Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 44: Chapter 3 – Yoo Gaeul (END).

As evening approached, my sister began entering the door lock code at home.

Expertly unlocking the door, she didn’t hide her tired steps as she roughly opened the door and entered the house.

“I’m home.”

I warmly greeted my hardworking family.

“You’re home?”

“Welcome back!”

“Hello, lawyer sis!”

“….”

Gahyeon took my sister’s bag and carefully placed it next to her dressing table.

Gaeul tasted the stew slightly and nodded as if it was okay.

I placed the freshly cooked rolled omelet on the cutting board and cut it nicely.

“Gaeul Noona, I already set the chopsticks and spoons. Is there anything else I can do?”

“Hmm… Then can you get the cold cups and beer from the freezer?”

“Okay! Got it.”

With everyone taking the initiative, dinner was quickly prepared.

My sister, who had quickly washed up and changed into comfortable clothes, looked at the well-set table.

The menu consisted of kimchi stew generously filled with pork, seasoned seaweed, pickled cucumbers, and savory rolled omelets.

Sitting at the head of the table, she put pork and kimchi on her spoon and took a bite with the soup.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Oh, I’m so glad it suits your taste. I was worried it might be a bit salty, but hearing you say that makes me so happy! Actually, the taste of kimchi stew depends mostly on the kimchi, so I wasn’t too worried about the taste, but the seasoning and ingredients can vary a lot. Some households use fish sauce, some use soy sauce, and it’s very diverse. Some people don’t like the smell of pork, so they don’t eat it…”

As Gaeul’s torrent of chatter poured out, my sister took another spoonful of the stew.

When she nodded in satisfaction, Gahyeon began pouring beer into a cold pewter cup.

Whether he learned it from somewhere, he tilted the cup slightly and poured the beer perfectly, balancing the foam and the beer.

When Gahyeon neatly placed the poured beer in front of her, my sister started to drink it refreshingly.

Drinking the perfectly supercooled beer that chilled to the bone, she let out a refreshing sigh of satisfaction, “Kya!”

It was a successful reaction.

Nodding at each other, we chatted about our day. My sister also occasionally responded and participated in the conversation naturally.

As the cheerful conversation continued, my sister suddenly spoke up.

“So, why are they in my house?”

I spoke as if it were no big deal.

“Huh? Well, Gahyeon is going to live with us starting today. Since it’s the first day, Gaeul wanted to check it out too, so I brought her along.”

My sister put down her chopsticks with a clattering sound and said.

“Who decided that?”

…It seemed my plan to brush it off casually had failed.

I changed my attitude and spoke sweetly like a flattering sycophant.

“Whose decision? I thought of our home’s reliable supporter, our family head, Seon Dalrae. It was a bit lonely after Gyeoul moved into the dormitory, right? I knew that and prepared a gift.”

And then I made a ‘ta-da’ sound with my mouth and pointed at Gahyeon.

Then Gahyeon awkwardly bowed his head and greeted.

“…Please take care of me.”

“….”

My sister nodded as if she realized something after looking at me.

“Okay, now I get it.”

Oh, did she understand my feelings?

“Right, sis! This is all for you…”

“It was a mistake not to beat you when Gaeul moved in.”

“…Huh?”

My sister stood up, emitting a heavy aura, and looked for her beloved weapon, the dining table.

However, I had prepared for this.

I had already put away the dining table.

In my self-assessment, it was a genius move that looked three steps ahead.

Thanks to that, my sister couldn’t find the dining table in its usual place.

The twist started there. My sister, who was looking around, separated the electronic piano I occasionally played from its stand and lifted it.

…So you could lift that like a blunt weapon?

I was startled and tried to stop her. And I half-shouted in persuasion.

“You said you wanted to raise a cat before! This isn’t any different! I’ll pay for everything!”

“How is raising a person the same as raising a cat? You crazy bastard!”

“What does a cat have that Gahyeon doesn’t?”

What could a lowly mammal that couldn’t even walk on two legs win against?

“Intelligence?”

The intelligence of a cat being fooled by a laser pointer wasn’t even funny.

Gahyeon, who speaks Korean fluently and is in secondary education, wins.

“Strength?”

Even if five cats surrounded and simultaneously threw punches, one soccer kick from Gahyeon would knock them out.

Gahyeon, who holds a yellow belt in Taekwondo, wins.

“By any measure, Gahyeon is far superior!”

“What nonsense about intelligence and strength? That’s not what’s important!”

“What’s more important than that?”

“Cats are cute, and he’s not.”

“Gahyeon is cute too!”

I shouted, trying my best to stop the swinging electronic piano my sister had lifted.

