Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 31

Hyung, Aren’t I Cute? 31

Children’s center joint sports day.

Usually, these kinds of events are held when children’s centers with small numbers of students gather together.

They rent Kangin University’s gymnasium every year, and the adults seem to like it quite a bit.

What the children’s center needed to prepare specifically was a booth to show off at the sports day.

Each children’s center would create a game.

A game that the kids could enjoy safely and that would attract their interest.

This was surprisingly difficult.

To create this, I brought the five musketeers from the Korean Language and Literature Department to the children’s center.

The sophomore class president lamented.

“Joint… This is a scam!”

The four behind him felt the same way.

“There was no mention of this!”

“No way! Joint!”

“No. We shouldn’t give up hope yet.”

“Right. We won against the Philosophy Department, didn’t we? It was great to see their crushed faces.”

I’m sorry, but I didn’t know it was a joint event either.

I would have said something if I had known.

But that doesn’t change anything.

A deal was a deal, and a promise was a promise.

The head teacher welcomed us when we arrived at the children’s center.

“We have a game to prepare this year. A game that the kids will enjoy and want to participate in.”

“Is there such a thing?”

The head teacher’s face became serious.

I wondered if this was something to be so serious about.

“Since long ago, we’ve told children not to follow strangers even if they offer snacks.”

“That’s right.”

“So, I thought of popping a ‘bak’ [gourd] open. We’ll put snacks inside.”

“The kids will love that.”

It would be even better if the snacks were bite-sized.

It was a surprisingly classic game.

Except for the snacks inside.

“The royal road is always right [the classic approach is always the best].”

“That’s… true. So, all we have to do is make the ‘bak’?”

“No. We need to make one more thing here. Otherwise, there won’t be enough to do. The ‘bak’ is already there.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Do you have any fun ideas? Something that will motivate the kids to participate?”

We fell into deep thought.

Then, I had a good idea.

Penguin Monster, which Siha is obsessed with these days.

Of course, he’s obsessed with penguins, but it’s a popular character that kids like these days.

In that case.

“Let’s do a ball-throwing game. With ball pit balls. If they put a lot into a cute box hole, they get a prize. And the character is Penguin Monster.”

The head teacher nodded, thinking it was a good idea.

“Then what should we give as a prize? More snacks?”

“They need to eat a meal too, so instead of just snacks, how about this?”

I had saved Siha’s drawings as image files on my phone.

What I took out was Siha’s fan art.

“We can make stickers of Siha’s fan art and give them as prizes.”

“Hmm. That’s not bad. If we package them nicely, they’ll be popular. And they’ll participate enthusiastically to get them.”

“We should make the difficulty easy so that everyone can get one.”

“That would be good. We don’t want any kids crying because they couldn’t get one.”

The class president, who was listening from behind, said.

“I know a place where we can get them cheap. 20,000 won [approximately $15 USD] for 100 stickers? We can do that quickly.”

“Hmm. 100 would be enough. If it seems like we’re short, we can do 200.”

Stickers are one of the things kids really like.

And it’s a sticker of the Emperor Penguin, the main character of Penguin Monster.

The kids can’t resist this.

***

When it comes to sports day, there are some basic things you do.

Running, tug-of-war, etc.

We drew rails with white tape in the gymnasium.

A straight rail that kids can easily run on.

It was a relay where the next person runs when they arrive.

There was a lot more to prepare besides that.

Balloons to attract the kids’ attention, ordering stickers, making event schedules, the staff’s movements and policies.

Five people were obviously not enough, so we recruited additional volunteer support here.

It was going to be a hectic day on the actual day.

Of course, on the day, I plan to be with Siha as a guardian.

After the preparation was finished, I went to the job center.

“So. How’s the preparation going?”

Moon Do-hwan, whom I met after a long time, grinned and tried to light a cigarette.

I took the cigarette out of his mouth.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend]. I have to go see Siha.”

