Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 35

I paid for the three toys and came outside with Siha.

Siha, holding the bag in his own hands, was so adorable.

Our shopping wasn’t over yet.

“Siha, shall we go to a large bookstore now?”

“Ah ah.”

I took Siha’s hand and went to the bookstore.

I was planning to pick out and buy some picture books for Siha to look at.

But Siha didn’t seem interested in books.

To be precise, he was completely absorbed in the toys.

“Should Hyung [older brother/male friend] pick them out?”

“Ah ah.”

Siha kept glancing inside the bag.

Was he checking to see if they were still there?

I decided to buy Siha his favorite toys next time too.

I looked around the bookstore.

There were so many picture books for young children.

‘More than that…….’

I was worried when I actually tried to choose.

Not about the content, but about the pictures.

I didn’t know what shapes Siha would see in the future.

‘Let’s think about what I can do.’

All I can do now is give him various experiences.

Let him encounter and feel many things.

Then seeing many pictures would also be helpful.

‘Hmm.’

Is that really the case?

When I looked up and analyzed translated texts, there were many terrible ones.

I could see the lacking parts.

There were definitely books that made it hard to concentrate.

You can get indigestion from eating just anything.

‘It’s difficult…….’

I have no intention of giving him an education confined to a frame.

I’ll just show him endlessly freely.

‘Would a photo book with backgrounds or landscapes be better?’

My eyes went from picture books to travel magazines with photos.

‘No.’

I looked at the picture books again.

A picture book is not completed as just one picture.

The story contained within is the key.

The story evokes empathy.

I nodded.

A spark flashed in my head.

Numerous materials from translated novels bounced around in my head.

While searching for the plot of the picture books in front of me, I select books that match the right theme for Siha.

Not the picture, but the story.

Can’t I suggest this much direction?

“Siha. I’ve chosen.”

“Ah ah?”

There were ten books in my hand.

Siha blinked at the sight.

***

A lazy weekend.

Siha was drawing a picture and glanced at Hyung.

Sihyuk was in the living room, holding a pen and muttering something.

“Chinese characters have excellent coining and compression power. The Chinese started worrying about the 문자개혁방안 [Moonja Gaehyeok Bang-an – literally ‘script reform plan’, referring to discussions about simplifying or romanizing Chinese characters] in the 20th century because they couldn’t cross the threshold from ideograms to phonetic letters.”

“Hangeul [Korean alphabet] is the opposite. It started as a phonetic alphabet but is gradually expanding into ideograms.”

Siha didn’t know what that meant.

But he knew that Hyung was studying hard.

He wanted to do something for him.

Siha looked around and found Hyung’s bag.

He took a book out of the bag and opened it.

He opened the drawer, took out crayons, and drew a picture in the blank space.

Round and round circles.

He drew flower petals on it.

It was a sign that the daycare teacher said, ‘You did a good job.’

Flap. He turned the book over.

Scratch, scratch, square.

He released what he had in mind, and cute pictures piled up.

Only after drawing a few more did he close the book and put it back in the bag.

It was the moment a perfect crime was committed.

***

Midterm day.

Many students were sitting in their seats before class, looking at their books.

Coming early to skim through was the same scene as any exam.

I put the book on the desk, but I didn’t really open it.

I was just muttering and reviewing what I had already memorized.

Then Seo Suhyun came to my side.

“Oppa [term used by younger women to address older men they are close to],”

“Oh. You came?”

“Oppa, aren’t you looking at the book?”

“It’s more helpful to recall it without looking.”

“Aren’t you being a bit annoying right now?”

“No. Have you studied a lot?”

Seo Suhyun made a confident expression.

She must have studied a lot.

“I stayed up all night studying.”

“Did you play so much that you had to stay up all night?”

“You’re mean!”

But Seo Suhyun made a startled expression as if it were true.

Originally, exams are cramming.

“Review hard.”

“I feel like I’m going to throw up if I look at it now.”

“Then I’ll show you.”

I kindly opened the book.

There was a picture drawn there.

“Huh?”

“Oppa. How old are you to still be doodling in books?”

“Have you ever done it? It’s fun. That’s not it. I didn’t draw it. Siha must have drawn it…. When did he draw it?”

“Oh, really? Ahahaha. He drew well.”

A square chair was drawn in the picture.

It wasn’t standing up, it was lying down.

Every time I turned the page, a chair was drawn, and at the end, a snail-shaped flower was drawn.

“The picture is so cute.”

“I think so too. I think Siha wanted to show me that he did a good job. But…….”

I don’t know if it’s a misunderstanding, but the picture was very subtle.

I felt like I could put a story on it.

Just as something was about to flash, the professor and graduate student came in.

“Put your books in your bags and put only writing utensils on the desk.”

The exam started.

I submitted the answer sheet with analogies as I had memorized, and I came out first.

Seo Suhyun followed me, probably because she had studied hard.

“You didn’t just write it roughly because you didn’t know the answer, did you?”

“Of course not. Oppa. What are you going to do now? Since we have time, shall we go to a cafe together? A new cafe opened in front of the school, and I’m curious about the taste there. We can even compare answers.”

It wasn’t a very attractive offer.

“Sorry. I have somewhere to go.”

“Daycare?”

“Yeah. And you. You need more sleep than caffeine. I can’t tell if it’s eyeliner or dark circles in your eyes.”

“You’re mean!”

I teased Seo Suhyun one more time and left.

