Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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So-hee has never lied, no matter what.
…Thinking that, I came to So-hee’s house.
Should I say that my expectation was wrong, or that it was right?
At least, as So-hee said, the statement, “There is an empty room in the house,” wasn’t wrong. In fact, there was indeed one empty room in So-hee’s house.
The problem was that the one empty room was the room where So-hee originally lived.
In other words, it was the room where So-hee stayed before she came to live at the mansion where I live.
Perhaps because So-hee’s family had cleaned up the room so nicely, all of So-hee’s belongings remained exactly as they were, without even gathering dust.
Even the books were still neatly arranged on the bookshelf.
It seemed she hadn’t brought any of her textbooks with her.
…Well, since she already had clothes at our mansion, all she needed to bring was underwear and everyday clothes, and the textbooks were different because she transferred schools.
“Sister!”
So-hee’s younger sister… was her name So-ri?
Anyway, the younger sister who looked like a smaller version of So-hee ran into So-hee’s arms.
When So-hee started working as a maid, the person who moved my body in place of me wrote up a contract and tried to adhere to labor laws as much as possible.
Naturally, So-hee also had paid leave she could use, but I had never seen her take a vacation until now.
I think they also said that So-ri could be taken care of at the mansion if she ever had to be left alone at home, but in reality, we never actually took care of her.
“I’ve cut down on work and switched to working from home, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
So-hee’s father said that very cheerfully.
“Are you okay with that?”
“Ah, of course. Honestly, with the money So-hee’s bringing in, we could live comfortably for the next ten years. Not that I plan to quit working entirely, but still.”
So-hee’s father said he worked in translation.
He mainly translated subtitles for movies, but he also often translated comics and novels.
It seemed he had cut down on those jobs recently.
Hearing that, I turned my head and stared intently at So-hee.
So-hee, who was now sitting next to me playing with So-ri, subtly avoided my gaze.
…Since So-hee was the one who had taken out an advance on most of her salary and combined it with the money Yang Hye-in had saved to bribe the school.
If I really considered that money to be an “advance,” So-hee would have had to work for a long time without pay.
Of course, that person wouldn’t have allowed it, and I didn’t intend to let that happen either.
“…Is that so?”
So, I could only respond that way to his confident statement.
“Yes, it’s all thanks to you. Thank you.”
“…No, I should be the one thanking you.”
After struggling for a while on how to respond to So-hee’s father’s words, I eventually replied that way.
*
So-hee’s house wasn’t as spacious as the mansion, as I expected.
…No, rather than saying it was as expected, it would be more accurate to say that it was natural.
If everyone living in Seoul had a house like that, then Seoul would have become a place where only the chosen few could live.
I didn’t really have any objective standards to judge whether this house was big or small, but I had already parted ways with Yang Hye-in and Soo-ah before coming here.
Fortunately, the house wouldn’t have been too crowded even if the two of them had come with me, but it wasn’t large enough for them to stay together either.
There was one living room, one fairly spacious kitchen, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms.
One room was used by So-hee’s father as a study and bedroom, one was So-ri’s room, and the other was So-hee’s room.
“But So-ri doesn’t sleep alone.”
She had her own room for studying or playing, but it seemed she usually followed So-hee or her father around.
She also preferred sleeping with her family over sleeping alone.
…A completely different environment from the one I had lived in for years, all alone.
“I like being with my sister!”
So-ri said that as she jumped into So-hee’s arms, radiating an energy that lifted the mood of everyone watching.
“…So, you want to stay here for a while?”
“…Yes, if you allow it, that’s what I’d like to do. It may be uncomfortable, but…”
“Oh no, no.”
At my words, So-hee’s father waved his hands exaggeratedly as if joking around.
“If anything, staying with an old man like me… that would make Ye Sara feel uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?”
“You can just call me Sara. I’m So-hee’s friend, after all.”
