Chapter 1
The expressway had long since ceased to function as a road. It had become an endless parking lot, with thousands of vehicles stretching far beyond the horizon in both directions. Brake lights glowed like an unbroken ribbon of red beneath the pale morning sky, while engines idled relentlessly, filling the air with a constant mechanical hum. Every now and then, an impatient horn echoed across the valley, only to fade into the same hopeless silence that had settled over the traffic.
It was the annual holiday return journey, the one time of year when millions of people across South Korea left their hometowns almost simultaneously after spending precious days with their families. Every driver had hoped to beat the traffic by leaving early. Instead, they all found themselves trapped together on the same expressway, inching forward meter by meter—or not moving at all.
The cool freshness of morning had disappeared hours ago. The rising sun reflected mercilessly off the sea of windshields and metal roofs, while waves of heat rose from the asphalt beneath the countless motionless vehicles. Air conditioners worked tirelessly inside the cars, yet outside, the summer air shimmered above the road. Morning no longer looked like morning; everything about the scene—the brightness, the heat, and the endless waiting—made it feel as though noon had arrived far too early.
Some drivers stepped out of their cars to stretch their stiff backs and legs before climbing inside again as the traffic crawled forward by only a few meters. Children slept against the windows, exhausted from the long journey, while others complained from the back seats, asking over and over how much farther they had to go. Families quietly shared snacks and bottled drinks they had packed before leaving, knowing they might remain stranded for hours. The entire expressway had settled into a strange rhythm of patience and resignation, as if everyone had silently accepted that there was nowhere else to be but there.
Inside a red Hyundai Avante, however, patience was beginning to wear thin.
A young couple sat blankly inside a red Hyundai Avante, staring emptily at the rear ends of the vehicles lined up in front of them. Paramore’s “Ain’t It Fun” played softly inside the air-conditioned cabin.
“We’re almost there, right?” asked Seo-yeon 20 years old, sitting to the left of the steering wheel.
“Quit joking around! We’re still in the exact same place as four hours ago.” Answered Seo-yeon’s younger brother, Min-jun 18, who was holding the wheel. His eyes fixed on the endless line of cars in front of them.
“Geez, so grumpy,” Seo-yeon retorted while picking up her white iPad from beside the handbrake lever.
“Well, we’ve been stuck here for four hours without going anywhere,” Min-jun replied curtly. “It’s your fault, Noona. If we’d left really early with Appa, it wouldn’t have turned out like this,” he finished.
“Yeah, sorry,” Seo-yeon answered. “Lots of orders, man,” she continued while fiddling with her tablet. The two of them had been forced to start the homeward journey late after Seo-yeon insisted her brother buy souvenirs first.
Seo-yeon was wearing a peach-white double-layer tank top and blue denim hotpants, matching her super-casual personality yet still in harmony with her pretty face and fair skin. Meanwhile Min-jun only wore a cadet-blue T-shirt with jeans, showing the type of laid-back guy he was. The brother and sister were only two years apart in age.
Ttiring ttiring ttiring!!
“That’s your phone, pick it up,” Seo-yeon ordered.
Min-jun took his cellphone, looked at it, then rejected the call.
“Ooooh, rejected,” Seo-yeon teased. “Who was it? One of your fans, huh?” she needled.
Min-jun ignored his older sister’s teasing.
“Why is it, Min-jun, you’re already in twelfth grade and still don’t have a girlfriend?” Seo-yeon asked, surprised by her brother. As far as she knew, quite a few girls liked Min-jun.
“Don’t bring that up,” Min-jun answered, dodging.
“No, seriously. Why?” Seo-yeon asked again.
Min-jun did not respond. In truth, the standard for girls that Min-jun had set was already too high because of his own sister. Having a sister who was pretty, fashionable, and diligent about taking care of herself made it hard for him to find a girl at school who came close to that. Several times Min-jun had approached girls, but not one of them matched his expectations.
“You’re good-looking enough, neat yes, clean yes. Are you just not bold enough?” Seo-yeon tried to analyze her brother’s problem. In her opinion, her brother was not only as casual as she was but also too passive toward girls.
Min-jun was reluctant to respond to his sister’s question. Clearly, looking at the extremely long traffic jam, it was certain that any conversation would also drag on for a very long time. Min-jun did not want the rest of the journey to be spent discussing him.
“Well, he’s being cold,” Seo-yeon said. “Fine, I’ll just sleep. You make me bored,” she said again, putting her iPad away. Seo-yeon pulled the seatback lever and pushed her seat back.
Min-jun paid no attention to his sister’s chatter and let himself be left alone while she slept. Min-jun glanced at the watch he was wearing; more than four hours had already passed with their vehicle stuck in the return-flow traffic jam after the holiday.
Uncomfortable with her sleeping position, Seo-yeon raised her left leg onto the dashboard. Min-jun’s eyes narrowed, peeking at the pair of smooth legs stretched out beside him. Min-jun was already very used to seeing his sister wear short pants or miniskirts, or other skimpy clothes, but it seemed the blood of a pubescent teenage boy made him never get bored of that “inviting” view.
Their ages were not that far apart, but of course physically Seo-yeon had matured much earlier than Min-jun—and that was often a problem for Min-jun. What Min-jun saw this time were feet with well-cared-for toes, firm calves, and slender thighs that parted, all of it visible on a pair of long legs whose skin was smooth and fair, shining like pearls.
Seo-yeon was wearing jorts, super-short jeans with unfinished denim fringes. The pants were so short that they only covered about 5–7 centimeters of Seo-yeon’s thighs. Her right leg folded with the knee outward made her crotch open, leaving a gap at the leg opening of the pants that approached her crotch.
Seeing that his sister had her eyes closed, Min-jun stretched his gaze, peeking at the open surface that revealed part of the layer of her underwear and the surface of Seo-yeon’s crotch. Even though Seo-yeon was wearing mint-white panties, the milky-white skin of Seo-yeon’s crotch still looked contrasting against the color of her underwear.
“Min-jun,” Seo-yeon said.
“Y-yeah?” Min-jun asked in surprise.
“Turn the AC down, I’m afraid I’ll get a cold,” Seo-yeon answered.
“Oh. Okay,” Min-jun answered while turning the temperature dial of the AC.
Seo-yeon let out a yawn. The exhaustion was clearly written across her face. Moments later, without another word, she drifted off to sleep.
"Haha... Typical Noona. Honestly, it's probably better if she sleeps instead of yapping nonstop. Listening to her would only make my mood even worse while we're stuck in this traffic." Min-jun thought to himself.
