My Feisty Sisters Are Coming After Me

Chapter 55

—–CROW—–

Once a thread gets tangled, the more you pull, the worse it gets.

I should have untangled the misunderstanding when it first arose, but as always, regretting the past was pointless.

“Huh? *Oppa*, is that it? Really~ Do you like me?  Were you interested in me? Huh, huh?”

“No, it’s not like that.  You’re distracting me while I’m making coffee, so be quiet.”

“It’s just for practice, so it doesn’t matter if I mess it up. Hmm~ Why do you keep changing the subject?  Are you being serious?  Oh my~”

Hwa-yeon had initially approached me with a seemingly serious air, but as I avoided her gaze, she clung to me relentlessly throughout my work, as if she’d caught me in something.

Ultimately, her teasing boiled down to whether I had made a mistake because I was sexually attracted to her.

I brushed her off lightly a few times, but as if that wasn’t enough, Hwa-yeon’s torment continued.

‘If I just flatly reject her again… hmm, no. Then she’ll definitely say something like, “So you *were* sexually excited,” or “So you mistook me for someone else,” and it’ll just get weird.’

Whether I became a pervert who touched his younger sister, or a pervert who touched his older sisters, neither was a good option.

I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut and endure it, but as if she was getting more determined, Hwa-yeon’s voice gradually grew louder.

“Ahh~ That’s not fair. I even showed you my breasts, but you won’t even tell me what you’re really thinking.”

“Hey! The customers aren’t *that* far away, you’re being too loud.  Someone will actually hear you.”

“Let them hear! Come to think of it, I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all *oppa’s* fault.”

“This girl, really… Hey, then what about what happened at the counter last time?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“When you grabbed my butt down here. If we’re going to be like this, *you* started it, Hwa-yeon.  Did you have some ulterior motive when you did that?”

“What?! Of course not! I was just teasing you, *oppa*. It was a joke.”

“So it’s the same for me.  There wasn’t any special meaning to it, so stop being so clingy.  Got it?”

I was going to let it slide because she seemed remorseful, but since Hwa-yeon never knew when to stop, I ended up using her own logic against her.

It seemed to be quite effective, as Hwa-yeon frowned and grumbled, her hands trembling.

In the finally quiet cafe, I sipped the coffee I had made and found some peace of mind.

‘…This is disgustingly bad. I need to practice more at home.’

I was wondering if I should take out and clean the coffee machine I had stashed away in the storage room when I got back, when Hwa-yeon hesitantly turned to the side and glanced at me.

“But you know, *oppa*.”

“Yeah?” *sip*

“What if, just what if… there *was* a little bit of personal interest involved? What would you do?”

*slurp* “…What are you talking about? Did you get drunk off coffee?”

“No, I said ‘what if’!  I’m not saying there actually *was* any interest, I’m just saying… it’s something you could be curious about.”

I thought it was quiet, but what was she talking about now?

You could touch someone’s butt without being interested in them?  Just out of curiosity?

‘Either she’s crazy or I’m drunk on caffeine. I thought it was unusually bitter, maybe I messed up the proportions.’

I checked if my cup smelled of alcohol, then scratched my head and tried to make sense of the nonsense I just heard.

“So you’re saying you grabbed my butt that day simply out of curiosity? Why?”

“Well, that’s… I wanted to see if *oppa* really was adopted, and I thought your reaction would be funny if I teased you.”

“And?”

“…Honestly, there was a little bit of interest mixed in.  Come on, *oppa’s* body got all muscular after the military, and it kept bumping and brushing against me right in front of my eyes, how could I *not* be aware of it?”

Hwa-yeon, as if making an excuse, pointed to the muscles on my body and the subtle physical contact as the cause.

But no matter how she put it, it just sounded like she was interested in a man’s body.

And it concluded with a criminal’s defense-like statement: “I couldn’t resist my curiosity for a moment and reached out…”

‘I shouldn’t be thinking this… Is this girl in heat or something?’

Swallowing the thought that I shouldn’t be having about my younger sister, I carefully chose my words.

