Chapter 2: The kisses

 

Thwack!

 

"Ugh…" Before I noticed, I had slapped my brother.

"What are you doing all of a sudden?"

"Ne? So it’s not like you’re just kiss anybody."

"Don’t screw around! We’re siblings, aren’t we?"

'Siblings, eh? Have you ever really thought of me as your oppa?"

"Eh?" I couldn’t reply to the sudden question.

 

From when we first met to the few years when my brother was to New York. To me, my brother is a very important person. That is, surely he’s important to me as a brother…

 

"Well, if you’re mad just from that, I guess you’re not rotten to the core. I’m a little relieved." Laughing scornfully like he was looking down on me, my brother turned away from me and went up the stairs.

"Wh…what was that? Do you have something you want to say?"

 

The next day, I was asked by father to clean the study. However, the incident from the day before was still in my head, so I couldn’t concentrate.

*Why did oppa do such a thing…*

 

While I was taking a break, the door opened without even a knock.

"Hmm? Mwoh? So you were here?"

"Oppa…"

"Hmm…"

"You too! Do you have something you need to do in the study?"

"I just wanted to come and take in this smell since I haven’t in so long. As expected, I’ve missed the smell of these books."

 

After looking around the study wistfully, his expression quickly become sad.

"Just, there isn’t a lonelier place than a study the owner doesn’t visit any more. Appa’s acting stout-hearted, but he seems really unwell."

"Ne…"

"That’s the reason I came home earlier than planned. I’ll take the helm of the Lee family in the place of appa, who can’t move."

"So that’s why…"

"Though appa didn’t look happy."

"He should really be happy since he’s always talking about you."

"That’d be nice, but I’d be troubled if he told me go back to New York now." While saying that, my brother opened the glass door of the bookcase and took one book out. The novel that my brother, when he was still a high student, hid from father and was always reading.

*Though he’s reading it in the same manner, it’s completely different…*

 

The leather binding of the book really matched my brother as he was now.

"Have you really thought of me as your oppa?"

*Why is he suddenly talking about the thing from yesterday?*

---

"Forget about me. What about you?"

"Eh?"

"Why don’t you leave this estate?"

"W…Why are you asking something like that?"

"In the first place, you didn’t like this estate, right? You said that you hated the heavy atmosphere."

"I did, but…"

"You’ve already graduated from university. Wouldn’t it be better if you found work somewhere and lived by yourself?"

"But appa…"

"If it’s about appa, there’s no problem even if you’re not here. There are servants, plus there’s the live-in-nurse."

"That’s…There’s no way I could leave the house and let strangers take care of my sick appa!"

"You’re a stranger too!"

"That…"

"For me, I’d feel safer leaving everything to someone else. If left to somebody who’s not really connected, I don’t know what might happen." My brother was looking at me with the same cold eyes as yesterday.

"Wae? Why are you only saying such things?"

"Since I can’t you. You or that other yeoja."

"By that other yeoja, do you mean omma?"

"Ne, that yeoja. Seems she saw that appa’s condition was bad and is meddling with management. Thanks to that, the board of directors is in disorder. It’s only natural if an amateur who’s never dealt with management before has her own way things."

"I didn’t know that omma was…"

"You didn’t know? I was sure that you were an accomplice too though."

"There’s no way I’d do something like that, right? I’ve never even thought about dealing with management!"

"Mola…" When my brother drew closer to me, he looked at my eyes as if he was peering into them.

---

"When you lie, you’ve got a habit of moving your eyes left and right."

"Eh?"

"Seems like you’re not lying. That doesn’t mean I can trust you though. You might just have become better at lying in the time I’ve been gone. So Hyun ah, lying isn’t the only thing you’ve gotten better at, right?"

"What do you want to say?"

"How many men have you had?" I was speechless. Without taking my eyes away for a second, I glared at my brother.

"You haven’t changed. You don’t talk when you’re really mad."

"You remember a lot about me, don’t you? Do you have the time to be talking to me like this?"

"Hmph! Even if you don’t tell me…"

 

"Byung Hyun oppa, welcome back!" Suddenly, I heard a high-pitched voice from the door. I didn’t even have time to look before that shadow of a person hugged my brother.

