Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 464

Hyung, am I cute? Hyung, am I cute? Extra Episode 39 – Parent’s Day

Gangin Elementary School.

After Children’s Day, the main topic of conversation among the children was the gifts they received.

Seung-jun was the first to speak up.

“I got a comic book for Children’s Day. I had borrowed one before, but I didn’t read it much, so they told me to read this one instead.”

“What’s the comic book about?”

“It’s called ‘Strikers,’ and it’s really fun. The strikers are always fighting, but with soccer.”

“Sounds fun.”

Anything is good as long as you read it.

Seung-jun looked at the book with great interest when he received it, even though it was only the first volume.

“I want to read the next volume, but my mom said she’ll give it to me as a gift for my birthday and Christmas. But if I want to see more sooner, she said I can work hard and buy it myself.”

“Huh? We can’t work.”

“But Siha worked and earned money, right?”

“Huh? Ah! I wasn’t working, I was just playing!”

Siha didn’t consider creating emoticons as work.

He was just drawing and playing.

He was playing, but money appeared?

That’s how it felt to him.

“I also play soccer, but I don’t get any money!”

Seung-jun said, sounding wronged.

It couldn’t be helped since it wasn’t a game that made money.

Hana, who was listening from the side, said with a smile.

“I’m going to sing and earn money later. I’m also going to compose and receive royalties [payments to the composer for the use of their music].”

Hana had a grand dream of becoming an idol [a popular singer or performer, often part of a group].

Siha nodded, looking impressed.

“Hana, what gift did you get?”

“I’ve been reading books well, so I got a bookmark instead of a comic book. It has an idol’s face on it!”

“Wow.”

Hana held up the bookmark and showed it off to Siha.

The well-coated bookmark sparkled in the light.

Hana held it preciously in her arms.

“But since there’s only one member on it, my mom said she’ll add one more member on Christmas or other special days.”

“I see.”

It was Seung-jun’s mom giving gifts that would be inexpensive in the future. Of course, she would spend lavishly on birthdays. It was a good strategy for gifts on these minor holidays.

“Yeon-ju, what did you get?”

“Instead of a gift, I said I wanted to eat delicious pasta and see a musical, so we did that.”

In some ways, Yeon-ju received the most expensive gift. A physical gift might have been cheaper.

Seung-jun asked Siha.

“Then what about Siha?”

“I got a ticket to play with Hyung [older brother or close male friend] for 24 hours. So, I had a lot of fun at the playground.”

“Wow. That sounds fun.”

“Yeah. We came home and played games together and ate delicious food. We even showered together.”

“Did you poop together too?”

“No. We pooped separately.”

Hana made a face, saying, ‘Ew, that’s gross,’ at Seung-jun’s question.

Seung-jun looked proud as he saw Hana’s frowning face.

Only Siha tilted his head, confused by the interaction between the two.

“Hey, Lee Siha. Is that all you got? Haha.”

Jong-su and his friends approached. They wanted to show off their Children’s Day gifts to Siha today, or, to be exact, they came because they wanted Siha to be envious.

“What did Jong-su get?”

As if he had been waiting for those words, Jong-su stroked his hair.

“I got a 50,000 won [approximately $40 USD] gift card!”

“What’s a gift card?”

“Huh?”

You can only be envious if you know what something is. Siha didn’t know what a gift card was.

“You need a gift card to buy good items or clothes in the game. Don’t you even know that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t need to buy clothes in the game.”

That’s because Siha plays video games that can be played alone or in pairs. If it were a phone game or an online game, he would have needed to make a payment.

“Uh. Uh. Umm. Anyway, you can download good apps with this.”

“Yeah. That’s good, Jong-su.”

“Oh. Yeah. Thanks.”

Jong-su had a look that said, ‘This isn’t it?’

Siha didn’t know how good it was because he hadn’t played app games yet.

“It’s a kind of money. Money.”

“50,000 won money. Yeah. I know.”

