Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 322

“Hyung, aren’t I cute?” Episode 322 (322/500)

The developer from VUMAX attended the meeting in high spirits.

He was eager to pinpoint the specifications for the custom parts and gauge the new company’s approach.

Traveling such a long distance for a contract meeting was no small feat.

Moreover, this wasn’t just any agreement; it involved a company seeking specially manufactured fasteners and exclusive sales rights within Korea.

You couldn’t propose such a deal without considerable confidence.

‘This should be interesting.’

He wasn’t expecting an extravagant offer, but he was curious to see their level of assurance.

After their discussion, he conceded that they possessed something of value.

They didn’t seem to be relying solely on enthusiasm.

‘I wonder what he’s thinking.’

His friend was usually cold and all business, but only during work hours.

Over a beer, he transformed into a cheerful, even humorous, companion.

Lost in thought, he was jolted back by an unexpected statement.

What? All the same?

As a seasoned developer, he took immense pride in his work.

He held patents and represented a reputable company with experience in supplying components for artificial satellites.

So, he couldn’t help but retort.

「But, with all due respect, I cannot accept the assertion that the technologies are identical.」

However, in the end, he had to concede.

Who was this guy? Just an employee volunteering as an interpreter?

Yet, he found himself gradually agreeing with his points.

He had abruptly switched to his native language, catching them off guard, and then launched into a barrage of arguments that left them speechless.

A brief opening.

He relentlessly exploited it, presenting logical arguments. So far so good.

But then, didn’t he give voice to the ambition he harbored?

「If you wish, I can assist you in expanding your reach into Germany.」

The words, translated back into English for everyone’s benefit, resonated powerfully.

It was at that moment that he realized.

This friend has done extensive research on us.

It’s publicly available information, certainly, but he’s identified a key opportunity and is pursuing it relentlessly.

He had to admit that he had grown somewhat complacent in his comfortable position.

The people before him possessed not only passion but also the means to back it up.

「Are you still trying to assess us?」

The moment he said that.

They transformed from a fledgling company into near-equals, diminishing our leverage.

Frankly, it gave him goosebumps.

Was this the strategy devised by such a young man?

He looked so young he could pass for a high schooler.

「Can I have a word with you outside?」

They stepped out for a quick discussion.

「What do you think? I think it’s a pretty good deal.」

「I agree. But it’s a bit surprising. He struck me as unusual from the start.」

「Oh? Really? I just thought he was here for the experience. When he said he was an interpreter, I thought, ‘Oh, I see.’」

The team leader shook his head.

「From the initial greeting, I knew this guy was different.」

The developer replayed the first greeting in his mind.

What did he say? Right!

[It’s no trouble at all. Compared to the strong partnership we’ll forge in the future, this is nothing.]

This friend seemed to have sensed something significant.

That explained why the conversation was so challenging.

The developer muttered to himself.

「He’s more of a lobbyist than an interpreter.」

「I agree.」

The two began discussing the contract with the assumption that it would be signed.

The specific clauses to be signed at the outset needed revision.

Because the dynamics had shifted.

***

Meanwhile, the daycare center was hosting a pajama party.

From early morning, everyone was proudly displaying their cherished items to share.

Seung-joon showed Si-ha a soccer ball-shaped cushion.

“Si-ha, if you sleep with this, you’ll have soccer dreams! Isn’t it amazing?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’ll dribble past everyone and score a goal.”

Si-ha grabbed the pillow and turned it around as if he was mesmerized.

It looked like he was holding a car steering wheel.

The teacher shook her head, amused.

She figured Seung-joon was so obsessed with soccer that he was projecting his dreams.

“But Si-ha, what’s that?”

“Ah?”

A large object sat next to Si-ha’s bag.

Si-ha picked it up and placed it on his head.

It was so large that half of his body disappeared inside.

“Hyung Pepe [Referring to the Pepe the Frog meme].”

“Wow! It’s Pepe!”

He had brought the head of the Pepe doll costume he had received from Si-hyuk.

