I should think about becoming independent with the money I worked hard to earn.

“Wow-a hot co-sleeping session for the couple.”

“It’s not like that, so don’t tease me!”

“Um, Eunha-unni. If a man and woman lying in the same position on the same bed isn’t co-sleeping, what do you think it is?”

“Umm, things like that, you know. In professional terms, I should explain that it’s not co-sleeping, but a scene of a married couple’s conjugal night…”

“Both of you, get out right now!”

I chased away my younger siblings, who came to tease me, with a single shout and then huffed again.

With her blush subsided, Jihae pulled the blanket over herself, lay down, glanced at me slightly, and then turned her head away again.

“Why are you angry again? I’m saying we should find or rent a house near where you work.”

“Where do you think the money to do such nonsense is coming from? Do you know how much a house costs? Just talking about it is just escapism. Our parents won’t be back for a while, so let’s just stay here.”

It was a conversation no different from when I was lazing around at home.

Jihae, getting angry at me to come to my senses, and me, continuing it from the side.

But the difference was that the gaze that used to look at me like trash had disappeared, and now she was peeking out with only her eyes showing under the blanket.

“You said you’re going down there anyway. You’re not just going to keep putting it off, are you?”

“…I have to go. I’ve been holding on forcibly, but it’s true that it’s getting harder to endure now.”

“So, since the topic came up, let’s consider it? Our parents don’t even know when they’ll be back, so we’re not going to just keep living like this, are we?”

“How many times do I have to say that the problem is realistically money, no matter what? Even a studio apartment for me to live alone is a stretch, so how…”

Before she could finish speaking, I handed her my phone.

After showing Jihae the account details on my phone, she returned the phone without a word.

“You’re saying I can use this because you earned it by working?”

“It’s not that. But I’m saying you can use it because it’s money I’ve saved up. There’s nothing to spend money on aboard a ship, so it just piles up.”

“You’re telling me that you, Oppa, want me to use the money you risked your life to earn on a ship for nearly two years to find my house…eup.”

As her voice began to change with heightened emotion, I blocked her mouth with my index finger.

I know what she’s trying to say. Something along the lines of how could I do that, but there was one thing wrong with Jihae’s words.

“It’s not your house. It’s a house for you and me to live in.”

“……”

“It might seem really petty, but isn’t that an important distinction? If we get a studio apartment and live together, we’ll be living without any privacy, and we’ll end up fighting every day from the stress.”

I added, ‘If that’s the case, I’ll join in, so let’s use my money to find a better place.’

Living at home wasn’t bad. A large house in a neighborhood I’ve lived in for a long time, a familiar and good city with lots of facilities.

Giving up such a city and going down to the southern region, which is a bit less developed than here, is not something you can do with an ordinary mindset.

It’s not that the southern region is bad at all.

But no matter how excellent a southern city is, it can’t beat the convenience of a metropolitan city.

There’s a reason why they say people should be sent to Seoul and horses to Jeju Island.

“As for a job, I can do whatever I want when I go down there, and it doesn’t matter where I am if I’m doing broadcasts or working in the webtoon industry.”

Even if I’m not as young as I used to be, I can still find a job.

Even if it’s not as easy to find a job as in the metropolitan area, the things I was going to do are things I can do from home.

“As for our parents…it’s a bit much because it’s not a situation to worry about them, but would they stop their son from becoming independent?”

“Seeing how you do things, I think they’ll be incredibly worried because they can’t trust you…?”

“Hey, give me a break at times like this. How come I get more nagging than affection when I come home? Tell me the truth.”

“Tell you what truth?”

I flicked her forehead lightly.

“Ouch!”

“You’re still angry about me not contacting you.”

“…I think I’m angry because you just hit me, is it okay if I get angry?”

“No.”

She bared her teeth slightly and growled, but I brushed it off with a whistle.

Perhaps she wasn’t really angry, she soon calmed down and looked at me with a sigh.

“Even if the money is resolved, there are many things to worry about. The biggest problem is that Jua has to come with us if we leave.”

My mouth dropped open at the unexpected problem.

Jua is more related to my father than to this house.

We’ve been living as half-siblings, but if we leave, the connection that essentially ties her to this house disappears.

