Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 486

“Hyung, aren’t I cute? Hyung, aren’t I cute?” Extra – 61

Extra 61: School Reading Competition (1)

September was a month filled with competitions for the kids at school.

Things like computer skills contests and school reading competitions.

They said winning would be noted in their student record.

The family-school communication [a newsletter or online portal connecting school and home] mentioned that anyone wanting to participate should let them know in advance.

“Siha, they’re holding these competitions. Is there anything you want to enter?”

Siha looked at the family-school communication in my hand and started to think.

“Hmm. What do you think is good, Hyung?”

Why are you asking me?

If I say this is good, you’ll do it?

Since it’s Siha, he definitely would.

“Do what you want to do, Siha.”

“If I do well, what do I get?”

“They’ll write that you won an award in your student record.”

“Is that good?”

“I don’t know?”

If you ask if winning an award in elementary school is a big deal, I can’t help but question it.

If you ask if it’s good for education, I’d say it is.

Basically, it feels good to receive an award.

“It does feel good to get an award.”

“Is that all there is to it?”

“Yeah.”

To be honest, I’ve never really cared much about elementary school student records, so I don’t know.

As an adult now, if you ask if that one line is necessary, I’m not sure.

“Then I want to participate in this.”

“Which one? Was there something about drawing?”

“No, not that. The school reading competition!”

“Ah, that one.”

The school reading competition seemed to have a lot of participants, and there were details about it.

The themes were different for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders, but for 1st graders, it said ‘Write a letter to the main character.’

One grand prize winner, two excellence awards, and four encouragement awards.

That meant a total of six people would win.

Usually, there were a lot of participants, so the number of winners was also high.

“Sounds fun.”

“Yeah! And they said I can choose any book I want.”

“Not any book. It says 1st grade required reading list.”

“Any book from the required reading list.”

Well, in that sense, it is up to you.

Siha must want to participate in a competition like this.

I also thought writing a letter to the main character would be quite fun.

Even though it won’t be delivered, it’s still enjoyable just to imagine it.

It also feels special, something you only do when you’re young.

Reading a book and writing a letter to the main character when you’re older?

Who would do that? I don’t think even I would.

“Hyung, you’ll write one with me, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll write one with you.”

Siha jumped up and down, happy at my words.

I want to create these moments together.

It feels like there isn’t much time left to make memories with Siha.

As he enters elementary school and goes to taekwondo [Korean martial art], the time we spend together is gradually decreasing.

Later, as he goes up grades and becomes a middle and high school student, that time will decrease even more.

He’ll be looking for friends more than his parents.

Like any other kid.

So, I want to cherish the time we spend doing something together like this.

Leaving a letter-shaped piece of writing will definitely be meaningful.

Participating in these competitions, and rejoicing in winning together too.

‘But I’m too sure that Siha will win, aren’t I?’

However, I can’t imagine Siha not winning an award.

Our Siha is a genius, after all.

Of course, he’ll win an award. Yes!

Siha grabbed my hand.

“Hyung, let’s go to the library quickly. It feels like the library will close soon.”

“If the library closes, we can just buy the book.”

“!!!”

Siha’s eyes widened as if he had never thought of that method.

Siha, your hyung has enough money to buy you books.

“But I want to see and choose several books myself.”

“That’s true.”

We haven’t even submitted the application yet, and he’s already choosing a book.

Come to think of it, isn’t this a competition where you write the letter at school? I won’t be able to write it with him?

“Siha, since this is a competition at school, I won’t be able to write the letter with you?”

“I can try it at home and write the same thing again when I go to school.”

Genius?

Lee Siha. Is he a genius?!

He didn’t even think about practicing.

“Then shall we go pick out a book?”

“Yeah! Ah! Hyung, let’s take Uncle with us too.”

“Should we?”

Uncle, who was watching TV and listening to us, made a disgusted face.

“I’m not going. You guys go.”

“Uncle, don’t be like that and come with us?”

