Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 155

The morning sun peeked through the curtains.

A gentle pattering sound tickled my ears.

I groggily opened my eyes to see the floor and desk divided by an invisible line.

Sleeping like a shrimp had left my shoulders stiff.

Pitter-patter.

Was my right buttock also stiff?

I subtly turned my head to see Siha hitting my butt.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah. Is our Siha awake?”

“Hyung. Wake up.”

“Yeah. I have to wake up. Siha is hitting hyung’s right butt this time? Your way of waking me up has become quite fierce.”

“No. Gently. Did.”

“Oh really? Let’s see how gently you did it.”

I hugged Siha, and we tumbled around.

I also patted his butt.

“How is it? Does it hurt?”

“Fart.”

“You feel like you’re going to fart? Haha.”

I hoped the sticky feeling on my hand was just my imagination.

Anyway, as I held Siha, my eyes started to close.

Siha’s body temperature was perfect as a warm sleeping pillow.

It’s a bit heavy, but I could still handle it.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, Siha wiggled in my arms.

“No. Hyung. Wake up.”

“No. Just 30 seconds. Hyung wants to hold Siha like this. Does Siha not like it?”

“No. Siha too.”

He snuggled into my arms, looking so adorable.

He rubbed his face against me, as if trying to pierce through my heart.

“Aaaah. I can’t take it anymore.”

“No. Can do!”

“Where did you learn that from?”

He relentlessly stabbed my chest with his head, as if possessed by a fencing athlete.

Of course, it didn’t actually hurt.

I was just exaggerating.

These exaggerations have become commonplace when playing with Siha these days.

It feels like I’m doing an exaggerated anime voice acting.

“Let’s get up now.”

“Aaaah!”

My brother and I got up and finished preparing breakfast.

While eating, I said to Siha.

“Siha, hyung is going to visit a pop-up book making place today. I need to get a quote on how much it will cost. I mean, I need to know how much it costs to make the book.”

“Aaa. Siha too.”

“Huh?”

“Siha too. Go. Hyung go to-ge-ther.”

“Ah. Siha wants to go too?”

“Aaa.”

“Don’t you have to go to daycare?”

“No.”

“What about Seung-jun and Hana?”

“No. Hyung. To-ge-ther. Siha book!”

“Oh. Good pronunciation?”

I pondered for a moment.

It seems Siha is curious about how his book is being made.

I’m just going to ask for the price, so it’s not being made yet.

Still, he looked at me while munching on his rice, as if he wanted to go.

“Hyung. Siha too! Just one.”

“Puhaha. That’s what you say when you buy things.”

Siha held the spoon with both hands and pleaded.

Is the spoon instead of one finger?

I can’t resist such cuteness.

I have to call daycare right away and tell them he won’t be coming today.

Look at that. Look at that. Where did he learn that 0.1mm wink with one eye?

If he did that to Moon Do-hwan, he would have said, ‘Get out of here!’

This is a charm that only I can recognize.

It’s like a secret signal, like Morse code.

“Hyungaaaahm~”

Siha rubbed his eyes.

He must have had eye boogers.

We finished our meal and headed to the market.

The company that makes pop-up books was located in the building across from the market.

***

Market.

I’ve been here before, but I’ve never really bought anything.

It’s the same now.

I could buy a skewer on the way, but that’s not what’s important today.

“Hyung. Sell.”

“Yeah. They sell a lot of things here.”

Butcher shops, vegetables, clothes, and so on.

I see them selling various things.

I walk past the buildings that are packed together, like tightly arranged display items.

A woman who made eye contact with me smiled and spoke.

“The twisted doughnuts are well-baked today. Your kid would love to taste them?”

“Ah. It’s okay.”

“Don’t you want to eat one?”

The woman waved a twisted doughnut at Siha.

It looked quite appetizing, warm and fresh.

Siha’s curiosity was piqued, and he was about to fall for the woman’s sales tactic.

Well, it’s not a grand sales tactic.

She’s flexibly changing her target.

