“Why not!”
I shouted softly. Hyung-nim’s actions were so fast that I got caught again while I was dazed.
“I told you, didn’t I? Because it’s cute.”
I looked around to see if anyone’s eyes were on us and pleaded once more.
“It probably came out weird. Please delete it, hyung-nim……!”
But hyung-nim seemed not to understand my question itself.
“Why? I’m telling you it’s really cute, what you’re doing right now.”
His calmly answering expression held a smile. Although I couldn’t see the photo, I seemed to understand the meaning of his laughter.
Of course he’d laugh after seeing something funny.
“There’s no way that’s true. I’m really embarrassed. Please delete it, quickly……!”
When I spoke earnestly, hyung-nim frowned and eventually fiddled with his phone. And a moment later.
“I deleted it, just now.”
“……”
It was a somewhat sullen voice, unlike hyung-nim. Hyung-nim was quite displeased that he couldn’t take my picture anymore. As such, I couldn’t dispel my suspicious gaze.
At my insolent look, different from usual, hyung-nim’s eyebrow twitched.
“You don’t believe me?”
Since he even said that, I was very suspicious about whether he really deleted it, but it felt awkward to ask him to show me. Instead of saying no, I just blinked quietly.
Then hyung-nim turned around and went back to the waiting area.
At the same time, I faintly heard a muttering voice in my ears.
“It’s cute, so why is he telling me to delete it?”
Seeing how truly dissatisfied his voice was, it seemed like he really did delete it.
He really deleted it, right……?
Nah, there’s no way hyung-nim would tell me such a lie.
“Hyung-nim wouldn’t do that.”
After muttering that, I closed my eyes that were flickering sleepily again.
I dozed off and when I woke up, my hair was finally finished.
After shampooing and drying, when I looked in the mirror, it was definitely much better than before.
I’d escaped from being an orange poodle and returned to my original, natural hair. Because I didn’t know much about these things, I couldn’t tell the exact difference, but the hairstyle that naturally preserved the remaining curl was also prettier and more refined than before.
My forehead was slightly visible too, and it was much better than the hair I’d mindlessly stuck to before. I didn’t look like a high school student either. Most importantly, hyung-nim looked satisfied.
“Now it looks decent.”
“In my eyes too, hyung-nim.”
I nodded. Because hyung-nim liked it, I liked it too.
After leaving the salon, in the car moving to get food, Jeongyeon called. I asked hyung-nim for permission and answered the phone.
“Hello, Jeongyeon……”
– Hey, Lee Hajin. You’re in big trouble right now, you know?
“Huh? What?”
– That thing where you got filmed dancing at the MT. Did it hit the algorithm or something? The views are crazy? I saw it by chance and got totally shocked. Everyone in the comments is saying you’re cute and begging for your account. So I immediately tagged you in it.
What……? What is all this even about?
– Damn, I’m so jealous. Should I film and upload something too?
I couldn’t really understand what situation this was. Most of all, right now I was with hyung-nim, so it seemed difficult to continue the call.
I glanced at hyung-nim, who was driving, without saying anything.
“Jeongyeon-ah, but I’m with hyung-nim right now……”
– Hang up.
Click.
As soon as I announced hyung-nim’s presence, the call ended with Jeongyeon’s resolute voice. I put my phone in my pocket.
“What were you talking about that was so noisy?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
As someone who doesn’t actively use SNS, even after hearing Jeongyeon’s words, I honestly couldn’t accurately grasp what was going on.
I answered while gauging his reaction, but fortunately, hyung-nim didn’t seem to have heard the contents of our call. More than that, hyung-nim seemed to have just recalled the existence of his youngest sibling, whom he’d forgotten about due to our call.
“Come to think of it, I wonder if Yoo Jeongyeon is getting around without causing trouble. Even you cause trouble.”
“Aw, Jeongyeon’s doing well. It seems like he’s made a lot of friends too. He attends classes diligently without skipping.”
Jeongyeon probably got a lover, but keeping such secrets between friends was a matter of loyalty.
“He better. I told him to attend classes properly if he doesn’t want his allowance cut off.”
As expected, hyung-nim chuckled, not seeming very worried about Jeongyeon.
“Actually, I’m not worried about him, but even if I kept you close, you’re like something left by the water’s edge.”
“……”
“Looking at things like this, I don’t know who the real younger brother is.”
