Chapter 10: Hello, this is loricon

Yoon Sihyun gently let go of Luna’s hand and sat back down.

‘I don’t know why Luna is interested in me, but if what the notification window said is true…’

I need to have a proper conversation with Luna again when she transforms into her night form.

Because that was the first time Luna showed a reaction of longing.

Just as he was pondering how to spend time with an apocalypse-level being before sunset,

–Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

“Who is it?”

There shouldn’t be anyone coming to see him this early in the morning.

‘It’s already complicated enough, who is it now?’

Then the doorbell rang again, and a familiar voice was heard.

“Oppa! It’s me!”

“……Han Gaeun?”

“Oppa, are you home? Please open the door!”

Yoon Sihyun instinctively clutched his head.

‘Ah, damn it. At this timing?!’

Han Gaeun.

A tenacious connection who had always followed him around since they met in elementary school, eventually even attending university together.

A younger ‘sister’ figure, roughly in the position of a childhood friend.

And the number one person most likely to cause all sorts of misunderstandings.

And Gaeun suddenly appears in this situation?

‘This isn’t just a bad premonition, it’s a confirmed major disaster!’

But he couldn’t just not open it.

‘If I don’t open it, she might break the door. She’s actually broken in before…’

Sighing deeply, he reluctantly opened the door.

“Oppa, are you okay?!”

As soon as the door opened, Gaeun burst into the house with explosive momentum.

She had light pink hair tied in a long ponytail, and her sunset-colored eyes sparkled.

“I’m fine, so please calm down, Gaeun.”

“What?! Are you really okay?!”

She then grabbed Yoon Sihyun’s arms and began shaking him wildly.

“Are you hurt anywhere?! H-huh, look at your face! It’s completely pale!!”

“Hey, calm down a bit.”

“How can I calm down?! There was a huge commotion at Bosingak yesterday, and your house isn’t far from there, so I thought something might have happened—!”

“No, nothing happened, okay?”

“……Really?”

Gaeun narrowed her eyes and stared intently at Yoon Sihyun.

“I’m telling you, it’s true.”

“……”

Gaeun’s sunset-colored eyes suddenly turned cold.

“Oppa… you know what happens… if you lie to me…?”

He instinctively swallowed.

‘As if I wouldn’t know that…! How many times have I suffered because of you.’

But if he told the truth, it was obvious a bigger disaster would occur, so there was no choice, Gaeun!

“Really, nothing happened. Look, I’m perfectly fine.”

“……”

“Hahaha.”

“……Then it’s fine.”

She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“……But, Oppa.”

“Hm?”

“The atmosphere in the house is strange?”

“What do you mean?”

Gaeun looked towards the kitchen, then slowly pointed behind Yoon Sihyun’s back.

“Who’s that kid over there?”

Behind Yoon Sihyun, a small girl sat quietly on a chair.

Luna, holding a spoon, quietly watched them.

Luna looked like an ordinary child, but in this situation, she was too dangerous to face Gaeun.

‘How can there not be a single quiet day?!’

Yoon Sihyun’s brain went into full overdrive. He had to resolve this somehow!

This was a crisis. A huge crisis!

‘Brain 100% activation!!’

After finishing his calculations, he spoke very quickly.

“Ah, my younger sister.”

“……Oppa, you had a younger sister?”

“Ah, well… she’s a friend’s younger sister, staying at my place for a bit.”

Gaeun slowly scrutinized Luna again.

Her gaze was still suspicious.

“……Really?”

“Of course it’s real. Would I lie to you? Hahaha.”

Gaeun approached Luna with a slight smile.

“Hi, I’m Han Gaeun. What’s your name?”

Luna calmly gazed at Gaeun with her golden eyes.

“……Luna.”

Luna answered briefly, cutting off the conversation.

“So you’re Luna! That’s a pretty name.”

She maintained a friendly smile, but Gaeun’s eyes still shone with suspicion.

“How old are you, Luna?”

“……”

“How long have you been living with Oppa?”

“……”

The girl simply continued to stare intently at Gaeun.

From Luna, Gaeun suddenly felt a sense of incongruity. Something felt strange.

Just then, Luna slowly opened her mouth.

“……Luna.”

“Hm?”

“……Sihyun’s.”

“……?”

“……She’s Sihyun’s.”

A profound silence fell, and Gaeun’s brow twitched after she finished her own thoughts.

“……Oppa. What does that mean?”

“Uh, uh?”

“…Tell me.”

‘……Ah. Please, just one day, let it pass peacefully.’

Yoon Sihyun had never racked his brain like this in his entire life.

Not when solving exam problems.

Not when writing reports at work.

Not even when being chased by a ghost story.

He had never spun his brain so desperately!

Now he was in a situation where his survival was at stake.

“……Oppa. Explain it to me right now.”

“……”

Yoon Sihyun could only pray inwardly.

‘Please, let’s just get past this as if nothing happened…!’

However, Luna was thoroughly shattering his earnest prayer.

The girl, who had somehow come next to Yoon Sihyun, tightly clutched his clothes and said once more in a quiet voice.

“……She’s Sihyun’s.”

‘Ah, I’m screwed.’

Yoon Sihyun genuinely felt like he was going to vomit.

Gaeun began to scrutinize Luna once more.

A small, cute face. Faint silver hair.

A very beautiful girl with a subtly mysterious aura.

She was clearly still a child, but Gaeun continuously felt an inexplicable sense of crisis.

“……Oppa, tell me honestly.”

“Hahaha. What do you mean by ‘tell me’?”

“……What’s your relationship with this child?”

“No, I’m telling you, she’s really a friend’s younger sister?”

“Is that so? Then can I ask a few questions?”

