As predicted, a drinking party broke out in the evening. And it was all thanks to Mom.
Our house was peculiar in that Dad didn’t really prefer drinking, but Mom was a real connoisseur, so such events happened quite often. Seeing her take the time to make snacks and set up the bottles herself, you’d think she was the real deal when it came to drinking.
And the person who joined today’s drinking session was none other than…
“Wow, New Daughter-in-Law can really drink, huh?”
“Yes, my father enjoys drinking quite a bit, so whenever I get the chance, I drink with him too.”
It was Older Sister Seo-ha.
“In our house, it’s weird; only the women can hold their liquor. My son doesn’t even drink with his mom.”
“If the Mrs. weren’t so reckless, I would have drank with her!”
As the drinks started flowing, the conversation became a bit more relaxed, and Mom suddenly pointed at me, ready to accuse me of being the sinner.
Come on, it’s not my fault that she was chugging down drinks in front of her freshly adult son and spilled pizza all over the floor! Why was that my fault?
Feeling wronged, I snapped back and grabbed a piece of cheese. It was one of Mom’s favorite drinking snacks.
“Uju, your glass is empty! Want another drink?”
While I was chewing on the snacks with an empty glass in front of me, Older Sister Seo-ha noticed and lifted a bottle of liquor she brought as a gift.
At first, I thought it was just an ordinary liquor bottle, but according to my sister, it had quite a price tag. After hearing that, it seemed like Mom was drinking even faster, but that must just be my imagination.
“Yes, Sister. But are you okay? Your face looks pretty red.”
As I asked with concern, seeing my sister slightly wobble while pouring me a glass made me worried. Uncharacteristically, she chuckled a bit foolishly and nodded with a smile.
“I’m feeling a bit tipsy, but I’m okay.”
“You don’t look okay, though.”
She wasn’t completely hammered yet, but it was clear she was getting tipsy. She probably accepted every drink Mom offered and that’s why it ended up like this.
Realizing I had let my guard down too much, I rubbed my forehead and slowly got up.
“Mom, we’re going out to buy some ice cream. Just to clear our heads.”
And I used Mom’s tendency to want ice cream after getting drunk as an excuse, creating an escape route for me and Older Sister Seo-ha.
“Oh, really? Do you need money?”
“How old do you think I am? No thanks. You and Daughter can enjoy your drinks.”
Fortunately, this seemed to work well, as Mom blankly nodded and gestured for us to go.
Seizing the moment, I boldly grabbed Older Sister Seo-ha’s hand and we left the house. Sure, my sister would have to deal with a bit of a mess, but that was none of my concern.
“Phew…”
“Sister, are you okay? Can you walk?”
As soon as we stepped outside, Older Sister Seo-ha took a deep breath, repeating it a few times.
Noticing she didn’t look well, I asked again, and she shook her head while smiling.
“Yeah… I’m fine. I just felt like I was starting to get tipsy, so I wanted some fresh air.”
‘Did Uju pick up on that?’ she concluded, gently taking my hand.
Perhaps because it was still sultry and maybe because she had been drinking, her hand felt unusually warm, which made my heart race for some reason.
“By the way, both of your parents really are wonderful people.”
“I’m glad to hear that. They didn’t do anything inappropriate, did they?”
Aside from maybe offering a drink, they hadn’t really acted in any disrespectful way, but I asked just in case.
Older Sister Seo-ha nodded vigorously and cautiously shared her thoughts.
“Not at all. I was really nervous meeting my boyfriend’s parents for the first time, but they were so kind that I relaxed quickly.”
“…Nervous?”
Did she really feel nervous? She didn’t look that way at all.
As I tilted my head in confusion at this unexpected revelation, Older Sister Seo-ha, who had been looking up at me, seemed to understand my thoughts and smiled gently.
“Did you think I wouldn’t be nervous at all?”
“Well… kind of. You meet so many impressive people regularly that I didn’t think you’d be nervous just meeting my parents.”
I had heard that she had even met the president a few times. It was hard for me to imagine someone of her caliber getting nervous just about meeting her boyfriend’s parents.
“Of course! I was more nervous than usual.”
“That’s surprising.”
“Nothing surprising about it. People in power in politics or business don’t matter much to me.”
Shrugging her shoulders, she intertwined her fingers with mine and added more.
“But your parents are different. I really wanted to make a good impression. I was so nervous, even just moving a finger felt nerve-wracking.”
“Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, Sister.”
If I had known she was this nervous, I could have offered her some words of encouragement. Of course, I wasn’t sure how much that would help, but anything is better than nothing.
As I offered my sincere apology, her eyes widened in surprise, as if she had never expected to hear such words.
“It’s okay. Just now, you understood me, right? You knew I wanted some fresh air.”
