“What the hell. What kind of interruption is this?”
Kwon Jukyung said irritably without even being startled. I looked toward the passenger window where someone had appeared and let out a long sigh. A groan-like sound leaked from deep in my throat.
“My hyung.”
“Your hyung? Ah… right.”
Jukyung murmured but I could barely hear him. I wanted to tear my hair out. Our faces were too close just now. Did he see us kiss too? Since when had that slippery person been standing there?
“Hey, no matter what, play dumb. You and I are just alumni. Nothing more, nothing less, and just now you were just looking because something got in my eye. Got it?”
I arranged my expression to seem nonchalant and spoke quickly as if doing ventriloquism, into my mouth.
“What?”
“So you’ll get slapped, have water thrown on you, and money….”
I bit my lip briefly. It would be better not to tell Kwon Jukyung about the money envelope.
“No, if it’s bad an ashtray might fly at you or you might get hit with a golf club. Because you’re a man.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Jukyung frowned.
“So if hyung or Father mistakes you for my lover, it’ll be a headache. If you don’t want to film a makjang drama, do as I say.”
Jukyung looked at me with a strange expression, but I couldn’t stall for any more time. I clicked my tongue inwardly and rolled down the passenger window.
“What is it, hyung? Why are you here at this hour?”
When work ran very late, hyung would sleep at a hotel near the company. To be precise, some days it really was because of work, but more often work was just an excuse.
“I can’t stay out overnight when you’re here. I should come home even if it’s late so we can at least have breakfast together.”
Hyung glanced into the driver’s seat and said.
Anyone listening would think we were incredibly close brothers.
I grumbled and subtly pulled my body forward to block hyung’s line of sight.
“Go in first. I have something to talk about with my friend.”
“What are you talking about in a car at this hour? If he’s a friend, you should invite him into the house. It’s Sunday tomorrow, so you can tell him to sleep over.”
Ah, since when has hyung been interested in my friends!
“No, he’s busy with work so he has to go to work tomorrow too…”
I was busily making up excuses to extract Jukyung from hyung’s clutches when suddenly I heard a click—the sound of the car door opening.
Huh? Why is the car door opening?
“Ya, Kwon Jukyung!”
It was utterly absurd.
Ya. What am I supposed to do when you get out of the car in this situation where I’m desperately trying to get you out of here!
“Hello, hyung-nim. Sorry for the late hour. I’m Kwon Jukyung, Doyun’s friend.”
Jukyung approached hyung and greeted him politely.
“Oh, no. No need to be sorry. You must have come because you had business.”
Hyung cosplayed as a nice person and extended his hand to Jukyung, pretending to be friendly.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Doyun. He said he’s been in your debt. Our Doyun is the youngest, so he’s only grown in age but is still immature, so he’s probably caused a lot of trouble.”
My jaw dropped. When did I ever talk to hyung about Kwon Jukyung? And youngest—we’re only two, so what youngest? At the cringeworthy term I’d never really heard before, I got goosebumps.
“I’d feel too bad sending you off like this—if you’re not busy, why don’t you sleep over?”
At hyung’s words, Jukyung glanced at me, still frozen in the car. Only then did I snap out of it and desperately rolled my eyes, sending signals to refuse. Our eyes met, so he must have received my signal. But.
“Would that really be okay? I’m worried about being a burden…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Father’s not home anyway, so just relax and hang out, then sleep in Doyun’s room.”
Why is the conversation going this way? This won’t do.
I practically rolled out of the car and wedged myself between the two of them.
“Hyung, what kind of nonsense are you suddenly spouting? If you force someone, it’s actually awkward. Ya, you’re busy with the project these days. You even have weekend work, so how can you sleep over…”
“Weekend work got canceled this week.”
Jukyung said shamelessly without reading the room. Why is this bastard acting like this too? Did he eat something wrong?
While I stood there with my mouth hanging open, hyung showed a rarely seen bright smile.
“That’s great. Come in, come in.”
Thirty minutes later, Jukyung was really inside the house. With his bangs hanging down from showering, even wearing pajamas that hyung personally lent him.
“I’ll be uncomfortable if I stay too long, so let’s just have one drink.”