I picked up my phone and contacted Hong Jinsoo.

“Yes! Sihyuk-ssi [term of respect],”

It was still an energetic voice.

Sometimes it’s burdensome.

“Do you know about the medical translation company, Laurence?”

“Of course, I know. But why are you asking that?”

“I saw that CEO Hwang Gijun’s book was published by KI Media. I was wondering if I could get his contact information.”

“Hmm. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you his contact information. If you have any business, I can contact him for you instead.”

“Ah. Then please ask him this. Lee Janghyuk’s son wants to contact him, so can he give me his contact information?”

“Hmm. Was your father acquainted with CEO Hwang?”

“Yes. Probably. They must have been friends.”

“Can you tell me roughly what you’re asking for?”

“It’s just curiosity. I’m also curious about my father.”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll ask him right away.”

The call ended.

After a while. A call came from an unknown number.

“Hello.”

“Is this Lee Janghyuk’s son, Lee Sihyuk-ssi?”

“Yes. That’s right. Are you CEO Hwang Gijun? My father’s friend.”

“That’s right. I met you at the funeral last time, don’t you remember?”

“Ah…. I’m sorry. I was out of my mind at the time, and I met a lot of people I didn’t know.”

“That could be the case. I’m sorry about Janghyuk’s passing.”

“Thank you. And please speak comfortably. You’re my father’s friend…….”

“Shall I? But I heard you contacted me because you were curious about your father. Can you tell me what you’re curious about?”

I chose my words in my head.

“Just my father in college or the work he did as a translator. Such trivial things. Actually, I don’t have anyone to tell these stories to…….”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“Ah! I’m sorry, you must be busy.”

“No. No. If you’re Janghyuk’s son, you’re bound to be curious. He helped me a lot when Janghyuk laid the foundation in the beginning.”

“My father wrote in his book that he only helped when he needed money urgently.”

“It was his charm to help while grumbling sometimes. Haha.”

My father may have had a different image than I thought.

“Let’s talk at a good time. I’ll contact you. Is that okay?”

“Yes. I’d appreciate it if you did.”

“Okay. Let’s meet at the company at a convenient time.”

I thought as I ended the call.

Maybe I need a lot of experience too.

Just as Siha needs experience, I also needed the experience of seeing the world.

This meeting may give me another thought.

‘Then…. Shall I go to the daycare now?’

Before that, I looked at Siha’s picture drawn in the book again.

I took a picture of it, edited it, and uploaded it to Pixiv [online community for artists].

I also added a phrase for storytelling.

***

-Siha’s picture. Pixiv upload.

[Title: Position competition]

1. Two chairs that have fallen with angle picture.

“Timer 25 minutes”

2. Two fallen chairs higher than the first picture.

“Timer 5 minutes”

3. A picture of one chair that is higher than the second picture and standing upright.

“Only one chair”

4. Flower pattern picture.

“You did a good job!”

[Like] [Heart] [Share] […]

[siha.pepe.] [List of works]

#4cutcartoon #competition #Limitedtime

[Comment]

-I’ve been waiting♡♡

-What does this mean this time?

-You can guess to some extent if you look at the hashtag

-It seems to represent a competitive society

-The chair is going up and up, but only the chair sitting in the highest place is standing upright

-You have to be better than others to sit on that throne!

-I’m getting goosebumps!

-I’m really getting goosebumps!

The interpretation was getting more and more.

The people who saw this started to put down their interpretations.

-The easiest distinction in a competitive society is time!

-Wow! So the angle of that chair represents time?!

-It’s written at the bottom. You idiot!

-That’s not all. 5 minutes. 25 minutes. Do you know what this means?

-What does it mean?

-It’s a Pomodoro [Italian word for tomato, referring to the Pomodoro Technique]!

Pomodoro Technique.

It was a time management methodology proposed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.

A time management methodology that works for 25 minutes and rests for 5 minutes.

-!!!

-It’s a criticism of the busy life of modern people who have no choice but to use Pomodoro!

-Crazy. Did this short 4-cut cartoon have such a subtle and profound meaning?!

-As expected, I believed in 5252 [Korean slang for ‘lol’]. Sihapepe!!

In reality, Sihyuk just put it on.

But the readers who didn’t know that started to come up with various interpretations.

-I was horrified by the picture of the chair going up! This artist is a genius!

In fact, Siha just drew the chair Sihyuk was sitting on in various ways.

But the people who saw the picture didn’t know this.

So various interpretations came out.

-But why did you draw the last chair so ordinary? In the end, aren’t you taking a position like a throne?

-That’s not it. In fact, ordinary people like us compete!

-That’s right! That’s it. I’m talking about things like entrance exams and employment.

-After getting something that seems so great, it’s a low-level employee. Damn it!

-oh my god! Did you even think about that and express it?!

-How much meaning did you put into this little picture?!

Siha didn’t have any of those thoughts.

He just drew the chair in the house.

-Then how should we interpret ‘You did a good job!’ under the flower pattern?

-Isn’t that an expression usually used for young children?

-You have to understand the Sihapepe drawing style. The drawing style is cute.

In fact, the drawing style was cute.

-Why is that?

-This means that what you get from the competition may be futile and empty, but I’ll still praise you.

-Are you saying it’s a word of comfort?!

-No. My opinion is different. In the end, what you get is a small prize like a child.”

The picture Siha made and the phrase Sihyuk made.

The synergy of the two burned the comments like this.