My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 16

—–CROW—– 

It seemed like I was cursed today.  

There was no other explanation for the reason why my family was tormenting me like this.

“Ji-gu, what are you doing?”

Geum-bi Noona glared at me, clutching her phone tightly.  The veins in her hand were so prominent that I was worried she might break the phone case.

“I-it’s a misunderstanding. I was just reaching out to turn off the lamp…”

“And you got turned on and jumped on your sister?”

“That’s impossible!  Just look, it was an accident, an accident!”

“Hmm~ an accident?  That?”

Geum-bi Noona gestured at me with her chin, her expression incredulous.  Her chin pointed towards my waist, where my groin was pressed against Su-jeong Noona’s arm.

It looked like we were hugging, or at least pressed against each other, or even just facing each other…

It looked like…a couple doing *that*.

“S-Su-jeong Noona grabbed me! I really wasn’t trying to get this close!”

I desperately explained myself. I couldn’t let Geum-bi Noona misunderstand, not her of all people.

‘That phone could fly at my head any second. Or maybe lower…’

Feeling a chill, I tried to get away from Su-jeong Noona.  But in my panic, I slipped on the blanket, and as Noona pulled me closer, I lost my balance and fell on top of her again.

“Ugh…whoa?!”

“Hmm, mmm…”

Su-jeong Noona, completely drunk, didn’t wake up despite the commotion.  But Geum-bi Noona, who had approached us, saw everything clearly.

“…Yang Ji-gu.”

“U-uh, y-yes…Noona.”

“Now you’re openly groping your sister’s breasts?”

I quickly pulled my hand away from Su-jeong Noona’s breast.  But Geum-bi Noona’s eyes, instead of burning with anger, were cold as ice. She tilted her head, signaling me to follow her.

‘This is so unfair. This time it really was an accident…’

All of the incidents today had been frustrating, but this last one was the most unjust.  It was dark, so I couldn’t see, the mattress was soft, so I was unsteady, and most importantly, Su-jeong Noona was…well-endowed…  Sigh.  Making excuses would only make things worse.

I followed Geum-bi Noona, half-resigned.  I thought we were going to her room on the second floor, but she led me to the living room sofa.  Perhaps she wanted to hear my explanation quickly.  Or perhaps she thought it wasn’t appropriate to be alone with me in a room… I prayed it was the former.

“Explain yourself.”

“W-what?”

“Everything. What happened in your room just now, from beginning to end.”

Geum-bi Noona sat down heavily on the sofa, arms crossed and glaring at me.  I sat next to her, leaving some space between us, demurely bringing my knees together and gauging her mood.

“I told you, it’s all a misunderstanding. I was just trying to turn off the lamp, and I fell.”

“And you ended up in *that* position?  Even a dog passing by could see you were pressed against each other.”

“We don’t have a dog…”

“Are you in the mood for jokes?”

The atmosphere was much more serious than I had imagined, and my attempt at ice-breaking only backfired.  The cold front in our house had turned into an ice age.

‘It can’t be helped.  I’ll just have to explain everything, even if she doesn’t believe me.’

Giving up on tricks, I told Geum-bi Noona the truth.  That Su-jeong Noona was already asleep when I came back, that she was drunk and didn’t wake up easily, and that she had a habit of tossing and turning in her sleep and often bumped into me…I told her everything.

After listening to my explanation, Geum-bi Noona tapped her arm, lost in thought.  Her expressionless face and unblinking eyes made me nervous.

“Can I believe you?”

“Of course. What other possibility is there?”

“There are many, if I think about it.  For example, you saw your drunk sister and got some…ideas…”

“I keep telling you, that would never happen!  Su-jeong Noona and I are siblings. We’re family.”

“You don’t know if you’re blood-related. Honestly, I can’t be 100% sure anymore.”

“That’s…one way to look at it, but…”

The topic I had been trying to avoid.  The reason Geum-bi Noona was so critical of the situation, even though it was just an accidental physical encounter between siblings.  Because one of us wasn’t blood-related.

“If we’re talking about possibilities…you and Unnie are the prime suspects.  I remember the younger siblings, so it can’t be them.”

“Su-jeong Noona, I understand, but me too? Don’t you remember me as a baby, Geum-bi Noona?”

“I only have vague memories.  Besides, I might have been adopted as a newborn. We don’t know for sure when we became a family.”

“What about Mom being pregnant?  She was pregnant for ten months, you don’t remember that?”

“I was only two years old when you were in her womb.  I wasn’t even old enough for preschool.  Maybe Su-jeong Unnie, who’s a year older, would remember…”

Geum-bi Noona stopped there.  So, the most reliable information was still Su-jeong Noona’s perspective…but it seemed like Geum-bi Noona was hesitant to ask her directly.

‘She must be scared and feel guilty.  It would be a shock if it were her, and if it were Su-jeong Noona…it would be like reopening old wounds.’

In fact, after reaching that conclusion herself, Su-jeong Noona hesitated and then relied on me.  Geum-bi Noona seemed to have guessed as much, which was why she wasn’t digging deeper into our relationship.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell, and only the light from the digital clock next to the TV illuminated the living room.  It wasn’t midnight yet, so if I went to sleep now, I could still get enough sleep.

