Chapter 6

I wonder what else Soo-Jung and Geum-Bi talked about.

They don't seem happy, so I guess they didn't have a shouting match on the second floor?

I don't think so, because I didn't hear any shouting, and she's not the type to accept that.

The only reason I got up when I was in my room was because Geum-bi tripped over me.

She's easy to please when it comes to other family matters, but when it comes to her own family, she's the one who's always been bullied...Hmm. Now that I say it, I'm not defending her, I'm just being sarcastic.

I think I know how you both feel, so it's hard to intervene, and the internet doesn't provide any useful information.

I was on my phone, but it was just half soap opera and half crude ramblings.

I found some information about genetic testing and how to get adoption papers, but I couldn't do that.

I thought, 'This will all be over when Mum gets back,' but I felt sure that this was serious.

Even Goldie warned us about it, but she didn't say we should do it.

I felt discouraged, so I played with my phone and then got into bed.

"Ugh, no way. I'm going to have a bath and clear my head."

After yesterday and this afternoon, I hadn't had a proper shower yet.

I didn't know if Soo-sung would be back tonight, but it would be embarrassing to greet her after two days without a shower.

With that in mind, I staggered into the bathroom like a zombie.

I checked to see if anyone was in there and the light switch was on.

-Snap.

"Who's there?"

I knocked and waited, but there was no answer.

I turned the handle a little, but the door was unlocked, so one of my brothers must have showered and forgotten to switch off the light.

I'm sure it's just a one-off, but it doesn't make any difference if I tell them every time... does it?

I opened the door and went in.

I looked at Geum-bi, who was in the changing room opposite the toilet, shaking her hair.

"Yi, were you there? Why didn't you answer me?..."

"I was brushing my hair and didn't hear you, but shouldn't you have checked to see if anyone was there?"

"I was paying attention, not everyone is as sensitive as you."

"Are you being sarcastic about how sensitive I am?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean that..."

I was glad that Geum-Bi was wearing clothes that made her look like she had just got out of the shower.

So there was no drama, but I wondered for a moment whether I should go in or not.

Should I go in? She's my sister, and it's strange to have her waiting outside.

Maybe if she'd been naked, or at least in her underwear.

It would have been strange to leave the changing room to avoid my sister, who was fully dressed.

Maybe this is what Geum-bi meant by her weird attitude?

Soo-jung was right. It's harder to act normal than I thought.

"What are you looking at? Why do I have to go out?"

"No, I got distracted for a second, sorry."

"Ah, but why did you come in...? To watch me brush my hair?"

"Nonsense. You do what you do. I'm here to wash."

"Oh, all right, all right. ...I'm sorry to interrupt."

Apparently, I wasn't the only one acting strangely.

Geum-bi would normally have looked away, but instead she looked very serious when I came in.

She then apologised, saying that she had made a mistake.

"Don't do that... You'll make me more nervous than I need to be.

She had forgotten all about the argument with Soo-jung.

In the changing room opposite the toilet, two figures were drying their hair and undressing.

I hope you don't mind the blouses," I said, "because I wear them at home when it's hot.

On these occasions, Soo-jung would tease her for being so grown-up, Hwa-yeon would look disgusted and the youngest of us would run to my room in shame.

Geum-bi would pester us, saying, "You should only show your bodies in the bedroom!

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What? My, my what?"

"No... You're looking at me too intensely."

"Hey, when did I say that? Don't be weird!"

"Or not. But can you turn your head back?"

"You're a big boy, Yunan... ok, ok, ok?"

After he took his arm out of his clothes, he looked at Goldie strangely and warmly.

She quickly looked away and denied it, but her strange behaviour only made me more sure of what I thought.

Usually, she would never listen to me. Why is she doing this?

I wondered if she and Soo-jung had had a big talk.

Hmm, but there's no reason for her to treat me like this...

I thought, isn't the adoption suspicious, whether it's Soo-jung's or Geum-bi's? Doesn't it have anything to do with me?

It's a family matter, so it's not totally irrelevant.

I don't have anything to do with it, so why does she keep making it weird?

"Sister Goldie."

"What? Why again? I did what I was told."

"My hair... isn't it all clean now?"

"Huh?"

"How long are you going to be here?"

"Oh, no, well... I thought I'd dry it with the hairdryer while I was here."

"Do I need to wash now?"

"You always wash with the bathroom door closed, it's frosted glass, it doesn't matter."

Exactly.

It's frosted, but you can still see your silhouette.

"I know it's not much, but... on the other hand, you haven't caused any embarrassment, especially for Geum-bi.

I can't wait any longer.

I threw my clothes into the laundry basket and went over to Geum-bi.

