After eating the breakfast his younger brother prepared and even taking the fever reducer he’d given him, Yugeon rejected his younger brother’s suggestion to sit still and helped cleanly with the cleanup.
Shaking off his wet hands as he came out of the kitchen, Yugeon headed straight for the bathroom. He was about to wash up and come out. But he couldn’t even get near the bathroom before his younger brother caught him. When he turned around with a “what is it” expression, Migeon led Yugeon to the room and said.
“Let’s rest today, hyung.”
“Huh?”
Migeon sat Yugeon down on the blanket and felt his forehead.
“Hyung, you still have a low fever.”
Yugeon grabbed and lowered Migeon’s hand as if that was nothing.
“This much is fine. I took medicine too.”
“I don’t like it. Rest for a day.”
“If I rest, what about the old market?”
“You won’t die if you don’t open for one day. Or give me the key. I’ll open it on my way. Without hyung, everyone will just write it down in the credit ledger and leave.”
At Migeon’s words, Yugeon had a pondering face for a moment. But as if something didn’t sit well with him, he hesitated and muttered while avoiding his gaze.
“I don’t want to be alone…”
If he was alone, he felt like he’d be surrounded by all sorts of thoughts.
“Then I’ll rest too. Is that okay?”
“Can you rest…?”
Migeon nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah.”
Color returned to Yugeon’s face.
“If you’re resting, I’ll rest too.”
Migeon, who had been smiling along at Yugeon’s happy appearance, brushed back Yugeon’s hair and stood up.
“Then I’ll go tell Dongha, so rest here.”
Yugeon hastily grabbed his younger brother.
“Can’t I come with you?”
“…Okay, then.”
“You’re resting?”
Dongha asked, looking at the two brothers who had come all the way to the front of his house.
“Yeah, hyung’s not feeling well. I’m making him rest.”
Dongha looked at Yugeon. His complexion was definitely not great and he even had dark circles under his eyes. After thoroughly checking Yugeon’s face, Dongha looked at Migeon as if still puzzled.
“But why you too?”
Migeon looked at Dongha for a moment, then raised the corners of his mouth and shrugged his shoulders.
“He says he doesn’t want to be alone. He says he doesn’t want to be apart from me.”
“……”
Dongha’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. The equally flustered Yugeon grabbed Migeon’s collar with a bright red face and whispered through gritted teeth.
“Hey! When did I say that!”
“Why, you did say it.”
Migeon also whispered in Yugeon’s ear. His voice was full of laughter, which sounded like teasing to Yugeon. Yugeon smacked his younger brother’s side, and Migeon clutched his side and exaggerated that it hurt.
At the sight of the two brothers bickering in whispers without big movements, Dongha had a dumbfounded face.
It seemed like it had been a really long time since he’d seen Migeon laugh and joke around like that.
But watching it felt strangely irritating.
“Got it. I’ll go out with Byeongchan hyung today…. Please just go.”
Dongha pinched his brow with his fingers as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have and waved them away, and Migeon smiled, left a “see you tomorrow,” and turned around with the fuming Yugeon.
“Cough.”
When they neared the house, Yugeon began to cough little by little. Migeon frowned and felt Yugeon’s forehead. The fever was rising again. It seemed to be because he’d walked around when the fever hadn’t fully gone down.
“Hyung, your fever’s rising again. I should’ve just made you lie down.”
Yugeon pushed away his younger brother’s hand and put his own hand to his forehead.
“Cough, this is, it’s because the sun is hot.”
His eyes felt hot so it was obviously the fever rising, but Yugeon deliberately made an excuse because of his younger brother’s expression turning unpleasant. But it didn’t work at all.
Yugeon, who headed home as if being dragged, was immediately laid down on the blanket.
“First, sleep a bit, hyung.”
“I’m not sleepy.”
“Then at least close your eyes.”
Migeon covered Yugeon’s eyes with his hand. The world instantly became pitch black. With no need to keep his eyes open, Yugeon slowly closed his eyes as if resigned, and at the feeling of eyelashes inside his palm, Migeon smiled faintly.
After being like that for a while, as if the words “I’m not sleepy” were a lie, Yugeon fell asleep.
When steady breathing sounds rang out, Migeon carefully removed his hand and looked at Yugeon.
A face quite different from his own with its overall delicate features.
His brother who didn’t resemble him anywhere.
Though they weren’t connected by blood, his other half bound by the word “brother.”
