Exactly one week before I heard the news of Lee Haram moving in.
After my adoptive father was discharged from the hospital, I spent every day holding my head in anguish.
“Why did I end up in this crazy novel? And as this lunatic’s older brother, of all things?”
“Oo.”
“Is this still a dream after all…? No, where in the world is there a year-long dream? And the sensations are incredibly vivid too.”
“Baa.”
“Ha, I really don’t know anymore. I thought I’d be able to live comfortably sucking up honey this time, but what is this…”
“Aoo.”
“What’s with all this ‘aoo-ooo’? You’re noisy, you criminal bastard!”
I looked down coldly at Baek Seolheon in the cradle surrounded by all kinds of fancy mobiles… no, Baek Wooheon. Of course, these were words I spat out after confirming there was no one around the baby’s room.
“Is this guy really… the future kidnapper-confinement-stalker-sex offender-psychopath?”
I remember he was called by slang terms on the internet like ‘obsessive seme’ or ‘crazy obsessive seme,’ something like that.
The younger brother who had looked so cute and adorable when he was first born now looked horrifying.
And this isn’t just any younger brother, but that… obsessive? Crazy seme? thing.
‘Well, objectively speaking, he is incredibly pretty.’
No, that’s not right. Don’t be fooled by his face!
That’s not an angel but a devil’s child!
Then suddenly, I remembered an internet meme I’d seen long ago.
[Baby Hitler is right before your eyes! What would you do with that baby?]
[If you’d save him, vote up! If you’d quietly dispose of him, vote down!]
[Vote up 124 / Vote down 3,281]
Of course, the majority opinion was to personally carry out the extreme choice.
But if you actually found yourself directly in that situation…
“Haaaah.”
You couldn’t help but agonize like this, right?
“Eoo.”
“You look carefree, don’t you? Not knowing what others are going through?”
Why does he babble so much?
Whenever I talked to myself, he always babbled back like that as if answering.
“Phew, bathroom break.”
“Oo…”
Just as I was about to take a step, the guy suddenly started scrunching up his face.
He looked like he was about to burst into tears any moment.
“You always try to cry whenever I’m out of sight. What’s your deal?”
“Oo…”
“I can’t go anywhere in peace because I’m stuck with you… Don’t tell me you’re doing this to get revenge on your trashy older brother?”
“Ooo, oooo…!”
“Don’t cry. If you cry, you’ll wake up your dad.”
I glanced toward my adoptive father who had fallen asleep on the living room sofa as if he’d passed out.
But at that moment, this guy suddenly started shaking his body trying to escape from the cradle!
“Hey! What if you fall and get hurt…”
I trailed off as I barely caught the baby who was about to slide and fall, wrapping him in my arms.
…What exactly do I want to do with this kid?
“Should I leave this house?”
No matter how physiologically repulsed I am by living under the same roof as this lunatic, I can’t exactly kick out this little thing who can’t even speak, can I?
At the very least, before leaving, I should seriously emphasize character education to my adoptive parents, and if I ever meet Lee Haram again someday, I should warn him repeatedly about this guy…
“Hm?”
That’s when the guy grabbed my finger tightly.
It was quite a strong grip for a baby.
“Let go.”
“…”
“I said let go.”
The baby just stared at me with navy blue eyes without answering.
His eyes, sparkling in the midday sunlight, were dyed a blue water color like before. Those eyes looked like clear valley water flowing down a high mountain… as if saying he too was nothing but an innocent and pure child.
‘…What the hell, really.’
This child is the trash who sexually abused an omega named Haram in the novel.
But on the other hand…
He’s also the child that my tearful adoptive parents obtained with difficulty.
They’re the same person, but there was exactly one difference.
“Are you Baek Wooheon or Baek Seolheon?”
That’s the name I gave him.
“…”
“Are you ignoring me? Answer quickly.”
Even though I knew it was an unreasonable demand for a newborn, I kept remembering that bastard from the novel and glared at him sharply.
“So when are you going to let go of my finger?”
“…”
“This bastard. Are you ignoring me?”
It looked like the war of nerves would drag on again today.
“Let’s see if you win or I win.”
* * *
“Don’t you think Gunho seems to be avoiding Seolheon?”
“You felt that way too, noona?”
“Yeah. Even when I ask him to hold the baby, he adamantly refuses. He says it’s because he’s scared he might hold the baby wrong and make him uncomfortable, but…”
Baek Yeonhui let out a deep sigh and pressed her forehead.
Park Jaeseo also made a worried face. Compared to having struggled with infertility, the birth had been smooth, but fatigue from childbirth still remained on his face.
“Is he feeling lonely because he’s an adopted child after all?”
The Park Jaeseo and Baek Yeonhui couple often sent Gunho into the baby’s room under the excuse of being busy with housework, but he couldn’t sit still for even 10 minutes.
Since they could feel Gunho being uncomfortable and awkward, the couple’s minds weren’t at ease either.
“This won’t do. I should look for an adoptive family community and get counseling…!”
“Honey! Come look at this.”
At that moment, Park Jaeseo, who had peeked into the room, called out quietly.
“Look there.”
“…!”
Baek Yeonhui was greatly surprised when she looked into the room, but soon smiled.
“Hehe, maybe we were worrying for nothing.”
