By Zephyria When he barely came to his senses, both hands were already heavy.
“Young man, your change.”
The merchant flicked the change with an expression that asked what else he could do if he didn’t take it.
“Yes? Ah, yes. Sell a lot…”
Ki Jae-ha took the money, looking like he was wondering, ‘Why am I doing this here?’ His heart was as heavy as the weight in his hand.
“Haa.”
He sighed so loudly that people around him turned to look. There was even an old man who scolded him for sighing at his young age, but what could he do when his heart was stifled?
‘Is this fun?’
Ki Jae-ha chewed on the inside of his cheek, looking at his brother.
Ki Jae-eon was observing each store with interest. His concentration was remarkable. Seeing him excited, though he tried to hide it, made his heart ache for no reason. How little entertainment must he have enjoyed… to be so captivated by such a trivial market tour?
‘I should have taken him around more often.’
Ki Jae-ha reproached himself again.
“Uh-”
It was when he was deeply regretting it.
Ki Jae-eon, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. His gaze lingered particularly long.
‘What is he looking at?’
Ki Jae-ha also turned his head.
[Hae-ma Tteokbokki & Fried Food]
A small snack bar nestled on one corner. The old yellow sign was shouting with all its might, ‘I am the old-timer in this market alley!’
Ki Jae-eon was only looking at the tteokbokki that filled the iron griddle.
Perhaps sensing his intense gaze? A little child who had been eating tteokbokki turned around.
“……Huh? Ack!”
The child took a step back. He froze, looking directly at Ki Jae-eon.
His cheeks, which had been moving busily, also puffed out and stiffened.
Thus, an inexplicable, suffocating confrontation of ‘……’ and ‘Ack’ continued.
Eventually, tears welled up in the child’s eyes.
“……?”
Ki Jae-eon slowly tilted his head at the child’s ever-changing face.
“Hwaaa!” The child, with tears dangling, abandoned his food and shouted, “A ghost!” as he ran far away.
Ghost? Kim Ju-won, leaving the bewildered Ki Jae-eon behind, wore an expression of pity as a fellow human being. But sometimes it’s better not to know the truth. Kim Ju-won resolved to keep his mouth shut.
Well, anyway, a happening was a happening, and tteokbokki was tteokbokki.
Certainly, the rich red sauce and the spicy-sweet smell, simmered all morning, stimulated the salivary glands quite a bit.
The first to light up his eyes was Ki Jae-ha.
An unexpected, joyful light flickered across his bored face.
He seemed quite pleased with his brother’s desire.
‘Tteokbokki? Well, that’s the kind of taste you come to the market for.’
He himself had often visited local traditional markets and explored food whenever he traveled with his girlfriend.
‘Cute.’
Ki Jae-ha smiled quietly, reminiscing about past memories. It was almost dinner time, but… so what? The kid wanted to eat. He slipped the wallet out of his back pocket. He realized anew that buying it directly was more enjoyable than a gift certificate.
“Hyung will buy you tteokbokki-”
“Hy, Hyung likes it, won’t you eat it?”
…Huh? Ki Jae-ha abruptly stopped.
‘What do I like? Tteokbokki?’
He rolled his eyes around and repeated ‘Uh- me?’ once again. From about two steps away, an unexpected answer came out.
“Not this place’s tteokbokki.”
It was Kim Ju-won.
‘What?’
Ki Jae-ha was dumbfounded. He almost snapped, ‘Who asked you?’
Because he had called him ‘Hyung.’ To Ki Jae-eon, there was only one ‘Hyung’ in this world.
That is, the person to answer was Ki Jae-ha, himself. But why was some irrelevant bastard answering?
‘He can’t tell when to butt in and when not to, can he?’
The low-class shows in places like this.
Ki Jae-ha glared at Kim Ju-won without his brother noticing. But.
“They put eggs in the tteokbokki…”
“They usually do.”
Somehow, the situation seemed to be flowing in a strange direction?
Ki Jae-ha put a question mark on their conversation. A strange chill ran down his spine.
