episode_0135

I headed to the back of the tavern, out of breath.

The fragrant scent of grass wafts from afar.

Thanks to that, the tip of the sharp nose flares.

I followed the echo and turned the corner, finally finding my sister.

Pure white top and blue skirt.

With her hair tied up neatly, she looks like a beautiful young lady straight out of a historical drama.

Was it because I was just blankly staring at that sight?

Before I knew it, I had even forgotten to call her name.

“Siho is here…?”

Her golden eyes sparkle as she looks at me.

Soon, Youngae approached me cautiously, holding her long skirt with both hands.

The closer she gets, the more my heart races.

It was as if we had gone back to the time when we used to hang out together.

“What happened? Did you catch him?”

“Yes, where have you been, sister?”

◦I was washing dishes in %◦”

“I don’t think you can see it.”

My sister laughed brightly at my shy voice.

And he said, as if he was joking.

“I was originally going to make galbijjim… but I burned it all, right? So I got kicked out to do the dishes.”

She fanned her nose as if smelling something charred.

I also ended up chuckling at that sight.

“I guess I have no talent for cooking-.”

My sister wrapped her arms around my neck like a fool.

Yeah, I guess I didn’t have any talent.

Even when I had a party with Hyunsoo, my sister’s cooking was the worst.

Even my brother, who only ate rice with kimchi, was shaking…

“My husband will have to do the cooking.”

“Husband-?”

She walked playfully and then suddenly stopped.

And then he looked back at me with a faint smile on his face.

“I’m not going to get married?”

“Uh… Are you single?”

“That’s not it…”

My older sister lightly carried my luggage.

And then he walked leisurely, matching my pace.

I walked through the folk village, standing close to her to hear her answer.

She gave me the answer after walking for a while and reaching a crowded stone bridge.

“I’m just… afraid of getting close to someone now.”

I looked up at my older sister.

Her eyes were staring into space as if reminiscing about the past.

Suddenly, I became curious about that past.

No, actually I may already know that past.

But I couldn’t bring myself to ask about it.

I was just satisfied with being in my sister’s sad memories.

“…”

We each carry our own pain.

And all that pain is interconnected.

But… I couldn’t share it.

Knowing that fact, I just look at the black crowd bustling in the distance.

“Look at some kind of filming.”

“That’s right…”

We peeked our faces out from the crowd of black people.

I’m a little short, so I had a hard time squeezing through the gap.

“Wow… It must be a drama…!”

My sister whispered in a slightly excited voice.

By the time I heard that, I was barely able to see the scene with my feet up.

I see a young lady wearing a beautiful hanbok like my older sister.

She secretly met a man in black attire under the eaves.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just got here too…”

“Why did you call me in the middle of the night?”

Young-ae gives the man a serious look, as befitting an actress.

As if responding to those gazes, the male actor also took on a somewhat nervous expression.

“Let’s stop meeting now.”

Her calm and cold words.

The moment he heard those words, the man in the black robe was speechless.

Before he could even ask why.

Yeong-ae intercepted his words and solidified her position.

“We were never meant to meet in the first place. Our social statuses are different, and the worlds we’ve lived in are so different. Even if we met for a moment like this, how long would it last?”

Even I swallowed deeply at Youngae’s sharp words.

A relationship that shouldn’t exist.

Because it seemed like that relationship applied to me and Jisoo as well.

I think about what I would say to Young-ae if I were that man.

And I think about what I can say to my sister with this body.

It wasn’t me who was close to my older sister, it was Do-hyun.

Even though he was a man.

I wonder if my older sister will still be able to love me even though I have changed so much.

Could I at least convey this feeling that I couldn’t convey in the first place?

I don’t know…

I just watched to see what kind of lame remarks the man would use to cling to Young-ae.

“Are you very anxious…?”

Musa gave me an answer that was completely different from what I expected.

He smiled warmly, as if trying to reassure her.

Young-ae’s eyes, which were trying to firmly establish her position, gradually began to waver.

“…”

“Honestly, I’m scared.”

“What are you so afraid of?”

“It hasn’t even been half a year since my husband died in battle.”

A pebble fell into her calm sleep.

Where the tiny stones fell, gentle waves continued to ripple.

“Even though I didn’t love him… the time I spent with him still lingers in my mind.”

“Even memories of someone I didn’t love are so heartbreaking… If even you die, how am I supposed to live… I’m not sure.”

The moment I heard those words, my heart ached.

I continued to look at the scene, holding my aching heart.

“Why are you worrying so much about something that hasn’t even started yet? That’s so uncharacteristic of you.”

Musa approached Youngae gently.

And he carefully wiped her eyes.

“Is it possible for you to come back alive…?”

Youngae looked up at him with reddened eyes.

Then the man made a promise with a kind smile.

“I promise. When I get back, we’ll definitely have a wedding together.”

