My Younger Sister Was My First Love - My Younger Sister Was My First Love chapter 73
73. Reasons for Not Accepting
My heart makes a sound.
It’s a sound filled with a sense of incongruity.
This is strange.
In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong if I said I had fallen for Minju at this timing.
The soft, reflected light of his short, sun-kissed hair…
Min-ju, who had become an adult, was even more charming than I had imagined.
But I felt a sense of unease, as if I was going to get dizzy from this excitement.
“……Yeah.”
I didn’t deny it.
My heart was clearly racing, after all.
“It seems that way.”
“Really? That’s great! Anyway, you wear it well. I bought it because I thought it would really suit you.”
Min-ju spread out my palm and placed a box on it.
“By the way, this jacket is a bit too hot to wear now. That’s it.”
Min-ju, who was skilled at changing the subject, was now wearing the jacket and spinning around in a circle.
“How’s it look? Does it suit me?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty.”
“Then, it’s yours for today.”
Just as Min-ju was about to say something more.
“What’s going on? Is someone there?”
The student council president and another senior entered, and an awkward atmosphere flowed between me and Min-ju.
“Ah, sorry. Should I step aside?”
The student council president turned around 180 degrees as soon as they saw us.
“No, no, no! It’s not like that!”
I tried to grab onto them in a hurry, but they had already let go of their prey and didn’t seem to care.
“Hey, you guys are having fun, but don’t make the others uncomfortable, okay?”
“Yes, yes, I Jun-ho. Let’s go. The seniors are uncomfortable because of us.”
“No, it’s not good timing to leave now.”
“What’s wrong? You’re excited too.”
I, who had forgotten how to breathe in the face of facts, was dragged by Min-ju’s hand all the way to the tennis court.
“The weather’s nice.”
“I agree.”
“So, I was going to say something earlier.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have time tonight?”
“No, I have to go see Ji-hui.”
Min-ju’s expression turned sour at the mention of Ji-hui’s name.
“I Jun-ho.”
“Yeah.”
“Can’t you just wear that and go home?”
“That’s a bit……”
Min-ju was talking about wearing the bracelet I gave them and going home.
In reality, that was equivalent to putting one’s head into a crocodile’s mouth.
“So, you’re going to take what I gave you and hide it in a drawer or something, making it disappear forever?”
In truth, it would be best if I didn’t receive this thing.
But I didn’t want to admit that I bought it because I thought of you, and it seemed like a bit of a facade.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Anyway, if you keep going back and forth, Jihee will notice too.”
Minju, who was keenly aware of Jihee’s presence.
It was as if she knew exactly what was going on, and the conversation was swift.
“Why do you want something like that?”
I wondered why Minju wanted it.
“What’s the point?”
Minju’s gaze was fixed on my bracelet.
“You’re telling me not to date anyone, like an older brother.”
* * *
Even in the morning, I thought about Minju as I rode the bus.
On my way back home, my mind was filled with thoughts of Minju.
It was as if I had become obsessed with the idea of her, like a literary character.
The bracelet.
When I searched online, I found that it wasn’t a particularly expensive brand (although it wasn’t cheap either).
I fiddled with it, wondering what to do, and eventually put it back in the box.
I knew Minju would be upset if I wore it, and I wouldn’t hear the end of it.
It was true that Minju and Jihee had become like rivals, but before that, I was Jihee’s mental guardian.
And if I accepted the bracelet, I’d just get scolded for not studying.
That would definitely stress me out.
Plus, the June mock exam was coming up.
It wasn’t a good idea to provoke my little sister’s nerves right before an important test.
I changed my plan and decided to buy some food from outside instead.
Fried chicken.
Jihee likes fried chicken too.
We’d eaten chicken together several times, but this was our first time having fried chicken.
I handed the card to the old man at the truck, and in return, I received a black plastic bag.
-Beep beep-
When I pushed open the door and entered, the house was quiet.
Jihee was indeed keeping to her schedule.
Even if she didn’t say when she’d arrive, she rarely fooled around, unlike some people.
I put the fried chicken on the table and sat down on the sofa, fiddling with my phone.
Instagram.
According to Jihee, it was a social media app that every college student had to have.
At first, I hardly used it, but lately, I’d been checking it from time to time.
I didn’t post anything to express myself.
There was no need to share my daily life with others.
Besides, I didn’t have many opportunities to travel or visit nice cafes.
Ji-hee seemed to be quite interested in that sort of thing, but Teacher Dong was unfortunately a student.
As I was scrolling through the story tab in a short video format,
I came across a post that made my eyebrows furrow.
The ID was Min-ju’s ID.
The owner of the wrist in the screen seemed to be me, no matter how I looked at it.
[Does it fit well?]
A simple Korean sentence was written.
Luckily, my name wasn’t tagged.
Only my wrist and the bracelet were stuck in there.
When did they take this? What is this?
I touched my phone, wondering if I had taken a photo, but nothing came to mind.
I was hesitant to ask them to take it down.
-Talk to you later-
The door opened, and Teacher Dong walked in, heading towards me.
The clock had passed 5 pm.
It was time to finish studying.
“……Oppa.”
“Yes?”
Ji-hee’s condition didn’t look good at all.
Unlike usual, when she would jump up and down, she seemed to have no energy.
