“When is the schedule…?”

    “I haven’t even tried yet!”

    “Oh… Surprising. I thought I only had about a year left.”

    Many thoughts are swirling in my mind.

    From Sua unnie suggesting we exercise to Suhyun unnie worrying immensely about my fragile body.

    Videos popping up through algorithms are informing about postpartum care.

    It feels like an unspoken pressure to take care of my body, making this the most critical juncture in my life.

    I had considered brushing it off as something I knew in passing, but now it has become a problem.

    My willpower is at stake.

    Reasons why I must exercise and the conditions that leave me no choice are slowly guiding me along.

    But let’s think positively.

    As much as I’ve struggled, rewards are bound to follow.

    If we work hard together on dangerous days with Oppa at night… something good will happen. Right?

    During this time, Oppa will love and cherish me immensely…

    And our baby, resembling Oppa, will surely be adorable.

    “Hehe…”

    “Jihye…?”

    “…Oh. What did you say?”

    “Well… I didn’t say anything, but you were smiling to yourself, so I wondered if something good happened.”

    Just now, my happiness circuit was spinning around, conjuring up fantasies.

    But marriage wasn’t part of it…?

    You hit a major snag.

    “Hmm… It’s nothing.”

    “Well… Are you hungry? Let’s eat.”

    “Oh. I don’t have much of an appetite…”

    Surprisingly, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.

    But my stomach remains motionless.

    “Oh. So you’re not feeling hungry.”

    Unnie nods her head.

    She wears a somewhat ambiguous expression, unlike before.

    “I want to say I’m envious, but in Jihye’s case, your body is so weak that you need to take vitamins at least. If possible, you should definitely have a meal.”

    It’s a situation where I can’t help but feel envious but can’t be envious.

    No matter how much I want to lose weight, I wouldn’t want to weaken myself to the point of jeopardizing my health.

    In that sense, I am weaker than the average woman.

    Perhaps… I’m weaker than Sua unnie.

    Of course, it makes sense to exercise… But if I experience Unnie’s height indirectly, it feels like I would disappear when I hug Oppa, just like the feeling when I hugged Unnie…

    “Hmm… Shall we eat…?”

    “For now… Let’s try eating once. If you really can’t eat, I brought some vitamins, and if there’s something you like, I’ll make it for you.”

    Unnie helps me up.

    “Ugh…”

    “You have to eat. If you don’t eat now when you’re already so frail, you’ll end up with just bones.”

    Moving is painful, lying down is painful, sitting doesn’t change anything.

    Feeling slightly dizzy, I lean on Unnie’s back and head to the kitchen.

    Sitting on a chair, I slump over the dining table.

    “Um… What does Jihye like to eat…?”

    “Pork cutlet…”

    Since there’s none prepared, Unnie takes out frozen pork cutlets from the fridge.

    “Greasy… well. Even if it hurts, if you can’t eat something delicious, it’s regretful.”

    Yeah. It’s regretful.

    Regretful is the perfect word for it.

    It would have been better if it hurt a little less.

    “Hehe. So when are you going to make a baby?”

    “Oh. Well, that’s after getting married…?”

    “Oh, I see. You have plenty of time then.”

    “But you don’t have time, Unnie…”

    Unnie cheerfully prepares the food, humming.

    “Good things are good~ Jihye even got certified for being pretty.”

    “It’s got a shelf life of one year.”

    “Even if it’s past the expiration date, you can still eat it, right?”

    I hope she listens properly.

    “Sigh… What am I going to do with you, Unnie.”

    “Well… I’ll definitely find it.”

    Stung, she stopped humming.

    “…Ah. By any chance… how was that first experience?”

    “……Ah.”

    She didn’t realize her lack of dating experience would be this extreme.

    “Sis, what kind of life have you been living?”

    Am I ahead of my sister?

    Much ahead.

    “Oh… Sis, you must be really sad if you’re asking about that.”

    “I understand… that experience hurt…? But it was good.”

    “Oh, how did it go?”

    “Maybe it’s better to ask after starting to date… we did it at the hotel first.”

    Bringing out the sizzling tonkatsu, Sis sits down.

    “How did you set the mood?”

    “Well… we had a meal and then went to the hotel.”

    Was it because she didn’t want to date or had she been postponing due to studying?

    Sis asked various questions.

    When to kiss, how to set the mood, how to handle the ring.

    Hoping for love, she explained in detail as much as possible.

    The tonkatsu was getting cold.

    “Should we eat the tonkatsu first…? It’s getting cold.”

    “Oh… okay. Hmm. It’s still warm.”

    Maybe talking too much caused that.

