USB Left by My Father 25

Chapter 25 – Sister (Haeun) – The Humiliation Of A Masochistic Constitution

* Sister (Haeun) – The Humiliation of a Masochistic Constitution (1)

It was around the time when the university’s course adjustment period was coming up. The thought of having to mingle with unfamiliar people and professors after so long made me feel slightly unpleasant. Conversely, remembering the fun I had at the club I briefly joined last time, I thought campus life wasn’t so bad, and I was about to ponder which club to join this time.

I was about to.

It’s important, so I’ll say it again.

I. Was. About. To.

Was it a problem that I had been spending my days only caring about Yeowon’s mother and Seowoo? It was around the time I was starting to prepare for university that I realized Haeun’s condition was slightly off. She was talking less than usual and acting strangely, as if she had caught a disease, which worried the entire family. She kept saying she was fine, but it was clear she was lacking energy, so we couldn’t stop worrying.

Well, our family is tightly bound by affection. Or rather, semen, or whatever you want to call it, we’re a family that pours out thick stuff every night. Even if I feel guilty later, it’s a fact that I’m pouring affection (love) into my family, and that includes Haeun. More than that, unlike Yeowon’s mother or Seowoo, this one is a real landmine, so I was more concerned than necessary.

“Hey, are you really okay? Your eyes are all dark.”

“Don’t I look like I’m radiating a decadent beauty… I posted a picture online and it’s super popular…”

“I understand you look like you’ve stepped out of a manga, but, uh, stop with the jokes, you look seriously crazy. Why don’t you just take a break this semester and hole up in a hospital?”

“Bullshit… I’ve been waiting for this day…”

“Is it because of the club?”

“I don’t like other places, but I like it there… I’m going to hole up in the club for a while and stick close to people with similar hobbies…”

Here’s a fool who prioritizes clubs over classes while attending university. If you think about it, I’m similar to her, but it’s a statement that would make me feel sorry for those who desperately attend school, so I don’t say it out loud. Is Seowoo similar? She’s the type who loves going out for drinks with her university friends and doesn’t care much about classes or grades. My stepmother didn’t have the opportunity to go to such places because of housework, so honestly, I feel the most sorry for her…

“Anyway, if you feel unwell, you really have to tell me. I’ll skip class and take you to the hospital.”

“Am I a child…?”

“You’re worse than a child, what are you talking about?”

“I can manage my own body, so mind your own business.”

“Tsk, why does she hate hospitals so much… She’s not a kid…”

Haeun shook her head, resisting as if she hated hospitals to death. Leaving behind the words “stubborn,” we eventually parted ways in the open space in front of the university’s central library. It was obvious she would hole up in the club right after class, so I planned to check on her condition at her club after my major class ended, and I went on my way to do my own thing.

Even though it’s the course adjustment period, it’s still major class time. I don’t know if the class will be long or if we’ll just talk about the department merger since the departments have merged. The building of my department was noisy as if it was under construction, and since it had been a while since I came, I felt so unfamiliar that my body naturally shrank.

I read the map through the app distributed by the school, and according to the professor’s post, I entered the classroom, exchanged awkward glances with the faces there, and took a seat. There was a guy who tapped my shoulder and acted like he knew me, while there was a girl who completely ignored me, and then there was someone who was sticking to a loudmouth and chatting noisily. Looking at the situation, it seemed like it wasn’t a proper class, but rather a gathering just to make a few announcements.

‘I think I can just check in and leave.’

Indeed, even after the professor arrived, there was no class. He talked about the current construction status and the department merger, distributed a few documents, checked our faces, and left. In this day and age, a sculpture department? Unless it’s a prestigious university in that field, there’s no need to keep it, and it’s not unreasonable for the art departments to merge all at once.

‘I made a wasted trip. I should have just skipped it.’

Even if the departments merge, it’s not something that concerns me. It’s not like I’m good enough to transfer to another department, I’m just barely hanging on. More than that, I’m worried about Haeun. I was worried if she could really make it through the day in that condition, and my legs were fidgeting.

