Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 171

“Hyung, aren’t I cute?”

“But what brings you here?”

At my words, Baek Dong-hwan wore a disappointed expression.

Was it something I said to warrant such a face?

“Hyungnim [older brother, a term of endearment], do I need a reason to come? I can just drop by to hang out.”

“That’s true, but weren’t you busy these days?”

“My work has wrapped up lately, so I’m fine. Ah! Actually, I bought a camera this time.”

“You’ve picked up an expensive hobby.”

Baek Dong-hwan showed off his camera.

It looked really heavy with the lens attached.

It seems the reason he came here was to brag about this.

“These days, my hobby is taking pictures of Seoul’s scenery. Whenever I see a clear sky, I want to capture it. And the Han River view, *keueu* [an onomatopoeic expression of satisfaction, like ‘ahhh’].”

“Yeah. You’re working hard, so you can have a hobby. But shouldn’t you be careful?”

“What do you mean?” Baek Dong-hwan asked, peering through the camera.

Seeing that huge guy holding a camera makes him look smaller.

Even though he’s not a small size.

“Won’t people think you’re investigating them to dig up dirt on someone?”

“Haha. What are you talking about? Who would misunderstand like that? There’s no such misunderstanding at all.”

“I guess so?”

Why does it seem quite plausible to me?

Anyway, seeing a good camera makes me want to buy one too.

I have many opportunities to take pictures of Siha.

But thinking about it again, phone cameras are so good these days, I don’t really need to buy one.

Buying a camera is indeed an expensive hobby.

It was expensive before, but it feels even more expensive now?

“Ah! Perfect timing. I need to make Siha’s passport, so can you take some pictures?”

“Of course. But instead of going to a photo studio, you’re going to take them here?”

“Yeah. These days, don’t people just take pictures and edit them with a program before printing them?”

“That’s true. I didn’t expect you to know that, Hyungnim.”

“Why? Do I seem out of touch with civilization or something?”

“Not really, but it feels like you only know professional knowledge.”

“I’m also in my twenties, you know. I’m not that out of touch.”

“Haha. Then I’ll take the pictures for you.”

“Oh! Really?”

Baek Dong-hwan grinned.

Looking at his expression, it seems he has more to brag about.

“Actually, I’ve also set up a photo printer at home. I’ll print out Siha’s face neatly with that.”

“Oh? Wow, you. Are you planning to enjoy this seriously?”

“Of course.”

“But aren’t you just making a big fuss and it’ll end up in the storage room in less than a month?”

“Hyungnim. That’s something you shouldn’t say out loud.”

Seeing him say that, it seems he’s also uneasy.

Isn’t the journey of all hobbies towards the storage room?

Well, maybe not.

“Baek Dong! Camera!”

“Huh? Ah! This isn’t something to play with. I bought it with expensive money.”

“No. Siha, gently.”

“What if he drops it while being gentle?”

“Siha. Blow on it~”

“No. This isn’t something that can be healed by blowing on it~”

Seeing them bickering like that makes me laugh.

If all illnesses could be cured by blowing on them, there would be no need for hospitals.

Anyway, Siha is cute.

“Then shall we take a picture now? Siha, stand over there.”

“Aah.”

“No. Not in the hallway, stand over there by the wallpaper. The white color will make your face look brighter. That’s right.”

Siha stuck his face right against the wallpaper.

Baek Dong-hwan is snapping pictures, saying, “That’s right. That’s right.”

His head is turned to the side, taking pictures from the side. I don’t know what he’s doing.

Hey. Baek Dong-hwan. Passport photos need to be taken from the front.

“Siha, stick your back to the wall and let’s take a picture. So your face comes out well.”

“Hyung too.”

“Hyung will take one with you later. Okay?”

“Aah.”

Siha stuck his back to the wall.

As expected, he listens to me well. I can take a perfect picture except for one thing.

“Siha, you need to put down the V [peace sign].”

He stuck the V to his face and then slightly lowered it.

I made him stand at attention, but he can’t give up the V, so it’s peeking out.

Since we’re only taking a picture of his upper body anyway, the V won’t even be visible.

“Are we taking it now?”

“Aah.”

At that moment, Baek Dong-hwan voiced a question.

“Hyungnim. But to use the photo, shouldn’t we show all the eyebrows? And the ears?”

