What If: You were Shingen and Shintaro's older sister (masterlist)
Main Series Title/AU: My Baby Brother is the Strongest Character
<<read the synopsis and content warnings first>>
featuring: Shingen and Shintaro Yamazaki, Gapryong Kim, Minseon Kang
Trigger Warnings: Racial discrimination against the Reader (reminder that here you are at least half-Japanese), use of a racial slur
You were in the break room when you found three containers worth of food stuffed inside your lunch bag, plus three different pieces of paper.
The first note was written on pale blue stationery with cartoon apples.
Unnie,
Dad made too much kimchi again so I packed you some extra, along with jajangmyeon[1]. I put lemon and ice in your water bottle so stay hydrated. There’s also leftover cake.
Minseon
P.S. Gapryong made jumeok-bap[2]. I can’t guarantee that they’re edible, but I didn’t want him making a scene in the restaurant so I included them.
The next note was on plain white paper. Written in big, messy characters was:
Noona,
You’ve lost weight so eat the rice balls I made with love.
They’re all for YOU SO DON’T SHARE THEM WITH ANYONE ELSE!
Noona is so charming, I don’t want any rivals taking it the wrong way.
Gapryong ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎
The last note was also a plain white paper; written hastily but still more elegantly than the other two was:
Noonim,
I apologize for this sudden letter.
Hyungnim spent the entire night preparing your lunch, so even if you hate his antics, please eat. He made them with your wellbeing in mind.
We all know that you’re a hard worker, but please prioritize your health.
I also made oi muchim[3] so enjoy them with your co-workers.
Sincerely,
Baekho Kwon
“Always so proper…” you giggled as you finished reading Baekho’s note.
Frankly, you’ve been struggling at the call center. From the ever-shifting schedule to the trashy people you serve. You haven’t been getting enough sleep, so during the times when you should be eating, you took naps. The lack of sleep and the stress of the seemingly simple job kept giving you the most painful migraines.
The Kangs paid you well as their waitress and emergency cook, plus they fed you, so it’s not like working for them left you broke.
Gapryong’s question resurfaced from the back of your mind: “Why are you working so hard? I mean, I know you like money, but what exactly are you saving up for?”
You really didn’t know.
There was nothing wrong with working as a waitress or as a call center representative, but you couldn’t see yourself doing either job for another ten years. For now, you need to save money, until you can find out what it is you really want.
After lunch, you returned to the production floor, where the atmosphere was even more tense than usual. You didn’t think it was possible.
“What’s going on?” you asked one of your co-workers.
“With the Yamazaki taking over everything, there are rumors that half of us will be let go ‘cause of budget cuts.”
“What’s the Yamazaki?” It sounded familiar.
You then realized that everybody was looking at you. Even the lady who was crying was now quiet.
“Have you been living under a rock?”
“You can’t blame her, she lives far from the capital.”
“Still, how can you live in this city and not know who the Yamazaki are?”
As your work friends bickered, the rest of the floor resumed making their own noise. You were aware of the sudden influx of Japanese immigrants and visitors in the country, but this was the first time the name Yamazaki floated into your vocabulary.
Despite the nature of your jobs, unless it involved you, you weren’t really into gossip. Or current events.
Let’s keep our head down and do our job, you encouraged yourself as you put on the headset. Still, as you greeted your customer with feigned glee, the name “Yamazaki” continued to nag you like a bird that demanded attention.
Your shift today ended at five a.m.
By the time you reached the lobby, dawn was already breaking, and your self-proclaimed bodyguard was currently chatting up the security guard.
When Gapryong noticed you, his smile deepened.
“Noona~”
You bowed your head at the security guard in greeting. The elderly man was all smiles. He was holding a fresh cup of coffee, no doubt from your escort. Gapryong’s charisma was not limited to his lady friends. He had a way of beguiling everyone of every age, from all walks of life.
“Thanks for lunch,” you said. Gapryong knew how to cook (thanks to you) but didn’t like the preparation and cleanup involved, so he avoided the task as much as possible, opting to buy ready-made meals instead. The fact that he went out of his way to make rice balls for you meant the world.
“No problem.” He then raised his bare hand, expectantly.
Gapryong insisted on carrying everything for you. He would even carry a single cup noodle during your midnight snack runs.
You gave him your purse and lunch bag. You have long given up on fighting him over this topic.
“How was work today? Did anyone hit on you? Did they find out who’s been stealing toilet paper?” he asked as you two ambled down the street. Naturally, Gapryong stayed on the side adjacent to the road.
