"Kiyomi! How'd it go?"
Hearing my nickname as soon as I walked through the door, I smiled, and immediately braced myself for impact.
Opening my arms at just the right moment, I welcomed my sister into my arms.
After all, although she was 10 years older than me, I had already passed a good chunk of my adolescent phase, and had grown taller than her a year or two ago.
She hugged me for a little bit before lifting her face up and looking me in the eyes, checking to make sure if there were any indicators there.
Seeing that my eyes hid no sadness, instead being filled with a quiet calmness, she knew that I had done well, we didn't need to exchange words for her to know that.
Removing herself from the embrace, she pulled on my hand and led me to the couch in the middle of our penthouse condo.
She meant to sit me down so that she could make me food.
But, this time, instead of letting myself be led by her hand, I calmly touched it and pulled it off.
"Noona, let me cook today. I want to thank you for taking me this far. For supporting me this whole way."
Hearing this, her eyes dazzled, as she had known for a long time that my cooking was the absolute best.
I mean, I thought the opposite, that her cooking was the absolute best, but, I guess that just showed our love for each other.
Now, I was planning to dazzle her with an added 10 years of cooking experience under my belt.
Grabbing some random ingredients out of the fridge, I prepared my masterpiece recipe, the "Kitchen Sink".
It took me a little while, but when I was done, a smooth, clean, but extremely mouthwatering scent wafted from the kitchen.
You see, because she was an idol, she really had to watch what she ate, so I was cooking with mostly vegetables and chicken, with some nuts and a few apples cut up in the pan too.
Anyways, putting the pan in the freezer and placing it on the ice for just a second, I quickly took it out and grabbed two spoons, before bringing my creation to the couch.
Looking at the TV, I noticed that my sister had already chosen a movie, so I just sat down and snuggled in close to her, getting under the covers of the blanket that she had pulled her knees up under, giving her a spoon.
Using a remote, she turned off all the lights in our house and closed all the blinds on our "walls" which were glass windows overlooking the city of Seoul, before she started the movie.
I held the pan filled with food up with my hand from under the blanket, whilst I used my other hand to scoop food for myself.
As the movie progressed, and the two leads started growing closer and closer together, so did we, as we finished the food and threw the pan to the side.
By the end of the movie, the leads had gotten together and now had a happy life, and Noona was basically wringing my hand out at this point.
I was already used to her excited state as she felt happy for the two leads, losing herself in the story for a short time, before the credits started rolling and she was given a rude awakening.
As for me, I just basked in this nostalgic moment, as we had never done something like this ever since I started training as an idol in my past life.
I had just been too obsessed, so, already knowing my mistakes, I vowed to not make them again this time around.
"Noona, it's time for bed..."
"Can't I just stay here for a little longer?" She asked, in a whiny voice.
Hearing this, I could only comply to her wishes, after all, she needed to be spoiled every once in a while.
So, I just put my arm across her shoulder and started unconsciously rubbing her nape, a habit that I had developed after all this time living with her.
Feeling this, she leaned against my chest, as she closed her eyes and grabbed my waist to pull me closer to her.
"Mmmmmm..."
She started unconsciously purring, but my brain automatically blocked all of it out, as it was too common of a sound for me to be weirded out by it anymore.
In the end, I continued to rub her nape until she fell asleep, and soon after, so did I.
...
We woke up in the morning at the exact same time as our doorbell rang.
"Ding Dong!"
Untangling ourselves from each other and the blanket, I fixed my scruffy hair before reaching the door and opening it.
"Kim Ha-neul?"
"Yes?"
"You have been picked to be a trainee at SPK, congratulations."
"This fast?!" Yelled my sister from the couch.
Immediately covering the doorway so that the recruiter couldn't get a look at my sister, for more reasons than one, I asked,
"When do I need to leave?"
"In 20 minutes, if possible."
"And what can I bring?"
"We will provide clothes, food, computers, phones, and all other necessities at the facility. Please just bring a personal item along with a comfortable set of clothes."
Hearing this, I nodded, before asking the recruiter to wait for a little while.
The recruiter stepped away and I closed the door, before turning around only to be met nose to nose with my sister, who was standing on her tippy toes to reach my height.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.
Shrugging my shoulders and reaching over to pull the strap of her bra up on her shoulder, I replied,
"I just wanted us to have a great last day together..."
"You dummy!" She yelled, before slapping me on the side of my head, apparently not caring about how messed up her clothes were right now.
I mean, if I was any other person, man or women, I would have been blushing feverishly by now, but she was my sister, so I didn't.
"I didn't have time to prepare... *sniff*" She whimpered, falling into my chest for a second time as she started silently sobbing.
"I'll only be gone for half a year, then I'll be back for a visit."
"Two visits per year! I only get two days every year to see you now!"
"I'll be fine, you don't need to worry." I said, addressing her biggest fear.
"Really? You promise to not get in any trouble?"
"Yes, Noona, I'm not a dumbass. By the time I come back, I'll be even better than you!" I joked, lightening up the mood.
"Just remember, don't lose yourself, Kiyomi." She reminded me, turning the conversation serious again.
"Got it, Noona."
After that, we just spent some time together in silence before we reluctantly parted and she gave me a photo of herself in regular clothes for me to keep as my personal item.
As for the clothes that I was wearing, I chose to wear a gray-white hoodie and gray-white sweatpants, something that was just comfortable and familiar to me.
Leaving the penthouse condo, I followed the recruiter down to a black car and we set off towards the training facility.
I steeled my mind for what was to come, as I thought about what I would do for the next few years of my life as a trainee.