Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 93

Hyung, Am I Cute? 93

After a long time, Baek Dong-hwan, the giant [a tall and imposing figure], came to the house.

He’s still in great shape.

I haven’t seen him much lately because he’s been so busy, so I was glad to see him looking well.

“Hyung! Long time no see!”

“Oh, hey.”

Siha seemed happy to see Baek Dong-hwan after a long time and raised his hand.

“Ah ah! Baek Dong!”

“Oh! Siha. I heard you’re doing well these days?”

“Ah?”

Siha tilted his head.

He must be asking back because he doesn’t know what ‘doing well’ means.

“What’s ‘doing well’?”

“I’m talking about Siha-ticon [Siha emoticon, referring to a set of emoticons featuring Siha].”

“You mean Pepe-ticon [likely a typo, should also refer to Siha emoticons].”

“I think Siha-ticon rolls off the tongue better.”

“That’s because it contains an unavoidable absolute word [likely a reference to a Korean language quirk or inside joke].”

“I guess so, right?”

I nodded seriously.

“But it’s good to see you after a long time. Is work going well?”

“I’m really enjoying work these days. I feel like this is what a real voice actor’s life is like.”

“Is it easy?”

“No. There’s a lot of work. But it’s fun. Usually, schedules are set after 10 PM.”

“You go to work later than office workers?”

“But I still have to wake up before that. It’s to give time to warm up my voice in the morning.”

I nodded.

That’s why the schedule was set up like that to prevent my voice from being hoarse.

It’s surprisingly systematic.

“I work three times a day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening.”

“Wow! You really work a lot!”

“There are also jobs that end in a short time. Oh, right. I actually met him at the broadcasting station.”

“Who?”

“It’s a voice Hyung also knows. His voice always comes out on the subway.”

“Ah! Voice actors do that too?”

“Yes.”

Voice actors do that kind of work too.

I didn’t know at all.

It would be more accurate to say that I hadn’t thought about it.

At that time, Siha eagerly dragged his guitar.

“Ah ah. Baek Dong!”

“Oh! Siha. What’s that?”

“Guitar.”

“Guitar? Siha, can you play the guitar too?”

I smiled and explained.

He’s been into the guitar lately.

Siha took out the guitar and played it diligently with his hands.

Ding. Ding.

Baek Dong-hwan clapped his hands, saying he was doing well.

Is the exaggerated reaction an effect of being a voice actor?

I heard that doing it naturally is the trend these days.

Or it could be a cartoonish exaggeration.

Animation roles require some exaggeration.

“But what brings you here?”

“Ah!”

Baek Dong-hwan clapped his hands as if he had forgotten.

He took out a USB from his crossbody bag.

“I became a voice actor for a zombie cartoon this time.”

“Zombie cartoon?”

“Yes. It’s for kids, but it’s fun.”

“Isn’t that scary?”

“Hey. It’s not. How should I put it? A cheerful zombie? Well, it might be scary from some perspectives.”

There are cheerful zombies in the world?

I’ve never seen such a zombie.

Maybe there are if you look for them.

“Did you bring that to show Siha?”

“Yes. Kids really like it. It’s the summer trend these days. Adults aren’t the only ones who enjoy ghost movies in the summer.”

“A summer coolness for kids?”

“That’s right.”

Saying that makes me interested.

“It’s really not scary, is it?”

“Hyung. Do you hate scary things?”

“No. I’m just worried Siha might be surprised.”

“I don’t think so…….”

“Ahem. I’m not.”

Actually, I just have something against zombies.

Because the ending is usually a bad ending.

I don’t like worldviews without dreams or hope.

Of course, I can’t deny that surviving in such a world is thrilling and stimulating.

It’s just not my taste.

“Then shall we watch it for now?”

“Let’s order chicken too.”

Siha was fiddling with the guitar when he perked up at the word chicken.

As expected, Chicken is God [a common expression indicating something universally loved].

***

[The Zombie Can’t Be Stopped!]

The video started.

The main character is a 5-year-old baby zombie.

His skin color is much whiter than ordinary humans.

He looked bloodless.

Today, he is learning how to walk slowly from his zombie mom.

“Zombies have to walk slowly. That’s how it was when Mom lived in America.”

“Mom. Can’t I walk with my butt?”

“Then it won’t be scary.”

The baby zombie nodded.

“Mom. Then can I walk this slowly?”