“I’m just asking to confirm.”
“Yes.”
“Oppa, did you receive a bracelet from Unnie Min-ju?”
“What?”
“Did you receive a bracelet from Unnie Min-ju?”
Ji-hee rummaged through her phone and showed me the Instagram post I had seen earlier.
“Isn’t this you?”
A moment of hesitation.
Ji-hee was a quick-witted kid.
“Give it back.”
“What?”
“You received it from Unnie, didn’t you? So what’s up?”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Take it out first.”
I had agonized over not wearing it, and now it was being dragged out because of SNS.
It was a moment when the effort of putting it back in the box and into my bag was all for naught.
I let out a deep sigh and took out the bag, showing Ji-hee the bracelet.
“Why did you give this to me?”
“I did a favor for you today.”
“A favor?”
“It’s like a used goods deal, saying it’s not worth the time.”
“Seriously.”
Jihee seemed to be at a loss for words, chuckling and fiddling with her bracelet.
“Did you really get that expensive thing just because of that? Oppa, doesn’t that make sense?”
“I told you I wouldn’t take it, but if I don’t, it’ll be thrown away.”
The more excuses, the more absurd it becomes.
But there was no deceit in that.
“Ah, I’m so frustrated.”
Jihee dove onto the sofa, burying her face in the cushions.
“What’s wrong? Can’t you just give it to me? Why are you getting frustrated?”
“Oppa, think about it. Oppa, you like me, right? What if some other guy comes along and gives me a gift, saying he likes me? You’re just jealous. That’s why you’re getting mad.”
Jihee turned her head, gazing at me with a piercing stare.
“Are you happy? Are you feeling satisfied?”
“No, but since we’re siblings, that’s just how it is.”
“Yeah, we’re siblings who wake each other up with kisses every morning! If we receive something like that, of course, it’s not acceptable!”
Is it really not acceptable on their part?
Isn’t it even more unacceptable to wake each other up with kisses?
“Ah, I’m so frustrated. I’m so frustrated. I’m so frustrated. It’s driving me crazy, but should we just make up a story about us kissing and post it online?”
I was taken aback by her words.
It felt like my world was crumbling when I heard that with my own ears.
“What’s wrong with you, living in a world separate from reality?”
“Would you even consider it if I said I’d go with you, Oppa?”
Jihee’s eyes widened, as if she was being sincere.
“Don’t talk nonsense and give me back my bracelet.”
I was honestly a bit intimidated by Jihee’s anger, worried that she might break or damage something.
“Ah, seriously. No matter how I think about it, this noona keeps crossing the line? Oppa, you should go and tell her straight out. Tell her she has no chance. Tell her Oppa likes me.”
“……I did have a conversation, though.”
“What did you say?”
“That I don’t see her as a woman.”
“But she’s still doing that?”
Jihee jumped up, pounding the couch cushions, and sat down next to me.
“Oppa.”
“Why.”
“Tell Minju noona more clearly.”
“What?”
“Tell her you don’t like it when she does that. Tell her I’m the only one for you.”
Like a child throwing a tantrum, Jihee placed her leg on top of mine.
“I did say it’s burdensome, but they’re just pushing and pushing.”
“Why do you just take it all in stride!”
Yeah, I’m taking it all in stride for you too.
“Can’t you see?”
Considering how many times Jihee’s hand was held, it would be over 500 times.
“A gift. I’ll give you a gift too. I want to give a gift to Oppa.”
“Enough. Study instead. That’s a gift to me.”
“No way. Then Oppa will always wear the gift Unnie gave him, right?”
The sound of biting her nails, ka-deuk ka-deuk, was starting to feel eerie.
“How about going shopping with me tomorrow? Tomorrow, Oppa?”
“Listen, it’s a weekday. You need to study.”
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“Then let’s go on the weekend. Let’s go to the department store together on the weekend.”
When I looked at Jihee with a calm gaze, she seemed to be feeling extremely anxious.
It was as if she was on the verge of breaking down, like akukdas (a type of Korean cookie) about to crumble.
It wasn’t a good sign that a student’s mentality could be shaken so easily over something like this.
“Jihee.”
“……Yes.”
“What’s making you so anxious?”
“You’re making me like this, Oppa. Always.”
What Jihee wanted.
What Jihee hoped for.
The ultimate relationship Jihee pursued.
Even if I said I liked Jihee, the promise I was making was a different story.
It didn’t feel like a promise to escape the current situation.
“Jihee.”
“……Yes.”
“I’ve said it before, but I don’t think I can date Minju.”
I put the bracelet back in the box, and it felt like my mind was clearing up.
……Return it.
This was something that shouldn’t be accepted.
Minju had asked me to see her in a new light, but to me, there was already someone I was looking at.
In fact, even the moments when I felt a slight tremble were times when I was mimicking Jihee’s actions.
I wasn’t ready to look at Minju at all.
“Are you going to make excuses again, saying it’s because of something that happened in the past? It’s tiring. Make a decent excuse. This is Oppa we’re talking about.”
Jihee bit her lip, as if she was about to cry.
“……That’s not it.”
“Then why can’t you date Minju Unnie?”
Slowly.
Very slowly.
It was like watching a slow-motion video as I faced Jihee’s deep brown eyes.
“It’s because I really like you.”