Good Night, Brother! - Chapter 7.12

Eun-hyun’s face twisted in anguish.

“Jeong Yi-hyeon. Don’t say that. That’s too sad…”

A lump of heat rose in Eun-hyun’s throat, and tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

“Hyung, I’ve been so lonely for so long.”

“…”

“So… can you be my real family now?”

“…”

“Families share everything, right? I’ve already given you my heart, so take my money too.”

Please. Take it. I want all of you, just as I’m giving you all of me. Keep me close forever, and never let me go.

The tone of Yi-hyeon’s voice blurred the line between a plea and a prayer. His desperation struck a chord deep within Eun-hyun, leaving his chest aching.

Through both his words and the pheromones he unconsciously emitted, Yi-hyeon conveyed his feelings with raw, unfiltered intensity.

I’ve been aching with loneliness all this time. I’ve been waiting for you to reach me, Hyung. Everything here is yours.

Tears spilled down Eun-hyun’s cheeks, landing on the table with a soft splatter.

Later, Eun-hyun lay on the sofa, his head resting on Yi-hyeon’s lap as they reminisced about their childhood. After a long silence, Eun-hyun looked up at his brother and spoke.

“Jeong Yi-hyeon.”

“Yeah?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

Everything. He was sorry for all of it. Even though it felt too late, Eun-hyun believed it was better to say it now than never. He meant every word of his apology.

“I don’t even know what you’re apologizing for.”

“For being mean to you…”

“I only remember you being kind to me.”

“…Still, I’m sorry.”

“Then can I make a wish?”

“A wish? What kind of wish?”

As memories of his previous “wish” surfaced, Eun-hyun furrowed his brow before sighing and giving in.

“Alright, tell me.”

“I want you to quit your job.”

“What?”

“It hurts to see you struggling so much at work, Hyung. I can’t stand it.”

“…”

Eun-hyun pursed his lips, frowning slightly as he replied.

“No. I still need to work.”

“But you said you wanted to open a café. You can work there.”

“That was just something I said… And besides, I get it now. I understand how you feel. So take your money back. Do you even know how much gift tax you’d have to pay on a 2 billion won transfer between siblings?”

“I’ve already set aside money for the tax. I’ll file it by the end of the month, so don’t worry about that.”

Smart little brat… must be nice to have so much money.

“Ugh… Yi-hyeon. I just feel uneasy holding onto that money, that’s all.”

“Fine,” Yi-hyeon said after a brief pause, clearly considering something. “Then just think of it as safekeeping. They say people feel different when there’s money in their account versus when there isn’t.”

“But still…”

“If you give the money back, I’ll take it to Kangwoon Land and spend all 20 billion won on slot machines. Would you be okay with that?”

“What the—!?”

Sigh. How am I supposed to win against Jeong Yi-hyeon?

Looking back, I don’t think I’ve ever really been able to say no to him.

“…Fine, I’ll keep the money. But I’m not quitting my job.”

“Alright.”

For Yi-hyeon, this was still a pretty good deal. Gently stroking his brother’s hair, Yi-hyeon leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Eun-hyun’s pale, tidy forehead.

The next morning, on his way to work, Eun-hyun ran into Choi Min-gyu and Lee Sang-jin at the elevator in the company lobby. Running into those two first thing in the morning was already a bad start, but suddenly another thought crossed his mind: Do these guys have 2 billion won in their accounts?

Even in a high-paying corporate job, saving up 2 billion by the time you retire was nearly impossible. Thinking about this gave him an odd sense of calm. With a newfound inner peace, Eun-hyun greeted them with a warm smile.

“Good morning!”

Both men mumbled a half-hearted reply, their faces less than pleasant. Watching their grumpy expressions, Eun-hyun had to suppress a smirk as he resisted the urge to tease them, thinking, You don’t have 2 billion, do you?

Once work started, Eun-hyun grabbed a coffee to kickstart his morning. As he sipped his drink, a message arrived on his phone.

[Brother]

Hyung, did you get to work okay?

Holding his coffee in one hand, Eun-hyun typed back with the other.

[Eun-hyun]

Yeah, you?

[Brother]

I got to school just fine. Good luck today!

(Cheering puppy emoji)

[Eun-hyun]

You too.

[Brother]

Love you.

What the—? Where did that come from?

Flustered, Eun-hyun quickly closed the chat window, even though no one was watching.

Sitting nearby, Eun-soo-ah noticed his reaction and widened her already large, round eyes.

“Oh my gosh, Eun-hyun. What’s with that face?”

“Huh?”

“Your smile is practically splitting your face in two. I didn’t know you could smile like that!”

“Ah….”

Was I smiling? Feeling embarrassed, Eun-hyun’s face turned bright red.

“I’ve never seen you smile like that before. Did you get a message from your girlfriend?”

“…Yeah…”

“Oh, how sweet! Must be nice to have someone special—ah, the envy! Life’s unfair for us single people.”

“…”

“So unfair!” she teased, giggling as she kept poking fun at him.

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