“That’s right! You’re doing really well!”

The baby zombie waddled.

But he soon stopped because it wasn’t fun.

“Mom. Can’t I walk fast?”

“Mom wants to teach you that too, but Mom doesn’t know how to walk fast.”

“Why?”

“Because I was born that way.”

The zombie mom walks slowly.

She sways her body from side to side and goes to the kitchen.

“Then Mom will cook, so practice!”

“Yes!”

After Mom left, the baby zombie practiced hard alone.

Then the zombie dad came.

The zombie dad ran in incredibly fast.

“No. Son. What are you doing?”

“I’m practicing walking slowly.”

“Really? Then practice running fast too.”

“Yes!”

The baby zombie ran fast and suddenly looked at his dad with a curious expression.

“Dad. But why can’t Dad walk slowly?”

“Because Dad’s nationality is Korean.”

“What about me?”

“You have dual citizenship, so you can do both.”

“I see. I can be an American zombie and a Korean zombie.”

“American zombies run fast these days too.”

“Really? That’s amazing.”

The father stopped his legs because he was tired and sat down on the spot.

“Dad. Are you tired? You have huge dark circles.”

The baby zombie pointed to his dad’s long dark circles with his hand.

The dad laughed and said.

“It’s because I’m working hard. That’s why Dad runs fast.”

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

Baek Dong-hwan told Si-hyuk the hidden settings he saw here.

“Dad works at a black company [exploitative company with poor working conditions]. So he’s used to doing things quickly. The house belongs to the bank, so he has to pay it back.”

“What? What kind of scary setting is that in a kids’ cartoon?”

“So running fast is symbolic in some ways.”

“Then there’s a reason why Mom is slow?”

“Mom’s actions have slowed down because she’s exhausted from childcare…….”

“Didn’t you say it was a cheerful zombie cartoon? The setting isn’t cheerful at all?”

“The cute character is cheerful. The hidden setting is like that, but it’s cheerful when you watch it.”

“Uh…….”

Si-hyuk wanted to argue, but he decided to keep watching.

Siha was immersed in the cute baby zombie.

The zombie dad’s dark circles were ridiculous, and the zombie mom was slow and funny.

The baby zombie, who learned to walk and run, went outside.

Then another zombie appeared.

“Hey! You! Stop there!”

A zombie resembling Jong-su approached the baby zombie in a swaggering manner.

The baby zombie said.

“Why?”

“I’ll give you candy, so let’s go somewhere.”

The baby zombie felt strange.

“Mom told me not to follow strangers.”

“No. It’s okay to follow people who give candy.”

“No!”

“Tsk! I was going to make you a bad zombie if you followed me, but I guess not!”

He was a bad zombie after all.

The bad zombie reached out to grab the baby zombie.

The baby zombie ran away with the running he learned from his dad.

“It’s no use. I learned to run fast!”

“Stop there!”

But the bad zombie was also fast.

He was about to catch up with the baby zombie.

The baby zombie switched to the slow walk he learned from his mom.

As the speed suddenly changed, the bad zombie tripped over the baby zombie and fell.

The baby zombie thought this was the time and took out a drug from his pocket.

“Now you’re going to be good.”

“Ah, no.”

The baby zombie sprayed the antidote, and the bad zombie turned good.

“Did I get better?”

“Oh. Thank you. I became a bad zombie after following an uncle who gave me candy without listening to my mom, but I lived thanks to you.”

“You shouldn’t follow strangers anymore. Got it?”

“Yes!”

With that, the video ended, leaving a lesson.

Si-hyuk looked at Baek Dong-hwan.

“Is it absurd and instructive?”

“Right?”

“But the zombie dad is your voice, right?”

“Oh! You can tell?”

“It was obviously you. But the content is good. The worldview is unique. Is there only zombies there?”

“Yes. Everyone is a zombie.”

“A world after everyone became zombies.”

It was then.

A commercial came on in the back.

[Please give a lot of love to the original game.]

[The Zombie Can’t Be Stopped! Event!]

[Participate in this game event and verify it with a video, and you will receive a prize through screening.]

[Let the children draw their own zombie pictures!]

[The winning target will be produced as an actual game skin.]

[Encouragement Award: Zombie Doll (100 people), Excellence Award: Gift Certificate (10 people), Grand Prize: 5 million won (1 person)]

After that, scenes of various fun baby zombie characters moving came out.

