Chapter 1 – Episode 1. Suspicious Shop

I first met them when I was a child.

They lived next door to me, and we only exchanged casual greetings when we occasionally met in the elevator.

What I remembered at that time was that when I ran into the two sisters in the elevator, they always had shady faces.

That day was the day when all my school friends broke up early, saying they had something to do.

I felt bored when I went home early because I was alone at school and had nothing to do.

There was a lot of time left until my parents came, and I didn’t want to stay home alone until then.

I took the elevator with the intention of leaving my bag at home.

There, I ran into two sisters again.

Talking to the sisters was more of a whim or coincidence.

That day, I had no friends to play with, and I happened to run into two sisters next door, and their shadowy faces only bothered me more that day.

I mustered up the courage to talk to my sister.

“Hello? Do you guys want to hang out with me?”

“… Huh? Are you talking to us?’

“Yeah, maybe you’re busy?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

Among the sisters, the one who looked like her older sister was hesitant, but she didn’t seem to dislike it that much.
So I decided to push my sisters further.

“You live next door, right? Do you want to go over to your house and hang out together?”

“She said her mom told her not to let anyone in the house…”

“… Then do you want to come to my house?”

“She said her mom told her not to follow anyone…”

“Ah.! Then, do you want to go out and have fun together?”

“She said her mom told her to stay home and be quiet…”

“… Is it because you don’t want to play with me?”

It was my first time being rejected like that in my childhood, and I was filled with tears.

The sisters were embarrassed and kept denying that it was not because they didn’t want to play, so they were able to avoid shedding tears.

The sister who heard me went to the corner and started discussing something in a small voice.

“Sister, isn’t it okay since you’re next door?”

“Is that so…?”

“And isn’t it better to be at someone else’s house than making a mess while playing at your own house?”

“Sieun, you shouldn’t mess up other people’s houses…”

After whispering for a while, the two finally came to a conclusion and came over to talk to me.

“Then is it okay if I come to your house?”

“Yes!”

I made a new friend and answered with a bright smile.

That’s how my two sisters and I started playing together at our house.

As we talked, I found out that my older sister was Si-hyeon Jeong and my younger brother was Si-eun Jeong.

There wasn’t much to do, but I got along better with my sisters than I thought, so I had fun just talking without having to do something or play. That’s how we quickly became friends.

The best thing about playing with the two sisters was that while playing together, the shadow on the sisters’ faces disappeared.

“You’re pretty when you smile.”

The two sisters had different reactions to what they said inadvertently.

“… Huh?”

“No! No! Don’t do it!”

Si-hyeon blushed with embarrassment, but Si-eun said something she didn’t understand.

“What are you talking about?”

“Mom told me to do this when someone flirts with me like that!”

“Sieun, I don’t think that’s something to talk about right now…”

“Is it wrong?”

Si-eun tilted her head and expressed doubt.
Just by looking at these reactions, you could tell the difference in the two sisters’ personalities.

Si-hyeon is calm and composed, and Si-eun sometimes says strange things.

I liked the differences between the two, and it was fun playing with them.

As we played together, I didn’t even notice how time passed, and before I knew it, it was evening and my parents came home.

“Mom is here~ Seonwoo, everything happened, right? Oh my, who are they?”

When my mom came home, she asked me about the sisters I was playing with, and I introduced them as the kids who lived next door.

“I see, but it’s late now. Aren’t your parents worried?”

At their mother’s words, the sisters began to hesitate, as if they had gone back to when they first met.
And her older sister, Si-hyeon, slowly told her story, and for the first time, I learned about the circumstances of the house.

Next door are my mother, older sister Si-hyeon, and her younger sister Si-eun. Three people were living together like this.

The mother, who had lost her husband a long time ago, was always busy taking on the role of head of the household, and the two young sisters had to wait lonely at home until her mother got home from work.

After hearing her situation, her mother asked her sisters for the contact information of her mother next door.
And then I called right away and talked on the phone for a while.

After the phone call, my mother lowered her posture and made eye contact with her two sisters.

“I contacted your mom… But if it’s okay with you, would you like to have dinner with us?”

The two hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

So dinner was mom, dad, me, and my two sisters. Five people ate like this.

Mom and Dad smiled and looked after the sisters throughout dinner.

The two sisters were frozen at first, but soon ate dinner together in a relaxed manner.