“I said I’m not going.”

Siha ran over and snatched the remote from Uncle.

Uncle blankly looked at Siha’s sudden action.

“Uncle, if you don’t go, I won’t give this back.”

“This is blackmail!”

“Stop watching TV, Uncle, and you need to read some books now too.”

“Uncle read a lot when he was young, so I don’t need to read books anymore.”

“Uncle, didn’t you watch a lot of TV when you were young? Is that why you’re watching so much now?”

That was a very logical statement.

“Uncle couldn’t watch much TV when he was young. That’s why I’m watching a lot now.”

“Liar!”

“It’s true! Uncle, uh! Delivered newspapers and delivered jajangmyeon [Korean-Chinese noodle dish] and uh?! Was a Yakult ahjussi [Yakult delivery person] since I was young!”

“Uncle, where are jajangmyeon and Yakult ahjussi in America!”

“They’re in America! It’s originally American food.”

“Then people would say, ‘Let’s order jajangmyeon from an American place’ instead of ordering jajangmyeon from a Chinese restaurant!”

“Ah. Actually, Uncle delivered pizza. Since I was young.”

Uncle shamelessly changed the story to a pizza place.

Honestly, jajangmyeon and Yakult ahjussi were too much, weren’t they?

Uncle, get a grip. Listening to you, I’d think you were Korean.

If he wasn’t a foreigner, it would have been a plausible excuse.

Siha showed the battery part of the remote.

And he was touching it with his finger, as if he was about to take one out.

“Uncle, if you don’t come with us, this remote’s life is over.”

The remote’s life is the battery.

Anyone would think it was a villain’s line.

Maybe we don’t need to go read a book?

He’s saying a villain’s line that seems to come out of a book.

Uncle smirked.

“Siha, you don’t know, but remotes have spare lives, you know? It means their lives are infinite.”

“What’s infinite?”

“Ah. I need to be able to communicate! Read some more books.”

It was Uncle’s fault for bringing up the word infinite to a kid who’s doing double-digit addition.

I explained about infinite lives.

It means you can kill it and it won’t die.

Because there are a lot of batteries, so you can just put in a new one.

“Uncle, we’re out of batteries at home.”

“We can buy them.”

“Then let’s go to the library while we’re out.”

“?!?!”

Lee Siha is a genius?

Using the ‘while we’re out’ skill.

Siha turned off the TV and put the remote in his pocket.

“I’ll keep this remote with me until then!”

“Hmph. Siha, you’ve become very cowardly.”

“I learned it all from Uncle.”

“Why do you say you learned all the bad things from me!”

Uncle shouted, feeling wronged.

Siha tilted his head.

“Isn’t it true?”

“No, it’s not. Siha, Sihyuk will teach you bad things too. Sihyuk, quickly teach him something bad.”

Siha stared up at me.

“Hyung, are you going to teach me something bad?”

“Hmm.”

I hesitated a little.

I have no choice.

I have to show him the bitterness of the world for a moment.

People can’t adapt to their surroundings if they live in a flower garden.

Siha is now in the first grade of elementary school. 8 years old.

It’s time to know the absurdity of the world.

“I’ll teach you one bad thing.”

“What is it?”

Hey, Uncle? Why are you looking at me with expectant eyes?

Get those eyes away from me.

I tried to ignore Uncle’s gaze and raised my index finger.

“Hostages usually don’t survive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So, what should we do with the remote?”

Siha took the remote out of his pocket.

And took out the battery.

“Goodbye, remote.”

Thud.

The battery fell to the floor.

Oh dear. I taught Siha something bad.

“Hyung, should we secretly throw it in the library trash can now?”

He’s even applying it?

Uncle made a shocked expression when he heard that.

No. Why are you looking at me?

“Sihyuk, I didn’t think you were like that….”

Uncle covered his mouth with one hand.

“you‘re crazy! you 돌아이 [mentally unstable person]! 이 murdrer [sic]! 살인자 [murderer]!”

