My Younger Sister Was My First Love

91. Wishful Thinking

Does the romance of a first experience exist?

With whom.

In what space.

In what position.

Honestly, I don’t think there are many people who nitpick these details, but people who spend a day in a crummy motel room and call it romance are almost non-existent.

“No way.”

“Hmm. It still looks like you really like this dorm, though.”

Jihee opened the link her mom sent her and showed it to me.

“Is it really that bad?”

“It’s a place where you can have fun and play, so it’s not like it’s for a specific purpose.”

“What’s wrong? Did you get a reality check or something?”

It’s like she’s trying to get a rise out of me.

Just like I know my little sibling well, Jihee also knows me inside out.

“Yeah, a bit.”

“Why? What did your mom say?”

“I’ll have fun and come back late.”

“Then shouldn’t you do everything you want without any regrets?”

This kid is really something else.

She’s definitely a little devil.

“No way. I’ll just go sightseeing by the sea and play in the water a bit.”

“What about drinks?”

“Well… if there are some, I’ll drink moderately. If I drink too much, it’ll be hard to get back home the next day, and it won’t be good for my studying condition either.”

Jihee put her phone down on the coffee table in front of the sofa, looking disappointed.

“So, where will we go first?”

“Don’t you think the premise is a bit weird?”

“If sharing love with the people you love is weird, then isn’t this world messed up?”

If I get criticized for having a physical relationship with Jihee, then isn’t the world a bad place?

Even in a world that pursues openness, this is a bit much.

“Let’s not talk about it. But I checked the date, and it’s next week?”

“Yeah! The first week of July! I already checked that you’re not working on the weekends, Oppa.”

My little sibling is so thorough.

“Will we go swimming at the beach?”

“Of course! We’re going all the way there, so we have to go to the beach too.”

“But do I even have a swimsuit?”

When was the last time I went swimming?

Middle school?

I didn’t think about it much because every summer vacation, I went to a secret summer lecture by a 1-ta teacher instead of going to a water park.

Of course, I wouldn’t have a swimsuit lying around at home.

Even if I did, it would be too small to wear.

“Heh heh… this is a no-brainer, little sister.”

“Alright. I’ll go study while you go alone.”

“What’s wrong with that!”

Jihee’s reaction was just like mine when I got two questions wrong on an English listening test in 10th grade.

“You’re going to do something weird again, aren’t you?”

“No! What’s wrong with going shopping together?”

“I don’t know. You’re at home.”

Trying to persuade him was a futile resistance.

It’s much more efficient to just give in like this.

“But, oppa.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t have a swimsuit either.”

……This is a variable.

“Then let’s go separately.”

“Let’s just go together on Sunday, okay? I’m not doing anything that day anyway.”

It seemed like Jihee had finally caught on, as she slyly leaned her arm against my body.

“Choose for each other. How about that?”

“You want me to pick out your swimsuit?”

“Yes. I’ll wear whatever you like, oppa.”

“You’re not joking, are you? You’re going to choose one with no exposure at all.”

“If that’s your taste, oppa, I’d even wear a full-body swimsuit.”

I always feel this way, but moments like these are too much.

“Alright.”

“Then let’s go shopping together on the weekend?”

“Got it. We’ll go in the afternoon and come back quickly.”

“I want to eat ice cream too.”

“Okay. Let’s eat that too.”

I should send a proof shot to mom.

If I told her I was going to play with Jihee, she’d probably be really happy.

And to be honest,

If I revealed my true, dark, and murky inner thoughts,

How could I not be interested in Jihee’s swimsuit?

I wanted to see Jihee wearing a pretty bikini, but

I got really annoyed thinking about other guys at the beach checking her out.

If she were my girlfriend, not my sister, I’d understand right away. Geez…….

“Oppa.”

“Yes?”

“Do you not like couple swimsuits?”

……The idea of siblings wearing matching swimsuits was unheard of.

* * *

A group chat was created!

The first ‘work’-related group chat with neither friends nor family.

[Deco 1st Store!☆!]

The first day I received the handover.

After work, Minju invited me to the group chat.

[CEO: I uploaded this week’s schedule!]

[Sent a photo.]

[CEO: Tell me if there’s anyone unusual!]

A ridiculously fluffy cat emoticon was rolling around inside my phone.

[Min-ju Park: I’m not!]

[Gyu-min Han: Me neither!]

I was the only part-timer who didn’t respond.

Although we’re all lumped together as the MZ generation, I’m a sensitive being who’s extremely cautious.

I should respond quickly too.

[Joon-ho Lee: I’m not unusual either!]

The schedule comes out once a week.

If something urgent comes up or you have a reason you can’t attend, it’s a store rule to let everyone know in advance on the group chat.

By the way, who is this Gyu-min Han person?

Let me check his profile picture… A guy with a messy hairstyle, holding a beer glass, appears.

Is that a tattoo on his arm?

A style that’s hard to come by in our school, and already, I’m getting a weird vibe.

Physiologically, it’s difficult to deal with that type.

[Gyu-min Han: Ah, right. Is there anyone who can switch with me next Sunday? I have my cousin’s wedding.]

Unfortunately, I was the first to check this.