“Geum-bi Noona.”

“Yeah.”

“You have work tomorrow, right?”

“Of course, sigh.”

“How’s work going?”

“I’m just barely hanging on.  Unnie is amazing, how did she endure this right after graduation?”

Unlike Su-jeong Noona, Geum-bi Noona had spent a year preparing after graduating from university before getting a job.  I thought she had gotten into a good company and had honed her skills…but reality seemed harsh.

“Ji-gu, get your certifications and internships in advance.  Don’t struggle after graduation like me.”

“You’re telling me to do something even the two of you couldn’t do. That’s a lot of pressure.”

“You can handle it. …No, that’s not right. We’re relying on you these days, so I shouldn’t say that.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Geum-bi Noona started to speak curtly, as usual, then shook her head and stopped.  It seemed like consideration, but to me, it looked like a lack of confidence, and I felt a little sorry for her.

‘Objectively, the Noonas are the ones having a hard time.  They must have a lot on their minds with work and family issues.’

I was just lazing around at home until I went back to school.  I was too embarrassed to say, “You can rely on me more…”, so I just subtly moved closer to her.

“Ugh?”

“What?”

“Wh-why are you suddenly holding my hand?”

“You always grab mine without asking.”

“Well, I always had a…reason.”

“Then I’ll make one, a reason.”

“…What is it?”

“Wait, I’m thinking.”

I acted boldly, not letting go of her hand.  Hmm, she was on my left again.  Somehow, our positions were always the same.  I naturally recalled the first time she held my hand.  She had said something about a test, right?

“I’ve decided.  This is a kind of test.”

“A test…?”

“Proof that I only see you as family, Noonas.  You said if I’m fine holding hands, it means I don’t have any feelings, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right…you remembered.”

“How could I forget?  That’s when we became close, Geum-bi Noona.”

I knew the Noonas were going through a tough time, but I didn’t mind these days, feeling the warmth of family again.  Especially since both Noonas were naturally warm.  Even now, look, Geum-bi Noona’s hand was getting warmer.

“Um, Ji-gu.”

“Yeah?”

“You said…test, right?”

“Yeah, right.”

“But…like you said earlier, we’ve held hands several times before.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“And there’s also what I saw in your room earlier…to eliminate any suspicion, shouldn’t we do something more…conclusive?”

I thought the incident in my room had ended as a mere happening.  But I guess it didn’t have a clear conclusion.  Since I would go back to Su-jeong Noona after our conversation, was she trying to confirm things one more time?

“What do you have in mind, Noona?”

“…A hug…would be enough, wouldn’t it?”

“A hug?”

“A h-hug. Just like a greeting…you know, hugging each other.”

Wasn’t that what people usually called a hug?  A hug was a hug.  Why was she so flustered?

‘Well, the nuance is a little different.  A hug can be a casual greeting, but a hug can also be…romantic.’

It was a word used between lovers or couples.  Thinking about it made me feel embarrassed too.

“Would you…come closer, Ji-gu?”

“Okay. Open your arms.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah.  Here I come?”

“Y-yeah, slowly…hmph!”

Geum-bi Noona took a deep breath, as if nervous, but even if I moved slowly, we were already very close.  My body quickly reached hers, and I gently wrapped my arms around her back.

“…”

“…”

Once again, we filled the dark living room with silence.  I expected this kind of reaction from Noona…but I didn’t expect to be speechless myself.  That’s how flustered I was after actually hugging her.

‘She’s soft, warm, and smells nice.  No, I don’t mean it in a weird way. I’m just saying that’s how it feels.’

Unlike my closed lips, my mind was racing.  I vaguely assumed it would be similar to hugging Su-jeong Noona, but it felt completely different.  If hugging Su-jeong Noona felt like being embraced by a motherly figure, a comforting older presence…

Hugging Geum-bi Noona…perhaps because of her usually prickly attitude, felt like an equal exchange of warmth.

“J-Ji-gu.”

“Yeah, Noona.”

“…”

“…”

What?  If you’re going to call me, say something. Why are you stopping there?

I wondered why Geum-bi Noona called me and then remained silent.  But I didn’t turn my head or pull away to look at her.  I just tightened my embrace.  Similarly, Geum-bi Noona, who was also silent, pulled me closer.

For a while after that, she kept calling my name as if she wanted to say something.  But the words following her voice…never came.

The living room sofa was filled with silence and the sound of our breathing.  Only the warmth we shared filled the space.

…It would have been nice if that romantic ending concluded our story for today, but—

“Hmph?”

“Uh, no, ugh.”

A little before midnight…

My body reacted in a way it shouldn’t have.

‘Damn it, damn it, calm down. Don’t do that, please.’

It couldn’t be helped.  I tried not to think anything strange, but it was hard to deny the sensations I was feeling.  Besides…things had been a little dangerous from the beginning, on the bed.  I had been holding back.  The whole time.

“J-Ji-gu…?”

“…”

I usually responded immediately to Geum-bi Noona’s calls, but this time, I remained silent, biting my lip and not pulling away from her.  I knew I’d be in trouble later, but…

For some reason, Geum-bi Noona also didn’t pull away.

Tick-tock, as the night deepened…

A while later, the digital clock beeped, signaling midnight.

—–CROW—–