After Sohee finished scolding us, we sat down at the dining table and ate the ramen that Sinbi noona had cooked up.
"We all did it together today~"
Sinbi noona's sweet, gentle voice.
From what I heard, the tattoo Sohee got is currently all the rage among the high-class school girls—it's called a friendship tattoo.
They etch the name of a crush or a celebrity they like on their thighs, designed in the same English font style as a picture.
Since they get it done on the upper inner thigh, right under the groin, there's no risk of getting caught at the school unless you plan on lifting your skirt like earlier.
"We got a group discount, being fancy school girls and all. Sohee and I chose the names of our crushes. They said it's even cheaper if you do it as a couple."
Sinbi noona, in her calm voice, eased into an accent that made you relax as she went into unnecessary detail about stuff nobody even asked.
Jinwoo nodded while slurping his ramen.
According to Sinbi noona, it seems both she and Sohee have someone they like.
Whether they're actually dating these initials or just harboring feelings was unclear, but I didn't feel like asking.
"Should I show you mine?"
Sinbi noona, sitting next to me, turned her knees towards Jinwoo and asked.
Jinwoo choked on his ramen at the sudden question from Sinbi noona.
"Cough... Gasp... What... What?"
"Don't you want to see? Aren't you curious?"
Sinbi noona gently lifted the top of her skirt with both hands, subtly raising it bit by bit.
Her already short school uniform skirt was inching up over her plump thighs towards her hips.
'Gulp!'
Jinwoo gulped down his saliva as he stared hard at Sinbi noona's thighs.
Suddenly, as the skirt kept rising, it stopped, and Sinbi noona, with a mischievous tone, said: "Got a bit pervy there, huh?"
Then, cheekily, she flipped her skirt back down over her thighs.
"Thought I was really gonna show you, huh? Puhaha."
Sinbi noona's teasing voice and laughter echoed through the house.
Jinwoo was momentarily flustered.
"Your brother is too cute~ Did you see him blush?"
Sinbi noona said to Sohee with a mischievous expression.
Sohee, sitting across, silently watched the scene with a look of pity.
"Did you expect that?"
Sinbi noona teased Jinwoo relentlessly, hitting right on the mark.
"Argh~ No!!!"
Jinwoo, frustrated that even the trusted Sinbi noona was teasing him, responded with annoyance.
"Giggle~"
Like bursting with the vitality of a high-class school girl, Sinbi noona held her belly and laughed for a while.
While eating ramen, Jinwoo said,
"Guys keep changing, you sisters will definitely regret it later," or "Just choose guys with the same initials then," or "Maybe changing the names of the guys you date could be a strategy," he spat back mockingly, trying to regain his pride and position after being teased.
However, each time, Sinbi noona's soothing responses of "Yeah, that would work..." didn't really help his cause.
"But Sohee, if Mom finds out about that, won't it be a huge problem?"
This time, Jinwoo asked Sohee seriously, showing his concern.
"If you just keep your mouth shut, there won't be any problem."
Still cold towards Jinwoo, Sohee,
"Aren't you going to avoid going to the bathhouse or swimming pool with Mom from now on?"
Jinwoo still concerned, spoke to Sohee,
"So just keep your mouth shut, and there won't be any problem, okay?"
Sohee repeated the same, responding coldly to Jinwoo.
"Argh, do you think I'd tell Mom about something like that?!"
Jinwoo started to get annoyed by his sister's attitude.
He decided to stop talking back to his sister.
It seems like the joke Jinwoo made yesterday morning really struck a nerve with his sister, who is quite angry about it.
After their father passed away, amidst the family's distress, Sohee had quit athletics despite excelling and seeing her physique change during a challenging time.
Although Sinbi noona had heard about it, such a reason might have been too embarrassing for Sohee to share with the family.
Sohee had never considered athletics as a career, so she wasn't particularly troubled by quitting.
However, the fact that she couldn't confidently reveal the reason, knowing it would cause concern, was what really upset her inside.
Jinwoo had touched on that sensitive part.
Watching this, Sinbi noona, perhaps feeling pity for Jinwoo, started teasing him again.
"Jinwoo, do you have a girlfriend?"
"No, I don't."
Jinwoo answered without much thought.
"Ever had one before?"
"No."
"Ever kissed?"
"I've never dated, how would I have kissed!"
Jinwoo said, embarrassed.
"Can't you kiss without dating?"
"I said no!!"
Jinwoo was a bit shocked. Kissing without dating isn't wrong, but isn't it usually something couples do? He thought to himself.
-Fantasy and reality are different-
"Aren't you interested in that kind of stuff?"