[Joon-ho Lee: I’m sorry, but I have a trip planned ㅠ]

It would’ve been fine on any other day, but next Sunday is when we have to go to Gangneung.

[Gyu-min Han: @Min-ju Park, possible?]

…Are they close?

The way they’re talking informally, it doesn’t seem like they’re that distant.

[Min-ju Park: If you send a gift icon, I’ll switch with you.]

[Gyu-min Han: Ah, I gave you one before! Just do it!]

It seems like this group chat isn’t just a formal conversation after all?

In the end, we shifted the two people.

Min-ju managed to snag a hamburger set.

-Ding

The phone vibrates.

This time, it wasn’t a group chat.

[Are you going on a trip?]

…Other than saying you’re going on a trip, is there another excuse you can make up?

But to avoid the crisis in front of me, I had to lie, knowing that if Ji-hee posts anything on SNS, I’ll get caught right away.

[Yeah, my mom told me to go.]

It felt like I was using a childish excuse.

[Your mom?]

[My mom booked a vacation home by the sea for me, so I’ll probably be there next weekend.]

Then, the flow of the conversation naturally followed.

[Ee-jihee-rang?]

It’s all here.

[Family trip.]

[You’re making a family trip out of this, aren’t you? You two are really enjoying yourselves.]

“Oppa.”

Can’t you guys call me one by one? Do you have to do it all at once?

I put down my phone, seeing Jihee enter the room without knocking.

“What’s with the sneak attack again?”

“Why.”

“No, I have a math question to ask.”

Luckily, Jihee’s call was a good opportunity, so I left my phone as it was and hastened into Jihee’s room.

“What’s this?”

“I don’t get it even after seeing the explanation.”

Jihee brought up a problem I was familiar with.

It was a rather tricky 4-point question.

“I also thought it was weird when I first solved it.”

“Is it hard?”

“Yes. This part is almost like the final boss.”

When solving problems, there are often ones that make you go “wow” when you first see them.

I wonder how the people who made these questions came up with them.

Even our private academy teachers would praise the examiners for creating such questions.

“Let’s take a close look at the conditions in the problem first. The tangent line is drawn like this, right?”

It’s been a while since I’ve acted like a normal oppa.

Jihee’s questions had decreased significantly compared to a few months ago when she had just started studying.

She had already finished the necessary progress for the college entrance exam.

From here on, it was a matter of refinement.

It was a continuous process of repetitive training.

“Do you understand now?”

“Yes. It’s amazing. You can solve it like this.”

“There are other ways to solve it too, though.”

Jihee successfully solved the problem in front of me, mimicking my solution.

“You’re good. That’s it.”

“Now we need to crush all the 4-point questions.”

With a clever remark, I patted Jihee’s head, and she shook her head, as if asking for more.

“Do more.”

“If I do more, my head will get tangled.”

“Make it a mess.”

“You just said you wouldn’t do it, so I won’t.”

If I let my guard down for just a moment, she’d do something like this.

Jihee giggled and pushed her wheeled chair with her big toe.

“Ah! Studying is no fun!”

“If it’s fun, it’s not studying. That’s it.”

“Oppa, do you have a part-time job tomorrow?”

“Yeah, tomorrow and the day after. We don’t work on weekends.”

“Doesn’t it overlap with Minju unnie’s schedule?”

“I only work with the boss. There are times when our shifts overlap for about two hours, but it’s rare.”

Jihee tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression.

“Will you still have that part-time job next year?”

“At the café?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you not know?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to answer, but she genuinely didn’t know.

“Oppa, if you’re still working next year, I’ll follow you and do it too.”

“Suddenly?”

“I want to try working part-time with you, Oppa.”

There are many things Jihee wants to do.

I had only one thing to say.

“You shouldn’t take a gap year, Jihee-ssi. You’ll have opportunities afterwards.”

“What’s with that? Entering Seoul National University is a piece of cake!”

“That’s something no one knows until the day the results come out.”

Honestly, with a pace like this, entering Seoul National University wouldn’t be difficult at all.

You just need to get 100 points on the Korean language exam and start from there.

This would keep raising the average grade.

“But do you really need to work part-time?”

Maybe it’s like going on a date or something.

I couldn’t understand why she was so fixated on working part-time together.

“Oppa.”

“Yeah.”

“I really like it when you come to see me like this at night, like family.”

Jihee’s fingers, holding a sharp pencil, gently stroked my hand.

“But after the college entrance exam, there won’t be many opportunities like this.”

“I suppose so.”

“The probability of you regularly coming to see me and telling me something is almost zero.”

From the start, our relationship wasn’t like that of a teacher and student.

Adults generally don’t receive care from someone.

“That’s why I want to make the most of this moment, even if it’s just a little bit.”

“So, to summarize, you want to learn something from me at the café?”

“Who’s not T, right? But it’s true! If you can cover for me when I’m being awkward, I might fall for you again?”

A girlish, dreamy tone slipped out, making me chuckle.

“Minju did exactly that, didn’t she?”

It’s a story that’s quite relatable, and I nod my head in agreement for a moment.

I immediately realized my mistake and spoke up.

Just for a moment.

It seemed like I shouldn’t have said that just now.

“……oppa.”

I stuttered.

“Did you fall for Unnie Demi?”