episode_0064

I came back home with my new sister.

After some time, I was able to greet my in-laws whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.

The meal ended with our family and Sae-ah’s sister-in-law, and we arrived home.

The words my mother had said earlier wouldn’t leave my head. And my sister’s words too.

Mom’s words that she couldn’t do that to her older sister. In fact, she must have known about it but avoided it using the age difference from her previous life as an excuse.

My sister’s words, when she asked me if I liked her for no reason and was afraid she would leave me for no reason, could be seen as a part of what she saw in my heart.

I was only running forward and was busy just trying to survive, so I had never felt love and was therefore unsure.

I realized in this life that we are family, but I still haven’t realized what love is.

When my older sister, who had suddenly gone to study abroad and was always with me, disappeared, the void really hit me hard. To be honest, I missed her and wanted to see her.

I lay in bed and thought about whether the feeling I was having was love, but I couldn’t find an answer. I even searched on portal sites.

They say that love is the feeling of wanting to do something more for that woman.

I haven’t done anything in particular and I don’t want to do anything for you. It doesn’t seem like anything was particularly needed.

Some people say that when you love someone, you want that person to be happy even when you are not around.

Yeah? Honestly, I don’t think you’ve ever wished to be happy without me.

I also need to figure out why I’m not there, and if you’re happy without me, won’t you feel betrayed?

I turned off the computer, which was of no use at all, and went back to bed when I heard a knock on the door.

-dripping

“Yes. Come in.”

When I heard the knock, I thought it was my mom, but it was my dad who opened the door and came in.

“Why did you knock and come in?”

“When Dad does it, he does it too.”

“So why?”

“Mom, please give me some advice about your son’s worries.”

“What are you worried about?”

“Son’s first love?”

“Okay! While I’m here, I have a question. Why did Dad confess to Mom?”

“Why is my son speaking so obediently?”

“No. I’m serious now. I’m just curious.”

“Of course I like it and I want to be with you more. I confessed, right? ”

“I just love you. With that kind of feeling?”

“Huh? I don’t know about that, but I just liked you and wanted to stay with you longer, so I did it?”

“If that’s okay and you want to continue being together, is that love?”

“Right? How is it? Did Dad help you out a bit?”

“Okay. Thank you. You can go now.”

“Don’t you want to spend more time with your dad?”

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t the son love his father?”

“Is that so? Go out, Dad.”

“Oh no. This is too much. Son.”

“Ah, stop! Don’t do that. It’s not nice to see.”

As I thought about the conversation I had with my dad, who was pretending to cry while laughing, as he left,

I think I love my older sister more than I like her. Am I right?

I promised myself that from now on, I won’t avoid it so much and that I will try to be a little more honest with my older sister.

I stopped thinking and closed my eyes, and was able to fall asleep.

***

Wake up in the morning.

After finishing getting ready for school, I left the house with Ye-eun.

Ye-eun is holding the new cell phone she bought yesterday tightly in her hand, showing off how good it is.

I guess since I live without a cell phone, Ye-eun couldn’t ask me to buy one for her.

As I arrived at school, I thought to myself that if I had known I would like it this much, I should have bought it sooner.

Today is Saturday, so I sat quietly with the hope that school would be over if I just got through the 4th period, and then school was over.

As I met Ye-eun again at the school gate and was walking home, the same situation as yesterday occurred.

“Jaehoon~! Yeeun~!”

I heard Sae-ah’s sister’s voice from behind.

Sae-ah, who ran to me with her arms outstretched like yesterday, hugged me.

To Ye-eun, not me.

As I was thinking about whether to spread my arms, I naturally raised my arms and lowered them as quietly as possible.

“What? I thought Jaehoon wouldn’t hug me? Should I hug him?”

I guess you saw it.

Two gazes at me while embracing each other.

“No?”

What is this that makes me sad?

As I was walking home without making a sound, I heard voices behind me.

“You said you hugged your sister yesterday, so maybe you thought I was hugging you?”

“Right? Should I have hugged Jaehoon?”

“From now on, you don’t have to hug me. Hug me, oppa.”

“Really? Is that okay?”

I went into the house trying hard not to hear the conversation I was hearing behind me.

“Son-in-law! Did you have a good time at school?”

I was able to meet my mother-in-law who naturally lives at our house.

“Hello.”

“We’re going to order from a Chinese restaurant, is that okay with your son-in-law?”

“Yes, that’s good.”

That’s how we naturally ended up having lunch together.

Lunch together in the living room with my mom, mother-in-law, Ye-eun, and Sae-ah.

In the meantime, Ye-eun dissed me for the first time in her life.

“Mom. Earlier, Sae-ah ran to me and hugged me. Did she spread her arms because she thought her brother was hugging her?”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on me.

“…..”

I felt betrayed by Ye-eun and lowered my head as I ate the Jajangmyeon.

