Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 217

One hour and 30 minutes.

Right at that moment, I opened my eyes, and my body felt much lighter than I had expected.

The IV [intravenous drip] fluid was already running low.

As I got up, Moon Do-hwan next to me was nodding off, his head drooping.

A grateful person.

It was truly fortunate for me to have someone like him.

‘Porridge?’

I saw packaged porridge next to me.

I gently touched it, and it was warm.

It meant he hadn’t brought it long ago.

He seemed to have brought it just in time for the IV to finish.

Rummage.

The sound of the bag rustling made Moon Do-hwan open his eyes.

“Haa~aam. You’re up? I was wondering if I should wake you, but it turned out like this.”

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], aren’t you busy with work? Is it okay for you to be here?”

“It’s fine. Of course. I dropped Si-ha off and went in for a bit to take care of some work and came back out.”

“A salary thief [someone who slacks off at work].”

“Hey. You need times like this once in a while. I work hard usually, so I can make time like this.”

“Thanks.”

Moon Do-hwan got up.

“You’re talking well, so it seems like you’re feeling better. I should ask the nurse over there to take out the IV.”

“Yeah. Please.”

The nurse approached and removed the needle.

I shook myself off and got up, and my body felt a little lighter.

But I still had a fever, so I had to rest well today.

“I’ll take you home.”

“Hyung, what about the hospital bill?”

“I paid it.”

“Ah…. I’ll send you the account number.”

“Come on. Can’t I pay this much between us? Just buy me food later.”

“I’ll buy you meat.”

“Korean beef, Two Plus [highest grade of Korean beef].”

“Hyung, can’t I just send you the money through KakaoTalk [popular Korean messaging app]?”

“Hey!”

We both knew it was a joke, so we chuckled.

On the way home, I looked at the scenery outside the window.

There was a leisure I hadn’t felt while driving.

“But you know.”

“Yeah.”

“Why were you sick?”

“Huh?”

He poked at a place I really hadn’t expected, and my eyes widened.

The relaxed look I had while looking outside became meaningless.

“What do you mean?”

“No, it’s just that. It’s not like I don’t know you. You being this sick means something must have happened.”

“……”

“You take such good care of your body. Things are different now, but I remember what you said when you saw your body in your clothes before.”

“What did I say?”

“Ah. You said it shows that you haven’t been working out. You said you had to start. So when I asked if you were worried about making your body.”

“Ah! I remember. I just said I was taking care of my health. Maybe?”

“Yeah. You’re like a ghost when it comes to sensing your body isn’t good, and you started working out again, but why this time? You’ve never been this sick before.”

I couldn’t say anything.

Recently, I had a lot of mentally difficult things. Because of my mother.

Actually, I didn’t want to talk about my mother.

So I closed my mouth.

“Is it hard to talk about?”

“I don’t want to. It’s just something I want to forget.”

“Okay. Then you should forget it. It’s all over, right?”

“Yeah. It’s all over.”

I clenched and unclenched my fist.

I felt grateful that he didn’t ask me more details.

“Seeing you sick made me worried.”

“About what? Si-ha?”

“Yeah. Si-ha is the biggest worry.”

“He’s doing well at daycare now, what are you talking about.”

“Just. I was worried about the present and the future. Ah, I shouldn’t get hurt more than this. I won’t be able to make money and will have to rest.”

“Hmm.”

“A head of a household can’t be sick carelessly.”

I really thought that.

Money was money, but my body, with few to rely on and no family, was so important.

I was the only one who could take care of Si-ha.

Even if I left him with someone else for a day or two, he would eventually have to come back to me.

“How did my father endure it? Did he say he was sick when he was sick? No, he couldn’t have. He was old, but I never heard him say he was sick.”

“Umm……”

“A head of a household can’t be sick. There’s only one pillar in the house, and if that collapses, life will be really hard.”

“Th… that’s right.”

“I don’t want to show it. I don’t know if it’s pride or what, but I didn’t want Si-ha to find out. That’s how I am. I don’t want to worry him, and I always want to show him that I’m doing well.”

“Why is that pride? But family is also who gets more worried if you don’t say anything.”

“I know. But Si-ha is too young.”

“Then make sure to tell me. If it’s hard, say it’s hard. If you’re sick, say you’re sick. Got it? Don’t just eat tuna like today.”

“Pfft. Why is tuna coming out here?”

Moon Do-hwan’s face turned red.

He must have made a slip of the tongue without realizing it.

“Ah, geez. I said something cool today, but the tuna ruined it all. But you understood, right? Then that’s enough.”

“Yeah. Thank you so much.”

