My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 2

—–CROW—– 

When I went out to the living room, Su-jeong Noona’s laptop sat on the table.  

My two younger sisters were sitting in a line on the floor around it, while my two older sisters were lined up on the sofa.

‘It seems I’m not the only one late.  The fourth and youngest are rubbing their eyes too.’

But seeing as their expressions weren’t bad, I guessed Su-jeong Noona had woken them up.

Lucky them.  I’d much prefer Su-jeong Noona to wake me up in the morning.

“Yang Ji-gu. If you’re late, hurry up and sit down. Everyone’s waiting.”

“Alright, Noona…”

“Geum-bi, there’s still time. Don’t be so harsh~”

See? Even now, Geum-bi Noona was glaring at me, while Su-jeong Noona welcomed me warmly.  Half the reason I stayed holed up in my room was probably because of Geum-bi Noona.

“Haaam~ I’m tired. Unnie, is there anything to eat while we wait?”

“Yah, Yang Hwa-yeon. Do you not have hands or feet? Why do you keep bossing Su-jeong Unnie around?”

“What? I wasn’t talking to you, little Unnie. I was talking to big Unnie.”

“That’s why I’m telling you.  Do it yourself.”

“Ugh, nagging first thing in the morning…”

“Yah, what did you just say?  Hey!”

The other half of the reason I stayed in my room.  Hwa-yeon, our fourth sibling, started a staring contest with Geum-bi Noona.

“What? I just asked if there was anything to eat.  What’s so twisted about that?”

“Twisted? Is that how you talk to your older sister?”

“Unnie started it.”

“How is telling you not to boss Su-jeong Unnie around starting something? It’s common sense.”

“I’m saying I didn’t boss her around! I just asked because I was curious!”

“That’s bossing her around! You were just sitting there on the floor with no intention of getting up.”

“You don’t know anything, Unnie!”

“And you do?!”

Actually, the reason all of us stayed cooped up in our rooms wasn’t just me. A significant part of it was because these two fought often…no, constantly.

‘If Geum-bi Noona is the disciplinarian, Hwa-yeon is the typical rebel.  Is it because they’re the youngest of the older sisters and the oldest of the younger sisters that they clash so much?’

I wondered why Geum-bi Noona was so fiery when Su-jeong Noona, the eldest, was so composed.  And I sighed, wondering why Hwa-yeon, the fourth, was so boisterous when our youngest was so quiet and well-behaved.

“Stop it. Mom will be calling soon, so let’s stop it there, okay?”

“…Tsk, fine, Unnie.”

“…Hmph.  You’re always picking on me.”

Fortunately, Su-jeong Noona, the eldest of our family, was in the living room today.  When she glanced at the clock and clapped her hands, the two glared at each other but quietly backed down.

-Beep.

“Ah, Mom’s here…!”

A light blinked on the laptop screen, connecting to the other side. At my words, everyone in the living room turned their attention to the table, and Mom, seemingly sitting in her study, appeared.

-“It’s been a while.  Is everyone doing well?”

“Yes, we’re all healthy and doing well, Mom.”

Su-jeong Noona answered on our behalf, and we all nodded along.  Mom smiled at the sight, but her expression on screen quickly shifted to one of concern, as if something was troubling her.

-“The reason I called today…is because there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Something you need to tell us?”

-“Yes. Something I’ve been hiding for a long time…a family secret, you could say.”

Mom was always quiet and didn’t show much emotion, but today she seemed to stumble over her words more than usual, avoiding our eyes. The heavy atmosphere made everyone except Su-jeong Noona hold their tongues.

Slowly, unbelievable words flowed from the laptop.

-“We’ve…been together for a long time, haven’t we?”

“Yes…We’re always grateful.  You’ve worked so hard raising us all by yourself, Mom.”

-“I’m the grateful one.  I haven’t been able to visit often, but you all grew up well together.  Especially thanks to you, Su-jeong.”

“It’s thanks to them for being so good.  …And now even our youngest, Mok-hee, is an adult.”

-“That’s right.  …That’s why I’m bringing this up today.”

Hesitating, as if unsure how to begin, Mom pulled out a document.  On the white paper, the title read…’Will’.

-“Actually, there was a will your father left before he died.”

“Yes…?”

-“I thought you wouldn’t believe me otherwise.  I brought this so you would believe me when you see it.”

“What are you trying to say, Mom?”

-“One of us…isn’t blood-related.”

“““““ …What?!”””””

In an instant, even the composed Su-jeong Noona, along with the rest of us, cried out simultaneously.  Mom, startled by our reaction, squeezed her eyes shut and continued with difficulty.

-“Originally…I was going to tell you when you were all going through puberty. But before that…as you know, your father passed away.”

“Th-that’s right.”

-“So I thought about hiding it forever, but I decided it was right to tell you.  Now that even our youngest, Mok-hee, is an adult, we need to settle the inheritance.”

“Ah…So that’s why Dad’s will…”

-“It’s late, but it was your father’s wish too.  Sigh, so, the one who isn’t related is…”

We all gulped.  Family secret, different bloodline, will, inheritance.  The information swirled in our heads, but the tension made our hearts pound even more.  Mom’s hesitant lips parted carefully.

Just as she was about to reveal who it was—

-“Ugh, I don’t think this is right…!  I’m sorry.  I think I need to tell you in person instead of like this.”

