NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 35
“Of course, my bad feeling was right on the money.”
It’s like throwing a ward in the bush, and the opponent is always there waiting.
Strictly speaking, it’s nothing major.
I just need to grab the drinks that were prepared according to the order while holding the vibrating bell.
Whether I look at it objectively or subjectively, it’s a piece of cake.
But…
For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
“What’s wrong? The boss must be waiting.”
My younger sibling smiled broadly while handing me the vibrating bell.
I couldn’t tell if it was revenge for her wearing my shoes or if there was another reason, but her expression was firm on making me take on this quest.
“Unnie?”
In the end, with my sister’s urging, I had no choice but to give what felt like reluctant consent.
“…Fine.”
“Be careful on your way back.”
It wasn’t even a ten-meter distance.
Literally, it was just a step away, yet seeing her cheer me on made it clear she knew what this whole thing meant for me.
What seemed trivial for ordinary people felt as daunting as having to steal a main objective in a 1:15 situation for me.
“Whoa…”
Letting out a small deep breath, I scanned the café I had been avoiding all this time.
Thanks to its not-so-large size, there weren’t many other customers inside.
There were five tables in total, and three of them, including the one we were at, had guests, while the other two were empty.
Optimizing my route.
“Going left should be less of a hassle. I just need to walk over and pick it up. That’s all there is to it.”
Of course, it was about how to avoid disturbing others while still getting there quickly and safely, but to me, it was a serious problem.
“Hmm, good. Perfect.”
Having finalized my plan, I held the vibrating bell and headed to the counter, not with confidence but with a hurried step.
“Your order of white chocolate mocha, iced Americano, and egg tart is ready. Oh, and these two are compliments of the house.”
Just as the words were said, two little cookies we didn’t order appeared on the tray.
“T-Thank you.”
“Enjoy!”
Holding the tray, I turned to walk back.
“Wait a second.”
At that moment, a staff member suddenly stopped me.
I flinched without realizing it.
“Y-Yes?”
“Could you please pass me that?”
The staff pointed at the vibrating bell held tightly in my hand as if it were a precious item.
“Oh.”
Only then did I hurriedly hand over the vibrating bell to the staff.
In the process, not knowing where to put my hands momentarily made me fumble, and only after placing the tray back on the table could I finally finish the task.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“No worries. A lot of people forget.”
The staff wore a friendly smile, as if this sort of thing happened often.
Her smiling face suited her well, yet at that moment, only one thought filled my mind.
So embarrassing!
I quickly returned to my sister’s table, tray in hand.
And…
“Ugh… heh…”
My sister’s face was a sight to behold.
Just moments ago, she had a frostiness that you’d believe could be found in the Siberian wilderness, but now, her face was flushed as if she were in the Amazon, holding back laughter.
“…What’s up?”
“Uh, yeah… Heheh… I’m back?”
“……”
Absolutely fantastic.
Once my sister regained her composure, she casually brought the iced Americano and an egg tart closer to her, then with a puzzled expression, said,
“This wasn’t ordered?”
“…They said it’s a compliment.”
“Really? They usually don’t give out compliments here. …Though, I guess my unnie is somewhat pretty.”
With a mischievous smile, my sister added playfully.
“But now you even look cute?”
“…Stop joking.”
“Not joking. Do you even know how cute you are right now? No wait, do you want to just be my sister? I’ll treat you well. I’ll even buy you shoes.”
“You’re kidding.”
“What if I’m not? Are you trying to get cuter?”
Honestly, I wondered when such a thing would happen; my sister was laughing so much.
It seemed like she had found a new level of entertainment in teasing me.
“Who does she think she is, my brother or something?”
Ah! I just made the runners-up of the Red Cup championship kneel! Oh! Not long ago, I even got an 800 million won salary offer from China! Oh! Do you get it?!
“……”
Naturally, I had to swallow that silent outcry deep inside.
I wasn’t so foolish as to tell my younger, ordinary university student sister such unnecessary things.
Sigh.
This too shall pass.
Thinking that, I subtly sipped my drink through a straw.
“Hot!”
“Be careful. Sip slowly. You’ll burn your tongue.”
“Ugh…”
Eventually, I had to blow on my drink several times before I could drink it.
“…It’s delicious.”
No joke, it really was tasty.
If canned coffee is the flavor gathered by the world’s greatest scholars, then this one had a far more original, fresh, and natural sweetness.
“Right? There’s a reason I come here often. My friends come here all the time too.”
