My Younger Sister Was My First Love

65. Let’s Date

I got a friend who had a falling out with their younger sibling.

This situation seemed like it could happen, but it’s not a common case.

At least I never fought with my sibling when I was living with my mom.

It’s extremely rare to see a sibling’s face without any genuine friendship, regardless of gender.

There aren’t many people who come to mind right away.

Still, I thought it would be better if I contacted Minju first.

-Wee-wee-wee-

I took out my phone with the ringing vibration.

[Park Minju]

As soon as Minju’s three-syllable name appeared, I naturally brought the phone to my ear.

[Hello?]

[…It’s Lee Junho.]

[Yes.]

[We’re supposed to meet tomorrow.]

Her voice sounded weaker than usual.

I started to worry even more, not knowing what was going on between them.

Was this emotional turmoil deep enough to cancel their plans?

[Yes.]

[Let’s meet near my house.]

[Okay, okay.]

Luckily, it didn’t seem like it was going to be that level of drama.

[Get permission from Jihee and come. Don’t make up some excuse about your sibling and come.]

We agreed to meet on Sunday.

Considering that the next day was Monday, when we had to go to school, I wanted to avoid staying out too late.

[…I’ll talk to you later.]

[And don’t tell Jihee that you’re meeting me tomorrow; tell her you’re meeting another guy.]

It seemed like that might be better.

If I told Jihee that I was meeting Minju, I wouldn’t get a good reaction for sure.

We had already fought openly, so Jihee’s reaction was predictable.

[Yes, see you then.]

I wanted to ask Minju about what had happened with Jihee, but Minju only said what she needed to and hung up right away.

“Wow.”

As I opened the door and went outside, Jihee was standing there, holding a bag of popcorn and giving me a look.

“Did you talk to someone?”

“Yes.”

“Who with?”

“……Kyung-ho.”

Lying itself wasn’t something I liked, but this one time, I’d just let it slide.

It wasn’t like I was going to commit a crime or anything.

It was weird to see my friend like this, constantly checking in with their younger sibling.

“Kyung-ho? That guy from the meeting?”

“Yeah.”

Ji-hee surprisingly remembered his name.

“What’s up?”

“Let’s hang out on Sunday.”

“Sunday is already reserved for me, isn’t it?”

Look at this.

Look at that.

Even if it wasn’t Min-ju, Ji-hee hated it when I made personal plans on Sundays.

“We didn’t get to have much fun during the festival, so let’s hang out outside just once.”

“What about me, then?”

“You can meet up with your friends.”

Ji-hee immediately frowned at my dry response.

“I don’t have friends.”

“What do you mean you don’t have friends? You have Se-hwa and the others.”

“They all have boyfriends, and they’re busy on weekends, so I can’t meet up with them.”

The teacher was now speaking in a roundabout way.

Don’t go.

“Ji-hee.”

“Yeah.”

“As a human being, I also need to have a social life.”

Although it’s true that I spend a lot of time with Ji-hee, I also have my own personal life.

“Is that more important than family?”

“It’s not that it’s more important.”

“Are you going to be like our dad, always working and never coming home, like you’re used to it now?”

The teacher’s eyes were filled with sadness.

“Can’t we just spend some time together on the weekends…”

For a moment, my heart was about to weaken at the pitiful tone, but I regained my composure.

I’m different from that old man.

If what Ji-hee said about the past was true, that old man had almost abandoned Ji-hee, leaving her all alone.

I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and precisely tapped the top of Ji-hee’s head with a loud thud.

“Hey, people will think I only come home once a week.”

“I take one day off a week. It’s only natural to spend holidays with family.”

“You’ve been going to meetings and festivals without permission, and I’ve already been very understanding. Don’t you know that?”

Does Ji-hee only study on weekdays?

Absolutely not.

Although the frequency of her escapades wasn’t that high, Ji-hee would often sneak out once or twice a month.

When I initially decided not to attend the academy, I was so stubborn, as if I would die if I didn’t get my way.

Looking back now, I think I was too reckless back then.

No, I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.

How could I have known?

This guy was like this all along.

“……It was unavoidable.”

The teacher protested, claiming his innocence with a shrug.

Even now, I still don’t fully understand what he meant by “unavoidable.”

“Anyway, I’ll go out on Sunday evening. I’ll be at home during the day, so let’s do something together then.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t say that, and you should also take some time for yourself.”

“I’m not like you, oppa. When you’re in school, I’m always alone, staring at the wall and solving problem sets.”

“That’s natural for a student, and I’m talking about taking breaks, not studying.”

“I’ll look at your graduation album.”

“No way, there are so many fun things in the world, and you’re wasting your time like that?”

There were many ways to make me feel really frustrated.

“The person I want to see the most isn’t here, so I’ll just look at the photos.”

I shook my head, feeling like I was at a loss for words.

“You really think you can just take the graduation album and leave?”

“Don’t do that, and at least give your younger sibling some pocket money. You’re the oppa.”

I rubbed my eyes with my index and middle fingers, trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere filled with misunderstandings.

Would he really talk like this even outside?

I was half worried, half annoyed.

“I’ll install CCTV at home.”

“What do you want to see? Tell me, and I’ll show you what you want.”

……I just couldn’t win. Really.