I liked the sight of the table being noisier and more crowded than usual.

After spending time with the two sisters until late at night, they returned to their home.

A few days later, her next-door mother came to our house with a gift, thanking us for taking care of her child.
And that day, for the first time, I learned the name of the mother next door.

Han Su-ah.

The image of Su-ah, whom she had met for the first time, was still vivid in her mind.

Long, calm hair, slightly droopy soft eyes, and a face with a warm smile. And her big breasts that couldn’t be hidden even by her thick sweater were truly impressive.

Considering the age difference between her and Su-ah, it was easy to call her aunt, but as soon as she saw her, she automatically said that she was her older sister.

From that day on, I continued to play with my sisters. After a while, I started to become distant from my school friends.

Sister Su-ah was always late from work, and that meant she spent more time with her two sisters.

Fortunately, my parents were happy, saying they had two beautiful daughters.

… Sometimes, he treated the two sisters so kindly that I felt lonely.

Sometimes, when Su-a had free time, the two families would eat together or go on trips, and our two families became closer.

There were times when my sister would sleep at my house, and there were times when I would sleep at the house next door.

Gradually, the two sisters’ items increased in my house, and my items began to increase in the house next door.

It felt like we were one family living in a slightly larger room next door.

Sometimes when Sua was alone with me, she would say thank you.

“Thank you, Seonwoo.”

At times like that, I tilted my head.

‘I’m the one who has fun playing with Si-hyeon and Si-eun, but why does Su-ah say thank you?’

Whenever I received a thank you, I would nod to my older sister and say hello to her belly button.

After we said hello to each other, Su-a gave me her signature soft smile, patted my head, and hugged me tightly.

It was a little embarrassing to be hugged by her, but it felt good to be in Su-ah’s warm embrace, so she didn’t bother to push it away.
I thought that such peaceful and joyful days would continue.

But as always, misfortune came suddenly.

On that weekend morning, I went to the house next door and played with her sisters.
Leaving me like that, my parents drove out, saying they were going on a date for the first time in a while.

Since it only happened occasionally, I answered casually and focused on playing with my sisters.

And that day, I lost both my parents in a car accident.

During my parents’ funeral, I didn’t shed a single tear.

No, I couldn’t shed it.

I couldn’t feel it at all.

I thought this was something that only happened in dramas.

It felt like everything was a dream and a lie.

Right now, somewhere, my parents are casually shouting! It seemed like he would appear.

The two sisters cried all day long, as if to replace me, who did not cry during the funeral.

I cried mournfully as if my sister’s parents had died, not my parents.

I couldn’t cry until the moment my parents’ final rites were over.

After the funeral, all I had left was my house and my parents’ property.

A person I had never seen before approached me, saying he was a relative and would take care of my money.

While backing away from that person, I jumped out of the place full of strangers and ran all the way home.

When I arrived home, I was out of breath, and I was out of breath.

When I put my hand on the doorknob to enter the house, I froze.

When I opened the door and saw that there was no one inside, I felt like I would finally admit that my parents were dead.

Instead of opening the door, I squatted in front of the door and waited for my parents to return.

It was a very harsh winter for me, who was wearing thin clothes because I didn’t bring a coat when I ran out earlier.

As I was crouching in front of the door waiting for my parents, I couldn’t resist my eyelids getting heavy and just closed them.

How much time has passed?

The consciousness that had subsided came back to me as the warm body temperature enveloped my body.

My eyes were heavy, and I couldn’t see clearly in front of me, but I felt the warmth better.

Cozy, warm, soft surrounding me…

It felt like the arms of my mother who always smiled and hugged me.

“… Mom?”

“… Yes, that’s right, mom.”

“Mom, I missed you a lot…”

“… I’m sorry mom is late…”

I blacked out again when I felt the warm liquid dripping down my cheek.

When I opened my eyes again, a familiar ceiling came into view.

I woke up not in my house but in the house next door.

Next to me were my sister Su-ah and her two sisters.

“… Where did mom go?”

“That’s…”

I asked about her mother’s whereabouts, remembering the vague but clear memory of being in her warm arms.
Tears welled up in the eyes of the two sisters again.

Instead of answering my question, Sua asked another question.

“Seonwoo, if it’s okay with you, why don’t you stay at my house?”

