As I descended the dark slope, I saw a group of children gathered ahead.
I walked toward them.
It wasn’t physically exhausting, but the destructive power of that weapon that haunted my mind was like a missile—or perhaps even more.
Once I tossed this burden to a friend, my role would be over.
‘It’s not heavy, but it sure weighs on my conscience.’
Two girls, who were always hanging out with Seo Yuna, came running toward me the moment they saw me carrying her.
“Yuna, are you okay?!”
“Did you get hurt?!”
Yuna grimaced slightly and replied to them, “Yeah… I sprained my ankle a bit.”
“How did that happen?”
“I tripped on something and fell. It’s not a big injury, but my foot’s a little uncomfortable…”
“Geez, you should be more careful! So, you got carried down by Dohyun, huh?”
They inspected Yuna’s ankle with worried expressions.
I carefully set Yuna down and started preparing to leave.
“I’ll be on my way—”
At that moment, the two friends exchanged glances, and a strange silence fell.
“Oh, right! I think I left the gas on at home!”
“What?”
“This is bad. I have to go check right away!”
One of them quickly pulled out her phone and disappeared like the wind.
‘Isn’t that dangerous? Why not just call 119?’
Before I could process the absurdity of the situation, the other friend exclaimed, “Oh no! I forgot to feed my dog!”
I almost blurted out, ‘Is your dog more important than your friend?’ but managed to hold it back.
She, too, hurriedly left.
Before they disappeared, both of them clenched their fists toward Yuna in a peculiar gesture and mouthed something silently.
‘Fighting?’
Their intentions were obvious.
They were dumping this on me.
I couldn’t just leave Seo Yuna on the ground.
Letting out a sigh, I asked, “Hey, where’s your house?”
Yuna hesitated for a moment before answering, “It’s… really close from here.”
Thankfully, it was only ten minutes away.
Resigned, I carried Yuna on my back and headed toward the residential complex.
***
The quiet alleyways were serene.
Neatly trimmed flower beds and lawns came into view.
The houses were lined up in an orderly fashion, and warm lights glowed from the windows.
“This is so heavy.”
“Geez, then just put me down!”
As we walked, bantering over trivial matters, a young married couple pushing a stroller approached from the opposite direction.
The couple glanced at us and giggled.
“Oh my, how fresh and adorable.”
“We used to be like that in school too.”
“How cute.”
“Such good times.”
At their words, Yuna flinched slightly.
I pretended not to hear and turned my head away.
‘Fresh and adorable? I’m here being forced to reenact a delivery service, and it’s been over 30 minutes since I started carrying two sacks of rice on my back.’
Not long after, we arrived at Yuna’s house.
I set her down and took a moment to catch my breath.
“Go on in.”
Yuna lowered her head slightly and murmured, “Th-thank you.”
“Sure.”
As I turned to leave, Yuna’s voice echoed.
“Kim Dohyun!”
I stopped in my tracks and looked back.
Yuna, her face red, stammered, “I-I can’t stand owing someone, so… do you have time tomorrow?”
Yuna hesitated, her face turning a deeper shade of red.
I tilted my head slightly at her question.
‘Tomorrow’s the weekend, isn’t it? I was planning to read my light novels…’
“Why?”
Panicking, Yuna waved her hands frantically.
“Oh, no… it’s just! About today and all… I wanted to thank you, so I thought maybe… I could treat you to a meal or something.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her flustered state.
Feeling mischievous, I teased, “Is this a date invitation?”
“A-a date? No way!”
Yuna’s face turned even redder as she stomped her feet and hung her head low.
“I just meant a meal… or maybe a movie…! Ugh, I don’t know! I feel like I should do something!”
Smiling faintly, I took out my phone and tapped on the screen.
“Text me.”
“Huh…?”
Yuna looked up at me with a bewildered expression.
With that, I turned and walked away.
When I glanced back, Yuna was clutching her phone tightly, staring at me as I left.
***
As soon as I arrived home, I opened the door and kicked off my shoes.
Stretching my stiff body, I threw my training clothes into the laundry basket.
‘Tired. So tired.’
After changing into a functional T-shirt and shorts, I felt much lighter.
From the kitchen, Harin’s voice called out.
“Brother, I’ve prepared a bath, so go ahead and wash up.”
“Why’d you prepare the bath? I could’ve just taken a shower.”