For someone like me, Ji-hui was like an insurmountable wall.

* * *

“I’ll be back.”

“Don’t be too late.”

A peaceful Sunday afternoon at 5 pm.

Even until the moment I put on my shoes, Ji-hui didn’t stop nagging.

“You have classes tomorrow, so you can’t play for too long anyway.”

“I believe you. I, Jun-ho.”

The name “Jun-ho” once.

The phrase “I believe you” once.

Ji-hui’s words pierced my heart twice.

“Jun-ho is informal, and you should use honorifics.”

I already had my shoelaces tied neatly, but I still bent down to tighten the knot.

“Don’t you think it’s better to call me ‘oppa’ instead of ‘name’?”

In South Korea, it’s common for women to call men “oppa,” but somehow, when I directly addressed him as such, I felt like I was being weird.

“Let’s go.”

“I’ll buy you ice cream when we get back.”

“Are you really going to buy me some?”

“No, I was just joking. Let’s go.”

Jihee smiled brightly and escorted me to the elevator.

Today’s destination was Minju’s neighborhood.

It wasn’t actually Minju’s neighborhood, but rather the area around her school.

Since it was the weekend, there were fewer students, and the atmosphere was less crowded than usual.

At the meeting spot in front of the intersection, I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out my phone.

[Yeah, where are you.]

“……Jiunho.”

As soon as I heard Minju’s voice, I turned my head.

Her short, pleated skirt reached her thighs.

She wore a plain gray hoodie with no pattern.

Her outfit looked comfortable yet stylish.

With her baseball cap on, she exuded a laid-back vibe.

“Are you here?”

“……Let’s go.”

As soon as Minju saw me, she turned around and walked briskly, as if she didn’t have time to waste.

“Have you decided where we’re going?”

“You said I could eat something expensive, so it doesn’t matter where we go, right?”

“That’s right.”

But Minju didn’t say a word to me as we walked, giving me the impression that something was bothering her.

As we passed through the bustling streets, we arrived at a villa complex.

I knew some of my colleagues lived around here.

“Is there something good to eat around here?”

Maybe there was a hidden local gem that I didn’t know about?

“No.”

“Then where are we going?”

“My place.”

“Huh?”

“I said we’re going to my place.”

Before I could ask why, Minju pushed open the glass door of the red-brick building.

“Is this your house?”

“Fourth floor.”

“……It’s nice that there’s an elevator too.”

It’s rare for an old villa to have an elevator.

Although I was slightly taken aback, I followed Minju into the elevator.

“Why don’t you eat outside and eat at home instead?”

“I’ve had meals at your place a few times, too.”

“Do you think I’m going to treat you to a meal?”

No. It was Minju who gave me private lessons, so why is she treating me like this?

It’s a bit burdensome.

“No, I can’t cook, so I have to order takeout.”

“If that’s the case, then.”

“I-Junho.”

Minju cut off my words as if she wouldn’t allow any further conversation.

“Why.”

“Just come in. We need to talk about your younger sibling, and it’s not something we can discuss near the school.”

Aah.

I see.

It felt like Minju was an extremely sensitive person.

Of course. If I were to talk about something with my younger sister, and someone overheard it in a public place, it wouldn’t be a risk-free situation.

I entered the room after punching in the password, and a fairly spacious studio apartment awaited us.

“Oh, it’s big. Bigger than I thought.”

“It’s big, so I told you we could stay over at my place before.”

The size of the room was indeed convincing enough.

“Are we ordering food now?”

“Yes, let’s get some ganja-tang and a bottle of soju.”

I nodded and ordered enough food for the two of us using a delivery app.

After the order was placed, an awkward silence fell.

I put down my phone and sat on the floor, leaning my back against Minju’s bed frame.

This was the second time I’d been in a girl’s room.

The atmosphere was definitely different from Jihee’s room.

To start with, the types and numbers of books on the shelves were different.

Reference books, textbooks, and certification exam prep books filled the shelves.

The desk was white, and Minju’s laptop sat in the center.

The bed was bigger than mine.

It wasn’t a double bed, but it looked like a single king-size bed.

“I-Junho.”

“Yes?”

I thought there would be a t-shirt inside Minju’s hoodie, but her snow-white shoulders were fully exposed.

Minju, dressed in a tight-fitting white tank top, leaned her body against mine.

Jihee sometimes wore clothes that showed a lot of skin, but this was the first time Minju had dressed like this.

Even her skirt was short, and as we sat side by side with our legs stretched out, it was a feast of skin tones.

No matter how I tried to act nonchalant, it was a bit…

Even if I said it myself, I couldn’t help but swallow my saliva.

“There’s Jihee.”

Whether I said it or not, Minju continued her story calmly.

“Yes.”

“If we leave it like this, it won’t work.”

“Yes?”

If we leave it like this, it won’t work.

“He’s not in his right mind.”

I gazed at Minju’s expression, which was calm despite the insult towards her younger brother.

From the moment we met today, Minju had maintained a stance like a soldier on the battlefield.

She seemed to be burning with a sense of duty and looked resolute.

Rather than being gentle and soft, she was calm and collected.

“…So?”

Jihee knew that Minju wasn’t normal in some context.

I waited quietly for her next words.

“Let’s date, Lee Junho.”

…What?