My Friend’s Little Sister is Special

Me.

What.

Did I… do something… wrong…?

Ah. A dream. Maybe this is a dream?

Picking up the phone I had dropped in disbelief, I looked at the screen again.

…No.

The same screen as before appeared before my eyes.

……..Why?

Was my expression too obvious when eating the pasta that Ye-rin called “special pasta” during dinner last night?

No, but what could I do when the pasta was too salty?

Even after finishing it, the self-proclaimed “pasta flavor” wouldn’t leave my mouth.

I only managed to eat it all because Ye-rin prepared it. If Se-ah had made it, I would have immediately headed straight for the sink, suspecting an assassination attempt. That’s how bad it tasted.

I tried not to show it, but was it too obvious…?

Wait, could it be?

Maybe it’s just Ye-rin’s prank? Thinking of it as a prank, when I looked at the screen again, it seemed kind of cute.

Seo Ye-rin, if you’re trying to tease me, you’ve succeeded.

I’ll let it slide just this once since it was funny, really.

I’m giving you a pass, seriously.

Or maybe she simply can’t make it because she’s going out with Se-ah or something?

[Seo Ye-rin]

That’s a joke, right? You really surprised me~

It’s not a joke…?

(An emoticon of a black cat tilting its head with a question mark)

Ah, kill me.

Looking at the screen felt like it would blind me.

I couldn’t bear to look at such a horrific display anymore, so I turned off my phone.

The darkened screen looked just like my future, shit…

Stupid idiot. I should have just asked directly why she couldn’t make it today.

After hearing a girl say no twice, I didn’t have the courage to ask again.

This isn’t some “three visits to a thatched cottage,” and if I ask again, it’ll seem like I’m desperate to go to Ye-rin’s house…. Well, that’s true, shit…

If I sent one more message here, I could imagine Ye-rin’s face, disgusted at my clinginess, thinking “Sigh… I already said no, really…” Just imagining it made my heart crumble.

Let’s just go home…

Since when did I start making stops after school anyway?

Was I caught in a sweet fantasy for just two short days?

‘Hey, Han. Just move your bag.’

It was time to wake up from the sweet fantasy and return to cold reality.

As I was gathering my things to go home like a zombie, Seo Jin-hyuk approached.

“Going home now?”

“Yeah…”

“…? What’s up, why do you sound so lifeless?”

“You don’t need to know, man…”

Just as I was about to stand up after packing everything, too tired to even talk, I remembered.

Who Seo Jin-hyuk was.

Ugh. Should I ask him or not…?

This was my last chance.

Momentary curiosity versus fragile pride.

As I pictured Ye-rin’s face while these two balanced scales were still even.

Instantly, the weight shifted to one side.

“…Hey, Seo Jin-hyuk.”

“What?”

“Do you guys have plans to eat out tonight or something like that?”

“Eat out? No way. Our parents are so busy with their jobs that we barely see them except on weekends. Why do you suddenly ask?”

“…Or is someone coming over?”

“I’ll be at academy, so only Ye-rin will be home. What’s this about?”

When my sudden questions ended, it was Seo Jin-hyuk’s turn to ask with a confused expression.

“But why are you asking all of a sudden? What, did Ye-rin tell you not to come?”

“……”

Shit. This frog named “me” just died from Jin-hyuk’s careless words.

“What, really? Han Woo-jin, your expression is legendary.”

“…Shut up, man.”

Damn, what kind of face am I making?

Seeing Jin-hyuk laughing as if he found me hilarious, I had to use superhuman restraint to stop myself from punching him in the philtrum.

“You deserve a beating.”

Actually, I couldn’t restrain myself.

Even while being hit, Jin-hyuk couldn’t stop laughing, but after a while, he finally raised both hands in surrender.

“Ha… I thought I was going to die laughing. Stop it. It hurts like hell, you bastard. You’re just stupidly strong… This big brother will help you, so stop hitting me.”

“What help could you offer? You’re nothing but a corpse except for your face.”

“This guy goes crazy even when I offer to help. I’ll ask Ye-rin what’s going on today.”

…That sounds tempting?

For a moment, I was drawn to this not-so-bad proposal, but.

“Forget it. I’m just going home.”

“…? Weren’t you curious?”

“I am curious. But—”

I stood up with my bag on my back.

“I don’t want to find out that way. If I’m going to do it, I should do it myself.”

“What are you saying? You just asked me.”

Shit.

“…You idiot, is asking you directly the same as asking Ye-rin through you?”

“Yes, yes~ Your face is red like a burning sweet potato, and you’re embarrassed, which makes it very convincing~”

“You really need another beating, don’t you?”

As I put down my bag and approached him, cracking my knuckles, Jin-hyuk quickly distanced himself from me.

“Hey, Han Woo-jin. Just know this.”

“What? That your life ends today?”

“…So vicious. Anyway, whatever you’re thinking, it’s definitely not going to happen.”

“…What am I thinking?”

“How would I know, dude? But whatever it is, just know it’s not that.”

What does this guy know?

But hearing those words from Seo Jin-hyuk, who had known Seo Ye-rin the longest, made me feel strangely relieved.

Right.

She must have her reasons today, whatever.

I can see her tomorrow, can’t I?

**

That’s what I told myself for comfort as I trudged home alone, but the moment I arrived.

I realized all my worrying had been completely meaningless.

“…What’s this?”

“Hello…”

“Ah, oppa, you’re finally home~?”

Seeing Seo Ye-rin shyly greeting me at our front door, I couldn’t help but freeze in place.

