Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 418

Hyung, aren’t I cute? Episode 418

The kids, all geared up for a sword fight, ended up playing a game of ‘growing swords’ thanks to their teacher’s little scheme.

But that’s all over now.

Only four of them managed to evolve their swords to the final stage.

The remaining four clutched their toy hammers, a mix of regret and a budding realization that it might not be so bad after all.

After all, it’s still a weapon, right?

The teacher addressed the four who hadn’t managed to evolve their swords.

“I’ll give you one last chance. If you beat me at rock-paper-scissors, I’ll change your hammer into a sword. But if you lose, it’ll become an even worse weapon. Of course, you don’t have to challenge me.”

The four kids—Seung-jun, Hana, Jong-su, and Jae-hui—began to contemplate their options.

Whether to stick with the toy hammer or take a gamble and try for a sword.

They stood at that crossroads.

“I’ll do it!” declared Seung-jun, stepping forward with confidence.

A striker shouldn’t shy away from challenges. Even when things seem unfair, you can’t give up if you want to score.

Unless the odds are absolutely zero, you have to stay focused and play until the very end.

“Teacher, let’s go! Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Ugh!”

As always, the first move is crucial.

Seung-jun lost, making the other kids think that maybe sticking with the hammer wasn’t such a bad idea.

If he’d won, they might have been tempted to try their luck too. But Seung-jun’s defeat changed everything.

“Ah. Do I have to fight with a toothbrush now?”

The teacher chuckled and shook his head.

He grinned and produced a long balloon, twisted into the shape of a sword.

He placed it in Seung-jun’s hand.

“Ew! This is way too light.”

“You have to be careful with it; it might pop. Got it?”

“Ugh! I’m doomed!”

Seeing Seung-jun’s ‘sword,’ Jong-su made up his mind.

No challenge for me! A toy hammer is much better.

Jae-hui felt the same way after witnessing Seung-jun’s misfortune.

But Hana looked like she was ready to take the risk.

I’m not like my brother!

“Hana wants to play rock-paper-scissors too! My brother lost, so I’ll win!”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Agh! I lost!”

Inevitably, both twins ended up with balloon swords.

The teacher tried to tempt Jong-su and Jae-hui one more time, but Hana’s loss seemed to have solidified their resolve. They weren’t budging.

The teacher clicked his tongue, feigning disappointment.

“Oh well. Shall we have a sword fight then?”

“Yes!”

The sword fight finally commenced.

Of course, there were toy hammers and flimsy balloon swords that barely qualified as weapons.

In real warfare, it’s rare for everyone to have equal equipment.

Someone is always at a disadvantage.

But the kids would find a way to have fun with their mismatched armaments.

“Yap! Yap!”

Si-ha was already striking dramatic poses with her lightsaber.

She looked like she was battling an invisible foe.

“Si-ha, I’ll help you!”

Seung-jun eagerly joined in.

He swung his balloon sword 멋있게 [with style] through the air.

He spun around, slashing at the empty space. Then he rushed to Si-ha’s side and raised his sword.

It would have been a 멋진 [cool] scene, but the balloon sword, waving like a fly swatter, ruined the effect.

“Seung-jun, the enemy is over here.”

“Yeah. I know. We’re surrounded.”

Even though there was no one there, the two kids acted as if they were besieged by enemies.

They stood back to back.

Scanning their surroundings and guarding against attack, as if they’d seen it in a movie.

Then Hana appeared.

“Oppa [term for older brother used by a female]! Si-ha! Hana will help you!”

Seeing that they were surrounded, she couldn’t get close and fought valiantly from a distance.

It was as if an invisible circle had formed around Si-ha and Seung-jun.

“Let’s break through to Hana!”

“Okay!”

The fight truly began.

Everyone spun around and 열심히 [energetically] swung their swords.

Zwiik! Zwiik! Jii-jik!

Si-ha’s lightsaber emitted its signature sounds.

“Hana, be careful!”

Si-ha shouted.

Hana must have been in danger.

Then Yeon-ju drew her sword from its sheath and slashed through the air.

She had been observing the battle and naturally joined the fray.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Yeon-ju, thank you.”

“Save the greetings for later. Now is the time to defeat the enemy.”

“Okay!”

Yeon-ju, have you been watching historical dramas lately? Your 말투 [way of speaking] is so natural.

Yeon-ju, who aspired to be an actress, was already 과몰입 [deeply immersed] in the situation.

It seemed right to think of it as a form of acting practice.

While the kids were 열심히 베고 있는데 [busily slashing], Jong-su sauntered over with his toy hammer slung over his shoulder.

Jae-hui trailed behind him.

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

At Jong-su’s words, the battle came to a standstill.

“Open the path.”

