The Returnee Is Having a Hard Time With His Younger Sister chapter 47

47 – Dinner with Everyone (5)

“Are you talking to me…?”

“……?”

What’s this?

Why the formal tone?

My head went blank for a moment.

I couldn’t think clearly.

I couldn’t understand the sudden situation.

“Oppa…?”

“Oppa? Me…?”

It seemed natural in a way.

Yeo-ul acted strangely as if she didn’t know anything.

Why suddenly?

For what reason?

“Why are you acting like this, Oppa? Scaring me…”

“Why are you calling me Oppa…?”

“Stop playing around….”

It became truly frightening.

However, it was not a simple joke.

The way Oppa usually acted.

The chilly and indifferent tone like eternal ice.

The extreme poker face that showed no emotion, even in any situation.

But now.

It seemed as if the dried-up emotions were coming back, with vivid expressions.

Eyebrows bent into a frown.

Eyes widened, not sharp.

And even a trembling voice as if not understanding anything.

It was so different from the usual Oppa.

What on earth was the reason?

Just a while ago, we helped So-young unni and Urike unni move, understood when you said let’s take a shower together, even got in bed together.

Why suddenly?

“Oh, oppa… from the beginning-“

The following words were shocking.

“It’s strange for you to call me oppa…”

“……?”

Nuna, you say…?

Under oppa’s ten years, as his younger sibling, me…?

A thought arose at this point.

Could it be that he’s drunk…?

Looking back, he did consume quite a lot of alcohol.

The unresponsive nuna.

She and I had at least a similar amount, if not more, to drink.

However, no matter how you look at it, the idea of oppa being drunk was unimaginable.

That reserved and cool oppa getting drunk?

The name “Song Yeoul” and the word “drunk” simply did not match.

With a somewhat assuming mind,

I bring my nose close to Yeoul oppa.

It was an action to confirm if the smell of alcohol was strong.

However, to my great surprise.

That Song Yeoul…

“Gasp…!”

As Lyoun’s face approached, he didn’t seem to flinch and tried to move away.

His face turned red to the point of embarrassment.

The breath that was exhaled with a scream, along with the refreshing scent of the forest and the faint aroma of alcohol, lingered in the air.

However, what mattered now wasn’t that.

It was the change in expression when Lyoun approached his face.

His eyes widening and his face quickly moving away as if in a flash.

Every single one of his movements…

It was too…

Adorable.

I had this thought once before.

Oppa’s appearance had a considerable boyish charm, which made him seem much younger than his mid-20s.

In a joking manner, it seemed like he could pass as a high school student if he wore a school uniform.

I had always felt suppressed by his usual cold expression and commanding charisma.

I had also imagined what it would feel like if he had a more lively expression.

But that scene, which I had given up on even picturing in my mind because it never came to me no matter how hard I tried to imagine.

Now, it was unfolding before her eyes.

And.

The current appearance of Oppa, contrasting with his usual self, was devastating.

It filled her mind with worry.

Could something have happened?

Even though it didn’t make sense, could he have lost his memory?

Out of the blue, could something have gone wrong?

She swept away all those worries in an instant.

She didn’t know about those things.

Right now, maybe it’s okay to enjoy this side of Oppa, to think like that, to the point where her head was filled.

What Oppa had said a while ago.

From Noble mtl dot com

Why was she calling herself Oppa?

While looking at her, he had addressed her as “Nuna.”

That meant that he was currently recognizing her, Lee Yeo-woon, as his older sister.

Then, what would be the best course of action for her in this situation?

She knew the answer to that question herself.

As Oppa was currently acting, she should act as if she had become his older sister.

But, maybe because she had lived her whole life as a younger sister.

Even though she tried to suddenly act like an older sister, she couldn’t grasp how or what she should do.

Yes.

Let’s start with something easy for now.

Since she’s his older sister, naturally.

She should use informal language… right?

After reaching that conclusion.

I tried to open my mouth to call my older brother’s name. But the words didn’t come easily.

Oppa.

I roll his name in my mouth.

Song, Yeoul.