As if representing my feelings, the professor left quickly, and the students scattered. They complained that they had gathered for such a trivial reason, and a university friend of mine asked if I had eaten and suggested what to have for lunch. Anyway, I had to kill time until Haeun’s class ended, so we were talking about going to a cafe when suddenly.

“Hey, hey, Lee Junseo. You’re Lee Junseo, right?”

Suddenly, the opposite shoulder that my friend was holding was grabbed, and when I turned my head, a young man with tanned skin was looking down at me.

‘What was his name?’

That guy I saw on the street last time. The loudmouth whose name I can’t remember. A tanned brown skin and a two-block haircut. Unlike our Haeun, who was wearing a coat because of the hot weather, he was wearing shorts and a flashy short-sleeved t-shirt, and his eyes were strangely unpleasant. It’s my theory that people who smile brightly at strangers are usually not good people, and this guy fits that perfectly.

“Ah, hyung.”

However, he’s still a hyung.

I couldn’t openly say I didn’t know his name, so I blurted out a vague word.

“What is it?”

“What do you mean, why? I’m just going to ask you something. It won’t take a few seconds since I’ll ask right away.”

“Yes. What is it?”

I was flustered and spoke shortly, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of picking a fight over that, and he was still smiling as he fidgeted with his hand on my shoulder. It felt a little unpleasant as he seemed to be pushing my shoulder down as if to stop me from getting up, but I thought this was just his friendly way of treating a younger brother, so I endured it.

“Do you remember that time when you and I, uh, briefly saw each other? Near the arcade street intersection.”

At his awkward question, I thought of a “common pattern” and immediately took the lead. That was the only point of contact between the loudmouth and me, and since he mentioned it directly, it was almost certain. There was no need to waste my time by letting him probe.

“Are you talking about the woman who was with me?”

“Oh, this guy is really quick-witted… How did you know…?”

“I get asked that often.”

It’s not the first time I’ve been asked about my sisters. Especially around high school, I often went downtown with my sisters, and every time I ran into male acquaintances, I would get asked who they were, so I was quick-witted in this area.

“The person who was with you came to the university today, is it this one?”

As expected, he raised his pinky finger.

There’s no way Haeun and I are in that kind of relationship.

“No, she’s my sister.”

“Really?”

“Doesn’t it look like it?”

“Since she came to the university… I thought she might be your age…”

Yeowon’s mother is twenty-five, Seowoo is twenty-four, and Haeun is twenty-three. I knew that the guy in front of me was around twenty-two this year, so I immediately told him she was older. At that, he blinked his eyes again and asked if it was true, so I nodded.

“When I saw her downtown, I didn’t get a good look, so I just thought she was pretty. But I happened to see her again today, and I was really smitten. So I’m taking a big risk to ask you now… But, why are you so calm? Has this kind of thing happened often? I feel like I’m the only one who’s embarrassed?”

“I have two sisters, and they don’t look like me, they’re all goddesses. I’ve seen people like you several times, so I just take it as it is.”

“Wow, so… you know what I’m talking about…?”

“It’s okay to give you her number, but my sister is not feeling well right now. Can you send me a message? I’ll give you her number as soon as she feels better.”

“I never imagined you’d be such an understanding guy! You were always in the corner of the classroom, so I wondered if we’d get along! Damn, why was I the only one embarrassed? You bastard~!”

‘Not my problem.’

He was treating me like a loser just because of my rough appearance, even though we had no connection. I didn’t bother to say that I only found out his name when I saw it on my phone after exchanging numbers, and I just listened to his thanks. From his perspective, he took a big risk to ask me, and he got the information he wanted in a matter of seconds, so he must be feeling good.

“Does your sister have a boyfriend? She’s so pretty.”

“One of them already has a boyfriend. The sister you’re asking about is an otaku, so she’s not interested in dating.”

“Otaku? Oh, really? She didn’t look like one.”

“A hardcore otaku. And she has an anime profile picture. She’s a prime example of someone you can’t judge by their appearance.”

