Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 8

Hyung, Aren’t I Cute? 8

On the way to Little Cafe.

Siha is walking down the street, wearing a penguin backpack and wiggling his butt.

From behind, it’s cute because it looks like a penguin waddling.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

I matched my pace with Siha.

Seeing him walking so earnestly with his short legs made me feel a little surge of pride.

“Thank you for coming with me like this, Hyung.”

I glanced at Moon Do-hwan beside me.

“I told you, if you need anything, just ask.”

“If Siha were just a little older, he could go in by himself. But kids under 36 months old have to enter with a parent.”

Little Cafe is a kids’ cafe.

I couldn’t help choosing one nearby. I grumbled about the cost, but it didn’t matter as long as Siha had fun.

“I’m arriving earlier than the appointment, but I’ll play with him until then.”

In about an hour and a half, Siha will probably tell me to go.

I’m strategically timing things to match that.

Securing Siha’s nap time with that 1 hour and 30 minutes is a bonus.

Moon Do-hwan asked, “But they liked your translation? You even got a contract out of it.”

I made a strange expression for a moment.

“Well, I wanted to hear more about that part, but he said he couldn’t make it today.”

“Why?”

“He said he was suddenly called away on a business trip and apologized. He suggested setting another time if I want, or he can send someone else to sign the contract.”

“Ah, so someone else is coming?”

“Yes, that’s right. I don’t have time to waste. So, I thought I should get it over with quickly.”

“Are they giving you a good rate?”

Moon Do-hwan asked, circling his finger.

“They’re only giving me about half the usual rate.”

“Half the rate is how much?”

“1,500 won [approximately $1.15 USD] per page, maybe 2,000 won [approximately $1.53 USD].”

“That’s it?”

“I can’t help it. They’re usually stingy with rookies.”

“Well, you’re still a newbie with no experience, so you can’t complain, right? Think of it as an internship.”

“Haha.”

I just laughed.

I looked at Siha.

The penguin bag shook hard and then stopped moving.

He was squatting down, looking at something.

“Siha, what are you looking at?”

“Hyung.”

Siha pointed to a wooden stick with his finger.

We squatted down near Siha.

If other people saw us, they’d wonder what those three were doing.

“Ants?”

“Ah ah.”

“These are ants. Ant.”

“Ah ah.”

I don’t know what the wooden stick had, but it was swarming with ants.

When Siha tried to reach out, I grabbed his hand.

“Ah?”

“Ew, ew. Look at that. The ants will be very surprised, right? We shouldn’t bother the ants. Siha is a good boy, so you won’t do that, right?”

“Ah ah.”

Siha lowered his head and stared at them for a while.

I knew it would be like this.

That’s why I came out an hour before the appointment.

Because our Siha is a very curious child.

I wanted to take a picture of the three of us squatting like this.

“Hyung, let’s take a picture.”

“Oh, good idea.”

I took out my phone and turned on the camera.

When the three of us came on the screen.

“Okay, cheese~”

Moon Do-hwan smiled, revealing his teeth, I smiled with my eyes, and Siha lowered his head and raised his hand to make an awkward V shape.

Click.

“Puhahaha, awesome. Isn’t Siha too funny?”

Moon Do-hwan grabbed his stomach as if Siha’s chic appearance was hilarious.

I just thought it was cute.

I want to take pictures and see ants.

That thought was clear in his eyes.

“Why does Hyung take pictures like such a prankster? The picture is full of playfulness.”

“Hey, that’s how you take pictures. Anyway, it’s not about looking cool, it has to be funny.”

I sensed sadness in his words.

Let’s not dig deeper.

Because it seems like it will be sad.

But I try to offer some comfort.

“Hyung is nice, so it’s okay.”

“Okay, thank you for always saying that when you introduce me on blind dates.”

“Haha, shall we go now?”

I stood up awkwardly and laughed.

“Siha, let’s go.”

“Ah ah.”

Siha also got up after seeing enough.

He took careful steps, walking in a semicircle so as not to step on the ants.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah, good job. You didn’t step on the ants?”

“Ah ah.”

I stroked Siha’s head.

Moon Do-hwan next to me said, “Girls don’t like it when you touch their hair.”

“Ah, Hyung, please get over your trauma.”

Leaving Moon Do-hwan’s trauma behind, we arrived at Little Cafe.

Siha froze, as if shocked by the new world.

“Siha, we’re going to play here today.”

Siha’s eyes widened just a bit.

