My Younger Sister Was My First Love

58. Relief

“……Are you lying?”

Jihee wouldn’t do something like that.

Who could have used it in our house?

If I, the only male in the household, didn’t do it, then it means another man did.

As I thought this, my heart began to beat irregularly.

“Why would I lie about something like this?”

“If you’re joking, just say so now. It’s not funny.”

“……I’m not joking.”

Min-ju’s slightly forced tone made me flinch, but they still didn’t let go of my wrist.

Their eyes seemed to be saying, “Believe me, I’m not lying.”

“I really touched it and checked several times. I asked because I thought you might know.”

“……That’s right.”

“If it wasn’t you, then keep it a secret from Jihee. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

I bit my lower lip with my upper teeth and nodded.

“Yes.”

After that, we walked to the bus stop without saying a word.

“Hey.”

I was the one who broke the silence, unable to bear the awkwardness.

“Yeah.”

“Did you see it on Jihee’s desk?

“Yeah. Next to the pen holder on her desk.”

I enter Jihee’s room more often than Minju does.

Whether it’s to wake her up in the morning or to help her with her studies, I go in at least three times a day.

Yet, I had never found any trace of such an item.

“But… if you didn’t write it, who do you think might have?”

Minju asked cautiously, eyeing me.

“…No.”

“Does Jihee not have any male friends at all?”

I knew that wasn’t the case.

From the start, my sister wasn’t the type to hang out with a lot of people.

Even on holidays, all she did was spend time with me.

Jihee devoted herself to her studies, building walls with her friends.

At least, that’s what I thought.

“I don’t know.”

“Really?”

If Jihee had a secret boyfriend and did something like that while I was away from home…

My imagination ran wild, and dark thoughts swirled in my head.

I had a lot to say.

The opening phrase seemed plausible.

“How could you deceive someone you live with and secretly bring a guest into our home?”

This was reasonable.

Anyone could get angry about this.

“Are you saying you dated someone during a time when you should be focusing on your studies? Are you out of your mind?”

This too was reasonable.

It was something parents would often say.

“But you said you liked me.”

This was unreasonable.

Unreasonable to the core.

It was a complaint that a normal older brother shouldn’t make to his younger sister.

But the mere possibility of it made me feel betrayed, and I couldn’t suppress the burning anger.

What were all those expressions she showed me, then?

Why did she write that letter? Did she have a boyfriend all along?

Why did she hold onto me and do such a thing?

The unpleasant, swirling feeling in my stomach didn’t subside even after I got on the bus.

It was time for a change of pace.

I let out a deep sigh and turned to face Minju beside me.

“Hey, I was thinking of just making a simple meal at home. Do you want to eat with me?”

I asked Minju in a low tone, as dinner time was approaching.

“Hey, are you going to eat too?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s for one person or two; it takes about the same time. If you’re okay with it, let’s eat and go.”

“Really? Then thank you. I’ll…”

Min-ju didn’t refuse.

“Yeah, let’s stop by the supermarket for a bit before we go.”

“That sounds good. We have class at 6 pm anyway.”

When I was young…

Back when my dad was still alive…

I have a vivid memory of getting scolded by my mom.

It was because I didn’t do my homework, and my mom scolded me for a while before telling me to come out and eat 30 minutes later.

What’s interesting is that I still remember that day’s menu was incredibly delicious.

Looking back, it feels like that’s what family is all about.

No matter how much we fight or bicker, in the end, we sit down together and make up.

Maybe my mom felt the same way while cooking dinner.

Even if we don’t get along, we still have to eat together, right?

I entered the supermarket, grabbed a basket, and quickly picked out tofu and eggs before checking out.

“What’s for dinner?”

The store owner, who seemed curious, peeked into the bag.

“I was thinking of making a tofu dish.”

“Something more serious than I expected?”

“I get tired of eating the same thing every day, so I try to make something different occasionally.”

“What’s the most unusual thing you’ve made recently?”

“…… Kimchi pancakes?”

My vitality, which was already pretty good, had leveled up even more after my mom left.

I got on the elevator with a heavy heart and entered my apartment.

“I’m back! Hi, unnie!”

“What’s up? Where did you go?”

Ji-hee, who was wearing a cream-colored blouse and a purple skirt, looked like she was ready to go out at any moment.

She even had makeup on.

Did she really go out somewhere?

“No?”

“Why are you all dressed up?”

We eat at home, and we have private lessons at home too.

“It’s just my mood.”

“My mood?”

“Yeah, unnie and oppa are all dressed up for school, so I wanted to dress up too.”

I was about to say that it’s uncomfortable to study when you’re all dressed up, but I swallowed my words and walked past Ji-hee.

“Just wait 30 minutes for dinner. You can rest on the couch for a bit, Min-ju.”

“Do you need my help?”

When Min-ju smiled apologetically, I shook my head repeatedly.

“You don’t cook, do you?”

“Then should I help you?”

“The student is going.”

If Jihee was by my side, it would be helpful, but I thought the mental stress I would receive would be even greater.

From the moment I saw his face, all I could think about was condoms.

My little brother, dressed in his underwear, holding a condom.

I, who had brought the two of them to the living room, washed my hands and ruthlessly chopped up the parsley.

Ah, seriously.

Even if I did this, the frustration of chopping parsley wouldn’t go away.

Aside from the feeling of my stomach turning upside down, tonight’s dinner menu was quite rich.

“Oh, is this beef?”

Minju’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, I had it at home.”

“I’ll eat well!”

