Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 240

Hyung, Am I Cute? 240

Leaving aside whether self-produced tadpoles actually exist, Jongsu accurately guessed ‘tadpole’.

The teacher shouted the correct answer and gave him a toy.

He held it by its hind legs, looking disgusted, and made a face like, “Ew~.”

“Then there are two more questions left?”

“Really?”

“Yes! If you get these right, you can eat strawberry mochi! It’ll be very, very difficult, but everyone, cheer up. Ah! Just a moment. Teacher needs to go to the bathroom. Okay?”

“Yes!”

The teacher got up from her seat.

She neatly placed the cloth over the box and winked at the director.

It was a signal to leave together.

Today’s game wasn’t just thrown together.

It was a test of how well the children could restrain themselves and to see if they would lie if they happened to peek.

She pretended to go to the bathroom while watching the children. At first, they endured well, but then Seungjun couldn’t stand it and got up from his seat.

“Let’s see!”

“Oppa [older brother/male friend], no!”

“No, I’m just going to peek a little. The teacher said it would be difficult. If we don’t get it right, we won’t get to eat strawberry mochi.”

“Still, no. The teacher told us not to look. If you don’t listen to Mom, you get in trouble, right? It’s the same thing.”

Hana tried hard to stop Seungjun.

But it was no use. Seungjun strode towards the box.

At that moment, Jongsu jumped up and grabbed Seungjun.

“I told you not to look.”

“Ah, let go!”

“Ugh!”

Jongsu’s hand limply let go.

He grabbed Seungjun’s collar from behind, saying, ‘No!’

But he didn’t put much strength into it, and Seungjun’s steps continued forward.

Jaehwi made a fuss, saying, ‘What if we get in trouble? What if we get in trouble?’

“We won’t get caught if we just peek a little. Just a little.”

Yundong got up and came to Seungjun’s side.

“Why? Are you going to stop him?”

“No. I’m curious.”

Seungjun wore a face that said, ‘What? Where does this confidence come from?’

Eunwoo also rested his chin on Yundong’s shoulder, saying, ‘Let’s see. Let’s all eat together.’

Jaehwi asked Eunwoo what would happen if they got in trouble, and Eunwoo just laughed and said they would just get in trouble then.

In fact, he didn’t care what happened.

Jongsu also desperately wanted to see, but outwardly he was against it.

That’s why he didn’t have the strength to stop Seungjun.

For: Seungjun, Yundong, Eunwoo.

Against: Hana, Jongsu, Jaehwi.

It was 3 to 3.

The children looked back at Siha.

Jongsu asked.

“Siha, what about you?”

“Ah? Siha busy.”

“No. What’s more important than this?”

“Siha find self-produced tadpole. Where is it?”

“Are you still thinking about that?!”

“No. Different. Find now. Where is it?”

“No. Well, yeah. But do you have to worry about where it is now? Strawberry mochi is important right now.”

“Hyung [older brother/male friend] said. Must find.”

The teacher, who was watching, was reminded of some manga [Japanese comic book].

I’ll find the self-produced tadpole in the name of Grandpa… I mean, Hyung!

Jongsu thumped his chest, frustrated.

“Ugh! Let’s just look.”

Jongsu? Weren’t you on the opposing side? Your mind is like a reed.

So, excluding Siha, the votes were split 4 to 2.

Following the majority opinion, they lifted the cloth to look.

Inside were a pig and a deer.

After confirming, the children put the cloth back in place and sat quietly in their seats.

A lot of time had passed for just going to the bathroom, but the children didn’t realize it.

The teacher appeared.

“Okay. Shall we ask the next question?”

“Yes!”

The children were confident.

Their sparkling eyes were full of conviction.

The toy was pressed, and a pig’s oink was heard.

The pig was easily guessed, and the remaining one was the deer.

“Then the last question. Guess it right.”

“Screech!”

“???”

The children were confused by the strange sound.

Does a deer cry like that? But they couldn’t be sure, so they listened carefully again.

“Screech!”