At my sister’s words, I instinctively tensed up.
“Your friends come here often?”
Normally, it would be nothing to casually mention.
But now, it was lunchtime.
Just the perfect time to stop by a café after lunch.
“Yeah.”
My sister took a sip of the iced Americano with a casual expression, like she was saying, ‘What’s the big deal?’
…That feels ominous.
Typically, when I sense something ominous, it usually turns out to be true.
I can’t help but feel that living as one of the weak for decades has honed my sense for danger more than normal.
Could that be why?
“Huh? Yoori!”
As if waiting for my moment to come, the café door opened, and a pair of university students entered.
At first, I thought they were a couple, but with the strange distance between them, they seemed more like friends or classmates.
“I saw you from outside, so I thought it might be you. The professor called attendance once more at the end, so I kind of took it for you. Aren’t you grateful?”
“Oh really? Thanks!”
“They suddenly ran out, and I was wondering what was happening…”
My sister’s friend’s gaze naturally turned towards me, the other guest at the table.
“Oh my.”
A brief exclamation.
“Uh… Ah. Sorry, I was just lost in thought because you’re so pretty. Hello.”
Then came the natural greeting.
To greet someone right off the bat… As someone with little social skills, I couldn’t even imagine doing that, but it seemed like no big deal for my sister’s friend.
“Ah, yes… hello.”
“Yoori’s friend, right? If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask about your relationship…?”
I looked at my sister with a ‘What should we do?’ expression.
Unlike me, my sister spoke nonchalantly, sipping her Americano.
“Oh, this is my unnie.”
“Unnie? Your real sister?”
“Yep.”
At my sister’s straightforward recognition, her friend looked surprised.
“Y-Yoori?”
I probably had the same expression.
Can I even say this out loud?
No, I guess it’s fine?
But why has my sister been so relaxed since earlier? Isn’t she usually sharper than this?
Does she have some sort of plan?
Now that I think about it, she did mention talking to our mother earlier…
What is it? What is it? What is it?
…I don’t know.
A silent vote was held in my head.
The result: 5-0.
Unanimous.
“…Wow! You definitely look alike. That’s amazing. Hello, unnie. Feel free to talk to me.”
“Ah, yes….”
Now I’m getting the term ‘unnie’ thrown around by someone else too…
I might have come to the point where I can no longer deny it.
Whether I was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts or not, my sister and her friend continued their conversation.
“By the way, are you mixed?”
My sister’s friend seemed to still be in shock.
Well, anyone could tell that I had an exotic appearance.
Plus, I looked younger than my sister, or at least not older, so I guess it was shocking in several ways.
“Not really?”
“What do you mean ‘not really’? Either you are or you aren’t.”
“Let’s just say I’m a native. But who knows what ancestors I have? Could be a percentage of Mongolian or something.”
“What’s that even about?”
My sister remained utterly relaxed.
It was mildly annoying, enough for me to think about playfully giving her a smack on the head.
“Our unnie was quite sick.”
“Ah…”
At that, my sister’s friend stopped probing further.
“Um… Are you okay?”
Sincerely worried, she looked at me.
“Oops!”
I didn’t expect the conversation to swing back to me, so I stuttered a bit.
“Ahem, um. Yeah, I’m okay now.”
“Really glad to hear that, unnie.”
Although, it’s actually an issue that I’m too okay.
“But did you skip class just to see your unnie?”
“I missed you so much that I just couldn’t help myself.”
Saying that, my sister giggled, clearly enjoying the moment.
I can’t help but feel that I’m discovering a side of my sister I’ve never known before recently.
That must mean I’ve had a weird distance from my family.
In many ways, it’s something I should be grateful for.
“So…”
After a brief conversation that was entirely meaningless, my sister’s friend stood up.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yeah. I just came in to say hi since I saw you. Anyway, I have two hours free and have to work on my assignment, so I’ll stop by a PC room for a bit. We can’t be hanging around the café for two hours.”
Only then did I notice the male peer (male) who had been standing nearby like a screen.
Honestly, judging from my experience as a youth drama fan, it’s not common for two non-couples to sit for two hours in a café, much less without a laptop or anything to do.
While I was busy juggling my thoughts, my sister was obviously thinking something entirely different.
“PC room?”
Now, with her gaze naturally shifting towards me, she wore a mischievous smile.
“Unnie.”
“…What?”
“Shall we go too?”
As much as I didn’t want to admit it…
My curiosity was piqued.