Why Did You Come to Our House?

"So why'd you suddenly come to our house?"

"Oh, right. I never told you. I just ran away."

"...?"

After things settled down that morning, we finally got around to asking why she'd come and talking about it.

Come to think of it, the situation had been so dramatic when she happened to show up at Hyunwoo's place.

We'd been too busy clearing up misunderstandings to have the sort of everyday conversation people normally have when family comes to visit.

Though I'm not sure you could even call this a conversation.

"You ran away? From home?"

"Yeah. Even after Oppa graduated, he still didn't come back, so they told me to learn the business. But Oppa said the same thing before, didn't he? That he didn't want to follow the path laid out for him."

"That's right."

"When I thought about it, it made sense. So I ran away."

Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke.

And in the middle of all this serious talk, I was awkwardly being petted by Hyunwoo.

I wondered whether I was really supposed to be hearing this, but Hyunwoo had apparently already decided to keep me here and wouldn't let go.

Hyuna glanced my way now and then, but didn't say anything in particular.

She wasn't going to turn around later and accuse me of knowing too much, was she?

Given the world's impressive track record of stabbing me in the back, I couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"Hehe..."

In the end, I couldn't hold back the laugh that slipped out, and found myself grinning foolishly like a kid.

Even I could tell how stupid it sounded, so I hurriedly covered my mouth with both hands, but...

"...Minseo Oppa. What was that just now? You made the cutest sound."

Slurp.

Hyuna's eyes lit up as she looked over at me.

At the same time, she ran her tongue over her lips with a vulgar sound no rich girl should make...

"Don't smack your lips. I'll knock your teeth out."

"Ahem... ahem..."

Only when Hyunwoo glared at Hyuna with blazing eyes did she clear her throat and turn her attention elsewhere.

"I'd rather you didn't pay attention to me..."

Feeling guilty, as if I'd caused this fight, I tried asking them to ignore me.

"Lee Hyuna. Did you hear that? Minseo says he doesn't want you paying attention to him."

"No... That's not what I meant..."

Hyunwoo smiled a little and twisted my words, relaying them however he pleased.

As my attempts to deny it were drowned out by Hyunwoo's continued petting, Hyuna's expression rapidly stiffened.

Flail, flail, flail, flail.

Feeling like I wouldn't live to a ripe old age at this rate, I struggled to escape Hyunwoo's arms.

Hyunwoo looked down at me quizzically.

"Minseo. Do you need to use the bathroom? Come to think of it, you haven't gone this morning."

"...That's not it, but am I really allowed to hear this?"

"Ah..."

Hyunwoo made a vacant face, as if only then realizing it.

Somehow, I'd learned that Hyunwoo's family was powerful and rich, and that he was a runaway young master, which left me rather flustered.

Besides, this was hardly a trivial topic.

Shouldn't I avoid listening?

"......It's probably fine?"

I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but after apparently weighing it over, Hyunwoo carried on as if it were no big deal.

"We're kind of... family now, anyway. Maybe it's better this way, since I won't have to explain it to you later."

"Right. If Minseo Oppa and I get married, you'll be part of our family too."

"...Shut up. I'm not giving Minseo to you."

Even in the middle of all this, Hyuna subtly butted in, showing off her excessive affection for me.

Just when I thought we'd finally gotten serious, her nonsense barged in without warning and made my head spin.

At this point, all I could do was pray that Hyunwoo would keep Hyuna in check.

"Minseo. Let me say this again: if she tries anything weird, call me. If you're inside the house, shout."

"...Yeah."

I etched Hyunwoo's heartfelt warning into my mind once more.

Rather than trust that lust-crazed monster, I'd be better off trusting some passerby.

The first thing that came to mind was that I had no idea what she'd do if the two of us were left alone right now.

"No...! Anyone listening would think I'm some kind of depraved sex criminal, Oppa!"

Hyuna got angry after hearing our conversation.

"You are."

"Yeah."

In the end, Hyuna's opinion was overruled by the democratic voting system that forms the foundation of our country.

Honestly, she'd already crossed the line the moment she tried to force a kiss on me without my consent.

That's a serious crime. She could be sued for sexual harassment.

Especially when she has those kinds of thoughts about this tiny body of mine...

Well, Hyunwoo's a little short on common sense, so sometimes he does things that could be mistaken for trying to kiss me...

But he never approached me with a clear intention like Hyuna did.

How can siblings be so different?

"...So where were we?"

Thanks to my one laugh drawing so much aggro, the topic had gone completely off course.