Gunho, half-sitting on the spacious low bed, was fast asleep with his finger caught by Seolheon in the cradle.
The two were breathing evenly at a similar pace.
“They’re sleeping while holding each other’s hands tightly.”
Did he end up falling asleep after being unable to pull away and fidgeting?
The couple imagining that scene burst into laughter.
“They really look like real brothers.”
“Yeah. Maybe a hundred times more than my own siblings.”
“Noona…”
“Sorry. I said I wouldn’t talk about the Baek family anymore.”
Bitterness spread across Baek Yeonhui’s face.
“I hope these kids understand that there are things more important than the shallow thing called blood relations.”
“Let’s trust our Gunho. That he’ll get along well with Seolheon.”
“Right. I have to trust him. He’s a smart child…”
Then Baek Yeonhui recalled it.
The face of a certain beautiful woman with jet-black hair and grayish-white eyes, just like Gunho.
“Just like how Jiyoung unnie trusted me and entrusted Gunho to me.”
That’s when ding, the alarm sound rang.
“Jaeseo-ya. Just a moment.”
Baek Yeonhui left Park Jaeseo, who had completely plastered himself against the door, stepped away, and carefully opened her phone to check the message.
[Sender: Father]
“Looks like I couldn’t hide everything after all…”
She clicked her tongue at the unwelcome name and opened the message.
[I heard there was good news for Servant Park.]
[I knew the hospital room location all along but didn’t bother to stop by, so be aware of that.]
Seeing the content made her teeth grind involuntarily.
When was it that he shouted she was a half-wit omega who couldn’t even have a child, and now he’s pretending to be friendly by calling Jaeseo ‘Servant’?
[You can’t live cutting ties with the main family forever, Yeonhui.]
Mind your own business.
Just as Baek Yeonhui was about to finish typing that message, another notification rang.
[How is that brat of Lee Jiyoung doing?]
Baek Yeonhui’s face noticeably paled.
For her father to show interest not only in Seolheon, but in Gunho as well.
It was a bad sign.
* * *
About a week after continuing the war of nerves with the baby who might be Baek Seolheon or might be Baek Wooheon.
A blond baby angel appeared at our front door. Holding a rice cake steamer as big as his own face.
“When he found Haram too, I can’t tell you how mature he was. How did you educate him to make the child so smart?”
“Hahaha! Gunho was born that way, born that way! I just fed him well and put him to bed well, but he grew up like that on his own.”
“My goodness.”
“I was worried because there aren’t many kids Gunho’s age in this complex, but I can’t tell you how fortunate it is that Haram came.”
“We feel the same way. I hope Gunho gets along well with Haram.”
While the laughter of the stay-at-home dads chatting in the living room could be heard, Lee Haram, who had been pulling on my collar, said.
“Hyung!”
“…”
“Hyung, what should we play!”
“…”
“Gunho hyung?”
Eventually, my name was revealed to Lee Haram.
Of course, I didn’t tell him—my adoptive parents just blurted it out to Haram’s family.
‘Damn it, I forgot again! Lee Haram and Baek Wooheon were childhood friends!’
Then around the time Haram became a middle schooler, he moved away again, and the two reunited in their twenties—that was the content of Episode 1.
But I had no idea they’d be next-door neighbors! Was there such a mention? I’m pathetic for forgetting most of the settings…!
“Hyung! Why are you ignoring me!”
So that means Baek Gunho, my current body, is also acquainted with Lee Haram.
Does this mean it was an unavoidable meeting after all?
“I’m going crazy…”
“Crazy-berry? What’s crazy-berry?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Hyung keeps talking to himself. It’s boring.”
Since I kept getting lost in thought, Haram changed his target.
“I’ll play with this one instead of Gunho hyung.”
“Hey, wait…!”
The place Haram headed to was a certain cradle. What was buried inside that cradle was—
“Baby. I’m a hyung too. Say ‘Haram hyung’!”
A baby with black hair and blue eyes.
The budding criminal (age 0) who would commit this and that to Haram himself.
“Gunho hyung, can’t he talk yet?”
“He’s only a month old.”
“Then how big does he have to be before he talks?”
“I don’t know. I wish he’d never talk in his entire life.”
At the honest feelings that slipped out without me realizing, Haram tilted his head.
“Why? Hyung, don’t you want to play with him?”
‘You call that playing?’
For the past month, I desperately avoided Baek Seolheon and earnestly devised methods. Methods to avoid getting entangled in such a tragic and terrible affair.
But what good does it do for me to devise methods? The world is desperately trying to combine Lee Haram and Baek Wooheon to create a terrible tragedy like this.
“I want to play with Gunho hyung and him, all three of us together.”
Don’t say crazy things, Haram! If you knew what would happen to you in the future…!
‘Ah, damn, wait. I think there was a threesome scene too.’
Is this what they call the curse of knowledge? My head was gradually being dyed a damp red color.
…No, let’s stop thinking, Baek Gunho! I decided not to imagine the promiscuous scenes from the novel with these kids!
“Hyung. Are you really not going to play?”
“I have something to think about.”
Just as I rejected Haram’s invitation again.
“Hyung. Do you hate your younger brother?”
“What?”
The question that flew at me out of nowhere pierced my chest.
“Hyung, you’ve been trying not to look at Seolheon this whole time.”