"Why didn’t you let me know? I would have gone to pick you up at the airport!"

"Hyuna ah…"

The person hugging my brother was Hyuna. After going together with my brother to New York, Hyuna came back after two years, but I hadn’t met her at all.

 

"I wanted to see you…" Hyuna wrapped an arm around my brother’s neck and tiptoed to give him a kiss.

*Ah…* I’m in their way. Immediately thinking that, I tried to leave without saying anything.

"Stop!" Suddenly, my brother spoke loudly and shook off Hyuna.

---

"Why did you come here?"

"To meet you, oppa."

"Go home right now! I’m busy!"

"Oppa…"

Looking displeased, my brother left the study. Hyuna , who was left behind, saw my brother out with a loving expression.

 

*Mwoya?*

"Oh! So Hyun ah, you were here!"

"Ne. It has been a while, Hyuna-ssi."

"It has been a while. I apologize for not even greeting you ever since I’ve come back. How have you been?"

"Eh, well…"

"Haha! You saw something odd just now. Please don’t mind."

"Did something happen between you and oppa?"

"Ani, nothing at all. He did come home suddenly, so maybe he’s a bit nervous."

*Nervous? I see…So that’s why he was that attitude towards me…*

"Nevertheless, So Hyun ah. You have become completely beautiful!"

"Not at all. More than that, Hyuna-ssi, you’re the one…"

"That beauty is from your mother, isn’t it? The gentlemen around you probably won’t leave you alone. Do you have a boyfriend? I was certain that you had left the estate, so you were still here!"

"Ne, I can’t leave currently as I want to stay by my appa’s side."

"So that is how it is. Even if you wished to leave, you couldn’t, as the situation is now." Somehow Amelia’s words to me seemed biting. This hasn’t changed since the first time we met.

"Now then, I’ll go greet your appa. So Hyun ah, please enjoy your day!"

"Please enjoy your day…" With complicated thoughts, I saw off Hyuna, who left while walking like a model.

---

*What is he planning?* I didn’t understand what my brother was thinking.

*Even though he had said something so awful to me...* I brushed my fingers against my lips which had earlier felt my brother’s warmth.

 

Though his words to me were all challenging and insulting, he had been so kind when he touched my lips. At first I thought he was rough, but after he kissed me, I felt his kindness.

*Why did he kiss me? I sit some sort of harrassment?*

Did he want me out of the estate so much…? But if he really wanted to get me out, there should have been a variety of other methods.

*Why did he do something like that? What is oppa thinking?*

 

The reason that my brother had that attitude…It was almost definitely because of what happened at that party. He didn’t tell me when he was leaving either, and he returned so suddenly. This might not be a good way to put it, but…It had already been five years since then, so I wanted to forget about it. But the eyes that oppa was looking at me with hadn’t changed since the day of that party.His cold scornful gaze, as if he were looking at something dirty. That was probably because oppa still scorned what I did ever since that day.

 

*But since we’re going to be living together again, I don’t want to have a strained relationship…* On top of that, there was that kiss earlier. Why did oppa kiss me even thought he had Hyuna, who he was engaged to?

*Why did he do that, even though he was openly angry about the kiss from Hyuna?* I couldn’t live together with him if I had these gloomy feelings. That’s why I went towards my brother’s room to ask him what he was planning…

"Ah…Wouldn’t I be bothering him if I went?" I suddenly stopped.

 

Before Hyuna left, she had said she was going to greet father. It’d be natural for her to head to my brother’s room after that. They were engaged, so if I went, I might just get in the way of their tim together.

*Otoke…? I don’t wat to be resented because I was tactless and bothered them.*

"Why are you still in the estate?!! Didn’t I tell you to leave?!!" I was loitering without knowing what to do when I heard an angry voice.

*Is that oppa?* Wondering what was happening, I looked towards where the voice had come from. There, I saw my brother arguing with Hyuna near his room. Arguing might not be the right word. It felt like it was just my brother that was angry all by himself.

"You don’t have to get so angry. I was just greeting your appa."

"There’s no need for you to greet him." Different from Hyuna who was gracefully replying, my brother looked irritated with every word.