The player is playing the game.

Si-hyuk blinked and looked at the commercial.

Baek Dong-hwan smiled softly and said.

“Siha. Don’t you want to draw your own zombie?”

“Ah ah! Jomby [Zombie, in Siha’s pronunciation]!”

“If you draw a zombie, they’ll give you that zombie doll!”

“Ah ah!”

Si-hyuk looked at Baek Dong-hwan in bewilderment.

“Don’t tell me? Is that why you wanted to see it?”

“Hyung. I’m a fan of the original game. I want that doll no matter what.”

“Siha will have the prize if you get it?”

“Siha won’t be playing with the zombie doll forever. I’ll buy it then.”

“Are you really a true fan?”

Baek Dong-hwan nodded.

Si-hyuk decided to participate in light of Baek Dong-hwan’s efforts.

Anyway, he wouldn’t have participated if Siha didn’t want to draw a picture.

“But can you get the Encouragement Award?”

“Siha is enough. Elementary school students are also great, but Siha is worth a try.”

Siha was lost in his own world, as if he didn’t care about such conversations.

Slowly.

He imitated a zombie by moving his body slowly.

“Hyung~”

“Yeah. Are you imitating a zombie?”

“Ah ah.”

“Wow. It’s really the same.”

“Ah ah.”

Siha moved slowly and then moved quickly.

Dodo do [onomatopoeia for running sound].

He ran and looked at Hyung, gesturing for him to follow.

“Hyung!”

“Yeah?”

“Siha. Baby zombie.”

“Ah! Are you saying let’s play zombie?”

“Ah ah.”

Si-hyuk got up and imitated a zombie.

Siha had fun playing with Hyung.

After playing to his heart’s content, he took out the tablet.

“Siha. Are you going to draw a picture now?”

“Ah ah.”

Baek Dong-hwan perked up at that and took out his phone.

“Okay, Hyung! Let’s go with Siha!”

“Oh my. I don’t know what this is doing.”

Siha grabbed the pen and started drawing.

Swish swish [onomatopoeia for drawing sound].

He drew the face, eyes, nose, mouth, and hair in order.

“Siha. Are you drawing a zombie now?”

“No.”

“Huh? It’s not a zombie?”

“Jomby. Do this and.”

“Are you going to draw it after doing this?”

“Ah ah.”

“But what are you drawing?”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Hyung!”

Siha drew Hyung.

Unlike Seo Soo-hyun’s painting last time, he was also drawing the body.

He drew a full-body SD character [Super Deformed character, a style of caricature] with a pen without hesitation.

“Hyung. Hyung.”

“Wow! Are you drawing Hyung?”

“Ah ah.”

Si-hyuk looked at Siha with an impressed expression.

Baek Dong-hwan said blankly from behind.

“What about the zombie?”

“Siha said he’ll draw it next time.”

“I see…….”

It was Siha who put the two people’s minds in different places.

***

-On the way to take Siha to daycare.

Siha’s zombie picture seems to be drawn a little later.

Because my picture was being drawn first.

I feel good driving.

The hand holding the steering wheel sways and nods.

It seemed like he was putting more effort into drawing my picture than drawing Seo Soo-hyun’s picture.

Should I put more effort into coloring?

I’m going to register it as my profile picture as soon as it’s completed.

Unless something special happens, my profile picture probably won’t change.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

When I glanced at Siha, he was turning his head to the side.

He seems to be looking out the window and calling me.

“Hyung! Jomby! Jomby!”

“Zombie?”

“Ah ah.”

I looked to the side on the way to the university.

It was someone I knew.

One of the seniors in the Korean language and literature department who is attending graduate school.

He was walking slowly with a haggard face.

The dark circles under his eyes were dark, and his hair was dry and dead.

‘Siha. That person is not a zombie…….’

I apologized to the senior who was suffering in my heart and drove to the daycare.

As I held Siha’s hand and entered the daycare, the teacher greeted me first.

But her expression was strange.

She had a very troubled expression.

“Um, Si-hyuk.”

“Yes. Teacher.”

“A package came here for Siha…….”

“Yes?”

Is there anything that can be sent to Siha?

And why did you send it to the daycare even if it came?

“The sender is anonymous.”

“Anonymous? That can’t be.”

“I think so too…….”

I received the package.

I opened it and my eyes widened.

“Huh?”