“It was hell, no and no. Although, the mood was off today.”
“Why? Did someone sleep with someone else’s wife?”
You playfully slapped his arm. “There are rumors about us getting laid off.”
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing a lot about that everywhere lately. I found one of our neighbors crying because he was terminated.”
“They told me it has something to do with the Yamazaki.”
“Oh, those guys.” He let out a deep sigh. “If their name reached your ears then we’re in trouble.”
“I feel like I’ve been insulted just now.”
“It’s not an insult. I think it’s adorable that you’re always in your own little world.”
You pinched his waist and he gasped like it actually hurt.
“Focus,” you said. “The name sounds Japanese. What do you know about them?”
“Nothing good. From what I’ve been told, the Yamazaki is this bigshot yakuza[4] clan. They’re building a statue in the town square in honor of their leader or something.”
“Wait, what?” You stopped walking. “That’s what they’re building over there?” You’ve passed by that statue-in-the-making a few times, but the only thing you noticed was the cute dog. You didn’t think it was going to be something as ridiculous as foreign gang leaders.
“The yakuza, huh…” You dipped your head. You didn’t have memories about your life prior to waking up on the beach. You didn’t speak Korean but were fluent in a few other languages, you didn’t know your age but you could perform basic arithmetic, and you didn’t know your own name but you knew that the term “yakuza” was bad news.
You were pulled out of your thoughts when Gapryong suddenly snuggled to your side like a service dog.
“Don’t sweat it, noona,” he said, “no matter what happens, I’ll protect you and everyone else.”
If it were some other brat telling you this, you would have called him crazy and a little cheesy, but the pit in your stomach vanished the moment you saw that confident smile.
You huffed.
“Don’t believe me?”
“No,” you replied, grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward. “I believe in you, guppy, so don’t you dare disappoint me.”
Gapryong stood frozen as he watched the sunlight fall on your smiling face. When was the last time noona smiled so softly like that?
“Noona, I—”
“?”
“I’m going to cook all your meals from now on.”
“Huh? I appreciate it, but—”
“Also, promise me that you won’t make that face when I’m not around. I don’t want you attracting another rival! Especially not at work! I can’t follow you inside the building!”
“You’re exaggerating. Besides, I…”
“What is it?”
I want to quit. You breathed in and grinned.
“...it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
You knew that he didn’t believe you, but he smartly didn’t pry and you two continued walking.
When you arrived at your sub-basement, you were so exhausted you laid eagle spread on the floor.
“Noona, you should at least sleep in your bed.”
“No…too far, plus I’m too tired to shower.”
“Then change—aaand she’s passed out.” Gapryong shook his head then went to get you a pillow and some blankets.
While you slept, he washed your water bottle and containers and then checked your fridge.
“Beer. Figures.” He sighed. He normally didn’t have to worry about your meals because either Minseon or him would keep you fed, but lately, the world’s been going to shit so even he was too busy to keep your fridge and pantry stocked.
Your snores filled in the air and he chuckled, “Being a husband sure is hard.”
As he was counting the bills on his wallet, someone knocked at the door.
A rosy-faced Minseon Kang stood there with a giant bag full of what Gapryong assumed to be food. “Good morning—oh. It’s you.”
“Good morning to you too, Minseon. Perfect timing, I was about to do a grocery run but it seems you got that covered.”
“I was worried about unnie.”
“Understandable. Come in.”
“Stop talking like you live here, it’s gross.”
“Ouch. Don’t get jealous just ‘cause noona and I have been together longer than you’ve known her.”
“I’m going to slap you one of these days.”
“Thank you for the warning.”
The two of them worked together to put away the food. When they were done, Minseon remembered something and then fished inside her purse.
“I was going to hand these over to Baekho but since you’re here—” she slammed several envelopes onto Gaoryong’s chest “—can you please tell your girlfriends that our restaurant isn’t a post office?”
“Whoa, are these love letters? Haven’t gotten those in a while.”
Minseon huffed. “Don’t get cocky. I’m pretty sure at least one of those things has some curse inside.”
“Stop it, you know that black magic stuff freaks me out.”
“Do you even open these things?”
“Of course, I do. A lady went out of her way to prepare the paper and took precious time out of her day to write; I gotta at least read her message.”
“That’s surprising. Are you going to write back?”
“Nah, I just talk things out with them.”
“Huh?”
