Chapter 49 – Are You Two Dating?
A week has passed since Ha-eun rejected the motel offer.
She then made up her mind that she would definitely say the words she had swallowed, but she was still procrastinating because she didn’t have the timing or the courage to do so.
Even now, lying down after her dinner and talking to her on the phone, she couldn’t even try to talk about her sincerity because of her unique bright tension.
-I looked for it a lot, but it turned out to be confusing, so I put it on my roommate’s desk!
“I must have been worried. But I’m glad I found it.”
As they chatted, she remembered a story she heard last week and asked.
“How about the app that professor said he made? You said you get so nervous talking to strangers.”
-Ah. I was very nervous at first, but now I feel so comfortable!
“Oh yeah?”
-Yes! Her sister is a good listener and nice!
It seems that Ha-eun is older and has a lot of ties to her.
She’s still in first grade though, so you’re more likely to meet her older sister on her app than her own age.
“Unnie, you seem to have become very close.”
– I guess so! I don’t know if I’m the only one who thinks so… Lol. Her older sister is also kind like her older brother, so talking to her puts her at ease and makes her happy.
She was worried that she would meet someone strange, but she is relieved.
“Perhaps that unnie would enjoy talking to Ha-eun too.”
-Really? Is it really so?
She ended her call after she babbled for another ten minutes or so.
Although she communicates through an app rather than real life, she is proud that Ha-eun has someone she can communicate with.
Feeling relieved to hear that her sister, who only worried about her, is doing well in school?
I hope she will keep a good relationship in the future.
Anyway, today is the day I don’t go to the gym, so I have free time.
What would you like to do
After a moment of thought, she nodded her head.
“I’d rather write than play.”
She got out of bed and went to the PC.
—
Everytown.
An app developed experimentally in collaboration with professors from several universities.
The purpose is to allow users who are college students to exchange with students from other schools to obtain useful information about college life.
It wasn’t for a grandiose reason that Jia installed this app she didn’t need.
One of the professors who collaborated was her department professor, and she was told that if she used the app and gave feedback, it would add to her grade.
However, it could not be a good proposal for her, who values her grades.
And about a week ago, while she was contemplating how to use the installed app, she received a message from someone.
At this time, Jia planned to quit using the app only until her professor was satisfied with the feedback.
But even now, nearly a week later, she was actively maintaining exchanges with the other person over the app.
The reason she changed her mind was the conversation she had with her on the first day she used the app.
[I’m so nervous right now ㅠㅠㅠ It’s the first time I’ve been talking to someone other than oppa for such a long time…]
[You must be very close with your brother.]
[Yes! Oppa is a real angel. I don’t have any close friends and I can’t meet my parents because of circumstances. If it wasn’t for you, I might have died of boredom!]
A message that appears innocent and less obvious, with no other intentions.
However, Jia was concerned about the fact that she couldn’t meet her parents because of her circumstances.
Because she knows the loneliness of not being able to communicate with her parents.
Thanks to her, she doesn’t even know her face, but Jia recalls her own painful memories and feels compassion for her partner.
So even after that day, I worked hard to get along with the conversation.
The more we exchanged words, the more I felt that the other person’s bright and innocent personality was cute, and I started to enjoy this conversation more and more.
Of course, the study time is a bit less, but for her Jia, studying is to eventually be recognized by her mother.
It felt like a waste of time to invest in someone who felt lonely about their family.
As a result, about a week later, I was quite close to the other person.
We haven’t seen each other’s faces yet, but we got to know each other’s names and became close enough to talk comfortably.
The two were still talking.
The message came just as Jia was about to take a break from studying.
As she diligently moved her fingers and chatted, her opponent asked.
[Sister, if it’s okay, can I call you?]
[It’s okay, but why all of a sudden?]
[It’s more convenient to talk directly over the phone than via text message! In the meantime, I couldn’t ask her because I was afraid that she would feel burdened, but she has become very close now..!]
After answering that he knew and giving me his number, the phone vibrated in response to an incoming call.
Unlike just before, when he didn’t think much of it, he gets nervous when he tries to let his voice be heard.
After clearing her throat a few times, she tapped the screen to answer the call.
