episode_0089

“I might come home late today.”

“Why!?”

“I have to send wedding invitations to my friends. I took some time off and kept going back and forth. Since I don’t meet many people, I feel like I’ll end up drinking.”

“Ah…”

Even my brother is busy distributing wedding invitations.

He said he already gave them to his team members at work, and his schedule was full with friends and other people he needed to send them to.

Come to think of it, Dad asked for the link to the wedding invitations and said he sent them out.

“Can I go too?”

I don’t really have anyone.

All my human relationships reset after Lee Ji-hye became everything.

I don’t even have close friends anymore, so it’s a bit awkward to call someone.

For example… asking a military buddy to attend a wedding because I got married.

It suddenly turns into a joke. It’s hard to believe, so I’d say I transitioned genders if I had to invite them.

…Yeah, that wouldn’t work either.

“I want to go too. You can’t meet someone for the first time at a wedding.”

You should meet your brother’s friends at least once, right?

Meeting at a wedding.

Walking around in a wedding dress and greeting people you barely know will be the norm.

“Um… maybe.”

“And send invitations to those you’ll only contact via phone in advance.”

“Oh… okay.”

My brother hesitated as he looked through his phone contacts.

“I’m not sure who to send it to.”

“Just send it to everyone except colleagues and close friends you meet regularly.”

“Oh… is that okay?”

Sending an invitation implies some level of acquaintance.

At least there’s a contact number.

Whether they come to the wedding or not is up to the recipient.

If they have enough friendship to attend a wedding, they will likely come, and even the amount of gift money is ultimately decided by the other person’s judgment.

There’s no need to waste time worrying about it.

“Ah… I understand now.”

After explaining briefly, my brother quickly checked and sent the invitations to those he would meet in person and glanced over the rest before putting his phone down with a sense of relief.

“Thanks. I almost spent the whole day thinking about this.”

“I’ll text you later. I’ll get ready and wait.”

“Got it.”

My brother straightened his suit and got up.

“Are you not going to kiss me goodbye?”

“Oh.”

My brother turned around and gave me a peck on the lips.

“Have a good day.”

“Yeah. I’ll be back.”

After seeing my brother off, I quickly undressed to take a shower.

I need to get ready too.

*

“Oh my, are you really getting married?”

“I didn’t forget to send out the invitations.”

I stopped by the mart I frequent and handed an invitation to the lady there.

“Oh, I have good intuition, don’t I? I could tell you were getting married just by looking~”

“Hehe. Is that so?”

Several employees at the mart gathered to receive the wedding invitation.

They all looked at the pictures and said they would come.

Didn’t my brother see her last time?

I left the mart with their goodbyes.

If I’m meeting someone in the morning… it must be Hye-jin unnie.

She should be working by now, so I decided to visit her.

Driving quietly across the bridge, passing by a cafe where people were enjoying their drinks, I could see buildings in the distance.

How many years after having a baby will I be able to do this work again?

I feel like I need to reach an age where I can receive plenty of love and take care of myself before I can work.

But it seems like I might have another baby before that happens.

I just can’t resist.

Mini Lee Ji-hye will want to have a mini brother.

And vice versa.

“Oh, hello.”

“Hello.”

Entering the studio after passing by familiar faces whose names I didn’t know, I carefully walked through the widely spreading flashes and quietly pulled out a chair, sitting down cautiously to avoid making any noise.

Nearly finished, Hyejin unnie stretched and focused one last time.

“Phew… Good job.”

Tidying up the camera and approaching unnie, who was working on her laptop, I called out, “Unnie!”

“What’s up? What brings you here?”

“I came to hang out!”

Surprised for a moment, she soon greeted me with a bright smile.

“You said you were busy, didn’t you?”

“Hehe. Can’t I take a break once in a while?”

Dark circles under her eyes were prominent. She hadn’t put on makeup, and her clothes still looked somewhat disheveled.

“Ugh… Would you like to go grab some coffee?”

“You always look sleepy, how do you manage to stay awake?”

“Well, I make sure to get a solid 3 hours of sleep at least.”

She’s not Einstein, but she lives a busy life.

“Sigh… Alright, let’s go.”

We stopped by a nearby cafe. As expected, unnie ordered an espresso and quickly downed it, regaining her composure.

“Wow. Do you enjoy that?”

“Not particularly? Feels like I’m drinking it to stay alive.”

“I’ve always wanted to ask, why do you live such a hectic life?”

I’ve never seen someone this busy before. Busy yet disciplined. Disciplined yet self-destructive.

“Is it because it’s fun?”

“If it’s just for fun, there’s no need to push yourself that hard.”