“Being popular is hard, y’know?”—
“Ugh”
—“Besides, once they start sending me letters, that’s when I need to draw the line.” Gapryong’s biggest regret was giving away his first kiss to someone from school instead of you, but it’s not like he can take it back. He flirts, he mingles, he makes out sometimes but he already promised the rest of his firsts to you.
Minseon watched him silently scan the letters. “I really don’t understand you.”
“They do say mysterious men are more fun~”
“I didn’t think you were someone who’d take love letters seriously.”
He fingered the envelopes, recalling your disappointed face when you found a thirteen-year-old Gapryong Kim callously ripping apart a love letter from one of his classmates. “You don’t have to reciprocate, but you should at least read it. I’m sure it took a lot of courage to bare her heart like that.” It stung that you didn’t get possessive or jealous (and it still hurts how unaffected you are by his so-called womanizing), but he was a brat who didn’t know any better. You were right. Even if he had no plans of having a serious relationship with those girls, he should at least let them know before they fall for him completely.
“But maaan, these are a lot. Minseon, can you just read ‘em and then summarize for me?”
“...tsk.”
They then heard rustling from the living room.
You were now sitting up.
“Oh, sorry,” Gapryong said, handing you a cup of warm water, “did we wake you?”
“Unnie, you should move to the bed.”
You slurped the water as your exhausted eyes rolled over from Minseon to Gapryong.
“Mm…” You put down the cup. “You two would make a great couple.”
Gapryong’s face turned white and Minseon’s green.
They broke out into a chorus of sounds:
“How could you say that?” “That joke’s not funny!”
“Not even if you paid me!” “Not even if he was the last person on Earth!”
“No!” “Never!”
You blinked slowly. “If you say so.”
You fell back on the floor. “Kids, it’s my day off so I wanna sleep in. Keep the flirting to a minimum, ‘kay?” Having said your piece, you passed out again.
“Nee-chan—”
“—don’t slam the door—”
“—Shintaro and I came to play!” Shingen stopped and looked around. “She’s not here…”
The veranda door slid open, revealing their sister. Your yukata was soaked from the waist down. Your arms were wrapped around what the twins thought was a dark, smelly towel until it yipped and barked.
“Easy, easy,” you cooed, rocking the wet furry thing.
“Nee-sama, is that… a dog?”
“Yup, she’s just a baby, isn’t she cute?”
“She smells awful.”
Shingen stepped closer. “She looks nothing like father’s dogs. What breed is she?”
“I don’t know.” You walked over to the heater you borrowed from the kitchen and put the shaking puppy in front of it.
“So it’s a mongrel?”
“She’s not one specific breed.” You grabbed a clean towel from your closet and began patting her dry. “What should we call her?”
“You’re gonna keep it?”
“We’re going to keep her,” you clarified, “so start thinking up names that go well with Yamazaki.”
A month passed since the layoff rumors, but no one was fired. However, an unofficial, city-wide curfew was set in place.
The statue in the town square was almost done. More tattooed thugs from Japan roamed the streets in addition to those in uniform. Even you, who spent your days off sleeping instead of hanging out with friends, could tell that a storm was coming.
But, as every adult can attest, even if the world ends tomorrow, you still gotta work.
After your shift at the call center, you sleep for five hours then go to the restaurant.
Your customer service abilities were decent, and it helped that your regulars preferred to do most of the talking. Working at the restaurant was a thousand times easier than at the call center—
“I said I want a different waitress!
—but even that was about to change.
“Sir, I’m sorry if I offended you in some way,” you began, speaking clearly but humbly, “if you tell me the problem then I will do my best to fix it.”
“Tsk. Do I have to say it in Japanese for you to understand?”
“Wha—”
“I. Said. I. Want. A. Different. Waitress!”
“...”
The man clicked his tongue again and mumbled, “Damn jjokbari.”[5]
You forced yourself to recover from the shock and bowed. “I understand. Someone else will be with you shortly.”
You went over to the counter where the food for table 2 was waiting. Minseon’s dad gave you a look. “Want me to kick him out?”
“It’s all right.” You grabbed the trays and acted like nothing happened. It’s been a while since you’ve heard that slur.
Judging by the way the other customers gazed at you, you had a feeling you’ll be hearing it a lot more.
[1] jajangmyeon: black bean sauce noodles
[2] jumeok-bap: rice balls
[3] oi muchim: spicy cucumber salad
[4] yakuza: I can't remember if I already gave the definition but TLDR, it's the Japanese mafia.
[5] jjokbari: Korean slur used against Japanese citizens or people with Japanese ancestry
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