“Hello?”
– Ji, Jia sister! I’m Haeun…
“Yes. Is this your first time hearing a voice?”
-That’s right, that’s right. Isn’t my voice strange?
Thanks to the opponent shaking enough to be transmitted over the phone speaker, rather, Jia’s tension was relieved.
“No, your voice is so pretty?”
-Really? Oh, thank you My sister also has a pretty voice…
“Yeah, it’s true, so don’t be too nervous.”
Direct voice-over conversations were much more enjoyable.
It was because the emotions of the other person were richer than I imagined by just looking at the message.
The phone call between the two was longer than the time they usually exchanged messages, and their friendship grew even thicker as they exchanged voices.
—
Nearly three weeks have passed since Jia and Haeun first talked on the phone.
As a result of constant phone calls and exchanges, the two people now, about a month after exchanging their first messages, are incomparably closer than before.
-At that time, the professor would give me 10,000 won, so someone told me to kick that bee out of the classroom. So I swung the notebook and kicked them out!
“Really? You’re amazing too. I’m afraid of bugs so I can’t even look at them.”
While chatting as usual, Ha-eun hesitated.
– Sister Jia… You know.
“Yes why?”
– Shall we meet? It’s nice to talk to her on the phone, but I want to meet and play with her at least once…
An invitation that some people may find difficult.
Perhaps knowing that fact, Haeun hurriedly added.
-Boo, it’s okay if we don’t meet if it’s burdensome or busy!
However, perhaps because they shared the loneliness of not seeing her family, Jia did not feel repulsed by the proposal.
Rather, the bright and innocent Ha-eun felt like her younger sister who didn’t necessarily exist, and she was thinking about meeting her at least once.
“No, I don’t feel pressured at all. When will we see you?”
—
Thursday evening, the day after the two spoke on the phone.
Jia entered the cafe she had promised and sat down.
Not long after that, the phone rang.
“Yes, Haeun. I arrived first.”
-Really? I came in too, where are you? The right corner? Oh, are you that person?
“Sister Jia!”
Haeun recognizes this and waves her hand.
Seeing this, Jia’s eyes widened.
Pretty blonde hair like the sunset and looks like a foreigner.
Jia couldn’t hide her surprise at the atmosphere that can only be seen on the Internet or in advertisements.
Not only her face attracted attention, but her body as well.
Wear a loose and casual sweatshirt and jeans.
Even though there was no trace of effort, her pretty body made her clothes look luxurious.
But Haeun didn’t seem to have any thoughts.
Ji-san’s striking appearance may be familiar with the glances around her, but she came to the table with a happy face and sat down.
“Hello, unni. I said I missed you, but I’m really embarrassed to see you. Heh.”
When she only heard her voice on the phone, she felt completely like a child, but when she saw it in person, her appearance overflowed with femininity.
Maybe that’s why, her Jia started to get nervous as well.
“Me too, I’m embarrassed.”
“But unnie is very pretty. Her voice is pretty, but more than her voice!”
Ha-eun said that with her twinkling eyes.
Looking at her expression, which shows her innocence and sincerity, she seems not to be very conscious of her appearance.
“No, Ha-eun is much prettier. To be honest, she was surprised by the different atmosphere from when I called.”
“Really?”
Fortunately, as the conversation continued, her hardened air was naturally relieved.
Thanks to her contacting her for close to a month, she was chatting as if it was not the first time she had met by the time it was about thirty minutes.
“My sister said she doesn’t watch cartoons, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. But she doesn’t often, but she watches dramas from time to time. What kind of cartoon does Ha-eun like?”
“I have. I like cartoons where huge robots come out and transform or merge! Fighting villains!”
“A robot? That’s a bit surprising.”
“Isn’t it? It’s a genre that’s not very popular among women. So it was a pity that I didn’t have anyone to talk to before.”
Jia showed a kind smile.
“I’m sorry. If I was interested, I would have talked with you.”
“It’s okay. But because I have a brother! My brother has the same taste as me. So we talk about comics together and look at the pictures I draw and compliment him!”
There are often times when her brother’s story comes out of Haeun’s mouth, and when that happens, her face and voice become even brighter.
