Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 381

“Hyung, aren’t I cute?”

This is a story from December, going back in time.

Siha happened to find a pretty candy container while walking. Remembering it, he took money from his piggy bank, and said he wanted to buy it.

But once he bought it, he was worried because there were too many candies.

After much deliberation, he decided to share the candies with his close friends.

I thought it would be a pleasant, warm feeling in the cold winter.

Siha shared all the candies and returned home with a proud expression.

The feeling of joy is intangible, but it somehow returns to the giver’s heart as well.

I believe there are definitely times when such warmth is needed in the world.

“Hyung. What’s that?”

“Huh?”

There was a colorful poster on the school bulletin board.

A red hat.

A hat-knitting campaign for newborns.

Siha was probably curious because the color red caught his eye.

“It’s about making hats and giving them to babies. People who want to apply can apply. It seems like the volunteer club made it.”

“Baby?”

“Yeah. A very small baby. A baby who’s just born and cries.”

“Why do they wear hats?”

“Babies get too cold, and it hurts a lot.”

“Turn on the boiler!”

“There are places in foreign countries that don’t have boilers.”

“!!!”

Siha’s eyes widened as if he didn’t know that.

In any country, there are countries that are lacking and countries that are excessively developed.

The world is wide, and there are invisible discriminations.

But it is true that there are just as many warm aspects.

“Hyung. Should Siha make it too?”

“Huh?”

“Hat. Siha doesn’t want the baby to hurt.”

“Hmm. Should we buy a kit? But it might be difficult for Siha to make.”

“Siha is good at it.”

How can you say you’re good at it without trying?

Well, if it doesn’t work out, I can help, but I’ve never done this before, so I might not be good at it either.

But I didn’t want to tell Siha to wait until he grows up when Siha wants to do it now.

I didn’t want to assume in advance that he wouldn’t be able to do it.

In life, there are times when things don’t proceed in a perfectly equipped state.

Rather, there are more cases where you just jump in and grow by figuring things out as you go.

So, I want to support Siha’s words now.

“Okay. Then let’s apply for just one?”

“Okay!”

Looking closely at the poster, it seemed like the students were all placing group orders together.

It seems like they are proceeding by posting posters with the intention of doing it together, and the purpose is definitely good.

I sent my department, student number, and name to the email address written on the poster, expressing my intention to participate.

Unexpectedly, I got a reply quickly.

[Today was the last day to apply, but thank you for participating. We will place a group order and contact you when it arrives. We plan to distribute it in the volunteer club room, so please come and pick it up later.]

So time passed.

I got a knitted hat kit.

The problem is that it’s much more difficult than I thought.

“Siha. This is how you do it.”

“Like this?”

Holding Siha’s hand together and knitting diligently is not easy.

But he does it with concentration.

It seems like I’m almost finishing it…….

Siha felt that too.

“Hyung. Siha is not good at it.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. No one is good at it from the beginning.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. If Hyung did it for the first time, he wouldn’t have been good at it either. It’s because I’ve done knitting before.”

I was comforting him like this when my uncle laughed and poured cold water on him.

“No, there are always people who are good at it from the beginning.”

“Ah, Uncle!”

“Why? In the world, there are such unfair people who are good at it from the beginning. Talented people quickly get the hang of it even if they stumble at first. Siha needs to know that too.”

Of course, there are people like that, but did you have to say it at this timing!

“Siha. The world is bitter. Hahaha!”

“Uncle is lying!”

“Ha! A lie. Uncle always tells the truth.”

Siha pouted and looked at the knitting.

He was working hard with his little hands, and I had to help a lot too.

After many trials and errors, the hat was completed.

“Hyung. I’m all done!”

“Yeah. Siha did it all. Siha didn’t do anything.”

“No! Siha did a little bit too.”

“Yeah. You did just a tiny bit.”

“Uncle is bad!”

But I think it’s great even if it’s just this little bit.

Isn’t it lovely to see him trying hard even if it doesn’t work out well?

He might have given up in the middle.