“Ah…. That’s right.”

Siha’s bangs have grown a bit and are slightly covering his eyebrows.

I could cut his bangs with my own hands, but I’m worried a disaster might happen.

After hesitating, I thought it would be better to sweep up his bangs.

I brought wax and hairspray from the room.

“Siha, just a moment. Bathroom time.”

I sprayed some water and dried the roots with a hairdryer.

I squeezed out a coin-sized amount of wax onto my palm.

I gently rubbed it, melting it with the heat of my palm. I touched Siha’s hair. It’s soft. Children’s hair is so smooth.

I boldly swept up his bangs and gave volume to the top of his head.

Knowing that wasn’t enough, I quickly fixed it with hairspray.

“Close your eyes tightly.”

“Aah.”

Tightly.

I sprayed the hairspray. *Chwaak. Chwaak* [sound of spraying].

The transparent droplets hardened his hair, and the unique scent of hairspray stung my nose.

“Smell.”

“Hahaha. But it’s not a weird smell, right?”

“Good smell?”

“Well, it’s ambiguous to say it’s good.”

That’s how the forehead-revealing hairstyle was completed.

As expected, he’s cute no matter what he does because of his face.

Why isn’t he handsome? To be handsome, you have to get through middle school well……. [Korean saying that one’s looks are determined by how well they navigate middle school years].

Anyway, it suits him very well.

“Okay. Let’s take the picture again.”

“Hyung. Siha face. Face.”

“Ah. You want to see your face? Just a moment.”

I held Siha and showed him the mirror.

He touches his hair slightly, as if he likes it. The poking fingers are careful.

As if he shouldn’t ruin it.

“Hyung. Siha transform.”

“Hahaha. Siha transformed. Amazing.”

“Siha cool.”

“Really?”

Funnily enough, he looks at his face and turns it this way and that.

I didn’t know he would like it this much.

I should style his hair sometimes.

He shouldn’t get into fashion like this already.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah. I’ll put you down.”

“Baek Dong! Ta-da!!”

“Wow! Siha, you’re really cool. You could totally be a celebrity.”

I nodded.

With that kind of appearance, he could debut as a child actor without a doubt.

But the entertainment industry is a no-go. If he gets into that, he won’t have time to play with me.

“Siha’s facial expressions are top-notch, but I heard the entertainment industry is tough, so I won’t send him there.”

“Excuse me? Hyungnim. I must have misheard you.”

“Siha has a talent for acting. All emotions are expressed in the small movements of his face. It’s an amazing talent. Hey. Why are you making that face?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“That’s strange. You looked very disrespectful.”

“Is Siha a religion? Disrespectful?”

“Let’s just take the picture quickly.”

There were many words and troubles, but in the end, we were able to take the picture.

Siha, who saw his cool picture, said,

“V…….”

Yeah. Even if you say that, the V won’t come out.

Siha thought not having the V in the picture was more important than his hair.

***

The next day.

Si-hyeok applied for a passport, and Siha arrived at the daycare center.

The children showed interest in Siha’s slightly different hairstyle today.

Seung-joon said,

“Wow. Siha, your hair is cool.”

“Aah. Seung-joon.”

Traveling is said to change a person’s mood, but it was already showing on Siha even before going.

“Siha. Click. Did. Hair. Hyung did.”

“Wow. Si-hyeok hyung is the best. My dad can’t do that. He cut my bangs with scissors before.”

He stuck right next to Seung-joon as if he had a lot to say about that.

“Dad can’t cut. Weird. Weird.”

Being sensitive about bangs is the same for children and adults alike.

The twins had a serious debate.

“Mom should have done it, but Dad did it. It was so weird.”

“Right! I cried because it wasn’t pretty.”

“Aah.”

Siha sympathized with the two children’s words, not knowing what had happened.

It seemed they had a lot of complaints.

Like how they didn’t comfort him when he cried but lied and said he was cute.

Or how they comforted him and said he was pretty.

In the end, they went to the salon, but the *eonni, nuna* [older sister figures] were troubled when they saw his bangs, so he cried even more sadly.

Seung-joon nodded at Hana’s chattering.

Actually, Seung-joon only disliked it at first and gave up as if it couldn’t be helped.

With the determination to never leave it to Dad again.

“But Siha, what day is it today? Why are you so cool?”

