Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 422

“Hyung, aren’t I cute?” Episode 422 (422/500)

Going back in time.

When Kim Hye-ryun returned to Korea.

She came back to Korea as if running away, without any plans.

With the money she had, she couldn’t even afford a deposit in Seoul [a large sum of money required upfront to rent an apartment].

She wondered if she should go down to the provinces and find a monthly rental room.

Perhaps because she had lived in France for too long, she wasn’t prepared for anything.

But she couldn’t stay there any longer.

If she stayed with him, they would fight, and she wouldn’t be able to have this child.

She touched her belly and felt the stirrings of life inside.

She had no plans, but there was a reason she came to Korea.

To give the child Korean citizenship.

And since the medical system was well-established, she thought she could rely on it.

“Ah.”

She was thinking of getting a place to stay, but she was worried about wasting money, so she wondered if it would be better to go to a *jjimjilbang* [Korean sauna].

But she didn’t think there would be a suitable place to put this carrier, so she decided to get a room for one night.

It was good to come, but she felt overwhelmed.

Perhaps it was fortunate that she never ran out of work.

She wanted to succeed in art, but at some point, she gave up on herself. So she was taking on a lot of illustration work as a freelancer.

Since she was a freelancer who received work by email in the first place, there was no reason for her work to be cut off as long as she worked diligently.

The industry was small, but if you had the skills, you could accumulate a work schedule for more than half a year.

“Ah.”

She left the airport.

She took a taxi and looked for a cheap place to stay.

She lay down on the bed and went to the veranda to look outside.

Korea should have felt like the comfort of her hometown, but because it was night, the dark sky felt so overwhelming.

But there was nothing she could do.

Now that she was a mother, she had to work hard. She had to work hard on her own.

She gave up on her dream, but she couldn’t give up on the child in her belly. Becoming famous in art depends a lot on others. But this child in her womb was something she could choose entirely. She could achieve it.

So she could cherish this life and not give up.

He wouldn’t know how much of a blessing this was.

That’s why she broke up with him. She had no regrets about that choice. She was just sad.

She felt the Korean night breeze and went inside to wash up.

It felt like it had been a long day, and she was so tired.

The next day.

She wondered where to go.

She had to find a hospital and do a lot of things.

It would be nice to have someone to help, but neither she nor he had anyone to help in Korea.

To be exact, she had no family.

She had already cut off contact and lived in France to focus on art.

But now she regrets it.

She thought that if she lived hard without looking back, she would achieve anything like others who became self-made.

Now that she was in this situation, she regretted not doing so.

Knowing that there was nothing she could do even if she regretted it, she got up and went to a nearby cafe.

She was about to order coffee without thinking, but she changed her mind and ordered *ade* [a Korean fruit-flavored drink, often citrus-based].

She took a tangerine *ade* and sat down, turning on her laptop.

If she stayed in her room, her head wouldn’t work.

She felt frustrated instead.

She had a lot of time to work alone, but she wanted to go to a place with a lot of people and think about these complicated problems.

She wanted to see the complicated world and feel that she was a part of it. She wanted to feel ordinary.

Maybe she just wanted to start the day with a cup of coffee.

Of course, what was in front of her was *ade*.

“Hoo.”

She brought her laptop, but she didn’t know what to do first.

This was her first time doing something like this.

She wondered if she was being too emotional, but that was useless.

She looked it up slowly. A good obstetrician or the phone number of an organization that could help women.

She organized them and started checking them one by one.

She was doing it as if she was making a schedule when she heard a familiar voice.

“Hye-ryun?”

“Oh? Jang-hyuk *oppa* [an honorific term for an older brother or male friend]?”

She saw someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.

He looked a little older, but he was still not much different from before.

Still gentlemanly.

He was clean-shaven and wore a neat shirt.

Just by looking at the white and stiff collar of his shirt, she could tell that he was taking good care of himself.

She knew how hard it was to take care of herself as a freelancer.

*Oppa* still seemed the same as before.

“It’s been a long time. When did you come to Korea? I was really surprised because I lost your contact information.”

“Ah, yeah.”

She lowered her head slightly.

She didn’t want to show this side of herself to Lee Jang-hyuk.

The last time she saw him was when he was married and living well.

He had a child too. He must have grown up a lot.

His happy appearance was so contrasting to her own that she didn’t want to tell him how she was living.

Maybe she wanted to show him that she was doing well because he was an *oppa* she admired.

Lee Jang-hyuk pulled out a chair and sat down in front of Hye-ryun.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t look good.”

“No. Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

“……”

How does this *oppa* know so well?

She didn’t say anything. Does her face look that bad? Is it dark?

She looked at her face reflected on the laptop screen, but she couldn’t tell.

“I, I.”

“Do you need help?”

Hye-ryun stared blankly at Jang-hyuk.

Suddenly, tears fell from her eyes.

This *oppa* is always quick-witted and quickly recognizes other people’s conditions, just like in his days as an interpreter. Is it an occupational hazard?

But now she just cried.

Why are you saying the words I need so much right now? Why is it Jang-hyuk *oppa* in front of me and not him? But I’m so grateful. *Oppa*. I need help.

“Why, why are you crying?”

Jang-hyuk was flustered.

***

Jang-hyuk often goes to cafes to do translation work.

Of course, when Si-hyuk was young, he worked a lot at home. He wanted to save every penny, and Si-hyuk was home a lot, so he wanted to spend time with him.

He seemed to save travel time while working.

But as time went by, Si-hyuk grew up and spent more time at school than at home.

Then he thought that he should prepare for the future instead of just staying at home.

