Chapter 44
As dinner time approached, my older sister began to tap on the door lock.
Skillfully unlocking it, she didn’t hide her weary footsteps and roughly opened the door to enter the house.
“Hey, I’m home!”
I warmly greeted the family who had worked hard.
“You’re back, sis?”
“Welcome back!”
“Lawyer sister, hello!”
“….”
Gahyeon carefully took her bag and set it down next to her vanity.
Gaeul tasted the stew lightly, nodding as if everything was fine.
I placed the freshly grilled rolled omelet on the cutting board and cut it neatly.
“Gaeul, I’ve already set out chopsticks and spoons. Is there anything else to do?”
“Um… there are chilled cups and beer in the freezer. Can you grab those?”
“Okay! Got it.”
With all three of us taking the initiative, dinner prep was done in no time.
Having quickly washed up and changed into comfy clothes, my sister looked at the beautifully set table.
The menu included kimchi stew packed with pork, seasoned seaweed, pickled cucumbers, and savory rolled omelet.
Sitting at the table, my sister spooned pork and kimchi together and took a mouthful with the broth.
“…delicious.”
“Oh, I’m really glad to hear that! I was worried the seasoning might be a bit salty, but you saying that makes me so happy! To be honest, with kimchi stew, it’s all about the kimchi, so I wasn’t too worried about the taste, but the seasoning and side ingredients can really vary, right? Some places flavor it with fermented seafood while others use soy sauce—it’s all over the place. And some people dislike the smell of pork, so preferences are….”
While Gaeul’s storm of chatter poured out, my sister took another spoonful of the stew.
Nodding in satisfaction, Gahyeon began pouring the beer into a cold tin cup.
Wherever he learned it, he tilted the cup just right to pour out the beer and foam in perfect balance.
Setting the poured beer in front of my sister, she began to gulp it down heartily.
After downing the perfectly chilled beer that felt ice-cold to the bone, my sister let out a refreshing exclamation, “Kya!”
It was a successful reaction.
Nodding at each other, we chatted about the day’s events. My sister also chimed in occasionally, naturally joining the conversation.
As the cheerful chatter continued, my sister suddenly opened her mouth.
“So why are they in my house?”
I replied casually, as if it was no big deal.
“Huh? Well, Gahyeon decided to live here starting today. Since it’s his first day, Gaeul wanted to check things out, so I brought her along.”
My sister set her chopsticks down with a clatter.
“Who gave you the authority?”
It seemed like the operation of pretending everything was fine had failed.
I changed my attitude and sweetly spoke like a flatterer.
“Whose heart am I talking about? I’m just considering the feelings of our family’s strongest supporter, Lawyer Seon Dalrae! Gyeoul felt a bit lonely after entering the accommodation, right? I know that feeling well and prepared a gift!”
And I made a ‘ta-da’ sound with my mouth while pointing at Gahyeon.
At that, Gahyeon awkwardly bowed and greeted us.
“…Nice to meet you.”
“…”
My older sister nodded as if she had realized something by looking at me.
“Ah, now I understand.”
Oh, did she understand my feelings?
“That’s right, sister! It’s all because I was thinking of you…”
“It was a mistake not to take care of you when Gyeoul settled down.”
“…Huh?”
My sister stood up, exuding a serious aura, searching for her beloved weapon, the dining table.
However, I had anticipated this, so I was prepared.
I had already cleared the table away.
I dare say, it was a brilliant preemptive move looking three steps ahead.
Thanks to that, my sister couldn’t find the dining table where she usually set it up.
The twist came from there. While looking around, my sister found the electronic piano that I occasionally played, separated from its stand.
…So that could be wielded like a blunt weapon.
I freaked out and tried to talk her down. I half-shouted to persuade her.
“Sister, you’ve wanted to have a cat for ages! It’s all the same! I’ll cover all the expenses!”
“What’s the similarity between raising a person and a cat? Are you crazy?”
“What’s so special about a cat compared to Gahyeon?”
What kind of lowly mammal couldn’t even walk on two legs was trying to compete?
“Intelligence?”
The intelligence of a cat manipulated by laser pointers is no joke.
It’s Gahyeon, who speaks Korean like a native and is currently receiving secondary education, winning this one.
“Strength?”
Even if five cats surrounded Gahyeon and simultaneously threw cute punches, one soccer kick from Gahyeon would send them flying.
Gahyeon, a yellow belt in Taekwondo, wins again.
“In every aspect, Gahyeon is far superior!”
“What nonsense about intelligence and strength? That’s not what’s important!”
“Then what’s important?”
“A cat is cute, and that thing isn’t!”
“But Gahyeon is cute too!”
I desperately shouted while blocking the electronic piano my sister was swinging.
“Gahyeon! Now’s your time to show your abilities! Prove that you’re better than a cat!”