“Ah? Siha travel. Hyung travel.”

“Huh? Wow! You’re going on a trip? Where? Where are you going?”

The teacher, who was listening to the children’s words, perked up her ears.

That’s because she hadn’t heard these words from Si-hyeok.

Perhaps he was too flustered to say it.

“Singapo. Going Singapo.”

“What’s Singapo?”

“Don’t know at all.”

The teacher understood Siha’s words.

Singapore! To think they would go on an overseas trip.

It was truly a sudden event.

Sometimes she was envious. She also wanted to travel somewhere new.

At that time, Jong-soo came out.

“It’s probably Singapore. Singapore. Right?”

“Aah.”

“Hey. Jong-soo. Where is Singapore?”

At Seung-joon’s words, Jong-soo hesitated and pointed to the sky with his finger.

“It’s a place you go far away by plane. It’s very hot.”

“Oh! But why is it hot? It’s not that hot here? Are you lying?”

“No, it’s real. Why is it hot? Uh. Uh. Um.”

Jong-soo didn’t even know why it was hot.

It was just that he had gone on a trip with his mom and dad once.

The teacher stepped in.

“That’s because the sun gives a lot of power in Singapore.”

“Ah? Power mani?”

“Yes. The places where the sun gives a lot of power are different for each country.”

“Why?”

“It’s hard if you give a lot of power every day. You guys also feel tired after pushing hard when you poop, right?”

“Aah!”

“It’s the same as that.”

Seung-joon grabbed his nose, saying it was dirty.

Actually, he said that because there were parts that were difficult to understand.

Anyway, it’s because of the sun’s influence.

The children will find out through books later.

“Sun. Power mani. Power mani.”

Siha is memorizing it diligently because he thinks he should tell Hyung later.

“Sun poop. Sun poop.”

The islands near the equator have come to receive a lot of the sun’s poop.

The teacher looked at that scene and fell into *gomin* [Korean word for ‘worry’] whether she should explain it scientifically.

Education is difficult in many ways.

***

-Nine Hearts Electronics Vice Chairman’s Office.

Daniel.

His title is Vice Chairman, but in reality, he is just the Chairman.

It is rumored that he will inherit all of Nine Hearts’ shares later and will soon rise to the position of Chairman.

This is an undeniable truth, and no one can ignore his words within the company.

*Toc toc* [sound of knocking].

The secretary opens the door, comes in, and greets him.

Daniel nods, and she straightens her back and approaches him.

“What’s the matter?”

“The president of Garam Semiconductor wants to meet with the Vice Chairman.”

“I told you to refuse that.”

“That is…. He says he will come to Singapore with the interpreter Lee Si-hyeok.”

Daniel’s head lifted as he looked at the documents.

His eyes were filled with curiosity.

“Oh, really? Garam Semiconductor must really want to talk to me.”

“They have already filed counter-suits.”

“That’s right. You can’t just let it go.”

“What should we do?”

“Bring him to the hotel. You know the room we reserved in advance.”

“I understand.”

Singapore, the hub of world trade.

Contracting at hotels is always a daily occurrence.

In particular, Nine Hearts continues to rent one hotel room every year and pays money.

That means there are many things to conclude and resolve in trade.

Also, it is often used because there are many times to entertain.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“What are you referring to?”

“What Lee Si-hyeok will say when he sees me.”

“Isn’t he just playing the role of conveying the words of the president of Garam Semiconductor?”

“Even so, you never know. Contracts change depending on how words are conveyed. Anyway, I was going to meet Garam Semiconductor later, but what can I do since it turned out this way.”

“He is a young man different from Lee Jang-hyeok.”

“Haha. I know. Still, isn’t looking forward to it my prerogative? It might be even more than that. You saw it then.”

“I don’t judge based on that part alone.”

“Considering that, isn’t the career he has built up so far interesting?”

“That is…….”

Even the secretary could not deny that part.

“Anyway, let’s do as we proceed. Nothing changes.”

“I understand. Then.”

After the secretary left, Daniel buried himself in the chair.

Strangely, the day he first met the spirited Lee Jang-hyeok comes to mind.

Knowing that Lee Jang-hyeok and Lee Si-hyeok are different people, but because he is his son.

Because he received his genes.

It can’t be helped that I can’t expect it.

Superior offspring come from superior genes.

That’s what Daniel thought.