A younger sister? And a 20-year-old one?

“You absolutely have to come back more skilled, okay?”

Chilling.

Hyunji’s farewell, echoing behind me, was so icy.

Is she seriously a heroine I have to攻略(konglyak) by taking a hidden route in a dating sim?

I glance back and wave, but that smiling face seeing me off is terrifying.

It’s like the final boss is threatening to kill me if I don’t come back stronger.

I swallow hard and turn towards home.

It’s still daytime, and I ended things with Hyunji so cleanly it’s refreshing, so I feel at peace.

The problem is how to explain this.

Going home and telling Ji-hye, ‘Hyunji told me to grow up more and come back later!’

Yeah, right, she’d totally be cool with that, wouldn’t she?

If I were her, I’d grab a club and beat the shit out of me.

Asking if that’s the kind of answer I came back with.

“How the hell am I supposed to explain this again…”

Woong-woowoong-

[Father]

It’s a call from Father.

Wait a minute, I thought Father’s phone wasn’t working before, but now it is?

“Hello, Father?”

“Oh… is that Seon-ho?”

I hear Father’s voice.

He sounds weak, but it’s definitely him.

But why does he sound so weak? Did something happen?

“Well, yeah, it’s me, Father, who else would it be? So, Father, what the hell is going on? What’s this about someone coming?”

“…Well, that’s um…”

“Just spit it out already. Not only is your phone working again after being out of service, but you’re talking in riddles.”

“It’s a bit of a long story, you rascal… But if you’re okay with it… Hoo.”

How long could it possibly be?

I would regret this thought for the rest of my life.

The content is short.

But would the shock have been less if I had heard this in person instead of over the phone?

“……So, Father, are you telling me I have another younger sister?”

“Yes…”

“Wow, that’s hilarious. April Fool’s Day is coming up, so you’re pulling a prank on your son early…”

“Hoo…”

“…But it doesn’t seem like it…?”

The shock is so great that I stop walking.

I feel like time has stopped, so much that I don’t notice the people walking around me or the cars passing by.

I just stand there blankly, holding my phone with a face devoid of any amusement.

“…Is this for real?”

“It is… That’s why I fought with your mother too… I’ll probably be home in a day or two…”

“Wait a minute, Father, seriously, are you seriously not lying? I’m too overwhelmed by this sudden story to wrap my head around it.”

“Do I need to explain it in more detail? Your father had a brief affair 20 years ago, and the child born from that is looking for me and coming home! She’ll probably arrive today or tomorrow! That’s it!”

I’d let it slide if he laughed and said it was a jo-keu (joke).

But seriously, this can’t be happening.

I just finished cleaning up my surroundings, and now suddenly I’m getting another younger sister?

Before another younger sister comes, an affair?

You fought with Mom because of that, and that’s how this situation came about?

Where did this even start, where did it get so twisted?

Why is everything turning into a shitshow instead of working out properly?

“What about Mom?”

“We’re fighting. Just know that I’m in the wrong and getting scolded.”

“…Does Ji-hye know about this?”

“Of course not.”

“So, I have to explain it when I get home?”

“Seon-ho-ya, I’m asking you a favor. Even if it’s sudden, she’ll answer everything if you ask her… I’m sorry…”

“Oh, Abuji, jebal (please)… Ha, I don’t know.”

I run a hand over my face.

I don’t know what to say, and I don’t know what to do.

I can’t bring myself to curse at Father here; it wouldn’t be the right thing to do as a son.

But it’s too much anger to just let it pass without cursing.

Okay, having a younger sister is possible, but a half-sister is a bit too much, you shithead!

I grit my teeth and swallow the words.

I have to see it as a forced action to prevent myself from cursing at Father if I hear any more.

I swallow the curse and just hang up the phone.

I shove the phone into my pocket and trudge along, staring at the ground.

Ji-hye, who’s excited about going to the swimming pool soon, would love to hear this. Right?