No matter how they listened, it was a strange cry.

Even so, the answer didn’t change.

Seungjun confidently raised his hand and shouted, “Deer!”

The teacher said, “Wrong!”

At that, the children made faces like, “Huh?!”

Siha raised his hand.

“Self-produced tadpole?”

“Siha, haven’t you given up on that yet? Wrong!”

“Ah?”

Siha started to think about what the self-produced tadpole’s cry was again. A question with no answer.

Seungjun looked at Siha.

“No. Isn’t it a deer?”

“Why do you think it’s a deer?”

“Because it sounds like a deer?”

“No, it’s not. It’s not.”

“Oh? Um. A roe deer?”

“Wrong!”

“Liar! It’s a deer, right? It sounds like a deer!”

The teacher smiled.

“Seungjun, how are you so sure it’s a deer? Don’t tell me you peeked?!”

“Gasp!”

“Oh, oh. Where did our Seungjun’s sportsmanship go? You’re supposed to be fair and square!”

“I watched a video yesterday, and it said that subtly grabbing clothes so the referee can’t see is also a technique! A soccer player!”

“Huh?”

Uh… that’s right.

“Deliberately creating fouls with Hollywood action! That’s also a technique.”

Uh… that’s also right. Seungjun learned this very quickly?

Has true sportsmanship fallen to the ground in reality?

“But this isn’t soccer!”

“Gasp!”

“Tell me honestly. Did you see it?”

“Yes… I only saw it. The others didn’t see it.”

In the meantime, Seungjun was protecting the other children.

Everyone looked at Seungjun with surprised faces.

Only Siha was lost in another world.

Siha? Can you come back to reality now? I know there’s a flower garden there, but please focus.

“I saw it.”

When Yundong raised his hand, the other children all started to talk honestly together.

The teacher hadn’t expected this scene, but she couldn’t hide her pleased expression.

“Siha didn’t see.”

“Yeah. Okay. I see.”

I knew that without you saying it!

You weren’t interested in this right now!

Siha’s one word seemed to shatter the atmosphere.

Still, telling the truth is one thing, but peeking and lying are wrong, so she had to say something sternly.

“Everyone peeked or lied. I won’t give you a punishment, but a huge punishment will come back to you later.”

“Gasp! Will the soccer ball disappear!”

“That won’t disappear, will it?”

“Hana can’t go to singing class anymore?”

“You’ll be able to go.”

Jongsu also gasped and came to his senses.

“Teacher! You’re going to tell Mom! You’re going to tell on us!”

Saying that makes it sound like the teacher is a tattletale.

Jaehwi, who was next to him, trembled and said, ‘I’m going to hang you in a high place and make you wear tiger pants.’

That’s a deeply rooted history of fashion, but that’s too much.

“Ahem, ahem. Everyone, calm down. That’s not what I want to say. Now! Think about it. There’s a very, very important day this month, right?”

“???”

“Everyone doesn’t remember. It’s Christmas! Santa Claus doesn’t give presents to children who lie or are bad! So, the answer to this last quiz is!”

The teacher took out not a deer, but a reindeer.

“It’s Rudolph!”

“……”

Silence followed.

Because Rudolph and deer weren’t that different.

Jongsu said.

“Isn’t Rudolph a deer?”

A refreshing question that scratched an itch.

The teacher waved her hand.

“Hehehe. Rudolph is a reindeer.”

“Reindeer are in the deer family. So it’s a deer.”

“Huh?”

“Right? I know. My dad told me.”

The teacher nodded naturally without panicking.

In fact, she didn’t know if it was in the deer family.

“That’s right. It’s in the deer family. I was testing to see if I knew this well too.”

“Then can we eat strawberry mochi?!”

“No. Where are you trying to trick me! You already cheated.”

“Ah!”

The teacher wasn’t easy to fool.

“Instead, I’ll give it to you if you promise never to do it again. Okay, promise!”

The children hooked their pinkies and made a promise with the teacher.

“Santa Claus won’t give you presents if you break this. Okay?”