“Ah! I’ll get the smell on me.”

Moon Do-hwan put the cigarette back in as if he was sorry.

Seeing his face full of regret, I felt like an adult who had taken candy from a child.

“Why don’t you quit while you’re at it?”

Moon Do-hwan looked shocked.

“You. You. You just said something to me that’s the equivalent of deleting my League of Legends account. Do you know that?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were such a heavy smoker.”

“Okay. You hurled terrible abuse at me, but I forgive you.”

“Was it that bad?”

“Yes.”

I just chuckled.

It’s comforting to have these kinds of conversations sometimes.

“But are you okay?”

“With what?”

“I’m saying, aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Not really.”

“You could just leave the sports day to the kids, but why are you helping again?”

“I just thought it would be too hard. But I’m only going to play with Siha on the day.”

“That’s not why, is it.”

I just smiled.

Did Moon Do-hwan think I was overdoing it?

Maybe he did.

Parenting, work, school life, etc.

“It’s something I have to do. What.”

“Tell me if it’s hard. I’ll come and help.”

“What’s so hard about it.”

“Not your body. Trying to forget. Trying to ignore. That’s what I mean.”

“……”

“It hasn’t been that long yet.”

I turned my head slightly.

“I’m too busy right now to think about anything. I like that.”

“If you say so……”

“The sports day is on Friday. If you have time, come and see it. I’m going to play really hard with Siha.”

“What am I going to do watching you two play?”

“Haha. Right? But please come.”

“Why?”

“If it’s noisy, Siha won’t see it as much.”

“See what?”

“The sight of kids with their parents.”

“……”

This time, Moon Do-hwan was silent.

“You. Worry about yourself a little.”

“I’m an adult, after all.”

“Adult, my foot. I think you’re a kid too.”

“Haha. Really? Maybe?”

I looked up at the sky.

The sun is covered by clouds, but the white and blue are not bad.

“Hyung. When I was in the first grade of elementary school. We had a sports day, and the sky was just like that?”

“Really? The weather must have been nice.”

“Yeah. The weather was great. But I threw the school newsletter in the trash. I knew my father was busy. I knew everything. I knew he was working and taking care of me, cutting down on sleep.”

“Hmm.”

“When I saw the parents then, I felt a little sad. I enjoyed the sports day by myself. But I was so envious of the kids who ran to their moms.”

Moon Do-hwan listened quietly from the side.

“I don’t know if the White Team won or the Blue Team won, but my dad came running from the front gate during the awards ceremony.”

“You must have been very surprised.”

“I don’t know how he knew, but he came running and hugged me. I still remember what he said then.”

“Fortunately, he didn’t scold you.”

“Yeah. My dad said this then.”

「I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Dad is sorry. I’m sorry for making you feel like you have to read my face [be considerate of my feelings]. Dad should have realized it sooner. You don’t have to pretend to be an adult and not worry about Dad. Tell me these things next time. Okay. Si-hyuk?」

I gently closed my eyes.

And I said calmly.

“But I couldn’t do that. I always wanted my dad to rest more and not be stressed because of me. I had become a child who was always reading his face.”

“Hoo. You talk about these things so casually.”

Moon Do-hwan was just fiddling with his lighter, as if he wanted a cigarette.

“So, I want Siha to grow up carefree if possible. People might criticize me and say I’m raising him wrong, but that’s what I want. I just don’t want him to read faces.”

“Okay. Okay. I’ll go. I’ll go!”

I chuckled at Moon Do-hwan.

“Thank you. Be Mom that day. I’ll be Dad.”

“Hey. I should be Dad.”

“Really? Then I’ll be Hyung. You be Mom and Dad.”

“What kind of ridiculous role is that? Are you saying I’m the only one who suffers?”

“Yeah. You’re serving two children as your masters.”

“Okay. Okay. Do whatever you want. Oh, but I can’t go from the beginning? I have to work overtime today.”