“Oh. Um. Okay.”

Those words didn’t have the effect Jong-su wanted. Siha had already made a lot of money. He was thinking of giving his Hyung an allowance because he earned so much, rather than thinking of receiving 50,000 won. He couldn’t feel envious of that.

As Jong-su’s excitement deflated, Jaehwi, who was next to him, patted Jong-su’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, Jong-su. I’m envious.”

“Huh? Thanks.”

Jong-su didn’t feel any better knowing Jaehwi was envious.

Siha asked Jaehwi.

“What did Jaehwi get?”

“Uh-huh? I got shoes. There was a pair I really wanted.”

“Did you wear them today?”

“Ah, no. I have to wear them with matching clothes.”

“I see.”

Jaehwi, who is interested in fashion, doesn’t wear just any shoes. He tends to match the color with his top, or if there is an orange accent on the shoes, he matches it with a hat or bag. He had a very good sense of style from a young age. Of course, unlike his fashion sense, he was somewhat introverted. Thanks to Jong-su, who is outgoing, that has changed a lot.

“Puhaha. He didn’t ‘wear’ ‘shoes’. Puhaha.”

“???”

“Then didn’t he ‘dry’ his ‘socks’ either? Puhaha.”

“???”

Yoon-dong shook his head at Eun-woo’s strange pun.

“What did Yoon-dong get?”

Siha lightly skipped over Eun-woo and asked Yoon-dong.

“Sweet red bean jelly [a traditional Korean snack].”

“??? Ah. That’s delicious.”

“Yeah. So, I asked for it.”

“Do you like sweet red bean jelly?”

“It’s good to eat simply when I’m dancing and my energy is low. With bananas.”

“???”

Siha had a look that he didn’t know what was going on. Only Seung-jun was nodding his head diligently.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s good for calories when playing soccer.”

***

After-school learning time.

The teacher came in.

“Everyone. Did you have a good Children’s Day?”

“Yes!”

“It’s good because you received a lot of gifts, right?”

“Yes!”

“Let’s give a round of applause to the parents who always take care of those gifts!”

Clap clap clap.

“Now, that thankful day is coming up. What day is it?”

“Parent’s Day!”

“Yes. That’s right. It’s Parent’s Day. It’s a day to express gratitude for being born and raised. Of course, it’s not the only day to express it, but if you haven’t said I love you, well, do it on this day.”

“Yes!”

“Then let’s take some time to think about what we can give as a Parent’s Day gift. You can write a letter or give a massage coupon. But!”

“???”

“You have to say it in English.”

“!!!”

Writing in English is difficult, but speaking it might be easier. After-school time is always focused on English conversation, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Then how do you say I love you to your parents in English?”

“I love you!”

“Yes. That’s right. Also, if you have any gifts or words you want to say, try expressing them in English. Anyone want to try?”

No one raised their hand.

The homeroom teacher knew it too. It was difficult even to say these words for first graders. But English is always about confidence. It was important to say something, whether it was grammatically correct or not.

“Me!”

Siha raised his hand.

The homeroom teacher was a little troubled. Because someone showing the demeanor of a master appeared in this beginner section. But she couldn’t tell Siha to do it last.

If he does too well, it will be difficult for the children to do it next time, so how can I get out of this well?

“Me!”

Jong-su also raised his hand, not wanting to lose to Siha.

“Oh! Jong-su.”

“Teacher. I raised my hand too.”

“Oh? Siha raised his hand too. I didn’t see it because I was worried about how to handle this. I’m sorry.”

The homeroom teacher praised her trick in her heart. She naturally gained the justification to have Jong-su do it first.

“Then Jong-su will do it first, and then Siha will do it next. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Okay. Jong-su, tell me.”

Jong-su is a student who studies diligently, but when it comes to English conversation, he was inferior to Siha. He was good, still, it gives the feeling that other children think, ‘Oh? I think I can do that much too?’ Of course, when they actually try, other children find it a bit difficult.

