Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 471

Catch Ball

Bae Sanghyun felt this couldn’t continue.

Actually, the initial goal of the art class was to bond with Siha. But somehow, he found himself teaching with genuine passion.

He still struggled to connect with an 8-year-old.

He could talk at length about art, but simple conversation eluded him. The only thing he could think to ask was if Siha had eaten.

Thankfully, Lee Sihyuk had mentioned that Siha had several friends.

Having friends was a good thing.

He was happy to hear they seemed like good kids.

But it wasn’t enough.

He’d intended to build a connection gradually, but time was passing.

So, he decided to seek advice from a friend.

He’d gotten bad advice before, but he figured he could sift through it this time.

The scary thing is being out. Out.

“Stephan. Long time no see.”

「Oh, who is this? Sanghyun! It’s been a while.」

“Yeah. How have you been?”

「I’ve been good. Ah! How’s it going? Getting closer to your son?」

Bae Sanghyun poured water into a cup in the kitchen.

Pour, pour, pour.

“I haven’t gotten much closer. It’s a little hard to talk to him.”

「Hmm. That’s not easy.」

“But he’s considerate because I’m his art teacher.”

Stephan sounded surprised.

「Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of him?」

“Well… yeah. There’s something called Teacher’s Day in Korea, and they usually give you carnations. I got a drawing of carnations.”

「Oh! Wow. You said you weren’t close, but you are.」

“It’s just politeness. Pure politeness.”

「Who draws a picture out of politeness?」

“Do you want me to show you?”

「You called just to show me that?」

“No. Not exactly.”

Bae Sanghyun felt inexplicably embarrassed.

He used to just nod when Stephan bragged about his son, but now he was doing the same thing.

He pulled up the image file and sent it to Stephan.

“What do you think? Not bad, right?”

「…….」

“Why? Is it not good?”

「No. This is amazing. Your son drew this? He’s only 8 years old?」

“Yeah. Why?”

「Isn’t this incredible? This is really… insane. He’s so talented!」

“Ahem. He does have a knack for art.”

「It’s more than just a knack.」

Bae Sanghyun’s heart swelled with pride during the call with Stephan.

He also thought Siha was talented.

“Want to see some other stuff? Look at this.”

Bae Sanghyun, ignoring Stephan, started sending photos from his laptop.

“This is the first drawing he made. He studied colors and created a piece.”

And the proud drawing displayed on the piano.

He even attached a YouTube link to show it off.

“This is what my son drew during a ‘Culture Day’ event. The sheet music is for Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu. With a lamp. Ah, Stephan, do you know what a lamp is? A lamp is…”

Bae Sanghyun was explaining everything in detail.

Stephan was half-listening, still admiring the piano drawing.

「Isn’t this a perfect blend of East and West? It would fetch a good price at an auction. And if your son’s reputation grows, it’ll be worth even more.」

“I think so too. Of course, I don’t know if he’ll become a painter.”

「I’m getting ahead of myself.」

After talking for a while, Bae Sanghyun realized he’d almost forgotten the reason for his call.

“Ah, yeah. Do you have any tips on how to talk to my son and get closer to him?”

「Hmm. The classic methods are always the best.」

“Um? What’s that?”

「The catch ball we talked about before.」

“Huh?”

「Play catch with your son! You can talk, exercise, and have fun!」

“That’s a good idea. But will my son like sports? What if he doesn’t?”

Bae Sanghyun worried this method would fail.

Stephan laughed, telling him not to worry.

「Hahaha. Then there’s the latest method these days.」

“What is it?”

「Games. Video games.」

“Ah…….”

「How about that? Is that enough?」

“But playing games for too long is bad for your eyes…….”

「Hey! Just figure it out!」

“Anyway, thanks. I’ll try it.”

Bae Sanghyun decided to follow his friend’s advice.

***

The art class was about to start.

I wondered what we’d learn today, but Bae Sanghyun had a determined look on his face.

What’s up? Is he going to do something amazing?

Siha and I nervously watched from the doorway.

Bae Sanghyun spoke.

“Today…….”

“Yes.”

“We will play catch.”

“……Yes?”

“Today, we are going to play catch.”

He repeated it, just in case I hadn’t heard him correctly.

But I’d heard him just fine.

No. Catch ball, all of a sudden? Um. Ah! He must be trying to bond with Siha.

