Entering the café, I felt it would be strange not to order anything, so I got myself a cup of coffee.
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"Should I just get an iced Americano?"
Normally, I might have opted for an espresso to savor its distinctive bitterness, but today, I wasn’t in the mood for that. After ordering an Americano at the counter, I returned to my seat.
"Yoon-ah, introduce us."
"Why aren’t you an idol already?"
"You look way better in person than in pictures or videos..."
My sister’s friends were whispering about me, their eyes sparkling.
Hey, aren’t you all just 14 years old? Why are you already acting like this?
‘...Do elementary schoolers even think about romance?’
On second thought, maybe they do. Though, such things usually didn’t last long.
"Buzz off. He’s not available to any of you."
‘Dear sister, isn’t your mouth a little too sharp?’
Yoon-ah raised her eyebrows and glared at her three friends.
"And my brother already has three—no, four girlfriends—"
"Okay, stop right there. How far are you planning to drag me down?"
I quickly clamped my hand over her mouth to prevent her from going any further.
Lick.
She took the opportunity to lick my palm.
I pulled my hand away and wiped it with a napkin from the table.
"Ew, it tastes weird."
"Of course, it does. I put on sunscreen. And maybe consider how your friends are looking at us right now."
Her friends wore expressions that screamed, What on earth did I just witness?
"Um, do you two normally get along like this?" one of them cautiously asked.
Yoon-ah and I just shrugged simultaneously.
"There’s no reason for us to fight, so why would we?" she replied, nonchalantly.
"She’s super energetic, and even if she gets mad, she cools off quickly," I added, backing her up.
"Really? Most siblings are sworn enemies. At least, that’s how it is with me and my—ugh—relatives."
Where did you even learn words like ‘relatives’? Kids these days and their vocabulary are scary.
"But Min-ji, isn’t your brother the top student in the entire school?"
"Big deal. Being number one as a high school freshman isn’t that impressive."
Friend, if he’s number one, he’s doing remarkably well.
"And Min-ji, aren’t you also number one in your class? From the bottom?"
"Shut up, you moron."
‘...Is this how middle school girls talk these days?’
For sure, Ha Soo-Yul and Choi Ye-Seo never talked like this. Maybe it’s because they’re from different environments?
As I watched in bewilderment, Yoon-ah leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"Sorry. My friends are a bit... wild."
"They’re not just wild—they’re a full-on jungle."
My comment made Yoon-ah burst out laughing, slapping my thigh in amusement.
Ouch, that hurt, you know.
More importantly, Min-ji’s brother is the top student in school. Someone my age...
"Sis, what’s Min-ji’s last name?"
"She’s a Choi from Jeonju. Why?"
A Choi? Could it be her brother?
"Is your brother’s name Choi Seung-chul?" I asked quietly.
Min-ji’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Huh? How did you know?"
Wow, what a coincidence. An old connection popping up here of all places.
"Is he the same Choi Seung-chul who was the vice president of our middle school student council?"
"Yeah! That guy—wait, he was vice president?!"
"Then it’s definitely him. We went to the same middle school. Though Seung-chul went on to humanities-focused studies."
He wasn’t a close friend, but he was well-liked and popular for his good personality. Apparently, that didn’t translate to his relationship with his sister.
"When are we starting on our homework?" Yoon-ah asked, tapping her notebook with her pen.
"Oh no! We’ve wasted so much time!"
"Damn it, Min-ji, it’s your fault we got sidetracked!"
"Shut up, you were having fun too!"
What kind of twisted logic is this? That’s textbook bully thinking, isn’t it?
Anyway, we finally got started on their homework.
"So, what do you need me to help with?" I asked, resting my chin on my hand and glancing at my sister.
"This! Just help with the coloring! I’ve already finished the sketches, but I’m not sure how to color it."
"Coloring?"
I turned to look at Yoon-ah’s notebook. As expected, probably due to my influence, her drawing skills were above average—good enough to elicit requests like Can you draw something for me? at school.
But adding colors to this sketch would be a disaster.
"Before you color it, you should outline the sketch first. That way, the lines will look cleaner."
"Oh, right. I got confused because you skip the sketching stage on your streams and go straight to outlining."
The thickness of the lines is completely different between a sketch and an outline, though...
As she diligently began outlining her sketch following my advice, I could feel the stares from across the table.
"?"
As I looked at them with a puzzled expression, one of the girls hesitantly spoke up.
"Uh, well, could you, um, help us too? Haha..."
"It’s not a hard task or anything. What part do you need help with?"
And so began my impromptu art lesson, which lasted for over an hour.
"Phew! Finally finished the sketch!"
"Keep it down. We’re not the only ones here, you know?"
"It’s way too late to be saying that now."
As Yoon-ah’s friends bickered amongst themselves, Yoon-ah pushed her notebook toward me after finishing her outline and other details.