“You don’t have to come if it’s too much. Just show your face for a moment……”

“The sports day doesn’t last all day. I can take that much time off, you know?”

“Should I get a job at the school too?”

“You’re just saying things you don’t mean.”

I’m glad I said it after all.

Moon Do-hwan was the only one I could talk to honestly.

I intend to cherish this relationship.

***

-Children’s center joint sports day.

Bustling.

This wide gymnasium was bustling with people.

It was really crowded with five children’s centers together.

The five booths were also decorated very interestingly.

“Siha.”

“Ah ah.”

“Let’s hang the stamp card around your neck.”

I hung the card around Siha’s neck.

Getting five stamps here was the first event of the sports day.

For reference, Siha is on the White Team.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah. It’s blank?”

“Ah ah.”

“You get a stamp here. Then they give you a present.”

“Ah ah.”

Siha nodded.

Surprisingly, stamps were also an element that worked, along with stickers.

“Shall we start now?”

“Ah ah.”

Then Seung-joon and Hana ran over with their mom.

“Siha~!”

“Siha~!”

They were clearly fraternal twins, but how could they run in the same form?

I mean, the feeling. The feeling.

They ran hard and grabbed Siha’s hands.

“Let’s go together.”

“Hana too.”

“Ah ah. Togever [Together].”

I greeted Seung-joon’s mom after a long time.

“Si-hyuk. It’s been a while.”

“Yes. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Siha has been talking a lot more lately thanks to Seung-joon.”

“I hear a lot from Seung-joon and Hana too. When I ask them what they did at the children’s center, they always say they played with Siha.”

“Siha too. Haha.”

“Oh. The kids are going over there. Let’s go too.”

“Yes.”

We took the kids to the first booth.

What caught the kids’ eyes was archery.

It was an arrow with a suction cup, but it wasn’t an arrow that you pulled with your hand.

The shape was a crossbow, and you could shoot it like a gun.

‘Toys these days are amazing.’

You have to hit the target 3 times to get a stamp.

“Siha. Fighting [Good luck].”

This time, I cheered for Siha.

There were 5 targets, and 5 kids stood side by side.

Seung-joon, Hana, and Siha were standing in order, and they were so cute that I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

Click. Click. Click.

Then, a kid next to him looked at Siha and smiled.

“What. You’re on the White Team. You can’t do it!”

The kid is already swept up in the desire to win.

Siha looked at the child.

Seeing that he was wearing a blue headband, he seemed to realize that he was on the Blue Team.

“Cheach [Cheat].”

“Siha. Not ‘cheach’. Blue Team.”

“Cheach.”

Is he doing it on purpose?

“Blue Team.”

“Cheachy [Cheaty].”

“Anyway, fighting [good luck]. You have to win.”

Hana next to him smiled brightly and cheered for Siha.

“Siha~ Win~”

“Ah ah.”

The kid next to Siha opened his mouth and looked at Hana.

“Wow. Pretty.”

Hana turned her head away.

“Hmph.”

I realized for the first time today that Hana is a very haughty child.

Such a prim and proper look.

The child looked at that and glared at Siha.

“I’m better than him.”

The child’s mother bowed to me as if she was in trouble.

“It’s okay. It can happen.”

I secretly wished for Siha to win.

The staff in front said.

“Then I’ll give everyone 10 arrows. You have to hit this 3 times to get a stamp. Now! Good luck.”

For reference, the staff in front was one of the five musketeers from the Korean Language and Literature Department.

I gave him a thumbs up to mean he was having a hard time.

“Okay. Start.”

Seung-joon smiled and picked up the crossbow.

“I’m going to hit all 10.”

“Hana too!”

When the two pulled the trigger, the arrow flew.

Whoosh! Unfortunately, it missed because it wasn’t aimed properly.

I turned my head to Siha.

“Huh?”

Siha was in a prone shooting position.

‘That’s the same as the picture I took when I was a trainee……’