It seemed like he’d put a lot of thought into it.

Still, did he have to say it with such a serious expression?

I thought something was wrong.

“Hahaha. Catch ball is great. Siha, you like catch ball, right?”

Siha nodded.

“Yeah. I like catch ball. I’m good at catch ball. I’m good at baseball too.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Siha turned to Bae Sanghyun.

“But Mr. Art Teacher, what does catch ball have to do with art?”

Since he came to do art, Siha seemed to have questions.

Bae Sanghyun paused, thinking.

“It’s easy to draw a still ball, but it’s difficult to draw a ball in motion. Today, we’re going to observe that while playing catch. How can we express the way the ball moves!”

He said something plausible, but his real goal was to get closer to Siha.

Siha seemed to understand, clenching his right fist and hitting his left palm.

He’d look like a catcher if he had a glove.

“Then shall we play catch?”

“Yes!”

Bae Sanghyun picked up a bag placed in front of the door.

“Siha, I prepared this.”

“Wow. Is that a glove?”

“Yeah. A ball and a glove.”

He was already prepared. It seemed like we could head out without going inside.

“There’s a good place to throw a ball nearby. Let’s go there.”

“Yes!”

We went to a good place to play catch.

It was a green lawn park where children could run around.

Swish.

The breeze was cool, and the grass swayed.

It was a good day to play catch.

“Okay. Now throw it.”

The three of us stood in a triangle, wearing gloves.

Should I just do this for a little while and then slip away?

I had such thoughts.

“Hyung [older brother], here it comes!”

“Okay!”

Siha threw the ball.

Because it was a light ball, it floated gently and landed right in the glove.

I threw it to Bae Sanghyun.

Thud.

It went right into the glove.

After about three rounds, I gestured to Bae Sanghyun with my chin.

Say something.

Bae Sanghyun seemed to notice and nodded.

Anyone would think it was a signal between a pitcher and a catcher.

Bae Sanghyun threw the ball to Siha and asked.

“Have you eaten?”

“Yes!”

Siha answered, catching the ball.

That darn food question. There’s got to be something else!

Siha throws the ball to me.

“Hyung, have you eaten?”

“Yeah. I ate with you today.”

What is this? A relay question?

How come the question comes back?

I threw it to Bae Sanghyun and asked.

“Teacher, have you eaten?”

“I ate.”

Bae Sanghyun caught the ball but couldn’t throw it, pondering seriously.

You can’t be out of questions already.

Ah, frustrating!

He barely squeezed out a thought and said, throwing the ball.

“Is… your brother doing well?”

“Yes. He’s right here.”

No! Why is that question coming out! You know he’s right here.

“Hyung, is your younger brother doing well?”

“Yeah. He’s doing great. He’s playing catch right now.”

I can’t do this.

I have no choice but to throw the question along with the ball.

“Teacher, I heard you took the learning evaluation. Did you do well?”

“Huh? Learning evaluation?”

Bae Sanghyun was so flustered by the sudden question that he dropped the ball.

The ball rolled away, and he ran to pick it up.

I clearly told you that Siha got a perfect score on the learning evaluation, but you don’t remember.

Bae Sanghyun, who picked up the ball, opened his mouth as if something came to mind.

“Ah! Learning evaluation. I did well. Siha, did you do well on the learning evaluation?”

“Yes! 100 points! Perfect score!”

“Really? That’s amazing.”

Yes, that’s it.

It was important to ask questions that Siha could be proud of.

“Hyung, did you do well on your translation work?”

“Yeah. Hyung did well on his translation work.”

Our Siha knows how to apply questions. Of course! Whose brother is he?

“Teacher, do you have anything you want to do when vacation starts? Any place you want to go?”

Then Siha asked.

“Hyung, do adults have vacation too? Hyung doesn’t have vacation! Does Mr. Art Teacher have vacation?”

“The art teacher will tell you that.”

My brother and I looked at the art teacher who received the ball.

Bae Sanghyun covered his face with his glove and laughed.

“I don’t have vacation, but I want to play like this when Siha has vacation. Is there any place Siha wants to go to play?”

Bae Sanghyun threw the ball.

Siha caught the ball.

“I want to go to the swimming pool! Water park! My friends said the water park is fun.”

His friends taught him a lot of things.

Is this summer vacation going to be at the water park…….

