Are you two dating?

A week has passed since I rejected Ha-eun’s offer to stay at a motel.

I had decided then that I would definitely say what I had swallowed next time, but the timing wasn’t right and I didn’t have the courage, so I kept putting it off.

Even now, as I lie down and talk to her on the phone after dinner, I can’t even try to have a serious conversation because of her characteristically bright tension.

-I searched for it for a long time, but when I looked into it, I realized I was confused and left it on my roommate’s desk!

“You must have been worried. But I’m glad you found it.”

As we were chatting, I remembered something I had heard last week and asked.

“What do you think of the app that professor made? You said you were too nervous talking to strangers.”

-Ahh. I was really nervous at first, but now I feel completely comfortable!

“Oh, really?”

-Yes! My sister listens to me well and is kind!

It seems like Ha-eun has a lot of connections with older people.

Well, since I’m still a freshman, I’m more likely to meet older friends than my peers through the app.

“Unnie, I guess we’ve become really close.”

-I think so! I don’t know if it’s just me who thinks this way… Hehe. My sister is kind just like my brother, so when I talk to her, I feel at ease and happy.

I was worried that I would meet strange people, but I feel relieved.

“That older sister would probably enjoy talking to Ha-eun too.”

-Really? Is that really true?

After talking for about ten more minutes, we ended the call.

Even though we were only communicating through an app and not in real life, Ha-eun was happy to have someone she could communicate with.

Do you feel relieved to hear that your little sister, who used to be a source of worry, is doing well in school?

I hope we can maintain a good relationship in the future.

By the way, today is a day when I don’t go to the gym, so I have some free time.

What would be good to do?

After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.

“I’d rather write than play games.”

With that thought in my mind, I got out of bed and headed to the PC.

—

Everytown.

An app developed experimentally through collaboration between professors from several universities.

The purpose is to allow college students to interact with students from other schools and gain useful information about college life.

There wasn’t any grand reason why Jia installed this app that she didn’t need.

One of the professors she collaborated with was her department professor, and she was told that if she used the app and gave feedback, she would get a bonus on her grade.

But for her, who values grades, it couldn’t have been a bad offer.

And about a week ago, while I was wondering how to use an app I had installed, I received a message from someone.

At this point, Jia was planning to use the app only until the professor was satisfied with the feedback and then stop.

But even after nearly a week, I was still actively communicating with my partner beyond the app.

What changed her mind was the conversation she had with her partner the first day she used the app.

カI’m so nervous right now ²²² This is the first time I’ve talked to someone this long other than oppa…キ

カI guess you’re really close with your brother.キ

カYes! My brother is a real angel. I don’t really have any close friends and I can’t meet my parents because of circumstances. If it weren’t for my brother, I might have died of boredom!キ

A message written purely with no other intention.

However, Jia was concerned that she could not meet her parents due to circumstances.

She also knows well the loneliness of not being able to talk to her parents.

Thanks to this, even though he was a person whose face she didn’t know, Jia felt pity for him as her painful memories came to mind.

So from that day on, I tried my best to join in the conversation.

As they talked, the bright and innocent personality of the other person seemed cute, and Ji-ah also began to enjoy the conversation more and more.

Of course, the amount of time she spends studying is reduced a bit, but for Ji-ah, studying is ultimately a way to gain her mother’s approval.

It didn’t feel like a waste of time to invest in someone who was lonely about their family.

After about a week, I had become quite close to the other person.

Although we haven’t seen each other’s faces yet, we know each other’s names and we’re close enough to talk comfortably.

The two were still talking.

The message came when Jia was taking a short break from studying.

As I was chatting away, moving my fingers diligently, the other person asked me.

カSister, if it’s okay, can I call you???キ

カIt’s okay, but why all of a sudden?キ

カIt’s easier to talk on the phone than through text! I couldn’t ask you before because I thought you’d feel uncomfortable, but now we’re really close!キ

After saying “okay” and giving the number, the phone vibrates when a call comes in.

Unlike just now when I didn’t think much of it, I feel nervous now that I’m actually trying to make my voice heard.

After clearing his throat a few times, he touched the screen to answer the call.

