I hold my breath.
Thump-thump. My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it might leap out of my mouth.
I press my face—no, my ear—against the wall.
"..."
The apartment is older than I am, so the soundproofing isn't exactly great.
And my sister's voice often carries through this thin wall when she's on the phone.
"...Oh my god..."
I wasn't trying to listen.
I was just focusing a little more on the sounds that were already reaching me.
"...Since when...?"
It's weird.
There's more than one or two things that don't add up.
Which makes sense, since the two of them were practically attached at the hip every day.
And deep down, I had wondered if it would turn out like this.
My sister has a sharp mouth and rough manners, and she's always treated Kim Dohyun carelessly—that much was obvious from the start.
But despite that, Kim Dohyun stuck by her.
Even when she cursed at him or even hit him sometimes, he stayed by her side.
And now it turns out they were that kind of relationship...
It's still happening now.
From beyond the wall, my sister's ragged breathing—no, something closer to lewd panting—hovers around my ears.
"W-what the hell… They're only twenty… Since when have they been doing that...?"
And then it finally hits me—the scent I caught in my sister's room, what it actually was.
My gaze drifts downward, slowly… slowly tracing over my own body.
"Ah…"
It's not exactly the same, but it's close.
Once, out of curiosity, I sniffed that slick, musky scent, and it wasn't all that different from what lingered in my sister's room.
"...They're adults now, huh…"
It's not like I'm not interested in that kind of thing.
If I wanted to meet any random guy, I could.
It's just that none of them satisfied me.
I wanted to think it through carefully.
Because it's still my first time.
"Haa…"
I never thought I'd be the one falling behind my sister. It's stupid, but my chest tightens at the thought.
"...I do have someone too, but doing it at home…"
It's too obvious.
I just got back, and now I'm debating whether I should leave again.
"...Gulp."
Before long, the breathing grows even more intense, and my ears twitch.
I keep focusing on the sounds—the private noises my sister and Kim Dohyun are making.
************************************************************
"Hey!"
"Ah! You scared me!"
I jolted at my sister's voice.
My heart dropped like a rock.
"...Did you do something wrong? Why are you so jumpy?"
"W-what? No, I didn't—why?"
"Where's Dohyun?"
"...He went home, I guess."
"Really?"
I swallow hard.
Every time that bastard's name comes out of my sister's mouth, I flinch.
"He could've stayed longer."
"...Why would he stay longer at our place?"
"No reason. It's just been a while."
"A while? I see him every day."
The mood suddenly shifts.
My sister narrows her eyes slightly, looking up at me.
"...Was that supposed to be bragging?"
"W-what the hell?! Why would I brag about that?! You think I've got nothing better to brag about?!"
"Ugh, shit… Why are you yelling?"
"...Because you keep saying nonsense!"
Every time my sister brings up Kim Dohyun, I get worked up without realizing it.
I just don't want to hear his name from her.
"Ugh, whatever! What do you want to do today?"
"...Out of nowhere?"
"I'm bored now that I'm home. Wanna go grab a drink?"
"Who drinks at this hour?"
"Why not? It's almost evening."
"...Tch, fine. Whatever."
Alcohol was whatever.
I liked the atmosphere of drinking, but the act itself? Take it or leave it.
"Then let's go?"
"Right now?"
"Come ooon~ Let's go~ Hm?"
My sister suddenly wraps her arms around me.
Then she hangs off my neck, bouncing up and down.
"Ugh, you're heavy. Get off."
"Let's go, let's go~ Hm? Come ooon~"
"Haah…"
Honestly, I didn't really care either way.
I was just too tired to bother going out.
But right now, I'd rather be outside, blowing off this weird mood, than stuck at home.
Because if I stayed in my room, those memories would just keep flooding back.
"...Fine. Where to?"
"Hmm~ We can figure that out once we're out!"
She finally lets go of me.
Then she grabs my arm.
"...You wanna go out like this?"
"Got anything else to prepare? You already showered."
"...I guess. Whatever. Let's just go."
I didn't have the energy to put on makeup.
It's just my sister and me anyway—no need to overthink it.
"Woo-hoo~"
My sister, all excited, really does feel like the younger one sometimes.