No matter how much I think things have changed, I always have a problem, so I pressed my forehead and tried to calm my throbbing head.

“Keueung…. That’s right. If we consider Jua, we need at least three rooms, and there are more things to do.”

“It’s not like everything is solved just because one thing is resolved. Jua will feel pressured to stay here if we’re not here, so she has to come with us no matter what…”

She grabbed my nose and whined.

“How much did that Mr. Kim, who lives somewhere, mess her up when he touched her and you weren’t there? Thanks to you, you just ruined my younger sister.”

“Aaaaah, ya, ya, ya, let go of my nose, let go of my nose!”

“More than anything, if Jua goes down there, we have to manage Jua like we’re raising a child, you damn human!”

“I get it, so let go of my nose, I said let go!”

The hand shaking my nose is fierce.

She grabbed my nose so hard that tears welled up, and continued to speak as if scolding a child who had done something wrong.

“How irresponsible is it for an Oppa who hasn’t even settled on a job to say he has money, so he’s going to find a house with another younger sibling and live there. Did you do wrong or not?!”

“Aaaaah-! Please, I said I get it, talk after letting go, please! Can you handle it if you let go of this? Just try letting go, I’ll kill you!”

“Again, again, again, I let go of your hand a little bit and you’re already climbing all over me, huh!”

“Hey, Kim Jihae, let go, aren’t you going to let go?”

The pain surging from my nose is beyond imagination.

Tears were squeezed out, and I pulled Jihae in reverse with survival-type muscles to break free.

“You want to do this while you’re being scolded?”

“It really hurts now, so let go.”

My nose was still grabbed, but I could smell Jihae’s hair, which was pulled close to my face.

As Jihae’s scent, which I hadn’t smelled in a while, spread through my body, I unknowingly pushed my nose into her hair.

“…You’re really acting like an old man.”

The hand grabbing my nose loosened, and Jihae leaned her body against me.

She closed her eyes and leaned on me as if nothing was wrong, but a blush slowly rose on her face.

If I tease her again, she’ll get angry, so I enjoyed this moment without saying anything, smelling her hair.

–

“Is the couple’s fight over?”

“If the couple’s fight is over, I’m going to ask Jihae-unni for permission to borrow Oppa.”

The two younger siblings who came to tease me again when things calmed down.

It’s okay to tease me, but if they borrow me for the important matter of finding a house, they’ll only be the ones with a headache.

“It’s not that the couple’s fight is over, but that we’ve moved on to a couple’s meeting, do you really want to interfere?”

“Eh, what’s going on that Oppa is calling it a couple’s meeting? Is it that important?”

“Is Oppa sick somewhere? The Sunho Oppa I knew wasn’t this kind of person?”

“In your heads, was I just some stupid thug from the back alleys?”

Jua chuckled, but Eunha started to ponder for a moment.

“The beast that pounced on you on the sofa seems right…”

“…”

“You should have just cursed instead, Eunha…”

As soon as she trailed off, Jihae glared at me.

Where did the face that was bright red until just now go? Looking at me with a bloodless face, she’s like a ghost.

Even if I brag about changing, in the end, I’m just a man suffering in front of Jihae. Honestly, even if I can handle it, it’s still scary.

“Y-you’ll forgive me since it’s an old story, right…?”

“If you say one more word, I’m going to use the money you earned to find another house and live there.”

“…Yes…”

“Here’s a look at an Oppa who is both a devoted husband and henpecked. So, Eunha-unni, what’s that story in more detail…”

Jihae’s head turned towards Jua, and she closed her mouth.

“…I don’t think you need to tell me…yo.”

“I didn’t say anything. So, what meeting are you talking about?”

“I told you I’m being transferred to the provinces, right? It’s a meeting about whether or not to move because of that.”

Eunha nodded, but Jua whispered to Eunha.

Usually, Jua should know and Eunha shouldn’t, right? Even if Eunha is a cousin…?

I wanted to ask, but I closed my mouth at the strange energy coming from Jihae’s body.

I can’t explain it in words, but…how should I put it, I just felt a sense of terror that if I opened my mouth here, I would really be taking a break for the rest of the day.

It’s best to keep your mouth shut and be quiet at times like this.

