Chapter 2: A Sister’s Tyranny

I stood in the living room, staring at my sister who remained motionless.

“So… what are you going to do now…?” I asked.
“Unni.”
“Huh…?”
“Call me Unni.”

Unni? That’s what… younger sisters call… Oh, right. I’m a girl now. I hadn’t even fully processed that yet, and she was already demanding I call her Unni. This felt wrong.

“But… it’s still too soon…”
“Tsk.”

Her dissatisfied tone made me flinch. Calling her Unni felt like erasing all my years as a man.

“Come on, say it. Cat got your tongue?”

She sneered. It was as if she’d been waiting for this day, the day she finally got a little sister. Maybe she ignored me because I was her brother.

“I… I can’t. No, I won’t!”

My defiance seemed to be the last straw. Her face hardened as she approached. Something was very wrong. I could almost see an invisible aura radiating from her. She stopped right in front of me, raised her hand, and…

–Slap

She slapped me. It was so sudden. Slapping me for not obeying? This was tyrannical. I held my stinging cheek, staring at her.

“…What… was that for…?”
“You’d be so pretty if you just listened.”

She cupped my cheek. The sudden shift from violence to tenderness wasn’t her. This wasn’t her personality, at least not the one she showed others.

Then, as if remembering something, she stood up and headed to the kitchen. Startled, I followed.

“Where are you going? Why the kitchen?”
“To make you dinner, silly.”

Her uncharacteristic, sweet smile sent shivers down my spine.

Creeped out, I fled to my room. She, however, started humming and cooking.

*

*

A delicious aroma filled the house. The smell woke me from a nap. I got out of bed and went to the living room.

“What… is that…?” I mumbled, still half-asleep.
She stroked my messy hair, as if finding it adorable. “You like kimchi fried rice, don’t you, Yunho?”

How did she know that? I sat at the table, picking up my spoon.

“Ah-ah, Unni will feed you.”

She’s going to feed me? This was too much. My appetite vanished, replaced by a look of disgust.

“Hey, why that face?”
“Well… because you’re…”
“I told you to call me Unni.”

She covered my mouth with her hand. The sudden dominance was terrifying. I felt a cold sweat trickling down my back.

“No, I’ll be patient. You’ll adjust eventually.”

With a final “Eat it or don’t,” she walked out.

I’m screwed, aren’t I?

TL note

Unni: Korean word for “older sister,” used by females.