Did I unknowingly go to Ye-rin’s house because I wanted to go there so badly? Looking around, this was definitely my house.

Twitch, twitch.

Feeling like a flood of bad words was about to burst out.

With my eyes tightly shut, I beckoned to Se-ah.

Se-ah approached me with a big, beaming smile.

“What is it, oppa~?”

“Hey, Han Se-ah. It was you.”

As I whispered with my head down so Ye-rin couldn’t hear, Se-ah giggled mischievously and whispered back.

“Se-ah doesn’t know what you’re talking about~?”

“I’m going to keell you…”

“Oh my, oppa, that’s not good for your teeth~”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Han Se-ah…?”

“Oppa. That’s not it.”

“What?”

“Are you thankful?”

“Thank you.”

Extremely so.

If Ye-rin hadn’t been watching from behind, I would have bowed 90 degrees to show just how grateful I was.

“All the ice cream in the fridge is mine?”

“Of course. Eat as much as you want.”

I desperately swallowed the words “you pig.”

“I’ve had Ye-rin all to myself until you arrived, so I’ll go buy some snacks for a bit?”

Seeing Se-ah wink at me with one eye, I felt like I was going to throw up, no, like tears of gratitude were about to pour out.

She wasn’t a pig but an angel…!

For the first time in my 14 years of life, I felt like I could see a halo above Se-ah’s head instead of pig ears.

If Se-ah hadn’t brought Ye-rin to our house, I probably would have gone to see her anyway.

But whatever.

‘The important thing is that I saw her.’

That’s what mattered.

“I’ll be back~”

As Se-ah passed by me and left the house, only Ye-rin and I remained at the entrance.

…This is different.

It was our house, so familiar that I was almost sick of it, but.

Just having Ye-rin in it made it feel like I had come to a completely new place.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted… to surprise you…”

Ye-rin spread her hands timidly with a “ta-da~” in a voice that was barely audible.

Even though the season had passed, cherry blossoms were still scattered throughout her eyes.

Seeing her fidgeting with her hands out of shyness, any resentment I had felt completely disappeared.

—Then it’s forgiven.

I thought that even if she surprised me and made me lose my mind 100, no, 1,000 times, I could probably laugh it off.

“Were you surprised…?”

With sparkly eyes full of anticipation, who could possibly say no?

…At least I couldn’t.

“I was surprised, really surprised.”

“Hee, that much…?”

“Yes, that much. I thought you didn’t like it.”

“…? What didn’t I like…?”

Ye-rin tilted her head curiously, unable to guess what I meant.

“Well, you know. I went to your house two days in a row. When you said today wasn’t possible, I wondered if coming again would be too much. Even I thought three days in a row might be annoying for you.”

After finishing my words with an embarrassed smile, thinking it was all my misunderstanding, I didn’t get the response I expected.

Wondering why, I looked at Ye-rin and saw that the cherry blossoms that were blooming until just now had fallen, and now.

Her eyes had turned a violet color reminiscent of azaleas.

Half amazed at these eyes I’d never seen before, half flustered wondering if I had made some mistake, I didn’t know what to do.

At that moment, Ye-rin slowly approached me, stood on her tiptoes, and.

Squish-

Her soft fingers gently pinched my lips.

“…Bad mouth.”

“Mmm…?”

“If you say such bad things again…”

“Mmmmm…?”

“…I’ll hate you. A lot.”

The look in Ye-rin’s eyes as she pressed my lips was so upset that.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask why.

“Do you understand…?”

Even though I was the one with my lips held captive, her expression was so desperately pleading.

I nodded immediately without hesitation, and the corners of her mouth, which had been drooping, seemed to lift slightly.

“I won’t say I can’t make it even as a joke anymore… So anytime…”

The words that followed were so quiet that I couldn’t hear them properly.

But as if to ask if I understood.

Looking into those violet eyes that rippled with my reflection, there was no room for such thoughts.

I could only nod again, as if in a trance.

After receiving a sharp reward, no, punishment from Ye-rin.

I told Ye-rin to wait in the living room so I could calm down a bit, and now I was in my room.

…Nothing to clean up, right?

Ye-rin had said she wanted to see my room, but.

—No way, hmm.

If it hadn’t been a surprise visit, maybe, but right now I couldn’t allow even Ye-rin to come in, not knowing what traps might lie in wait.

…There shouldn’t be tissues in the trash, right?

Worried, I bent down to check the trash can next to my computer desk, when suddenly,

“Hoo…”

“Waaah!?”

The warm breath tickling my ear made my heart try to escape from my body in an emergency exit.

“Heehee, why are you so surprised, oppa…?”

“Huh, what?”

Even in my startled state, my eyes desperately darted to the trash can beside my desk.

—Thank you, Mom…!

“You scared me…! When did you come in? I told you to stay in the living room. I didn’t even hear you enter.”

“You didn’t know I was here…?”

“No, I had no idea, really.”

I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I was also distracted by the trash can.

Then, Ye-rin proudly made a V sign with her small hand.

“Hee, actually I’m good at walking quietly… My oppa gets surprised all the time at home too…”

“What are you, a cat?”

Why are you good at that? Why are you so proud of it?

But seeing Ye-rin looking up at me with a bright smile.

Her joy at the successful prank was so contagious.

I understood why Jin-hyuk was always getting surprised.

I would be startled all the time too.

…Jin-hyuk, you lucky bastard.

Today, too, I envied—no, I resented Jin-hyuk.