“… With Su-ah, Si-hyeon, and Si-eun?”

“Okay.”

I was lost in thought for a moment.

I didn’t want to go back home alone, and I had nowhere else to go.

I nodded slightly.

That’s how I became part of that family.

A lot has happened since then.

I used to have a bright personality, but as the days went by, I became darker, and I drew a line and kept my distance from my sisters more than before.

When the line was drawn like that, Si-hyeon and Si-eun stamped their feet and didn’t know what to do.

In fact, when we lived separately, we were closer and more like family, but now, like a drop of oil mixed with water, I can’t mix in with that house.

One day, even though I had a fever and was in a lot of pain, I didn’t show it, and I collapsed at school.

As I was riding in the ambulance, her sister cried and clung to me, telling me not to let her die.

Later, when things stabilized, Su-a’s older sister arrived at the hospital.

His clothes and hair were tangled, probably because he ran in a hurry.

“Seonwoo, are you okay?!”

“… It wasn’t a big deal.”

In response to my answer, Sua began to scold me.

“Why didn’t you tell me it hurt?”

“… I didn’t want to cause you worry.”

“It’s okay to worry my family.”

“…”

“Next time, when it hurts, do you have to tell me it hurts? Promise.”

Family.

We were like a family, not a real family.

If I acknowledged that we were family, it felt like I was abandoning my deceased parents.

Sister Su-a held out her ring finger to me, saying it was a promise, but I tried to ignore it.
But when she saw Su-ah’s sad face, as if tears were about to fall, she couldn’t ignore it.

“… Promise.”

“Must. Must.?”

“… I understand. So don’t cry.”

“Someone said I cried…”

As I turned my head around with only my ring finger on, Su-a hugged me tightly.

I tried to push Sua away, but she wouldn’t let me go.

“I’m suffocating.”

“… It’s a punishment for making you worry.”

So I had to stay in Su-ah’s arms for a long time.

Besides that, it caused a lot of worry in many ways.

However, thanks to the efforts of my two sisters and sister Su-ah, who consistently gave me attention and love, I was able to slowly melt into my real family.

**

On the way back home, a text message arrived with a chirping vibration.

[Cute little brother♡: When you come, please buy me a diffuser. Any suitable scent is suitable!]

It was Si-eun’s text.

Thinking about it from my many years of experience, it seemed obvious that Si-hyeon or Su-a would put off running errands for me because it was too lazy to go out.

Also, when did they change the name like that? .

I changed the name back and responded to Si-eun.

[Sunwoo: I don’t like it.]

[Jeong Si-eun: Oh, that’s right, and I’ll ask for Melona when I come!]

[Sunwoo: You don’t like it?]

[Jeong Si-eun: I love you, brother~♥]

I tried my best to express my refusal, but it wasn’t enough.

Si-eun knew that if I pushed her even if I refused, I would eventually buy it.

… I was not the only one who accumulated many years of experience.

I let out a short sigh and took the steps I had taken until I reached the house.

“Is there anywhere near here where I can buy a diffuser…”

As I walked, I searched for stores on my smartphone and started walking.

At that time, my head jerked back at the strange scent that passed my nose.

It seemed like a common scent, like I had smelled it somewhere before, but it was such a mysterious scent that I had no idea what it was.

I was drawn by the scent and entered the alley as if possessed.

Even though it was midday, the inside of the alley was dark with no sunlight.

I only took a few steps inside, but the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees.

It seemed as if the world was divided based on the shadows cast in the alley.

And at the end of a dark alley, I saw a small store without even a sign.

At first, I was doubtful whether it was even a store, but when I looked inside through the glass window and saw various products displayed in antique cabinets, it seemed like it was a store.

As I got closer to the store, the mysterious scent from before became stronger.

I carefully opened the door and stepped into the store.

“Hello…?”

I entered the store and looked around.

Is it because the store is located in a remote location? There were no other guests inside except me.

Other than that, the only small problem is that you can’t even see the employees?

I wondered if the place was on the verge of going out of business or abandoned.

However, it could be said that the business was on the verge of closure, as there was not a single speck of dust anywhere, and the interior was neatly organized.

I looked around the inside of the decoration cabinet while waiting for the waiter.

The cabinet was full of various items, but among them, the item that looked like perfume was the most common.

I could see various liquids fluttering inside the beautiful glass bottle.

