My Friend’s Little Sister is Special

[Seo Jin-hyuk]

— Days left until Seo Jin-hyuk’s death: D-1

— ? What nonsense are you suddenly saying?

— I came to your house, but Ye-rin looked at me as if wondering why I came alone, saying “Isn’t oppa at home?” Why didn’t you tell her? I wanted to disappear right there out of embarrassment, seriously. Were you trying to get revenge for yesterday?

— ……Ye-rin. Ye-rin said that?

— YES!!!!! I mean, when you told me to go ahead, I naturally thought you had told her, so I confidently rang the doorbell, but what is this? I thought something was strange when you, who said you’re going to academy, told me to go ahead. You’re dead tomorrow, Seo Jin-hyuk. Just wait.

— …She’s my sister, but she’s scary. I’m scared.

— What are you talking about? What’s scary about Ye-rin? Even though I came unexpectedly, she’s getting me something to drink now. I’m full, really full. If you saw my little sister, you wouldn’t say such things, tsk tsk.

— Everything you say is right…. I’m sorry in many ways…. My class is starting again, so I can’t reply. See you later or tomorrow. …Good luck.

What does he mean by “good luck”?

Seo Jin-hyuk, who had been saying things I couldn’t understand, stopped replying, probably because his academy class had started.

You’re dead tomorrow, Seo Jin-hyuk.

As I was inwardly pledging this, Ye-rin soon brought a tray with drinks and snacks.

Ye-rin’s fashion yesterday was a white dress, but today’s dress code seemed to be pink.

She was wearing a pink and white hoodie with shorts that came down to her knees.

…This looks good too.

To say such a pretty and kind sister is scary, Seo Jin-hyuk is truly ungrateful. Death sentence.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy these.”

As I spoke while taking a snack, Ye-rin nodded slightly as if she understood.

Crunch. Crunch. Gulp.

Hmm. What should we do?

It’s nice being together, but I couldn’t think of what to say or what to do.

What did I do when I was alone with Se-ah at home…?

Ah. We were just on our phones. Conversation between siblings is a luxury.

Inwardly groaning at this unhelpful information, I was mindlessly eating snacks when my gaze naturally turned forward.

…Her mouth is really small.

The snacks that I swallowed in one or two bites, she was eating in multiple small bites, like a squirrel.

She looks like a painting just by eating snacks.

I realized for the first time. That if someone is pretty, it’s enjoyable just to look at them.

“Um….”

“Ah, sorry.”

“…? For what?”

…I thought she was going to tell me to stop staring because I was looking too intently.

Honestly, even I thought I was staring too much….

Ye-rin looked at me with round eyes, as if wondering why I was suddenly apologizing, making me wonder if I had needlessly frozen up.

In times like this, I should act confidently, hmm.

“Nothing. I was just lost in thought. Why did you call me?”

“…You were lost in thought?”

Ah.

Her eyes, instantly turning gray, seemed to be scolding me.

‘You’re lost in thought with me in front of you? You?’

What’s this? Why does it feel so real?

The words Ye-rin hadn’t even said were automatically playing in my ears, making me suddenly feel like breaking into a cold sweat.

“No, no, not that kind of thinking. You eating snacks is very, what should I say. Cute.”

I urgently opened my mouth to explain, though I didn’t know what “that kind of thinking” meant either.

“I’m cute?”

“Yeah.”

“But I’m just eating normally….”

“Then maybe you’re always cute, whatever….”

I want to die.

It was the honest truth without a hint of a lie, but because it was the truth, I wanted to die even more.

…She won’t take it badly, right?

If I think about it, when you’re just eating a snack and a guy you met for the first time yesterday is staring at you with a ‘hehe, kawaii Ye-rin-chan. Come here!’ kind of look, it would be fu—, no, this is hurting me, it would make me want to curse.

As my uniform was about to get damp with cold sweat, thinking “What if she doesn’t eat snacks anymore because of me?”

I saw Ye-rin’s eyes turn pink.

Huh, they were definitely gray just now? As I was thinking this, Ye-rin picked up another snack.

Nom nom nom.

Seeing her eating the snack even more slowly than before, I felt relieved that my words hadn’t offended her.

Thank goodness….

Although she seemed embarrassed, at least she’s not feeling bad.

After breathing a sigh of relief, I waited for Ye-rin to finish eating the snack before speaking.

“Ahem. So what were you going to say earlier?”

“Pardon? Ah….”

Ye-rin seemed to have forgotten for a moment due to my sudden “kawaii” comment, showing an “oops” reaction.

“…Will you come again next time?”

Ye-rin seemed to be trying to speak calmly. But unfortunately, her face was visibly tense.

What could she be worried about? Me coming? Or… me not coming?

The former would make me a bit sad, but I decided to think in my favor.

“Of course I’ll come if you invite me.”

“…Even if I invite you?”

“Of course.”

I’ll run—no, fly here!

I answered without even thinking.

“Th-then….”

“Yes?”

What is she trying to say?

Ye-rin fidgeted with her fingers as if finding it difficult to speak.

Soon, she closed her eyes tightly and spoke.

“To avoid something like today, and, and for me to be able to call you, don’t we need a way…?”

“A way…?”

