Chapter 29: A New Perspective

‘Calling her unnie…’

It was the only word that supported my masculinity.

Is it really right to give that up?

Even if I give it up, would it really improve my relationship with Jinhyang?

‘What should I do…’

I thought about it for a while and then looked at Yoon Bora.

It seemed like the best thing to do was to ask her first.

“Bora.”

“Yeah?”

“If I call the boss that way, do you think things will get better?”

“Of course!”

Yoon Bora replied confidently, leaving me without any retort.

She wasn’t someone who would lie easily either.

‘I’m pretty sure Raxy liked it too. Do all women like this?’

I wasn’t sure.

I had no choice but to experiment on her.

“Bora, ahem.”

“Hm?”

Yoon Bora was staring at me intently, which made it hard.

‘Haa.’

But I had to pull through somehow.

I steadied myself and spoke softly toward Yoon Bora.

“Bo-Bora unnie…”

“O…?”

Yoon Bora froze at the barely audible words.

Her pupils slowly widened as if she had seen something bizarre.

“Bora…?”

Do all women react this way to the word ‘unnie’?

I never felt anything special when I was called oppa.

Maybe there’s something only naturally born women can feel.

Something I, a fake, wouldn’t understand.

As I was lost in thought, she suddenly placed her hand on my shoulder.

“H-Harang, what did you just say?”

Her grip was strong, almost causing me to collapse to the floor.

I grabbed her wrist and spoke.

“C-Calm down, Bora, I was just practicing.”

“P-Practicing?”

“Yeah.”

Only then did Yoon Bora take her hand off my shoulder.

She pulled back slowly, clearly showing her reluctance.

‘Would Jinhyang react like that too?’

If she did, then calling her unnie… well, I could manage it once a day.

But doing it all the time was still too much for me.

‘Yeah. Doing it every time would be too much.’

On the flip side, it might be just as hard for Jinhyang to call me oppa every time.

Just by appearances, I looked much younger than her.

‘She hasn’t found out yet, but she might someday.’

If that happened, Jinhyang might be misunderstood.

People might think she had some weird taste.

‘I need to change this first.’

It was true that Jinhyang never called me oppa.

For the sake of her image as well.

‘…Let’s not get hung up on age.’

People should live as they appear.

I am now Jinhyang’s younger brother.

With that mindset, I looked up at Yoon Bora.

“Bora, let’s go back inside.”

“What about Bora unnie?”

“Unnie is no more.”

“Hmm…”

Yoon Bora’s shoulders slumped.

‘I can’t help what I don’t want to do.’

Maybe I could do it if there was another opportunity.

But not today.

Not tomorrow either.

Probably not even next week.

Knock knock—

I knocked on the door and stepped into Jinhyang’s office.

“…”

Jinhyang glanced at me, but quickly returned her gaze to the desk without saying a word.

It seemed like she was determined to ignore my existence entirely.

At least she wasn’t pushing me away, so I had some right to speak.

After spending some time with her, I could tell.

This was Jinhyang’s way of showing consideration.

I approached her and spoke.

“Boss, I’m sorry about earlier.”

“…About what.”

“Jinhyang unnie… hoo.”

For some reason, that word just wouldn’t come out easily.

Especially with Jinhyang still angry.

But I had to do it.

I had to say something if I wanted Jinhyang to respond.

“…I was scared of unnie.”

“What…?”

Jinhyang showed an unusually shaken expression.

I could even see her pupils trembling slightly.

‘Did it work?’

Just as I began to wonder.

Screech—

Jinhyang turned her chair and faced me.

“Say it again.”

“Say what?”

“You called me something just now.”

“N-No. Today’s pass is over.”

It was too embarrassing to say it twice.

Every time required a certain level of resolve.

“Pass?”

“Yes, once a day.”

“Once a day, hmm…”

It was clear to see.

Jinhyang’s lips curved up slightly.

‘Maybe once was too little…?’

It felt like I was boasting about doing the bare minimum, and my conscience pricked at me.

Without thinking, I blurted out an excuse to Jinhyang.

“I didn’t even give this to Yoon Bora or Raxy. I’ll only do this for you, Boss.”

“Only once a day for me?”

“Y-Yes.”

This was huge.

A big deal, really.

I nodded at Jinhyang for no reason.

“…Really?”

Jinhyang seemed to ponder something for a moment, then turned back to her desk and resumed working.

Scratch, scratch.

The sound of her pen filled the air for a long time, making me feel awkward just standing there.

‘What… is this?’

Maybe once a day really is too little?

It seemed like it was time for my next suggestion.

“And from now on, you don’t have to call me oppa.”

“…Why is that?”

