My Friend’s Little Sister is Special

“Hey, Han Woo-jin, you bastard.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me with ‘hey’ attached to my name?”

“Cut the crap and come with me.”

“What’s with you today, why so toxic? Just because you’re handsome, you decided to go wild now?”

“Oh come on, can’t you just follow me?”

After he calls me a bastard first.

Grumbling, I got up from my seat and followed Seo Jin-hyuk.

I thought we might be going to the store, but when he started climbing up the stairs, I wondered what was going on.

The place where our footsteps stopped was, unexpectedly, the school rooftop.

“Why are we here?”

Could it be he’s trying to confess to me?

The gender-swapped Seo Jin-hyuk I had imagined during lunch yesterday flashed through my mind, momentarily making me nauseous.

“Hey, don’t you have anything to apologize for?”

“What should I be sorry about? If anything, you should be apologizing to me.”

“…Me?”

“I’m dying of jealousy over you always being called out for confessions, but I endure it and stay by your side. That loyalty is impressive, right?”

“Hey, I don’t want to be called out either, you know? No, wait, that’s not the point. Why did you tell my sister yesterday that I look at dirty things? No, what kind of conversation were you having with my sister for that to come up, you crazy bastard?”

Ah.

“…She told you about that?”

Ms. Seo Ye-rin? While I was asking my sister for help, you were assassinating me over there?

“Yeah, thankfully. Thanks to you, I had a nice water-spitting moment. I’ve been holding back the urge to kill you since last night, so explain in a way I can understand.”

…This is unfair. So unfair. I was just looking at cats vs. dogs.

I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Your sister asked me if I look at dirty things, and not wanting to die alone, I sold you out as part of a set menu,” seeing Seo Jin-hyuk looking at me with his eyebrows furrowed and fire in his eyes.

“…Thanks to me, now you don’t have to watch in secret. Lucky you.”

At my carelessly thrown words, Seo Jin-hyuk opened his eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard, and grabbed my shoulders.

“Hey, Han Woo-jin.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Are you sick somewhere…?”

With him examining my head as if wondering if I had hurt it on my way home yesterday, I couldn’t help but want to kill him.

“I’m not sick, you idiot. I had my reasons yesterday.”

“…What reason could you have to tell my 13-year-old sister that her brother watches dirty things?”

“…”

Hearing it out loud, it did sound a bit wrong, but I was unapologetic.

“You crazy bastard… Anyway, are you free after school today?”

“Today? I am, why?”

“…Would you like to come to our house again today?”

What’s with this guy?

While he’s the one inviting me, Seo Jin-hyuk spoke with his eyes tightly closed and trembling lips, as if in pain.

Anyone listening would think I was the one begging to go.

…I do want to go though.

“Don’t you have academy today?”

I asked, thinking Seo Jin-hyuk’s academy should be four days a week from what I knew.

“…I do.”

“Huh? So you want me to come when your academy ends?”

“…No, after school.”

“What are you talking about? You said you have academy.”

“…Just come. Please come, will you.”

What is this, a Hong-chul team without Hong-chul?

I wondered what was up with this crazy guy inviting me to his house while he wouldn’t be there.

Moreover, the way he spoke with gritted teeth, as if he hated it to death, made me think he might be under some kind of hypnosis.

“So you want me to go to your house alone after school?”

“…Yes.”

Watching Seo Jin-hyuk painfully answering after a long deliberation, I realized.

He’s a crazy guy.

To go crazy with those looks, what a pity.

But still.

I was grateful to this crazy guy just for today.

After all, it meant I could see Ye-rin again today.

“Alright. I’ll go after school, whatever. Around what time will you be back?”

“…8 o’clock.”

“About 4 hours… perfect.”

I wondered what I should do alone with Ye-rin for 4 hours, but it didn’t matter.

I could figure that out when the time came.

“Hey, what’s so perfect? What is it? What’s so good?”

“Why are you being so scary, you crazy guy…!”

“If you do anything strange, you’re dead, Han Woo-jin.”

“What kind of strange things?”

“How can I say that with my own mouth, you bastard…!”

I was dumbfounded by Seo Jin-hyuk’s behavior, going crazy after inviting me himself.

But just thinking that I could see Ye-rin again today made me smile even while being put in a headlock, ah shit, it really hurts…!