"What's wrong? Why did you come here all of a sudden?"

"Sister, have you heard anything from Soo-jung?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm curious. Hwayeon found her at lunchtime. She said Geum Bi called her."

"That's right... You've been acting suspiciously towards her, so I took her to talk to her about it."

"Is that all you talked about?"

"What else did she say?"

"If I'd known you, I would have asked more."

Last night, Soo-Jung used reasonable deduction to narrow down the family's suspects.

Geumbi, who was the older and more experienced sister after Soo-jung, could guess that Soo-jung knew something... if not more.

She said she wouldn't talk about it, but she's not stupid and I'm sure she has a vague idea.

Maybe she's adopted, or maybe Sue and I have been talking about it since last night.

She was worried that he might be worried that his place in our family might be being shaken, and she was worried.

My thoughts were a little different.

The sudden knock on the door this morning, the worried look in her eyes at lunch, the way she suddenly started worrying about her sister's body...

"Sister Goldie."

"Huh?"

"Are you on guard because you think I'm going to do something?"

"What?! What are you talking about... that's impossible."

"Tell me honestly, are you sure you're not?"

"Oh, no, I'm not. What are you talking about?"

"Or why are you so sensitive during the day, when it's just your brother and sister in the same room?"

"Well... they weren't just in the room, were they? It was early in the morning, and Hwa-yeon said they were... hugging."

"You saw how upset she was, and you said it calmed her down."

"But do they usually lock the door and hug?"

"The door was open, so Hwa-yeon saw it and ran away."

"No way! It was closed when I was there, you opened it afterwards."

"But it doesn't matter whether it was open before or after, it's still open, and that shows you're honest."

"That's what... does."

"And the hug with Crystal, isn't that something you used to do? I saw you in the kitchen the other day, and that was before you contacted your mum?"

"That's because... she might know."

"Sis, do you know what you're talking about?"

I knew we were getting strange, but it was very different from usual.

I didn't think I'd ever be so aggressive and angry with her.

"But you only ever talk about things that annoy you, and you just said that Soo-jung knows all about it, so you did it on purpose... Ha! Huh?

I laughed at how ridiculous it all was, and Geum Bi bit her lip as if she'd realised her mistake.

But then she looked up at me, as if she still had something to say.

"So, Terra, are you sure it's not true?"

"Stop it, sister. If you keep saying that, am I really going to get angry?"

"Yes, but it's strange. Ever since Mum brought it up, you've been going to your room. She acts as if she's hiding something from me and keeps going out with you."

"That's hard to explain right now, but I'm not doing anything wrong."

"If I can't explain it, how can you understand? She does the same, she comes into your room and talks in circles, but she never tells you anything important...!"

I could understand his confusion and frustration, but I couldn't tell him the whole truth.

As I said before, there were only two of us, Soo-jung and Geum-bi, and there was no way I could tell her that one of us might be adopted.

"Even if I say so, it's Soo-jung who has to do the talking, so... it doesn't matter if you look at me like that.

After hearing what her sister had said and not saying anything to her until the end, Geum-Bi clenched her fists and bowed her head deeply.

The way her shoulders slumped reminded me of someone crying last night, so I reached out to touch her.

"Don't touch him."

"Oops, sorry."

"Terra, you... I need you to answer this question for me."

"What is it?"

She wasn't crying like Soo-jung, but she was frustrated.

Geumbi stood up and looked me in the eye.

"You're the adopted son of our house, aren't you, Ji-woo? Is that why your sister only cares about you?"

"...?"

I was surprised by what she said.

But Goldie's eyes were serious and I suddenly realised that there was a possibility I hadn't thought of.

'Ah, I see. It makes sense that she thinks I'm an adopted child. I've noticed how she's talked to me about it, the strange things she's said to me, the strange things she's seen between me and her... everything.

Maybe I had also misunderstood Geumbi's concerns.

And this time, when Geumbi's footsteps came from the opposite direction, I ran quickly to the back bathroom door.

"Answer me, is that why you two keep sneaking around and acting strange?"

When there was nowhere to run, Goldie slammed the door and held me in her arms.

I felt my heart beating very fast. I was worried that I would be able to see my pounding heart through my shirt.

"Hey, sis! Are you still washing up? Can I have a shower now?"

At that moment, the dressing room door opened and Hwayeon walked in.

But after taking one step, he froze in place.

Exactly five seconds later, he saluted with a rap and disappeared like a flash.

"Right, I've still got one more thing to do! See you later, sis! Bye, brother?"

I heard the door close with a bang.

Geumbi and I frowned at the same time: "I told you not to close the door like that...".