“Yes!”

It seemed to be ending on a heartwarming note.

“Teacher.”

“Yes? Siha, why?”

“Santa what? Grandpa climb mountain?”

Siha. Santa isn’t a mountain-climbing grandpa.

Oh? Come to think of it, Santa Claus did live in the mountains…

Anyway, Siha didn’t know Santa.

***

The teacher took out her sketchbook for the first time in a while.

She had already prepared a story, knowing that Siha wouldn’t know Santa.

“Everyone, today I’m going to tell you the story of Santa Claus.”

But the children weren’t listening.

They were too busy with the strawberry mochi.

“Siha. This is delicious. It tastes like strawberry inside.”

“Ah! Delicious!”

“Hana likes this too!”

The children loved it because it contained strawberry puree.

The teacher sat down sadly, scratching her sketchbook because no one was paying attention.

I’m less important than strawberry mochi…

“Teacher.”

“Siha……”

Lee Siha approaching the teacher.

It was touching. He hadn’t forgotten her. He was paying attention.

Her self-esteem rose again.

“Want eat? I give eat?”

“Yeah. No. That’s not what I wanted.”

“Delicious. Very delicious.”

“Yeah. You’re not used to using honorifics yet, are you?”

“No. Siha good.”

Yes. Good. Good.

So, won’t you listen to my story?

Siha took a bite of the strawberry mochi.

He munched in front of her, making eye contact.

“Siha. Aren’t you too close to the teacher? Sit with the kids over there.”

“Teacher. Want eat?”

“I’m not doing this because I’m hungry.”

Siha seemed to remember something and moved closer to the teacher.

He whispered in her ear.

“Teacher. Bathroom. Bathroom. Siha know. Go again. Again.”

“Huh? I don’t think that’s it?”

It seemed like he remembered going to the bathroom during the quiz time.

So that’s why he’s telling her to go to the bathroom again.

“No. Siha know. Hyung said. Hold in, get sick. Sick.”

“Oh, that’s right, but I’m not doing this because I want to go to the bathroom. Siha. Can’t you see the sketchbook?”

“!!!”

Siha’s eyes widened.

A shocked face.

“Teacher. Must use toilet paper.”

“Oh……”

Siha. I suddenly want to be alone. Please leave me alone now! What misunderstanding are you having? You don’t think I’m going to use the sketchbook instead of toilet paper, do you?

The teacher wanted to be away from the children’s attention now.

After the children filled their bellies with mochi to some extent, they chatted to their heart’s content and then focused on the teacher.

Seungjun said.

“Teacher. Are you going to tell us the story of Santa Claus?”

“Hana also curious!”

“Ah! Siha too!”

Siha. Now you’re coming? Don’t you think it’s too late?

I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just a natural reaction.

‘Siha too!’ is like a conditioned reflex.

The teacher regained her composure.

“Ahem, ahem. Everyone is curious, right? About this Santa Claus story that I brought.”

“Yes!”

It would be a little disappointing if Jongsu didn’t step up at this point.

“Teacher! I know the story of Santa Claus! Rudolph comes out and stuff. I know the song too!”

“Hehehe.”

“You’re going to say it’s a different story, right? I know everything.”

“Oh, that’s right. You know it well now.”

Siha was originally curious about what the Rudolph story was.

“Teacher. Rudolph what?”

“A reindeer is an animal that looks like a deer. But a reindeer named Rudolph has a red nose. It’s very shiny.”

“Why?”

“He was born with a red nose. So the other kids made fun of Rudolph because he was different from them.”

“Why? Red cool.”

Red doesn’t represent all coolness. It’s not a panacea!

“Maybe it wasn’t cool because it was a spicy red color like gochujang [Korean chili paste].”

“Ah.”

Siha nodded as if he understood.

Does this work?

Anyway, she held up the sketchbook for the children who had roughly heard the Rudolph story.

“Then we’ll start now. The title is.”

[The Story of Rudolph Jobs.]

“Was Rudolph really born different?”