Today, it was chosen to replace Hyung.

Si-hyuk was a little embarrassed that he had brought something so bulky, but Si-ha was delighted.

The teacher was also taken aback when she first saw it.

Because he was just carrying a head.

“Si-ha, can I go in too?”

“Yes!”

Seung-joon lowered his head and squeezed into the doll’s face.

Thus, one Pepe face with four legs attached to the bottom created a comical sight.

“Hahaha. I can see with these eyes!”

“See!”

Each of them peered out through one of Pepe’s eyes.

“Let’s go forward!”

They cautiously moved forward, trying not to fall, but eventually tripped and tumbled.

The Pepe face rolled forward.

Tap.

The doll’s face stopped, bumping into one of the legs.

“It’s Pepe!”

“Is it real Pepe?”

Hana and Yeon-ju picked up Pepe’s face.

And handed it to Si-ha.

“Thank you~!”

“You’re welcome.”

“Hana, what did you bring?”

“Hana brought a cat. Here’s a cat.”

Hana showed the pillow she slept with.

The cat was displaying its two paws and staring with wide eyes.

Si-ha’s eyes lit up as he looked at the pillow.

“Cute.”

“Isn’t it cute? It’s Hana’s favorite pillow.”

Seung-joon chimed in.

“Hana, isn’t the soccer pillow cuter?”

“No! It’s not cute at all.”

Seung-joon crossed his arms in an X and shook his head in disagreement.

Si-ha looked at Yeon-ju.

It was a look asking what she had brought.

Yeon-ju seemed to understand and rummaged through her bag.

“Dad gave me cards to play with.”

What emerged from Yeon-ju’s bag was a deck of playing cards.

The teacher let out a forced laugh.

Oh, Yeon-ju’s father. How could you give playing cards to a child? Is this the American concept of freedom?

Maybe he gave her those cards because it was a pajama party.

This isn’t a middle or high school field trip.

Bringing playing cards is against the rules!

I doubt they’ll be useful.

“What’s a card?”

“Wow. Cards! Magic cards!”

“Can Yeon-ju do magic?”

Well, perhaps children know them as magic cards rather than for poker or hula [referring to card games].

Jong-soo wagged his index finger as he watched.

“Tsk tsk. Those aren’t magic cards. There’s no way we can do magic and play with them.”

“Then what is it?”

“That’s.”

Could it be that Jong-soo knows poker or hula?

Jong-soo has a wealth of knowledge, so he might know.

“You play Thief and One Card! I know because I’ve played them!”

“Thief and One Card?”

I’m sorry, teacher.

There’s no way Jong-soo would know such games.

Still, it seems his parents taught him because he knows the games Thief and One Card.

“Yeah. My dad taught me. But my mom was hitting my dad’s back, but I don’t know why.”

That’s right.

He’s teaching a game with cards in front of the child. Still, it’s a good thing he didn’t teach poker.

“Jong-soo, what’s Thief?”

“Hahaha! Everyone doesn’t know!”

Jong-soo’s shoulders puffed up.

It was Jong-soo’s moment, and he looked thrilled.

“You put out the same numbers among the cards in your hand. If you don’t have any, you draw other people’s cards in order and put them out. But there’s a card called the Joker. If you have it at the end, you’re the thief.”

“Choco? Is Choco the thief?”

“Not Choco, Joker! Joker!”

“Choco thief is bad. He eats it alone, saying it’s delicious. We have to eat together.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not a Choco thief!”

Jong-soo corrected him, but he was already lost in his own world.

Yeon-ju showed the Joker from the cards.

“This kid’s name is Joker.”

“Is he a thief?”

“Huh? I don’t know about that?”

Si-ha looked at Jong-soo.

“Yes. He’s a thief. A thief. Hey. Lee Si-ha. Let’s play a card game.”

Somehow, everyone ended up sitting in a circle and starting a card game.

The teacher took on the role of dealer and referee.

“Okay, then I’ll show you how to shuffle the cards.”

