The meeting came to an end when Jae-hoon fell asleep. I was proud that I did my part because I interfered with the conversation between Jang Won-jo and Seo-yu hyung.?
?
The afternoon sunlight pouring through the car window on the way to Seo-yu’s residence was comforting. Seo-yu hyung patted Jae-hoon, who was asleep while singing a lullaby in a low voice.?
?
A warm breeze blew when I lowered the window. This was what a great afternoon might feel like. It was a moment when I enjoyed the relaxation.?
?
“It would be nice to have a sibling.”?
?
I almost hit the brake for a moment at Seo-yu hyung’s muttering.?
?
All of a sudden? As expected, I couldn’t let my guard down.?
?
“What are you talking about? What do you mean sibling?”?
?
“Jae-hoon also needs a younger sibling. He’d be lonely if he were alone. It’d be lovely to have younger siblings, whether it’s a younger sister or a younger brother.”?
?
His voice was gentle and quiet, much as when he put Jae-hoon to sleep. He had a relaxed face as if he was alone in a white field full of spring sunshine, but I felt cold as if I had fallen in the North Pole.?
?
‘When Seoyu talks about the second child, oppose it.’?
?
My older brother made a definite statement to Mom, Dad, and myself. He hasn’t given up on the second one yet, so oppose it if he brings it up.?
?
Seo-yu hyung was a person who barely crossed the crisis of death when gave birth to Jae-hoon. Seo-yu hyung, who was lying down with a relaxed face, looked like someone who would never open his eyes again.?
?
“Sung-hyun-ah, it’s good that you have an older brother, right? Don’t you think being the only child would have been lonely?”?
?
“No, not at all. These days, it’s hard to have one and raise it well.”?
?
To be honest, who wouldn’t want to see the daughter Seo-yu hyung gave birth to? However, if I sympathize, he may tell his spouse that my argument encouraged him. A second child was never allowed.?
?
“You feel like you’re losing your parents’ affection when you have a younger sibling, then you become jealous. Even if you love them equally, it’s difficult to make them feel the same way.”?
?
“When I was younger, I just felt fair.”?
?
“Hyung and I don’t feel it because we are the younger brothers, and our older brothers may have been jealous.”?
?
“Is that so…”?
?
Seo-yu hyung, who was in distress, stopped talking. Only the occasional sound of Jae-hoon’s breathing could be heard in the car, as he slept quietly.?
?
I thought maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought up Seo-yu hyung’s older brother.?
?
I’ve never experienced pain like Seo-yu hyung’s. So I wasn’t sure how much thought was required or how cautious I needed to be.?
?
When I looked in the room mirror and saw Seo-yu hyung, I was taken aback. He was gently sweeping his eyes with his hands!?
?
Kiik-?
?
I hurriedly pulled over to the side of the road.?
?
“Huh? Why did you stop…”?
?
“Hyung, are you crying?”?
?
“What?”?
?
“Don’t cry. I’m sorry for bringing up your older brother. Why are you crying over such little matters?”?
?
“What are you talking about? I didn’t cry!”?
?
“You just wiped your tears. I saw it all!”?
?
“That’s a yawn, don’t shout! Jae-hoon is going to wake up!”?
?
After tossing and turning, Jae-hoon woke up as soon as Seo-yu hyung shouted.?
?
“Waa, Daddy cried…?”?
?
“I didn’t cry!”?
?
“Yu Dad, you cry every day. Dad, I’ll pat you on the back.”?
?
“I didn’t cry!”?
?
Seo-yu hyung’s voice quiver at the end. I guess he just wants to cry some more. I couldn’t stop staring back and being restless. I was at a loss for what to do. Tissue, I need a tissue.?
?
Vibrate-?
?
Then I got a video call from my mother. I received it quickly.?
?
“Mom!”?
?
– Can you talk on the phone? Are you not driving??
?
“I stopped for a moment. Seo-yu hyung is crying again.”?
?
“I didn’t cry! I didn’t cry!”?
?
– Oh no, what happened??
?
– Why? What did he say??
?
– Well, Seo-yu cried again.?
?
– Oh, he’s so soft-hearted and cries a lot…?
?
“I didn’t cry. I yawned. I don’t cry at all!?
?
– Please comfort him well. We’ll call you back later.?
?
“Yes, Mom.”?
?
