Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 124

Hyung, Am I Cute? 124

My heart flutters as 퇴근 [toe-geun, leaving work] time approaches.

While 출근 [chool-geun, going to work] makes me feel like I’m not suited for my job, 퇴근 is different.

It feels like waiting for someone to give a child a sweet snack.

The same goes for students.

The time to go home after a day of studying.

It’s like being freed from a narrow cage.

Even though they have to go to 학원 [hagwon, cram school] soon, going home from school is always right.

Because they have more free time.

The same was true for the daycare kids.

“Wow! It’s time to go home!”

Seung-jun jumped up and down.

He was sad to part with his friends, but happy to see his mom and dad.

His daily routine is always playing, but that’s still work for a child.

They have fun, sweat, and play before going home.

“Hana is going home to play!”

Of course, they play at home too.

If there is a black company that works 24 hours a day.

Children’s every day is a black workplace where they play 24 hours a day.

Perhaps it’s the dream job that most adults want.

The teacher said.

“Ahem, kids. You all know about the 과자 [gwaja, snack] party next Monday, right?”

“Huh?”

Siha tilted his head.

He looked like he was hearing about it for the first time.

“I thought you’d forget, so I wrote it in your 알림장 [allimjang, notification or school communication book]. On Monday, you’re bringing 과자 [gwaja, snacks] to introduce to your friends. Got it?”

“Yes!”

Siha was curious as to why he had to bring 과자 [gwaja, snacks].

“Whyyy~?”

The teacher smiled at Siha.

As if she had been waiting for that question.

“Okay! It says in the 알림장 [allimjang, notification] like this: Bring the 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that your mom and dad liked! I want to know that mom and dad also liked 과자 [gwaja, snacks]. I wonder what this 과자 [gwaja, snack] tastes like. It’ll be fun, right?”

“Ahhh.”

Siha looked at his hand.

A sparkling pink light burst out and enveloped Siha.

“Ahhh! Mom. 까자 [kkaja, Snack – Siha’s pronunciation of gwaja].”

The pink light drew a question mark.

Siha made a square with his hand and pretended to eat.

“Mom. 조아하는 [joahaneun, Favorite] 까자 [kkaja, Snack].”

The teacher nodded as she watched.

“Siha can bring the 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that Hyung likes.”

“Huh?”

Siha tilted his head.

Because he didn’t know what 과자 [gwaja, snacks] Hyung liked.

He had never thought about it.

Neither the 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that Mom liked.

Nor the 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that Dad liked.

The other children were the same as Siha.

The teacher’s intention worked well.

It was a 과자 [gwaja, snack] party to make them think about this.

Mom and Dad actually ate 과자 [gwaja, snacks] and liked them.

Hana approached Siha and took his hand.

“Siha.”

“Ahhh. Hana.”

“You have to bring Si-hyeok 오빠 [oppa, older brother – term used by females]’s favorite 과자 [gwaja, snacks]!”

“Ahhh.”

The teacher shook her head.

Hana, isn’t your purpose too clear?

Please think about your parents too.

Sometimes you might be curious about what 과자 [gwaja, snacks] your favorite person likes.

***

“Hyung!”

As soon as he got home, Siha took out his bag and showed me the 알림장 [allimjang, notification].

I wondered what was going on and looked at the 알림장 [allimjang, notification].

“Why this? Did something fun happen today?”

“Ahhh. 까자 [kkaja, Snack].”

“과자 [Gwaja, Snack]? Why 과자 [gwaja, snack] suddenly? Do you want to eat 과자 [gwaja, snacks]?”

I confidently stood up and stretched my shoulders.

I worked hard to earn money to buy Siha’s favorite 과자 [gwaja, snacks].

Even if 50% of the 과자 [gwaja, snack] bag is filled with nitrogen, I can buy anything for Siha.

“Just tell me. Hyung will go to a big discount store and buy all kinds of them from here to there.”

“No.”

