Good Night, Brother! - Chapter 6.7

Eight Years Ago

It was an unusually hot early summer day. Twelve-year-old Yi Hyeon hopped from one shady spot to another, trying to avoid the blazing sun on his way home. Each leap sent his black hair bouncing and his backpack jostling up and down.

As he skipped along, he spotted two high schoolers walking side by side about twenty steps ahead. Their familiar uniforms and backs immediately clued him in, it was Eunhyun and his classmate, Han Jinseo. Excited, Yi Hyeon called out, “Hey, it’s Hyung!”

Their schools must have let out at the same time for once. Feeling mischievous, Yi Hyeon decided to sneak up on Eunhyun to surprise him. As he got closer, their conversation drifted to his ears.

“Eunhyun, why did you really fight with Park Sanggyo?” Jinseo asked.

“Ugh, not this again. I told you, his ugly face pissed me off. Seeing it first thing in the morning just ruined my mood.”

“Come on, you don’t mean that. Tell me the real reason. You wouldn’t fight someone for no reason.”

Eunhyun let out a sigh deep enough to crack the earth, adjusting the strap of his backpack. “That jerk called Yi Hyeon an orphan.”

“What?” Jinseo exclaimed. “Seriously? What’s wrong with him?”

“Yeah. First thing in the morning, he came up to me and said, ‘Your little brother’s just a pathetic orphan, right?’ How could I not hit him?”

“Wow. That guy’s trash.”

“I should’ve punched him harder,” Eunhyun grumbled.

“Is that why you didn’t tell your parents why you fought?”

“Well, yeah. What if Yi Hyeon found out? It’s better if I keep it to myself.”

“Fair enough. Honestly, good for you.”

“I mean, it worked out for him. He started it.”

Yi Hyeon froze in his tracks, unable to lift his head. Even looking at Eunhyun’s back felt unbearable. As the two high schoolers rounded a corner and disappeared, Yi Hyeon remained rooted to the spot. The heat from the asphalt seeped through the thin soles of his sneakers. He wished he could melt away under the sun, vanishing like a mirage.

Present

So, you knew all along.

Eunhyun stared at his younger brother with conflicted eyes, realizing that Yi Hyeon remembered details he himself had long forgotten. But Yi Hyeon didn’t seem affected by the words “orphan” or any of it; he continued, unfazed.

“Hyung,” Yi Hyeon began.

“Yeah?”

“I’d still love you even if you were selfish and thought only about yourself.”

“…”

“If you ever killed someone, I’d take the blame and go to jail for you.”

Eunhyun’s brow furrowed deeply. “What are you even talking about?”

“It means I’d love you no matter what. Even if you killed someone.”

“Why would I kill anyone?” Eunhyun muttered incredulously.

“Because you’d have a reason,” Yi Hyeon replied matter-of-factly.

Eunhyun opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again. There was no winning an argument with someone this ridiculous.

Monday Morning

The fluctuating temperatures of April meant that commuters’ outfits varied wildly, from winter coats to light cardigans. Like their disjointed attire, Eunhyun’s thoughts were a tangled mess.

He had spent the entire weekend with Yi Hyeon. They went to the movies, sat in a cozy café, and strolled along a cherry blossom path. It had been a perfect date, a date that wasn’t supposed to happen.

What troubled Eunhyun most was that he hadn’t hated it. On the contrary, he’d enjoyed it.

The feelings he had tried so hard to repress kept bubbling up, no matter how much he pushed them down. Seeing Yi Hyeon’s elegant profile, the cherry blossoms resting delicately in his dark hair, his dimpled smile, it all made Eunhyun long to pull him close, to kiss those beautiful lips, to keep him all to himself.

Even the ring was part of it. When Yi Hyeon had pouted at the suggestion of wearing it alone, Eunhyun couldn’t bring himself to take his off. Now, after just two days, the ring felt natural on his finger, its once-cool metal warmed to his body temperature.

“Hah!” Eunhyun sighed, resting his forehead against the subway door’s glass panel.

At work, Eunhyun attended the usual morning meeting and was typing up the minutes when his colleague, Eun Sooah, popped her head over the partition.

“Hey, Eunhyun, the data you pulled last Friday did you update it with the price changes?”

“Yeah,” he replied.

Sooah’s gaze drifted to his hand, catching the glint of the silver ring. Her curiosity piqued, she asked, “Hey, what’s with the ring?”

“Uh!”

Before he could answer, her eyes lit up. “Wait, is that a couple’s ring? Do you have a partner?”

“Yeah.”

The word felt strange and distant, but Eunhyun nodded. The design was clearly not just for decoration. Sooah moved closer, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Oh my gosh, it is! And, is that an Étier logo?”

“Étier?” Eunhyun echoed, unfamiliar with the brand.

“It’s this luxury French jewelry brand! They only opened one store here last year. Even Jo Ahyoon wore one of their bracelets, it was all over the news.”

She leaned in to examine the ring closely. “I’m pretty sure this is platinum, not white gold. Wow, it’s gorgeous. It suits you so well.”

“Ahaha, thanks,” Eunhyun said awkwardly.

“Your partner must be loaded. Étier’s crazy expensive,” Sooah remarked as she walked away with a teasing grin.

Curious, Eunhyun searched for the brand online. After navigating through their French-only website, he found his ring.

Bague Möbius

4,000 €

Eunhyun stared at the number in disbelief. Even with a rough conversion, it was over four million won. After calculating the exchange rate, the reality hit him: 5.4 million won for a single ring. A pair would easily exceed ten million.

There’s no way, it has to be fake.

Even though Yi Hyeon had said he bought it at the department store, Eunhyun convinced himself otherwise. Letting out a small, disbelieving laugh, he shook his head.

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