“Don’t ever tell Choi Sung-hoon!”?
?
The phone hung up on Seo-yu hyung even before he mentioned ‘Choi Seong-hoon-‘. Meanwhile, I came upon a handkerchief and gave it to Seo-yu hyung. Seo-yu hyung’s face flushed and he just stared at me, but Jae-hoon grabbed the handkerchief and wiped his father’s face. Seo-yu hyung then hugged Jaehoon.?
?
“Jae-hoon-ah… ”?
?
“Oh, Dad. Don’t cry.”?
?
“I didn’t cry…” ?
?
“Yes, don’t cry.”?
?
I was glad they had a good relationship. I started the car again, hoping that Jae-hoon would calm Seo-yu hyung’s heart.?
?
Sung-hoon hyung must be flying by now. After hearing that Seo-yu hyung was crying, he… Ugh, it’s terrifying. I need to get Seo-yu hyung home as soon as possible, and then I need to escape to a safe place.?
?
* * *?
?
The lights were turned off at Seo-yu hyung’s house. The house where all the babysitters and housekeepers were on vacation seemed too spacious for Seo-yu hyung and Jae-hoon to be alone. Of course, there were guards guarding the front door 24 hours a day, but there was no one inside the house.?
?
That’s why I didn’t say no to Seo-yu hyung’s offer of a can of beer. I put Jae-hoon to sleep and sat in the living room while Seo-yu hyung was preparing snacks.?
?
A wedding picture was hanging larger than the TV next to the already large, dimly illuminated wall-mounted TV. Seo-yu hyung smiling happily while looking at the camera, while Sung-hoon hyung smile at Seo-yu hyung.?
?
There was also a picture of Jae-hoon next to him, a picture of three family members together with Jae-hoon, a picture taken last year with my mom, dad, and me, as well as a picture of Seo-yu hyung’s elementary school graduation and Seo-yu hyung’s family picture, were displayed side by side.?
?
A picture of my older brother when he was little will now be added next to this. When Sung-hoon hyung sees a photo of himself as a child, he would frown openly but does not take it down. Because Seo-yu hyung liked it.?
?
I looked at Seo-yu hyung’s family photo. A little chubby mother, a father who wears glasses, Seo Yeon, who has a neat appearance, and Seo-yu hyung, a third-year middle school student who looks like a baby.?
?
The four of them had a noticeable resemblance. Among them, Seo-yu hyung was so pretty and small that tears welled up in my eyes the first time I saw this picture.?
?
How difficult it must have been to leave such a lovely and small youngest child behind. He was still quite small. He was too young to be alone.?
?
On the anniversary of Seo-yu hyung’s parents, my mother and father always pay a visit to the memorial to greet them. Please continue to keep an eye on your adorable youngest son, who has now become our great second son. I went with them the first time and haven’t gone since. I felt so weird.?
?
My parents would also pass away at some point.?
?
There were times when I feel like trash when I see them who only exist in Seo-yu hyung’s family photos that were not in the world now.?
?
I sat on the sofa and turned on the TV for no reason and put on a calm look.?
?
“Here, it’s done.”?
?
Just then, Seo-yu hyung came with a tray. I thought he didn’t cook at home, but he has been making a variety of side dishes right away. From grilled chicken wings to squid ink butter to corn salad.?
?
“That’s awesome. I eat all the snacks. How do you do this?”?
?
“It’s very simple.”?
?
“Hyung, you’ve cooked a lot. Who did you learn from?”?
?
“I watched on TV and browsed the Internet. And everyone can do this.”?
?
I imagined a young Seo-yu hyung, who has not yet lost his baby fat, searching the internet to make foods by himself, making various side dishes, and boiling stew. Perhaps he prepared more side dishes. Seo-yu hyung might always eat and drink alone as well.?
?
“Sung-hoon ssi, probably still on the plane, right? After all, I have to make dinner today. When Sung-hoon first came to my old house, the only thing I had was ramen, so I could only give him that.”?
?
“I want to eat too.”?
?
“Then stay for the meal.”?
?
“I can’t…”?
?
My older brother hasn’t seen Seo-yu hyung in two days, so his patience must have fallen to the lowest level, but if I stay here, he may not leave me alone.?
?
I ate the appetizers prepared by Seo-yu hyung one by one while drinking a cool can of beer, and the slightly sweet ones were really good.?
?
