Chapter 12: You… do you realize you’ve been calling me ‘unni’ all this time?

“Ugh… You’re just teasing me…”
“Hee hee, sorry~” she said, stroking my hair with a playful grin. I found myself smiling back, involuntarily.

Is my mind becoming more… feminine?

I shook my head, as if to dispel the ridiculous thought.

“Aw, you don’t like it, Yunha?” she asked, retracting her hand as if sensing my discomfort.

It wasn’t that I disliked it. It was… complicated. Part of me wanted to pull her hand back to my head, but my mind still clung to the idea of being male. Or perhaps I just still resented her.

“I-I don’t know! Let’s just eat!” I blurted out, forcing a cheerful tone to mask my conflicting emotions.

“What do you want to eat?” she asked.

“Hmm… Is there anything in the fridge?” I wondered aloud. Then I remembered. “Wait! I know!”

“What is it?”
“There’s some meat I bought last year!”
“Uh… Wouldn’t that be spoiled…?”

I’d bought the meat with my first paycheck and had been too reluctant to eat it. It had been languishing in the fridge ever since. It was definitely spoiled.

“Oh… Then we need to go grocery shopping…”

My fridge was empty, devoid of even instant ramen. The ingredients for the kimchi fried rice Sieun had made were the last of my supplies. Maybe I should have eaten it back then…

No, the atmosphere was too tense.

I looked at Sieun. She was putting on her jacket.

“…? Where are you going?”
“Grocery shopping, obviously. Come on.”
“Okay, let me get dressed.”

I went to my small closet. Almost all my clothes were from before, too big for my current body.

“Ugh… Nothing to wear… I’ll just grab something.”

I put on a plain white t-shirt and walked out. Sieun looked at me and—

“Pfft…”

She burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

“What’s so funny?”
“You… you’re so cute!!”

She hugged me tightly, rubbing her cheek against mine.

“W-Wait… stop…”

She ignored my pleas, continuing her affectionate assault.

**

After about ten minutes, she finally let go. I had to promise to go grocery shopping with her. She seemed to be in a much better mood.

“Do we really have to hold hands?” I grumbled.
“Of course. You might get kidnapped.”
“That’s not going to happen…”

I pouted, but she ignored me.

“By the way… Yunha, did you notice something?”
“? What?”
“You’ve been calling me Unni this whole time.”

What…?

Unni…? My mind went blank. I’d been unconsciously calling her Unni? Why?

As I stood there, stunned, she said, “Just kidding. I was just annoyed you weren’t calling me that.”
“Ha… You scared me…”

She flashed that playful smirk again. She’s incorrigible.