“……Huh?”

Gaeun’s eyes sparkled sharply.

“Luna, right?”

Luna, still clinging tightly to Yoon Sihyun, quietly looked up at her.

“……Yes.”

“Good. I’ll just ask a few things.”

Gaeun deliberately put on a gentle smile.

“How old are you?”

“……”

Silence.

“……Luna?”

“……”

The girl simply stared intently at Yoon Sihyun, as if she had no interest in the woman in front of her.

“……How long have you been living with Oppa?”

“……”

Perhaps annoyed by the continuous questions, Luna finally opened her mouth.

“……Always.”

–Crack.

Gaeun’s smile slowly crumbled.

‘Always? Since when, exactly?’

She thought there was nothing she didn’t know about Yoon Sihyun, but he had been living with a child like this, and continuously, at that?

“……Then, is there anything you want to say to Oppa?”

“……”

Luna seemed to ponder for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.

“Luna. Sihyun’s.”

“……?!”

“Sihyun. Luna’s.”

As she spoke, she clutched Yoon Sihyun’s clothes even tighter with her small hand.

A firm declaration, as if Yoon Sihyun was her own.

‘W-what is this kid…?!’

Gaeun’s intuition activated. The so-called woman’s intuition!

Luna might look young, but this girl was undoubtedly her ‘rival’.

‘This tiny thing, saying who belongs to whom now?!’

At that moment, Yoon Sihyun felt cold sweat trickling down his back.

‘Please stop! I seriously feel like I’m going to die.’

Gaeun looked at Yoon Sihyun with an even sharper gaze.

“……Oppa.”

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

“Tell me honestly.”

“What now?”

“Oppa. Don’t tell me you’re a lolicon…?”

“What?!?!”

“Lo.li.con…?”

Yoon Sihyun felt his vision go dark.

This was a misunderstanding scarier than any ghost story!

‘No, why is my heart pounding more than when I was being chased by a ghost story?’

Gaeun’s question pressed Yoon Sihyun even further.

“Are you really nothing to each other?”

His mind went blank.

How was he supposed to explain this?!

“Well… Luna is really like a younger sister to me—”

“Oppa, you just said ‘friend’s younger sister’?”

“Ah, exactly!! She’s a friend’s younger sister, but like a real younger sister.”

“But why would a younger sister say things like ‘Sihyun’s’?”

“……”

Yoon Sihyun closed his eyes for a very brief moment, then opened them.

How many simulations had he run in that short instant?

‘I’ve seen 14,000,600 futures, but why do they all conclude with me being a lolicon?!’

If things continued like this, he would really become a lolicon!!

If he couldn’t find an answer even after grasping countless possibilities, the only solution was a direct breakthrough.

What was needed now was brazenness!

He then opened his mouth with a very calm expression.

“Well, it’s because she’s always followed me well since she was little.”

“……What?”

“She grew up relying on me. So she has a bit of a tendency to be dependent.”

Yoon Sihyun added very nonchalantly.

“You know how kids get attached to people they trust.”

“……”

Gaeun’s eyebrow twitched subtly.

‘I’ve known him since elementary school, and this is the first I’m hearing about him having a younger sister like this…’

“Then why did she say it like that in the first place?”

“It literally means she has a strong attachment. I was also wondering what to do about it.”

He very cautiously added one more thing.

‘Gaeun, you’ve underestimated me too much. The past years have taught me what to say to calm you down!’

“That’s why I wanted to ask you too.”

“……What?”

“How can Luna become a little less dependent on me?”

“……”

“To none other than you! I wanted to consult you about my worries!”

Please, please let it pass…!

Yoon Sihyun prayed earnestly.

Had his prayer worked? He caught Gaeun’s left lip curling slightly upwards!

“……Hehe, I see.”

Although it wasn’t a situation she entirely liked, Gaeun’s excitement subsided a bit at the thought that Yoon Sihyun had thought of her when he was in trouble.

Luna was still holding onto Yoon Sihyun, but her face showed a subtle hint of contemplation.

And Luna, tugging at his clothes, called out to him.

“……Sihyun’s… not?”

“Hm?”

Luna tilted her head ever so slightly.

“……Not?”

The moment these words came out, Gaeun’s expression gradually began to relax.

“Right, this just seems like a child’s dependence on an adult.”

She began to convince herself.

“……Okay, I understand. I’m sorry for misunderstanding.”

‘I’m saved…!’

Yoon Sihyun sighed in relief and quietly nodded his head.

“It’s okay. You were just worried, weren’t you?”

Gaeun still seemed slightly uneasy, but she had now mostly let go of her suspicion.

“Still, Oppa.”

“Why?”

“Don’t teach her any more strange things from now on.”

“……Huh??”

“Seeing Luna say things like ‘Sihyun’s,’ didn’t you clearly teach her something weird?”

“No, what nonsense are you talking about?!?!”

It must have been his imagination that he momentarily saw a hallucination of a character in a police hat shining a flashlight on him, right?

Just then, the girl tugged at his clothes, calling him.

“Sihyun… what’s a lolicon…?”

“Hahaha. Luna, you don’t need to know things like that—”

Gaeun cut off Yoon Sihyun’s attempt to explain and interjected.

“That refers to perverts like Oppa who like small, young, and pretty girls like Luna!”

‘Ah, please!! Wasn’t the misunderstanding all cleared up?!’

“Sihyun… do you like young ones…?”

“Hmm, if I had to choose, I’d prefer young… no, wait!!”

Yoon Sihyun almost got wrongly accused again.

But somehow, he seemed to have barely overcome this crisis.

‘I might have become a lolicon for a moment, but at least I overcame the crisis, so good!!’