“Awesome. I wasn’t expecting this, but it’s so delicious.”?
?
“Why don’t you expect it?”?
?
“Do you know how to cook things like soup? Something like seafood soup.”?
?
“The soup is for soju.”?
?
“You just don’t know how to do it.”?
?
“Even if I looked for it on the Internet, I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own. Unless someone teaches me.”?
?
That’s what I thought. Seo-yu hyung was unlikely to have had anyone teach him how to cook.?
?
I held out my beer can to Seo-yu hyung. Seo-yu hyung smiled brightly and tapped my beer can. The first beer can was quickly empty, and the second beer was served. I kept checking the time as I drank and ate. It was time for Sung-hoon hyung to be still on the flight.?
?
“What are you going to cook for my older brother?”?
?
“Well, I’m going to make some meat side dishes.”?
?
“Do you have any ingredients at home?”?
?
“There are six refrigerators. Everything must be there.”?
?
Seo-yu hyung drank a bottle of beer after becoming arrogant. Seo-yu hyung told me not to drink too much alcohol with a somewhat reddish face.?
?
“Why? I’m going to call the driver anyway.”?
?
“Don’t drink too much. I looked on the internet and they said there was a food alley right next to your university. College students who drank a lot there got their wallets stolen when they were stretched out on the roadside.”?
?
I knew, I knew it. I didn’t drink in places like that.?
?
“And it’s rumored that when you live alone near the school, people just use it as their hideout. Be careful.”?
?
My house had already turned into a hideout. There would still be a dozen or so people there right now.?
?
“If you’re dating someone on campus, the rumor will spread out. So, date in moderation.”?
?
Rumors were spreading at the constituency level.?
?
Seo-yu hyung should have realized I was in my fourth year. I said it just in case.?
?
“Hyung, I will graduate next semester.”?
?
“That’s right. It’s difficult to find work these days, so don’t get too worked up about it.”?
?
I stared at Seo-yu hyung’s reddish face.?
?
Being so drunk on a can and a bottle of beer.?
?
I couldn’t believe it.?
?
Seo-yu hyung always wanted to be my older brother.?
?
“It was an exam period not long ago. Did you get your report card?”?
?
“Report card?”?
?
“I was very good at fixing it. When I was in middle school, my friends were almost beaten up because of their grades, but I saved them.”?
?
“…Hyung, you were a skilled person. You didn’t get caught?”?
?
“Nope. If you think you’re going to be beaten, call me.”?
?
“Okay. Hyung, eat some snacks while you drink.”?
?
I gave Seo-yu hyung a squid leg and was shocked when he took it with his mouth rather than his hand. I almost leaped out of my seat when I saw the red lips slightly open.?
?
“It’s delicious. Who grilled it?”?
?
Seo-yu hyung mumbled and smiled mischievously.?
?
Wow, fuck it. That wasn’t good for my heart.?
?
I opened my third beer and drank it. After drinking it in, I put it down, and Seo-yu hyung held out a squid leg to me as if he was waiting. I cautiously took it in two fingers and chewed it.?
?
“Anyway, don’t worry about my grades. For 4th graders, my grade is enough.”?
?
“That’s a relief. Your parents will like it. Go home more often. So that your parents don’t get upset.”?
?
Laughter erupted as a result of the stream of emotions.?
?
“Don’t worry. I’m very nice to my mom and dad. I haven’t met anyone among my friends who is more filial than myself.”?
?
“Really?”?
?
“Yeah, I’m on the side of growing up early. My older brother has been away since I was little, and my mom and dad were always busy, so I grew up alone.”?
?
“Really?”?
?
“Besides, I wasn’t too bad at the time, so I was a decent student who had nice manners when I was a child. I’ve been maturing for some time now. As a result, I sometimes wonder when my friends will grow up when I see them.”?
?
“I see.”?
?
Seo-yu hyung stared at me with the eyes when he saw Jae-hoon do cute things. Like I said seeing something cute. His eyes were red and watery. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I changed the topic.?
?
“Seo-yu hyung, are you crying again? I think you’re crying.”?
?
Seo-yu hyung closed his mouth and stared at me as soon as I finished speaking.?
?
“No, I’m not. I try not to cry. Stop talking about that. You made my image weird.”?
?
“I’ve met a lot of Omegas, but I’ve never met one who is as tearful and soft as you.”?