Not just because of her height—she's always been like this.
Clomp, clomp, clomp.
Dragged along by her hand, I head to the front door.
I slip on the slippers lying haphazardly on the floor.
"Ugh… It's so hot…"
The second we step outside, my sister groans at the suffocating heat.
"...Then let's just stay home."
"We can go somewhere cool!"
Her slump lasts all of two seconds.
She perks right back up, practically skipping ahead.
"Unnie, it's not that way—ah, aah!"
The elevator is the other way.
Why is she going in the wrong direction? Did she forget because she hasn't been home in a while?
Ding-dong.
"H-hey, sis?!"
"Hm? What?"
"W-why are you—"
—Oh, Ayoung! You're home?
"Hello!"
She cheerfully talks through the intercom.
"We're going out with Dohyun!"
—...Oh? Wait a second.
A surprised voice comes through.
Then, a moment later—
Clunk.
"Look at you. Come in for a bit. Son! Are you ready?!"
The door swings wide open.
The now-familiar interior makes me sigh before I can stop myself.
"Ayoung, it's been a while! And Eunji, I've been seeing you a lot lately?"
"...Ah, yeah…"
"He could've stayed longer at our place earlier."
"N-no, it's… just, uh… hehe…"
I force an awkward smile.
Following his mom's lead, I step inside—again.
"Son! I said, are you ready?!"
She ushers us to the couch before rushing toward Kim Dohyun's room.
Then, with a click louder than thunder—
"What's with the sudden prep, I—ugh."
My eyes lock with Kim Dohyun's stupid face.
"Haah…"
I glare at my sister.
She just smiles innocently and has the nerve to ask me—
"By the way, were you here earlier too?"
"...Why?"
"Hmm~ Unnie knows everything."
She grins like she actually knows everything.
That look makes me feel exposed—like my clothes have been ripped off.
"Hey~ Kim Dohyun! Hurry up~ Let's go!"
"If you had plans, you should've prepared earlier!"
This visit was sudden.
But instead of looking surprised, Kim Dohyun just calmly walks back to his room to change.
"Let's just go."
"Okay~"
My sister, weirdly energetic, says goodbye to his mom and his dad, who looks completely lost.
Then the three of us leave together.
"What should we eat?"
"...You called him out without even deciding?"
"Yep! It's better to decide with three people than two."
"...Unnie, look at me for a sec."
"Huh? Wha—eep! Why~?"
This is unnecessary.
There's zero reason to drink with him.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Doing what?"
"Why did you call him?"
"...To drink together?"
"Haah… I mean, why?"
"It's been a while. I've never had a drink with Dohyun before, and he happened to be home?"
"...Ugh. Whatever. Let's just split up. Hey! Kim Dohyun! You do whatever you want."
I can't be around him with my sister.
Especially not with alcohol involved.
Who knows what kind of disaster could happen?
"Why? Let's just go together."
"...No. I don't want to drink with you."
"Dohyun, just go. Don't mind her."
Out of the three of us, I'm the only one heating up.
The other two just stand there, completely unbothered, waiting for the elevator.
"...Are you deaf? Kim Dohyun, are you seriously not leaving?"
Right now, I might as well be invisible.
No matter what I say, they don't even react.
"Beer? Soju?"
"...Soju?"
"What about meat?"
"...Isn't it too hot for grilled meat?"
"We could go somewhere that grills it for us?"
"...Still, the fire will just make it hotter."
"Then somewhere with strong AC."
"Know any good places?"
"I went with my family once. It wasn't too bad."
My sister has no idea how much my blood is boiling right now.
If she knew, she wouldn't be acting like this.
The irritation flares up.
I really want to just go home.
But leaving the two of them alone isn't an option either, so my frustration just keeps building.
"Eunji! Hurry up~"
The elevator doors slide open.
My sister and Kim Dohyun stand inside, holding the door for me.
Kim Dohyun's lips twitch.
That disgusting, slimy smirk spreads across his face.
He mouths something at me.
'Hey, Park Eunji.'
Calling for me.
'Did you miss me that much?'
"Haah… Fuck."
I grit my teeth.
Then I shove myself between the two of them, forcing my way into the elevator.