“Huh, Mom?”

-“I’m busy right now, so I can’t come right away, but I’ll try to make time soon!  Let’s talk then.  Take care until then…!”

“Mom, huh?!  Mom?!”

Su-jeong Noona, uncharacteristically flustered, tapped frantically at the laptop keyboard. But the screen, already turned off, wouldn’t come back on.  

We siblings stared blankly at the darkened monitor for a while.

“…What was all that about?”

Geum-bi Noona’s words broke the long silence.  Only then did we start to look at each other and calmly discuss the situation.

* * *

“So, to summarize, one of us is adopted?”

The quick-witted Geum-bi Noona was the first to speak.  But even she seemed to be having trouble accepting it, clutching her forehead with a deep frown.

“She brought it up now because even the youngest is an adult. Because of the inheritance distribution according to Dad’s will…or something like that.”

It seemed like it wasn’t just the news itself that was hard to swallow.  Perhaps it was the fact that this complicated issue was only being addressed now, as Geum-bi Noona intermittently bit her lip and gritted her teeth.

“But originally…she was going to tell us around puberty.  It’s just…things happened, and it got delayed like this.”

As always, it was Su-jeong Noona, the eldest, who soothed the agitated Geum-bi Noona.  Patting Geum-bi Noona’s thigh, she continued to speak in Mom’s defense.

“We know better than anyone how hard things have been for Mom.  On top of everything, revealing this…must have been a huge burden.”

I understood what she meant.  Losing her husband and raising five children alone must have been a heavy enough burden.  If she revealed that one of us was adopted…our relationships might have fractured when we were younger.

‘Mom always said she was grateful that we got along so well.  That’s probably why she hesitated even more.’

Honestly, if someone turned out to not be blood-related, I didn’t think I could treat them the same way as before.  Even now, let alone when we were young…The more I thought about it, the more I could understand Mom’s choice.

…At least logically.

“Sigh, I don’t know, Unnie. I just don’t get it. Even so, when we were a little older…she should have at least hinted at it to me or you.  Doing this out of the blue, what are we supposed to do now…!”

“Geum-bi, I’m not saying Mom was entirely right, but she couldn’t help it.  Calm down a little…”

“I get it, I understand! But understanding doesn’t mean I can just accept it emotionally!”

It had been a while since Geum-bi Noona had raised her voice at Su-jeong Noona.  Seeing me and my younger sisters looking on cautiously, it seemed like a rare occurrence even among the sisters.

“Unnie, think about it. One of us isn’t blood-related, they’re adopted! But she doesn’t reveal who it is and just runs away like that…what are we supposed to do…?”

“She didn’t run away. She made a difficult decision, and she probably wants to tell us properly, face-to-face.”

“Then she should have done that from the beginning!  How thoughtless can you be to bring this up over video chat…Ugh?!”

“There, there.  Good girl. Geum-bi, I know how you feel.  So let’s calm down, okay?”

Geum-bi Noona’s voice gradually grew louder, and just as she was about to say something she’d regret while pointing at the laptop, Su-jeong Noona pulled her into a tight hug.

“It was shocking, wasn’t it?  It’s absurd, ridiculous, and you’re angry because you don’t understand what’s going on.”

“No, Unnie, I just…”

“But Mom must have had her reasons.  So let’s just wait a little longer.  We can do that, right?”

“…Well, waiting is something we’re used to…”

“Yeah, it’s the same as always.  Just like always, we just have to wait for Mom to come back.  Until then, let’s not talk about this. It’ll all come out eventually.”

“…Yeah, okay, Unnie…”

Su-jeong Noona patted Geum-bi Noona’s back, soothingly stroking it at the end.  Geum-bi Noona’s anger seemed to subside with the comforting touch, and by the time they separated, she was quietly looking down.

“I’m sorry….  Yelling out of the blue like that with everyone here.”

“No, it’s okay.  In fact, it might have been a little cathartic for everyone that you spoke up so frankly, Geum-bi.  Right, everyone?”

“Yeah, I felt a little bit like that.”

“M-me too.  It was…a little refreshing.”

“Me too…It wasn’t entirely unpleasant to hear.”

Hwa-yeon, the youngest, and I quickly agreed with Su-jeong Noona.  Geum-bi Noona seemed to regain her composure, wiping her teary eyes and smiling faintly at Su-jeong Noona.

“Thank you, Unnie…and everyone.”

“Alright, it feels like we’ve been hit by a bomb this morning, so let’s order some food to lighten the mood. Tell me what you want, this Unnie’s treating!”

“Yay! Then I want chicken and pizza!”

“I-I prefer something light rather than greasy.”

Geum-bi Noona’s gratitude and Su-jeong Noona’s generosity shifted the atmosphere in the house.  Hwa-yeon and the youngest disagreed on the menu, but Su-jeong Noona coolly ordered both.

‘As expected, no one can beat Su-jeong Noona.’

Unlike a living room that had just been hit by a bomb, a nuclear bomb at that, we turned on the TV, dug into the delivery food, and burst into laughter.

We fought, sulked, and spent most of our days holed up in our rooms, but when we were all together like this, it truly felt like we were siblings.

* * *

That night, after brushing my teeth and lying in bed, I heard a creaking sound.  In the half-opened doorway…Su-jeong Noona was peeking in.

—–CROW—–