Ch.371371. You Said You’re Just Meeting

As time passed a bit more, it was a rare relaxing weekend.

The three siblings, including myself, gathered together to catch up and talk after a long time. The meeting place was our house.

Normally, we’d all be too busy with our careers to meet up, but coincidentally, everyone had some free time this weekend.

Since it was an adult gathering, we let the kids play separately in their room, while Hwa Nabi and I came out to the living room to greet my older brother and sister. My brother, always neatly dressed, wore a cool-looking shirt and slacks, but my sister was somehow in full makeup and clothes that subtly emphasized her femininity.

It didn’t look like something a sister would wear to visit her brother’s home, so when I asked about it, her answer was quite something.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m meeting Mr. Baek Sunghyun later this evening. And it would be a hassle to go back home and come out again, right? So I came fully prepared to kill time at Siwoo’s house and then go straight there.”

“What? So you double-booked after all? Sis, I’m disappointed. Was I just a joke to you?”

I made a joke about her dressing up so nicely, and Hwa Nabi gave me a sharp look and poked my side. She probably meant I shouldn’t say such things in front of her, even as a joke.

Really, she can be quite jealous. I gently embraced Hwa Nabi as if to comfort her, and my sister, watching us, shook her head as if disgusted.

“I don’t know how you two can be so consistent. You’ve been married for 8 years, right? Yet somehow, you still act like newlyweds after 8 years.”

“Yeah, we’re still hot like newlyweds. Otherwise, would we be having a third child?”

“…Husband, your hand.”

After I playfully embraced her and touched her lower abdomen, Hwa Nabi blushed slightly and tapped the back of my hand. It didn’t hurt since I only touched her lightly, but I took it to mean not to do this in front of family, so I withdrew my hand with an awkward smile.

“Sister-in-law, how many months along is the third one now? Five months, was it?”

“Exactly 16 weeks. Almost six months now.”

“Ah, 16 weeks. So you’re past the early stage and already in the middle stage? I heard the first trimester is when you need to be most careful, so that must be a relief.”

My brother, who had been quietly listening, looked at Hwa Nabi as he spoke. As expected, only my brother would ask about such things first. Meanwhile, my sister is thinking about another man while meeting her brothers and sister-in-law.

I gave her a look as if to say she should learn from him, and my sister pouted before asking Hwa Nabi similar questions. Is the baby okay, is it growing well, have you been to the hospital, and so on. After asking all sorts of things about the third child, she suddenly seemed curious about something else.

“By the way, sister-in-law. I’m curious about something—what does it feel like when you’re pregnant with your first? Is it like in dramas where you suddenly get morning sickness, go to the hospital, and that’s when you find out?”

“Hmm… No, I barely had any morning sickness from my first pregnancy. So I didn’t really know until I went to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor told me I was pregnant.”

“Oh, really? That can happen too. Didn’t you try a pregnancy test?”

“Of course I did, but those aren’t completely accurate. There’s the possibility of natural miscarriage and false positives on pregnancy tests, so from the second child onward, I didn’t even tell my husband until I got confirmation from the hospital.”

Ah, so that’s why I didn’t hear anything? I glanced at her, asking with my eyes, and Hwa Nabi readily nodded.

“You really wanted a second child, right? But I was worried that if I told you and it turned out I wasn’t pregnant, you’d be disappointed, so I deliberately kept it to myself.”

“Hmm, but you could have told me anyway. It’s easier to prepare mentally when you know in advance.”

“Heh, alright. I’ll tell you in advance next time.”

“…There’s going to be a next time?”

What’s this, it sounds like she’s implying we’ll have a fourth child. I asked with my eyes, but this time she didn’t answer and pretended not to see my gaze.

“Sister-in-law, I guess whether you get morning sickness or not depends on each person’s constitution?”

“Yes, that’s right. Some people don’t have any from early pregnancy until delivery, while others suffer from morning sickness the entire time. I barely had any, but my friend suffered terribly from it, so you can see how it varies.”

“Ah, I see… it’s different for everyone. So you won’t know until you actually get pregnant, right?”

“Well, yes, I suppose so. It’s not like you can test whether you’ll have severe morning sickness or not.”

“Why, are you planning to have a baby too, sis?”

My sister glared at me for my comment. I shouldn’t say this, but when Hwa Nabi gives me that look, I find it adorable, but when my sister does it, I just want her to stop.

“What, do you think I can have a baby alone? You need a partner to have one.”

“You have a partner, don’t you? What was his name again? Baek Sunghyun, was it?”