Just rolling my tongue silently gives rise to a strange emotion.

Now that I think about it, it felt like I hardly ever spoke his name out loud. Maybe not even once.

It was natural to feel awkward.

But if I don’t try now, when will I?

Summoning courage, she finally calls out his name.

“Yeoul, ah…?”

“Why, Nuna…?”

The word ‘Nuna’ is uttered with a voice filled with alive emotions.

My heart starts beating uncontrollably.

It was different from the feeling of seeing an attractive person of the opposite s*x. To put it in words, yes.

It felt like seeing an adorable and young younger brother, stirring maternal instincts.

I couldn’t even imagine feeling this way by looking at my older brother… but…

The desire to protect and care becomes overwhelmingly stimulated.

Excessive serotonin is being released.

It didn’t feel real.

My head feels fuzzy, as if walking on clouds.

My body moves on its own.

By the time I realized this fact, it was already too late.

I open my arms wide, and pull my brother’s head into an embrace.

His body trembles heavily as if surprised.

His irregular, yet warm breath is felt near my chest.

“Sister…?”

“Yeah, Yeoul. What’s wrong?”

The way she spoke became natural, as if she really was his older sister.

She had truly immersed herself in the current situation.

“Why, all of a sudden…?”

He struggled to find the right words, as if his mouth couldn’t speak properly.

“I just wanted to hug you. Is that okay?”

“Oh, no…! It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…”

Yeoul reacted strongly to the question of whether she disliked it, but again, his words were blocked. He seemed genuinely embarrassed by the fact that he was being hugged.

As if he had become an immature teenage boy.

Really, this was insane.

It was awkward, but she couldn’t express her feelings in any other way.

“Well, let’s stay like this then.”

Yeoul pulled her into his embrace, as if he wouldn’t let go.

“Sister…”

Yeoul, who seemed unsure where to put his arms, gently grabbed the edge of her pajamas.

Ryeowoon felt a rush of happiness, as if her heart was melting.

To think she would see her brother like this…

It was a relief that her sisters, who had been with her, couldn’t see him like this.

It would have been such a waste to show him to others.

She thought it was a real blessing that she could enjoy this moment alone.

She soothingly stroked the back of her brother’s head, just like he used to do for her in the past.

Slowly, so that her heart could become calm.

Following her gesture, Yeoul’s tense body, which had been tightly wound in her embrace, relaxed.

“Yeoul.”

“Yes…?”

His voice became drowsy.

The pupils that looked up at her were dull.

He was someone who drank so much alcohol.

It wasn’t strange for him to feel sleepy in a tired state.

“I just called.”

“Yes….”

Pat, pat.

She simply stroked his head endlessly.

The breath that touched her chest gradually grew faint.

His hand slowly slipped away from the hem of his pajamas.

Finally, he closed his eyes.

Yeo-ul fell into a deep sleep as if dead.

The sound of his breathing, which was audible just a moment ago, could barely be heard.

She lowered her head and looked at his face.

A face that was now expressionless, different from the lively expression he had just moments ago.

And she had a hunch.

From tomorrow, he would return to being his usual self.

It was hard to believe, but perhaps it was true.

She could only assume that he had been drunk.

As he fell asleep, reality slowly came back to him.

His floating head sunk, and his mind calmed.

She realized that she wouldn’t be seeing the cute brother from just now anymore.

Although she felt a little regretful about that, she thought it was better for him to exist as a cool brother rather than a cute one.

After concluding her thoughts, she followed him into sleep, ending the long day.

As she looked back a little while ago, one thing came to mind.

No matter how drunk he was, his words and actions seemed familiar somehow.

As if he had called someone “older sister” and followed them before….

It was a side of her brother that she didn’t know.

Was the previous brother like this?

Cute, immature, emotionally expressive, an ordinary person like anyone else.

So, why now?

Why did he become so cold, emotionless, and rigid?

To the point where not even the appearance of embarrassment that used to be so easily found in her could be seen in her current self—

She had no way of knowing the reason behind it.

Just,

She silently shed a single tear, filled with an inexplicable sadness and longing she couldn’t understand.