“Well… that may be true. But this is my choice. I just want to keep going because I find it really enjoyable.”

Adjusting her glasses, unnie smiled subtly.

Perhaps enviable. To be able to focus so intensely on something you love.

“Oh, right.”

I took out the wedding invitation from my bag and handed it over.

“I’ve finished all the invitations. I wanted to give one to you too.”

Even though we had agreed she would come, it felt odd not to give her an invitation, right?

“Oh… That’s really nice. Just as expected of you.”

“…?”

“Was that a compliment?”

Her glasses sparkled in the sunlight, a confident expression within. More like a doctor than a photographer.

“Yes.”

“Good. By the way, I promised to take your wedding photos, right? Look forward to it. I’ll capture you even more beautifully.”

“Hehe. I’ve been waiting to hear that.”

Sipping our coffee, we spent some time together.

Nodding off.

The confident smile and gaze disappeared, replaced by a drowsy face as she tilted her head back and forth, succumbing to the power of the espresso.

“Hmm…”

Seemingly about to fall asleep, her head spun around once, then again, and once more before finally coming to rest against my shoulder as if collapsing.

“Ugh…”

Surprisingly long eyelashes fluttered. Was it the light irritating her eyes that made her tightly shut them, only to open them again repeatedly?

Should I wake her up?

It would be better if she slept until her dark circles disappeared.

Unfortunately, the spot she chose was directly hit by the sunlight.

As much as she said she’d only nap for 3 hours, it was a habit to sit in that spot to prevent falling asleep…

“Sleep well.”

Unnie seemed deeply asleep, breathing quietly.

“Ugh…”

Despite the hot sunlight pouring down, the distant breeze from the air conditioner cooled my body. I wore a hat to protect my face from burning.

Just a moment.

Just a tiny moment of closing my eyes should be fine.

Leaning my tired body against hers, I entrusted myself to unnie.

As we supported each other, the burden lessened, and my body relaxed slightly.

Disheveled hair cast a shadow.

She didn’t need a hat.

“Good night….”

And so, we quietly fell asleep inside the secluded cafe.

*

“Geez.”

“Oh my. This is crazy.”

My body tilted for a moment.

Though my face plummeted to the ground, luckily, it was soft.

Soft…?

“…Jihye?”

“Uh… Did you sleep well?”

“Ah… Why did this happen?”

Seeing my uneasy sister, I too became engulfed in tension.

For me, it was just hoping she had at least slept a little, but considering how busy she is working all day, it might be due to numerous commitments beyond mere sleep.

Commitments that were not just ordinary promises for someone like me.

“…Sis. I’m sorry. You look so tired… Let’s stop.”

“Phew….”

Taking a deep breath, my sister picked up the dried-up espresso and my coffee and headed to the counter.

The coffee I was drinking had mixed with the remaining coffee and melted ice, creating a subtle color.

The sunlight softened slightly.

It seemed like a lot of time had passed.

“Drink.”

“Yes.”

Looking at the sunlight, my sister sipped her coffee.

Unlike the usual espresso, it was the same iced coffee as mine.

“…Thank you.”

“…Huh?”

“Thank you. For putting me to sleep.”

I didn’t put her to sleep.

She just couldn’t resist the temptation of slumber and collapsed, and I merely supported her.

“…Why?”

“Why what. It’s the first time I’ve slept so deeply in ages.”

“You sacrificed sleep to stay busy… right?”

“Not at all. I suffer from insomnia and toss and turn every night. I found solace in working rather than lying awake.”

“…Work?”

“This sister here isn’t someone who works like a maniac. I keep postponing everything until the very end before dealing with it.”

Thinking that I might have inadvertently pressured my sister, a sigh escaped me.

“Anyway… yeah. Thank you.”

She patted my shoulder.

In her still awkward expression, it seemed like this was her way of comforting me.

“I’m relieved… I guess.”

I was slightly afraid she might get angry.

Because I stole her time.

“What’s there to be relieved about? I said thank you.”

“I should have woken you up at least once. There could have been excuses, at least.”

“Then… can I ask one thing?”

My sister clasped her hands together and leaned towards me.

Why?

“Anything except money.”

“Do I look like that kind of person!?”

“No?”

It’s unlikely, but if she asked for my entire fortune, I might have to tearfully hand it over.

“Ugh! Seriously. I’m not that kind of person. Just… just… well…”

My sister continued to stumble over her words.

Wanting to say something but unable to, her face turned red.

“…Sis?”

“Me… with me.”

“With me…?”

She covered her face with her clasped hands.

Her reddened face seemed like a bomb about to explode any moment.

“Let’s sleep together!”

And then the bomb exploded.