First, I walked. My listless steps dragged across the ground.

–

“I’m home.”

“…”

“…”

“…? Who’s that, a friend?”

I open the door and enter the house listlessly, and Ji-hye and a woman are sitting together.

Seeing them sitting side by side on the sofa, I mistakenly thought she was a friend.

But her expression is too stiff for a friend.

Is she really a friend? But if she’s not a friend…

‘They look strangely alike, but if friends look alike, it’s even more…!’

“…By any chance, is your father’s name Kim Jae-han…?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“What?”

Oh, shit!

We’re meeting like this before I can even explain the situation?

I’m going crazy, seriously, what’s going to happen now?

Judging by their silence, it seems like they’ve already talked about it to some extent, but my body can’t accept it.

“Oppa, why does her father have the same name as our dad? Who is she?”

“…Probably your and my younger sister…?”

“Don’t lie!”

“I just got a call from Father and heard about it, it’s true… She must be our younger sister…”

Ji-hye looks at me with wide eyes.

I understand if you’re angry and surprised like that. Ji-hye-ya, I was just as dumbfounded when I heard it.

Ugh, Father, what the hell were you thinking!

“Then that person is my older brother, and this person is my older sister, right?”

“That’s right, but we’re not in a state to process this, so can you hold off on the honorifics?”

“…I am your older sister, but like that Oppa said, I don’t want to hear those titles either.”

“Even if you deny it, it’s true that I’m your older sister and he’s your older brother.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t smile when someone I don’t even know my name and haven’t known for 20 years calls me Oppa!”

I’m getting pissed.

My head throbs with anger and stress, and I grimace.

That younger sister, who doesn’t know what’s going on, flinches when she sees me, but I don’t care.

Sister or not, in this situation, she should be quiet and not call me Oppa or Unnie.

There’s no one to vent my anger on here, so if she’s going to be so confident, she shouldn’t forget that she’ll be the target of my anger.

“Ugh…”

She flinches at my words and finally starts to read the room.

Even though I look clueless, Ji-hye is also scared of my angry face.

That Ji-hye, who’s usually fearless, only saw me get angry ‘because I was pissed’ once and spent the whole day watching my every move.

“Hoo…”

I plop down on the sofa.

With Ji-hye and me sitting on either end, my nameless younger sister is stuck in the middle, looking back and forth between us.

I wonder if reading the room will even matter, since you’re already the target of our anger.

“What’s your name?”

“M-Me?”

“I’m Kim Seon-ho, she’s Kim Ji-hye, what’s your Kim?”

Hoo-ha, I take a slow, deep breath and calm myself down.

My head feels like it’s about to explode with throbbing pain, but my mind gradually becomes peaceful.

The anger that had been building up subsides with my breathing, and I finally turn my attention to the woman who is my younger sister.

‘She really does have similar eyes to Ji-hye.’

I wondered if I was crazy for thinking she was a friend.

Judging by her seated height, she’s about the same height as Ji-hye.

Her hair is a bit longer than Ji-hye’s, pulled back into a ponytail that reaches her lower back.

Her eyes are sharp, but rounder than Ji-hye’s, and she’s wearing a black tracksuit top and bottom that I don’t know where she got them from, sitting between us siblings.

“I’m Kim Joo-ah.”

“Okay, Joo-ah, your father’s name is Kim Jae-han, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And… your mother and father met 20 years ago and had you…?”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re very perceptive, Oppa.”

Perceptive my ass, I know because I heard it from Father!

I forcibly swallow the curse that’s about to come out and continue speaking.

I’m just glad that Ji-hye is watching me and listening quietly.

If Ji-hye had joined in, you really wouldn’t have been able to breathe, you’d have been torn to shreds.

“Since I heard it from Father… Hoo… Where did you come from?”

“Gangwon Province!”

“Gangwon Province? Ah… Could it be that 20 years ago…”

“Why, what is it, Oppa?”

