Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 72

Am I Cute, Hyung? – Episode 72 (72/500)

Jong-soo approached the three children.

He wanted to show them that his toys were superior to the ones they were playing with.

“Hey! Look at this! You guys don’t have anything like this, do you?”

A shiny toy car.

It was controlled by a remote, meant for kids to play with.

“You can control this however you want. It’s better than the car Siha has.”

Ultimately, he wanted to show that it was better than the toy Siha had brought before.

Seung-joon’s eyes wavered as he looked at it.

He felt envious seeing the car move with the remote control.

Hana also wanted a toy like that.

How nice would it be if ‘Pink’ in her hand could move?

Siha wasn’t very interested and quickly turned his head away.

“Ah, Seung-joon. Hana.”

“Hey! Look at this. You don’t have one, do you?”

“Ah.”

“I knew it.”

“Siha. Car. Bigger.”

“What? Don’t lie.”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“No.”

“Then show me.”

“Ah.”

Siha grabbed his shoes from the entrance of the daycare.

The teacher followed Siha, trying to stop him.

“Siha, where are you going?”

“See Siha’s car.”

Jong-soo scoffed at Siha.

“Teacher, Siha says he has something bigger than this car. He’s lying.”

Siha shook his head.

“No.”

Seung-joon and Hana stood next to Siha.

“Siha doesn’t lie!”

“Yeah. Siha is nice!”

The four children resumed their little squabble.

The teacher clapped her hands, trying to calm them down.

“Alright, alright. No fighting. First, let me check if Siha has something bigger than that car. Siha, do you have something bigger than that car?”

“Ah.”

“Then where is the car? At home?”

“No.”

“Then? Around here?”

“Ah.”

Nod, nod.

Seeing this, the teacher helped Siha put on his shoes.

“Then shall we all play outside today? Okay, all four of you, come on out.”

The four children put on their shoes and went outside.

Siha was at the very front.

A noticeable red car was parked in the parking lot near the daycare.

Siha pointed to the Meltz car.

“Ah. Siha’s car.”

The teacher looked at Siha with surprised eyes.

“Is it really Siha’s car?”

“Ah. Hyung [older brother/male friend], Siha. Ride.”

“Really?”

The teacher nodded.

Si-hyuk had come in his car today, so it seemed like that was the car.

She had always seen cars parked here, but she had never seen such a red foreign car before today.

The cars that usually park here are always the same.

“Wow. Siha’s car is nice.”

“Ah. Meltz. Car.”

“Huh? Anchovy??”

“Ah. Meltz. Car.”

Smart Siha even knew the car brand.

It wasn’t Meltz, which sounded like ‘anchovy,’ but Meltz.

The teacher understood perfectly.

“Ah, Meltz? Yes, the car brand is Meltz.”

At that moment, Jong-soo shouted as if he couldn’t accept it.

“Liar! That’s a lie! He just picked the best car at random.”

Siha shook his head at the word ‘lie.’

Jong-soo scoffed and told him to open the car door if it was really his.

Siha hesitated slightly.

Jong-soo puffed out his chest as if to say, ‘I told you so.’

“Ah.”

Siha nodded and took out a car key from his pocket.

It was a fake car key that Hyung had given him to use if he wanted to ride it later.

Even though it was fake, it had a real key and a remote control attached.

The key was an old-fashioned door key, and the remote control was a souvenir he had bought at a motor show.

The teacher was flustered, thinking it was real.

“Siha, did Hyung give you that?”

“Ah.”

“No. You shouldn’t give a car key to a child…….”

“Ah?”

“Ah, no. Looking closely…. Yeah. I don’t think so.”

Siha turned his head to look at the car.

And he pressed the button.

Beep. Click.

The lock was released.

The teacher opened the car door, saying, ‘Huh?’

“Ah!”

Siha slipped into the passenger seat.

Seung-joon and Hana also got excited and got into the car.

Seung-joon said.

“Wow! Siha’s car is really nice!”

“Siha’s car. Better than Dad’s car!”

“Ah!”

The three children excitedly went to the back seat of the car and jumped around.

The Meltz car, with its unwavering comfort, was unfazed by that much.

And Jong-soo was blankly watching that scene.

Jong-soo threw the car in his hand to the ground.

Siha’s better car was the winner.

“I, I too. I’m going to ask Dad to buy it for me!”

It was a story that Jong-soo’s father would be horrified to hear.

And another horrified teacher covered her mouth, blinking her eyes.

“W, why did this open?”

The teacher looked around and was able to find one person.

Si-hyuk, with only his head and eyes peeking out from behind another car.

***

When you play with toys, they sometimes break or you lose interest in them.

Everyone goes through such times.

The same is true even when you become an adult.

You start not using things that you bought because they were good at first.

Or you drop and break a cherished item.

Or you use it for too long and can’t use it anymore.

We always experience such things.

That’s the same for Siha.

“Siha, here are the broken toys gathered together, right?”

“Ah.”

According to the teacher, these are toys that no longer receive attention.

Some are too old, and some are broken.

It’s a collection of those toys.

Siha was interested in it and was rummaging through it.

“Hyung. This.”

“Huh? Why this?”

“Doctor. Let’s go.”

“Take it to the doctor?”

“Ah.”

I stroked Siha’s head.

“Why do you want to take this?”

“This Siha hurt.”

“Did Siha break this?”

“Ah.”

One arm of the teddy bear was torn.

He couldn’t have just torn it with force, so it must have been torn because it was old.

At that time, Seung-joon and Hana approached from behind.

“Si-hyuk hyung! Let’s play!”

“Si-hyuk oppa [term of endearment for older brother/male friend]! Let’s play. Let’s play.”

I looked at the twins behind me.

“I’m only going to play with Siha.”