“Devil. Devil.”

“Then can Siha confidently say that he made that?”

“Woong.”

Siha rolls his eyes while thinking.

“Uncle. Stop teasing him. Siha did well too. Siha did well. You can do better next time! You did a really good job finishing it!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

Uncle smirked.

“Let’s help Siha do better next time.”

“Huh?”

“You’re good at drawing. You can help with that.”

“If Siha touches the picture, his body won’t get warm.”

“Who said to give a picture as a gift?”

“Huh?”

“You can sell the picture and send the money to help the babies get better quickly.”

“!!!”

I guess he’s talking about sponsorship.

Well, it’s a good thing to help with what you’re good at.

You don’t have to do something you’re not good at like this.

Rather, try to help with what you’re good at.

I thought he was teasing, but my uncle seems to be encouraging me in a strange way.

No matter what, he cherishes Siha.

“Uncle. What picture should I draw and sell?”

“You have to think about that.”

It was my uncle who gave Siha something to think about.

Siha. But isn’t this knitted hat enough?

These words came up to my throat and then went down.

Maybe this thinking process itself is a good thing for Siha.

“Hyung will do the laundry.”

So I just decided to do the laundry and dry the hat.

***

Siha is thinking.

Sometimes he stares blankly, thinking about something, and then forgets about it when he can’t think of anything.

I [Si혁, the narrator] was worried about whether to give him a hint.

“Can’t think of anything?”

“Can’t.”

“Then shall I tell you how to think of something?”

“What?”

“Siha is worried about what picture to draw. Then how do you think of it?”

“Woong. Siha thinks of it while playing.”

“Yeah. That’s right. If you play hard, you’ll come up with good ideas.”

“!!!”

Siha looked at me as if to ask if that was really the case.

I nodded.

Often, if you experience this and that, you often come up with good ideas.

Reading a book or playing in a valley.

Didn’t you draw a picture by mixing everything you’ve experienced?

“If you just play, you’ll have a chance to come up with something. It’s just like that.”

“That’s right! Siha draws pictures while playing.”

“Yeah. That’s how it is.”

Sometimes you just end up worrying without solving anything.

But if you keep a question in your heart and do things that don’t seem to be related to that question, you will come up with something.

“Then are you going to play to your heart’s content at daycare today?”

“Okay! Siha will play hard!”

Okay. That’s all you need to do.

I dropped Siha off at daycare and went to work.

“Siha! Hello!”

“Siha! Hello!”

The twins greet Siha.

Siha also waves his hand and hugs them.

The teacher only shows a faint smile as if she is used to this sight now.

The children arrive one by one and discuss what to play today.

“Siha wants to play on the slide!”

“Then I’ll play soccer!”

“No. It’s cold outside, so let’s play house.”

“I like reading books together.”

Everyone is having a heated debate as if their opinions are not easily narrowed down.

The teacher looked at the scene and the calendar caught her eye.

November. I forgot to tear that part off. I had to change it to December.

I was about to tear it off with my hand.

“Teacher. Siha wants to do it.”

“Oh? Siha. When did you come?”

“Siha will do it.”

Siha wanted to tear off the calendar hanging on the wall.

Because tearing it off was so much fun.

But when Siha said that, the other children were clamoring to do it too.

“Ah! I want to do it too! Me too!”

“Me too! Me too!”

“I want to do it too.”

Hey, kids? Weren’t you having a heated debate about what to play until just now?

Why are you so interested in this?

Unfortunately, I wanted to let everyone do it, but only one person could tear off this calendar.

“Ahem. Unfortunately, only one person can tear this off!”

“!!!”

“Then shall we let the person who wins the game tear it off?”

The teacher never misses an opportunity.

She proceeds with the prepared program as if it’s a good thing.

Actually, it’s a program I just thought of. Anyway.

“Everyone. Korea has four seasons. Spring, summer, fall, winter. Do you know?”

“Yes!”

“Then choose a season in your mind and express it with your body. If you guess the season correctly, you get 1 point! If you explain it in detail, I’ll give you another 1 point. The person with the highest score can tear off this calendar.”