“Huh? You don’t want to eat 과자 [gwaja, snacks]?”

“Ahhh. Mom, Dad, Hyung. 까자 [kkaja, Snack].”

“Huh? You’re buying 과자 [gwaja, snacks] for Mom, Dad, and Hyung?”

“No.”

Siha pointed to the 알림장 [allimjang, notification] in my hand.

I unknowingly gently grabbed his small finger.

“No.”

“Yeah. I knew it wasn’t. I just grabbed it because it was so cute.”

I opened the 알림장 [allimjang, notification] as Siha said.

The Monday 과자 [gwaja, snack] party will be held.

It says to bring 추억 [chueok, memories] of 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that your family liked when they were young or 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that they still like.

So Siha is looking for 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that Mom and Dad like.

‘I know about Dad, but I don’t know much about Mom.’

But should I teach him about 과자 [gwaja, snacks] that remind me of Mom and Dad?

What if he looks for Mom and Dad?

I’m worried about what to do if Siha looks for Mom and Dad.

I don’t know what to do in this case.

‘Still…….’

Should I tell him?

What can Siha 추억 [chueok, memories] when he 추억 [chueok, memories] Mom and Dad later?

Shouldn’t I fill that void little by little?

Like an old story.

Dad was like this, and Mom was like that.

By telling those stories, I can leave them in my 추억 [chueok, memories]…….

Few people’s 추억 [chueok, memories] remain as videos, and they exist as ‘stories’.

Since videos are something I can’t fill, I may have to fill them as ‘stories’.

“Then Siha. Shall we go buy 과자 [gwaja, snacks] tomorrow?”

“Ahhh!”

“Leave it to Hyung. Hyung knows best what Dad likes. It hasn’t changed at all.”

Father always liked ‘마앗동산 [Maatdongsan]’ and ‘약과 [Yakgwa, Yakgwa is a traditional Korean honey cookie]’.

He said he liked ‘마앗동산 [Maatdongsan]’ when he was young, so I guess that’s right.

“Mom!”

“Huh? Mom is…. It’s a secret. I’ll tell you when we go buy 과자 [gwaja, snacks] tomorrow.”

“Ahhh.”

Siha nodded and left.

He turned on the tablet and drew hard.

I sighed inwardly.

Siha’s words hit my heart.

The purpose of the 과자 [gwaja, snack] party in the 알림장 [allimjang, notification] also hit my heart.

‘What do I know?’

I didn’t know anything about my 새엄마 [sae-eomma, stepmother].

I thought that if we lived together and talked, we would become fond of each other and get to know each other better.

I didn’t expect that time to be so short.

I was indifferent under the pretext of being busy and preparing for 스펙 [seupek, specs – qualifications/resume building]…… I’m too late…….

‘I thought she was friendly and talked a lot…….’

Wasn’t that just 맞춰 주는 [matchwo juneun, accommodating] me?

Just like I always listen to and 맞춰 주는 [matchwo juneun, accommodate] Siha.

Why am I only realizing this now?

‘I don’t know.’

What is a mom?

I feel like my heart is being pressed down.

I guess I’m still stuck in that 추억 [chueok, memory].

I shook my head slightly and thought differently.

I felt like I was starting to dislike the 과자 [gwaja, snack] party a little.

***

The next day.

As usual, Siha woke me up.

He climbed on top of me and fluttered his arms and legs as if he were swimming.

“Ugh.”

“Hyung!”

I kept looking at Siha with my eyes half-closed.

Flutter flutter.

The hand movements swimming in the air were flexible.

It was quite annoying, but I wanted to keep watching Siha like this, so I kept my eyes half-closed.

So I guess Siha thinks I’m still sleeping.

“Snore~”

“Hyung! Hyung!”

Flutter flutter.

He floats around on my stomach to wake me up.

I took a deep breath and put 힘 [him, strength] in my stomach.

My stomach bulged out and lifted Siha up.

“Ahhh! Hyung!”