**

“Ow ow ow… that really hurts…”

“…You deserve to be hit.”

“This aggressor’s perspective is ridiculous…”

Touching my neck, which was being strangled just moments ago, I could feel the warm heat. This bastard, he really was strangling me.

Then suddenly, the fact I learned yesterday came to mind.

“Hey, Jin-hyuk.”

“…What.”

“Your sister…”

“What about her? No, you bastard.”

“You crazy guy, I haven’t said anything yet.”

“Huff… so what is it?”

Seeing Seo Jin-hyuk having a fit whenever I mentioned Ye-rin, I thought he must be a real siscon.

Sigh, I should never become like that.

“Is the pink eye color perhaps when she’s embarrassed?”

“Pink eye color? Ah, that…”

Seo Jin-hyuk paused mid-sentence.

After pondering for a moment with an expression that seemed to wonder if he should tell me, he opened his mouth again.

“Ask Ye-rin about that.”

He continued, rubbing his arms as if feeling creepy, saying “If I tell you, I might die.”

“Just know this. That emotions are complex.”

“…Complex?”

“Yeah. As you said, it could be because she’s embarrassed. But having pink eyes doesn’t always mean it’s because of embarrassment. Human emotions can’t be pinpointed with just one word.”

Though he spoke calmly as if stating a simple fact.

How much effort must he have made to understand his sister, to come to know this fact.

It seemed like Seo Jin-hyuk was telling me not to simplify his sister’s emotions, but to take good care of her.

“…You know well.”

“Because we’re family.”

Seo Jin-hyuk’s smile, as if saying “it’s only natural,” looked truly like an older brother for the first time.

Today, after the long classes ended again.

The time to go home, which I had been waiting for all day, finally came.

Although Seo Jin-hyuk stared at me with dead eyes as I excitedly got up from my seat.

Since he had invited me several times, whatever. I moved with light steps toward Jin-hyuk’s house without Jin-hyuk.

Despite my worries about forgetting the way, either my memory had suddenly improved, or there was another reason.

Walking down the path that I remembered so clearly, I soon arrived at Jin-hyuk’s house without Jin-hyuk without difficulty.

“Phew…”

Before pressing the bell, I took a light breath.

♪♬

“…Who is it?”

Is it because I’m hearing it after 24 hours?

Even the voice coming through the phone made my heart race for no reason.

“Hi, it’s Han Woo-jin, whom you met yesterday.”

“…My brother is at academy and not home today?”

“…Huh? Jin-hyuk told me to go ahead…?”

Oh shit.

Seo Jin-hyuk, you crazy bastard.

Could this be revenge for saying he watches dirty things? Is that it?

When he said I should go ahead, I naturally thought he had told Ye-rin too, but seeing Ye-rin’s puzzled reaction, I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

From Ye-rin’s perspective, am I now “a brother’s friend who claims the brother invited him over when the brother isn’t home”…?

I want to die.

Desperately holding onto my sanity, which felt like it was about to break, I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Um, there seems to have been a misunderstanding. I’ll come back when Jin-hyuk is here, sorry.”

As I was turning around, swearing to kill that guy tomorrow, I heard a voice that seemed a bit urgent.

“W-wait. Just a moment… It’s fine, come in and wait. I’ll open the door right away…”

With a click sound, I heard rapid footsteps coming towards me from behind the door.

♪♬

As the door opened with a cheerful sound, I was greeted by a forehead and vermilion eyes, with her bangs slightly pushed to the side as if she had really rushed over.

“…Come in, quickly.”

“Uh… hello? You didn’t have to rush.”

“You were about to leave…”

Is that why you ran?

Although she spoke as if blaming me, I could feel that Ye-rin also wanted to meet me, and I had to struggle to suppress the corners of my mouth from twitching upward.

“Sorry. It felt like I came suddenly, so I was going to come back later. Like when Jin-hyuk returns.”

“…You were going to come back?”

“Yeah. I said I’d come again, didn’t I?”

When I brought up the promise I made yesterday, thankfully she seemed pleased.

The vermilion eyes from just moments ago gradually began to turn yellow.

Watching her eyes change color according to my actions, I felt like a painter.

“…Come in quickly.”

Seeing her pulling on my uniform with her small hands, urging me to follow quickly, I thought it was good that I came.

Along with the thought that I wouldn’t be bored for the next 4 hours.