The dim light shattered upon hitting the glass bottle, illuminating the liquid inside in an even more mysterious and beautiful color.

I tried to breathe in to smell the scent that brought me here, but I couldn’t smell anything after entering the store.

“Isn’t this the scent that comes from this store?”

While I was puzzled, I suddenly heard a soft female voice behind me.

“Oh my, it’s been a long time since I’ve been a guest.”

Startled by the voice, I turned around and saw a woman with a pale face and bright red lipstick on her lips.

She had long, jet-black hair and was wearing a dark red blouse and a black skirt.

Her eyes were sparkling light purple, as if she were wearing colored lenses.

She smiled charmingly while looking at me.

It was a sexy and seductive eye smile, but it also seemed dangerous somehow.

I asked her while stroking her slightly raised arm.

“Hello, are you an employee?”

“I am the president.”

She was the owner of the store, and she looked a little young to be considered the owner.
How did it happen that a store opens in a corner like this and there are no customers?

Is it because the owner runs the business alone because there are no customers?

I felt slightly sorry for her situation.

“Hmm…”

The boss slowly began to approach me without saying anything.

Togak, ttogak, ttogak, ttogak.

With the sound of shoes clicking, she got closer and closer to me.

My heart started pounding as I saw the alluring and beautiful girl approaching me.

The problem was not that I was pounding with excitement, but that my heart began to beat rapidly due to fear of unknown origin.

I was consumed by her strange aura, and every time she approached me, I took a step back and tried to walk away.

But soon my back hit the cabinet and there was nowhere for me to retreat.

I couldn’t move my body even a little, like a mouse facing a snake.

All I was allowed to do was watch her slowly approaching.

Eventually, she came right in front of me.

When we looked at each other and breathed, we were so close that we could feel each other’s breath, and her hand slowly reached out towards my face.

My foot slipped, and my back slid down the cabinet.

As her hand got closer and closer, I closed my eyes and turned her head to the side.
However, even as time passed, she did not feel anything touching her face.

I opened my eyes slightly and looked ahead.

What I could see in front of me was her big breasts.

Her hand was past my face, opening the cabinet and rummaging inside.

As the distance got closer, her cleavage was clearly exposed through her loose shirt.

Her large breasts seemed too full to be contained by her shirt and underwear, so much so that even her fingers could not fit them in.

“Hmm…”

Even though I was just breathing lightly, I could strongly feel her body odor.

The sight of her dizzying body instantly made her eyes spin, and her head go blank.

Her hand reached out to wrap around her back to embrace her as she pleased.
But she slid behind her and away from me, like an illusion.

“Oh my, it’s troublesome if you act like this…”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest with a seductive smile that didn’t look troubled at all.
However, by crossing her arms under her chest, she was actually making her breasts stand out even more.

As she moved away from her and her body odor became lighter, her sanity, which had become clouded, slowly returned.

“Uh… Huh?! I’m sorry!”

After she finally came to her senses, I repeatedly bowed my head and apologized to her.

‘What was I trying to do?’

Just by smelling her body for a moment, the cord of reason was broken, and her body moved as it pleased.
I felt something strange and decided to leave the store.

But she spoke to me as if she read my mind.

“Sir, I will accept your apology. Instead…”

I don’t know when she took it out, but there was a dark green candle in her hand.

She showed me the candle in her own hand and began to explain.

He talked for a long time about things that I felt like I had heard before, such as muscle relaxation, fatigue relief, and stress reduction.

Perhaps because of the aftermath of the scent I had smelled of her earlier, I was in a daze, so I listened to her words and nodded.

When I came to my senses again, I was standing outside the store holding a scented candle.

“Please come again next time, sir.”

After saying goodbye to her, I left the store.

… I was hit.

To take advantage of a moment of insanity to forcefully sell you something…

I wanted to go back to the store right now and ask for a refund for the scented candle.

The moment I turned around and was about to go back into the store, an intuition crossed my mind.

‘If I go back to the store, will I still be able to get a refund?’

Her magically shining lavender eyes came to mind.

From the moment we made eye contact, it seemed like the word refund probably wouldn’t come out.

It was fortunate that I wasn’t pushed further for something else.

‘… Aren’t scented candles and diffusers ultimately similar?’

Instead of going back to the store, I chose mental victory.