Good Night, Brother! - Chapter 5.8

When he was younger, he used to get grains of rice stuck in the corner of his mouth, but now he eats so neatly. Even stretching out his arm to pick up an egg roll looks like a scene from a drama. How can he be so graceful with just chopsticks?

By the way, Yi Hyeon cried quite a bit last night, but his eyes aren’t even puffy. Wow, look at his eyelashes. They’re so black and long…

“Hyung.”

“Huh?!”

Eunhyun’s shoulders jumped in surprise as he was suddenly called out by Yi Hyeon, who he thought was focused on eating. Yi Hyeon smiled brightly and asked:

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I get something on my face?”

“……? Eh.”

“Really? What did I smear?”

Yi Hyeon’s eyes narrowed, and he ran his left hand over his face and the corner of his mouth.

‘Nori.’

Eunhyun’s mind flashed back to a joke that had gone viral on the internet a few years ago.

“Nori?”

Yi Hyeon looked at Eunhyun as if to say, “What do you mean, there’s no seaweed on the table?”

“Uh, handsome.”

“Ahahaha!”

Eunhyun’s father, who shared a similar sense of humor, was the first to burst into laughter. He threw his head back, his shoulders shaking, and the daikon radish paste on his chopsticks fell onto the table. His mother noticed and made a disgusted face.

“Oh, stop talking nonsense at the head of the table and eat your food,” she said.

“No, honey, you don’t think that’s funny? Ha ha ha! He said there’s ‘Kim’ on his face—‘handsome Kim’! Ha ha ha! Eun Hyun, that’s hilarious.”

Their father chuckled endlessly, their mother rolled her eyes at his silliness, and Eun Hyun smiled proudly, satisfied that his joke had landed. Only Ji Hyeon remained with a faintly ambiguous expression, his lips quirking up ever so slightly as he looked at Eun Hyun.

After breakfast, Ji Hyeon and Eun Hyun took turns freshening up and packing their bags.

“You’re leaving already? Why not stay a bit longer and have lunch before you go?”

Their mother hovered nearby, her tone clearly tinged with disappointment.

She always seemed to act this way whenever Eun Hyun visited Daejeon, but only now did he realize her words were genuine, not just polite gestures. Looking at her anew, he noticed how much more pronounced the lines on her face had become.

“…If we leave in the afternoon, we’ll be too tired on Monday. Besides, we’ve already booked the tickets.”

Their mother returned to the kitchen, quickly and efficiently packing containers of side dishes. Even though Eun Hyun tried to dissuade her, pointing out that there was no way they could finish so much food before it spoiled, she paid him no mind. Soon, a heavy shopping bag filled with packed side dishes was in his hand.

Reflecting on it, his mother had always sent him back with food. Those seemingly simple side dishes actually took a lot of effort to prepare. He’d always feigned ignorance, even when he knew why she asked every time if he’d been eating well. He’d been too preoccupied with his own life to truly consider her feelings.

Today, for some reason, the handles of the shopping bag felt as though they were digging painfully into his palms.

“Take care on your way back. Call me when you get home.”

“Okay.”

“We’re heading out now. Go back inside.”

“All right. You two, take care of each other, okay?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Got it.”

His parents stood by the bright blue gate, watching their sons until they were out of sight.

On the KTX back to Seoul, Eun Hyun replayed the events of the weekend in his mind. He resolved to have a proper talk with Ji Hyeon once they got home. But as soon as he stepped through the door, the exhaustion hit him like a wave, and he collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Eun Hyun arrived at work early, as usual, and started going through his schedule and clearing his inbox. About ten minutes before official work hours began, his colleague, Eun Soo Ah, placed her bag on her desk and greeted him.

“Oh my goodness! Eun Hyun, can you even see right now?”

She was echoing his mother’s words from the day before. His eyes were so swollen that the faint double eyelid crease he had was nearly gone, a result of oversleeping for over ten hours.

“Why are your eyes so puffy?”

“I think I just slept too much yesterday.”

“You must’ve been really tired. Well, it’s the weekend—sleeping in is what it’s for!”

Soo Ah laughed heartily before lowering her voice and whispering conspiratorially.

“How about we go to the café on the first floor? Let’s steal some time as professional loafers.”

Eun Hyun nodded solemnly, as if they were plotting a critical work task.

Later, well into the afternoon around 3 PM, Eun Hyun was immersed in his work when his phone buzzed. Without pausing, he glanced at the notification banner that popped up. His fingers froze on the keyboard.

Song Ye Na: Eun Hyun! How have you been…?

Only then did he recall the introduction he’d promised to follow up on. He sighed quietly and tapped the notification.

More messages quickly followed, sent in rapid succession.

Song Ye Na:

Eun Hyun! How have you been? It’s been ages, hasn’t it?

I’ve been so busy since I got back to Korea—tons of work piled up, even had to go in on weekends!

You didn’t forget about me, did you?

He had forgotten. Completely. Guilt pricked at his chest as another message came through.

I’m free starting this weekend, so I thought we could finally set up that meeting. When would work for you?

Licking his dry lips, Eun Hyun typed out a response.

Hello, Ye Na. I’m sorry, but due to some personal issues, I don’t think I’ll be able to meet up with you. My apologies.

Her reply was almost instant.

What’s wrong? Are you okay?

Struggling to come up with an excuse, he hesitated. Another message arrived.

Whatever it is, I can wait! Just let me know when you’re ready.

From the start, Song Ye Na had been very bright and proactive. Hesitantly, Eun Hyun replied:

I really appreciate it, but it’s something difficult to resolve. I’m so sorry.

After a moment’s pause, she sent another message.

Be honest. Did you start seeing someone else while I was gone?

Her directness caught him off guard. And why, of all things, did Ji Hyeon’s face flash through his mind at that moment?

“Eun Hyun, you’re losing it.”

Finally, he typed back:

No, it’s not that. I’m sorry for canceling our plans.

After that, Ye Na didn’t reply. Perhaps she was upset.

Eun Hyun also called Kim Sun Woo to apologize, but Sun Woo brushed it off, saying it was fine and offering to introduce him to someone else if the timing worked out later. That eased some of his guilt.

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