“Hello?”

-Ji, Ji-ah unnie! It’s Ha-eun… .

“Yeah. Is this your first time hearing my voice?”

-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Doesn’t my voice sound weird?

Because the other person was so nervous that it could be heard through the phone speaker, Jia’s tension actually eased.

“No, isn’t your voice too pretty?”

-Really? Oh, thank you. You have a pretty voice too… .

“Yeah, it’s true, so don’t be too nervous.”

Direct voice conversations were much more enjoyable.

Because the other person’s emotions were richer than I had imagined just by looking at the message.

The phone call between the two lasted longer than the time they usually spent exchanging messages, and their friendship grew closer as they exchanged voices.

—

It’s been nearly three weeks since Jia and Ha-eun had their first phone call.

As a result of constantly talking on the phone, the two people had become much closer than before, about a month after exchanging their first messages.

-Then the professor said he would give me ten thousand won to kick anyone out of the classroom. So I swung my notebook and kicked them out!

“Really? You’re amazing too. I’m too scared of bugs to even look at them.”

While they were chatting as usual, Ha-eun spoke hesitantly.

– Sister Jia… you know.

“Huh? Why?”

-Do you want to meet up sometime? Talking to my sister on the phone is nice, but I also want to meet up in person and hang out at least once… .

A suggestion that some people may find uncomfortable.

Ha-eun added hurriedly, perhaps knowing that fact.

-Father, if it’s burdensome or you’re busy, it’s okay if we don’t meet!

But perhaps because they shared the loneliness of not being able to see their families, Jia didn’t feel bad about the offer.

Rather, I felt like the bright and pure Ha-eun was like a younger sister who didn’t really exist, so I was thinking about meeting her at least once.

“No, it’s not burdensome at all. When will we meet?”

—

Thursday evening, the day after the two spoke on the phone.

Jia entered the cafe they had promised to meet and sat down.

And then not long after, the phone rang.

“Yeah, Ha-eun. I got there first.”

-Really? I came inside too. Where is it? In the right corner? Oh, is that the guy?

“Sister Jia!”

Ha-eun notices this and waves her hand.

Jia’s eyes widened at the sight.

Pretty blonde hair like the color of sunset and foreign-like appearance.

Jia couldn’t hide her surprise at the atmosphere that seemed like something you would see on the internet or in advertisements.

Not only her face but also her body caught people’s attention.

A loose and casual man-to-man and jeans look.

Even without any trace of elaborate decoration, her beautiful body made the clothes look luxurious.

But Ha-eun didn’t seem to have any thoughts.

As if he was used to the gazes around him glancing at Jisan’s striking appearance, he came to the table and sat down with a face full of joy.

“Hello, sis. I said I wanted to see you, but now that I actually see you, I feel really embarrassed. Heh.”

When I just heard her voice over the phone, she sounded like a child, but when I saw her in person, her appearance was full of femininity.

Maybe that’s why Jia also started to get nervous.

“Me, I’m embarrassed too.”

“But you’re so pretty, unnie. Your voice is pretty too, but even more than your voice!”

Ha-eun said that with sparkling eyes.

Judging from her expression that was full of innocence and sincerity, she seemed to be not very conscious of her appearance.

“No, Ha-eun is much prettier. Honestly, I was surprised because the atmosphere was different than when we talked on the phone.”

“Really?”

Fortunately, as the conversation continued, the tense atmosphere naturally eased.

Because we had been in contact for almost a month, after about thirty minutes we were chatting as if it had been our first meeting.

“You said you don’t read comics, right?”

“Yeah, right. I watch dramas sometimes, though not often. What kind of cartoons does Ha-eun like?”

“I do. I like comics where there are huge robots that transform or combine! And they fight villains!”

“Robot? That’s a bit unexpected.”

“Right? It seems like it’s not a very popular genre among women. So I’ve been sad that I haven’t had anyone to talk to about it since long ago.”

Jia showed a kind smile.

“I’m sorry. If I was interested, I would have talked to you.”

“It’s okay. But I have my brother! He has the same taste as me. So we talk about comics together and he compliments my drawings!”

