Sun Woo headed home, despite having plans with his university friends, including Jae Seok, in the afternoon.

His neatly worn shirt had several buttons undone from the top, and his hair was disheveled like a runaway slave.

His reddened cheeks and the redness around his eyes indicated that they would soon turn into bruises.

Thwack!

Still not satisfied, Jang Hee struck the back of Sun Woo’s head again.

“Ah- elder sister.”

“Don’t even call me elder sister, you bastard. No, you’re not even my bastard anymore.”

I’m not your bastard anyway.

I’m your younger brother. Sun Woo said inwardly.

Whack!

Jang Hee’s hand formed a fist and struck his crown again.

“I can hear everything.”

At that moment, Sun Woo wondered if Jang Hee could read minds.

“Haa. Really! I knew you lived recklessly. But I didn’t think you’d go this far. You know I’m really disappointed in you today, right?”

But more than the pain, Sun Woo felt Jang Hee’s words of disappointment hurt a bit more.

Still, it seems she didn’t like that.

Sun Woo nodded while rubbing his feverish cheek.

“Cancel the engagement with In Ha and marry Young Hwa.”

“What?”

“If you did something you should take responsibility for, then take responsibility! Did you act without even thinking that much?”

Sun Woo felt like his insides were twisting.

Of course, he had thought about it a thousand, ten thousand times.

It was just that Young Hwa was the one who didn’t want it.

How should he explain this?

It was frustrating, but the feeling of not being able to reveal it was even greater.

“Um. Elder sister.”

“Shut up.”

She won’t let me say anything.

“No, but why don’t you listen to me?”

“I don’t even want to hear your voice today. Is that how I taught you? Wow. The more I think about it, the more infuriated I get.”

While it wasn’t that she didn’t understand, Jang Hee’s reaction today was decidedly emotional.

Is it because she’s a woman too?

Despite being a more level-headed and discerning person, Jang Hee’s attitude was quite different from before.

“She doesn’t want it.”

Sun Woo spoke directly to the point, even at the risk of being hit by Jang Hee again. He thought it might work better with the current Jang Hee.

“What did you say?”

Yeah, this is right.

“I got rejected. She said she doesn’t like me.”

“What did you say?”

No, if you keep asking what, what am I supposed to answer?

“You got rejected?”

“Yeah.”

Whack!

This time it was his back.

Isn’t this domestic violence at this point?

Should I report it?

Sun Woo twisted his whole body from the stinging pain.

“Why are you getting rejected! How much of a fool did you look like to get rejected!”

Yeah. I’m a fool.

Thinking about his relationship with Young Hwa, he felt that Jang Hee might be right.

Calling ten or a hundred times alone, then grinning and chasing after one call from Young Hwa, he looked exactly like that.

“Honestly, it was just a one-time mistake, it’s funny to cling on when she doesn’t even want it.”

“Do you have Young Hwa’s contact information or not?”

“Why?”

“This really! Do you have it or not! Should I contact In Ha and ask for it?”

She’s like a bulldozer.

She’s someone who does what she says. That’s why Chairman Kang could send Jang Hee to the European branch to deal with tough foreigners without any worry.

And her sales skills were truly top-notch.

A woman who could make buyers obey like soldiers.

That person was Sun Woo’s elder sister, Jang Hee.

“I’ll contact her.”

“Good. Tell her to meet now.”

But this was too much. Sun Woo stopped his finger as he was about to make the call.

“What?”

“Right now! Tell her to meet right now!”

“No. Elder sister! This is really not right.”

“Should I contact In Ha?”

Sun Woo bit his lip hard.

“I’ll do it.”

Sun Woo suddenly recalled Jang Hee from middle school.

“Your mom’s a stepmother, right?”

The day she beat up a friend who teased like that.

That day, Sun Woo was dragged by Jang Hee’s hand to the friend’s house.

Jang Hee was only 3 years older than Sun Woo.

But to Sun Woo, she might have been more than a real mother and a stepmother.

In front of that child and their parents, Jang Hee knelt down.

“I apologize on behalf of my brother. Please forgive Sun Woo.”

If it weren’t for Jang Hee, that day’s incident would surely have been reported to the family.

Jang Hee resolved it on behalf of Sun Woo, who was being cautious. Even kneeling for something that wasn’t her fault.

“I know it’s not your fault. But wrong is wrong. If you want to beat that bastard, beat him with something else. Not with your fists.”

So to Sun Woo, Jang Hee’s words were commands.

***

As In Ha said, Young Hwa was drawing products to be submitted for the promotional product contest.

Since it was a gift, she thought it should have merit in terms of price as well.