“Oh, then can I join you when you move? I’m on leave from school anyway.”

“I have to go forcibly. I’m family now too, if you abandon me, I’m going to act like a child and throw a tantrum!”

A sigh escaped from Jihae’s mouth.

“Haa…Eunha, it’s one thing for you, but Jua, you have a problem with school…”

Come to think of it, Jua is still a student.

Living together is one thing, but Eunha is about to graduate, so it’s okay for her to take a leave of absence, but Jua has a long way to go.

She has to attend for at least another year, but we can’t leave her behind. I had to rack my brains at the unexpected situation.

“Even if I say it’s better to go after you graduate…you’re the one who’s uncomfortable when our parents come…it’s hard to take you with us.”

“Um, that’s true too. But isn’t the solution just for me to take a leave of absence?”

It’s not like a leave of absence is difficult, and a year-long leave of absence is not a problem.

Guys even have military leave, so I wouldn’t even bring it up as a problem, but if she’s taking a leave of absence to go with us, shouldn’t I be the one to endure it?

“Don’t just say things because you want to go with me and Oppa.”

“I’m not just saying things. You don’t know how well I’m doing with my broadcasts, do you? My popularity has been getting even better these days, so I’m going to try it out, and if it doesn’t work out, I can just go back to school in about two years, I think.”

Jua pounds her chest with a confident expression.

Considering that college itself is about working to make a living, Jua’s words weren’t wrong.

She’s making good money right now, so if she tries it out and then goes back to school later, there’s no reason to stop her, but…

“No, it’s not like parents are interfering with their children…”

At my muttering, Jihae leaned slightly towards me and whispered.

“We don’t have the ability to take responsibility for the kids, so we have to let them choose.”

“Anyone would think we’re talking about moving with our children.”

“We’re the only ones who are going to see it, so what…Leaving the place we’ve been living in and settling in a new place is itself a choice to walk a different path.”

It’s okay to live here, but Jihae is doing it for work, and I’m doing it to live with Jihae.

Eunha and Jua are following us to live with us, which is, in a way, an irresponsible request to adapt to a new place again.

Among them, it’s happening because of my greed, so Eunha and Jua’s choices are definitely necessary.

Just like there’s a saying that you have to lose something to gain something, I’m just grateful to my younger siblings for going along with my semi-forced decision.

“If we’re going to move and take responsibility for them, you better do your job well. If you move for my work…”

“If I move, what?”

“I don’t know what you two are whispering about, but it’s okay because I can draw Jua’s thumbnails even if I go down there, and send the manuscripts over the internet.”

“Me too, um…I’m going to try doing what I’m doing well now, and if it doesn’t work out, I can go back to school, so I’m going to focus on my broadcasts, which are gaining more momentum.”

The two high-five and laugh.

The two of them, who used to get along well, are laughing as if they’ve become close sisters in the meantime, and I chuckled too.

It’s fortunate that the two people who got along so well have become closer, but I couldn’t stop worrying that I would have to take care of them even more.

“If I move, what.”

“…Thank you.”

Jihae whispered softly and nodded.

“Then we should look for a house first. Since we’re on the topic, should we go tomorrow? It’s a quick trip if we take the train.”

“Shouldn’t we find out the budget and things like that first if we’re going to do that?”

“We’re not including your money, so don’t worry.”

“Shouldn’t we be doing that instead…? Um, let’s sit at our table and talk first.”

“Sure.”

At Eunha’s words, everyone headed to the kitchen.

“Oppa, you rest here. We’ll talk among ourselves and come back.”

“You’re going to talk without the person involved?”

“We’ll tell you everything after we’re done talking, so I’m saying you should rest in the meantime. You’ve been lying in bed for a while, so you must be getting sleepy now?”

She must have seen that my eyes were unfocused, she knew me well.

A yawn came out of my mouth, and even if I tried to rub my eyes and hold on, the relief of coming home made my body sluggish.

Still, I wanted to be involved in the important matters of the house, so even if I tried to get up.

Chuk-

Jihae left one on my forehead as the price for resting well and headed to the kitchen.

“She could have just told me to sleep, what’s with the goodnight kiss.”

At the sensation of her lips on my forehead, I closed my eyes as they were and took a short nap.