His desire to be cherished by his hyung was greater. Even though he hadn’t been scolded, he had committed a transgression today.
Cha Ihyun carefully stood up and approached the grand piano. When Cha Minhyun gestured, the manager bowed his head and opened the piano cover.
Cha Ihyun placed his hands on the keys. It was his hyung who had discovered his talent for piano. He had merely struck the keys, but his hyung had been pleased, and delighted by that, he practiced harder—before he knew it, Professor Kang was giving him lessons.
That’s how his path was decided. Piano.
When the performance began, curious gazes flew toward him. However, Cha Ihyun was the type to block out surrounding stimuli once he entered a piece, and without noticing the attention focused on him, he lowered his eyes.
It took only a few seconds after entering the piece for the gazes that had been adoringly watching the boy at the piano to transform into entranced ones coveting the performer.
A delicate performance and a performer with a graceful appearance to match. Eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to him. Everyone held their breath, watching the young performer in his school uniform as if spellbound. Even the violinist who had just finished performing stopped walking and whispered to a colleague. In a space where even the sound of dishes had been eliminated, Cha Minhyun’s smile deepened.
When the performance ended, applause poured forth after a brief silence. Having emerged from the piece, Cha Ihyun’s cheeks were slightly flushed. As he was wiping the keys, someone approached. It was a middle-aged man in a suit.
“Are you a student?”
Instead of answering, Cha Ihyun stared up at the man blankly. The man pulled out his wallet and offered a business card. This time it was neither a professor nor an agency, but an executive from a financial company. When Ihyun didn’t take the card and just silently looked at it, the man placed it on top of the piano.
“Contact me. Anytime.”
Then with a gentlemanly smile, he left. Cha Ihyun, who had been silently staring at the paper, soon withdrew his gaze as if shaking off something dirty and stood up.
Receiving business cards was a common occurrence. The first time he’d brought a business card to his hyung, his hyung had thrown it in the trash without even reading it. Then he’d said in an displeased voice: Don’t carelessly accept things other people give you. Whatever it may be. It had become a habit since then.
When he returned to his seat, the table had already been cleared. Stroking his flushed cheeks as if they were pretty, Cha Minhyun whispered.
“Good.”
It was a simple evaluation. Compared to Professor Kang’s lengthy and professional assessments, it was short and plain, but not to Cha Ihyun. Because his hyung’s mood seemed better than ever, it was the highest praise.
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah!”
While passing through the spacious lounge toward the reception desk, he could feel glances stealing looks from here and there. Even the staff member handling the payment kept sneaking curious glances.
Cha Ihyun thought they were focused on his hyung. His hyung wasn’t someone who shined only in his eyes, and whenever he went out with his hyung, this always happened. He used to feel proud about it, but not anymore. The fact that his hyung appeared attractive to everyone made him anxious. It felt like among all those people, someone as pretty and charming as his hyung could appear at any moment and steal him away.
“There are more flies than usual today.”
At the low voice, Cha Ihyun looked up to the side. He hadn’t heard properly, so he asked “Hm?” but what came back wasn’t a voice but a hand.
Cha Minhyun fiddled with Cha Ihyun’s ear as he spoke.
“When Ihyun becomes an adult next year.”
The fingers that had been moving along the curve of his ear stopped at the earlobe. Pressing the small, soft earlobe with subtle force, Cha Minhyun smiled.
“Should we pierce here?”
I think it’ll be pretty. Noticeable even from afar. At the murmuring voice, Cha Ihyun nodded as if entranced. It was his earlobe being touched, yet the outer ear was bright red. Cha Minhyun, who had been tapping that transparent reaction with his index finger, smiled mischievously.
“Should hyung pierce it for you?”
“Uh, uhn. Please do it……”
At the shy answer, the hand that had been fiddling with the earlobe stopped. Cha Minhyun, who had been staring intently at the obedient face, soon burst into laughter.
“What makes you think I know how to pierce?”
At the incomprehensible laughter, Cha Ihyun tilted his head while laughing along. He didn’t know what his hyung was talking about, but it was truly rare to see his hyung laugh out loud like this.
“But why are you laughing?”
“Nothing. I can’t even joke with Ihyun.”
Cha Minhyun stroked his brightly smiling younger brother’s face as if caressing clean glass.
“Let’s go down.”