“Ugh, damn…”

At that, his expression became a bit ambiguous for a moment, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of canceling his words, and he immediately said, “But that’s okay?” My university friend, who had been listening to the whole conversation, was curious about what Haeun looked like, so I took out my phone and immediately showed him a picture. A picture of Haeun, who was covering her whole body even in this heat. It was a picture of her standing next to me, but she was angry at me for taking it.

“She looks so good in pictures… Huh, but she still doesn’t have a boyfriend…?”

He was definitely smiling, but his eyes weren’t. This loudmouth is clearly the type of guy who hangs out with girls a lot. He probably thought that Haeun would be easy to get because she’s an otaku, but unfortunately, she’s not as simple as he thinks.

“But why do you have a picture of your sister?”

“Of course, it’s for bragging rights.”

“Because she’s pretty?”

“Isn’t that obvious? She’s an angel who descended to the mortal realm.”

Apart from the suspicious way he was acting, my university friend’s eyes changed suspiciously at my words. It was probably because it wasn’t something a younger brother would usually say. However, when I added another picture, saying, “If it’s this good, it’s worth bragging about, even if it’s family,” he seemed to understand that it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.

Look, my secret weapon!

It’s a picture of Haeun in a bear pajama, striking a cute pose!

And also a picture of Seowoo striking a somewhat sexy pose!

Both were taken as a penalty for losing a board game, but they’ve come in handy like this. My sisters are pretty, so there will be days when I can use these pictures like this. Of course, because of their beauty, they were caught by the trash of our house and ended up in that state, but they are worth it.

‘Was I too boastful?’

I wondered if my bragging looked unpleasant, so I looked at the two of them, but thankfully, neither the loudmouth nor my university friend looked at me strangely. After looking through a few pictures on my phone, he made a surprised expression and immediately handed the phone back, and my friend was smiling and chatting with the loudmouth, who was talking to him for the first time, as if Seowoo was his type.

“This one definitely has a boyfriend. I don’t know who he is, but he’s lucky. If she didn’t have a boyfriend, I would have nominated myself like hyung, but it’s a shame.”

“Yeah, he’s really lucky.”

“Is it bad to ask for a number from someone who has a boyfriend?”

“Unlike the person I introduced to hyung, this sister wouldn’t like it. I saw her being all lovey-dovey with her boyfriend just yesterday.”

“Damn it… What a shame…”

‘He’s not even strong enough to send a text or message even if he knew. That’s why he hangs out with people like that.’

He doesn’t know that the boyfriend is the younger brother in front of him. Unlike the friends in my group chat, my university friend doesn’t know about my family situation, and I have no intention of telling him. He’s purely envious of the unknown boyfriend, which is a bit embarrassing.

‘I have permission from Haeun to give out her number anytime. Seowoo has hated it since the old days, so there’s no pressure…’

I recently found out why Seowoo hated giving out her number to men. Well, she must have hated it because she had feelings for me from the beginning. How absurd would it have been for the guy she secretly liked to introduce her to another guy? On the other hand, Haeun surprisingly meets men often and I don’t feel awkward introducing her. Even if she meets them, she’s an outsider, so she gets tired of them quickly and holes up in her room, so it’ll probably be the same this time.

‘I’m sorry for assuming she’ll be rejected, but no matter how I think about it, this guy has no chance. He doesn’t seem to have similar hobbies, and he’s just smitten by her looks. This time, Haeun’s kill count (number of men she’s rejected) will increase, and that’ll be the end of it.’

But, what is it? This uneasiness.

‘I know that my sister would never like this kind of rough type, but…’

As if shaking off the strange premonition that was blowing coldly, I gave an awkward smile and got up from my seat. The loudmouth was in a good mood because he got a better answer than expected, and he saw me off to the end. My university friend and I went outside and headed to a cafe, where we killed time with trivial stories until Haeun’s class ended.

However, the uneasiness didn’t go away all day.

Isn’t it always the case that I’m only good at this kind of thing?

It didn’t take long for the shitty news to reach my ears.