ISMCFC 02

Episode 02

“Honestly… you two are pathetic.”

A voice filled with exasperation came from behind us.

Still locked in a stubborn struggle, pulling at each other without yielding an inch, we turned as Hares’ older sister, Heine, approached—shaking her head.

“Hares, is that how you grab a girl’s hand? Let go.”

“No! She’s the one who grabbed my hair and won’t let go, noona!”

At his protest, I quietly released the handful of his hair.

Which left Hares awkwardly gripping only my hand and wrist by himself.

“Unni…”

Knowing full well that Heine was soft on me, I called out to her pitifully.

Immediately, she rushed forward without hesitation—

Smack! Smack!

Her palm struck firmly against Hares’ broad back.

“Ack!”

With a sharp cry, his grip loosened instantly, releasing my hand.

Hares shouted in injustice.

“Noona! Why are you hitting me?! Rize started it!”

“And what are you doing, walking around half-naked in front of her?! Hey! If you go around showing things no one wants to see, Rize’s eyes are going to rot! Put some clothes on!”

“Noona! People would kill to have muscles like mine—! Ack!”

Heine had no intention of listening to her younger brother’s protests.

“Rize is a girl too! You’re both adults—do you think she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable if you’re always half-naked around her? There’s a limit to being oblivious!”

…As expected, a woman understood differently.

Yes.

Every time Hares took his shirt off, I was very aware.

Earlier, I could barely even look at his face out of embarrassment.

Of course, my eyes weren’t “rotting”—if anything, his muscular body had been one of the biggest reasons I started seeing him as a man.

As puberty came, the differences between us fascinated me at first—

Then, slowly, they became something… attractive.

Hares, by anyone’s standards, had an excellent physique.

But of course, I couldn’t say any of that out loud.

I simply stayed quiet, watching the situation unfold.

And then—

Hares said something.

“And besides, Rize is basically like my little sister. Even if we were both completely naked, she wouldn’t care.”

I shook my head faintly.

But he kept going, without the slightest intention of stopping.

“What girl? That one? Don’t say ridiculous things!”

“Even if she feels like family to us, what if other people misunderstand and her reputation suffers? Will you take responsibility for that?”

“Responsibility? What, should I marry someone who’s like my little sister? Are you crazy?”

Each careless word pierced into my chest like a blade.

Is he saying all this so I’ll take the hint and back off on my own?

I bit my lip.

Little sister.

Honestly, I had always known that was how he saw me.

He had always been like an older brother—protecting me wherever we went.

And besides—

I was an only child.

My parents were… eccentric, and often absent.

So when I was young, I practically lived next door in Hares’ house.

Naturally, his family treated me like one of their own.

To Hares, who had grown up with me—

I was family.

Someone it would be strange to see in any other way.

A bitter taste filled my mouth as I lowered my gaze.

Of course, I knew the privileges that came with being treated like family.

Hares acted as my guardian, attending events with me since my parents were often overseas.

People even assumed we were engaged.

“Hey, you’re going tomorrow, right?”

“Huh?”

“The ball. You’re going, right? If you don’t go, I won’t either.”

I nodded.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Then I’ll come get you tomorrow. Or just stay over at our place tonight.”

“It’s fine. We’re right next door.”

I shook my head and stood up.

It was already getting late.

So that’s why Heine was worried about appearances.

“Come on. I’ll walk you home.”

It was barely a walk—just next door.

Hares, his broad back still flushed red with handprints from Heine’s strikes, came to my side.

I could refuse.

It was just his way of treating me like family.

But the problem was—

I didn’t want to refuse.

Someday… I’ll have to give his place to her.

So until then, I want to stay by his side as much as I can.

It wasn’t hard to imagine Eve walking beside him.

A mysterious, fairy-like beauty paired with Hares’ strong, striking presence—

Anyone would think they made a perfect couple.

But me?

I looked like a child.

I dressed carelessly.

Who would ever see me as a woman?

People in society who once mistook us for fiancés had long since changed their minds.

Now, we were nothing more than childhood friends.

Some even said—

“Even when they’re together, they feel like siblings. There’s no romantic tension at all. There’s nothing to worry about.”

…Tomorrow, I should dress like Eve.

“What are you thinking about?”

We were almost at my house when Hares suddenly leaned his face close to mine.

Startled, I shoved his cheek away.

“You scared me!”

“You’re weird. Normally you’d say something back.”

“….”

We’d always been like this—teasing, bickering.

No wonder he couldn’t possibly see me as a woman.

Love needed excitement.

Curiosity.

A desire to learn more about the other person.

But we already knew everything about each other.

There was nothing left to discover.

“Hey, I…”

“Yeah?”

He bent slightly, studying my face closely.

Annoyingly handsome.

If I weren’t his childhood friend, I probably wouldn’t even be able to stand this close to him.

My mood sank further.

“…Am I ugly?”

For a moment, Hares just stared at me, baffled.

Then his face slowly broke into laughter.

“Pfft—what kind of nonsense is that? Did someone say something to you?”

Of course.

Why did I even expect anything?

“Hey! Forget it! I was just asking! I was curious how guys see me!”

I shouted and pushed past him.

Behind me, he shook off the remnants of laughter—then seemed to realize something was off.

“Wait… were you serious?”

“Forget it. You’re not even a ‘guy,’ so I shouldn’t have asked.”

“What do you mean I’m not a guy? There’s no one more handsome than me. You should appreciate the view while you can.”

“Yeah. Go away.”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his solid chest, pressing his face closer.

It was suffocating.

In the summer heat, Hares often walked around shirtless at home—

And every time, I struggled.

Even though I knew he didn’t see me as a woman…

His natural scent, mixed faintly with sweat, only made him feel more masculine.

It should have been unpleasant.

But it wasn’t.

If anything, it was… strangely intoxicating.

Like youth itself had become a fragrance.

“So why are you asking that?”

“I said go away.”

Avoiding his face, I held my breath.

My heart was racing too fast.

If our eyes met, I knew my face would turn red.

And if things got awkward—

I might lose even this place as his childhood friend.

I wasn’t ready for that.

“…Hey. Don’t tell me.”

My heart clenched.

Do you like me?

I braced myself—

But instead, he said something completely off.

“You like someone now?”

“What?”

“I mean, I might not be good at noticing things, but my sister always asks if she looks pretty when she likes someone.”

…Of course.

I let out a long sigh.

Was I supposed to feel relieved?

Or just pathetic that he couldn’t even imagine it was him?

I grabbed his thick arm, struggling to push it away—

But it wouldn’t budge.

“What are you doing?”

“Let go.”

“Answer me, and I will.”

“Answer what?!”

“Do you like someone?”

“Fine! What if I do?! What are you going to do about it?!”

What could he even do?

The only reaction I could imagine was rejection.

“…What?”

His voice, genuinely shocked, reached my ears.

“Who?”