Harin placed her hands on her hips and glared at me.
“Taking a half-bath is the best way to recover from fatigue.”
“I can just take a shower—”
“Brother!”
Harin’s eyes sharpened.
Ah, here we go again.
This overbearing sister complex.
I sighed, recalling the countless times I’d been in this situation before.
Harin launched into a lecture about the importance of half-baths.
“Half-baths promote blood circulation, help relieve fatigue and swelling, and relax muscles, which speeds up recovery after exercise. And also…”
The rest didn’t even register.
‘All I’m hearing is that it’s good. Just stop already.’
At first, it was annoying, but after trying it for a few days, I had to admit—it worked.
The fatigue from exercising seemed to melt away, and my body felt lighter.
‘Well, I can’t complain.’
Dragging my slippers, I made my way to the bathroom.
The warm water Harin had prepared was steaming, filling the room with a comforting mist.
As soon as I dipped into the water, I felt all the tension in my body melt away, and a sigh escaped my lips.
“Ah… this must be paradise.”
‘This is bliss, and this is life.’
After soaking for a while, I felt both dazed and refreshed, as though the water had drained away all my fatigue.
I leisurely spent some more time before stepping out of the bathroom.
Harin was sitting on the sofa, watching a drama.
“Brother, doesn’t it feel refreshing?”
“Thanks to you.”
Harin nodded with a proud expression.
I returned to my room, grabbed a light novel, and lay down on the bed.
‘This guy’s also struggling with his romantic problems, huh?’
I chuckled to myself, flipping the pages.
Yawning, I thought, ‘Looking at words always makes me sleepy.’
Soon, the line between dreams and reality blurred.
Setting the book aside, I pulled the blanket over myself.
***
Harin stood by the laundry basket to gather the laundry.
As she reached in, she noticed Dohyun’s recently discarded black training clothes, crumpled.
Naturally, she picked them up, her thoughts drifting.
‘Dohyun’s changed a lot lately. Since he started working out, his body’s gotten stronger, and his face glows.’
She often caught him adjusting his hair in front of the mirror or picking out his clothes.
“Seriously, is he going through a second puberty?”
Harin murmured to herself.
The sight of Dohyun becoming not just cool but outright handsome made her heart race every time.
‘Ha…’
Shaking her head, she tried to compose herself, but her mind was already consumed with other thoughts.
Then, she noticed something.
White marks were smeared across the training clothes.
At first, she thought it was dust, but the texture on her fingertips felt unusual.
Harin carefully brought the fabric closer to her nose.
‘Is this… makeup?’
Her mind went blank.
It was evidence that someone’s face had touched the clothes.
A woman’s face, judging by the distinct smell of cosmetics.
Her hands trembled, and her heart raced.
‘Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?!’
“Die. Die. Die.”
Her low muttering was cold, sending chills through the air.
‘Who dared to lay a hand on my brother? My brother?’
A burning rage took over her mind.
‘Dohyun is naive. He doesn’t know how to handle women and wouldn’t lie.’
‘Could it be… that he’s fallen for some sly fox?’
The unsettling thoughts consumed her entirely.
To calm herself, Harin took a deep breath.
‘Brother wouldn’t lie. He said he wasn’t interested in anyone.’
Her eyes shifted toward the bathroom, where Dohyun had just finished showering.
Slowly, she made her way there.
She gently pushed the door open, revealing a room filled with warm steam.
The toothbrush Dohyun had just used sat on the sink, still damp.
Closing the door behind her, she approached it cautiously.
“Brother…”
She whispered softly, her eyes fixed on the toothbrush.
Without hesitation, she reached out and picked it up.
The residual moisture clung to her palm.
‘Just a moment ago…’
She slowly brought the toothbrush closer to her nose, inhaling the faint scent.
The mingling aroma of toothpaste and soap tickled her senses.
“Ha…”
Harin exhaled a hot breath, her gaze lingering on the toothbrush.
Biting her lip lightly, she brought it to her mouth with trembling hands.
Her tongue brushed against the bristles.
The fresh taste of leftover toothpaste and a hint of soap spread across her tongue.
“Brother…”
Setting the toothbrush down, she slowly licked her lips.
The feeling of being close to Dohyun’s presence made her cheeks flush.
Grazing her lips with her fingertips, she whispered, “Brother is mine.”
A chilling smile formed on her lips.
Sister the goat