?
“I’m not going to cry. Hey, honestly, when did I ever cry?”?
?
Seo-yu hyung raised his voice as if he was embarrassed. I remember exactly when Seo-yu hyung cried.?
?
“Hyung, you cried when you first came to our house.”?
?
“That… I admit it, is there any other time besides that?”?
?
“At that time, before you got married, you were hospitalized and cried when you were discharged.”?
?
“It’s because of the lint…!”?
?
“You cried again when you woke up after we went to the sea and Hyung almost died.”?
?
“That…”?
?
“And you cried on the way here today.”?
?
“I’m seriously yawning today. Sung-hyung-ah, I swear to you.”?
?
…I think the pronunciation sounded strange at the time, but his tongue was most likely twisted.?
?
Seo-yu hyung drank a can of beer because he was ashamed of crying too often. I missed the timing to stop him.?
?
He wiped his lips and looked at me with misty eyes.?
?
“Hey, but to be honest, you cry a lot as well. At my wedding, you cried a lot. I thought there was a flood. Honestly, you were kind of embarrassed, right??
?
“That’s it. I cried then. Of course, I would cry. My older brother has a new family… I also thought that Seo-yu hyung, who had gone through a difficult time was now happy, and tears came out naturally. I’m not embarrassed at all.”?
?
“…”?
?
“My dad cried more than me.”?
?
At the wedding and gatherings of all kinds of political and financial figures, my dad cried profusely. I was afraid he’d embarrass himself. Of course, it was not embarrassing that I cried.?
?
Seo-yu hyung couldn’t make fun of me any longer when I mentioned my dad, so he just rummaged through the chicken wings.?
?
“Be nice to Mom and Dad. Go home often so that they don’t feel sad.”?
?
“…”?
?
You were definitely drunk.?
?
This wasn’t even soju, it was just beer. A sense of crisis came later. Wasn’t Sung-hoon hyung going to kill me at this point…??
?
“Hyung, stop drinking. I think you’re very drunk right now.”?
?
“I’m going to eat this and get drunk. I’m not a kid.”?
?
“No matter how you look at it, you seem like you’re already drunk. Just eat a lot of snacks.”?
?
“I’m full since I’ve been eating too much since this morning.”?
?
Seo-yu hyung placed his cheeks on the table and played with the chicken wings with chopsticks.?
?
“I should probably go to the cooking class. I heard a lot of people going these days. I should also learn to cook.”?
?
”…”?
?
I didn’t know that I’d heard about learning something from Seo-yu hyung.?
?
I kept contemplating whether to talk about this or not, but I have to say it since he mentioned it.?
?
“Hyung, don’t you want to study other than cooking?”?
?
“What kind of study?”?
?
“It’s just studying at school. Getting a diploma… Don’t you want to go to university?”?
?
“I’m so stupid that it’s no use trying. And what kind of university would accept me at this age?”?
?
Seo-yu hyung laughed as if he heard something meaningless. He hadn’t even thought about it at all.?
?
No. Why did you think so??
?
You might be able to do it well.?
?
Age didn’t matter.?
?
I mean, we have classmates in their 40s at our school.?
?
Seo-yu hyung’s phone, which he had placed on the table, rang while I was pondering which words to spit out of the thoughts rushing through my mind.?
?
[Sung-hoon?]?
?
I was completely taken aback when I saw the name. It was almost time to land. It was even a video call.?
?
My older brother made a video call…?
?
At this rate, he’d be sending emoticons as well.?
?
“Ugh, I guess he is already in Korea.”?
?
With his arms outstretched, Seo-yu hyung immediately picked up his phone and smiled warmly at the person who appeared on the screen.?
?
“Choi Sung-hong ssi, are you in Korea?”?
?
– …Have you been drinking??
?
“Yes, I’m drinking beer at home with Sung-hyun.”?
?
– At this hour? It’s too early. The sun hasn’t set yet.?
?
“I’m going to stop drinking now. It’s nice to see Sung-hyong’s face after a long time. I think I lost some weight.”?
?
What do you mean after a long time. It had been barely two days.?
?
– Seo-yu ssi… You’ve become more beautiful.?
?
His voice was dripping with honey. Obviously, he’d have a gentle and loving expression.?
?
“I really want to see your face. When are you going to arrive?”?
?
– It takes about 30 minutes. Jae-hoon must be asleep.?