Ha-eun often talks about her brother, and when she does, her face and voice become brighter.

“I’ve felt this before, but I think you and your brother are really close. How old are you?”

“Are you older than me? My brother is twenty-four, so we’re four years apart.”

“There’s quite a difference. I guess he treats his younger sister well because she’s cute.”

Ha-eun frowned when she heard that.

“… Sister, did you think he was your real brother?”

“Huh? No?”

“Ah. No. He’s my older brother whom I met by chance nearby. He goes to the same school as my older sister.”

Jia widened her eyes as if in surprise.

“Oh, really? When you say oppa oppa, I naturally thought you were my real brother. You’re so close even though you’re not my real brother?”

“Yes! He’s handsome, kind, and buys me lots of delicious things!”

When I thought he was my older brother, I thought he was a cute younger sister who followed her older brother well, but after hearing the truth, I thought he was like a girl in love.

The corners of Jia’s mouth went up because the sight was so cute.

“You really like that guy.”

“Yes! I’m happy when I’m with you. It’s good when we eat pasta together, when we talk or play together, and… when we do dirty things… “

“Dirty things?”

“I had a really sad experience before, and I asked my brother to do something for me. So he did. I felt good… Heh.”

Unlike Ha-eun, who was smiling brightly, Ji-ah’s expression was a little serious.

“Are you two dating?”

“No, that’s not true.”

“You’re not dating?”

Although she herself was not dating Do-hyeon, she was speechless about the number of times they had sex, but she was worried about Ha-eun, whom she had considered like a younger sister.

“But something like that… .”

“I’m worried about that too. I think my brother thinks of me like a younger sister. I like him as a man, but I can’t confess to him because I’m afraid it’ll be awkward.”

“Oh, I see… .”

It’s not impossible for a man and a woman who aren’t dating to have sex, although they may have different values than Jia.

As Jia was thinking that, Ha-eun sighed.

“How can I date you?”

“Well, well… like giving a gift… ?”

“Is this a gift?”

Ha-eun clapped her hands in return.

“Come to think of it, I thought I wanted to give my brother something as a gift. Up until now, my brother has given me a lot of things, but I haven’t given him anything. Oh, I have one! A ballpoint pen! “

“Ballpoint pen?”

“Yes! I got it from a doll grabber near here. There’s a hippopotamus on the back. It’s so cute that I gave it to my brother and tried to get one myself, but it didn’t work out the second time.”

“… Hippopotamus?”

Jia’s eyebrows twitched.

‘The ballpoint pen that Do-Hyeon lent me was definitely…’

I don’t have it now because I returned it the next day, but I clearly remember the hippopotamus character model attached to the back.

When I asked, “You use a surprisingly cute pen,” Do-hyeon’s face looked embarrassed.

‘It must be a coincidence… Wait a minute. Didn’t you say earlier that we go to the same school? And you’re twenty-four years old…’

It’s too uncomfortable to just ignore.

‘No, it’s a coincidence. There can’t be just one or two of those pens, and there are so many students at our school…

Even though I try to shake off that ominous feeling, the thought that something might not be right keeps nagging at me.

Feeling like it wouldn’t work, I carefully opened my mouth to shake off the uneasy feeling.

“Ha Eun-ah.”

“Huh? Why, Sister?”

“Can I ask what that guy’s name is?”

“What’s your name?”

Ha-eun asks brightly with her pretty eyes wide open.

But Gia was afraid that a name she didn’t want to hear would come out of her lips.

Ha-eun, unaware of his feelings, innocently brought up the name of the older brother she liked.

“I’m Nam Do-hyun.”

“Ahhh… .”

“Why? Do you know him?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I thought it might be that when I heard it was our school, but it’s the first time I’ve heard the name.”

“I guess my sister’s school is really big.”

“Yeah… That’s right. We’ve been talking quite a bit. I guess I should go now. I have some homework left.”

“Really? What a pity. It was so much fun meeting you today. See you next time, Unnie. I’ll contact you!”

“Uh, uh… Okay. See you later.”

I exchanged greetings with Ha-eun and parted ways.

Jia’s steps toward her studio with a complicated expression were heavier than when she came out.