episode_0087

Time passed, and before we knew it, another week had gone by.

The cherry blossoms, which seemed like they would last forever, had fallen in a flurry, looking quite pitiful, while other trees were now lush with leaves.

With their disappearance came the sweltering heat.

Mornings were chilly to the point of being cold, but come lunchtime, it suddenly turned uncomfortably warm, making the need for air conditioning urgent…

This monotonous life had already become tiresome, but my body quickly adapted.

On the bright side, there was less need to visit the restroom… perhaps due to sweating profusely because of the temperature.

However, the downside was that while my body adapted, I did not. In this warm weather, sweat would trickle down, ruining any pretty clothes. Stockings… let’s not even go there.

Moreover, my chest would perspire heavily. The area where the sternum meets the flesh continued to rub and stick together, causing discomfort… ugh.

I shudder at the thought.

It’s sticky. Also, there are rumors that stockings are unbearable in the summer, so these days, I don’t wear them much.

If I do wear them… yes. Only when my boyfriend is around.

Anyway, it’s the weekend. Since I stay home on weekends, I turn on the air conditioning and wear stockings.

As foolish as it may seem, if it makes my boyfriend happy, then it’s worth the electricity bill.

“Hehe.”

And now, with the wedding date set, perhaps it’s a good thing… maybe?

The wedding venue will surely have the air conditioning blasting.

“. Nice.”

I retrieve my driver’s license from the drawer.

I bought a car for the first time.

I didn’t buy it… I received it.

I was going to decline, but he insisted and disappeared.

It was also from Mom.

Again?

Yes.

That room had now transformed into a storage-cum-dressing room.

Expensive clothes that seemed like they would cause trouble if washed, as well as various cosmetics, were received.

My jaw dropped at the prices of the cosmetics.

Thus, the room became packed with half of my boyfriend’s clothes, half of mine, and even cosmetics.

“Phew… where is it…”

I grab the car keys and head downstairs.

Since we had our wedding photoshoot at the studio and made the invitations, what should I do next?

I should give the invitations to my sisters.

“Oh…”

I descended to the underground parking lot to find the parked car.

Walking along the street, I spotted an SUV with a blue license plate and a logo that seemed familiar.

As I opened the door, the new car welcomed me with its plastic coverings.

Since meeting my sisters was a priority, I roughly removed the plastic covers around the driver’s seat and placed them on the passenger seat. I’ll have to buy trash bags later at the store.

I adjusted the seat to fit me perfectly.

As the motor sound hummed, the seat slowly moved.

Everything was electronic.

I fastened my seatbelt naturally and started the engine.

-Ding~Ding~Ding~

“…Huh?”

It didn’t sound like a car starting.

Instead, a bell chimed electronically, and a display lit up as if turning on a phone.

“E…e…eh?”

Where did the gear shift lever go?

Where could it have gone?

Although I had a driver’s license, I had driven my dad’s car several times before. It was manual, so pressing and releasing the clutch to start was natural, but…

My right hand fumbled around, touching unfamiliar switches. This one is for the window.

I’m not sure why the window controls are here.

“Hmm…”

Where did the familiar things go, and why did this appear?

This car looked nothing like the ones I used to see.

“Ah. Found it.”

There was another gear shift lever below the steering wheel.

What strange advancement was this?

Even the dials felt unfamiliar to me.

Feeling like I might not be able to drive like this, I searched on the internet.

…

In the video, they were explaining about the car for almost 20 minutes.

There were many functions even on the car key, and setting things up on the car was really like a phone.

A toy…?

I roughly skimmed through the essentials and slowly recollected.

I pressed the parking button, released it, and turned it to switch to drive.

Something… something was different.

It’s not like I find driving fascinating or anything.

I just find the gear stick comfortable.

…Let’s not say negative things.

I got it for free, so I should be grateful and ride it.

Slowly turning the steering wheel, I exited the underground parking lot.

A strange sound like “hiing” was replacing the engine noise.

It seemed like some advanced, bulky toy. Adults would probably like it. Is this what adult toys are like?

While my brother might like it, he might also dislike it since there’s no engine noise.

“…Huh?!”

Remembering the old feeling, as I glanced at the side mirror, instead of a mirror, there was a camera attached.

“Huh….”

Keeping up with science these days was overwhelming.

*

“Unni~!”

“Hello~!” “Wow. You look prettier every time I see you!”

Suhyun unni. And Sua unni could be seen in the distance.

They really resemble each other.

When we first met, we didn’t know we were sisters.