To be honest, he was lonely. He was talking about being alone.

He wondered what he should do if Si-hyuk got a job and dated.

The answer was still interpreting.

At first, he vaguely tried to return to work and continued to study while raising Si-hyuk.

He worked and studied.

He studied everything he could, which helped with translation work.

He increased his speaking skills by talking to his existing foreign friends.

It was a good thing about being an interpreter.

He could automatically manage his network while talking, so there would be no problem when he returned to work in the future.

He vaguely prepared for the future like that.

In preparation for the time when he would have less time with Si-hyuk.

He once asked grandmothers who were doing business.

Why do you do this work even though it’s hard? Can’t you leave it to your son here?

At that time, the grandmother said that it was good to do something.

That was life for the grandmother. It was feeling alive. Customers who eat deliciously and leave. Herself doing something.

She was old, but she felt the vitality of living.

Rather, she might be energized by doing restaurant work.

In the past, he just nodded, but now that Si-hyuk is growing up, he seems to know a little about what the grandmother was feeling.

Wasn’t it a way to shake off loneliness?

I’m here. I’m not dead yet. I’m alive. I have a place to be.

That’s why I have vitality.

That’s the same with Jang-hyuk’s interpreter work. Creating a place for me to be. When Si-hyuk gets married and lives separately, he will feel that the place where he can be is gradually decreasing.

His life was only his son Si-hyuk, but when he grows up, there will be a time when he returns to his life.

Jang-hyuk is preparing for that.

“Huh?”

He saw Hye-ryun after a long time.

It was a coincidence that he met her like this when he went to a cafe he often went to.

Maybe it was a relationship he had to meet.

But she looked like she had a lot of worries.

She seemed to have a problem. It was just a feeling, and she might have maintained a poker face.

But he was used to catching that.

As he got used to watching Si-hyuk’s eyes and hiding his pain, his ability to read expressions improved.

Along with that, Jang-hyuk also developed a sense of digging up and understanding hidden pain.

He felt like Hye-ryun’s heart was not in words right now.

So he approached her.

“Hye-ryun?”

That word opened the door.

They shared their stories. They got angry and talked about how to deal with their frustrating lives.

It might be lucky to meet like this on the first day in Korea.

“I’ll help you find a monthly rental room. You can pay the deposit.”

“Yes? *Oppa*. You don’t have to.”

“No. I can help you this much.”

“No. If my sister doesn’t allow it, you can’t just say you’ll help me like this.”

“Ah……”

Just like she told him her story, Jang-hyuk also told her his situation.

The story of that blank space when he didn’t have contact with her.

“I’ve been divorced for quite a while.”

“Ah……”

Hye-ryun looked like she couldn’t believe it.

Jang-hyuk just smiled brightly.

As if it was nothing. As if it was really nothing and he was happy now.

That appearance was so dazzling and comforting to Hye-ryun.

Seeing the appearance of a father who divorced and raised his son alone, she gained the courage to do it herself.

“I didn’t even know. I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? It’s nothing, but it’s nothing now. So let’s get out of the motel and find a place to stay first. Motels are expensive these days. You can’t stay there forever.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll get all the furniture for you.”

“You don’t have to do that. I have money.”

“No. I want to do that. And my situation is different from yours now. You have to think about the child too. How are you going to give birth alone?”

“Ah……”

“You won’t be able to work properly later. Just accept it. I heard you’re going to be an illustrator? You can work hard later and pay me back. I’ll lend it to you without interest.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Hye-ryun shed tears.

Just yesterday, it was dark, but now the sun was in the middle of the sky, shining on the cafe.

The sunlight coming through the curtains was so bright and pretty.

That’s why she cried more. Because it was so pretty.

***

Time passed.

Jang-hyuk took care of Hye-ryun meticulously.

There were many obstacles, but they were able to solve them somehow.

Her belly was getting bigger and she could feel the baby kicking.

Jang-hyuk was happy about that and had many thoughts.

“Hye-ryun.”

“Yes? What’s wrong, *oppa*?”

“Don’t overdo it with work. And go to a postpartum care center after giving birth.”

“That costs money.”

“It’s okay. I’ll pay for it. It’s all without interest.”

“Phew. You always say without interest.”

“It’s good for the child and the mother to recover quickly enough, even if you spend some money.”

“Are you telling me to get better quickly and work?”

Jang-hyuk just smiled.

Hye-ryun smiled at that appearance.

“Why are you just smiling?”

“Just. But I’ve been thinking about it.”

“About what?”

“Instead of paying me back, can you grant me one wish?”

“???”

“I wish you would give me the opportunity to be the child’s father.”

Hye-ryun covered her mouth with her hand.

Because it was a completely unexpected word.

“Only if you’re okay with it.”

Jang-hyuk liked Hye-ryun and felt sorry for the child in her belly.

It was a path he had already walked while raising Si-hyuk.

He could predict how difficult it would be.

Also, the situation was different from his.

So he said it after many complicated thoughts and emotions.

When he was raising Si-hyuk, he couldn’t think about remarriage.

He knew that if he remarried just because he needed a mother, Si-hyuk would have one more person to be aware of.

But the child in her belly was different.

If he became a father from the beginning, the child would just have a father. Casually.

She might know someday, but that’s something the child can handle in the future.

“*Oppa*……”

“Will you answer me?”

“*Oppa*, do you like me?”

A question with many meanings.

Jang-hyuk just smiled.

“You idiot. I wouldn’t have said this if I didn’t like you.”

Hye-ryun smiled while crying at that word.

Like a flower with dew, it’s so clear.

That’s how the two became a couple.