My Younger Sister Was My First Love

6. Girlfriend

The first family meeting was held the day after Jihee left a kiss mark on my cheek.

“I had a talk with Junho Oppa!”

Jihee, sitting next to me, slyly placed her hand on top of Mom’s hand, which was neatly arranged.

“I think it would be better for the two of you to go to the US together!”

Today’s Jihee, wearing unknown glasses, exuded a more studious atmosphere.

Was she trying to increase her persuasive power?

She even prepared props.

Anyway, a pretty girl is still pretty even with glasses on.

Her level was different from those who thought they would look better without glasses.

“Jihee, how can adults leave the house empty while you’re preparing for college entrance exams? No way. No way.”

Jihee smiled softly and presented her stance, but Mom didn’t seem to have any intention of compromising.

A fierce debate was expected.

“Why are there no adults at home?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Junho Oppa is already 21 years old! I’m 20, and we’re recognized as adults by the state!”

“Just because you’re 20 doesn’t mean you’re an adult who can handle everything on your own.”

Mom had a stubborn look, but I couldn’t deny her words.

What’s the difference between the high school student Lee Joon-ho who used to eat school lunches and the 21-year-old Lee Joon-ho now?

I can buy cigarettes.

I can enter clubs.

I can buy drinks at a bar.

But beyond that, more fundamentally…

Can I take responsibility for someone?

I’ve never earned a penny.

Of course, having a part-time job doesn’t necessarily make someone an adult, either.

Is a student who has a part-time job automatically an adult? That’s not the case.

A rather philosophical and serious question, “So when do you become an adult?” started to swirl in my head.

“I do.”

Ji-hee had expected all of this and still had a calm face.

“I don’t know how you’ll think about this, but I don’t have high expectations for home.”

A chilly atmosphere settled in.

I had a trembling face.

Uncle had a forced smile.

Mom gently touched Ji-hee’s hand, which she was holding.

It meant she was anxious.

“I’ll probably have very little time at home! If I attend academy until late, it’ll be 10 or 11 pm. The time my mom can actually communicate with me will be less than 30 minutes a day.”

Mom didn’t strongly deny it, exactly as I had said.

“Someone to listen to my everyday stories, someone to welcome me back at night and prepare snacks! That’s obviously important! It would be regrettable if that didn’t exist. It’s important, but…”

Ji-hee suddenly turned her head and looked me straight in the eye.

It seemed like she was making a promise to me, or rather, a threat.

“Can’t you do that much on your own, oppa?”

“Yeah… Ji-hee, you’ll need academic counseling, and you’ll have to attend entrance exam information sessions later. You’ll be an adult, after all. Isn’t that it? You’ll have to go through the registration process, too.”

“I’ll do all that, Mom.”

I didn’t want to burden my younger sister with this difficult persuasion journey.

It didn’t make sense to just sit back and watch her work hard to fulfill our contract.

“I’ve done it all with Mom. I know which academy to apply to and when, and I know that registration is just a matter of transferring the tuition fee.”

“Joon-ho.”

“Ji-hee also agrees. Since you two got remarried, it’s better to spend time together. Continuously pushing Mom’s opinions isn’t good, even as a family.”

Each of us had different thoughts, but no one was on Mom’s side among the four of us.

“You… Are you really okay with leaving the two of them here?”

Mom looked up at Uncle as if asking him to say something.

But unlike expectations, Uncle smiled brightly and gently patted Mom’s shoulder.

His expression was so carefree that it seemed like he didn’t care about us at all.

“The kids are all grown up. What’s the big deal?”

…For some reason, I felt like I understood a little why Ji-hee didn’t like Uncle.

* * *

Inheritance!

It’s not just limited to school or work.

My meticulous mother started instilling adult knowledge in me.

Preparing for the day she’s no longer here.

I couldn’t budge, forced to listen to her lengthy explanations for hours.

“See? This is the list of local hospitals. If Jihee gets even a little sick, take her to this hospital and tell them our family name. The medicine they prescribe is quite strong, so even if she doesn’t want to take it, you must make sure she does.”

“Got it.”

“Washing the bedding should be done at least once every two weeks. It’s hard to do, so you can just take it to the laundromat. If you do it at home…”

As I listened, I began to realize that I had grown up in an extremely sheltered environment.

I didn’t even know the name of the insurance company I was registered with under my own name.

Of course, there might be some people my age who know this stuff, but as an adult responsible for protecting their family, it’s essential to have this information.

When did my mom learn all this?

Did she learn it as she lived?

Did Grandpa or Grandma teach her?

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

My mom, who had been explaining things in a rapid-fire manner, took a break to catch her breath.

“No, I’ve written down everything I need to know.”

My mom looked at my packed notebook and patted my head.

“Your handwriting is neat, too.”

My face might be ordinary, but my handwriting is quite good.

I was a person who took pride in my writing.

“This is useless, anyway.”

“You’ll study in college, too. It’ll be helpful.”

“Are you telling me to go and study some more? I’ve already decided to live it up during my first semester.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t stop you from having fun. But I think it would be better if I were here at home… so you can have peace of mind and have fun without worrying about Jihee.”

Ugh, I shouldn’t have said that.

My mom had already booked the plane ticket, but she couldn’t shake off her attachment to staying in Korea.

“No way! Go and shop for mom’s clothes! Don’t worry about me and Jihee anymore!”

I jumped up from my seat and fled back to my room.

I flopped onto my bed and immediately checked my phone.

There was a message.

Among the numerous advertisements, a suspicious heart symbol caught my eye.

[Little Sister♥]

As soon as I saw Jihee’s name, my mouth went dry.

It was only natural, but that night’s incident left me with a rather serious trauma.

