By Zephyria 
I racked my brain, recalling the novels I had found on my sister’s hard drive.
Did they meet by kicking a can on the way to school? On the school rooftop? While working part-time at a live cafe? An arcade? A coin karaoke room? Or, at Lotteria downtown? A club? A bar where minors weren’t allowed? While riding a motorcycle? By the Han River? Or perhaps… the blind date Min Si-hu was desperately pushing for earlier?
Where on earth did the male protagonist meet the female protagonist? I tried to recall every possible place people could meet, but I just couldn’t remember. In the end, after agonizing fruitlessly, all my classes ended.
“Hae-jun! Hop on!”
“Ah.”
“Come here. You need to wear a helmet.”
And so, going home with the Four Heavenly Kings and their beloved horses became my daily routine.
❖ ❖ ❖
Despite my efforts to rack my brain during class, it was on the weekend that I was able to recall information about Ban Pyo-ran from the novel. It was thanks to an uninvited guest who showed up at my house.
On weekends when I didn’t go to school, Seong Hae-min always took care of my meals. At first, I found Seong Hae-min’s care bothersome, but now I had grown accustomed to it.
“Was the food good?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a relief.”
Even with my perfunctory answer, Seong Hae-min visibly relaxed and smiled. Seeing him like this always pricked my conscience. I wasn’t his real brother. Seong Hae-min, despite being a fictional character, relentlessly tormented my conscience.
To avoid Seong Hae-min, I quickly retreated to the living room. Thinking I should try to relax, I turned on the television. I became engrossed in a movie that was playing at that moment.
It was a classic movie I used to love. Even after entering a novel set in the past, classics were eternal. Sometimes, finding things like this made me feel strange. The fact that some things remained unchanged, whether twenty years ago or now, through the passage of time that transformed mountains and rivers.
I heard Seong Hae-min washing dishes in the kitchen but deliberately ignored it. Yes, this situation, where I had become accustomed to Seong Hae-min, was also a problem. As someone who had only ever eaten my mother’s cooking, I knew nothing about housework. Yet, Seong Hae-min woke me up every day, fed me, cleaned, took care of my needs, and generally looked after me with both material and emotional support. It was impossible to consistently ignore all of that.
For my own independence, I really needed to find Ban Pyo-ran quickly. That was the only solution that came to mind.
Suddenly, I felt a presence beside me. Seong Hae-min had approached and was standing idly by the sofa. He must have finished the dishes. The look on his face as he stared blankly at the television was strange.
“What? Don’t stand there if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Ah, sorry. But… Hae-jun, you liked movies like this?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know… I haven’t been paying enough attention to you, Hae-jun.”
Sigh. Seeing Seong Hae-min suddenly self-reflecting made my conscience ache. It wasn’t because you were inattentive, but because the person changed.
But it’s not like I wanted to become Seong Hae-jun. I’m a victim too!
I returned my gaze to the television, and when I sensed a moment of quiet, I glanced over to see Seong Hae-min sitting in the corner of the sofa, engrossed in the movie. Even though he was watching from the middle of the film and wouldn’t know the plot, he was watching intently.
Could it be because it was a movie Seong Hae-jun liked? He really is something else.
Without taking my eyes off the screen, I called out to Seong Hae-min.
“Seong Hae-min.”
“Yeah? What? Do you want something?”
“No. Is the movie interesting?”
“Mmm, I don’t know yet, but it seems like a good movie.”
Even without seeing it, I could feel Seong Hae-min smiling shyly. When I didn’t reply, Seong Hae-min seemed to focus on the movie again.
Suddenly, the movie felt like it was moving slowly.
I murmured to myself like a sigh.
I’m not entirely sure yet… but I might have to accept this place as a real world.
‘If that happens…’
I glanced again at the person sitting next to me. His features didn’t particularly resemble mine, but for some reason, as I looked, his face seemed to grow more familiar.
‘Could we… become family?’
Perhaps, just a little… I could act as his brother, instead of the Seong Hae-jun that Seong Hae-min knew and remembered.
Of course, that’s assuming Seong Hae-min quits being one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I turned my head away and focused on the movie again.
Just as we were engrossed in the movie, someone knocked loudly on our door. Seong Hae-min got up to answer it. Thinking he’d be back soon, I continued watching the movie. To escape the feeling that the empty space beside me was bothering me, I stubbornly kept my eyes fixed on the screen.
But then.
‘Why is he taking so long?’
It was unusual for him, who usually worried incessantly if I strayed even a little from his sight, to be gone for so long. Curiosity finally got the better of me, so I turned off the TV and headed towards the entrance.
