Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 256

Hyung, aren’t I cute? Episode 256 (256/500)

I went to pick up Siha today, and the kids each had a bell.

Siha also proudly shakes it in front of me, jingling it.

I thought it was cute and wondered where I should hang it.

I should buy a hook to attach to the door on the way home.

It would be nice to hang it on the door, right?

“But Siha, is that a shoe?”

“Hyung, you got it?”

“Yeah. It looks like a shoe. You drew it really well.”

He drew a shoe with only the shoelaces tied in a ribbon, but it’s definitely distinguishable.

Seeing that he didn’t bother drawing certain parts, Siha seemed amazing.

His creativity is always amazing.

“But why did you draw a shoe? Did Santa give you shoes?”

I thought that since Santa wears red clothes and he received shoes as a gift, that could be it.

Because the shoelaces are red too. It’s an extension of that.

“No.”

“No?”

“Ah, this is a New Year’s mokpo. Mokpo.”

“You mean ‘goal,’ not ‘mokpo.'”

“Ah, that.”

“Is your goal to buy shoes?”

“No. Tie shoe ggune [shoelaces].”

“Oh! Is your goal to tie them yourself?”

I guess his goal is to increase the things he can do on his own.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“Siha will tie hyung’s shoes.”

“!!!”

Could it be that his goal is to tie my shoes?!

I’m incredibly touched!

I never thought I’d hear these words.

It seems he remembers me tying his shoes before.

He must have wanted to tie my shoes too after seeing that.

“Let’s hang this on the door nicely. Okay?”

“Ah.”

At that moment, Seung-joon and Hana popped out.

“Si-hyuk hyung! I made a bell too!”

“Oh! You’re doing a Rabona kick [a football move where you kick the ball behind your standing leg]?”

“As expected, Si-hyuk hyung knows!”

“Si-hyuk oppa. Hana too. Hana too!”

“Hana is singing?”

“Yes! I work part-time at a cafe.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. You’re earning money too?”

“Yes! I’m going to use it for Hana’s singing class.”

That’s such a commendable story!

I don’t know when Hana grew up so much.

The three kids chirp like chicks.

They’re all talking at once, so I can’t hear anyone.

I think there was also a story about the Emile Bell [a famous Korean bell]?

And something about ‘clang, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Eve.’

They’re excitedly talking about what happened today.

“Oh my.”

Seung-joon’s mom arrived. Saved.

***

Home.

I bought a door hanger to hang the bell today. A very small one. Just peel off the sticker and stick it on.

“Siha, should we hang it here?”

I stood in front of the door and found a spot.

Hanging it up so that the paper cup is at the 2/3 point.

“No.”

“Huh? Should I raise it a little higher?”

“No. Here.”

Siha pointed to his eye level.

It seems that seeing it in front of his eyes is more important than aesthetics.

I can’t help it. Who am I to refuse?

The paper cup hangs dangling in front of Siha’s eyes.

When Siha taps it, it makes a tinkling sound.

He seems satisfied.

It doesn’t look that good, but this is quite fun too.

As Siha grows, he will look down at the bell.

“Do you like it?”

“No. Siha wanted to do it here.”

“Huh?”

Siha tapped the very bottom.

“There?”

“Ah, shoes. Shoes.”

Ah, shoes should be on the floor.

But this isn’t a real shoe, is it?

“It’s uncomfortable when you open it. So I did it here.”

“I see. But it’s ‘uncomfortable,’ not ‘unfun.'”

So you decided on a compromise?

There were opinions for the ceiling and the floor, so the conclusion for this bell was to put it in the middle.

A median value, huh.

“Siha, tomorrow you’ll be a year older, right? So if adults ask you how old you are, what should you say?”

“Siha knows. Four years old!”

“Yeah. You’re three years old until today.”

“Ah. Seoi [three in a baby-like pronunciation] years old.”

Why is three years old ‘Seoi years old’? He can give up ‘neo-yi’ [two in a baby-like pronunciation] but not ‘seoi’?

Anyway, I couldn’t understand Siha’s mind.

Knock knock knock.

“Huh?”

Ding-dong-

Knock knock knock.

“What is it? What is it?”

“I don’t know. Who is it? Dong-hwan?”

“Baek Dong hyung?”

Siha asked loudly in front of the door.

The only one who knocks on the door at this hour is Baek Dong-hwan.

“That’s right. It’s me. But there’s someone else too.”

“Huh? Someone else?”

“I saw someone lingering in front of the door, so I asked what they were doing.”

“No! When did I linger! That’s funny.”

“Gae-geul noona [a playful way to call an older sister]!”

Seo Soo-hyun is here for some reason.

If it were just Baek Dong-hwan, I would have joked around, but since Seo Soo-hyun is here, I should just open the door.

That’s what I thought, but it would be a little boring to just open it.

“State the password.”

“Hyungnim [term of respect]! Are you going to play this game again when there are other people here?”