“No way, how can I win against a cat in cuteness?”
“Humans have the weapon of charm! Just do a cat impression or something!”
“You have a weapon, right? How about trying a cat impression!”
Gahyeon glanced around nervously, then closed her eyes tightly, hands clasped like a cat’s.
“…Meow?”
“……”
An overwhelming silence followed.
In that silence, Gahyeon spoke in a tired voice, like an old man who couldn’t take the hardships anymore.
“…Can I go commit suicide for a moment?”
“Wait, Gahyeon! You were cute!”
Gaeul rushed to grab Gahyeon before she could bolt out the door.
Gahyeon struggled against the grip, saying,
“I’m sorry, noona. I can’t bear to live longer.”
“Gahyeon!”
The older sister just muttered softly as she watched the farce unfold.
“…Well, it is cute.”
Is this really going to work?
*
After finishing their training, Gaeul took a moment to share her experience with Gyeoul.
“…I was blocking Gahyeon from going outside, and when I turned around, the electronic piano was falling! She must have hurt her hand trying to lift it up from a precarious position. Team Leader Seon desperately threw the falling piano towards the corner of the room. Since she couldn’t stop it from falling, it seemed she wanted to minimize the impact.”
She passionately continued her story by imitating Seon Taeyang throwing the piano.
“With a bang! The piano smashed and pieces flew everywhere. But that wasn’t the end! I don’t know if it was a battery issue or if it was the old outlet in the apartment, but somehow, the thrown piano caught fire! Whoosh, whoosh!”
“So what happened next?”
“Of course, there was chaos! I called the firefighters with my phone, and Gahyeon ran to the bathroom to fetch water. Our Team Leader noona was trying to evacuate us, while Team Leader Seon quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher from somewhere to put it out. Seeing Brother Taeyang in action was…”
Noticing Gaeul’s silly grin as she imagined it, she wiped her mouth and continued.
“Ah, um, that got weird. Luckily it didn’t turn into a big fire, but that didn’t mean the aftermath was small. Piano shards were scattered everywhere, with foam from the extinguisher layered all over them!”
Gaeul shared the whole story—from why Seon Taeyang had to be hospitalized to the chaos they experienced yesterday. She laid out even the embarrassing bits as if they were amusing tales.
And Gaeul spoke about that heavy incident in a playful and entertaining way.
Winter couldn’t help but feel that this was truly a thoughtful consideration.
Such thoughtfulness wasn’t just a fleeting moment. It thrived during training, during breaks, on the way to work, and in those awkward moments when strangers would approach, making it hard for Gyeoul to speak up.
It’s hard to bring it up.
Gaeul made sure that Gyeoul felt comfortable in every moment.
Gyeoul liked her for that.
So she hoped that the end of this story would close with Gaeul’s full reunion.
“So now, can I be an idol with Older Sister Gaeul?”
“…Yeah, that will happen. All the problems worth worrying about are tied up now. Even if something else happens, I won’t give up this time. Absolutely.”
“I’m so relieved! I’m so happy.”
Gyeoul expressed her joy honestly.
Gaeul looked at Gyeoul with a strange expression.
It seemed she was at a loss in the whirlpool of emotions.
In Gaeul’s complex feelings, the biggest share was taken by guilt.
Realizing this, she gathered her resolve to speak.
“Gyeoul, do you remember the day we first met? Taeyang Oppa scolded us.”
“Ah… I’m sorry, I reacted strangely back then, and it caused a misunderstanding with Teacher Taeyang. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again…”
“No, that was definitely not you reacting strangely. It was me who was weird.”
Gyeoul looked at Gaeul’s face, puzzled.
“Gaeul Unni?”
Gaeul had a face stained with guilt.
But there was also a determination in her eyes that said she had to speak.
“It’s because I was jealous of you.”
“Ah… you mean that outfit? The yellow jersey you wore looked cuter! So it’s okay!”
Gaeul shook her head and replied.
“It wasn’t about what the outfit looked like. It was the fact that it was Taeyang Oppa’s outfit that mattered.”
“…Why?”
“Because wearing that made me feel like you had built more time and trust with Taeyang Oppa than I did. …Thinking about that, I couldn’t control my feelings.”
“….”
Gyeoul was very aware that she was inexperienced in relationships and quite clueless.
But even she couldn’t miss this one.
“…Does Older Sister Gaeul like Teacher Taeyang?”
Silence fell.
A sweet breeze carrying the scent of acacia flowers wafted through the window.
And Gaeul spoke words sweeter than the flower scent blended with the gentle wind.
“Yeah. It’s surprisingly shocking that I could have such feelings… the more time passes, the deeper they grow.”
It was painfully obvious.
Anyone could see that Gaeul, speaking of Taeyang, wore the expression of someone in love.
Gyeoul’s heart thumped and ached.
So vividly, it was almost overwhelming.
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