I remember Father going on a business trip to Gangwon Province 20 years ago, when I was 6 years old.

He said he was going to see the East Sea, so I cried my eyes out because he was going to play alone.

Ji-hye probably doesn’t even remember it. I don’t remember it very well either.

“If I calculate it with when Father went on a business trip to Gangwon Province, it matches… She’s our younger sister.”

“Ha, what the hell is Dad even…”

“Then can I call you Oppa and Unnie?”

“…Go ahead.”

“Oppa!”

Ji-hye shouts and glares at me.

But there’s nothing I can do.

If we’ve proven it this far and she’s Father’s child, then she’s ultimately related to us by blood.

Even if she’s a half-sibling, she’s still our younger sister, so we have to accept her.

…But I need to find out how she ended up at our house.

“Just a moment.”

“Yes, Oppa.”

I was about to say something, but I poured some water into a cup.

I took one of each of the three cups and gulped down the water.

Ah, that’s refreshing. Okay, I need to move the story along now.

“Okay, Joo-ah, how did you get here?”

“I was worried about what to do after my mother passed away, but when I talked to my father, he said he happened to be in Gangwon Province.”

…You got caught traveling with your mother at that point?

Father, just come back alive. Of course, if you come back alive, I’m going to beat you.

This is not something I can let pass as a son. I respect the elderly with Confucian spirit, yes.

“So, I asked where he was and met him, and… um, Oppa and Unnie’s mother? was there too, and it was a mess, and I got your phone number and address.”

“Dad’s probably getting his ass beat by Mom right now.”

“If he comes back alive, I’m going to beat him. So, how did you come after getting in touch? By car?”

“Huh? No. I came by bicycle?”

“Bicycle?”

“Bicycle…?”

“Yeah, it broke down near this neighborhood, so I just left it leaning against a streetlight and ran away.”

Ji-hye and I asked at the same time.

If it’s a bicycle from Gangwon Province to here, wouldn’t it take about 3 days?

Did she really come like that?

Hearing those words, I looked at her again, and her black tracksuit was quite stained.

Starting with gray, there was dust and so on. Judging by the fact that her face was also slightly covered in sweat, it wasn’t a lie…

“I don’t have any family anyway, and I was about to get kicked out of my house, but my school is in Seoul, so I came here while I was at it.”

“…No matter how I think about it, Father is the bad guy, she’s not guilty…?”

“Dad is the bad guy? I think it’s okay to call him a bad bastard.”

I nodded. That’s right.

She’s just a normal 20-year-old.

I don’t know what will happen when Mother comes, but for now, it’s better to keep her at home.

Of course, if there’s solid evidence.

“Joo-ah.”

“Why?”

“You’re adapting too well, did you just shorten your words?”

“I mean, you’re my Oppa anyway, so I’ll speak comfortably. Should I not?”

“…Do it, do it. So, if you got Father’s contact information, can you show me your phone?”

“Just a moment!”

Without hesitation, she took out her phone, tapped it, and showed me the contact list.

Dad [XXX-XXXX-XXXX]

That’s right. It’s Father’s contact information.

Since it’s a contact information that can’t be picked up anywhere, the credibility had no choice but to increase.

“…You came empty-handed, what about clothes and stuff?”

“I came empty-handed!”

“Ahem… Ji-hye-ya, I’m sorry, but can you lend her some of your clothes?”

“Sigh, Eun-ha left, so another kid comes to the house.”

“I’m doing the housework except on weekends anyway. I’ll take care of her, so don’t worry about it.”

“If she’s Oppa’s younger sister, she’s my younger sister too, okay? Take a shower first, I’ll lend you some clothes.”

“Yay! Can I take a hot shower, Unnie?”

“Uh, Unnie? Uh… Yeah, you can…”

With Ji-hye’s permission, Joo-ah ran to the bathroom like a shot and threw her clothes out the door.