“yes! umm…. mom. dad. I love you. I birth for you? thank you. I am happy!”

“Wow. Well done.”

Clap clap clap.

It was important that he did this.

“Now, if you have anything you want to say in Korean, the teacher will say it in English. Let’s learn that today.”

“Yes!”

Jong-su said what he wanted to say to his parents. The teacher said it in English. The children also updated their expressions while listening. This is how we learn today.

And there was a reason why she didn’t make Siha do it right after Jong-su and taught them like this. In the order of Jong-su and Siha, it is easy to be compared, but in the order of Jong-su, homeroom teacher, and Siha, the comparison becomes the homeroom teacher and Siha, not Jong-su and Siha.

Education should be considered in many ways. Of course, competition is inevitable the moment you come to school, but at least you can reduce cases of hurt pride. And Jong-su would know how good Siha is at English, so he didn’t seem to be so hurt. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t put it in the order of Jong-su and Siha.

“Then will Siha try?”

“Yes!”

“Then start.”

“[Mom, Dad. Thank you for giving birth to me. And thank you, Hyung and Uncle.]”

The homeroom teacher looked at Siha. To be honest, she didn’t know that Siha would raise his hand and come forward. She was worried that Parent’s Day might be a harsh day for the child because he had neither a mother nor a father. But Siha bravely raised his hand and said he would do it. At that moment, the homeroom teacher realized that her thinking was wrong. She just had to treat Siha normally. If she was unnecessarily concerned, it might be more hurtful. It’s different for each person, but it seemed like that for Siha.

“[When I was in Mom’s belly, it was fun because Hyung touched Mom’s belly and talked to me.]”

Apart from the homeroom teacher’s thoughts, Siha’s words felt like a lie. He remembers being in the womb?

“[Thank you, Hyung, for playing with me a lot yesterday. I really like playing with Hyung. Uncle always jokes around, but I really like him.]”

The homeroom teacher nodded.

“[Hyung is my mom and dad. Uncle is my uncle.]”

The homeroom teacher gritted her teeth. She almost burst into tears at the words that Hyung is Mom and Dad, but she almost burst out laughing at the words that Uncle is just Uncle. No. It’s not like Hyung is Mom and Uncle is Dad, but Uncle is Uncle.

“[Thank you for raising me. But I still can’t catch up with Hyung’s height, so you have to keep raising me. Please take care of me. I love you.]”

Siha’s words were over.

The homeroom teacher understood all of Siha’s words. Other children also understood awkwardly, only the words they knew.

“Yes. You did a really good job. Today, we’re going to write these words in a letter. Ah. Don’t worry, we’re not writing in English. Got it?”

“Yes!”

So, the children wrote letters to their parents. Siha also wrote diligently. The homeroom teacher stared at the sight.

“Show it to the teacher when you’re done. We have to learn how to speak in English.”

“Yes!”

Siha didn’t have much to learn. He did well in English on his own. The children who finished writing called the teacher. The teacher kindly taught them one by one.

Anyway, it seemed like it would take a long time because the teacher was alone, so Seung-jun asked Siha.

“Siha. I’m going to say I like Mom and Dad more than soccer.”

“Yeah.”

“I know all the words.”

“Yeah. But why? What don’t you know?”

“But I’m going to become the world’s best striker and say that I want to take Mom and Dad on a trip to see the world soccer game later, but it’s difficult.”

Not a world trip for parents, but a world soccer expedition! I don’t know if Mom and Dad will like it.

“Ah, you can say it like this.”

“How?”

“Follow me! Forever!”

“Huh? It’s not like you’re going to keep following me around?”

“Since Seung-jun will become the world’s best soccer player anyway, if you keep coming to see Seung-jun’s games, won’t you go on a trip?”

“Wow! That’s right! Siha is a genius!”

The homeroom teacher thought, is that really what you say on Parent’s Day?