“Gahyeon! Now is the time to show your abilities! Prove you’re superior to a cat!”

“No, how can I beat a cat in cuteness?”

“Humans have the weapon of charm. Try imitating a cat!”

Gahyeon, after glancing around, closed his eyes tightly, put his hands together like a cat, and said.

“…Meow?”

“…”

An overwhelming silence filled the room.

In that silence, Gahyeon spoke in a tired voice, like an old man who couldn’t endure life’s hardships.

“…Can I go commit suicide for a moment?”

“Wait, Gahyeon! It was cute to her!”

Gaeul, startled, grabbed Gahyeon, who was trying to run out the door.

Gahyeon tried to shake off her hand and said.

“Sorry, Noona. I don’t have the confidence to keep living.”

“Gahyeon!”

My sister, watching the farce, muttered softly.

“…He is cute.”

This works?

During a short break after training, Gyeoul shared her experience with Gaeul.

“…I was blocking Gahyeon with my body to keep him from running out, and when I turned around, the electronic piano was falling! I think she slipped while trying to lift it in an awkward position. So Team Leader Seon desperately threw the falling electronic piano towards the corner of the house. It seemed like he was trying to minimize the impact since he couldn’t stop it from falling.”

She passionately continued the story, even mimicking Seon Taeyang throwing the electronic piano.

“There was a loud crash as the piano shattered, and pieces flew everywhere. But that wasn’t the end. I don’t know if it was because of the battery or if the outlet was old since it’s an old apartment, but the thrown piano caught fire! It flared up!”

“So what happened then?”

“Of course, it was chaos! I called the firefighters on my phone, Gahyeon went to the bathroom to get water, and Team Leader’s sister tried to evacuate us. Meanwhile, Team Leader Seon quickly put out the fire with a fire extinguisher he got from somewhere. That sight of Taeyang Oppa was quite…”

Gaeul, laughing with a dreamy expression as if imagining something, wiped her saliva and continued.

“Oops, ahem, my words went off track. It’s really fortunate that it didn’t escalate into a big fire, but that doesn’t mean the aftermath was small. Piano fragments were scattered everywhere, and fire extinguisher foam was sprayed all over them!”

Gaeul shared everything, from the reason Seon Taeyang had to be hospitalized to the commotion they experienced yesterday. Even the things that could be considered embarrassing to her.

And Gaeul told those heavy stories playfully and amusingly, as if she were sharing fun tales.

Gyeoul felt that her demeanor was truly a form of delicate consideration.

This consideration was not just for this moment.

During training, during short breaks, when they met while going to work, and when strangers appeared making it hard for Gyeoul to speak.

Gaeul considered all those moments to make Gyeoul feel comfortable.

Gyeoul liked her for that.

So she hoped this story would end with Gaeul fully joining.

“Then, can I be an idol with Gaeul Unnie now?”

“…Yes, that’s right. All the issues have been resolved now. Even if something else happens, I won’t give up. Never.”

“That’s a relief! I’m so happy.”

Gyeoul expressed her joy honestly.

Gaeul looked at Gyeoul with a strange expression.

It was as if she didn’t know what to do with the whirlpool of emotions inside her.

The biggest part of Gaeul’s complex emotions was guilt.

Realizing this, she made up her mind and spoke.

“Gyeoul, do you remember the day we first met? We got scolded by Taeyang Oppa.”

“Oh… I’m sorry; I reacted strangely back then, which caused a misunderstanding with Taeyang Ssam. I won’t let that happen again…”

“No, it wasn’t you reacting strangely. It was me who was strange.”

Gyeoul looked at Gaeul with a puzzled expression.

“Gaeul Unnie?”

Gaeul’s face was stained with guilt.

Yet, there was also a firmness that she needed to speak.

“It was because I was jealous of you.”

“Oh… You mean the clothes back then? The yellow jersey you wore was cuter! So it’s okay!”

Gaeul shook her head and said.

“It wasn’t about the clothes. The problem was that it was Taeyang Oppa’s clothes.”

“…Why?”

“Seeing you wear it made me feel that you had spent more time and built more 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 human relationships and lacked a lot of social awareness.

But even Gyeoul couldn’t miss this one.

“…Gaeul Unnie, do you like Taeyang Ssam?”

There was a moment of silence.

A breeze carrying the sweet scent of acacia flowers blew through the window.

And Gaeul spoke words sweeter than the scent of flowers mixed in the gentle breeze.

“Yes. It’s surprising that I can have such feelings… As time goes by, it gets deeper and deeper.”

It was so obvious.

Because anyone could see that Gaeul was in love just by the way she talked about Taeyang.

Gyeoul’s heart ached.

So much that it felt poignant.