Jihee, sitting next to Minju, started eating with a bright smile.

“Jihee.”

“What?”

“Do you have a lot of classes with Minju today?”

“Hmm… it’ll probably take over an hour, I think. There are some conceptual things that are a bit tricky.”

“Really?”

Minju told me not to talk about it, but I judged that I had to bring up the topic of condoms.

Sex education.

It’s part of sex education, isn’t it?

If you’re going to bring a guest to our home, you should at least tell me.

“I Junho.”

“Why.”

Minju, who had put a mouthful of tofu in his mouth, raised his thumb at me.

“You’re really good at cooking, just like before.”

“Suddenly?”

“No, it’s not a joke. You’re better than our mom.”

“Our mom will be hurt.”

“Yeah, you’ve eaten at our house before, right? I left everything too.”

I had forgotten, but the memory was definitely there.

Right, it was the flower crab stew that time?

The memory of not being able to eat it because it was too tasteless…

“Maybe it was because I had a childish palate back then.”

“Yeah, don’t cover it up. Our mom also acknowledged it. She can’t cook herself.”

As we talked about old times, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Jihee’s expression also became slightly hazy.

“Ah, remember when you spilled ice cream on the carpet and mom scolded you?”

“Did I do that?”

“The perpetrator never remembers, right?”

As Minju started talking about her childhood, Jihee’s words suddenly dwindled.

“Do you remember? We were together.”

“Unnie.”

Jihee, who had put down her chopsticks, looked at Minju with her chin resting on her hand.

“What?”

“Was our oppa cute when he was young?”

Minju’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“Cute… um… it’s hard to say that.”

“Is he better now?”

“Ah, of course. He’s completely grown up now. Lee Junho.”

“Huh, so he wasn’t a person before?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. He’s just a bit more now.”

As Minju stared at me intensely, I felt myself getting flustered instead.

“Whatever. He wasn’t cute, and he hasn’t changed much. That’s it.”

“I think oppa is cute.”

I knew it wasn’t something you’d only say to a girl, but hearing it from my younger sibling made it feel awkward.

“What’s with that.”

“This tic-tic thing you’re doing now.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t make that ‘tsk-tsk’ sound either.”

No matter what I said, Jihee would respond with that attitude, so I shut my mouth and focused on eating my rice.

“Jihee.”

“Yes?”

I wanted to remind Jihee again, so I gave her a warning.

“Don’t say unnecessary things to Minju, and just listen to what she has to say. Got it?”

“What’s unnecessary?”

“I don’t know, but try not to talk about unnecessary things until after class is over and we’re in our room.”

Jihee didn’t respond and just snickered before heading into her room, which Minju had been waiting for.

I returned to my room and collapsed onto my bed, exhausted.

I hadn’t even cleaned up yet.

But right now, I just wanted to clear my head.

They always said I was cute and did well, but condoms… If Jihee got a boyfriend, that might actually be a good thing.

I didn’t need to be swayed by my emotions anymore.

My sibling, who was addicted to Ince#stuous relationships, was actually normal, it seemed.

If I added a bit of exaggeration, it was as if our temporary two-person household had finally found ‘peace at home’.

Everything was going as planned, but why was I…

I rubbed my eyes with my fists.

I must have spent a considerable amount of time lying on the bed like that.

From outside the room, I could hear the sound of footsteps and voices at the same time.

– Knock, knock, knock

“Oppa, it’s done.”

When I opened the door and went out, Jihee and Minju, still in their idol outfits, were waiting for me.

“Were you sleeping?”

“No, I was just a bit tired.”

“Really? Jihee did well. You’re really quick to understand.”

“Hey, Unnie’s explanation was delicious, so that’s why. You’re better at it than Oppa, anyway.”

“Get out. Don’t take lessons with me.”

“Aww, why are you like that~”

Jihee clung to my arm, as if to show off.

“Be careful going in, Unnie!”

Minju gave me a glance that seemed to say “quickly let go of my arm,” and I swiftly turned my body to shake off Jihee’s grasp.

“Thanks. See you at school.”

“Okay, I’ll go!”

After Minju disappeared and the door closed, Jihee entered my room, not hers.

“You look unhappy?”

It was a tone that already knew everything.

I was already planning to bring it up, so I got straight to the point.

“Jihee.”

“Yes.”

“Have you had guests at your place? During the day?”

“There wasn’t anyone.”

“Tell me honestly. I’ll listen and ask.”

“What do you know?”

“The condom that was found in your room.”

“Did Unnie Minju tell you?”

Jihee didn’t show any signs of surprise.

Instead, she had an attitude that seemed to say “it’s about time.”

I swallowed my saliva and pushed Jihee against the wall.

“You. Were you really studying during the time I wasn’t home?”

“If you didn’t study, you wouldn’t have gotten that score.”

“So, everything Unnie Minju said was a lie?”

“No? It’s real, though.”

Jihee smiled brightly and pulled my hand.

“I’ll show you. Follow me.”

Jihee pulled me into her room and opened the drawer of her vanity table beside her desk.

“Okay.”

She handed me a small paper box.

Just as Jihee had said, the packaging was torn open.

“Open it.”

Without saying a word, I followed Jihee’s instructions and opened the lid. Instead of the three items that should have been there, only two unopened packages remained.

“……Where’s the other one?”

I asked, like a detective investigating a crime scene, and Jihee rummaged through the drawer again, pulling out an unused, empty rubber vinyl bag and waving it in front of me.

“……Are you relieved?”

……Yes.