When I saw it, the meaning of ‘Hyung’ had changed.

The Hyung in front meant to wake up, while the Hyung in the back was an exclamation of fun.

Maybe I should make a Hyung translator later?

“Hoo.”

My stomach sank.

“Heup!”

My stomach popped out again.

Siha continued to oscillate up and down like a wave.

Swaying. Swaying.

“Ahhh!”

He greeted me in the morning.

It was the first cuteness.

Snap out of it.

I’m thinking all sorts of things because it’s morning.

I gently opened my eyes.

“Siha. Are you awake?”

“Ahhh. Hyung!”

“Keep going?”

“Uh-huh.”

We made waves for a while before I could finally get up.

My abs were sore, like I had been doing crunches since morning.

Why?

“Siha, we were going to buy snacks today, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then let’s go.”

We roughly finished breakfast and left the house.

The place Siha and I were going to today was none other than a stationery store!

And it was near an elementary school.

Everyone has probably experienced it at least once.

Sometimes you go to buy school supplies, but other times you go to buy cheap snacks or toys.

Today, instead of a large supermarket, I was planning to visit the stationery store I used to frequent.

“Siha, are you excited?”

“Uh-huh!”

“The place we’re going to today is Banggu Banggu Stationery.”

“Banggu? Poong?”

“Hehe. Yeah. Poong-coming-out Banggu Banggu Stationery.”

Siha clapped his hands, happy to hear the word ‘banggu’ [fart].

I guess all kids like poop and fart stories.

It’s dirty, but why do they like it so much?

I still find fart stories funny too.

“Banggu Banggu Stationery!”

Siha repeated after me, finding my words funny.

But this wasn’t a joke; it was the actual name of the stationery store’s sign.

“We’re here!”

“Uh-huh!”

[Banggu Banggu Stationery]

The stationery store that was there even when I was in elementary school.

The sign had been replaced with a new one, as if it had to avoid the passage of time.

‘I imagined it would look old…’

It was surprisingly clean.

The two arcade machines in front were also a reminder of the past.

The ‘Arrsong Dalssong’ [Confusing Vague] arcade game also brought back memories of my childhood.

“Hyung?”

“Huh? Ah! Let’s go in.”

“Uh-huh.”

I took Siha’s hand and entered the stationery store.

“Hello.”

“Hello! Say hello!”

The middle-aged woman who was diligently watching TV turned her head.

She had more wrinkles than before.

Well, 11 years had passed since then, so it was only natural.

The last time I was here was when I was 12 years old, in 6th grade.

Because I was born early in the year, my friends told me to tell people to call me ‘hyung’ [older brother or male friend].

“Welcome. Oh? You’re Si-hyuk!”

“Oh? You remember me?”

“Of course, I remember you. Aren’t you the Si-hyuk who was popular with the girls?”

“No, I’m not. Who is that kid?”

“No? Yes, you are? Model student Lee Si-hyuk. You were always praised by the teacher and won awards, so you were popular.”

“That was just an attendance award, though?”

“No, it wasn’t?”

Why do you remember even that? It’s embarrassing.

“Ahem. It’s nothing.”

“No, I know everything. I don’t remember what award it was, but a girl who liked you was always chattering to me about it? Was it Ji-eun or Ye-seul? Something like that.”

“Those are names I’m hearing for the first time.”

“Oh, really? So many kids come and go that I don’t remember the names.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

Stationery stores in front of schools are quite popular.

It’s convenient because you can buy supplies you didn’t prepare in advance right at the stationery store before going to school.

It’s really convenient in that regard.

Of course, diligent me used to buy them at the stationery store after school in advance.

“Anyway, it’s nice to see you. I can’t believe a snot-nosed kid grew up to be so handsome.”

“I wasn’t a snot-nosed kid, though?”

“That’s just a figure of speech. A figure of speech.”

Hey. Siha is next to me, so what’s with the ‘snot-nosed kid’?