“Ah, why~ Let’s play with me instead of those toys. You can’t use that anymore.”

“Yeah. Can’t use.”

I looked at Siha.

Siha was still fiddling with the broken toy.

“But I don’t think toys think that way?”

I wanted to add some fun imagination to these children.

I wanted them to be interested in toys like Siha.

It was just an idea that came out because Siha thought so.

‘Let’s see.’

These days, Siha is interested in cars and doesn’t even look at Carnimals [likely a portmanteau of “car” and “animals,” referring to a line of toys]…….

Will this play be a little helpful?

I thought it would be helpful.

I grabbed the teddy bear that Siha had and lifted it up.

I covered my face and spoke in a different voice.

Voice change.

In a slightly higher voice.

“Hello. Kids. I’m Teddy Bear.”

The three children looked at the teddy bear in surprise.

Seung-joon said excitedly.

“He spoke!”

“Amazing!”

“Ah!”

I smiled slightly at the children’s innocence.

Of course, the change in my voice also played a part.

“I received magic and was able to talk like this.”

“Really? That’s great!”

“Let’s talk to Hana!”

“Siha too!”

I continued to speak.

“Actually, I want to play with you. Not often, but I want to play with you sometimes.”

Abandoned toys.

Toy that can no longer be with you because you’ve grown up.

Their endings were always similar.

But even just for the time we’re together.

If the child can be happy even a little.

Wouldn’t this toy be happy?

“But if I get hurt, interest fades away like this. We have to cherish our toys. Got it?”

“Okay! I’ll cherish it!”

“Hana will take a bath too!”

“Siha too!”

I grabbed the teddy bear’s torn arm.

“If you get hurt, leave it to the toy doctor. And if you lose interest, pass it on to other children.”

“Don’t pass it on!”

“No!”

“Siha has. Together!”

The children’s reactions were so funny.

There was a time when I protected toys so preciously.

Now those toys would have gone to other children’s hands.

Maybe that child grew up and threw them away.

“Thank you. I’m happy just with the memories of being with you.”

I decided to wrap it up here.

“Let’s play again when I get better.”

“Okay! Let’s play!”

“I’ll play with you a lot!”

“Ah!”

I gently put the toy in the box.

Not a large amount.

Can this toy be loved by children again?

“Then Siha, shall we go to the doctor in Siha’s car today?”

“Ah.”

Siha nodded.

I don’t necessarily have to fix these toys, but I want to see the end of what I started.

And Meltz also deposited money.

It was quite a lot of money.

“Then let’s go.”

It was also time to leave the daycare anyway.

At that time, Seung-joon and Hana grabbed my pants.

“Me too!”

“Hana too!”

I scratched my head as if I was in trouble.

I couldn’t just take the kids with me as I pleased.

Just in time, Seung-joon’s mom came.

“Oh my. What’s going on?”

I quickly passed the baton to Seung-joon’s mom.

Seung-joon’s mom listened to the situation and looked at me as if it was fun.

“Then shall I go with you?”

“No. Why on earth? I’m just dropping it off?”

“That’s right. I want to know where you’re getting it repaired.”

“Um. I understand. Then let’s go together.”

That’s how we decided to go together.

We were going to go in our own cars, but the kids wanted to be together, so they got in my car.

Three people were sitting in a row in the back seat.

“Then we’re leaving!”

“Si-hyuk hyung. Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

“Ah!”

That’s how we set off for the toy repair shop.

A few handmade toy repair shops.

I had known about this place for quite a while.

It was a place I visited with my father when I was young, and they were still in business.

‘He’s an amazing person…….’

I didn’t know when I was young, but he was a master craftsman who repaired broken plastic models flawlessly.

Not only that, but he also brought in broken toys, fixed them, and resold them.

‘I don’t think he’s working for money.’

How many people would come to fix toys?

Plastic models can do that.

But the fact was that it was more common to buy new ones than to fix children’s toys.

‘He must be rich.’

I didn’t know before, but now that I think about it, the uncle seemed to have a bit of a hobby.

“We’ve arrived!”

We arrived at the toy repair shop and got out of the car.

I took the box out of the trunk and went into the repair shop.

The children exclaimed.

Because there were so many toys.

Robots, cars, dolls, etc. were displayed as they were.

There were prices underneath, and the old ones were quite expensive.

There would be quite a few people looking for these things.

“Huh? Oh my. It’s been a while since a customer has come in person.”

“Hello.”

“Yes. Hello. Huh? This, this is very familiar?”

“Haha. I came here when I was young.”

He snapped his fingers.

“Ah! I know who you are. Jang-hyuk’s son!”

“You knew my father’s name too?”

“Of course. I had a few drinks with him.”

“Really? Why didn’t I know?”

“I can’t bring you to a drinking party.”

“That’s true. Kids. Say hello. This is the toy doctor.”

The children ran up and greeted him.

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

“Ah! Hello. Do!”

I said a word to Siha.

“Siha, you have to add ‘yo’ [a polite suffix in Korean].”

“yo!”

Siha held out his hand.

Where did he see that again?

Of course, it only looked cute in my eyes.

That’s not it.

“I’m here to entrust you with some toys this time.”

“Oh my. You brought a lot. Let’s see. Huh? Wow. This is quite old. It would be expensive to sell.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’re entrusting all of this? Not many people entrust this much these days. It’s going to take some time.”

“Please take care of it. How much does it cost?”

The uncle, who was counting the number, smiled.

“The cost is fine, you can do one thing for me and I can do it for free.”

“What is it?”

“Just take a video with the toys. That’s how marketing is done these days.”

“Hey. I won’t do it if Siha comes out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Yes?”

“You’re the one coming out.”

“Yes?”

It was a word I couldn’t help but ask back.