158. Summer Festival (6)

…As soon as I said this, I twisted the corners of my mouth like Kang Joo-hyuk.

A look from my unnie I’d never seen in my life.

I felt the lingering trace of him in my unnie’s murderous, chilling gaze, and my mouth fell slightly open, leaving me speechless.

However, it wasn’t because I was scared.

It was because I was dumbfounded.

That would be the most accurate description.

“Come out. Put the phone down.”

I’d only ever imagined doing bad things, but I never had the courage to actually do them.

The thought of taking him away from my unnie is so repulsive I can’t even imagine it.

But the more I heard my unnie’s tone, hiding anger in her curt voice, the stranger it felt, like I was becoming the bad one.

The only time I ever had any mischievous thoughts about messing with my unnie or Hinami was that day the Manager was lurking around outside, but that’s it.

Even on that day, I was caught by Kang Joo-hyuk and forcibly touched, my mouth even horribly defiled.

So why is she wary of me?

No matter how I think about it, isn’t this the wrong direction?

“…What about Hinami?”

“I don’t know. She’s not really important anyway.”

But why does my unnie hate me, the victim, so intensely instead of Kang Joo-hyuk, who’s cheating, or Hinami?

Even Hinami, who’s far from normal, barely brings up anything related to him when they’re together these days.

Can’t my unnie just do the same?

If she hated anyone getting close to him, she should have pushed Hinami away first.

I didn’t do anything wrong.

…At least not to my unnie.

“Don’t wake Joo-hyuk, come out quietly.”

Following my unnie’s words, as she intended to talk with me alone somehow, I carefully opened the car door and stepped outside.

It was slightly more humid outside than the cool air inside the car, but I didn’t feel hot because of my unnie’s icy gaze.

But despite that icy gaze, it didn’t particularly feel scary.

After all, it’s obvious what she’s going to say.

“What is it, unnie?”

“Why did you touch someone else’s phone without permission?”

“…Everyone disappeared, so I wondered what was going on.”

“Normally, you’d check your own phone, why would you deliberately touch someone else’s?”

She’ll nitpick my every move like this, and then wrap it all up by telling me not to flirt with her boyfriend.

I have no intention of doing that, so hearing her say it just makes me angry, not really scared.

In fact, I wish Kang Joo-hyuk would just listen to my unnie.

“I was just checking because of that time the Manager tried to do something weird after giving me sleeping pills. …Okay?”

“Joo-hyuk wouldn’t have any reason to do something like that.”

“That’s because the Manager too….”

“No, your Manager is the type who can’t get women unless he does that. …But Joo-hyuk isn’t like that, is he?”

But my unnie kept finding fault, defending her boyfriend who had committed acts several times more horrific than just drugging someone with sleeping pills.

Even though she vaguely knows what happened between him and me.

She doesn’t worry about her sister at all, only thinking about her boyfriend.

Even that Hinami shows me basic courtesy.

Seriously, I picked the wrong unnie.

“It might look that way to you, unnie, but it looks similar to me.”

“…The very fact that you think that is the problem.”

“Ah, seriously. …Stop beating around the bush. Say it clearly. What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything. …Just leave Joo-hyuk alone.”

“Why?”

“As long as you stay put, there won’t be any problems.”

…She talks like that to her own sister.

What my unnie wants is purely Kang Joo-hyuk’s safety.

What I want is purely my own safety.

But Kang Joo-hyuk is the kind of guy who’ll try to fuck me any way he can as long as his own safety is guaranteed, damn it.

And if I give up everything and submit to Kang Joo-hyuk, she’ll hate me for stealing her boyfriend, won’t she?

Ultimately, as long as he doesn’t give up on me, there’ll never be an answer.

Of course, he’s only human, so maybe a day will come when he gives up on me.

…Though that’ll probably be after he’s had his fill of enjoying me.

“So, enough of that bullshit….”

I’m not interested in that guy.

He’s the one interested in me.

I was about to add these words, but seeing my unnie approach me, tilting her head up, I couldn’t easily open my mouth.

The reasons are complicated, but broadly speaking, there are just two.

First, the expression my unnie was making right now was exactly like Kang Joo-hyuk’s.

…As soon as I said this, twisting the corners of my mouth like Kang Joo-hyuk,

I felt like she was going to mock me.

“Don’t call me bullshit, Seo Ye-eun.”

“….”

So, looking down at my hysterical unnie, I decided to mimic Kang Joo-hyuk’s smile first.

Just looking at the corners of her mouth made me want to punch her, but seeing those psychopathic eyes, I put on an expression that completely erased any thought of defiance, and looking down at my unnie with my height, which is tall for a girl, I mocked her to my heart’s content.

Perhaps surprised by her sister’s rude attitude after so long, my unnie looked me in the eye, took half a step back, then regained her balance, straightened her back, and stared at me.

To her, I said, syllable by syllable, clearly and distinctly.