“Hyung.”

“Uh-huh? Buy it for you?”

“How much? How much?”

The woman smiled and said.

“It’s 700 won each. 2,000 won for 3.”

“Aaa.”

Nod nod.

He probably doesn’t know how much it is even if I tell him.

I taught him before, but I don’t know if he remembers.

“Siha, that’s 700 won for one, two 500 won coins and two 100 won coins. If you buy 3 twisted doughnuts, it’s two 1,000 won bills.”

“Aaa!”

He seems to understand now.

Still, he knows which money is bigger, so he probably has a sense of which is more expensive.

Yeah. Buying three is more expensive than one.

He probably knows that much. Maybe.

“Grandpa. Two!”

“Huh? Ah. 1,000 won has a grandpa’s picture on it, right. That’s right.”

“Hehehe.”

The woman just smiled, finding Siha cute.

‘Grandpa two’ must have worked.

Siha turned his head and held out four fingers.

“Grandpa two. You four. Give me~”

“Oh my. What is this? Are you trading with me?”

“Aaa.”

Siha pointed to a customer a little further away.

She was currently buying bean sprouts.

“Oh my. I’ll buy here often, so please give me a little more. Okay?”

“Oh dear. Then I won’t have anything left.”

“Come on. Just a little more. Okay?”

“Tsk. Just a little bit. No exceptions next time.”

“I’ll come again next time~”

Then she puts a little more bean sprouts in.

Siha saw that, and it was clear he wanted a little more.

The twisted doughnut woman smiled at that.

“Okay. Instead of four twisted doughnuts, I’ll give you one more of these round cut ones [a type of Korean doughnut]. How’s that?”

“Aaa.”

I only asked, ‘Should I buy it for you?’ but he’s negotiating on the assumption that he’s buying it himself.

What is this? Why do I have a twisted doughnut in my hand?

I unknowingly spent 2,000 won on the natural negotiation.

This, this. Lee Siha. He has a talent for negotiation.

It seemed like he would sell really well if I made a pop-up book.

“Hyung. Bread!”

“Yeah. Here you go.”

I wrapped the twisted doughnut in paper and handed it to Siha.

He ate it very deliciously, thanks to his hard negotiation.

He took a big bite, his cheeks bulging.

Chomp chomp.

He looks like a squirrel with a mouthful of sunflower seeds.

“Ah?”

“No. Nothing.”

I touched his cheek lightly and walked through the market.

I saw various people.

People asking for a discount, people buying at the regular price, people asking the price and leaving because it seems a bit expensive.

There are various consumers here.

It is the merchants who support such a market.

“Here it is.”

“Aaa.”

We arrived at the company that makes pop-up books.

We went inside and took the elevator.

Ding!

After arriving on the 3rd floor, we opened the door and went straight in, and a person greeted us.

“How can I help you?”

“Ah. We came to make a pop-up book.”

“Ah. Applying for an experience [a workshop or class]?”

“No. Individual production request.”

“Ah. I see. Then come this way.”

“Okay. Let’s go, Siha.”

We sat down.

Everyone seemed to be looking at us strangely, as if no one came directly like this.

No. Or are they wondering about the relationship between Siha and me?

“Haha. I didn’t expect a father and son to come to make it like this. Usually, people only come to experience it, not to produce it.”

“Ah. I’m not his father, I’m his brother.”

“Ah! I thought so. You look too young. But the age difference must be huge. Is he the youngest?”

“Ahaha. Yes. That’s right.”

It’s a familiar misunderstanding now.

I guess I can’t help it.

“So, how many are you thinking of making? Do you have a design in mind?”

“We’re going to use our own drawings for the design, and about 10?”

“What? 10? 10 is a bit difficult… If it’s 10, the unit price will be very expensive. And even if you have a design, we’ll have to modify the file.”

“Ah. Will it be very expensive?”

“Yes. We have to make a profit to operate. Actually, we’re even doing 500, which is a small amount.”

“500? Wow… Then how much cheaper is the unit price if you make 500?”