At those words, I looked at hyung-nim, and after a moment, I lowered my gaze.
It was because a question I wanted to ask came to mind.
“Hyung-nim…… do I seem more like a real younger brother than Jeongyeon to you?”
I don’t really want to be like that. I swallowed the words that followed.
After that, I quietly waited for hyung-nim’s answer. His sculpture-like profile gazed only straight ahead without answering for a while.
“Who knows.”
The briefly ended answer was ambiguous.
I kept glancing at hyung-nim’s face, thinking he’d say more. But that was it.
No more words came back. The conversation didn’t even continue after that.
So I thought about the meaning for quite a while, then turned my head toward the window.
***
Shortly after, the place we arrived at was a famous high-end Korean restaurant near the salon. While sitting and choosing from the menu, I sneakily pulled out my phone.
When I checked SNS, it seemed what Jeongyeon said was really true.
The view count of the video Park Seyeon had uploaded, which had been just a few dozen at first, had risen tremendously, and the likes had already reached nearly ten thousand. Even scrolling through the comments, they were endless.
Especially, there were many mentions about the scene where I seemed to be hugged by Han Seoyoung after the dance ended. I read comments like how they hoped the two were dating or how they’d be jealous if she was my girlfriend, then moved to the notification window.
When I checked the notification history I didn’t know about because I’d turned off alarms, there was a lot. Follows, comment notifications, and even messages.
“Is there something you want to eat? Looking at the menu, there seems to be things Hajin doesn’t like.”
Huh. I just turned off all notifications and put my phone away. I felt flustered and maybe embarrassed, but if hyung-nim can’t see it, it doesn’t particularly matter.
“I like everything! You know I’m not picky about food.”
I want to seem mature to hyung-nim, but I absolutely can’t show him dancing a girl group dance with an orange ribbon.
“Not picky about food, huh.”
Hyung-nim chuckled at my words. Last time, Jeongyeon said he would or wouldn’t send the video to hyung-nim too, but seeing there’s no mention of it, it seems he hasn’t sent it yet.
I should crack down on Jeongyeon once more later.
What a relief. That hyung-nim doesn’t do things like SNS.
While I was relieved, hyung-nim continued looking at the menu intently.
“You’re a picky eater, so you should eat what you want.”
“I’m not a picky eater……”
I bit my lip at hyung-nim’s gentle voice.
I’ve escaped from being an orange poodle now, and I’m even having a meal out alone with hyung-nim.
Today is such a happy day. It was to the point where I wondered if it was okay to be this happy.
Shortly after, the menu came out and we began eating in earnest. Befitting a traditional Korean restaurant, grilled cutlassfish and various side dishes filled the table. The tofu and mushroom dishes had a scent I’d never experienced before, so they were fascinating.
Even the fish I usually don’t like was delicious right now.
“Hyung-nim, when should we go to the amusement park? More than anything else, I really want to see the parade. I want to eat churros too…… I want to take pictures wearing headbands with you, hyung-nim.”
I asked before taking a spoonful of rice.
“But hyung-nim, by any chance, are you good at riding scary rides?”
Hyung-nim stopped his chopsticks, then slowly looked at me.
“Why, worried I’ll suggest riding scary ones?”
“No? If you don’t like them, I’ll, I’ll endure it. I ride them well though.”
Actually, I really don’t like scary rides. When I went with Jeongyeon and my classmates before and rode a roller coaster, I thought my heart would stop. It was an experience I never want to feel again.
But if hyung-nim wants to ride them, I’ll endure it and just once……
“Let’s go around next month. When the timing works. We’ll avoid scary rides.”
“Really? Wow!”
“Should I order more fish?”
When I nodded vigorously, hyung-nim smiled and ordered one more grilled cutlassfish. Imagining the amusement park made my appetite better, so I kept eating.
When I filled my mouth full of food and chewed while mumbling, if I suddenly raised my head, hyung-nim would be looking at me contentedly.
Actually, I was clumsy with chopsticks. Although I could use chopsticks in a standard-looking way on the surface, I wasn’t good at delicate chopstick work like deboning fish.
So I was deliberately not touching the fish side and eating mainly other side dishes and soup, but because hyung-nim kept deboning fish for me, I was able to eat all the side dishes evenly.
“Remember when you practiced with chopsticks when you were little? How you kept dropping them while practicing picking up beans.”
I raised my head while eating diligently. Why bring up old stories all of a sudden?