Migeon carefully brushed Yugeon’s bangs, then lay down next to him and hugged his waist.
The small, slender body fit just right as if tailored to his embrace.
As if they had been one like this from the beginning.
* * *
In front of the firmly locked and dark old market, the Imugi stood alone.
Though the islanders passed by in front of the old market several times, no one noticed the Imugi, and the Imugi also paid them no mind. It just stood there endlessly, waiting for one person.
* * *
Dark clouds gathered in the clear sky and began to pour out a drizzle of rain. Yugeon, who had been asleep, opened his dimly closed eyes at the faint sound of rain. His blurry vision widened and the familiar ceiling came into view.
Yugeon, who blinked several times as if trying to find focus, turned his head at the presence he felt beside him. He could see his younger brother’s profile with his chin propped up. Yugeon rubbed his eyes and asked.
“…What time is it?”
Migeon’s eyes, who had been lying down reading a book next to Yugeon, immediately turned to Yugeon. Migeon raised his prone upper body and turned toward Yugeon.
“You’re awake?”
“Yeah… Did I sleep for long?”
Migeon felt Yugeon’s forehead.
“No. It’s twelve o’clock now. I was just about to wake you to eat.”
“Twelve o’clock? But why is it so dark?”
“It’s because of the rain.”
“It’s raining?”
Yugeon turned his head toward the window as if surprised. Migeon grabbed Yugeon’s chin and turned it, then lightly kissed him. Startled by the sudden kiss, Yugeon flinched for a moment, then pushed Migeon’s shoulder away and rubbed his lips with the back of his hand.
“D-don’t. I never said I’d accept this kind of thing.”
His voice was clearly flustered. Migeon looked at Yugeon’s reddening cheeks and smiled.
“Okay.”
“Don’t smile!”
“Okay.”
Contrary to his answer, an even brighter smile hung on his face.
Yugeon pressed his lips tightly shut and glared at his younger brother, then got up. Migeon also got up and organized the book he’d been reading.
“Were you reading a book?”
“Yeah.”
“But why without turning on the light?”
“I was worried I’d wake hyung.”
Yugeon stared at the book his younger brother was organizing. Though the title wasn’t clearly visible because it was covered by his hand, he could see the word “travel.” Yugeon held out his hand as if asking what book it was, and after Migeon hesitated for a moment, he obediently handed over the book.
It seemed to be a book containing the author’s travelogue of the Netherlands. Yugeon casually flipped through the pages and asked.
“Do you like travel?”
“No.”
An immediate answer came back. Yugeon raised his head and looked at his younger brother.
“Then why?”
At the question of why he was reading such a book if he didn’t even like it, Migeon pressed his lips shut, then soon dropped his shoulders and answered.
“…I just like reading them.”
“Really? But when you read things like this, don’t you want to go see it yourself?”
“Not really. What travel…”
Migeon trailed off and turned his gaze away. He clearly didn’t want to continue the conversation itself. Yugeon looked at his younger brother as if puzzled and returned the book.
“Should we go together later? On a trip?”
Migeon looked at Yugeon with wide eyes as if surprised. At his reaction that showed neither clear affirmation nor denial, Yugeon tilted his head.
“Why? You don’t want to?”
“N-no, no… I’d like that…”
“But I’ve hardly ever traveled either… I haven’t even been to Jeju Island. Have you?”
“…Me neither.”
At the easily discovered common ground, Yugeon smiled happily.
“Then let’s make Jeju Island the first one.”
“Okay.”
Migeon, who had been frozen in a daze somewhere, gradually smiled as if drawn in by Yugeon’s smile. It was truly a happy proposal and something to be grateful for, but one corner of his heart was sinking even darker.
The rain that started in the early afternoon showed no signs of stopping even into the deep night. Migeon stood in front of the window, leaving his sleeping hyung behind. Between the drizzling raindrops, a pitch-black silhouette was standing in the middle of the yard. It was Jaeyeong. His sticky, persistent gaze clung to the window and wouldn’t let go.
Migeon just stood still and quietly, with an emotionless face, meeting that gaze.
Then he looked at his own reflection in the window. The Migeon in the window had vertical yellow eyes. Migeon silently looked at his own appearance, then reached out his hand and caressed his face reflected in the window.
“Lee Migeon…”
An eerie voice chanted Migeon’s name. Migeon looked at his face reflected in the window, then slowly closed his eyes.
That day, the screaming cries of his father were vivid in his ears.