Sinbi noona's face got a bit closer to Jinwoo.
"It's not that I'm not interested, but it's weird to answer that."
Jinwoo, unable to meet her eyes, grew increasingly embarrassed.
"Should I teach you how to kiss?"
Sinbi noona pouted her lips, glossy with pink lipstick, and stared straight at him.
"...."
Jinwoo froze in that position, unable to say anything, just staring at Sinbi noona's lips.
"Ah~ You thought about it for a second, right? Kissing me."
Sinbi noona's voice turned playful again.
"Ah, enough!! What are you talking about!!"
"Jinwoo is really cute! Giggle~"
Noona burst into laughter, holding her stomach again.
As Jinwoo continued to be teased by Sinbi noona, he just ate his ramen and listened to the conversation between Sohee and Sinbi noona.
"Ah, dancing is tough too. I sweat a lot and it's hard using muscles I haven't used before. I shouldn't have approached it so lightly."
It seemed Sohee was talking about the dance practice they had earlier.
"Yeah, right, it's definitely a hard dance for beginners."
Sinbi noona agreed.
"Should I really keep doing it? Are you okay with it?"
Sohee seemed to glance at Jinwoo cautiously before asking Sinbi noona about 'that'.
"Um.. I think I can do it if I'm with you."
Sinbi noona cautiously answered Sohee's question.
"Yeah, I think I can do it if we're together too. I've decided to slowly respond to So-ra, so let's think about it a little more."
Sohee, watching Jinwoo's reactions, seemed to be hiding something as she concluded the conversation.
"What are you guys talking about? Diet?"
Jinwoo, suddenly curious, asked.
"You don't need to know."
Sohee cut off Jinwoo's question with a cold tone.
"What the heck? What are you talking about, Sinbi noona? Huh?"
Realizing he wouldn't get an answer from Sohee, Jinwoo directly asked Sinbi noona.
Sinbi noona, still watching Sohee, said,
"Sorry Jinwoo~ I wouldn't mind telling you, but Sohee would really get mad."
"Ah, really, what is it~"
Jinwoo became frustrated and spoke in a whiny tone.
"You don't need to know!! If you're done with your ramen, go do the dishes!!!"
Prompted by Sohee's irritated command, Jinwoo ended up not asking further and went to do the dishes.
Sohee and Sinbi noona sat on the living room sofa, watching TV and chatting.
Jinwoo perked up his ears trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, but no mention of 'that' came up.
While doing the dishes, Jinwoo thought to himself.
'There's something going on.'
'It was definitely about dieting, but why would my sister get angry if I knew?'
'Is it some kind of exercise that's embarrassing to tell your own brother?'
'Ah, it's even more intriguing when even Sinbi noona keeps it a secret.'
Jinwoo racked his brain but couldn't come up with an answer.
As the dishes were nearly done, Sohee, who had been chatting with Sinbi noona in the living room, got up to go to the bathroom.
Shortly after Sohee left for the bathroom, Sinbi noona approached Jinwoo in the kitchen.
"Need help with the dishes?"
Sinbi noona's voice was serious, without any playfulness.
"It's almost done, it's okay~ But wasn't what you were talking about during the ramen about dieting?"
Hoping she might answer while Sohee was away, Jinwoo quickly asked.
"Yeah, that's right."
Sinbi noona answered straightforwardly.
"But why would Sohee get mad if you tell me about the diet?"
"There's such a thing, hehe."
Still, Sinbi noona didn't give a clear answer.
"Ah~ Really, even you, Sinbi noona?"
"Sorry, but if I tell you, Sohee really might get mad."
Sinbi noona kept the secret till the end.
"You're too much, what's the big deal~? You were just teasing me earlier, and now you're excluding me, just the two of you. We've known each other for so long!!! Can't you just tell a close brother a little?"
Jinwoo appealed to Sinbi noona one last time, expressing his disappointment.
Sinbi noona looked troubled.
"Don't be too upset~"
After a moment of thought, she spoke.
"I can't tell you because Sohee would really get mad, but I'll give you a hint instead."
As she said this, Sinbi noona began writing numbers with her finger on the back of Jinwoo, who was doing the dishes.
'0'
'1'
'3'
'5'
After writing the numbers, Sinbi noona swept her hand over Jinwoo's back as if to erase them.
"0135?"
Jinwoo turned his head slightly back in confusion and checked with his sister by calling out.
"Shh!"
Sinbi signaled him to be quiet and whispered.
"Even if you know the answer, you have to pretend you don't know in front of Sohee, got it?"
Jinwoo nodded his head.
He didn't say another word while pondering the answer until Sinbi noona left.