It had wandered so far that saying "the topic drifted" didn't even begin to describe it.

"That Minseo belongs to me?"

"No, not that. Our family."

"You ran away because you didn't like being told to learn the business."

Maybe he'd been planning to joke around, but thankfully, Hyunwoo remembered what we'd been talking about and got the conversation back on track after making some silly remarks.

At this rate, this conversation was going nowhere.

Wouldn't it be more efficient if I just left?

"Oh, right. Anyway, I ran away to have a little fun for just one week."

"Good for you."

"You left home too, so why can't I leave for even a week?"

"At least I told them. Minseo, say ah."

"Ah..."

Hyunwoo picked up a piece of fruit from the table and put it in my mouth.

Even though the apple had been cut into small pieces, I couldn't fit the whole thing in my mouth, so I could only take a crisp bite from the end.

Maybe it was a good apple, because it was so sweet I almost mistook it for a treat instead of fruit.

Its refreshing sweetness spread through me, making even my heart feel cool.

I did wonder whether serious family matters and such a light, everyday scene ought to be happening in the same room, but...

"Hyunwoo. I want that. The peach."

In the end, there was no escaping this situation, and Hyunwoo didn't seem to mind, so I decided to enjoy it.

Even if I wanted to pick it up myself, the fork was in Hyunwoo's hand.

I was used to sharing utensils and eating together because washing dishes was a pain, so it didn't seem strange.

"...Why don't you just hold him in your arms and mix up some formula for him?"

Hyuna watched us, made a dissatisfied face, and started whining.

Why's she doing that now...?

The more I watched Hyuna, the more I started thinking she was genuinely committed to unfairly picking on me.

"That's not a bad idea. Minseo, want to try some formula?"

"...No."

Hyunwoo had taken the bait and was acting all eager, too.

Sometimes he seemed so stupid it was hard to believe.

How had he gotten such good grades in middle school?

I hope he doesn't get caught by a voice-phishing scam someday.

"But formula's supposed to taste better than milk. They make it sweeter to suit kids who like sweet things."

"Still, formula at my age is a little..."

Hyunwoo stubbornly refused to give up, determined to get me to try formula no matter what.

No, I mean, it might taste good...

But if I were held in the arms of my friend of eight years while sucking on a bottle, I felt like my humanity would die.

"Then I'll make you a cake with formula. Wouldn't that make it less weird?"

"...Wouldn't that defeat the whole point of formula?"

"Does it?"

Only after I firmly refused did I finally manage to convince Hyunwoo.

I nearly had my dignity dragged through the dirt...

"Yeah, Oppa. Why formula? Breast milk is way healthier than formula. Minseo Oppa, if I ever produce any, I'll let you know."

"......"

Hyuna still had a way of making my mind go blank.

Common sense says that's impossible.

And it's not something an eighteen-year-old should be producing...

"So, weren't we talking about why Hyuna ran away from home?"

In the end, feeling like we were stuck in an endless loop, I forced the conversation back to its original topic.

How much time and mental fortitude would have to be ground away just to get through that short conversation...?

This is so unfair. I'm always the one getting picked on.

"Oh, right. So are you planning to leave home for good too?"

"No? I'm not smart, so I'll just learn the business, inherit it, and live easy."

But Hyuna's answer to Hyunwoo's question was something else.

It wasn't shocking that she wanted to live comfortably.

It was just strange that she'd run away without a word when she had no intention of leaving home for good.

"You crazy bitch. Then why'd you run away?"

"No... Well... Dad kept pressuring me, so..."

"And that means you run away from home?"

I felt a strange sense of satisfaction when Hyunwoo said exactly what I wanted to.

Part of that satisfaction definitely came from seeing Hyuna squirm.

Anyway, my mouth was sweet, my back was warm, and I felt refreshed. It was the best.

"Anyway, I'll borrow some jewelry and put it back. I was just coming to Oppa's house, so I dressed up to look impressive."

...Didn't she say earlier she'd give me one of those?

It belonged to her parents? Good thing I hadn't accepted it.

"I'm not that much of a delinquent, so don't worry."

From where I stood, she was already doing more than enough to be an unfilial daughter...

I decided not to say it out loud.

I wonder if Hyuna's parents are clutching the backs of their necks like I am right now?

"Minseo. Here's your peach."

"Hey! Lee Hyunwoo! At least pretend you're listening!"

Be that as it may, Hyunwoo didn't seem interested in Hyuna's personal circumstances.