In a situation where I’m racking my brains, I made eye contact with Ji-hye, and Ji-hye came over from the sofa.

“…So, what about the women?”

“I drew a line with everyone except Se-ah. I couldn’t meet Se-ah today.”

“Explain who did what.”

She glares at me again and acts like a wife.

But I don’t have the energy right now, so I just nodded.

“Eun-ha only treated me like a girlfriend when you weren’t around, Hyunji told me to become more skilled and then she’d take my virginity…”

“So, who’s your girlfriend?”

She asks confidently.

The answer is already decided, do I really have to say it?

“Do I really have to?”

“You won’t?”

“…”

Seriously, it’s a bit too much to make me do it even though you already know.

I got pissed off, forcibly kissed her on the lips, and blurted it out.

“You, it’s you, it’s you. Okay?”

“……U-Ung…….”

Ji-hye lowered her head and answered quietly after the sudden kiss.

I’m proud to see her react like this even though we’re siblings. I feel like I’ve taken the lead.

“Um, Oppa.”

“Why.”

“Our shoot has been delayed by about 2 weeks.”

“Huh? Why suddenly?”

“They said it needs to be warmer for people to come, so they’re delaying it by about 2 weeks. But they said they’ll increase the budget by that much.”

That’s understandable.

It’s still March. April is still a bit far away, and the cold snap is lingering outside.

I don’t mind the delay. Ji-hye can take a vacation, so she probably agreed, and I’m unemployed anyway.

“Everything’s fine, but what about her?”

As soon as I pointed to the bathroom door, I heard a sound.

Shwaaaa-

“Lalalalala~lalalalalal~lalalalalalala~lalala~”

As soon as I heard the sound of water running in the bathroom, I heard the sound of her humming coming from outside the bathroom.

…I still can’t believe she’s my younger sister even though she is.

To be honest, I’m at the point where I want to grab Father by the collar and ask him what the hell is going on.

I have his phone number, what Father said roughly matches, and I have Father’s name.

If this is the case, then she’s undeniably my younger sister.

“…If we leave her behind.”

“Who knows what might happen.”

“She must be our younger sister… Father said he was going somewhere a few days ago.”

“That going somewhere was…?”

“Maybe it’s her, I guess Father didn’t know the schedule.”

A moment of silence passed between Ji-hye and me.

“What should we do with her?”

“Don’t forget, she can’t go to the shoot. Maybe the swimming pool if we have money.”

“…I’ll somehow earn the money for her expenses, so can we take her too?”

“…”

She’s silently cursing at me with her eyes.

Anyone can see that look, it’s a look that says, ‘Are you crazy?’

But there’s no other way. She’s my younger sister, and it’s more unsettling to leave her behind.

No matter how unrelated she is to us, what can I do? It’s something Father did.

I covered Ji-hye’s eyes with my hand.

“Don’t look at me like that. Honestly, we’re going with all our cousins, wouldn’t it be weird to leave only her behind?”

“Kkeueung… That’s true too.”

“She’s probably going to be living in our house until Mom comes back anyway, so let’s just take her.”

“Kkeueueung…”

“I’ll take care of her.”

“Kkeueueueung… Okay, I understand.”

She removed my hand and nodded.

There really was no other way, Ji-hye usually makes quick decisions, but if she’s dragging it out this much.

It must be a conclusion that came after much deliberation. Even if she’s a half-sibling, she’s still our younger sister… Yeah, right…

“That’s refreshing!”

Kkwang-

I’m more worried about what to do with that younger sister who’s wearing only a towel and bursting through the door.

“Hey! You should ask for clothes, and why are you kicking the door!”

“Euaaa, Unnie is hitting people!”

As soon as Joo-ah came out, Ji-hye flicked her forehead and started educating her already.

I thought I had almost sorted out my relationships with women, but now I actually have a younger sister.

My life, I really don’t know what’s going to happen next.