"Oppa, what do I do next?"
"Now it’s time to color it in. If you want it to look neat, I’d recommend colored pencils."
She pulled out a case of colored pencils from her bag.
‘I’ve never seen this set before. Did Mom buy it for her?’
I suppose she would have needed her own supplies since all of mine are in the studio.
"Here you go."
Once again, Yoon-ah handed it over to me. Was this just her way of making me do it for her?
‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.’
She’s my adorable little sister, so how could I refuse?
"Oppa, your nose is so high up these days."
"That’s physically impossible, my dear sister."
Ignoring her nonsensical remark, I picked up the colored pencils. My specialty may be brushes, but I’m well-versed in using various tools. Since I had the colored pencils in hand, I decided to use them to provide a demonstration.
The most notable aspect of coloring with colored pencils is that you create colors directly on the paper, unlike paint, where you mix colors first and then apply them. There are two main techniques for this: layering and burnishing.
"Those are terms I’ve never heard before," Yoon-ah commented.
"I mention them on my streams occasionally."
Caught red-handed, she glanced away, pretending not to notice my knowing look.
Anyway, I explained layering first. Simply put, it’s a technique where you add colors layer by layer, as the name suggests. This method allows you to create a variety of hues—different from what you’d achieve with paint. You can intensify an existing color or even create a new one entirely. That’s one of the advantages of colored pencils.
The second technique, burnishing, involves blending or smoothing colors and adding a glossy finish to the surface. Honestly, I don’t use burnishing often. It requires rubbing the surface after applying the colors.
‘It gets your hands dirty.’
That’s not the only reason—I’m not a fan of the pastel-like rubbing process. It’s tiring, to be honest. It involves not just your hands but your entire arm. Too much hassle.
So, I tend to avoid burnishing and rely on layering instead.
"Did you get that, sister?"
"Got it, a little."
"Why are you mixing languages? Stick to one."
"Didn’t you say burnishing is about blending? I’m just blending languages."
That’s not quite the same thing. Our casual exchange seemed to fascinate the others at the table, who watched with curious eyes.
"Something about this feels like it should bother me... but weirdly, it doesn’t."
"You clam up too when someone addresses your chest."
"Shut up, you idiot."
...Maybe it does bother them after all. I pretended not to hear and turned my head away.
"Eek!"
"Sorry, Yoon-ah. Please stop glaring like that."
"Princess is angry, you crazy idiots."
I decided to just enjoy the situation. This must be how middle school girls have fun these days. Boys have their share of wild antics, like running through the rain dramatically. Why would girls be any different?
It’s just that... aren’t they freshly graduated from elementary school?
Still, I couldn’t help worrying a little about the future of these kids.
"Alright, I’m done coloring."
"Thanks, oppa. I’ll pay for the coffee."
"How much is one Americano anyway? Don’t bother."
"Come on, you came all the way here. Accept your little sister’s kindness, okay?"
With her persistence, it was hard to refuse any further.
Afterward, I helped the other girls with their assignments, spending the rest of the time offering tips.
"Phew, wow. If we didn’t finish today, we’d have been so doomed."
"I’m already doomed. I have to head to cram school now."
"Yikes..."
At some point, the clock had crept to 5 p.m. Yoon-ah’s friends said their goodbyes and left the café.
"Yawn."
"It’s almost dinnertime."
"Hey! There’s a separate stomach for dessert!"
"Keep that up, and you’ll end up skipping dinner and get scolded by Mom."
We stayed behind, killing time. Why were we still here? Because my sister was happily devouring a slice of cheesecake.
"You’ll gain weight like that."
"...Excuse me? I need to gain weight, actually."
Her sulky face wasn’t very convincing, so I chuckled softly at her irritation.
‘This feels just like something I’ve seen in America.’
Whenever you’re having a relaxing moment like this, there’s always something to spoil it.
But contrary to my expectations, the café remained quiet. Maybe I was just overthinking things lately. There’s so much to do, so much to think about, and I can’t hold onto it all at once. Like grains of sand slipping through my fingers, time flows regardless.
I wanted this peaceful moment to last as long as possible. I placed my hand on Yoon-ah’s head and gently ruffled her hair.
"Mm?"
Her cheeks were stuffed with a mouthful of cake. I had the urge to poke her puffy cheeks, but I knew that would just make her angry.
‘She’s too precious to let anyone else have.’
Can’t we just keep her in our family forever?
She’s only 13, but all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.
"Have some latte with that. You’ll choke otherwise."
I grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth. Yoon-ah could be a bit sloppy sometimes—ironic, considering how tidy she keeps her room.
After finishing the cheesecake, she beamed at me and grabbed my hand.
"Oppa, let’s go home!"
May this peace continue forever.