*Would he really get that angry at his fiancée just because he was nervous…?*

"How long do you plan on sticking around me? We’re…" My brother, with furrowed eyebrows, spotted me looking around them. I was thinking about what I should do, but it was already too late.

"So Hyun ah, what are you doing there?"

"Oh, So Hyun ah?" Hyuna, who had been looking the other way, turned around to face me and glared at me pointedly. It really felt just as if she were telling me not to get in the way, so I couldn’t stay.

"Mianhae, I just had something to ask oppa…" When I explained myself with my eyes cast down, I heard Hyuna giggle.

"So Hyun ah, I’ll be returning now, so you two siblings should take your time."

"Hyuna ah…"

"Oppa, shall we talk more at length about that at another time? It’s something between the two of us, so the matter isn’t something that we should talk about where there are other people." I felt like I was being stung by Hyuna’s words.

*Though she’s speaking gently, what she’s saying is that it’s something thy can’t talk about while there are other people around.*

"Oppa, would that be acceptable?" My brother stayed silent, saying nothing to respond to Hyuna’s words. Maybe she took my brother’s silence as approval, but Hyuna left the estate with a calm smile.

"You really are that woman’s daughther." After he had watched Hyuna leave, my brother muttered that in a low voice.

"Eh?" I didn’t understand what he had said to me, so I looked up at my brother, only to see him staring at me scornfully.

"Ani, you’re different from that yeoja…Since you sneak around to sniff out what other people are doing, you might be even worse than her."

"I…I wasn’t sniffing anything out! Oppa, mianhae." But it was true that I had eavesdropped on my brother’s conversation. I couldn’t object to what he said.

"So you admit it?" My brother’s voice got even lower and colder.

"It’s true that I heard your conversation with Hyuna onni, so I apologize for that, but I wasn’t sniffing anything out. Since I hate being accused of things I didn’t do, you apologize too, oppa." I looked steadily at my brother’s eyes as I told him my intention.

"So you aren’t rotten to core then. My bad. Instead of standing around here, let’s go into my room." While my brother smiled a little oddly, he said the same thing as before.

"N…ne." Invited by my brother, I stepped into a room I had not been I for the five years my brother was away.

"Oh? I thought it’d be dustier but it’s not really."

"Since it’s cleaned a few times each week."

"You do it?" My brother asked that with a raised eyebrow.

"You’re mistaken. No matter how long you’re away from the estate, I wouldn’t just go into your room." After the sort of farewell we had, I wasn’t as insensible as to go into his room without his permission.

"Hmmm…I don’t know about that." While replying rudely, my brother sat down on the soft sofa and crossed his legs. Though that was all he did, because he was attractive, my heart ended up beating a little more quickly.

"Come to think of it, you said you had something to ask me. What is it?"

"Eh? Ah…"

Why did you kiss me?

What do you think of me? There were a bunch of things I wanted to ask, but my mouth wouldn’t open.

 

"Why are you acting so suspicious? Or were you lying when you said you had something to ask?"

"I wasn’t lying!"

"Then hurry up and ask."

 

If I kept my mouth shut any longer, my brother was reach some strange misunderstanding again. With in mind, I decided to tell my brother was I was thinking. However, the moment I opened my mouth the cell phone in my pocket started vibrating.

"Ah..mianhae…" Jin Young was calling.

*Otoke? Oppa doesn’t really have a good impression of Jin Young…*

Would it be all right to talk to Jin Young even though oppa was right in frony of me…?

 

"What are you doing? You’ve got a phone call, right? Don’t mind me and just answer it."

"N…ne…"

 

If he just hung up, I would be able to call him later. Unfortunately, Jin Young didn’t hang up, so I had to answer.

"Yeobosaeyo, Jin Young oppa?" My brother looked sterner.

*Argh, he’s probably going to get angry at me once I hang up…* Jin Young just wanted to ask me if I wanted to go out somewhere now.

"Eh, now? But…Ah! Oppa! What are you doing?" I was troubled as to how to refuse when…My brother took the cell phone from me and hung up.

"It’s just that weird guy from earlier, right? Don’t answer calls from him..."

"Wae…?"

"That’s…" My brother turned his gaze download looking awkward, and he ended up mumbling.

"Oppa…?"

"A…anyway, that guy’s no good." My brother differently than usual, which was odd.