    Without much thought, the next bite of tonkatsu revived her appetite.

    Wondering if tonkatsu made so easily could taste good, she found it decent once eaten.

    Still, homemade is the best.

    “Phew… I’m full.”

    “…Half left?”

    “I… can’t eat much normally.”

    Sis, astonished, looks at her own plate, then swallows tears and continues eating.

    Looking at it this way, there are many similarities between sisters.

    “I’ll clean up the dishes later.”

    “No, I was planning to stay for dinner though?”

    “Oh… you don’t have to go that far.”

    “Do you not like being with me?”

    It’s not that, but Sis might find it difficult.

    “It’s not that…”

    “Okay then. It’s fine. They say a nurse takes care of you nearby.”

    Sis took the plates away and started washing them.

    Not many, but still…

    “Why did your pretty face turn into a frown? I’m really fine.”

    “I’m sorry for calling you.”

    “Why would you say something like that to Sis? If Jihye hadn’t called you back, I would’ve worried and come over a couple of times already.”

    She embraced Sis.

    Knowing it was a comforting hug, there were no emotions other than warmth and gratitude.

    After a brief moment of sharing warmth, she returned to the bedroom.

    “Oh. How many times a day do you change your sanitary pad?”

    “If it feels uncomfortable, I change it. Um… 4 or 5 times?”

    “Well done. That’s normal. Usually, you change it every 3 to 5 hours. Oh, and you can get more supplies, so make sure to request them later.”

    “Thank you.”

    That’s good.

    Although neatly stacked like Tetris behind the closet, at this rate, it seemed like they wouldn’t last a year.

    “Sanitary pads also have an expiration date. About 3 years? Even if stored well, if it’s been around for 3 years, just throw it away. Since it touches a sensitive area, ignoring it and using it may lead to infections or other issues.”

    Listening carefully to Sis’s words, she got up.

    “I’ll go and change now. It was feeling uncomfortable.”

    “Do you remember the procedure?”

    “Yes, yes. I’m used to it now.”

    “Girls~”

    “…But I am a girl.”

    “Yeah yeah. You’re cute, charming, and pretty.”

    Comfort… does nursing involve mental stability?

    How many times is this now?

    She couldn’t remember, but her hands were honest, swiftly changing and coming out.

    “You’re fast!”

    “Ah, until when will you keep praising me!”

    Lying on the bed, she hugged the pack close.

    “[I can only say simple things over the phone. That’s why you should talk a lot in times like this. Saying there really isn’t anyone like Ji-hye is a way of saying she’s a rare person.]”

    “When you come to hang out… it’s fine. Oppa will gladly welcome you.”

    Unnie waved her hand, making a rejecting gesture.

    “Hey. Are you telling me to lie down next to you while you two are dating?”

    “Um… then… should I go hang out?”

    “Well, that’s a bit…”

    I know well that even though I say it, it might not be possible.

    I want to be with Oppa.

    “When you get married and have a baby, call me then. I’ll take care of you sincerely.”

    “…Thank you.”

    “Wow… Ji-hye is pregnant. I really don’t know.”

    “Well, what can you do.”

    “She must be incredibly pretty, right? Maybe she already has all her features from birth?”

    “Well… you have to give birth to know.”

    I’ve only seen newborn babies in dramas, um… still don’t know.

    They all looked similar.

    “Yeah yeah. It must be cute. Oh. Keeps blinking. I’ll check everything I brought. Vitamins… there are good things for women, so use them all.”

    “Oh… What should I do exactly?”

    “Nothing? Even if you give me money, I have nowhere to spend it.”

    “…Sigh. Should I introduce you to an old friend or something.”

    Among my friends, there’s a good-looking guy… well, they all have a bit of a weird vibe.

    Those guys probably won’t make Unnie happy…

    Even if I were to tell her to erase me as I am now, she probably wouldn’t believe it.

    “Oh. I’m sorry. I should ask Oppa after all.”

    “I… might prefer being alone.”

    “What will you do if you regret it later?”

    “Is that… my fate?”

    “What fate.”

    Maybe I unintentionally spoke a bit harshly.

    “Fine. They said to find you quickly.”

    “Ugh… I don’t want to…”

    Since Oppa wasn’t here, I cautiously hugged Unnie, thinking someone should comfort her.

    “Sigh… Can’t I live alone?”

    “Yes, then think about it properly. You have time for that.”

    Alone.

    Being alone is never a bad thing.

    There are people who enjoy being alone.

    “Still… having someone you love by your side makes you happy. That’s how I feel.”

    “Yeah… thank you.”

    “What for.”

    I started to miss Oppa again.

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