She started shuffling the cards with flashy hand movements for the first time in a while.

Swish swish swish!

Dividing it into two and mixing it in a circle.

Whoosh.

The children’s eyes widened at the sight.

“Teacher. Amazing!”

“Hehehe. One more time?”

Whoosh.

The cards cascaded down from the arch shape.

The director saw it and slapped Yoo Da-hee’s teacher on the back.

Slap.

“Ouch!”

“You’re showing off something good.”

“Hahaha. It’s been a while since I’ve been excited. Still, you have to be able to do this to be popular……”

“Let’s proceed with Thief quickly.”

“Yes!”

Yoo Da-hee’s teacher dealt the cards to the children using her wrist while striking a pose.

Swish swish swish.

It swept the floor and flew towards the children.

“Teacher is amazing!”

“Hehehe.”

It’s nothing special, but the teacher felt satisfied.

It’s a pretentious role that I’ve enjoyed in a long time.

The children’s hands are very small.

Since there are 8 people, 6 cards are dealt to each, and 1 more card is dealt to 5 people.

“Okay. If the numbers and shapes are the same, you put them out. If you have the Joker at the end, that person is the thief.”

The children nodded and looked at the cards.

Some put out the same numbers, and the cards in their hands decreased.

“Originally, it’s right to go around in a circle, but I’m going to change the rules here and choose the person you want to pick. Shall we start with Jong-soo first?”

Jong-soo looked around.

Surprisingly, the children maintained their poker faces well, so he couldn’t tell who had the Joker.

So he chose Jae-hwi. He picked a card and put out the same card.

Jae-hwi chose Yeon-ju.

That’s how it progressed.

The nomination is like a game of chance, so you can get out of the game if you choose only one person.

That left Si-ha, Seung-joon, Jong-soo, and Eun-woo.

“Puhaha. I have to pick Seung-joon’s.”

“Eun-woo, you have to pick mine.”

“Ah, Seung-joon’s, not Jong-soo’s.”

As it progressed, only Jong-soo and Si-ha were left.

Si-ha had the Joker.

“Hey, Lee Si-ha. You have the Joker, don’t you?”

“No.”

“What do you mean no! We’re the only two left!”

Si-ha has two cards. Jong-soo has one card.

It looked like Si-ha was holding it.

“No. Si-ha doesn’t have it. Why don’t I have it?”

“Shameless. Lee Si-ha. Everyone here knows you have it?”

“Jong-soo is amazing! How did you know? Amazing!”

“No. There’s nothing amazing about it. Everyone knows it’s you. It’s obvious!”

“No. It’s amazing that you know.”

“You’re doing this on purpose!”

Jong-soo felt like he was being teased because he said the obvious fact was amazing.

Of course, Si-ha didn’t mean to convey that.

“Hmm. Should I do this?”

Jong-soo carefully reached for the right card.

“Jong-soo, are you really going to do this? Really?”

“Huh? Hooo. Lee Si-ha. You’re trying to trick me, aren’t you?”

“It’s not good to do that. Really.”

“It must be real! Be careful with your pronunciation!”

“Si-ha is worried. If you do that, you’ll be a thief. A thief. Really.”

“Hey!”

Rather, Jong-soo was convinced that Si-ha was deceiving him.

Because he looked desperate as he slowly pulled the card back.

There is no hesitation in the choice.

Swoosh.

“Aagh! It’s the Joker!”

Jong-soo covered his head. He thought it was psychological warfare, but he was telling the truth.

Si-ha didn’t lie.

But he mistook it for deception and picked it.

Why did he do that? He kept saying he was a loser, so he got caught up in it.

Of course, Si-ha didn’t actually say he was a loser, but he pronounced it as ‘jin-tta’ [Korean slang for ‘real’ or ‘genuine’].

Depending on who hears it, it was all the same.

Si-ha scratched his cheek.

“Si-ha said you were a loser!”

“Hey!”

Jong-soo was frustrated.