“I’ve felt it before, but it seems like you’re really close with your brother. How old are you?”
“Is it spaced out? My brother is twenty-four, so there’s a four-year age difference.”
“There’s quite a difference. My younger sister is cute because she’s young, so she seems to take good care of me.”
Hearing that, Haeun tilted her head.
“…Sister, did you think he was your real older brother?”
“Huh? Isn’t it?”
“Ah. No. He’s an older brother I met by chance. He goes to the same school as her older sister.”
Jia raised her eyes in surprise.
“Ah, really? Oppa said oppa, so of course I thought they were real brothers. They’re not even real oppas, so they’re really close?”
“Yes! He’s handsome, kind, and buys me lots of delicious things!”
When she thought it was her biological brother, she had the image of a cute little sister who followed her biological brother well, but after hearing the truth, she is like a girl who fell in love.
The corners of her mouth went up because she was so cute.
“You seem to like that brother very much.”
“Yes! Being with oppa makes me happy. It’s good when we eat pasta together, when we talk and play together, and when we do naughty things…”
“Dirty?”
“I had a very sad event before, and then, I asked my brother for a favor. So, my brother accepted the request. It felt good… Heh.”
Unlike Haeun, who smiled daintyly, Jia had a slightly serious expression.
“Are you two dating?”
“No. It’s not like that.”
“You’re not dating?”
She doesn’t have anything to say because she doesn’t go out with Do-hyeon and mixes her body several times, but apart from that, she was worried because it was Ha-eun’s job, which she considered her sister.
“But something like that…”
“Actually, that’s a problem for me as well. I think my brother thinks of me like a younger sister. I like him as a man. I’m afraid that if he confesses to me, I can’t even do that.”
“That, that’s right…”
There is only a difference in her values and values with Jia, but if you look closely, it is not impossible for her to mix her bodies with men and women she is not dating.
Just when Jia was thinking about that, she let out a sigh as Haeun sighed.
“How can she date her brother?”
“Um, well… A gift or something…?”
“A gift?”
Ha-eun clapped her hands.
“Come to think of it, I thought I wanted to give my brother something. Until now, he hadn’t given me a lot of things. Oh, there is one! A ballpoint pen!”
“Pen?”
“Yes! I got it from a doll drawing room near here. It has a hippo on the back. It’s so cute that I gave it to my brother and then I tried to pull it out, but it didn’t come out the second time.”
“…Hippo?”
Jia’s eyebrows twitched.
‘Obviously, the ballpoint pen that Mr. Dohyeon lent me…’
She doesn’t have it now, as she returned it the next day, but she clearly remembers the hippo character model attached to her back.
It’s a surprisingly cute pen. Even Do-hyeon’s embarrassed face when she asked.
‘It must be a coincidence… Wait for a sec. Didn’t your brother say you went to the same school as me? Besides, twenty-four years old…’
It just feels too awkward to let go.
‘No, it’s just a coincidence. There’s no such thing as one or two ballpoint pens, and how many students at our school…
Even if she tries to shake off such an ominous feeling, the thought of not knowing keeps coming back to her.
I didn’t want to do it, so I carefully opened my mouth to shake off the awkwardness.
“Ha Eun-ah.”
“Yes? Why, sister?”
“May I ask what your brother’s name is?”
“Your name?”
Ha-eun asked brightly with her pretty eyes wide open.
But Jia was afraid that her name would come out of her lips, which she did not want.
Ha-eun, who doesn’t know her heart, naively brought up the name of her brother, whom she likes.
“I’m Nam Dohyon.”
“Ah…”
“Why? Do you know someone?”
“Huh? Ah, no. I wondered if it was like that when I heard that it was our school, but it’s the first name I’ve heard.”
“Anyway, my sister’s school is really big.”
“Yeah… I see. We chatted quite a bit. I have to go now. I have some assignments left.”
“Really? It’s a pity. It was so much fun meeting you today. See you next time, sister. I’ll be in touch!”
“Uh, uh… Ok. See you next time.”
She exchanged her greetings with Ha-eun and she parted ways.
With her complex expression, Jia’s steps toward her room were heavy, unlike when she came out.
