The bedroom was dark. As she lay still, staring at her phone screen as though it might break, she heard the front door open. It seemed that Jaewoo had arrived.

Since he returned from his business trip a few days ago, he hadn’t brought any women into the house. Sewon wondered if this was Jaewoo’s way of apologizing to her.

Despite living under his roof, Sewon was strictly his younger sister, with no blood ties between them. No brother would want to show his younger sister a scene of himself having s*x.

Reminding herself of this fact brought her a sense of relief. She forced the memory of him *jaculating while looking straight into her eyes out of her mind. She felt as though she would not be able to endure it unless she brainwashed herself.

Even so, that did not mean her discomfort vanished. Without realizing it, Sewon avoided him.

Whenever she saw him, her skin would itch. It was as if insects were crawling up from the tips of her toes, causing an unpleasant sensation to spread over her skin.

The faint sound of his bedroom door closing could be heard. Sewon let the tension drain from her body, which she had been holding rigidly without realizing. This was just another day like any other.

As she breathed lightly, her phone vibrated. She flinched in surprise and threw it onto the bed.

“…”

As if touching an unidentified object, she carefully flipped the phone over. She checked the glowing screen. A text message had arrived from Minjae.

[Are you sleeping, Sewon?]

Feeling a tickle in her chest, Sewon sent a reply.

[No.]

‘Is that too blunt?’

Sewon moved her fingers once more and sent another.

[I’m awake.]

A reply came back from Minjae straight away.

[Do you want to call?]

“…Ah.”

What should she do?

Sewon felt as though her heart might burst. Why was she getting so worked up over this? She pressed her hand against her chest and felt her heart racing wildly. It was as though she had just received a blood transfusion.

She rolled onto her side and rubbed her head against the sheets. Her legs twisted restlessly, seemingly beyond her control.

Her finger hovered over the send button. At last, she tapped the screen.

[Yes.]

Almost immediately, Minjae called.

Sewon swallowed and took a moment to steady her breathing. Then she tapped the answer button and spoke softly.

“…Hello?”

“Sewon.”

His low voice reached her through the phone, mingled with the roar of the wind. Unlike the cold weather, his voice was always soft and warm. A voice she wanted to keep listening to.

“Yeah.”

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Just lying down. Did you just finish work?”

“Yeah. I’m on my way home. It’s cold out.”

I see. Sewon nodded. Minjae asked,

“Are you free tomorrow evening?”

“Free?”

“Yeah. I can’t stay long because of work, but I have an hour free between seven and eight. I thought we could meet for a bit.”

Sewon’s mouth fell open. She could hardly believe what she had just heard.

Silence lingered for a moment. Through the palm-sized device between them, only the fierce wind could be heard.

At last, Sewon spoke.

“I…”

“…”

“I’d like that.”

After answering, Sewon bit her lower lip. Had she taken too long? She had agreed to see him because she really wanted to. What if he had misunderstood?

But her worries proved unnecessary. Minjae simply gave a low chuckle. The sound alone made her catch her breath.

“Okay. Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Is the traffic light outside Hansang Electronics all right?”

“Yeah. That’s fine.”

“Sounds good to me, too.”

“…”

“I’ll hang up now. Sleep well, Sewon.”

Just like that, the call ended.

Yet his presence lingered beside her throughout the night.

***

She had a dream.

It was a scene she had seen before. The sofa. Jaewoo was with a woman.

Their eyes met. Everything was as she remembered it.

Except for one thing: the woman wasn’t wearing a blindfold.

Sewon saw her face.

She had the same face as her.

“…Ah!”

Sewon jolted awake, gasping for air.

The woman shaking her head with a wet face was unmistakably Sewon herself.

She curled her toes, pulled her knees up to her chest and lowered her head. A strange sensation washed over her. Her face burned, she broke out in a cold sweat and heat spread through her body. There was no heater nearby, yet she felt warm all over.

Unable to explain why she felt so flushed, she began to get ready to go out. With nothing else to do, she had taken a nap. Now it was almost time to meet Minjae.

She needed to leave early to stop by the department store first.

