My Younger Sister Was My First Love - My Younger Sister Was My First Love chapter 74
74. Summer Contract
I’ve received confessions several times before.
A penalty kiss for my misdeeds.
Various excuses to hear the words “I love you”.
But this time, the tone and atmosphere were completely different.
The gaze was different too.
Moreover, this time, it wasn’t even my doing.
“……Say it again, oppa.”
I felt like I’d been hit on the head with a hammer, and my open mouth wouldn’t close.
“I think I really like you.”
The person making the confession had a face like they’d discovered the secrets of the universe.
But even that reaction was good.
It was enough.
This was a monumental moment.
It was an event so joyful that I could write it in my diary.
“That…that’s right.”
My voice trembled.
I could feel my heart racing.
Was our love, which we’d been waiting for with burning desire, finally starting?
Was oppa finally acknowledging me properly?
“Anyway, so I think Min-ju can’t be my girlfriend. I’ll have to reject her properly.”
“Then it’s fine! I’ll take the girlfriend position! Oppa likes me, and I like oppa too!”
Everything was going smoothly.
But then…
“But that’s different from this.”
Oppa looked at me with an expression that said “what are you talking about?” and slowly blinked.
“What?”
“No, not meeting Min-ju and meeting you are two separate events.”
What was this person saying?
“No! No! Wait, oppa. I like you!”
“Okay.”
“I like you too, oppa!”
“Okay.”
“But why not do this? Why not do this?”
My tone was almost like a kindergarten teacher scolding a 4-year-old.
“We’re like siblings, so it can’t be.”
“Now you’re saying that? Now that we’ve confirmed our feelings and even kissed?”
“And isn’t it weird to say we’re meeting each other? We meet here all the time.”
Oppa turned his back on me, picked up the bracelet box, and went back to his room.
It was ridiculous.
It was so ridiculous that I couldn’t even say it out loud.
I thought that Uncle was sorting out his relationship with me because he liked me, but then he rejected me?
No. Is this the right world?
I wanted to rush in and protest right away, but I forced myself to bite my lip and stay calm.
Fine.
Let’s just be satisfied with defeating that annoying uncle of mine.
Even if he’s indecisive when it comes to me, he’s a very resolute person when it comes to other matters.
He’s the type who really gets things done.
Just looking at how he got into Korea University shows that his willpower is not ordinary.
I realized it when I studied with him directly.
Uncle is really a superhuman.
For now, let’s just focus on sorting out his relationship with me, and if he completely rejects his uncle…
It seems like we need to take another step forward from here.
* * *
Keeping someone who says they like you but doesn’t reciprocate by your side is a bad thing.
I haven’t watched romantic dramas or novels, but I know that’s a terrible thing to do.
But at this timing, it might be okay.
It’s only been a week since Uncle confessed to me directly, so I think it’s still within the refund period.
Of course, Uncle’s feelings might get hurt…
But thinking about how Uncle might get depressed makes me feel uneasy too.
Jihee, including my confession, has rejected countless people’s confessions.
Uncle has also rejected several people’s hearts before.
Receiving a confession for the first time (excluding my sister) makes this process feel too difficult.
It might be easier if it were someone I didn’t know well.
Rejecting someone’s heart, especially someone I’ve known for a long time, is a psychologically painful and burdensome task.
“Hey, Lee Jun-ho!”
I called Uncle to a cafe near school, and as I looked at his bright face, my saliva started to dry up.
“Hi.”
“Did you like the Pal-jji? You called me first?”
My shoulders trembled at the mention of Pal-jji’s name.
That’s because it’s something I need to return to her right now.
“Yeah, Uncle.”
“Ah, just a minute. I’ll go buy a drink.”
I thought I should pay, but I lost the timing and just sat there, fiddling with my cross-back strap.
Soon, Uncle returned with an iced tea filled with ice.
The brown liquid rose up against gravity through the straw.
“So, did you call me out just to have fun today?”
“…No.”
“Then?”
“There’s something I want to say.”
Min-ju’s two eyes scanned me as if they were searching for something.
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like you’re going to say something good.”
“I’ll start with this.”
I took out a bracelet box from my bag and carefully placed it in front of her.
“……What does it mean?”
Min-ju tilted her head, puzzled.
“You don’t want to receive it.”
“If you’re feeling burdened, I’ve told you before that it’s okay to refuse.”
Min-ju pushed the box back towards me, as if she was going to return it.
“Take it.”
“Min-ju, it’s me.”
Can you understand me?
“There’s someone I like. I don’t think you can accept it.”
I managed to say it clearly, one word at a time.
Min-ju’s pupils slowly dilated, like a scene from a movie.
“You’re not going to suddenly meet a really pretty girl and fall for her, and then say something like this to me, are you? Is the person you like the one I’m thinking of?”
Min-ju didn’t rush towards me like Ji-hui did.
