Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 86

Hyung, Am I Cute? – Episode 86

Four people entered the room: two children and two women.

Siha recognized one of the children. It was Park Jiho, his mud-ball-making friend.

Jiho waved at Siha and plopped down beside him, looking much brighter than before. Seeing Siha seemed to have cheered him up.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Jiho said.

“Ah ah. Jiho hyung [older brother/friend],” Siha replied.

“Yeah. How have you been?”

“Ah ah. Siha. Meat!”

Siha proudly displayed the meat he’d speared with his fork before popping it into his mouth.

Jiho wiped grease from his mouth with a tissue.

“So, you’ve been doing well eating meat? Want to play after we eat?”

“Ah ah,” Siha nodded.

A girl peeked out from behind Jiho. He introduced her: “This is Tzuhan.”

“Juhan?”

Kim Byungsoo, who had been eavesdropping, chimed in, “USFK [United States Forces Korea] (Juhan Miguen).”

Seo Soohyun scolded him, “Ugh. Dad joke.”

Kim Byungsoo flinched and shut his mouth, still reeling from the ‘Bingu’ [fool/idiot] comment he’d received earlier.

Siha carefully repeated the name several times until he pronounced “Tzuhan” correctly. Kim Byungsoo couldn’t help but think, ‘Why can’t he say my name right?’

But Siha continued to call Kim Byungsoo “Bingu,” because Seo Soohyun found it amusing. His name was now officially Bingu.

Park Jiho said, “Mom, this is Siha I told you about.”

“Really? Hello, Siha. I’ve heard so much about you. I heard you helped Jiho a lot?”

“Ah ah. Jiho hyung. Good.”

“Thank you for liking him. Is your hyung [older brother] here?” Jiho’s mom looked around.

Siha pointed to the next room. “He’s in the next room?”

“Ah ah.”

“I see. I should say hello later.”

Jiho’s mom knew who was in the next room, so she nodded and sat down. A close Chinese friend sat beside her.

Jiho’s mom had come to Korea with her friend for sightseeing and translation assistance. She hadn’t initially wanted to attend this event, but her daughter was playing with another child, and she thought she would be bored, so she asked her to come along.

She was about to decline, thinking it would be a bother, but her quick-thinking friend called first, and KI Media readily agreed, saying they just needed to add two more place settings.

Looking at Siha, Jiho’s mom said, “Siha, play well with Tzuhan, okay?”

“Ah ah.”

Siha nodded and looked at Tzuhan, waving and saying hello. “Annyeong [Hello]!”

Tzuhan, feeling shy, hid behind Jiho. She didn’t speak Korean well and was a little flustered because she liked Siha.

“Ah?” Siha tilted his head, puzzled.

Jiho ate the grilled meat beside Siha, savoring the taste. “Siha, the meat is delicious.”

“Ah ah. Tzuhan. Meat!”

Tzuhan was startled by the meat Siha offered, but she opened her mouth slightly. The people around them watched the heartwarming scene with smiles.

***

I excused myself to the bathroom during a lull in the conversation, figuring the meal would keep them occupied for a while. After they’d eaten their fill, they’d start talking. Once the meal was cleared and snacks arrived, they might have a drink, though probably not much.

‘Hmm. Should I check on Siha for a moment?’

I washed and dried my hands and headed to the room where Siha was. Gently sliding the door open, I could see the table inside.

‘Huh? Jiho’s here?’

I hadn’t expected to see Jiho. I’d heard he’d gone to China. Did he come back? Or was he just visiting?

Whatever the reason, I was happy to see him. He looked much brighter, which was very pleasing. Kids should smile like that.

I’m glad I’m a mom who can protect that smile, unlike myself.

“Hyung!”

I was just going to peek in, but Siha caught my eye. I had no choice but to go in.

“Siha, are you eating well?”

“Annya [No].”

“Huh? Why? Is it not tasty?”

“Hyung. Ubsuh [Missing].”

Gasp! Don’t tell me he wasn’t eating well because I wasn’t there? Where did he learn that?

But Siha, wouldn’t it have been better if you’d swallowed the meat in your cheeks before telling me?

Anyway, Siha was cute.

“Let’s go to an even more delicious place next time, Hyung and you. Okay?”

“Ah ah.”

I turned and greeted Jiho, who brightly said, “Hello,” and introduced me to his mom.

Jiho’s mom reached out her hand with a happy expression. “I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you.”

“No, I’m more grateful.”

“I don’t know how much I cried after that incident.”

“It was quite an incident, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. We must make sure that such a thing never happens again. Ah, that’s right. How did you end up here? I can guess, roughly.”

“Haha. Well, I got a job as an interpreter by chance. I have to get back soon.”

“Ah, I see. But can I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

Jiho’s mom lowered her voice. “If this contract goes well, is it a good thing? Is it important to Si Hyuk?”

“Yes, well, it’s good if it goes well. I have some debts, so.”

“I see. If it goes wrong, there won’t be any harm to Si Hyuk, right?”

What’s this about? Why is she suddenly asking about this? Does she have some inside information?

I couldn’t help but be curious.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Let’s talk separately for a moment.”

“Hmm. We have time. They’re probably focused on the meal right now.”

I told Siha I was going to work and slipped out of the restaurant.

“Let’s take a walk around here.”