“I never thought there’d come a day when I’d be learning from Jihye… This unni is truly amazing…!”

“If someone saw us, they’d think I’m just taking advantage of you for food!”

But seeing us sticking together now, I definitely felt like we were sisters.

Our clothing preferences are different, our heights are different, but whether it’s maturity or age difference, we have opposite personalities yet look exactly alike.

“How have you been?”

“Good. Of course~”

“Why is it so hard to meet you? I always want to see you, but you keep saying you’re busy…”

Suhyun unni hugged me, while Sua unni buried her face in my chest, pouting.

I remembered the faint floral scent from when we first met.

“If you have time, come over. I’ll be living alone at home.”

“Well… I wanted to go to cafes or explore good restaurants.”

“…? Are you pregnant?”

At the mention of living alone, Sua unni seemed regretful, mumbling in my arms, while Suhyun unni, on the contrary, pondered and gave an unusual response.

There’s a plan, for sure.

At least until the wedding, there’s no plan.

I want to look slim and pretty as much as possible.

Even if the wedding dress covers it all, I don’t think it’s the right time now.

Maybe on the honeymoon… who knows.

“Oh. Not yet~”

Anyway, not now.

But that’s the plan.

“You know you’re fragile, right?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Come visit our hospital later. I’ll take care of you personally.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, come on.”

Suhyun unni laughed as if it was nothing, clapping her hands.

“A baby resembling Jihye… I bet your boyfriend was incredibly handsome too, right?”

“That’s right. Incredibly handsome and cute.”

“Geez… so lovey-dovey.”

Chatting away, my sisters and I moved to a nearby cafe.

Unlike last time, it was a very ordinary cafe, not one with an obvious theme.

“What would you ladies like to drink?”

Since I called them here and asked them to come, I stood in front and took out my card.

Today, I plan to treat them all.

Inviting my close ones to my wedding is a kind of reception, I suppose.

“Oh. Thank you. Will enjoy it?” “Hmm… at a place where Jihye treats us…”

Same faces, similar faces. Completely different reactions, yet I was oddly confused.

Hairstyle and makeup, even clothes being the same, it would be difficult to distinguish if not for the parents.

“Hmm….”

“So? You’re busy with wedding preparations now?”

“Yes, yes. I called you today to… um. This. I called you to give you this.”

She took out two wedding invitations from her bag.

“Oh… wow… these are real wedding invitations?”

“So what, are they fake?”

“No… since Jihye is really getting married, it doesn’t feel real…”

I feel the same way.

I truly can’t believe it.

I’ve often thought that maybe this is like a happy dream.

With firm sincerity,

I slowly opened my mouth.

“I… wanted to get married every day. It seems like my stubbornness has firmly taken hold of me….”

I was engulfed in fear.

“But I wasn’t actually like that from the beginning, right?”

Disgust, fear of judgment.

“So when I was struggling with how to live in this world, I still saw my brother fighting on.”

Perhaps initially responsibility, then…

“Is it stubbornness? Right now, I think it’s love, but back then, I might have been a little angry at being treated as a completely different person.”

Understanding each other, aligning opinions, even the smallest things eventually.

“When I see my brother as a woman… just a girl who has fallen in love…? You know, there’s a trembling in my chest, a fluttering feeling, a pleasant excitement.”

That was clearly love.

“Trying to adapt to a woman’s body, trying to get used to it….”

In every reason, my brother was involved.

Exercise, cooking lessons, even buying something.

“What my brother likes, what he dislikes. I tried to please my brother.”

I only thought about my brother.

“Kind-hearted… sometimes a bit foolish, but that’s fine. He’s afraid to take the lead, but when there’s a real threat, he steps up in front of me.”

It was so fulfilling to be loved like this.

My brother loves me.

“My brother isn’t perfect, and neither am I. That’s why… that’s why I wanted to get married.”

I put down the vibrating phone.

The unopened wedding invitation lay in front of me.

I sat neatly again, avoiding eye contact slightly to gauge the reaction.

“…Congratulations.”

“Jihye… she always seemed like a child, but she really was in love.”

“Thank you.”

Late afternoon.

Before the sunset, the sun was shining inside the building.

I let go of my fidgeting hands and held my sisters’ hands.

“Thank you. Soohyun unnie. Sua unnie too.”

I ignored the moisture in my eyes.

I didn’t want to cry.

I wanted to smile.

“Thank you….”

That’s because they were the ones who helped me get here.

I wanted to express my gratitude.