“Anyway. I don’t know about other people, but it’s okay for you to be a little sick. You can cry too. I’m not cursing you. I’m just saying don’t hold back too much. You know?”

“Don’t hold the tuna?”

“Don’t do it!”

Moon Do-hwan makes a really wronged face while driving.

You can also see the sense of frustration that the slip of the tongue was a painful mistake.

“Pfft. I see. Thanks to you, hyung, I’m laughing. Have I laughed like this recently?”

“How would I know? I contacted you after a long time and heard you collapsed and hurt your face.”

“Ah, that would have been a riot if I hadn’t been really sick.”

“I was really shocked when I heard that. You know in dramas? That thing. You collapse from a heart attack and hit something and blood gushes out of your head.”

“You watch too many dramas.”

“I know. Wow. I really checked when I came, and the door wasn’t locked.”

I was unlocking the lock when I was coming.

“From then on, wow, this became a thriller, not a medical drama. Wow, did someone break in and hit Si-hyuk in the head?”

“You filmed a whole movie?”

“I was sweating cold. Should I report it to 112 [Korean emergency number] instead of 119 [Korean emergency number]? I had those thoughts. But when I opened the door, it was a super fun hidden camera. I thought it was like that.”

It was absurd to see me sitting there calmly and greeting him.

But I was really sick then.

“Seeing you wearing a mask and coughing, I thought you were really sick. Fortunately, it was a medical drama, not a thriller.”

“That’s really a relief.”

It’s subtly fun to listen to Moon Do-hwan’s live broadcast [referring to his rambling story].

I don’t know what other people would think, but it’s more fun because it’s my business.

Of course, I was really surprised at the time.

Now that it’s over, I can tell the story like this.

“We’re here.”

“The porridge must be cold.”

“If you microwave it, it’ll be warm again. People who take it to go will reheat it when they get home, right?”

“Really? Ah, do you have one too, hyung?”

“No.”

“I don’t want to eat alone.”

“Ah, geez. If you say that, I have to eat and go!”

He’s a good hyung after all.

***

After eating the porridge, I took the medicine.

I was going to pick up Si-ha today, but Moon Do-hwan decided to do the pickup.

It’s also a bit awkward to visit the daycare with a cold.

Just in case, I’m wearing a mask at home, and it’s a bit stuffy.

It’s uncomfortable, but if it increases the chance of not passing the cold to Si-ha, that’s enough to satisfy me.

Ding-dong-

I opened the door at the sound of the bell.

“Hyung!”

Si-ha sticks to my leg.

I gently bent my knees and hugged him.

I couldn’t hug him properly today, but it’ll be okay if it’s just for a moment.

“Hyung. Okay [Are you okay]?”

“Yeah. I’m much better now. Hyung, come in too.”

Moon Do-hwan behind me waved his hand.

“No. I’ll be going now. Call me if anything happens.”

“Yeah. Bye. Si-ha, you have to say goodbye.”

“Bye-bye.”

He waved his hand like that and came into the house.

Si-ha put his bag on the floor and took something out.

“Hyung. This!”

“What is this?”

“Made jujube tea [Korean herbal tea made from jujubes]! Hyung, get well soon~”

“Wow. Did Si-ha make this?”

Si-ha folds his fingers one by one.

“Teacher and Seung-joon, Hana, Jong-soo. Also Jae-hee. Yoon-dong, Eun-woo.”

“Did you all make it together?”

“Made together. Si-ha jujube chika-chika [onomatopoeia for stirring].”

“Oh! Really?”

“Ah-ah [yes].”

Si-ha proudly sticks out his stomach.

I tickled him with my finger.

“Ticklish~”

He steps back because he’s very ticklish.

I smiled because that look was so cute.

This jujube tea in my hand is so warm.

Where else would they care this much?

I have to express my gratitude to each person tomorrow.

“Then shall we try it? Have you tried it, Si-ha?”

“Si-ha ate it. Delicious.”

“Really? Then do you want to eat with hyung again? Ah! Let’s eat first.”

“Si-ha wants to eat porridge.”

“Huh?”

Si-ha points to the porridge.

Today, Moon Do-hwan bought it one more time nearby.

This time with a different flavor.

“Is it okay to eat porridge?”

“Porridge delicious.”

“Ah, you’ve had it before. Okay. Then let’s eat porridge and drink jujube tea. Hyung has to take medicine too.”

“Hyung eat medicine?”

“Yeah…. I think I have to eat it for 3 days?”

“Three day?”

“Not three day, three days.”

“Ah-ah. Three night.”

“If it’s three nights, it seems like it’ll be the 4th day….”

