NOVEL NEXT chapter 18
18. Taking Responsibility
“You said it was after middle school. How did that become yours?”
It seemed like Minju had forgotten what she had asked, and it was clear that she was drunk.
“Ah, that’s right! It couldn’t be me!”
“I never confessed to you in the first place.”
“Then did you confess to that person you liked? Really?”
As people live, they confess and get rejected. It’s a fact that can’t be changed.
The past was embarrassing, but there was no need to hide it.
“Yeah, I did, and I got rejected pretty badly.”
“……Would you like a drink?”
Minju seemed to want to comfort me, making a gentle sound as she lifted her soju glass.
“It’s an old story. There’s no need to make a fuss about it now.”
I hesitated for a moment, but I didn’t refuse my friend’s offer.
I wanted to drink today.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
Because we had been close in the past, I felt more comfortable talking to Minju than to others.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t have a girlfriend, so why are you asking me?”
“I just finished my re-take, so I don’t have one.”
“Come on. You think all college students are dating? Dating is easy?”
Minju burst out laughing, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“How can you talk like you’re still in the past?”
Minju’s words, which brought up old memories, made me unable to laugh easily.
“……Are you joking?”
“I’m being serious. What’s there to joke about? You’re just joking.”
You must remember me as a foolish kid, so that’s why you’re saying that.
“You’ve changed a lot compared to back then.”
“Style-wise?”
“Yeah. You used to wear really thick glasses all the time when you were in elementary school. You were really cute.”
“I begged my mom to get me LASIK surgery as soon as I got into college. What’s wrong with that? It’s fine!”
“Not wearing glasses looks way better on you. You’re pretty.”
“Are you flirting with me from the first day of school? Or am I just getting prettier? Hehehe.”
I knew he was joking, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit flustered.
Others might misinterpret it, but I didn’t think they’d be interested in us, sitting in a corner.
However, the 3rd-year senior sitting across from us seemed to have found a great target and started teasing us.
“Is your friend’s name Junho?”
“Yes, senior.”
“Don’t drink the ‘bitter water’ of flattery, Miju. Just look at the guys who got rejected by Miju, the upperclassmen and upper-upperclassmen.”
“Ah! Brother! Why are you saying this in front of freshmen!”
“Yeah, in a month, they’ll all know about school life. It’s like being an early adapter.”
“Don’t do that. I warned you.”
Miju looked unhappy, as if he didn’t like someone else telling his story.
The senior, who seemed quite drunk, still had enough sense to apologize to Miju right away.
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry. Yeah, instead, I’ll treat you to ice cream at our table! Let’s go!”
As soon as the senior said “treat,” the attention of the entire table next to us was drawn.
The senior, who was treated like a hero by his juniors, got up to leave the store.
“Let’s go. This is the best time to get something out of it.”
Miju, who got up first, hurriedly pulled me up.
As about seven people came out, the atmosphere became more lively.
Miju and I were the last in line.
Not having anything else to say, I borrowed the senior’s words.
“Was it popular when you came to university?”
“Ah, I think that’s something you should ask that person.”
“If it’s popular, that’s good. What’s the big deal?”
“Junho, university life isn’t that simple.”
Considering we’re the same age, but he entered a year earlier, he seemed quite proud.
“What’s difficult about that?”
“Maintaining a suitable distance in relationships?”
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand, but I was hesitant to think about it.
I hadn’t been sleeping well lately because of that distance.
My first love lives in my house.
There’s a high probability that I’ll be more troubled.
“That is difficult.”
“Yeah…… That’s true…….”
When we arrived at the convenience store, we stood in line, each holding an ice cream.
“Miju! Sorry! You take a look.”
The senior apologized again for his mistake.
“I know. But do it again next time. Just do it!”
“Ah, I’m drunk, I’m drunk. Sorry, sorry.”
It wasn’t long after eating ice cream that the second round of seats disbanded, and the third round, a hellish train ride with only the real ones left, was waiting for us.
The student council members, dressed in windbreakers, were scattered around, sending drunk people home.
“Joon-ho, are you going to the third round?”
As a freshman, I was naturally under their management.
My handler was Min-ju.
“And you?”
“I’m part of the student council, so I have to attend. There are seniors, and I need to get home first.”
“I’ll stay here then.”
“Really? That’s a shame. Since we’re already late, let’s play a bit more.”
“I have a younger sibling at home.”
“What? You’re thinking of your older sibling, but you’re acting like you’re fighting with your real sibling. Are you really that close?”
Well…
It’s hard to say we’re really close.
“My mom and stepdad aren’t home, so…”
“Went on a trip or something?”
“They’re living in the US for work. Both of them.”
“Whoa. So it’s just you and your sibling living together?”
“Yes.”
The surprised reaction quickly turned into pity.
“Aww. So you’re going home to take care of your sibling?”
“It’s not like I’m doing anything special, but I feel like I need to be there… You know what I mean?”
“Ah. Of course, I understand! You can’t just leave things like that, it’s not your style.”
“You know that about me?”
“Don’t you remember? You told me a long time ago…”
It seemed like Min-ju was going to say something more, but she stopped and gave an awkward smile.
“That’s it! Go home!”
“I’ll finish what I was saying and go.”
“If you’re curious, come to the third round.”
As Min-ju turned around, her sharp jawline and sleek, short hair drew a beautiful curve.
It was like a 3D modeling character’s movement.
“That’s it. Be careful going home. I’m leaving?”
I was curious about what was going to happen next, but the third round was out of the question.
“Yeah. See you at school. We’ll greet each other then.”
“Do we have to use honorifics?”
“It’s like you’re asking to get scolded.”