As I approached the entrance, I could hear faint conversation. Was it a neighbor? Did something happen? I peeked my head out from behind the wall near the entrance.
And immediately regretted it.
“Jjooniiii!!”
Through the half-open front door, Min Si-hu spotted me and waved his hands frantically. Damn it. I tried to escape back to the living room, pretending not to see him, but it was too late. Seong Hae-min returned to the living room with Min Si-hu, the troublesome attachment, with a look of resignation.
Seong Hae-min had tried his best to block Min Si-hu, but I had brought this trouble upon myself. I should have just stayed put and watched the movie. It was because I worried about this kind-hearted twin.
“Jjuni! Good morning!”
“Uh-huh.”
Just seeing the energetic Min Si-hu made me feel drained. I touched my face, trying to keep it from looking pale, and responded to Min Si-hu’s greeting.
“Jjuni, do you want to go to the blind date today too?”
“No.”
Was today the day of a blind date? He came all the way to my house for such nonsense! Seong Hae-min had already told him at school that he would go in my place.
I tried my best to maintain my expression to avoid frowning, but my eyes widened at Min Si-hu’s next words.
“One of the people coming today is Ban Pyo-ran’s friend!”
“What!”
And so, Seong Hae-min and I, who had been having a peaceful weekend morning, ended up going to the blind date together.
Did Ban Pyo-ran and Min Si-hu really have this kind of connection?
I didn’t remember such details. Still, it was necessary to check. I needed to escape this tiresome connection with the Four Heavenly Kings as soon as possible.
If Ban Pyo-ran had anyone he could call a friend, it was only Kim Yi-dam. And if my memory served me right, it was thanks to Kim Yi-dam that Ban Pyo-ran was able to form ties with the delinquents(?). This was because Kim Yi-dam’s older brother, Kim Yi-gyeong, was the top dog at a prestigious school.
Kim Yi-dam and Kim Yi-gyeong were like family to Ban Pyo-ran, who had lived alone without siblings. Ban Pyo-ran’s only family was his mother.
“Ah!”
Thinking that far, I finally remembered where the Four Heavenly Kings first met Ban Pyo-ran.
‘The hospital!’
As per the cliché of internet novels, the secret of birth and complicated family trees, Ban Pyo-ran was an illegitimate child, and his mother, who was in poor health, was always in the hospital. And the place where Ban Pyo-ran and the Four Heavenly Kings met was the hospital!
It was frustrating that something so important only came to mind now. Still, it was better to remember it now than to never know.
Seong Hae-min, who hadn’t missed my exclamation, bent down to examine my face. Seong Hae-min’s dark eyes were filled with concern.
“Hae-jun? Are you feeling sick? Should we go home?”
“I’m fine.”
“If you two keep talking amongst yourselves~! Si-hu gets jealous! Hmph!”
“Get lost.”
“Waaah! If you act like that at the blind date, Mini! You’ll be called clueless! Poo!”
“If you’re the type to break up over me taking care of my brother, we wouldn’t have met in the first place.”
At Seong Hae-min’s firm reply, I awkwardly scratched my cheek and smiled. Honestly, I was bewildered. He didn’t know it himself, but Seong Hae-min was supposed to die for the woman he loved, leaving his brother behind.
Even though Seong Hae-min’s devoted care for me weighed heavily on my heart now, the reason I tried not to reciprocate as much as I received was because I knew this affection would disappear once I met Ban Pyo-ran.
After all, this was inside a novel.
They weren’t real people.
I let Seong Hae-min’s protest go in one ear and out the other.
The blind date venue was an ordinary cafe.
It was a relief that they were relatively sensible, unlike some teen romance novels where 17-year-olds met in bars wearing suits. Arriving early, we took a seat by the window. Min Si-hu checked his reflection in the glass wall on one side and tidied his hair.
Looking at him like this… his appearance was undeniable.
Min Si-hu possessed all the characteristics described with adjectives for someone handsome with a cute vibe. You know, things like soft, light brown hair. Round, large eyes that curved like bananas when he smiled. Plus, as expected of a novel character, he was tall with broad shoulders.
Come to think of it, all the Four Heavenly Kings were tall and handsome. They could debut as an idol group without any awkwardness. It was just that their dialogue was so terrible, it made them seem lame. I only realized after entering the novel that even the most handsome person would lose appeal if they laughed with phrases like ‘pick’ and ‘cook’.
A moment later, three girls approached cautiously and spoke to Min Si-hu.
“Excuse me, are you perhaps…?”
“Yes?”
“Seoyeon High’s Four Heavenly Kings’ official cutie, angel of aegyo, Min Si-hu…?”