“Siwoo. Is Baek Sunghyun your friend? You should use honorifics—call him Mr. Baek Sunghyun.”

“Wow, are you taking another man’s side instead of mine? I’m a bit shocked.”

I said it jokingly, but got pinched in the side. The culprit was, of course, Hwa Nabi, who was glaring at me cutely.

To show I was sorry, I gently pulled her waist closer as if putting my arm around her shoulder. Hwa Nabi obediently leaned into me.

“But sis, how did you two end up like that? When you called me that time, you said you were just going to talk.”

“Well, you know… it just happened.”

“That’s what I’m curious about—how it ‘just happened.’ Who asked to meet first? You? Or him?”

“Why are you, a grown adult, curious about such things? Are you a middle school girl thirsty for romance stories?”

“You don’t know, sis. Other people’s love stories are the most interesting. Especially when it’s someone close to you.”

“Hmm, that’s true. Siwoo knows what he’s talking about.”

“Yes, watching other people’s romances is the most entertaining thing.”

“…Good grief, really.”

Hwa Nabi and my brother nodded in agreement. They seem to agree with my opinion that nothing is more interesting than other people’s romance stories.

I tapped the table as if to say “go on, tell us.” My sister glanced at my brother, me, and Hwa Nabi, then let out a shallow sigh. From her reluctant look, it seems she’s going to tell us the details.

“The one who asked to meet first was… Mr. Baek Sunghyun.”

“Oh, really? When did that happen?”

“Remember when I called you? I told you I was going to meet Mr. Baek Sunghyun. It was that same evening.”

“Wow, he did that just one day after meeting you?”

Mr. Baek Sunghyun, whoever he is, must be a man of action. This isn’t some romance drama—normally people don’t confess after seeing someone’s face for just one day.

I admired him inwardly while glancing at my sister. A confession after less than a day of meeting. I’d like to ask him directly, if possible, what exactly about my sister made him make such a decision.

“Yes, he asked me out right away that day.”

“So, how did he say it?”

“Well, we were talking about this and that… we had some wine. After about three glasses, he suddenly gave me a bouquet. What did he say… he originally had no intention of giving it to me even though he’d prepared it. But as we talked, he found me so attractive that he didn’t want to let me go. So he gave it to me.”

“Wow… so what did you do? Did you accept?”

“No, I rejected him.”

“…Huh? You rejected him?”

“Yes, his way of saying it was a bit off, you know? Saying I seemed attractive as we talked—doesn’t that mean he didn’t like me before? I get that he thinks highly of himself, but that line felt so obnoxious that I told him I didn’t like him before and I still don’t like him now. Then I just left.”

“……”

Wow, our sister is amazing. If it were me, I might have at least said I’d think about it because of the atmosphere, but she flat-out rejected him.

I was speechless with admiration, but for a different reason this time, just staring at my sister with my mouth open. My brother, who had been listening, seemed curious and asked on my behalf.

“Wait, Jinwoo. Didn’t you say you’re seeing Mr. Baek Sunghyun now?”

“Yeah, well… I am seeing him. Just seeing him, that’s all. Nothing serious.”

“Okay, I understand you’re seeing him… so what else happened after that?”

“Well, something did happen. About a week later? Mr. Baek Sunghyun came to my company every evening asking to meet just one more time.”

“What, Mr. Baek Sunghyun… devoted that much effort to you?”

The words “But why?” almost escaped my throat before I swallowed them back.

Could this be part of some scheme? Like, maybe his group is trying to do something to our group by marrying off my sister to their second son… some grand ten-year plan.

I tilted my head at such a nonsensical thought, and my sister chuckled as if she had read my mind. It might be my imagination, but her laugh seemed so relaxed that I lost my composure.

“No, something’s off here. What exactly did Mr. Baek Sunghyun see in you to be so persistent? This is like some third-rate female-oriented romance novel…!”

“Siwoo, calm down first. I feel the same way.”

If not for my brother’s intervention, I might have said something harsh. Having barely composed myself, I let out a big sigh to release the heat building up in my body.

“…Phew, so. What happened next?”

“Huh? What do you mean what happened?”

“After Mr. Baek Sunghyun kept pursuing you… what happened next?”

“What do you mean what happened? I kept saying no and told him to leave. After about ten days of that, he stopped showing up. I was relieved, but the problem came the next week. Siwoo, you know I work in new product marketing, right?”

“Yeah, I know. But why?”

“There’s a new product I’m in charge of, you see? And the person in charge of the joint marketing partnership company… was Mr. Baek Sunghyun.”

“…What?”