Cha Ihyun, who had gotten on the elevator first, tried to press the first floor. But the button wouldn’t press. After a moment, his hyung pressed the 20th floor, one floor below. What’s on the 20th floor? he thought, but obediently followed his hyung and got off on the 20th floor.
“……?”
On the floor where he’d expected there might be a dessert shop for after-dinner sweets, there were only five guest rooms. His hyung, who had been walking ahead, spoke.
“Today’s the day Imo-nim comes, isn’t it.”
Only then did he understand the situation. The Imo-nim his hyung referred to was someone who regularly did their housework. She was a warm and kind person, but his hyung, who fundamentally disliked outsiders, would spend nights out whenever there was a deep cleaning.
His hyung stopped in front of a guest room.
“Want to wait here for a bit? I’ll just grab my laptop.”
His hyung seemed to be planning to take him home. Cha Ihyun wiggled his fingers as he spoke.
“C-can’t I sleep here with you tonight too?”
“Ihyun should go home.”
“But it’s the weekend tomorrow…… I don’t even have lessons, and I want to be with you, hyung……”
Looking down at the blushing cheeks, Cha Minhyun smiled as if he had no choice. The guest room door opened smoothly.
“Go in.”
Cha Ihyun quickly entered the room. Cha Minhyun, who had been quietly watching that sight, quietly closed the door. When the thick door blocked out the outside space, the already quiet space became even more silent.
Cha Ihyun looked around the room. The suite with four rooms attached wasn’t as big as home, but it was quite spacious and cozy. Cha Minhyun inserted the card key and asked.
“Want to wash up first?”
“No, you’re tired, hyung. You wash up first!”
At the spirited answer, Cha Minhyun smiled slightly and entered the bathroom.
Actually, Cha Ihyun hadn’t followed him here purely out of selfish desire. His hyung was especially busy right now. With law school preparation, academic presentations, and many things to worry about, he felt sorry for becoming a younger brother who merely skipped lessons. So he wanted to help. He didn’t know what or how to help, but there was something his hyung always said.
‘I’m glad Ihyun is here.’
So wouldn’t being by his side give him strength? It was a somewhat reckless feeling, but it was sincere. In fact, on days when his nerves were particularly on edge, his hyung would hold him tightly and sleep.
Cha Ihyun, sitting on the sofa, bounced his legs back and forth and took out his phone. But there was a message from an unexpected person.
Cha Dobum Imo is looking for you
The first message had arrived about an hour ago. It seemed Imo-nim’s deep cleaning had started. Cha Dobum got along well with the friendly Imo-nim without reserve, and sometimes received homemaking tips from her.
But why is she looking for me? He scrolled down the screen to check the next message.
Cha Dobum (Photo)
Cha Dobum She made hella lot when I said you cried eating sundae ㅋㅋ
It was a photo of sundae piled generously on a tray. Cha Ihyun, who had typed up to “When did I cry—” unconsciously enlarged the photo. The filling ingredients looked cleaner and plumper than what he’d eaten at the snack bar. He’d just eaten steak, yet his mouth watered.
Soon shaking his head, Cha Ihyun sent a short reply and a message came right away.
I’m not going home today
Cha Dobum Did you run away from home?
I’m sleeping with hyung and going home tomorrow
A new message arrived below the screen that had paused briefly.
Cha Dobum congrats congrats
What are you congratulating? Just as a puzzled Cha Ihyun was about to reply, the bathroom door opened. Startled, he put down his phone as if hiding it. But perhaps because he’d hurried too much, he could sense confusion in his hyung’s voice.
“What were you doing?”
“Huh? Oh, j-just my phone……”
He’d answered too honestly. Cha Ihyun bit his lower lip. What if hyung asks to see my phone? Then I definitely won’t be able to refuse. If hyung sees the message contents, he’ll ask what this about sundae is, and then the lie about skipping lessons earlier will all be exposed……!
When his thoughts reached that point, his mind went blank. Cha Ihyun escaped into the bathroom.
“I-I’ll wash up right away!”
Beyond the closed door, his hyung made no sound. Cha Ihyun immediately deleted the message history. Still not feeling at ease, he turned off the power. Just in case Cha Dobum contacted him. Only then did he feel somewhat relieved and took off his clothes.
The shower room was humid with traces of a recent shower. For Cha Ihyun, who had never shared a bathroom with anyone else, it should have been unpleasant, but if it was his hyung, the case was different. Even the steam seemed elegant and refined, resembling his hyung.