“…”

Nod.

“……”

“……”

“Pfft, hahaha….”

“Wh-why are you laughing…!”

Well, but.

This is asking for my number, right?

I felt it yesterday when she asked for my name too, but actually, Ye-rin is a bit, how should I put it.

A troublesome, no, a high-maintenance type. Like a cat that needs a lot of attention.

However, the reason I’m laughing rather than feeling annoyed or disliking it is.

The small fists tightly clenched on her knees, as if to prove she had gathered courage to speak.

Her eyes and face, like a well-ripened peach, and her earlobes visible through her soft-looking hair.

Even now, she’s avoiding my gaze as if escaping, but her trembling eyelashes.

From all these aspects, I could see her effort.

Seeing those cute reactions, I couldn’t help but smile and reach out.

“Heh, sorry for laughing. If it’s okay, could you tell me your number? That way I can let you know in advance when I’m coming, and I can come when you call.”

“… Should we?”

Though she’s trying to act nonchalant, just looking at her brightened face, I could tell how she was feeling.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Well, if that’s the case….”

She spoke as if she was doing me a special favor by giving me her number when I asked, which was absurd.

But after saving my number, as if she didn’t even think of hiding it anymore.

Seeing Ye-rin smiling slightly while looking at her phone, I thought it didn’t matter and couldn’t help but smile too.

[Seo Ye-rin]

And so that day, one contact was added to my phone.

**

After that satisfactory exchange of numbers.

I realized one important fact.

Ye-rin….

Why doesn’t she call me oppa?

I wondered if I had heard it but forgotten, but thinking carefully, from the moment we met today, she had not once called me oppa, skillfully avoiding it every time.

Tsk.

Was the “oppa” I heard yesterday just an illusion because I was desperate?

This is a battle.

No, this won’t do. Absolutely not.

This is something I absolutely cannot let slide. If I don’t establish it early and bring it up later,

I could imagine Ye-rin saying, ‘…We’ve been fine until now without me calling you that, haven’t we?’

No, this won’t do. Absolutely, absolutely not.

Let me say it again, it’s definitely not because I want to hear Ye-rin call me oppa.

“Hey.”

“…Yes?”

“I have something to say for a moment.”

“…Are you hungry?”

“I am hung— no, that’s not it.”

Looking at Ye-rin, who was staring at me as if to ask “then what,” I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.

“What comes after the alphabet N?”

“…? O, right?”

“What do you say after ‘muk-jji’?”

“Muk-jji…? Ppa?”

“Can you say those two together?”

“O-pp…”

Ye-rin stopped mid-word, blushed, and glared at me.

…This is why kids with sharp intuition are.

She’s not falling for it. We were almost there.

“…What is it?”

“…There’s a story behind it.”

“…Pervert.”

“…You made me this way.”

Seeing Ye-rin condemning me while muttering “pervert, pervert” quietly, I felt a little thrill— no, that’s not it.

“Why don’t you call me oppa?”

“…”

“You clearly called me oppa yesterday before I left.”

Having already been called a pervert, I had nothing to lose, so I presented the evidence, and Ye-rin firmly closed her mouth.

“…Do you want to hear me say oppa?”

“No, I am your oppa.”

It’s not that I want to hear it, it’s just that it’s correct, what are you saying, Ye-rin Ye-rin?

Speaking with indignation at her words that made me seem like someone craving to be called oppa, Ye-rin bowed her head deeply and muttered something quietly.

“……right?”

“Huh?”

When I asked again because her voice was so small that even I, right in front of her, couldn’t hear, Ye-rin said as if annoyed.

“O……ppa hasn’t called me either, right…!”

“What?”

Is this what they call gradient anger? While the “oppa” at the beginning was barely audible, the “right” at the end was the loudest I’d heard in the past two days.

As I was about to refute this nonsensical claim that I had never called Ye-rin.

Huh?

I realized that I had never called Ye-rin by her name.

This can’t be right? Thinking I must have yesterday, I carefully retraced my memories, but it really hadn’t happened.

Umm…?

Could it be that I’ve been demanding why she doesn’t call me oppa when I’ve never called her name either…?

Let’s die.

Han Woo-jin, this guy deserves to die.

I couldn’t look at Ye-rin out of embarrassment.

“Right?”

Seeing that I couldn’t meet her eyes, Ye-rin seemed to realize her words were correct and made a satisfied “hmph” sound through her nose.

“…You’re right. I’m sorry, Ye-rin.”

“So the—, huh, yes?”

“I can’t say anything about you not calling me oppa. I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s not what I….”

“I guess I was too shy to call you Ye-rin once I realized. From now on….”

“Wait, wait a moment…!”

As I blurted out anything just wanting to die, Ye-rin grabbed the hem of my clothes as if telling me to stop.

“I also….”

“Yes?”

“I’m also shy…. But, but I’ll try, so….”

When I opened my eyes at her trembling voice, I met her large cherry blossom-colored eyes.

“Please wait a little…o, ppa….”

After finishing her words, she averted her gaze as if escaping, clearly flustered.

I unconsciously covered my face with one hand.

Even without seeing my current appearance, it felt like steam was about to come out of my head.

Because it would be the same as Ye-rin’s.