“Baek Dong hyung. Password!”

“Okay. What could the password be? Merry Christmas?”

“It passed. Hint-tu-ya [hint]. Hint-tu.”

“Oh! You’re even giving a hint today?”

“Ah.”

“New Year’s Eve bell sound moya [what is it]?”

“Who is New Year’s Eve ssi [Mr./Ms.]?”

I burst out laughing.

He must mean the New Year’s Eve bell sound. Who is New Year’s Eve ssi?

Seo Soo-hyun understood perfectly next to me.

“Don’t you mean the New Year’s Eve bell sound?”

“Ah! That’s ‘clang. New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Eve.'”

Baek Dong-hwan was at the same level as Oh Seung-joon.

Seo Soo-hyun sighed outside, and I could feel her expression of exasperation from here.

Actually, you’re not much better, are you?

“Soo-hyun noona [older sister] password.”

“The New Year’s Eve bell sound is…”

“Ah.”

“Daeng. Daeng. Iya [sound of a bell].”

“No. Something else.”

That’s not what Siha wanted.

There is no right answer here. It only has to please Siha.

In that respect, Baek Dong-hwan passed.

“Uhh? Something else?”

“Ah.”

“Umm.”

The traces of deliberation are felt from outside the door.

Is this password something to be so worried about?

Seo Soo-hyun stammered and said something little by little.

To be exact, it was a song.

“New Year’s Eve~ in the passing wind~”

“Huh?”

“New Year’s Eve~ if I see your face~”

Isn’t that the song ‘To J’ [a popular Korean song]?

In the meantime, her voice is really good.

Siha clapped like a seal, as if he was satisfied.

I opened the door at this point.

I immediately saw Seo Soo-hyun’s reddened face.

I guess her face is like that because it’s chilly outside?

“I heard ‘To New Year’s Eve’ well.”

“Don’t do it.”

“New Year’s Eve~ tell me the password!”

“I told you not to!”

“New Year’s Eve~ tell me it’s a dream~”

“This oppa [older brother] is really! You caught something, didn’t you?”

“Still, it’s better than ‘clang New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Eve,’ right?”

Baek Dong-hwan, who was next to me, looked at me with an absurd expression.

“Hyungnim. This is still the national bell sound. I’m better.”

Since when did that become the national bell sound?

I was so dumbfounded that I laughed.

Ah, it’s absurdly funny.

“But what brings you two here?”

The two looked at each other and signaled to speak first.

After the traffic was cleared, Seo Soo-hyun spoke first.

“Would you like to go see the New Year [sunrise on New Year’s Day]?”

“Huh?”

“I decided to go with the department kids, and I thought it would be fun if oppa and Siha participated too. Actually, I talked about it on KakaoTalk [Korean messaging app], but oppa didn’t reply.”

“Ah, KakaoTalk. I don’t really check the department chat room. I’m too busy these days. It’s always over 300 [unread messages].”

“Don’t you want to click on things like that and get rid of them?”

“Not really? I know it’s going to be over 300 anyway.”

“Umm.”

It’s not that I don’t have the desire to make them disappear, but since I see them quickly filling up again, I just leave them alone.

Unless it’s urgent.

Even the lectures are over now, so there’s no reason to see them.

“So, how is it?”

“Umm.”

Baek Dong-hwan said next to me.

“Hyungnim. That’s what I wanted to suggest too.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Wake up early in the morning and exercise a little, and when you see the sunrise. Kyaa. It feels like you’ve become a new person.”

“Does… does it have to be in the early morning to exercise and see the New Year?”

“Hahaha!”

Anyway, the two were saying the same thing.

Siha tilted his head.

“Hyung. New Year?”

“Yeah. These two are saying let’s go see the sunrise?”

“Siha will see!”

“Umm. I don’t think you can wake up.”

“No. Siha will sleep early.”

“Okay. Then let’s go see the sun. Dong-hwan, do you want to go with our department? If you don’t want to, I’ll go with you.”

Baek Dong-hwan also nodded.

“I’d love to.”

Seo Soo-hyun nodded, saying uh-huh.

“I booked a pension [vacation rental].”

“You booked it in advance.”

“I guess so?”

“But where are we going?”

“Busan!”

“Huh? All the way to Busan?!”

“If we’re going to see the New Year, we should see it from far away.”

“Really?”

Actually, the New Year is just seeing the sun that always rises.

And Busan isn’t just the next neighborhood.

“Hehehe. Actually, I earned more than I thought at the festival. Of course, it’s voluntary participation. We also support some of the expenses.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Of course. Of course, I have to calculate the total, but anyway, we support it.”

Is it like a Dutch pay [splitting the bill]?

The fewer people who participate, the more money goes around.

Anyway, if they support the expenses, it might be better to just take a plane.

Actually, money isn’t a problem.

I’ll be getting a lot this month.

Combining my salary from NH [company name] and the money I’ll receive from Tyrone, it’s over 5 million won [Korean currency].