She didn’t make a sound.
She just looked at me with a calm, settled gaze.
“……Yes.”
“Sorry, but I’m not an idiot, and I didn’t know you liked Ji-hui?”
“What?”
“You always denied it, but I saw how you treated Ji-hui like treasure right next to me, so did you think I wouldn’t know that?”
My head spun.
Min-ju’s confidence in the fact was clear.
“I know everything you’ve said, and I’m still doing this to you now.”
The bracelet box opened again in Min-ju’s hand.
Just like the day I first received it as a gift, the silver band wrapped around my wrist once more, held by her hand.
“If it were someone else, I’d give up. I’m not the kind of person who takes away someone’s loved one by force, Lee Jun-ho.”
The sound of the clasp closing accompanied the bracelet, and Min-ju’s hand gently stroked my wrist.
“But it’s not Ji-hui, is it?”
Min-ju, with the bracelet on, slowly closed her eyes.
“She’s not someone who can make you happy, Jun-ho.”
The word “happiness” made my mouth dry up.
“Love is basically about two people meeting and trying to be happier together. And even if you two really have a deep connection, there’s no happiness in front of you.”
Min-ju’s words were a declaration that didn’t leave room for possibility.
Her appearance was like that of a sage, talking about an unchanging truth.
“So, I, who truly like you, cannot let you walk towards a cliff.”
“……I never said I’d date Ji-hui.”
Insipid excuses or actual words I said to Jihee.
“Ah, so you want to play a game of mutual unrequited love with your younger sibling at home? How long do you think you can keep up this act with Jihee? I think it’ll last about half a year. You’re already crossing the line.”
Miju’s words weren’t about just holding hands and sleeping together.
Suddenly, the condom Jihee had handed me flashed through my mind.
“So, what do you want to do?”
I told the brutal truth, explaining why I couldn’t accept Miju’s feelings.
But if Miju wasn’t going to give up, I was in a pretty precarious position.
“I said it already. I’ll do my best to make you like me.”
“Miju, I really don’t have the confidence to give you the answer you want. I’m saying this because the more I hold onto you, the harder it gets for you.”
“You don’t have to be absolutely sure to confess.”
It seemed like my words had slightly hurt Miju’s feelings.
Miju, however, smiled brightly and stirred the ice in her glass with a straw.
“You just confessed to Jihee because you thought she was pretty, and then you got rejected and came back to confess again, right? You’re really good at this.”
“No! That was when I was young, and besides, I didn’t get rejected and come back to confess again!”
“Fine, let’s do this. If you give me enough time and your feelings don’t change, I’ll cleanly let you go. That sounds fair.”
Miju’s dark brown eyes, a shade deeper than her hair color, shone with confidence.
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
“When is the deadline for this?”
“This summer. Until the end of summer break.”
June, July, August.
It was roughly a 90-day period.
“What if I reject your proposal?”
Honestly, it wasn’t a very appealing offer.
Jihee would know that I was regularly meeting Miju, and it would be hard for her to focus on her studies.
And who knows, I might end up liking Miju by the end of the summer.
It seemed better to settle things here.
But I wasn’t given that choice.
It was because of the penalty Miju had set.
“Then what? Should I spread rumors around town that you and your sister are sleeping together in the same bed?”
“……Are you serious?”
Was she going to spread that ridiculous secret around school?
“It’s not like I’m going to take care of you, so it’ll happen anyway. It’s not like it’s not going to happen.”
‘An older brother who romantically loves his younger sister’
I understood better than anyone how socially unacceptable that was.
Even people who got along with me might distance themselves from me if they heard about it.
It was social death.
Miju’s words left me speechless, and she quietly placed her hand on top of mine.
“If I were you, I’d rather date a few times than have that rumor spread. It’s a deal until the summer.”
From noble mtl dot net
“Pak Miju.”
“Seriously. If it doesn’t work out by the summer, I’ll ignore whatever you do with Jihee, even if you two get married. I’ll keep it a secret, of course.”
Summer.
Until summer.
“……I know.”
It was a situation where the blade was about to touch the tip of my chin.
I had to take back the bracelet box again.
It wasn’t just Min-ju, Ji-hee was a problem too.
If they found out I was meeting Min-ju, they’d go crazy.
We were the ones who lied and went to Min-ju’s house, kissing every morning.
At home, it was like siblings, but outside, it was a date with Min-ju.
“Okay, then. I’ll decide the next date spot. Come when I call you.”
Min-ju smiled brightly and got up from her seat, holding her cup.
“Ah, right. And next time, bring one thing with you.”
What thing?
“What is it?”
“Condoms.”
For a moment, I was confused about who I was talking to, my sibling or Min-ju.
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear? Bring condoms.”
“Why should I buy that?”
Min-ju leaned in, bringing her ear close to mine.
“To use.”
……Was I really okay with this?