I said that to So-hee’s father, who was awkwardly attaching a title to my name.
“Oh, really? Then I’ll call you Sara from now on.”
Even though he said that, So-hee’s father still looked a bit awkward as he spoke.
In truth, I was a little flustered by how easily he gave permission.
If he had refused, I was planning to look for a hotel right away.
If So-hee really insisted, I would have even offered to pay for lodging…
Hmm, but saying something like that might have made things more uncomfortable.
“Wow! Is sister going to stay here too?”
So-ri shouted excitedly, jumping up from So-hee’s arms, and ran towards me to hug me.
It was a different kind of warmth from when she hugged So-hee.
Maybe because she was a child, her body temperature felt higher.
Actually, since I had never gotten close to a child before, I didn’t even know what it felt like to be hugged by one.
But I could start to understand a little of how adults felt about children.
No one around me was smaller than I was.
Even Soo-ah, who was the shortest besides me, was about the same height as I was.
If someone hugged me, we would be on equal footing or they would be a little taller and pull me in from above.
But So-ri was much smaller than me.
Would her head even reach my shoulder?
Of course, she might grow taller than me in a few years since she’s So-hee’s sister, but right now, her body was so small and delicate that I worried about hugging her too tightly.
What if I accidentally hurt her?
“So-ri!”
While I was awkwardly standing there, not knowing whether to hug her back or ignore her, So-hee, startled, grabbed So-ri’s waist.
She quickly pulled her into her own arms and said,
“If you cling to people like that, they might not like it!”
Well, I didn’t really dislike it.
It was just a bit surprising.
…Since childhood, I had longed for a family.
Naturally, the person I longed for the most was my mother.
My father had passed away long ago, and I couldn’t even remember my birth mother’s face.
My mother was the only one left for me.
Thinking about it now, I wondered what it would have been like if I had siblings.
Would Mother have confined my siblings the way she did with me?
Or would she have locked me up alone?
Well, since I didn’t have any siblings, it didn’t really matter.
For me, Soo-ah had made me feel like I had a younger sister.
When we lived in the same mansion, it felt like I had a sibling.
Especially when the two of us lay in bed together, talking face-to-face.
It made me think that having a sister like that wouldn’t be so bad.
But, as for So-ri…
So-ri was literally the image of a “younger sibling.”
If Soo-ah was like a sister close in age, who could be both an older and younger sibling, then So-ri was the embodiment of an innocent younger sister.
…Of course, she probably wouldn’t have developed such a bright personality if she had grown up in my household.
Her personality was the result of growing up in this home, surrounded by love from her family.
“Sister, do you dislike it?”
Hearing So-hee’s scolding, So-ri looked up at me and asked.
Her expression didn’t show any worry or concern.
She asked confidently, as if saying, “If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”
“…No, it’s fine.”
“See!”
As soon as I answered, So-ri immediately jumped out of her sister’s arms.
And seeing her dash towards me again, I slightly opened my arms—
“Eh…?”
So-ri, with a soft “chop” sound, grabbed both of my cheeks with her little hands.
Then, with those small, soft hands, she began to play with my cheeks.
“Uh, uh…?”
Oh, right, that’s what happened before.
Even when that person was using my body, I’d gotten caught up with So-ri and had my cheeks grabbed.
The sensation wasn’t unpleasant, but I couldn’t say I liked it either…
It was just a strange feeling.
“Sister, look at this, they’re so squishy!”
“So-ri!”
So-hee, who had frozen for a moment at So-ri’s sudden action, quickly grabbed her again.
“Huh? Do you want to touch too?”
“Of course not—No, that’s not it! You shouldn’t just touch people’s faces without permission! It’s rude!”
Was this something that a person who casually hugs others and proudly walks around with several buttons of their shirt undone should be saying?
…
I decided not to ask, for the sake of preserving So-hee’s pride as an older sister.
…Truly, they were a noisy family.
To the point of making me feel envious.