“It’s not cheap. 500 is also a small quantity, so it’s expensive.”

So 10 is a really small quantity.

I thought you could just print it out and put it together.

I don’t know much about how pop-up book companies operate.

I was a little worried.

Do I have to do at least 500?

“Then how much?”

“Including the design cost and the die-cutting cost, the unit price is usually measured at 8,000 won per piece. But since you’re a father. No, you’re a brother. Um. Can I call you a student [college student]?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Since you’re bringing the design draft, if you exclude that part, it’s about 3,500 won?”

500 pieces is 1.75 million won [approximately $1,300 USD].

It’s quite expensive to invest in Siha.

No. I earned that much, so this much…

I was calculating in my head when Siha raised his hand.

The employee smiled at Siha.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Aaa.”

“What is it?”

“Cheap. Grandpa three.”

“Huh?”

I explained that 1,000 won is called ‘Grandpa,’ and the employee laughed as if she understood.

The employees of this company also burst into laughter when they heard that.

The atmosphere is good.

She said.

“You want me to do it for 3,000 won?”

Nod nod.

Siha nodded and added one word.

A line I’ve heard a lot somewhere in the market.

“Here! Buy often! Come again!”

“Puhaha! Ah! So cute! How!”

Other employees filled the room with laughter, as if they agreed.

Everyone threw in a word, and Siha seemed really cute.

I also covered my mouth with my hand at Siha’s words.

That line. It’s the line from the bean sprout woman.

As expected, Lee Siha. His learning ability is no joke.

“Ah. I’m really tearing up. Okay. ‘Grandpa three’ is okay, right?”

“Then I’ll just do 500.”

“Okay. That’s exactly 1.5 million won [approximately $1,100 USD].”

“Thank you.”

“But I don’t need to worry about it. What are you going to do with 500?”

“Ah. Well. I’ll give them to my friends and sell them. This time, Kangin University is holding a used market [flea market].”

“Ah. You’re thinking of selling them there.”

The woman in front of me nodded as if she knew.

“If they don’t sell, there are other ways.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m good at selling.”

I also have KI Media, so I think it will work out somehow.

At least 1.5 million won is worth it.

If I sell them all later, it will be filled that much.

It’s not just consumption.

The scale has gotten bigger, but I can’t sell it.

I sold that many emoticons, so why can’t I sell pop-up books?

“Ah! I didn’t tell you the size. The price is different for A4 [standard letter size] and A3 [tabloid size].”

“Keep the unit price the same even if the paper gets bigger. You promised Siha.”

“Ahaha. Well, I guess.”

“I’m kidding. Please make it A4.”

“Okay. I’ll look at the design first, and if a bigger one is better, make it A3.”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

The story is progressing smoothly.

I stroked Siha’s head next to me.

“Siha, you made the deal. Hyung didn’t do anything today?”

“Ah? No. Hyung. Money.”

“Oh… yeah. I just paid the money. Hyung is the financier.”

The woman in front of me giggled at that.

“Ah. Aren’t you two too funny?”

“Haha.”

I just smiled awkwardly.

Then the production inquiry was roughly over, so I just had to send the money to the account.

“Then we’ll be on our way.”

“Ah. Wait a minute. Siha? You promised? You’re coming again. Come here again to make pop-up books. Okay? We also have experiences.”

“Aaa. Come again.”

I took Siha’s hand at that.

“Say, ‘I’ll come again.'”

“Su-nida!”

“Pfft. That’s okay. Kids can’t speak politely at this time. Ah, here’s my business card. Come again.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I looked at the business card as I went outside.

It said CEO.

‘She was the CEO. No wonder she knew how to reduce the unit price on her own.’

I put the business card in my wallet and nodded.

Now I have to do some legwork in advance.

“Siha.”

“Ah?”

“Let’s look for a place to sell the books from now on. I don’t think we can sell them all at Kangin University.”

“Aaa!”

We walked again.

Holding the two remaining twisted doughnut bags.