It’ll take over two hours to do all that.”

I gazed at Jihee with a serious expression.

“Aren’t you serious? We’re going to the festival together, and I want to look pretty!”

“Just finish your studies and come with a bare face.”

“No way! I’d rather die!”

Jihee was so opposed that she jumped up from her seat.

“Why do you need to dress up so much? Can’t we just go together like usual?”

I hadn’t thought about dressing up specially for the festival at all.

“If I look pretty and stand next to you, other people will envy you.”

“What’s there to envy when we’re not even dating?”

“Then let’s just pretend to be a couple for a day?”

Jihee, who had been sulking, walked up to me with a light step.

“Like Cinderella, just until 12 pm.”

“Alright.”

“Don’t you wonder, Oppa? What if we weren’t siblings but a couple in a parallel universe?”

“What are you talking about?”

I turned my back and closed the door, not wanting to respond.

If I kept listening to her, I might end up accepting her proposal without realizing it.