Hangeul [Korean alphabet] and English are mixed.

Is this a big deal over a remote?

And the remote hasn’t gone to the trash can yet. I didn’t even say to throw it in the trash!

“Hyung, Uncle is praising me.”

“???”

Siha, how is that praise?

Uncle looked at Siha as if he was dumbfounded.

“Uncle said, ‘You’re really the best.’”

Crazy is also used as an exclamation.

“You’re so funny!”

Why is ‘돌아이’ interpreted as ‘funny’?

Even though it’s Korean?

“Does ‘돌아이’ mean ‘funny’?”

“It’s praise in entertainment shows.”

That’s true…….

“And in the end, ‘I like you so much I could die!’”

Does ‘murderer’ mean that?

“It means ‘I like you a lot.’”

Is that how you interpret Uncle’s reaction?

Uncle got up from his seat.

“Let’s go. It seems Siha needs to read some more books.”

Siha raised his hand.

“Yay. We’re all going together!”

First of all, the remote is still alive because Uncle is going out.

Siha finally did it!

Successful hostage situation?

***

We came to the library we always visit.

Siha is sitting at the computer, searching for the titles of the 1st grade recommended books.

Eagle typing [using only one or two fingers to type].

It looks like it will take all day to find and type the letters.

I can’t help but laugh because he looks so cute, but it seems Uncle didn’t feel the same way.

He whispered to Siha in a small voice.

“It’s frustrating. Let Uncle type it.”

“No. I can do it.”

“The library will close while you’re typing that.”

“Wait. I found it all.”

“You’ve only typed three letters.”

“I can’t concentrate because Uncle keeps talking to me. Uncle, go pick out what you want to see.”

“Sigh.”

Uncle, frustrated, really went to look at books.

I just searched for books on another computer next to Siha.

At times like this, it seemed better to silently type in a few of Siha’s recommended books and take them.

Avoiding what Siha was trying to choose.

“Hyung. Amazing. You type so fast.”

“Um. Other people can type this fast too?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Most modern people can do this much.”

“I can’t because I use all my fingers?”

“That’s because you haven’t practiced. If it’s Siha, you’ll do it quickly.”

Siha looked at his hand and started tapping the keyboard.

Still with eagle typing.

While thinking that it would be good to have Siha practice keyboarding, I also wanted to see that eagle typing for just one more year because it was so cute.

Two minds are fighting.

Should I teach him properly?

Or should I let him show it a little more?

Cough. It was a difficult choice.

Should I record Siha doing eagle typing on video?

I picked up my phone and filmed Siha.

“Um. Where is it? Here it is!”

Tapping.

He types on the keyboard.

He finally typed the whole title and moved the mouse to click search.

Not pressing enter makes me laugh for some reason.

I don’t know why I like the clumsy side that I see when I was young so much.

He’ll do well when he grows up.

But somehow, I feel like I’ll be sad about that.

I couldn’t see that side when I was playing games at my father’s PC cafe because I only had to press certain keys.

“The number came out. Huh? Hyung. What are you doing?”

“I’m filming Siha.”

“Ah. I didn’t dress up today. I didn’t put wax on my hair either.”

“It’s cute when you don’t put it on.”

“I’m not cute, I’m cool?”

“Because you look like Hyung?”

“Yeah.”

“Siha looks cool right now.”

“I’m going to check the video later. You can’t upload this.”

“I have to get Siha’s permission to upload the video.”

“Yeah. Suhyun noona [older sister figure] said I have low rights.”

“You mean portrait rights or copyright. Why did you combine them?”

‘Low rights’ sounded like rights from the underworld, so it was a bit much.

Siha nodded.

“Yeah. That’s what I meant. I have to write down the number now.”

“Siha, if you click that, it’s printed out and comes out here these days.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. The world has gotten better.”

“Pfft.”

No. That’s what Uncle says often.

You’re not old enough to say the world has gotten better…….