...I’m screwed. Swept away by a torrent of emotions, I had blurted something out. The atmosphere in the quieted room was incredibly awkward.
“Hehe, really? Our daughter~ how will you earn money?”
...Was I the only one? Unlike me, Mom was smiling as if proud of her daughter’s growth.
“Hmm...”
The promise I had just made. Since I had said I would send Mom and my sister to school, I really did need to seriously think about how to earn money.
“......”
Damn it. I couldn’t think of a single thing this body was capable of doing.
“Seorin~ it’s the thought that counts.”
Just when I was wondering if I should give up like this,
“How long does Seoyeon have to wait! Stop with the secret talk between Mom and big sis!”
Seoyeon flung the door wide open and stormed inside, huffing. The old door screamed as though it would shatter any moment, but the people present paid it no mind at all.
“Did you wait long? Oh, what a good girl~”
“Yeah! I waited so long! I’m gonna sulk!”
Like hell she sulked. She burst into a beaming smile the moment she hugged Mom and spouted such shameless lies?
“Hmm... What should we do to cheer up our little daughter...”
“Then can’t you, big sis, and Mom stay with me all day today?”
See? As if sensing this was her chance, Seoyeon rubbed her face against Mom’s shoulder.
“Seoyeon. That’s difficult... Mom has to work hard to feed you girls.”
“Really... you can’t?”
“...Honey, I’m sorry. Next time, let’s buy something even tastier than chicken.”
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment—a law that seemed universal, no matter the world. Despite her offer, Seoyeon’s face grew increasingly sulky.
“I hate you, Mom...!”
“...I’m really sorry.”
Mom’s expression darkened as she replied to Seoyeon’s petulant words.
Was there really no way? I wanted to find a good solution that would satisfy both mother and daughter.
*She wants to be together... but she also has to go to work...*
“Ah! I have a good idea!”
“...Hm? Even if Seorin asks, it’s hard to skip work.”
“Then how about taking me and Seoyeon with you?”
It was the most realistic option I could offer. Of course, this too required Mom’s permission. If it was dangerous work, or if children couldn’t accompany her, then I would have to properly comfort the sulky Seoyeon.
“Hmmm...”
After putting Seoyeon down, she furrowed her brow. As if facing a serious dilemma, she tapped her lips with her hand and fell into deep thought.
“Big sis...”
My sister crept closer and grabbed my hand tightly.
“What.”
“What if Mom doesn’t allow it...?”
Her sulky expression had settled, but Seoyeon’s clasped hands fidgeted restlessly, as if anxious.
“I know... I want her to allow it too.”
If possible, I wanted to help her. The hand that had caressed my cheek moments ago was far too rough for her still-young appearance. I wanted to be of even a little help to her, who was struggling so much. Both I, and Lee Seorin, would have wanted that.
“Will you two be okay? It won’t be dangerous, but...”
“I like it! Big sis likes it too!”
*...Since when?*
My sister arbitrarily deciding my opinion for me was slightly annoying, but I decided to let it slide this once. Well, it didn’t matter as long as we went together.
“I like it too.”
“Hoo... alright. Girls, let’s change clothes first!”
Her deep sigh was momentary; she smiled again and forcefully pulled open the wardrobe door.
“Our daughters should dress up pretty for the first time in a while~”
*Wait, if we’re changing clothes—*
...I had forgotten that the body I currently inhabited was that of a young girl.
“This looks nice~ Seorin, wear this; Seoyeon, how about this?”
Mom, rummaging through the wardrobe, handed clothes to me and Seoyeon. What I received in bewilderment was,
“A... a skirt?!”
A skirt laden with pink frills. To put on this clothing, I would really... really need to steel myself.
“Hurry up and change.”
“Wait...?!”
Ignoring my desperate cry, she closed the door and left.
“Big siiis~ hurry up and change so we can go~”
“Hey?! How can you just strip like that all of a sudden?!”
I grabbed the t-shirt she had half-lifted, and Seoyeon stared at me as if asking what the problem was.
“Mom said to change.”
“...Well, she did.”
As if it were nothing, Seoyeon tossed off her clothes. I quickly turned my head, but the glimpse of her pale belly kept flickering in my mind.
*...What the hell kind of thought is this...*
Of course, I wasn’t looking at my sister with strange eyes. But the very fact that the scene kept flickering in my mind was embarrassing enough.
“Big sis, you’re so weird these days.”
“What is? I’m not weird at all.”
I maintained my turned-away posture and replied curtly.
“Ha! Your ears are red, though?”
“...Let’s not talk.”
Snickering, Seoyeon tapped my shoulder. This little devilish look made me wonder if she was the same sister who had been acting cute toward Mom moments ago.
“Hurry up and change... It’s been so long since I went out with big sis and Mom...!”
I didn’t bother replying. If I said anything more now, I’d only come out worse, so what was the point?