“…Keep a better eye on your boyfriend. Do you really think he’ll only mess with Hinami?”

“What…?”

…I showered her with curses.

And planted seeds of doubt in my unnie’s heart.

“Speaking of which, I asked Soo-ah unnie since we’re close. She seems to like the President quite a lot. …I wonder if it’s just platonic liking, or if she has other feelings. Do you happen to know, unnie?”

“…She got fired yesterday?”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that. …Still, if getting fired meant you couldn’t meet him, my unnie would have broken up with him first, right?”

“….”

Approaching my unnie, who looked quite flustered but pretended not to care,

“Don’t worry about someone like me who doesn’t even think such thoughts, focus on the people around you instead. …For me, it would be a blessing if he got distracted chasing other women instead of me.”

“There’s no one around me as close to Joo-hyuk as you are.”

“What about Hinami?”

“She’s an exception. …Besides, she likes Joo-hyuk, right? The reason I’m saying this to you is because you’re always plotting to ‘take down’ Joo-hyuk.”

“So, take that up with your boyfriend, not me. …He’s the one coming onto me, you know? It’s just that I happen to be his type. Even though we get along terribly, he’s still making moves.”

“Hah. …Don’t give me that ‘ideal type’ crap.”

Pressing close enough to touch chests, glaring at my unnie.

We’re fighting like sisters over such a useless person.

…Me, who has no intention of stealing him, practically begging him to just take Joo-hyuk and dispose of him properly so the stench doesn’t spread.

And my unnie, throwing a hysterical fit at me out of inferiority complex – both of us were equally ridiculous.

If I had to say who was the most ridiculous of us all, it would be Kang Joo-hyuk, passed out soundly in the driver’s seat over there.

Because he’s using the same tactics on me that he used on my unnie.

“And also, stop taking those… dangerous photos or videos. …Do I really have to tell you this?”

“…How do you know about that?”

“The person who tries to take pictures even when he’s messing with me wouldn’t possibly not do it with you, who lets him do whatever he wants, right? Do you even realize what would happen if that accidentally got leaked?”

“I don’t care.”

“I care. If things go wrong even slightly….”

“Someone who cares would really be posting trash talk about their own fans on Twitter?”

“…How do you know that, unnie?”

“Because I saw it. …Just like you did earlier.”

“….”

“Why don’t you worry about yourself? You were walking around fine at the event today too. Did you think people wouldn’t recognize you just because you were dressed as a boy?”

Likewise.

My unnie, who did the same thing I did, and me, who did the same thing my unnie did.

We were all so foolish, I didn’t want to say anything more.

I stopped myself from retorting, ‘Didn’t you trash talk me on Instagram back in the day too?’

Why do we sisters have to confront each other like this over just one man?

Did someone brainwash my unnie?

Maybe they slipped something into Hinami’s drink too?

Why are they all so willing to give him their livers and gallbladders, like they can’t get enough of that bastard?

…I don’t feel any sense of security or excitement from him.

“Hey, Seo Ye-eun.”

“Stop it. I have nothing more to say.”

“If you dare lay a finger on Joo-hyuk, I won’t let it go with just words.”

“…What is he, some kind of prince?”

“Hey!”

Ignoring my unnie, who continued to show hostility towards me, I got back into the car and closed my eyes.

…Where the hell is Hinami off doing God knows what, still not showing up?

Too lazy to even think about it anymore, I leaned back and plugged my ears, but then the passenger door opened and my unnie got into the car too.

Ignoring the presence I could feel even with my eyes closed, I deliberately pretended not to hear the rustling sounds.

However, I couldn’t ignore the sound of the door next to me clicking open.

Narrowing my eyes, I saw her slide in next to me, let out a deep sigh, and opened my eyes wide.

“…Where have you been?”

“Me? The convenience store. Oppa was sleeping, so I secretly bought some alcohol.”

“…Haaah.”

…I was so envious of Hinami, the only one among the four of us who was completely carefree.

If only I could live like her, brainlessly, it would be so much easier.

If my common sense were shattered enough to accept Kang Joo-hyuk touching me, I wouldn’t have to fight with my unnie.

Maybe I should just do that.

Then, no matter how angry my unnie got at me, Kang Joo-hyuk would take my side….

“….”

…A horrible thought.

Seeing his sleeping face reflected in the rearview mirror, I tried to quickly throw the bizarre delusion I’d unconsciously conjured out the car window, but the windows were tightly shut, so it wouldn’t escape.

Instead, because of that delusion lingering around me, I grabbed my hair, hunched over, and looked back at the rearview mirror.

This time, instead of Kang Joo-hyuk, I saw my unnie’s face, looking at him pitifully.

The intensity of that horrible delusion deepened further, wrapping around my neck.

“Jia, what’s wrong? Are you carsick?”

“…No.”

…I have absolutely no intention of getting closer to Kang Joo-hyuk.

But seeing my unnie grow distant from Kang Joo-hyuk,

Is something I find myself wanting to see, just once.