Good Night, Brother! - Chapter 6.1

Eunhyun barged into his younger brother’s room as soon as he woke up in the morning.

The room, devoid of its owner, was still filled with faint traces of pheromones from the night before. Nothing seemed to have changed since then. Eunhyun dropped his shoulders and let out a sigh.

“Ha… He’s not back again.”

Once again, Jeong Yi Hyeon had not returned home last night.

Eunhyun recalled the last conversation he had with Yi Hyeon two weeks ago.

It was the evening after returning from their family home. Eunhyun and Yi Hyeon were sitting side by side on the couch, watching TV. Or rather, Eunhyun pretended to watch TV, but his thoughts were entirely consumed by his younger brother.

Knowing Yi Hyeon’s feelings for him, Eunhyun knew he couldn’t keep living this way.

Eunhyun had assumed that Yi Hyeon’s feelings wouldn’t be too intense, given that his own first romance at twenty had been far from passionate. He couldn’t fathom a love so enduring that one could endure the entire world turning against them for it. Eunhyun had never experienced such a thing.

It would have been easier if Yi Hyeon’s affection stemmed from something concrete—perhaps his financial success or his looks. But loving him without any reason? That was hard to believe. Loving him as he was? It felt like a lie. Even Eunhyun couldn’t love himself as he was.

Such unconditional affection seemed more akin to that of a dog who sees its owner as the center of its world—wagging its tail in delight whenever the owner returned, following them everywhere. Eunhyun would undoubtedly love a dog like that, but in the end, it would grow old and die, leaving him heartbroken. That was why he could never bring himself to keep a dog.

There was a time when Eunhyun had been deluded into thinking that love was unconditional, eternal, and unchanging.

But he vividly remembered the moment his parents’ unwavering attention had been halved overnight. He remembered the affection that had felt so sweet during his first love disappearing in an instant with his partner’s change of heart.

Nothing is crueler than having something taken away once it’s given. It’s better not to have it in the first place. Eunhyun dreaded the thought of going through that pain again.

Jeong Yi Hyeon needed to create distance between them.

And so did Jeong Eunhyun.

Ironically, however, Eunhyun’s focus at that moment was less on their brotherly bond and more on the weight of Yi Hyeon’s feelings.

“Yi Hyeon.”

“Yeah?”

Yi Hyeon turned his head, responding nonchalantly to Eunhyun. However, Eunhyun’s expression was unmistakably serious, as if he were about to say something of great importance. Seeing this, Yi Hyeon’s face stiffened, his jaw tightening visibly.

“You know, I’ve been thinking…”

Sensing that the conversation wouldn’t lead to anything positive, Yi Hyeon’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“It takes nearly an hour to commute to Korea University from here, doesn’t it?”

Yi Hyeon didn’t need to hear the rest to know where this was going. He could already tell. His gaze turned icy, and his voice was low and cold when he finally spoke.

“Hyung.”

“What?”

“Are you trying to kick me out?”

“Huh? No! Kick you out? What are you talking about?”

Eunhyun’s pupils quivered nervously as if he had suddenly become a villainous character.

“You’re trying to suggest that I get a place near the university because of the commute time, aren’t you?”

What is he, a mind reader? Caught off guard, Eunhyun stammered.

“No… It’s just… Honestly, you have to wake up really early for morning classes…”

“I’m fine with it.”

With Yi Hyeon’s dismissal, Eunhyun found himself at a loss for words. He had expected resistance, but…

“So, our hyung isn’t fine with it, is he?”

Noticing the apparent anger in Yi Hyeon’s expression, Eunhyun cautiously observed him. Yi Hyeon stood abruptly and retreated to his room, his icy demeanor evident even from his back.

‘He seems really upset…’

From the next day, Jeong Yi Hyeon stopped coming home.

Back to the present.

It had been over two weeks since Eunhyun had last heard from Jeong Yi Hyeon.

At work, Eunhyun sat at his desk and checked the messages he had sent to Yi Hyeon the previous night.

“Yi Hyeon-ah, are you not coming home today either?”

“Can you at least tell me where you’re staying?”

“I’m worried about you…”

The chat was filled with messages Eunhyun had sent over the past few days, all unanswered. The read receipt was gone, meaning Yi Hyeon had seen them. That detail annoyed him even more.

Jeong Yi Hyeon, ignoring my messages? Me, being left on read? The one who used to constantly bother me with texts isn’t even answering calls now. Feeling oddly determined, Eunhyun started sending ten calls a day and texting every chance he got.

As the deep blue darkness blanketed the area around the station, Eunhyun’s gaze was drawn to a brightly lit street stall. For some reason, it seemed particularly captivating today. The stall, which had closed for the winter, had resumed business a few days ago.

The clean orange tent, meticulously maintained without a speck of dirt—likely due to the owner’s fastidious nature—allowed the warm light of incandescent bulbs to seep through its seams. The glow seemed to beckon potential drinkers inside.

Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since Eunhyun had a drink. At that realization, the vivid image of a frosty glass of beer, bubbling with carbonation, came to mind. Eunhyun swallowed hard, suddenly craving the slightly bitter taste of a soju-beer cocktail. He felt an inexplicable urge to let the drink wash down his throat and ease the weight pressing on his chest.

Unable to make his way home right away, Eunhyun hesitated on the roadside before finally pulling back the tent flap and stepping inside the stall. The owner, busy preparing food, greeted him warmly as their eyes met.

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