*...This is driving me crazy. I’m not some princess, why do I have to wear this...*
Pink frilly skirt. I couldn’t muster the will to put it on. Lee Seorin would have worn it naturally, but my mind refused to put it on.
“Girls! Done changing?”
Mom’s voice came from outside the door.
“Mom! Big sis isn’t changing!”
“I’ll change! Be quiet!”
“Nyah~”
Seeing Seoyeon’s face sticking her tongue out and winking, a sudden urge to flick her forehead welled up.
*That naughty sister, I’ll get revenge later—no wait, what the hell am I saying.*
...It had been the same yesterday, but controlling my emotions in this body was harder than expected. Provocations that I would have brushed off lightly as an adult, I could no longer easily ignore. If there was an advantage, perhaps it was that my emotions subsided just as quickly as they flared up.
I glared at the pink frilly skirt—the root of all this. If only this thing didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation at Seoyeon’s hands, nor would I have momentarily resented Mom.
“Come on, put it on... let’s hurry and go~”
“Yeah, I got it...”
There was no point in resisting further. If I just put it on quickly, went out, and helped Mom with her work, it would all be over soon.
“Ugh...”
Trembling with tension, I inserted one leg into the skirt. As the soft fabric brushed past my leg, it twitched involuntarily. Once the first step was done, the rest was easy. Having completely changed into the skirt, it wasn’t as big a deal as I had imagined.
“...Whew.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, I stood before the mirror and looked at myself.
“Big sis, you’re so pretty!”
“Yeah, thanks...”
I forced down the “Shut up, you brat!” that had risen to my throat and gave the answer my sister most wanted to hear.
“Girls, we really have to leave now. Seorin, are you all ready?”
“Yes...”
“I’m coming out now!”
She nearly tripped over the threshold. I lightly grabbed Seoyeon’s hand as she rushed out, and we left the room.
“You have to be careful at Mom’s workplace~”
“Yes.”
“Yeah!”
It was my first time outside since changing into this body, but everything still felt strange. The wind passing between my legs as I walked, my lowered eye level, my shortened stride. My changed appearance was still hard to get used to.
Feeling increasingly melancholy the more I thought about it, I placed my other hand over Mom’s hand that I was holding.
“Hm? Why, Seorin?”
“...Where do you work?”
With an expression of realization, she scratched her head awkwardly and spoke.
“Ahaha...! You like chicken, right? Mom works there.”
“Chicken?!”
Before I could react, Seoyeon hopped up and down beside me, shouting.
“Mom works at a chicken place?!”
“Yeah.”
Seeing her daughter sincerely impressed, Mom shrugged her shoulders.
“What, is Mom cool?”
“Totally cool! Then did Mom make the chicken we ate the day before yesterday?”
“I do make it... but what you ate was made by the owner.”
“Ah...”
Seeing her disappointed expression, I pinched her cheek.
“Why’d you pinch me!”
“Just because. Open your eyes pretty.”
“I’ll get revenge on you later.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll cheer you on.”
When I replied indifferently, Seoyeon huffed even more angrily. She glared at me briefly, then immediately tattled to Mom.
“Mom! Scold big sis!”
“Ahem... what did Seorin do?”
Based on my work experience, that was definitely the face of someone holding back laughter. My sister still had some growing up to do, it seemed.
*...My sister?*
My sister. Those words kept circling in my head. Until just moments ago, she had been nothing more than a child slightly closer than a stranger. Not family, nor did I have any right to call her family. Yet, just now in my head, I had called Seoyeon my sister.
“Seorin, are you suddenly tired?”
“Ah... no. I’m not sleepy.”
Come to think of it, maybe it was only natural. Right now, I was Lee Seorin, and Seoyeon was her sister. If I thought of it that way, there was nothing strange about it. Even so, a corner of my chest felt strangely itchy. The thought that if my sister became my sister, then Mom might become my mom as well.
“Mom! Big sis is making weird faces again!”
“You’re the one saying weird things.”
“Am not! Mom! Big sis said something mean to me again!”
“...What did she say this time?”
Mom nodded with a face barely suppressing a smile,
“She says I’m weird! I didn’t even say anything weird, but she says I am!”
Seoyeon stomped her feet as if she were upset and frustrated. I watched my sister’s farce as if observing an amusing play.
“Pfft...! Both of you, stop now. We’ve arrived at the shop.”
At those words, I looked ahead and saw a small sign right in front of us.
*...The department head would love this.*
The corner of my mouth twisted up slightly. If I had shown that sign to the company I used to work at, our department head would undoubtedly have clutched his stomach and laughed at that name.
“Why are you laughing, big sis?”
“Just thinking of something funny from before.”
Yeah.
I still hadn’t decided. I was nothing but a coward who kept postponing her decision.
“Mom! Big sis! Let’s go in!”
“Seoyeon! Go in slowly! Seorin, you come in too!”
Couldn’t I enjoy this brief relationship destined for ruin, just a little?