‘Um? The context of the conversation is…’
“Hey, I’m a gourmet, you know. Don’t think I say everything is delicious.”
When Kim Ju-won chided briefly, a flustered groan escaped from Ki Jae-eon.
Ki Jae-ha’s expression gradually distorted at the unpredictable conversation.
So, now…
‘Uh?’
No way. Ki Jae-ha trembled his lips and forced an awkward smile. Ahahaha! It couldn’t be. He struggled to regain his composure, but it was already too late. Once twisted, his lips lost their function, revealing a great emotional upheaval.
…Shit.
No way, no way, no way!
‘Could it be that the ‘Hyung’ he’s talking about is that bastard?’
Yeah, it couldn’t be.
How could he have his own brother in front of him and take care of some stranger as ‘Hyung!’
He tried to deny it, but.
“Next time, Hyung eat it all.”
“Okay.”
Reality was cruel.
‘Argh! What a goddamn situation!’
The Hyung that his only brother was taking care of was not his blood-related brother, but the outsider Kim Ju-won?
Summarized as [Ki Jae-ha < Kim Ju-won]? He wasn't even looking this way. 'I'm completely out of his interest...!' It was a complete defeat. Ki Jae-ha staggered for a moment at the feeling of the sky falling. A stinging sense of defeat washed over him like a wave. Hyung? Jae-eon, you're wrong. 'Your Hyung... is over here.' Soon, completely different emotions surged up in Ki Jae-ha's eyes, one after the other. The former was disappointment, the latter was anger. 'Who is that bastard to naturally act like a Hyung to my brother?' He already disliked him, but he became even more hateful after what just happened. More than anything, he was upset with his brother for knowing the other guy's tastes but not his own brother's. Of course, he knew. He had no right to be. 'I shouldn't be upset with Jae-eon... I know, I know.' But even so, a shameless jealousy arose, as if he had been robbed of his brother. Shamelessly, now. And that evening. Another 'family' meal, following the last one. "Thank you... for the meal." Ki Jae-eon stuttered his thanks and hurried to his room. Creak- As soon as he opened the sliding door and entered, he looked for the bathroom attached to the room. Heok, cold sweat streamed down. With trembling hands, he grabbed the toilet bowl. Strength tightened in his large, slender hands. His fingers moved desperately, not letting go of the toilet. "Ugh- Werck!" He knew this would happen. "Haa, Keok!" He threw up his insides after a long time. Ki Jae-eon collapsed onto the bathroom floor and roughly wiped his wet lips. Hoo- A cold breath flowed from his lips. The area near his solar plexus was also cold, as if it had lost its temperature. 'Food, what a waste.' He tilted his head as he pulled the lever. Bogureuk- A headache rushed in with the sound of the water flushing. Ki Jae-eon fidgeted with his hands, which were lying haphazardly on the cold tile floor, and flicked at the hangnails. A habit that had disappeared for a while had reappeared due to mental fatigue. In fact, after returning home, he had dreamed about 'that' several times, dreams he hadn't had for a while. Nightmares where the world collapsed and people were torn to death. Or, perhaps, those dreams that might be prophecies. Fortunately, thanks to the prescription medicine from the main office, he didn't wake up screaming like before. It was a blessing in disguise. Well, it seemed that perfect avoidance was impossible. Ki Jae-eon frowned at the stinging solar plexus. His tired face was hidden by his long, wavy bangs. It seemed that his insides, which had been slowly burning, had finally reached their limit. 'It stings...' It felt like his delicate mucous membranes had been torn to shreds. Well, it was exhausting. Following the nightmares, he had to eat in a chilly atmosphere, tense the whole time to avoid offending his father, following the order he had set. Frankly, it was almost stomach abuse. "......" Of course, the other family members kept signaling him to eat comfortably. It was just that Ki Jae-eon refused. It wasn't just stubbornness. There was a reason. 'There's no need to create a conflict.' Ki Jae-eon knew his father's stubbornness well. He couldn't not know. He had experienced it since he was a child.