“If you knew how the war would end, would you believe that…”

Yeong-ae is afraid of forming another relationship.

Musa loves her even in an uncertain future.

“Don’t believe this, just trust me.”

Yeong-ae just buried her face in Musa’s arms and sobbed.

As I watched that scene, I secretly grabbed my sister’s jacket sleeve.

An older sister wearing clothes similar to Yeong-ae’s.

I wanted to wear a black uniform.

My heart flutters at the sight of our intersecting figures.

The commotion was only calmed by one voice.

“Okay, cut! Alright!”

The drama director shouts loudly.

Then, the two lovers who had been wearing very sorrowful expressions immediately relaxed their expressions and smiled awkwardly.

“It came out well, let’s just go with this scene.”

The production team is satisfied with the sound.

The actor is overcome with emotion and shyly covers his mouth with his wide sleeves.

After that scene, the production crew begins to hurriedly withdraw from the bridge.

Everything was done in perfect order, as if they were sorry for occupying the bridge and causing inconvenience to tourists.

Thanks to that, we were able to continue our walk again.

We walked together on empty bridges.

It’s quiet now, as if nothing happened, unlike the bustling place just a moment ago.

Was it because the atmosphere was awkward?

I spoke carefully to my sister.

“You act well.”

“Actors?”

My older sister, who was walking with a bitter expression, asked back.

Only then do the sounds of our footsteps mesh together as one.

“Yes, somehow… I think I got really immersed in it.”

“Me too…”

My older sister also raised the corners of her lips as if she agreed.

But her eyes still looked lonely.

“I, Siho…”

My sister’s flower shoes stopped in the middle of the stone bridge.

My sister’s side hair sticking out dances in the cool night breeze.

“Did you have a hard time after Dohyun died?”

“…”

I thought about the answer for a moment.

Then, suddenly, I remembered myself dying while peeking into my sister’s memories.

“It was hard.”

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t protect Dohyun…”

Why, my sister is apologizing.

If only I had been as strong as my older sister back then.

No, if we had never met in the first place…

You didn’t have to die so miserably.

The tip of my nose feels tingly.

The words rose to the tip of my tongue and lingered in my mouth.

But I couldn’t spit it out.

I just raised my trembling head and looked up at my sister.

“I’m fine. And…”

My sister’s golden eyes.

It shines brightly even in the folk village at night.

On that face, bathed in moonlight, there was regret and sadness.

And it was filled with longing.

I barely managed to clear my blocked throat.

And says.

“I’m sure you’ll understand too.”

He smiled brightly with his long, fox-like eyes.

But, the corners of my eyes were already red.

Because there were many things I couldn’t say.

“Sihoya…”

My sister’s lips tremble gently.

Soon she spoke in a trembling voice, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Thank you so much for saying that…”

No matter how bright my older sister is…

Right now, at this moment, it seems like it was hard to endure.

I hugged my older sister tightly for her.

My roomy sleeves hugged her body.

He spoke quietly, leaving his body in her arms.

“I didn’t have a hard time at all. Whenever I had a hard time, someone gave me advice.”

“Who is that…?”

“…”

He carefully placed his lips on her ear.

And he covered his mouth with both hands so that no one could hear, and spoke in a small voice.

“She was a really kind, warm, and wonderful person, just like my older sister.”

She turned her body around playfully and took the lead.

Thanks to my soft movements, my tail, which was hidden by my clothes, also floats.

“I also wanted to be that kind of person to Dohyun…”

My older sister muttered from behind.

The voice pierced my ears, but I couldn’t bring myself to look back.

Because I didn’t want her to see my current expression.

Instead, I stopped walking.

and…

“Don’t worry.”

I muttered secretly.

“Because I’ve already been that kind of person enough.”

Maybe it was because it was a bit far.

My sister asked me urgently what I said.

“What did you say…?”

Only then did I turn my head slightly.

And then he smiled faintly with his eyes half-closed.

“I didn’t say anything.”

I pointed at the Japanese-style street with my finger in a cheeky manner.

Then, my sister’s eyebrows furrow as if she doesn’t understand.

“Sister, aren’t you hungry?”

I stopped walking cautiously and stood close to my sister.

He changes the subject while secretly linking his arms.

“I had a hard time because of the smell of the braised ribs earlier.”

“Yeah…?”

“Yes! Let’s eat octopus bread. Madam even gave me money because the store’s sales went up because of me.”

He took out a white envelope of money from his bosom.

And then he waves it at his older sister as if he were looking at her.

“I’ll treat you today!”

He covered his face with a paper bag.

And then he lifted his head as if doing peek-a-boo and smiled.

Only then did my older sister smile again.

My older sister, who raised the corners of her lips, followed me and slowly walked down the streets of the Japanese village.

“Yeah.”

He gestured toward her, whose steps were slow.

“Come quickly! The festival is just beginning.”

He grabbed her arm.

And led towards the fancy lights.