“Hwa-yeon. The internet is really good these days, right?  You can access all sorts of things on your phone or tablet, even without a computer.”

“Huh?  Why are you suddenly talking about that…?”

“If you’re really that desperate, just search online.  If you look around, you’ll find a lot of good resources.”

“Huh? What are you talking about out of nowhere…? H-Hey!  What the hell is this *oppa* saying?!  What does he take me for?!”

“Ow.  No, don’t get mad and listen. I thought you seemed really desperate, so I was suggesting a more useful and safe method than just… ow!”

“T-That’s not it!  Who do you think I am, some desperate girl who’d say something like that?!  You’re dead, just dead!  Idiot!”

Hwa-yeon grabbed a tray from next to the counter and started hitting my shoulders and arms.

The wide surface area made it bearable, but the force behind it was considerable, judging by the loud sound.

‘I was trying to be considerate, but… I can’t tell her to just use my body, can I?  She’s not one of my *noonas*. ’

Recalling how bold my two older sisters were, I raised my hands in surrender and tried to appease Hwa-yeon in a different way.

“Okay, okay, calm down, calm down.  So what do you want? What can I do for you?”

“Ugh, I wasn’t really asking for anything.  I was just upset that *oppa* was making me out to be some kind of sexual harasser who touches butts out of nowhere… so I blurted it out.”

“So you’re saying you’re not really like that?  What you just said was just out of anger?”

“…If you’re asking if it was *completely* out of anger, then it wasn’t 100%… Ah, stop looking at me like that!”

She was trying to give herself an out, but why was she digging herself deeper?

It would be easier if she just said it was a mistake. Why was she being so honest in such a weird way?

‘Is this a family trait?  I couldn’t lie to my *noonas* at crucial moments either.’

Finding common ground with Hwa-yeon, who was definitely related to me by blood, made me feel a little better.

Meanwhile, she was hiding behind the tray, her face completely red, as if she were some hidden stranger.

‘Ha.  For better or worse, my mood has changed, but I can’t just keep ignoring her.’

It was complicated, but Hwa-yeon had initially approached me out of concern.

Thinking I should act like an older brother for once, I glanced at the clock and checked the weather outside.

“It doesn’t seem like it’ll be too dark after our shift, want to grab a drink?”

“Huh? A drink? Just the two of us?”

“Yeah.  You can vent about whatever’s bothering you, and we can clear up any misunderstandings between us.  And try not to explode and jump around like last time.”

“W-When did I explode and jump around?! I didn’t!”

“Oh, you don’t remember?  It wasn’t that long ago when you were clinging to my *noonas* and crying about being treated differently from Mok-hee… ow.”

“That never happened! Never! Don’t make things up!”

It seemed like she *did* remember, as her face, visible from behind the tray, turned even redder than a beet.

But since she was making eye contact again, it didn’t seem like she took it badly.  A moment later, she mumbled something and fixed her hair.

“So, where are we going?”

“If we’re just having a light drink, a convenience store is fine.  Or if you know a good place around here, we can go there.”

“*You’re* the one who suggested it, shouldn’t *you* be the one to find a place?”

“I’m lazy… I mean, your *oppa* was stuck in the mountains until recently, remember?  I’m still getting used to the area.”

“Is your phone just for show?  Look it up.”

“I couldn’t even use my phone freely in the military. I’m still having trouble with apps these days.  Can’t my capable little sister do it for me?”

“Ugh, anyone would think you were in the military for decades.  Fine, fine. I’ll look it up, so *oppa* can choose what he wants to eat.”

“Thanks~  I’ll pay for the food, at least.”

“Shouldn’t you be paying for the drinks too if you’re suggesting it? Stingy.”

“If you keep that up, I’m canceling the drinks.”

“Okay, okay, I got it. Wait, I’m looking for a place now… really.”

Since my hands were sore from making coffee, I made all sorts of excuses to push the task of finding a place onto her.

Fortunately, whether because she didn’t know much about the military or she was just that fed up with me, Hwa-yeon found a place with decent reviews on her own.