Jong-su gestured as if parting a crowd with his hands.

He seemed to be the leader of the enemies who had attacked Si-ha’s team.

As expected, he wasn’t there to help.

But his 행태 [behavior] resembled that of a bandit boss.

If he had been wielding a sword, he might have looked like a 껄렁한 [swaggering] swordsman, but with the hammer, he just seemed like a bandit.

He even brought his 꼬붕 [underling]… no, his henchman Jae-hui.

Jong-su spoke.

“You guys. You’re pretty strong?”

“It’s Jong-su!”

“Hey! Lee Si-ha! I’m not Jong-su here!”

“Then Jjong-su?”

“No! Anyway, I’ll take you on! Here I come!”

Jong-su advanced with his toy hammer.

Jae-hui followed close behind.

The lightsaber and the toy hammer collided.

Jii-jik! Ppyong!

Different sounds filled the air, and the atmosphere was 와장창 무너진다 [collapsing spectacularly]. But the kids didn’t seem to notice.

“Jong-su can’t block the lightsaber with a hammer. You’ll get cut.”

“This is a special hammer, so it won’t get cut.”

“!!!”

Ppyong! Ppyong! Ppyong! Zwiik! Zwiik! Zwiik!

The two were 부딪치고 투닥투닥 [bumping and bickering]. Jae-hui 고민하다가 [hesitated] about who to attack and finally chose Hana.

“Hana, here I come.”

“That won’t happen.”

“!!!”

Yeon-ju blocked Jae-hui’s path.

Jae-hui reluctantly attacked with the toy hammer.

A fight at the level of 토닥토닥 [gentle tapping].

It was hard to tell if it was a fight or a 염장 싸움 [display of affection].

“I also want an opponent! Yun-dong! Let’s fight!”

“Huh?”

“Here I come!”

“But you have a balloon sword.”

“So what?”

“No. It’s too weak.”

“It’s okay. I’m strong.”

“Hmm.”

He reluctantly 부딪쳐주는데 swords [engaged], but when Yun-dong 휘두르자 살짝 [swung lightly], the balloon popped, probably because he hit it wrong.

It was Seung-jun who lost his weapon.

“Haha!”

But Seung-jun was unfazed.

He had two fists.

“My punch can’t even be blocked by a sword!”

“Hmm.”

Anyway, that was the 설정 [setup/premise].

It was a game full of 엉망인 설정 [messy premises], but the kids were having fun.

They fought a fight where no one died.

What do I mean?

“Ugh.”

Seung-jun fell. After a while, he got up again.

“Hahaha! I’m alive again!”

It was repeated like this.

That’s the 설정 [premise]. A fight that will never end.

However, the ending time is set.

When they are satisfied, or when it’s time to eat. Or it’s snack time.

***

While taking Si-ha home, she talked about the sword fight the entire time.

She must have had a blast playing with the kids today, especially since she brought her lightsaber.

She uses the penguin bag I gave her every day, but she often takes the lightsaber her uncle gave her to play with.

Well, not every day, but still.

It seems like she’s getting gifts with different purposes, which is great.

Still, I get a little jealous when she likes them so much.

“Si-ha. Do you like the lightsaber? Or do you like the Pepe bag?”

I ask such a childish question.

“Si-ha likes both?”

Such a wise kid. She answers that she likes both. But these questions only end when I get the answer I want.

“Pick one.”

I know it’s a 짓궂은 [mean] question, but I can’t help myself.

Today, I’m 답정너 [a person who asks a question but already has a specific answer in mind].

“Then what Si-ha is thinking.”

“Ooh. What is it?”

“Hyung [term for older brother used by a male] knows. Because he likes Si-ha.”

“You’re a genius?”

Where did you learn that answer? Tell me your secrets!

If I don’t know, it means I don’t like Si-ha, so I can’t keep 추궁할 [pressuring her].

When did our Si-ha become capable of such 고급진 방어 [sophisticated defense]?

Well, it might not be an answer she thought about so deeply.

“Okay. Let’s get off.”

“Okay!”

We arrived back home.

Uncle smiled 씨익 [broadly] and greeted us.

Whenever we come in, even if he’s somewhere else, he gets up and comes to the 중간문 [entryway].

It might be a 귀찮을 행동 [bothersome action], but still.

I’m sensitive to even the smallest things, things that other people might overlook.

Because they can have such a big impact.

“Welcome home.”

“We’re back.”

“Samchun [term for uncle]! I’m back!”

Si-ha 흔든다 [waves] her lightsaber.

“Samchun, come here.”

“Why again!”

She takes 삼촌’s [Uncle’s] hand and leads him to the sofa.