?
“He was dozing off because he was full. Hold on. I’ll show you right away.”?
?
I lightly stopped Seo-yu hyung as he was ready to stand up. Don’t wake him up if he’s sleeping.?
?
– I’ll be right there. Please put Sung-hyun on the phone.?
?
“Okay!”?
?
There was no face on the screen when Seo-yu hyung, who replied brightly, handed me the phone. My brother switched to voice call mode.?
?
“Hyu… hyung.”?
?
– How much did you drink??
?
His voice was scary as he spoke. I counted how many bottles and cans there were on the table. I drank most of them.?
?
“Hyung, about two cans and a half-bottle…”?
?
– He cried today??
?
It wasn’t a given word, but I quickly understood it.?
?
“On our way home earlier.”?
?
I grabbed my phone and slowly got up. Seo-yu hyung didn’t care as he cleared the seat with a bright face.?
?
“Seo-yu hyung said it would be good for Jae-hoon to have a younger brother, so I just objected. When the first child has a younger sibling, the first child will be jealous. We might not have realized it because we were the younger brothers. Then I brought up his older brother…”?
?
– …?
?
“I meant to make him give up the second child…”?
?
A low sigh was heard.?
?
My brother didn’t say much to me. He just sighed and hung up the phone after telling me to stop drinking and go home.?
?
“Seo-yu hyung, I’m leaving. I had a nice time today.”?
?
“We merely got together after a time, stay a little longer.”?
?
Seo-yu hyung, who had just finished cleaning, had a sad expression on his face. It was unfortunate, but I had no choice but to leave now because I only have one life.?
?
“I have to do my graduation assignment. I won’t have time to do it next semester, so I’ll do it now.”?
?
“Ah, the assignment… Is it very difficult?”?
?
“I don’t know. I’m so annoyed. I don’t even know what the letters are, so I Gestaltfall.”?
?
“Huh, what kind of fall is it? Is it an accident-related topic?”?
?
“No, no, no. It’s just a term. It’s too difficult.”?
?
“It’s a phrase you use when you feel dizzy because it’s too difficult.”?
?
“Is that so…”?
?
I resisted wanting to stroke Seo-yu hyung’s hair.?
?
“Tell Jae-hoon to listen to his father and be healthy.”?
?
“Yeah, he’ll be sad when he wakes up and see his brother is not here.”?
?
I really hope so. I called driver Oh while taking care of the car key. The driver who was already nearby answered the phone quickly.?
?
“Ah!” said Seo-yu hyung as he unlocked the front door and put on his shoes to walk to the yard. He rushed into the house after that. I was concerned that he would fall because he was drunk. Soon after, Seo-yu hyung reappeared, holding something in his hand.?
?
“I forgot about this and didn’t take it yesterday, so I couldn’t give it to you.”?
?
“What’s this… Whistle?”?
?
“Yeah, it’s dangerous at night, so take it with you.”?
?
“…”?
?
I was 193 cm tall and was an expert in a variety of sports and self-defense skills. I took it very bluntly.?
?
“I’ll use it well. Thank you. When did you buy this?”?
?
“I bought it a while ago while drinking. There’s nothing wrong with having it, so I bought it when I was buying it for your elder brother as well.”?
?
“You got one for my older brother… What… What did he say?”?
?
“He just said thank you. He hangs it on his cell phone. Do you want to as well? You can hang it on the case.”?
?
A man who was 196 cm tall, weighs over 100 kg and has a muscular body… Even the world’s extremely dominant Alpha, who could do any martial art and was stronger than his bodyguards, was given a whistle since the road was dangerous at night.?
?
I was sure the only person who cared about my older brother’s nightlife was Seo-yu hyung. From when he was a child the size of Jae-hoon until now, Seo-yu hyung would be the only one.?
?
That was why I was going to die.?
?
This was why my older brother was crazy over him.?
?
“What’s the matter? Are you getting drunk?”?
?
Seo-yu hyung was concerned when I laughed out loud. I told him it was nothing and thanked him again while raising the whistle to my eyes. It was a bright yellow color. Seo-yu hyung proudly said that it was a fluorescent material that was visible even at night.?
?
All right.?
?
I pondered how could people not adore him if his nature that popped out of his mind after drinking alcohol was a concern for his loved one.?
?
It was such an understandable loveliness.