*Could he be jealous? There’s no way! I mean, we’re siblings…*

"Damn, another call." My brother muttered as he looked at the name displayed on the screen. It was almost definitely Jin Young again.

*He’s probably worried since the call suddenly got cut.*

"Oppa, if you don’t want me to talk on the phone in your room, I’ll do it outside, so could you give it back?" Even though I stuck out my hand, it didn’t feel like my brother was going to give my cell phone back to me.

"Oppa!" When I spoke a little more loudly, my brother turned the phone off and flung it at the bed.

"Y…Yah, what are you doing? You don’t have to turn it off…" When I hurried reached out towards the bed to pick up my phone. I was pushed forward by a strong force from behind me and ended up falling on the bed. Since the bed was soft, it didn’t hurt, but I was seized with fear.

"O…oppa…?"

"Did you plan to go to that man‘s place?"

"Eh?"

"Have you already slept with that guy?"

"W…what are you saying?!! Oppa? Eh?" While throwing those completely unexpected words at me all of a sudden, my brother hovered over me at the same time.

Looking pained, completely as if he was coping with something, my brother’s face got closer. I was going to close my eyes tightly, but before then, my brother’s hand covered them.

"Don’t look at me." With my vision snatched away from me, I felt a tender heat on my lips.

*Am I being kissed by oppa again?* Since my brother’s hand was covering my eyes, I couldn’t tell if the heat touching my lips was from my brother’s lips. But this tender warmth was the same as earlier.

"Mmm…ha…" Though this was where he had stopped earlier, this time, something wet pushed open my lips and went in.

*As I thought, I’m being kissed.* It was almost definitely my brother’s tongue that was moving around in my mouth. I wasn’t sure what I was afraid of, but I was afraid, so I wanted to get my tongue away from my brother’s. However, that just ended up in our tongues getting entangled, making the situation worse.

*Why is he doing this? Does he hate me that much?* Even though we weren’t related by blood, we were siblings. Something like this couldn’t be forgiven.

"A…Andwae…" I frantically resisted, trying to push away with powerless hands.

"Ah…" Maybe he finally calmed down after hearing my voice mixed with tears, but my brother’s expression was twisted with bitterness.

*Wae? Why does oppa look like that?* He looked just like a puppy that had been abandoned, and I didn’t know what to do.

"Mi…mianhaeyo…" I took my cell phone from the bed and fled from my brother’s room.

"So Hyun ah!"

*Mola! I don’t understand oppa’s feeling at all!*

 

After that, I returned to my own room and sat on the soft carpet.

Oppa, why did you something like that? Do you hate me so much?

*But if you really hate me so much, why did you look at me so sadly?*

 

 Even though I wouldn’t even let Jin Young kiss me, just today, I was kissed by my brother twice. My feelings of ‘wae?’ weren’t just towards my brother but also to myself. Even though I refused kisses from Jin Young, why didn’t I refuse my brother’s?

*I didn’t hate it…* I was surprised by my brother’s kisses, but I didn’t hate them at all.

*Even though we’re siblings, why didn’t I hate them?*

Hyuna, who had her kiss refused, came to the mind, and sharp feelings of guilt tormented me.

 

*Oppa just got back to Japan today, so he’s a bit worked up…That’s all.*

I desperately tried to make myself believe that. If that wasn’t the case, I didn’t think I would be able to live normally with oppa…In order to live together, I had to forget what happened today. I had to smile in front of oppa tomorrow. However, the more I thought about that, the faster my heart beat. I couldn’t help the distress I felt.

---

Preview

"I have brought him…"

"Phew! It’s the first time I’ve come in here, but as expected, it’s an awesome estate. Ah, is that person over there your oppa?"

"What’s your relationship with So Hyun?" He was lashing out at Jin Young for some reason.

 

"What the hell is with your oppa attitude?!! I mean, what do you really think of him? Is the reason you won’t give up your body to me because you’ve got your oppa?"

"You’re wrong!"

"Then, I’m going to test that."

"S…stop…Ah!"

---

Author notes

Hey!! New chappie is up! How was it? And how about the preview? Do you think it's ? Hehe..Gonna check it out soon! I'll continue afterwards. :) *Pyong*