삼촌’s [Uncle’s] face is 역력한 that he’s 귀찮아하는 [clearly showing he’s annoyed], but he goes along with Si-ha.

Actually, that’s always 일상이라서 [how it usually is].

“Si-ha. You have to wash your hands first.”

“That’s right! Samchun, wait. Okay? Don’t go anywhere. Wait here.”

삼촌 [Uncle] nods with a 떨떠름한 [reluctant] face.

Si-ha. Isn’t that a 대사 [line] you say to a dog?

The 애완앙마 [little devil] gave the order and 후다닥 [quickly] went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

“Samchun. Don’t move!”

“I’m already sitting.”

“I’ll tell you what Si-ha did today!”

“Hoo. Again! I told you to tell Hyung [older brother], why do you tell me every time?”

“I already told Hyung!”

“So. It’s over if you told him.”

“No. Samchun has to know too.”

“No. It’s time for me to 퇴근 [leave] from work, do I have to listen to a 브리핑 [briefing] at this time?”

It was Si-ha doing an evening 브리핑 [briefing], not a morning 브리핑 [briefing].

“부리핑 [mispronunciation of briefing]? If you do 부리부리 [wide] eyes, does it 핑 [spin] and turn around?”

“That’s not what it means.”

“Si-ha knows. 브리핑 [briefing] is English.”

“Anyone else would know if you told them.”

“Samchun. I’ll do it now.”

Now the real 브리핑 [briefing] began.

Si-ha said that she worked hard to play the game to make the lightsaber today.

She said she was also going to do the 망치로 때리는 법 [hammering technique] that 삼촌 [Uncle] taught her.

No. 삼촌 [Uncle]! What strange knowledge were you teaching Si-ha?! Why hit with the hammer handle?!

I was 경악 [shocked] to learn something I didn’t even know.

찰싹! [smack]

“Agh!”

삼촌 문질렀다 [Uncle rubbed] his back while listening to the story.

“Don’t keep teaching Si-ha strange things.”

“Why is this strange?! I’m telling her to grab it upside down and hit it with the handle because it’s a big deal if you hit it with a hammer.”

“Usually, you tell them not to use a hammer in that case.”

This 삼촌 [Uncle]. What’s with the mindset of ‘as long as you don’t kill them’?

“Then don’t use a weapon?”

“Don’t use it. You can 제압 [subdue] them with 호신술 [self-defense techniques].”

“Eh. Still, can you not use it if you have a weapon? Still, it’s made of wood, so you won’t die. If it’s a 쇳덩이 [lump of metal], there’s a high chance you’ll die.”

“The premise is not to fight with a hammer!”

Tell him to throw the hammer far away!

I was also greatly influenced by that kind of 삼촌 [Uncle] when I was young, so I fought once in middle school.

삼촌 [Uncle] already secretly taught me 실전 무술 [real-world martial arts] like things without Dad knowing, so I broke the arm of the friend I fought with…….

Um. Is that friend doing well now? Isn’t 탈골 [dislocation] something you experience at least once in your life?

No. There are many people who can’t experience it. Let’s 정신 차리자 [get a grip]. Si-ha shouldn’t be 물들면 [influenced] by 삼촌 [Uncle].

Appropriate is okay, but too much is not okay.

I understand now why Dad often 때리던 삼촌’s 등짝 [smacked Uncle’s back]. No, I already knew, but now I feel it in my skin.

“Samchun! You have to listen to Si-ha.”

“I heard everything. The lightsaber is good, right?”

“Yeah! I like it!”

“Then do you like the lightsaber? Or do you like the Pepe bag?”

“Pepe bag.”

“Hey! You were talking about the lightsaber, and now you say you like the Pepe bag?”

“The lightsaber is good after the Pepe bag.”

“This kid is completely funny.”

Oh? Si-ha. You said you liked both earlier? Didn’t you give me a 멋들어진 [wonderful] answer?

But she says she likes the Pepe bag to 삼촌 [Uncle].

It seems like she’s saying that on purpose because 삼촌’s [Uncle’s] reaction is funny.

Um. Si-ha learned a lot of 장난 [pranks] from 삼촌 [Uncle]. Has she already 물들어버린 [been influenced]?

찰싹! [smack]

“Ah! Why again?”

“I’m going to 감시할 [monitor] from now on. Do well.”

“What? What did I do again?”

“Be careful.”

Saying that, I left for the kitchen.

삼촌 [Uncle] shouted from behind.

“You have to tell me what I have to be 조심해야 [careful about]!”

“Think about it. You have a 전적 [track record] until now.”

“No. It has to be one or two things.”

삼촌 [Uncle] couldn’t get a sense of what he had to be 조심해야 [careful about] because there were so many 찔리는 things [things he felt guilty about].