“I guess your son-in-law has opened his heart to Sae-ah too?”

“Oh my. My son is still far away.”

“Mom, but I saw you spread your arms earlier, so you’re all here!”

“In my opinion, no one can succeed unless they are a son”

Even my mother, who had always remained silent, fell to the enemy.

My side did not exist.

My younger sister, who always looked pretty, started looking ugly for the first time.

“Yeun-ah. You got sauce on your mouth. Wipe it off.”

“Really? Just eat it all and wipe it.”

I don’t know why I can see my dad smiling behind Ye-eun who is smiling.

“Mom.”

“Huh?”

“I think I need to pay more attention to Ye-eun.”

“Yeah, why?”

“I saw my dad smiling at Ye-eun.”

The gaze that had been focused on me turned to Ye-eun.

“Why me! I look like my mom!”

“Daughter. That’s not it. Ye-eun looks like her dad”

The mother flatly rejected Ye-eun’s claim that she resembled her.

“Our little bird looks like its mother. Right, little bird?”

“Yeah. Right?”

On one side, the mother and daughter were harmonious, while on the other side, the mother was busy avoiding her daughter’s gaze.

The peaceful lunch could end on a good note.

“Sister. I decided to work out with you. Do you want to go too?”

“Really? Then I’ll just change my clothes and come back!”

“We can go together and then leave right away.”

I left home with my new sister.

I arrived at my sister-in-law’s house, which was a 15-second walk away, and sat on the living room sofa to wait. Then my sister came out.

Sister Sae-ah came out wearing clothes that were so tight that you didn’t know where to look.

“Sister. Aren’t the clothes too tight?”

“I remember when I first went to the gym, so I wore something similar. What do you think?”

“It’s pretty, but you’re not going to leave like that, are you?”

“Is that what you’re wearing to show Jaehoon?”

“Okay. Since you have a nice body, unnie. Change your clothes and come back.”

“Yeah~”

Sae-ah went in with a smiling face and came out again changed into her normal workout clothes.

As I was leaving the house and walking towards the gym with my older sister, what was this?

This path we walked together for the first time in three years felt different.

Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since I went to the gym with my new sister.

I wonder if it was because I was feeling emotional.

“What are you thinking?”

“It’s different because we’re just going to the gym together after a long time?”

“Really? How is it?”

“Does it sound good?”

After hearing what I said, Sae-ah turned her head and looked at my face. She had the brightest smile I had ever seen today.

“Jaehoon, give me your hand!”

“Why?”

When I put my hand on my sister’s hand, she interlocked her fingers and then just started walking away.

I could have lost weight if I wanted to, but I didn’t hate it, so I held hands with my older sister and headed to the gym.

It was the day my heart beat faster than any other day in the past six years heading to the gym.

***

When I arrived at the gym, I let go of my sister’s hand and pushed open the door to go in. I saw my older sister, Geumseong, sitting in the corner and resting.

“Sister, I’m here~”

“Is the little one here?”

“Sister!”

“Oh! The new one is here?”

Sister-in-law Geum-geung and sister-in-law Sae-ah greet each other with smiles after a long time.

After laughing and chatting for a while, we were finally able to start exercising.

“Has Sae-ah done any exercise abroad?”

“Sometimes I just went running with my mom.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to start over again?”

“Yes.”

Positive older sister and Sae-ah older sister worked out in the corner, and I worked out alone as usual.

After working out for about an hour, I looked towards my sisters and saw that Sae-ah was nowhere to be seen.

“Sister. What about Sister Saea?

“I went to the bathroom for a moment.”

“Aha.”

I sat down on the floor to rest for a while.

“So, how is it seeing you again after such a long time, Sae-ah?”

“Suddenly?”

“You’ve been feeling down for a few days since you left.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I know that much because I saw you at least once.”

“I said that?”

“Right?”

In the meantime, Sae-ah came closer and the conversation ended like that.

“What were you talking about that made you suddenly quiet?”

“A story about when you went abroad to study and were a little kid with no energy?”

My positive older sister was smiling brightly at the thought of teasing me, and my new older sister’s eyes sparkled as if she wanted to hear more.

“Really? Is it Jaehoon?”

“Right?”

I looked at Positive Sister with all my energy, but Positive Sister was not someone who could be pressured by me.

“You said your child was absent-minded for a few days after you went abroad to study? Sometimes he would look around while exercising, right?”

“Hey, no matter what, sis, that’s not right.”

“Huh? Are you serious about going to the gym?”

“This isn’t yours either.”

“And there’s nothing else?”

“There isn’t any?”

I quietly got up and started exercising again, and after a while I left for home with Sae-ah.

While walking quietly without saying a word.

“Jaehoon, did you miss me that much?”

“…..”

“Hey, you were being honest earlier.”

“I missed you so much.”

I mustered up the courage to answer, but Sae-ah didn’t hear a word.

After a quiet greeting, we each went back to our homes.