Chapter 21

When I got home and got into bed, I had nothing to do, so I quickly read some similar shorts and closed my mobile phone.

I sat in the living room and switched on the TV, but there was nothing to watch and the sofa was tingling unnecessarily, so I switched it off.

'I'll have a shower to clear my head...'

I hadn't sweated much, but I couldn't stand still, so I started walking everywhere.

It was a bit warm, but I didn't mind and let the hot water run over my skin.

"Wow... I think I'm going to survive."

Instead of cooling my head, it made it feel hotter.

The heat made my blood flow faster, and my thoughts began to race.

Like what happened yesterday with Geumbi.

The way she bullied Hwayeon in the cafeteria.

Or how Soo-jung looked unhappy at work.

"I'll leave a message, just in case."

I didn't take the phone out of my body, having learnt my lesson from last time.

I threw the phone back into the changing room after quickly pecking Sue in the shower.

Ten minutes later, I shook out my hair and checked my messages.

It was from my sister, asking me to go to the park in the evening.

"Let's go for a run. It'll boost your energy."

I set up a treadmill in the living room and did a series of push-ups, squats and sit-ups.

I thought it was crazy to go for a walk, do the washing up, wash the dishes and then go back to the gym.

But moving my body made me feel better.

"I'm thinking less," he says.

After leaving the army, my body was stiff and I had little energy.

I wish I had done it sooner, I thought, as I ran out of breath.

Soon after, the youngest returned and, after another hour, Hwa-yeon came home too.

It was time for Geumbi's sister to arrive, so I went out to a nearby park.

"Aah!"

"Ugh...! Jee, it's the earth."

Could it be that the metro arrived on time today?

When I went into the alley, I bumped into Geumbi, who was coming back home.

"Where are you going?"

"Mmm. Is she home from work yet?"

"Oh, yeah. I thought the metro would be full, so I took a taxi and came straight here."

"Oh, I see."

So that's how we met.

So much for being early.

"...."

"...."

"Well then, sis. I'm off."

"Yeah... but where are you going?"

"I'm just going out for a short while. I have an appointment."

"An appointment? With who?"

"... Someone you know."

"Oh? Who?"

"My sister-in-law."

I didn't want to meet her.

She looked at Geum-bi's surprised face and wished she could lie more easily.

"But if you lie, they'll find out anyway, so why bother hiding it?

I'll just drop her off at home and talk to her on the way to work.

I had nothing to say, but unlike Geum-bi, who was looking straight at me, my gaze was directed towards the floor.

"What's going on with you and your sister?"

"She said we needed to talk."

"Out there... on earth, just you and her, alone?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You're not going somewhere strange, are you?"

"Well, we're going to talk in a nearby park, so don't worry too much."

I don't know where the "strange place" she's talking about is.

I pointed at the park with my finger, as if I was numb, and swallowed hard enough to make my throat shake.

"...."

"...."

And then there was silence again.

We were all quiet and I was worried about how Geum-Bi would react when she lowered her head, unable to speak.

"What's that look on your face? I can't see it from up here, so I want to...

She clenched her fist tightly and put it in front of Mingqi as if she was going to punch him.

But she didn't hit him; she just held him so tightly that the back of her hand shook.

"Earth."

"Ugh, yes. Sis."

"Are you still thinking about yesterday?"

"...!"

"I think I need to beat my chest."

I can hear my heart beating and the world goes dark for a moment.

"Oh, why did that happen all of a sudden...?"

"It just felt like now or never."

"That's... why else?"

"Because you said you were talking to your sister about... something."

"That's... no, no, nothing."

I don't know what our mistake last night had to do with Crystal's sister.

If I asked, I'd feel like I was in too deep.

"But I can't just ignore what you just said.

The fact that she said it in the middle of the street means that she wants an immediate answer.

I didn't think it was just an emotional comment... or that she was just being emotional.She was older than me, more mature.

So I'm going to have to give her a more adult answer.

My heart was beating really fast, so I squeezed it to calm down.

I took a breath and looked at Goldie, who, for the first time, had raised her head and was looking me straight in the eye.

"If it was yesterday, you mean last night?"