Dodo do.

He ran and sat down at the entrance.

Siha looked up at me, stomping his feet.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s take off our shoes and go in. Hyung, please go in. I’ll pay the fee and come.”

“Okay.”

The admission fee was a total of 12,000 won [approximately $9.20 USD].

Fortunately, a 20% discount coupon for coffee comforted me.

Han Tae-sung, the assistant manager from KI Media who is supposed to come, will pay for the coffee here.

“Hyung.”

Siha, who was already in the ball pit, called me.

Only the top of his head was peeking out, so I burst out laughing.

“I’ll be right there.”

When I entered the ball pit, Siha threw the ball with a whoosh.

It soon fell down.

I have to praise him at times like this.

“Wow! Siha is amazing! You already know how to throw a forkball [a type of baseball pitch]?! At this rate, our Siha will become a major leaguer?!”

Moon Do-hwan next to me muttered, “How is that a forkball?”

I poked Moon Do-hwan in the side.

“Just praise him. This is how you play with him. You don’t even know, Hyung.”

“Okay, I’ve never raised a child. You teach me.”

“First of all, you just have to say you did a good job. Ogu ogu [Korean expression of endearment].”

Moon Do-hwan tilted his head.

“Is that really okay? Isn’t that too much?”

“What? Actually, our Siha is very good, right?”

“Okay, let’s just say that.”

“Hyung.”

“Uh, uh.”

I approached Siha.

And I lowered my hand and bounced the ball up.

Siha was hit by the rain of balls.

“Ah ah.”

“Hyung, did you see that? He has a completely excited expression.”

“That?”

“Why are you like this? His facial expressions are rich this time.”

“That? Wait a minute, I’m losing confidence in communicating with Siha.”

“It’s not like you have English phobia. If you’re afraid of communicating when learning a foreign language, you won’t improve at all.”

“Are you admitting that communicating with Siha is on par with learning a foreign language?”

“What are you talking about? There’s no way.”

While playing with Siha like that, I taught Moon Do-hwan how to communicate for 30 minutes.

Of course, he was a dullard, so he didn’t learn it properly.

I thought this was a side effect of cramming education.

***

Han Tae-sung arrived in front of Little Cafe.

I thought I could finally see that great face.

‘I wonder what he looks like.’

He opened the cafe door and made a phone call.

「Hello?」

“This is Han Tae-sung. I have arrived now. Where are you?”

「Ah! I’m in the ball pit.」

Han Tae-sung turned his head and saw a man answering the phone.

A kind impression.

In some ways, he looked so young that he could be mistaken for a high school student.

23 years old. He looked even younger, so he looked even easier to deal with.

I know people, and he looked very gullible.

‘I knew it.’

He looked like he hadn’t been tainted by social life yet, so he smiled brightly.

Han Tae-sung bowed his head and hung up the phone.

“Hello, I’m Han Tae-sung, assistant manager of KI Media.”

“Yes, hello. This is Lee Si-hyuk.”

“Then shall we talk about the contract? What kind of drink do you like?”

“Ah, I’ll just have an Americano. And…. Just a moment. I have a companion, so I’ll ask him what he wants to drink. Is that okay?”

“Yes, I heard in advance who would come.”

Lee Si-hyuk went to a child and was asking him what he wanted to eat.

“Ah ah.”

“Iced Americano?”

“Hyung, there’s no way Siha would drink an iced Americano. A strawberry shake would be good. Siha, is that good?”

“Ah ah.”

“What would Hyung like to drink…….”

After such conversations, we were able to have a full-fledged conversation.

“First of all, this is the contract. It was written as standard. Take a look.”

Lee Si-hyuk began to hand over the contract with the seal stamped on it.

Sararak. Sararak [onomatopoeia for rustling sound].

Han Tae-sung thought, ‘What would you know if you saw it.’

Si-hyuk, who had read it carefully, put the contract on the table.

“Is this a standard contract?”

“That’s right. 2000 won per page, 252 pages. 1516 manuscript pages. 3,332,000 won [approximately $2,550 USD]. That’s all you need to check. To be honest, 2,000 won is a lot. There are many people who will do it at a lower price even if it’s not Si-hyuk.”

“That’s true.”

Han Tae-sung smirked.

Now all that’s left is to sign the contract.

Very easy.

But…….

‘Why does that guy have that expression?’

Can a person’s impression change in an instant?

It was like a lion trying to eat a weak animal.

“Are you a thug?”