And I’m even doing translation.

Wow, I’m rich this month?

“Okay. But Dong-hwan can’t get the money, right? Are you okay?”

“Ah, me? It doesn’t matter. There should be times like this sometimes. And I’m not paying for the pension.”

“That’s true.”

“I think they’ll pay for the food expenses too.”

“That’s also true.”

“Isn’t it a profit if I only pay for transportation?”

That’s a good point.

It depends on how you think about it.

“Then let’s go.”

At that time, Siha said.

“Hyung. Busan moya [what is it]?”

“Ma [listen to me]! You can confidently say ‘seoi, neo-yi’ there!”

“Huh?”

Siha just tilted his head.

You confidently said ‘seoi, neo-yi’ here too. Geez.

***

I was going to take a plane, but the destination was farther than I thought, so I decided to take the KTX [Korean high-speed rail].

It’s probably Siha’s first time.

He’s never been on the subway either.

He could just go by car every day or go to a nearby daycare center.

Anyway, it’s his first time on the KTX.

It’s also his first time in Busan.

I was waiting from 5 minutes before arriving, and Baek Dong-hwan is joking with Siha.

“Siha. You have to take off your shoes to get on the train.”

“Huh?”

It’s the second time he’s said to take off his shoes on a plane.

I didn’t say anything. Would he be fooled this time?

Actually, I wanted to see Siha’s reaction.

“Baek Dong hyung. Geojinmal [lie]!”

“No. It’s real?”

“No.”

Siha turned his head away.

As expected, he learned and is not easily fooled.

“Actually, I was kidding. But you know what? They also sell snacks on the train.”

“Really?”

“Really. Then.”

Siha looked at me as if to ask if it was true.

Nod.

Siha’s eyes widened.

“Hyung. Train sells ggaja [snacks]?”

“Yeah. But instead of a person selling it, a vending machine sells it.”

“Vending machine?”

“You see that thing that dispenses drinks?”

“Ah.”

“Instead of drinks, it dispenses snacks.”

“!!!”

He dispenses snacks with a vending machine?!

Well, that was such a shocking expression.

“Hyung. Siha will buy.”

“Let’s go in and buy it once.”

“Ah.”

He has a very expectant expression, but there’s nothing special.

Actually, I was also a little surprised when that came out.

Maybe it’s because the formula that vending machines are for drinks is stuck in my head.

“Ah, we’ve arrived.”

“Ah!”

I found a seat on the KTX and sat down.

It was a seat for four people, so it was a seat facing each other, and it’s cheaper to book this.

“Hyung. Ggaja [snacks].”

“Okay. Okay.”

As soon as I arrived, I went to buy snacks.

His eyes are sparkling as he looks inside the vending machine.

“Hyung puts money in?”

“Yeah. You put money in. Should hyung do it?”

“No. Siha will. Siha money.”

“Yeah. Siha’s money is in the bank account, so you can’t take it out now. Instead, hyung will buy it for you.”

“Ah. Thank you~”

It’s natural to buy it for Siha, so the word ‘thank you’ sounds cute.

He is a polite Lee Siha.

I put in the bill and had Siha press the button.

“Siha this!”

He pressed the Choco Pie [popular snack] with a ‘ttik [sound of pressing a button].’

I also pressed the drinks to match the number of people and returned to my seat.

“It’s called Choco Pie, and it’s very delicious.”

“Choco?”

“Yeah.”

Siha munched on the Choco Pie in his mouth.

He bites again with his cheeks full because it’s delicious.

I poured a drink and gave it to him, and he drank it well.

“Oppa. Siha eats really well.”

“Eat if you want to eat too.”

“Ah, I’m okay. I’m on a diet.”

“Because you have to look good to New Year’s Eve ssi?”

“This oppa is really! Isn’t it over yet!”

“Why? It’s fun.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

Looking at Baek Dong-hwan sitting next to me, he had a look of some kind of scheme.

What kind of prank is he going to play again?

Is there anything else you can trick Siha with on the train?

“Siha. Did you prepare your ticket?”

“Huh?”

“Later, instead of the train attendant, the train ajusshi [term for older man] will check the ticket, and if you don’t have it, you’re in big trouble. You go to the police station.”

Siha’s pupils shook.

“Siha has no ticket. Siha doesn’t want to go to the police station.”

“Puhuh.”

Kind Siha confessed willingly. He didn’t even ask.

The attendant said.

“You must prepare your ticket next time. I’ll keep it a secret today.”

Siha opened his eyes wide.

“Ajusshi. Siha will give you money later. There’s money in the bank account.”

“Puh-huh-huh.”

The people sitting around also burst out laughing at Siha’s words.

Baek Dong-hwan in front of me is laughing so hard that he’s banging his head on the desk.

Seo Soo-hyun is holding back her laughter for Siha, but her shoulders are shaking.

It’s really a fun train trip.