A little while later, a sudden rush of customers came in, and I had to make about ten drinks without a moment to breathe.

Hwa-yeon, who had been engrossed in her phone under the pretext of finding a place, was now smiling smugly. …Sly girl.

***

“Ugh, my hands are still numb.  Why do customers always come in during shift changes?”

“Don’t they make the schedule based on that?  But it’s good for you, your skills improve faster, hehe.”

“Hwa-yeon, you’re really taking advantage of the fact that this isn’t your problem.  You should have helped me out a little when you saw how busy I was.”

“I couldn’t help it~. I couldn’t find any good places around here.”

“Sure you couldn’t.  Sigh, such is my fate.”

Despite my grand words, we ended up at a typical neighborhood chicken place.

It seemed to double as a pub, and the interior was decent, but no matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem worth the effort of making a reservation and searching it out.

“Even if it looks like this, there’s no better place to talk without worrying about other people listening. These days, all the pubs have such open spaces.”

“That’s true.  Anyway, thanks for finding a place. Cheers.”

“Yay, cheers~!”

Still, it was nice that the tables were surrounded by partitions that came up to about chest height, allowing us to talk freely without worrying about being overheard.

When the chicken we ordered arrived, we chatted about work and family matters over 500cc glasses of beer and a few shots of soju.

“So, my *unnies* nag me every time they see me.  I’m tired after work too, but they just keep asking me to do this and that.”

“Your *noonas* are probably even more tired after working at their companies. It’s natural for us, who are less busy, to help them out.”

“But I go to school too! Do you know how much harder that makes things for me? It’s like working twice as hard.”

“Yes, yes~ I know, I know.  Our Hwa-yeon is so tired, what are we going to do?  There, there.”

“Ugh… You’re just making fun of me.  I’m seriously talking to you, and you’re being sarcastic.”

“Oh, you noticed?  Our Hwa-yeon has gotten much smarter.”

“Do you really want to die? Do you want to pay for all the drinks too, not just the food?”

“Come on, give me a break. Your *oppa’s* running out of money too.”

I had been giving my younger siblings a lot of allowance lately, so it was time to start thinking about my spending.

Hwa-yeon, seemingly aware that she had been draining my wallet, quietly shut her mouth and sipped her beer.

“Anyway, can I ask you something now?”

“What is it? …Is it about what we were talking about earlier? Really?”

“It might be embarrassing to talk about with *oppa*, but who else can I be this honest with besides my family?”

“Well, that’s true, but… what are you so curious about?”

“Hwa-yeon, were you really curious about a man’s body?  Or was it just a mistake driven by curiosity?”

There wasn’t any serious meaning behind my question.

If she just admitted it was a momentary mistake or impulse, it would become another lighthearted topic for our drinking session.

…Or so I thought.

Why wasn’t Hwa-yeon answering, just touching her earlobe?

“Hwa-yeon?”

“Um, well… *oppa*.”

“Yeah?”

“To be honest… my interest isn’t completely zero.”

“Huh…?”

“It’s something I could be a little interested in, right? I’m a young woman in her prime, and I’m… curious about that kind of thing at this age.”

This wasn’t right.

Why was the atmosphere suddenly shifting like this?

‘Is she drunk?  I should have just toasted with beer instead of mixing it with soju.’

I belatedly poured cold water into my glass, but unfortunately, Hwa-yeon’s confession beat me to it.

“If *oppa* is adopted, then even if I… showed you that kind of thing… it wouldn’t be that wrong.”

“…Gulp, gulp.”

I stopped lifting my water glass and took another swig of my half-empty beer glass instead.

I must have put too much soju in it, because it tasted even more bitter than the coffee I had made.

That must be why my face felt so hot, like it was on fire.

Why my insides felt like they were boiling.

‘Hwa-yeon’s face is red… because of the pub lighting.’

Convincing myself of that, I clinked glasses with her as she silently raised her glass.

Even though I had just taken a drink, the alcohol still felt insufficient, barely wetting my throat.

With the rising intoxication, I felt like something big was going to happen tonight if I didn’t get a grip on myself.

—–CROW—–

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