“We need to be mindful of how others see us.”

“…?”

Jinhyang’s hand, which had been writing, stopped.

She slowly turned to me and asked.

“Then, what should I call you?”

“W-Well, just calling me Harang by name would be…”

But I knew Jinhyang wouldn’t call me by my name.

At most, she’d call me “hey” or “you.”

Realizing that, I stopped myself from saying anything more.

As we stood there staring at each other in silence for quite some time, Jinhyang handed me a piece of paper.

“Go out and buy these.”

“Huh?”

I checked the note.

Toy fishing rod, large box, cat treats, catnip.

Aren’t these all cat supplies?

Curious, I asked Jinhyang.

“Boss, do you have a cat?”

“Yeah.”

She nodded, and I nodded along with her.

So Jinhyang has a cat, huh.

“Don’t forget to turn on the live broadcast when you go.”

“Got it.”

Had the deal worked out?

It seemed like Jinhyang’s anger had subsided.

‘Thank goodness.’

I let out a sigh of relief and moved to head outside.

But just as I was about to step out, Yoon Bora poked her head out from behind the door.

-Hehehe.

She let out a strange giggle.

‘Oll…?’

I was taken aback, wondering how long Yoon Bora had been standing there, and I locked eyes with her for a moment.

“Bora, what are you doing over there?”

“I was waiting to see when I could go in.”

“Ah…”

I approached Yoon Bora, or rather, I headed toward the door.

I needed to go outside to run an errand for Jinhyang.

“Bora?”

With the entrance blocked, I had no choice but to look up at Yoon Bora. She picked me up and spun me around before gently setting me down behind her.

‘What was that?’

It was a meaningless action.

But seeing Yoon Bora smiling, it was clear it was just a light-hearted joke.

“Harang, where are you going?”

“Running an errand.”

“Oh, really? I have something to say to my sister. Can we talk later?”

“Yeah.”

I waved goodbye to Yoon Bora and moved toward the elevator.

I had to complete Jinhyang’s errand.

Yoon Bora had seen everything from the start.

She had witnessed the moment Harang called Jinhyang “sister.”

Yoon Bora couldn’t help but smile at that sight.

‘It’s happening.’

The sound that seemed impossible for Harang to say, “sister,” had finally started with Jinhyang leading the way.

Humans are creatures of adaptation.

Once he starts calling her “sister,” he’ll probably do it for everyone else too.

That thought made me giggle uncontrollably.

“What’s wrong?”

Jinhyang asked Yoon Bora, noticing her amused expression.

“I just think Harang is cute. But what kind of errand did you send him on?”

“Some cat supplies and other things.”

“…?”

Cat supplies?

Yoon Bora looked at Jinhyang with a puzzled expression.

Since Jinhyang didn’t have a cat, it must have been for Harang.

Still, was it too mean to ask someone for cat supplies?

“Bora, you know… Harang can’t resist his instincts.”

“Yeah.”

Yoon Bora recalled the choker in her pocket.

It was true that Harang sometimes acted like a cat.

Even when he stretched.

“We need to see how far those instincts go. If we just brush it off, something bad might happen later. It would be better if he learned how to control it.”

“Of…”

That made sense.

I had only thought Harang’s cat-like behavior was cute.

I hadn’t considered the potential risks like Jinhyang did.

Yoon Bora looked at Jinhyang with admiration in her eyes.

“Isn’t it interesting?” Yoon Bora asked.

“What is?”

“Cats aren’t afraid of heights. But Harang is afraid of heights.”

He really shuts his eyes tight and trembles.

Since the outside of the elevator is a glass door, it was something anyone could see.

“…Does that mean instincts and personal traits are different?”

“Maybe?”

“…Traits.”

Jinhyang tapped her fingers on the desk, pondering.

Now that I thought about it, I didn’t really know much about Harang’s traits.

‘For sure…’

He seemed to have a lot of fears, a timid personality, and despite all that, he was quite righteous.

His height was around one hundred forty centimeters, and he was surprisingly light compared to the fat he had.

He had a habit of fiddling with his lips or grabbing the hem of his clothes, and his hands were about half the size of mine.

His ears and tail moved according to his emotions, but it seemed he wasn’t fully aware of that.

He appeared to be scared of people, but surprisingly, he enjoyed being held by them.

He liked fish and sweet snacks, while he seemed to really dislike vegetables.

That was everything Jinhyang knew about the current Harang.

‘…Was I too indifferent?’

We were going to live together from now on.

It seemed important to understand Harang’s traits better.

‘Yoon Bora would probably be better at this.’

She was the expert in such matters.

This time, Jinhyang had no choice but to learn.