After pondering, Young Hwa thought about what products people would use well if they had them, even if they didn’t want to buy them directly, and came up with pouches and phone cases.

Pouches that are always in bags are used in various ways by women, and phone cases could have promotional effects if the brand logo was included, so she thought it was killing two birds with one stone.

Once she finished conceptualizing, it seemed the design could be easily solved.

At that moment, she received a call from Sun Woo.

It was the moment when she had just drawn one line on a white paper with a pen.

Young Hwa stopped her hand with a long line on the blank paper.

“What’s the matter?”

-Let’s meet.

Too spontaneous.

Young Hwa moistened her dry lips.

“It’s almost evening.”

-Let’s have dinner. Come out.

Ah, he’s not listening.

It’s like talking to a wall.

-I’ll go to your house. Come out. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.

“No, not in front of the house.”

The call ended immediately.

“No, this real bas-. Ah.”

Young Hwa, who couldn’t bring herself to curse, kept spitting out short words before swallowing her words.

Young Hwa just tidied her hair that she had tied up tightly and changed her clothes. She thought it wasn’t good to go out in short pants no matter what.

When she came out wearing only an old eco-bag, In Ha and Jae Hee’s voices filled the living room.

“Elder sister?”

“Oh. Mom. I’m going out today, and Sun Woo’s elder sister is out there.”

“She must really like you.”

Young Hwa’s eyes met In Ha’s as she came down the stairs.

So In Ha’s voice grew a little louder.

“Right? Sun Woo seems to want to introduce me to his family. They said he hasn’t been back from abroad for long.”

“I guess he must really like you. Did you make a good impression on his elder sister too?”

“Of course. Who am I? Sun Woo’s elder sister seemed to like me very much.”

Congratulations, In Ha.

“Where are you going at this hour again?”

It was Jae Hee. I don’t know why she’s asking when she doesn’t even want to face me over dinner.

“I’m going to the bookstore. I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry about dinner, I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Of course. Setting the table twice is work too.”

“I’m leaving.”

Young Hwa bowed her waist slightly and hurriedly left the house.

She thought she should leave the neighborhood as quickly as possible since Sun Woo said he was coming to the front of the house.

This man really, my heart won’t survive.

***

Sun Woo was wearing his hat pulled down low.

Even after entering a quiet restaurant in the suburbs, Sun Woo didn’t take off his hat.

“What’s with the hat? It doesn’t suit you.”

“Is there anything that doesn’t suit me?”

His words were true, but a baseball cap with a suit doesn’t suit him.

Moreover, Sun Woo’s complexion, which had been clear enough to be transparent, looked a bit red.

“My elder sister is coming.”

“What?”

Sun Woo suddenly mentioned that his elder sister was coming.

“I told her about you. So she said she really wants to see you.”

“Are you crazy? Why did you tell her such things?”

Scolding Sun Woo didn’t last long.

With a thud, his elder sister appeared right away.

“Oh. From what I heard, this guy seems a bit crazy.”

“Ah!”

Young Hwa was flustered. Still, she calmed her surprised heart and stood up to greet her.

“Hello. I’m Ji Young Hwa.”

“I’m Kang Jang Hee. I’ll apologize first. I know it was unreasonable, but I asked Sun Woo to call you because I was a bit shocked.”

Although it was an aggressive appearance, at least the meaning of ‘worthy of Sun Woo’s acknowledgment’ seemed understandable.

Even in the midst of tension and embarrassment, Jang Hee didn’t lose her manners towards others.

Thanks to this, Young Hwa was able to convey the story of past events with Sun Woo and her current feelings with a somewhat comfortable mind, despite being nervous.

And Jang Hee listened to Young Hwa’s story with the most calm expression possible.

“I understand both of your positions. First, I’m sorry. You must have felt I was rude.”

“No, it’s okay. I would have done the same if I had heard such a story. But…”

Young Hwa, who had briefly dropped her words, raised her gaze. She felt Jang Hee’s gaze piercing her so intensely it stung.

It must be the first time they’ve met, but Young Hwa didn’t feel Jang Hee’s appearance unfamiliar.

“Is this really our first meeting?”

Young Hwa, who had been hesitating for a while, asked that without realizing it.

Jang Hee smiled charmingly at Young Hwa’s question.

“…They say if it feels familiar, it’s fate.”

Even the voice flowing from Jang Hee’s mouth as she sat languidly was charming.

“Pardon?”

And she grabbed Jang Hee’s hand abruptly.

“My brother, he’s a bit lacking, but how about living with him?”

“Excuse me?”

At that moment, Young Hwa thought that if that proposal wasn’t directed at Sun Woo. If Jang Hee had been the subject, she would have answered ‘yes’ right away, it was that charming.