And then, with a soft smile, she leaned her head against my chest.
Even if it wasn’t just the tropical night’s heat, I could feel that she was quite warm.
“From now on, let’s just get to know each other more. Step by step.”
And then, on her tiptoes, she gave me a kiss. I didn’t smell any alcohol from her.
Instead, perhaps due to the chocolate snacks she had, I sensed a sweet, fruity aroma that was dizzying enough to make my head spin.
“Should we walk a bit longer before going back? It’d be a shame to just grab ice cream and head back.”
“Ha, should we?”
I held onto her hand again and suggested we go back to the drinking party.
It seemed like a tempting offer, as she nodded and slowly started matching my pace.
By the time we got home after buying ice cream, Mom was completely passed out on the bed, sound asleep.
*
Since it was getting quite late, we prepared for bed.
After finishing my shower, I spread out the guest blanket on the floor, placing two pillows and a thin blanket on top.
Having already removed most of the items in this room since moving out, there was plenty of space for the two of us to lie down comfortably.
The lack of a bed might be a downside for my sister, but I would just have to hope she could endure it for one night.
Screech.
“Are you done showering, Sister?”
As I nodded with satisfaction at the completed bedding, the door creaked open, revealing Older Sister Seo-ha.
“Yes, Yeon-joo lent me her hairdryer and lotion.”
“Glad to hear that. I wasn’t sure what to do without a hairdryer.”
Thinking back, I realized there was a hairdryer in my sister’s room. I had assumed the only hairdryer was the one I took when I moved out and had been walking around with damp hair.
Though she still had a slightly damp feeling, the majority of her hair was dry and gave off a gentle rose scent from the body wash we used at home.
It felt oddly strange to smell the same scent as my sister.
“Get to sleep, Sister. You must be tired from dealing with Mom and drinking tonight.”
“And you, Uju? Aren’t you going to sleep yet?”
“Uh, um… not quite yet. I’m just going to rest for a little longer.”
Under her sharp gaze, I bashfully scratched my cheek, making excuses.
In reality, I was quite drowsy. However, I just couldn’t bring myself to lie down next to Older Sister Seo-ha due to this strange tension.
I mean, I’m not some teenage kid, but having to share a blanket with my sister made me feel nervous in an unusual way.
As someone who had never really held hands with a girl let alone dated one in my 20-plus years of life, I couldn’t help but feel this way.
As I was about to leave the room, planning to either sit on the sofa in the living room until my sister fell asleep or maybe even dozing off there, she suddenly spoke up.
“Come on, it’s okay. Let’s just sleep together, okay?”
With a cute tilt of her head, Older Sister Seo-ha grabbed my hand and sweetly requested with a voice tinged with a hint of mischief.
Isn’t this a bit unfair?
“Are you worried I’ll eat you up, or something?”
“E-Eh!? What are you talking about, Sister?”
As I hesitated, gazing into her wide eyes, I snapped back to reality at the sly smile she gave me.
Watching me panic, Older Sister Seo-ha let out a soft chuckle.
“Haha, I’m just joking. So let’s lie down quickly. Uju, you look tired, too.”
“…Okay then.”
In the end, unable to resist her charms, I turned off the light and gently lay down on the bedding.
In the pitch-black darkness, the only sounds were the rustling of fabric as her body brushed against mine, causing me to unconsciously listen more closely.
Swish.
Something soft slipped into my bedding.
It felt as if it had searched around for a bit before finally seizing hold of my hand. It was likely my sister’s hand.
“Uju, you trust me, right? We’re just holding hands and going to sleep.”
“…Isn’t that usually what the guy is supposed to say?”
When I reacted in surprise to her outdated approach, the tension all but disappeared, replaced with a chuckle.
“Well, that’s usually for guys who are hasty, anyway. Our situation is an exception.”
“Our situation? What’s different?”
“Hmm… I guess I’m the one who’s more desperate?”
“…”
I couldn’t bring myself to ask what she was desperate for. I already knew in my mind.
“Anyway, today’s not the right time or place. I can hold back like this. So don’t worry and sleep well, okay?”
“Right, goodnight, Sister.”
“Yeah, dream of me.”
“I never expected to hear that.”
“It’s actually something I wanted to say at least once.”
I guess my sister also had her own fantasies or desires she wanted to fulfill. That was a bit surprising.
But with her soft laughter providing white noise, I closed my eyes, and sleep began to take over.
‘…Huh?’
In the midst of that, I suddenly recalled the last thing my sister had said, and my consciousness almost flickered back on.
Come to think of it, she mentioned it “wasn’t the right place.” So did that mean the timing was actually right?
If that were the case, then if it weren’t in our family home…
…No, I shouldn’t think about it. I might not be able to hold myself back like that.
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