“Hyung, where do you want to go play during vacation?”

“Hyung can just go wherever Siha wants to go.”

“But where does Hyung want to go!”

“I want to go to a cafe.”

“Huh? We go there all the time.”

“Hahaha.”

It’s not just to drink coffee at the cafe.

I just brushed it off with a laugh and threw the ball to Bae Sanghyun.

“Let’s go to the water park with the art teacher.”

“Yes. I would appreciate that. But Siha, would it be fun if the teacher went with you?”

“It would be fun if the art teacher played the monster role!”

Bae Sanghyun blinked.

Monster role?

I looked at Bae Sanghyun while receiving Siha’s ball.

I hope he’s not thinking about something weird again?

“It’s role-playing, so you know you can’t act like a real monster, right?”

“…Hahaha. Of course.”

What is it? His reaction was a bit slow?

It would have been a disaster if I hadn’t said anything. So, catch ball is a good way to have a conversation?

Anyway, the three men played catch and talked.

***

We decided to eat a little early.

We couldn’t just play catch all day. We were thinking of going nearby to eat chicken.

I felt a little hungry after moving my body a bit.

“Thank you for the food.”

“Thank you for the food.”

The chicken arrived.

It was fried crispy, smelled great, and looked delicious.

The carbonation was rising in the cola, and I wanted to eat it quickly just by looking at it.

Siha picked up a drumstick and handed it to the teacher.

“Mr. Art Teacher, have this!”

“No. Siha, you eat it.”

“The drumstick is the most delicious, so please eat it first. I’ll give it to you.”

“Wow…. Thank you.”

I nodded at Siha’s actions.

As expected of Lee Siha. I don’t know who taught him, but he learned well.

“If it was my uncle, he wouldn’t have given me the drumstick. When chicken comes, my uncle holds two drumsticks in both hands and dances around, teasing me.”

Yes. Sometimes, you can learn from others’ mistakes.

Because his uncle is like that, Siha thinks he shouldn’t be like that.

Bae Sanghyun didn’t know what to say about that, so he just tore off the drumstick.

That was actually the right answer.

“Hyung, this!”

Siha gave me the second drumstick too.

Wow. He gave me the only two drumsticks.

“Siha, you eat this.”

“Why?”

What is the correct answer here?

I don’t feel like eating a drumstick.

If I say that, Siha will follow me and say he doesn’t feel like eating a drumstick either, right?

And he’ll pick up something else.

I can’t do that.

“Today, I have to take a picture of Siha eating a drumstick and upload it. So, Siha has to eat this.”

“Um.”

“Because Hyung is uploading it on Instagram these days. Come on, let’s eat the drumstick. You have to eat deliciously so people will say, ‘Ah! I want to eat chicken too!'”

“Okay.”

“And later, you can draw a picture of Siha eating a drumstick. Hyung will take good pictures.”

“Okay. I’ll eat it.”

“Okay.”

I took a video.

Siha bit into the drumstick.

Crunch. The sound of chewing the fried skin and the tender flesh being cut off went straight into Siha’s mouth.

Chew, chew.

He eats very deliciously.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Hyung, take a bite too. Ah~”

Wow. I can’t refuse that kind of heart.

“Ah~”

I took a bite while filming with my phone.

I feel like I filmed this really well?

“Hyung, are you going to upload it?”

“Huh? I have to upload it.”

I was saying that, but I felt a gaze from the side.

When I turned my head, Bae Sanghyun was looking at me with envious eyes.

And he looked at the drumstick he was holding.

Ahem. Let’s try to make Siha like that.

He liked it when he received the drumstick earlier, but everything is relative, so it couldn’t compare to me.

Siha just likes his brother too much.

But I felt sorry for some reason.

‘I have to upload it for Siha to see first.’

I tried to avoid Bae Sanghyun’s gaze and uploaded the video on Instagram.

It’s for Siha’s confirmation, so I’m going to take it down later.

“Hyung, did you upload it?”

“Huh? I’m going to upload it. I uploaded it. Look.”

“Where! Wow, it’s well filmed.”

Siha picked up my phone and watched the video diligently.

Um, um. Who filmed it? Of course, it’s well filmed.

“But Hyung, there’s a lot of something.”

“Huh? What?”

I looked at Instagram.

Messages saying hearts and comments were added… were pouring in.

‘Huh? Why is this…….’