One advantage of living in Jaewoo’s house was that she had much more freedom.

She still felt distant from her stepbrother, but he didn’t pry into her private life. Perhaps there was simply very little for him to pry into.

The few friendships she had formed at school ended when she withdrew. Like Rapunzel trapped in a castle, she had few opportunities to see anyone. Gradually, her already small social circle dwindled to nothing.

“Have a lovely day, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

She had bought Minjae a padded jacket as a gift.

Ironically, money kept appearing in a rarely used bank account. It was her father’s way of trying to compensate her, albeit in an absurd manner.

Jaewoo bought whatever she needed before she could ask, and there was little she wanted anyway. It was only now, with Minjae back in her life, that the money sitting untouched in her account finally had a purpose.

February had just begun. Winter still held its grip, and Minjae’s clothes didn’t seem warm enough to protect him from the cold.

Sewon looked down fondly at the designer jacket nestling in its shopping bag. It would suit him. Then again, she could hardly imagine anything that wouldn’t suit him. Still, choosing it herself made the gift feel more personal.

When she reached their meeting place, Minjae was already waiting. He was leaning against a street lamp, looking bored, but he straightened up as soon as he saw her.

Trying to appear casual, Sewon stole a glance at him. He was wearing jeans and a beige coat that looked far too thin for the weather.

“You’re here.”

“H-hi.”

Sewon stiffened with nerves. Whenever he was around, she could barely speak, as if she were a malfunctioning robot. She couldn’t even summon the courage to give him his present, so she discreetly hid the shopping bag behind her back.

Minjae glanced at the bag but didn’t ask about it.

Instead, he took her other hand. Warmth spread from where their skin touched. Her eyes widened.

“Let’s go.”

“…Okay.”

Minjae started walking at an unhurried pace. Sewon awkwardly held his hand and matched his steps.

She was grateful for the heavy traffic. At least the noise could drown out the frantic pounding of her heart.

As she walked with her flushed face lowered, his low voice reached her from above.

“Sewon.”

“Y-yes?!”

She jerked her head up to answer. Minjae smiled faintly.

“Why are you so startled?”

“S-sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

She expected him to say more, but he fell silent again. The hush returned, broken only by the rush of passing cars. Unable to bear the awkwardness, Sewon spoke first.

“Um, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you have more than one part-time job?”

“Yeah. Two.”

“I see.”

Sewon nodded. Minjae continued.

“I wait tables at a restaurant from eleven in the morning until seven. Then, from eight, I do deliveries, as you already know.”

“…I see.”

“Sorry. I don’t have much time to see you.”

“It’s okay.”

They turned into a quiet side street, and the silence deepened. What else could she say? Things that came easily to others were difficult for Sewon, especially socializing. In that respect, she was no better than a child starting school for the first time. Everything felt awkward.

Then Minjae shifted his hand in hers and laced their fingers together. His skin brushed the spaces between her fingers.

Sewon’s breath caught. She couldn’t tell whether the fluttering sensation was in her fingers or her heart.

Minjae slowed down further, as though choosing his words. Sewon matched his pace.

At last, he spoke.

“You asked me to go out with you.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“What do you want to do? Now that we’re dating?”

Minjae looked down at her.

“Just…”

Sewon slowly continued.

“Go out to eat together…”

“…”

“And see movies.”

He listened quietly, nodding.

“I’d like to go to an amusement park, too.”

“An amusement park?”

“Yeah. I’ve never been to one.”

“You’ve never been?”

Minjae sounded puzzled.

“Not even on a school trip?”

“No.”

“…”

Seeing the question in his eyes, Sewon hurried to add,

“I just… happened to be sick whenever they went.”

“Okay.”

“…”

“What else?”

What else? Sewon thought for a moment before answering.

“Things other people do. Just ordinary things.”

“You sound like a princess from some rich family when you say that.”

He chuckled.

“Well, I guess that’s not entirely wrong.”

Then he added teasingly,

“My schedule’s going to be pretty tight if we’re going to do everything you want.”

“Y-you don’t have to push yourself. I was just… just saying.”