It doesn’t give off an air of authority. An air of authority.

“Hyung?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my. He’s your younger brother? I thought you already had a kid.”

“Haha. There’s no way.”

“Why? You could have gotten married early because of a speed violation [getting someone pregnant].”

“Ahem. Even with a kid.”

“It’s okay. A young child like this won’t understand what we’re saying. Hello. What’s your name? How old are you?”

Siha confidently held up three fingers.

“Siha. Thwee years old!”

“Pfft!”

The middle-aged woman burst out laughing in front of me.

I corrected Siha.

“Siha, not ‘thwee’ years old, but ‘three’ years old.”

“Uh-huh. Thwee three years old.”

“Three years old!”

“Thwee years old.”

Siha, are you not correcting it on purpose?

“The kid is so cute.”

“Isn’t he?”

“But what did you come here to buy? You’re not here to buy something like hardboard, are you?”

“Haha. I was thinking of buying some nostalgic snacks today.”

“Oh, really? The layout hasn’t changed much since then. It’s over there.”

“Is that so? Thank you. Siha, let’s go. Hyung will show you some new snacks today.”

“Uh-huh!”

I went to where the snacks were.

Before that.

“Siha, do you want to play a game?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s do this first and get a medal, then confidently come back into the stationery store.”

“Uh-huh!”

I could hear the stationery store lady chuckling behind me.

To be honest, I also wanted to play it after a long time.

“Okay. This is the Arrsong Dalssong game. There are two buttons here, right? One is Arrsong, and the other is Dalssong.”

A round circle.

‘Arrsong’ is written on the front, and ‘Dalssong’ is written on the back.

When you start the game, the upright round circle spins.

The person playing the game has to choose whether Arrsong or Dalssong will come out.

“Okay! Hyung will show you first.”

When I put in 100 won [Korean currency, approximately $0.08 USD], Arrsong and Dalssong moved quickly.

I quickly clicked Arrsong.

Click! Correct.

‘If you get it right, a medal comes out.’

Drrr.

The sound rang, and the light started to move.

The light moving in a circle randomly selects how many medals will come out.

“You have to rapidly tap at this time.”

Tatatatatatatatatatatatatatatata.

I started tapping the button rapidly with two fingers.

Actually, it didn’t mean you would get anything better by doing this.

It just made you feel that way.

It’s a memory with friends from when I was young.

The light stopped at ‘X5’.

“Oh! It’s coming out.”

I put my hand where the medals were coming out.

Clink. Clink.

Five medals came out.

This machine could give out a maximum of 20.

“Tada! This is how you get medals.”

“Uh-huh! Hyung!”

Siha looked at the medals with a curious expression.

“Siha too!”

“Siha wants to do it too?”

“Uh-huh.”

Then the middle-aged woman who was watching said.

“I almost forgot, but that’s not 100 won per medal, is it?”

“Yes?”

“Those medals are duds. Ten duds for a beer-shaped candy. Or a cider-shaped candy.”

“Huh?”

Since when did it change like that?

Ah. Well. These kinds of payout games aren’t good for children’s emotional development.

Still, the game is too much.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah? Do you want to try?”

“Uh-huh.”

I put in 100 won.

“Then are there medals that aren’t duds?”

“There are. Gold medals.”

“What do you exchange them for?”

“We exchange them for card packs that kids like.”

“Oh! Aren’t those over 1,000 won?”

“They’re over 1,000 won. Isn’t it worth investing 100 won for that? And it’s written in front.”

“Ah, it is.”

It was written on paper above the game machine.

I didn’t see this.

“But there aren’t many gold medals, are there?”

“Ahem.”

I narrowed my eyes.

There’s no doubt that there aren’t many gold medals.

While we were talking like that, Siha was diligently pressing the Arrsong Dalssong button.

Tatatatatata.

The light moved and stopped at ‘X20’.

The middle-aged woman looked at it and said.

“Lucky you.”