Min-ju burst out laughing and waved goodbye.
There was still time before the last bus left.
I slowly made my way back to the bus stop and managed to get on the bus.
When I got home, it would be around 11 pm.
It was a time when Ji-hee, who usually woke up early, might still be asleep.
I had to enter quietly.
Looking back, the first day of university wasn’t so bad.
There were many people who spoke casually, calling each other “hyung” or “oppa,” and I even met an old friend who had become a student council officer.
As I entered my home, pressing the password, I was greeted by the dark, inky blackness.
I turned off the lights and went to bed.
As I was taking off my outerwear and entering my room…
“……uh.”
I retreated back to where I came from due to the strange noise coming from the sofa.
A person’s silhouette was visible in the darkness.
I stretched out my hand and turned on the lamp next to the sofa.
The warm, orange light illuminated the owner of the shadow.
It was, of course, my only family member, my younger sibling.
Ji-hee was lying on the sofa, sleeping, but her posture looked quite uncomfortable.
Her left arm was bent behind her back, and her legs were curled up.
Why was she sleeping in such a pose?
“Ji-hee.”
The soft, even breathing sound.
She seemed to be fast asleep.
“Why are you sleeping here? Go sleep in your bed.”
As I gently shook her arm, Ji-hee’s eyelashes fluttered irregularly.
“…Did I come?”
Her dazed eyes looked up at me.
“Yes. Don’t sleep like this. Go sleep comfortably in your bed.”
I didn’t know why she was sleeping here in the first place, but I wanted to help her up.
“…Hold me up.”
“Hold you up?”
“…Yes. I’m too tired.”
Ji-hee really was too sleepy, answering with her eyes closed.
If I were an ordinary older brother, what would I have done?
If I were the type to tease her, I would have just left her here, saying something like, “What’s with you, sleeping here?”
If we got along well, I might have even brought a blanket to cover her.
“Get up.”
“Hold me up.”
The second negotiation also failed.
The conversation itself didn’t even get established.
As I sat there, wondering what to do, I eventually ended up crouching down and bending my back.
If only I weren’t a student…
The quality of sleep determines the quality of the next day’s studies.
Each day that disappears from my planner is precious.
If I were a normal college student, I would have ignored and dismissed it.
“I’ll carry you. Come on.”
Jihee approached me with a zombie-like gesture, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and gently embracing my neck.
As Jihee’s face settled near my neck, her hair cascaded down like a waterfall onto my T-shirt.
It smells good.
A faint lilac scent.
Her warm breath tickles my neck.
At this distance, I can even hear the sound of her saliva dripping onto my neck.
To feel more secure, my hands naturally wrapped around Jihee’s thighs, and due to her short skirt, I could feel the sensation of her bare skin, which was extremely vivid.
It was more than just soft; it was tender.
Does she have muscles?
While thinking all sorts of things, I quickly crossed the living room and stood in front of Jihee’s door.
I pushed the door open with my toes.
After gently laying Jihee down on the neatly arranged bed, I sat down on the floor and let out a short sigh.
Who’s supposed to take care of whom?
I was about to cover her with a blanket and leave, but when I turned around, I was startled.
“What’s wrong? You. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Contrary to my expectation that she would be lying weakly, she had propped herself up and was staring at me with bright, shining eyes.
“Oppa carried me, so I woke up.”
“You told me to carry you.”
“Yeah. I didn’t say anything about carrying you, did I?”
“Yeah. Then go back to sleep…”
I thought I had fulfilled my duty and was about to leave, but…
“Where are you going? You woke me up, so you have to take responsibility.”
Am I drunk?
Is she talking nonsense?
Isn’t it like asking someone who’s drowning to hold onto a bundle?
“What responsibility?”
“Put me back to sleep. If Oppa leaves like this, I won’t be able to sleep until 3 am.”
“You’ve slept well without me before. Don’t talk nonsense and go back to sleep.”
“Was the welcoming party fun?”
Is she completely ignoring what I’m saying?
“Yeah.”
“Did you drink a lot?”
“Just so-so.”
“Did you talk a lot with that noona?”
“Who’s that noona?”
“The one Oppa showed me in the picture.”
Is she talking about Minju?
Suddenly, the words I had left unfinished came to mind again.
What had I done back then…?
“Was it okay?”
“Hmm…”
Jihee, who had been blowing her nose, pulled the blanket up to her chin.
“Next time, let’s drink together. I want to drink with my oppa too.”
“What’s with you and drinking?”
“You drink with others but not with family, that’s not normal, oppa.”
I was about to retort, but Jihee’s face made me give in.
“Then let’s make a plan to drink on the day of the mock exam.”
I remembered that during my re-take days, I would take mock exams and then skip night classes.
“Hmm, okay. Let’s take the mock exam tomorrow then.”
“The exam questions have to come out first.”
“Ah, right.”
I felt like an idiot.
“Can I go now?”
I was tired too.
I had been under a lot of stress and had been running around outside.
“Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“Can you just pat my hair a bit before you go?”
It was a childish request, but I couldn’t help it.
Instead, refusing to do so would make me feel like I was treating myself like a stranger.
I nodded and slowly reached out to place my hand on Jihee’s hair.
As my fingertips touched her soft hair, Jihee smiled brightly, looking pleased.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You looked like you needed it.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. If you need anything, tell me. I’ll do it for you.”
For a moment, I imagined Jihee patting my hair.
It was definitely… appealing.
“Goodnight.”
That’s it. That’s it!
I shut down my own thoughts and turned off the light, returning to my room.
“Phew…”
Was it because I had been drinking?
My heart was racing faster than usual.