"Yes... until dawn today, to be exact."

"Did you ask me if I still cared?"

"Mmm, yes... I did."

"Well, that's a silly question."

"Hmmm..."

I said, scratching my head and Goldie shuddered.

Worried that my words might be misinterpreted, I got straight to the point.

"What kind of man doesn't mind being alone with a woman, especially his own sister?"

"Well, do you, Terra...?"

"Of course I don't mind, in fact, I still don't know how to look at my sister's face, haha."

That's why I went for a walk to clear my head, and why I took it out on Hwayeon.

Geum-bi laughed when she saw me sighing with my face covered.

"Is that why you're so embarrassed now?"

"No, why would I be embarrassed? You were so nervous until you heard my answer."

"It's just because you're both being weird... and I'm being weird."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, I understand. I hope you're calm, yes."

As always when they couldn't make faces together, Geumbi twitched the corners of his mouth as if he didn't care.

"Hmph~ Anyway, don't worry about it, I was just wondering if you'd get used to it, since you're such a pervert."

"You're a pervert. What kind of pervert are you? What are you writing?"

"Or maybe it's the opposite, like you don't care at all, and that would be... honestly, a bit shocking?"

"That's impossible. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

"Hmph, yes, that's why... it's not. Finish the rest of the story at home, okay?"

"If you don't mind, maybe I'll be late, but who cares?

"Call me if you think you're going to be late and have a chat with your sister... Have fun."

Geumbi patted me on the shoulder and left, as if his work was done.

I looked at her back and thought, "Is this what a real adult looks like?" as she walked away.

In the end, it was she who spoke up first and made me reveal my true feelings.I was in trouble.

I didn't ask her what she was doing with Soo-jung.

That would always bother her, both now and in the future.

"My sister... I'm glad she's not dating a guy. If she was, she'd be calling loads of men.

The way her ponytail was swinging back and forth looked like she was flirting.

I shook my head and hurried towards the park.

* * *

"Quang!

The front door slammed shut with a bang.

Hwa-yeon, who was sitting in the living room, forgot her snack and looked in the direction of the sound.

"Geum-bi, why did you slam the door so hard?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to. Is anyone in the bathroom now?"

"Mok-hee is washing up, so the second floor should be empty.Are you in a hurry?"

"Oh yes, I am... I'm going to go upstairs and study a lot."

"Oh, that's fine. You've been trying really hard... Ugh."

Hwa-yeon was confused because Geum-bi, who always pestered her, was being so nice.

But she thought that maybe Geum-bi was in a hurry to use the toilet and had dropped her mobile phone.

"Why did you wait so long? I usually go to the toilet at work."

Despite her complaints, Hwa-yeon picked up Geum-bi's phone from the floor.

She didn't want to go upstairs to get it, so she put it on the living room table, hoping she would find it later.

"Soo-jung sent me a message saying she'll be home a bit later today..."

The phone I had put on the table rang with a message.

The odd thing was that it had left the family chat room and sent a message only to Geumbi.

"What the hell... I'll call her later."

Hwa-yeon was confused, but her attention was soon taken up by the TV.

She forgot her earlier advice and turned up the volume so loud that she didn't hear the water pouring out of the second-floor bathroom.

"Ha, ha, hoo... heh."

Geum-bi stood in front of the sink, lowering her head and washing her face repeatedly.

No matter how many times she washed her face, the heat on her face remained the same, like a stream of water that never stopped flowing.

More than half an hour after the younger woman had finished showering, she opened the bathroom door.

* * *

In the shade of a corner of the park, two shadows came together.

I grabbed hold of someone and balanced on one arm.

The other person touched my chest and whispered in a low voice.

"It's the Earth."

"Mmm, yes."

"Do you love me?"

"É... Mlone, sis."

I told my sister in the crystal, as if it were obvious.

But as if she hadn't finished her question, she asked me something even worse.

"Do you mean as a family or as a sister?"

"Huh?"

"If not that, then why else?"

Soo-Jung looked up and touched my cheek.

Her eyes showed so many different emotions that I couldn't describe them, and I was shocked and couldn't believe what was happening.