I got caught.

By my little sister.

It wasn’t unpleasant.

In fact, my body felt strange…

“aah!”

I slammed my forehead against the wall like I’d been electrocuted.

Damn it. Damn it.

This can’t be happening.

This is really not happening.

Are they seriously doing skinship with family members?

Is my mom going to do skinship with me instead?

Honestly, that NG part was ridiculous, but what was even more shocking was my own reaction.

I’m recognizing my little sister as a romantic interest.

About 500% likely?

The way my little sister was acting coy wasn’t disgusting or nauseating, but rather like a thrilling youthful romance scene.

This can’t be happening.

We’re going to be alone together for a while, and this really can’t be happening.

Could it be that I still have feelings for Jihee?

Upon reflection, that was indeed the case.

The reason I liked Jihee in middle school was because she was too pretty.

Now that she’s an adult, Jihee is even more beautiful than she was in third grade.

By that logic….

I….

I…?

As I reached a confusing conclusion, I wanted to strangle myself.

Ah, what am I going to do?

I tried searching online to see if there were people who had similar experiences, but it seemed crazy, so I gave up.

[My little sister keeps looking like a girl…]

Let’s not pollute the search bar with this kind of thing.

Who knows?

If Jihee sees this on my phone, it’s game over.

In the end, there were only two things I could do.

First, I could talk to Jihee about avoiding skinship as much as possible.

It was a bit embarrassing to bring up, but if I spoke seriously, she might listen.

Yeah.

Would Jihee like it if I got all clingy with her?

We used to have a romantic relationship, but now we’re just acquaintances, so it’s unlikely Jihee would enjoy affectionate skinship with someone who’s forgotten their confession.

Logically, this made sense, but then why did we do skinship that day?

The more I thought about it, the more incomprehensible it became.

The second thing I could do.

I’ll go to school and find a girlfriend!

This seemed like a faster and more reliable method.

Of course, if I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t have any feelings when I saw Jihee, right

If I got more used to the existence of someone of the same age as me, I thought I could look at Jihee with a lighter heart.

Of course, love isn’t something I can decide on my own.

I clenched my fists and opened my eyes wide.

“No? I can do it. I’m Lee Junho.”

I studied hard, even vomiting blood, to get into Korea University, so I shouldn’t be unable to handle a little thing like love.

With renewed determination, I flung open the door and stepped into the living room.

“Yeah. First, let’s get properly dressed…!”

Mumbling to myself, I was about to head out when our eyes met for some reason.

“…Were you home?”

Jihee was holding an ice cream stick like a cigarette.

“Yeah.”

“Did you try contacting me?”

“Yeah. I didn’t check my phone.”

What’s going on?

When did you get home?

Shouldn’t you be at the academy right now?

Six o’clock is too early for a repeater with a special class to return home.

“What about the academy?”

“There was a sudden cancellation today due to the teacher’s circumstances.”

“I see.”

“That’s that, and do you want to go shopping for clothes with me?”

Jihee’s eyes sparkled with interest as if she had overheard my monologue.

“Yeah. The new semester is starting soon, and I don’t have much to wear.”

“You thought that out well.”

“Haha.”

The awkward atmosphere was uncomfortable.

I tried to sneak back into my room.

If I had known Jihee was there, I wouldn’t have come out of my room at all.

But surprisingly, my sister didn’t return to her room and followed me into mine instead.

“What… do you want to say?”

“No? I just came in?”

Jihee sat down on my bed as naturally as if she had permission.

It was a sibling-like moment, but not really.

We wouldn’t blush and awkwardly ask, “May I come in?” like a couple entering a private room for the first time.

“I’ll come with you.”

“What?”

“The clothes shopping. I’ll help you pick them out.”

Her sudden proposal made me nervous for no reason.

“No, no. You have to study. You have to go to the academy. What’s with the shopping?”

“If you go alone, you’ll buy something weird.”

His harsh words scratched me slightly.

It seemed like he had no ill intentions, which made it hurt even more.

I thought he was saying this because he believed I couldn’t dress stylishly on my own.

“Honestly, hyung, haven’t you only worn what the ajumma picked out for you until now? Why don’t you try something new? You have a younger sibling now, and it’s a chance to try out an MZ generation style.”

“Well, you’re busy, so…”

“Did you forget your promise? You’re supposed to take on the perfect family role, and that includes going shopping with family, right?”

“Mom and Dad haven’t left the country yet, though.”

“Then we can go together after they leave.”

It didn’t seem like he would easily let go of this topic.

“You…”

I wanted to ask him something that had been bothering me since the last incident.

“Do you want to…?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, like going shopping for clothes together, or going out to the city together…”

If I were him, I would have hated it.

I wouldn’t have cared, either.

“Hyung.”

Jihee seemed to perfectly understand what I was saying, and he closed his eyes tightly.

“Yes.”

“You’re my family now, and you’re Jihee’s ‘hyung’, right?”

“Right?”

“I don’t want the person who becomes my family to only wear black padding all winter.”

In other words, he seemed to think, “I want my family to be stylish.”

Does he dislike it when the person called ‘hyung’ dresses shabbily?

That expression of thought was somewhat acceptable.

“Ah… then what. Let’s go together. We can go out to the city on the weekend and eat together too.”

“Really? Really?”

Jihee jumped up and came right up to my face.

“Ahaha, yes. Let’s schedule it according to your schedule.”

“Nice!”

“By the way, aren’t you picking out clothes that are too stylish, so you’ll immediately get a girlfriend?”

I said this to lighten the mood.

“…Girlfriend?”

Jihee’s expression went back to the face he made when he rejected my confession that day.