Whatever his ulterior motive was, hyung also came to my room’s living room after changing clothes, holding a wine bottle. I openly frowned as much as I could, but neither of them seemed to think to ask the opinion of me, the room’s owner.
“I’m not uncomfortable at all, so please do as you like, hyung-nim.”
Kwon Jukyung spoke in that distinctive gentle attitude and tone he only showed to others, excluding me.
“Good, thanks. Doyun-ah, we can’t wake anyone at this hour, so you go find something to serve as snacks.”
I wanted to say the person eating should go get it, but hyung was seven years older than me and our family had a clear hierarchy. Although hyung made the invitation, strictly speaking, Kwon Jukyung was my guest. I had no choice but to run the errand, but I hesitated, looking back and forth between Jukyung and hyung, anxious about what hyung might say to Jukyung while I was gone.
“Are you worried I’ll eat your friend or something?”
Hyung smirked at me. Ah, this is so annoying, really. So I don’t understand why Kwon Jukyung, despite my warning, came trailing after me and made the situation this bad.
From the current atmosphere, it didn’t seem like hyung would harm Jukyung, but you never know, right? Not just in Korean dramas but even in American dramas, don’t they show scenes where an elegant old noblewoman from the upper class smiles kindly at her son’s lover in front of her son, then the moment the son disappears, she hurls venomous words with a smiling face?
I looked at Jukyung with worried eyes, but Jukyung was staring blankly with an expression asking what I was waiting for and why wasn’t I going. I instantly felt deflated.
I don’t know anymore. Where did that usually sensitive personality go, and why is he sitting there unable to read the situation? Damn it. It’s a situation of his own making, so he can handle it himself.
I left the room stomping loudly in annoyance. Not that it mattered—the large house was empty, so there was no one to be bothered by my protest that wasn’t really a protest.
I went to the first-floor kitchen and swept up only things that didn’t need preparation—cheese, fruit, crackers, and such—whatever I could see. I arranged them just presentably enough not to get scolded by hyung, then went back up the stairs at almost a run. Kwon Jukyung had been right. A house didn’t need to be pointlessly large.
After climbing all the stairs, I slowed my pace. I rearranged the slightly messy plate and fork, and shook my head to get my hair back in place. Then I went to my room door and could hear voices leaking out little by little. Curiosity suddenly arose. What on earth were they talking about? Were hyung and Jukyung conversing with different faces than when I was present?
I know eavesdropping on others’ conversations is undignified behavior. But if the topic of that conversation is related to me, isn’t it human nature to be curious?
Two different selves inside me began to argue. Should I eavesdrop or not? In the end, curiosity won and I was about to subtly listen when the door suddenly opened.
“What, why did you come back so fast?”
The one who opened the door was hyung. I almost bumped into him and dropped the tray.
“Fa-fast? What did you think I was going to do, cook some grand meal in the middle of the night?”
Hyung looked at my shameless face with a knowing snort, then suddenly grabbed and twisted my nose.
“Go on in. Play moderately and sleep. Don’t wake up too late tomorrow.”
He’s treating his fully grown younger brother like a middle schooler. I tried to shake off his hand, but holding the tray, I had no choice but to suffer the nose-twisting. I glared resentfully at hyung’s back as he walked down the corridor, my nose reddened.
“He tells me to bring snacks but it’s not like he’s training me or something. I’d be happy if he’d just disappear quickly, but…”
I grumbled as I went inside. In my room’s living room, Jukyung was sitting deeply buried in the sofa, staring blankly as I entered. I quickly examined Jukyung from head to toe and scrutinized his expression carefully. At least he didn’t seem to have suffered physical bullying.
“What did hyung say?”
I asked while putting the tray down on the coffee table.
“Mmm… just? Thank you for taking in this lacking guy, sorry, please take care of him—stuff like that?”
Jukyung said with a little laugh.
Lacking guy?
I plopped down on the sofa with a frown. Lacking guy, who? Me? What am I lacking? And somehow that doesn’t sound like something hyung would say. Does hyung usually use the phrase “lacking guy”? Father uses it often, so it might have stuck to his tongue, but…
“What’s with the expression ‘taking in’ when it’s just staying temporarily? Was there anything else besides that?”
“Anything else like what?”