“!!!”

The purpose of this program was to help children understand the characteristics and changes of the seasons.

I know it from experience, but it’s better to think about it once.

“Then the teacher will do it first. Later, you have to come out one by one and ask questions. Got it?”

“Yes!”

The teacher blows on her hands.

And she opens a door and goes inside. She pretends to say something by holding out one finger.

And she pretends to hold a round cup in her hand and puts it on her cheek.

Then she pretends to sit on a chair and drink.

She seemed to be turning her head to the side and looking outside.

Siha raised his hand.

“Correct answer! Hyung [older brother]!”

“땡! [buzzing sound, indicating incorrect answer]”

Siha became sullen.

Anyone could see that Hyung was drinking tea.

“Ahem. Everyone. Please guess the season first.”

Jongsu raised his hand confidently.

“Winter! I blew on my hands and ordered a coffee!”

“Wow, you got it all right! Jongsu gets 2 points!”

Jongsu looked at Siha with a victorious smile.

Siha still didn’t know why he was wrong and just tilted his head.

“Then shall Jongsu ask the next question?”

“Yes!”

Jongsu comes forward.

He pretends to turn on the faucet. He receives water and sprinkles it here and there.

He puts his palms together and raises them up.

And he spreads his hands. As if a sprout has sprouted.

End of explanation.

Siha raised his hand.

“Sprout sprouted!”

“Oh. That’s right, but. Should I say it’s right?”

“Watered and sprout sprouted.”

“Oh. That’s right! That. But you have to guess the season too.”

“But if you plant beans in the summer, will sprouts sprout or not?”

“Uh?”

“What about in the fall?”

“Uh?”

In fact, Jongsu hadn’t thought that far.

Siha seemed to be asking if he would say it was spring just because sprouts sprouted.

But Siha was just curious.

“Jongsu doesn’t know?”

“No. I know! Um! That. If you control the temperature well, it will come out. Sprout.”

“That’s right!”

“So what season is it?”

“It’s spring.”

“Why did you ask if you knew!”

“I asked because I was curious.”

“Hey!”

Jongsu returned to his seat with a confused face.

Now it was Siha’s turn.

“Siha will ask a question. Look.”

Siha opens his mouth wide.

He does that for a while, then grabs his top and pulls it forward.

And then he opens his mouth wide again.

Jongsu stares with wide eyes, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Seungjun raises his hand as if he knows.

“I know! I know.”

“What?”

“It’s winter. Siha is opening his mouth and eating snow!”

“땡! [buzzing sound, indicating incorrect answer]”

“헐 [Korean slang for ‘OMG’]. I got it wrong!”

Winter is excluded.

Jongsu raised his hand in the sense of getting at least one right.

“Correct answer! Fall!”

“땡! [buzzing sound, indicating incorrect answer]”

“Ugh.”

Then Yundong raised his hand slightly.

“Summer.”

“That’s right!”

“And playing in front of the fan. Opening your mouth and putting wind in your stomach.”

“That’s right! Yundong is great!”

Yundong shrugged his shoulders.

Jongsu was a little upset. He wondered why he couldn’t get it right even though he had played like that in the summer.

“Then I’ll ask now.”

If it’s saying it with your body instead of a picture, Yundong was confident.

Dancing is also expressing it with your body.

He bows his head. He stands up with a wave. He bows his head again. He stands up again.

And he stands on one foot and spreads his arms.

He expresses the slight shaking.

Siha looked at it and raised his hand.

“Siha knows! Siha knows!”

“What is it?”

“It was in front of the phone store.”

“???”

“Wind doll. Wind balloon doll. Siha saw it.”

A wind balloon doll waving and dancing in the wind in front of a cell phone store.

Siha said that.

Yundong shook his head.

“땡! [buzzing sound, indicating incorrect answer]”

“Because the wind blows a lot, it’s fall.”

“That’s the correct answer…….”

Still, Siha got the season right.