No. If you sleep three nights, you’ve eaten it all, so isn’t it not necessarily a wrong expression?

Suddenly I’m confused.

“Ahem. Let’s eat porridge first.”

“If you’re sick, eat porridge. Si-ha eat porridge.”

“Si-ha isn’t sick, so should we not eat this?”

Si-ha’s eyes widened at my words.

And he turned his head.

“Si-ha hungry. Stomach hurts. Eat porridge.”

“Puhut. Is being hungry having a stomach ache?”

“Ah-ah.”

Sometimes when my stomach hurts, I get confused about whether it hurts or I’m hungry.

That’s not how Si-ha said it, but I can’t help but think that.

“Okay. Let’s heat it up and eat it.”

“Ah-ah.”

We heated up the porridge and ate it.

Actually, I wanted to grill meat and eat it more than porridge.

“Okay, you have to blow on it and eat it.”

Si-ha blew on it and ate it well.

I also made a fried egg and put it on top.

Eggs are always right.

After finishing the meal like that, I tried the jujube tea.

“Hyung. Blow on it.”

“Haha. Okay.”

“Jujube tea hot.”

“Yeah. I’ll be careful.”

I put the jujube tea in my mouth.

It was more delicious than I thought.

It felt like it was going deep inside my body and warming every corner.

I don’t know if it’s because Si-ha made it or if it’s just a feeling.

“Wow. I feel like my body is getting better and better.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really. Thank you. Si-ha.”

Si-ha also blew on the jujube tea.

“Si-ha. Just a moment.”

“Why?”

“No. It looks too hot.”

I took out two ice cubes from the freezer and floated them on top.

This way, you won’t be able to eat it too hot.

“All done?”

“Yeah. Drink it.”

Slurp.

He drank it really deliciously.

“Ah-ah!”

“Yeah? What’s wrong? Is it too delicious?”

“No.”

Si-ha suddenly jumped up and went into the room.

He came back with a penguin bag and sat down in his seat.

Is there anything more?

I watched with curiosity, and Si-ha rummaged through his bag.

“Hyung this! Gift!”

“Yeah?”

“Jujube tea. Love put in.”

“???”

I don’t know what it means, but I politely received what Si-ha gave me with both hands.

USB.

I don’t know what it is, but I was very excited.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Si-ha know.”

“Yeah. Si-ha knows everything.”

I plugged the USB into the laptop with curiosity.

There was a video inside.

I turned it on. Music flows out.

Yoon-dong dancing.

[Get well soon!]

Eun-woo rapping.

[Hiss. Heat from head. Hiss. Made it like crazy. Hiss. Let’s get some medicine. For our hyung.

We are kids. Eve. I hope hyung did too.

Care! Care. I hope you get well soon! Rowan! Health flies away quickly. Hiss!]

Hana singing.

[Get well soon~ We’re here~! Oppa [term for older brother used by females] get well soon. We are here.]

Seung-joon scoring with a ball.

Jong-soo and Jae-hwi dance and sing.

I kept laughing because the children’s hearts were so pretty.

Maybe Si-ha won’t be able to see my face.

Because I’m wearing a mask.

Still, only the eye smile is revealed, so I might be able to see his happy face well.

‘It’s coming out.’

The last one is Lee Si-ha.

Suddenly a sketchbook comes out from behind.

The song also changes to a lyrical piano sound.

Ta-da-da da-da-dan. Ta-da-da-da da-da-dan.

The sketchbook turns over.

The drawn picture is a red car.

I burst out laughing.

[Our hyung. Can’t drive a car well either.]

What’s with the subtitles suddenly…….

I think that interpretation is wrong.

I want to go to daycare with hyung in a red car.

Next page.

A male character is hitting some blue monster.

[Our hyung. Is also good at fighting.]

Isn’t that beating the cold?

But the piano sound and subtitles combined made me unable to stop laughing.

Si-ha’s expression was also serious, which made it even funnier.

Next page.

Me and Si-ha are holding hands.

[Our hyung. Likes me a lot. Of course, me too.]

Last page.

A heart is drawn. Inside it was written ㅇㅅㅎ [initials of a phrase meaning “love each other”].

[ㅇㅅㅎ brothers are love.]

Wouldn’t it have been better to just write ‘I love you’ as a subtitle?

Anyway, the video was so fun to edit, so it was good.

“Si-ha. It’s really fun.”

“Ah-ah. Hyung get well soon. Did it.”

“Ah, does this mean get well soon?”

“Ah-ah.”

“Thank you so much.”

Really…. Everyone is so…….

Today was a day full of gratitude, so even the cold seemed to avoid the warmth.