The story began as we walked down the street. The first thing she did was hand me a business card.

“I work at Blair, an American hedge fund company.”

“Blair?”

“Yes. It’s well-known in the stock market. I belong to Blair Research, specifically.”

“Are you stationed in China for investigation?”

“Yes. We invest in a unique way. We only trust numbers. So, I came to investigate this company.”

“Can you even tell me this kind of information?”

I knew this much: this kind of information wasn’t something you could share carelessly.

“Of course not. But I owe Si Hyuk a debt. I can’t live with owing someone.”

“Ah haha. Is that so?”

“Yes. To put it simply, we’ve been watching UX. They don’t actually fake their sales numbers. Electronic finance calculates everything.”

I nodded. It’s not easy to fake sales. Honestly, there was no need to. There are countless works that sell well. So, what’s the problem?

“Something won’t go wrong, will it?”

“No. Rather, the company will continue to grow, unless there’s a limit to some extent.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“How do you see CEO Jang Wei, who is running UX now?”

I thought of Jang Wei. He’s articulate and well-groomed. His clothes and demeanor give off a neat and trustworthy vibe.

As I said that, she nodded. “That’s right. He’s that kind of salesman.”

“Yes?”

“I told you? We only look at numbers. That doesn’t just mean stock graphs.”

“Then?”

“We also assess whether a person is a salesman or not – their sales pitch, exactly. My current assessment of Jang Wei is that he’s a typical salesman.”

“Then are you saying he’s planning to sell UX?”

“Of course. He’s thinking of selling it and moving on. The problem is who to hand over the management to.”

I didn’t understand. He’s the CEO, so why would he sell it? Would he let someone else manage it?

She smiled at my expression. “You look confused.”

“Well, yes, I am.”

“A CEO who’s good at sales also dreams other dreams. This is just an object to him, so there’s no attachment. And there are two UX CEOs.”

I nodded. To Jang Wei, UX is just a commodity.

“Then what does this have to do with KI Media?”

“It’s not necessarily beneficial to KI Media, if my expected policy is correct.”

“What do you expect?”

“Maybe when the manager changes, they’ll exploit the writers even more than they do now. UX will retain the copyright.”

“Yes? Is that possible?”

“That’s why monopoly is scary.”

I could roughly understand. UX probably controls more than half of the web novel market – at least 70%. That kind of abuse would make sense. Familiar people will look for UX, and because there are so many people, writers have no choice but to accept it.

The problem is how to address it.

“What’s the method?”

“Maybe with advertising revenue. They’ll release the works for free.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. It’s an extension of the current abuse of power – whether to give banners and promotions on the site or not.”

“Will the writers stand for it?”

“Of course not. They’ll compromise to some extent to protect their copyright. The problem is…”

“It will take a long time to get better.”

This deal is a loss. Even if it’s not a loss, if it plays out like that on the platform, the banners and promotions of Korean novels will become opaque.

‘KI Media doesn’t need to get involved, does it?’

KI Media has already established a route called Armorzon. There’s really no need to push so hard.

‘Anyway, the decision isn’t mine.’ I’m not a KI Media employee. I just owe them a small debt.

‘Come to think of it, Jang Wei was interested in me? There was even talk of investment.’

I thought as I walked gently. ‘I’m going to use it. I might lose a trading partner.’

The reason the contract with Armorzon was made was because of the relationship of trust between people. Then, if UX deliberately lures people away?

Even if UX comes out deliberately with a lot of money, will there be an editor who can withstand it?

Unlike companies, there was a clear positional limit to the position that a publishing editor could climb.

And Jang Wei isn’t someone who wants a symbiotic relationship, but someone who wants to package it well and sell it.

‘It would be better to tell the CEO.’ It’s just something that might not happen, just a possibility. The KI CEO will make the decision.

I owe the CEO and Manager Hong Jinsu, so I’ll have to repay them with this.

I looked at Jiho’s mom, who had told me this story. “Thank you. It was helpful.”

“What? Maybe Jang Wei will give Si Hyuk a good offer. You’re a freelancer now.”

“Ah…….”

Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe he’ll offer too much money to refuse. I just smiled. We’ve already been through this once.

“Shall we go back in then? Everyone might be looking for me.”

“Yes. We’re already here.”

“Siha is going to the kids’ cafe after the meal. If it’s okay, take the baby who came with Jiho. It might be fun.”

“Shall we?”

“Yes. If you want to go, ask the lady next to Siha when she leaves.”

She made a finger gun and shot it at me.

“Ah. Maybe a girlfriend?”

“No. She’s a junior [younger colleague/friend].”

“Isn’t there supposed to be something between close seniors [older colleague/friend] and juniors?”

“Well? I’ll have to think about it if she’s cuter than Siha.”

She pouted as if it wasn’t fun. “There will never be something.”

It seems she also acknowledged Siha’s cuteness. Siha is cute after all.

***

-1 hour later.

-Restaurant smoking area.

Jang Wei said to me, smoking a cigarette, “If you join UX, I will give you an annual salary of 120 million won [approximately $90,000 USD].”

What does this mean? An annual salary of 120 million won?

Jang Wei continued as if the offer wasn’t over. “I will give you 120 million won as a bonus that falls every year, if you do translation and interpretation work.”