Good Night, Brother! - Chapter 9.6

“What’s so funny?” Eunhyun asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Ahaha, Hyung… what am I supposed to do?” Yi Hyeon chuckled. “I’m so happy I think my heart’s going to burst. I feel like I could run around the Earth ten times right now.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“No, really! Here, feel this.”

Before Eunhyun could protest, Yi Hyeon grabbed his hand and pressed it to his chest. Beneath the thin fabric of his shirt, Yi Hyeon’s heart was pounding furiously, racing as though it might leap out of his chest.

“See? It’s so fast, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah,” Eunhyun admitted reluctantly.

Yi Hyeon exhaled a long, blissful sigh, his expression filled with wonder. “I still can’t believe it… Hyung, I’m going to be a dad?”

“You’re not there yet. We still need Mom and Dad’s approval,” Eunhyun reminded him.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle everything. You don’t need to stress about it at all.”

Eunhyun gave him a doubtful look. Normally, he trusted Yi Hyeon despite their five-year age gap, but this time he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Seemingly oblivious to Eunhyun’s skepticism, Yi Hyeon suddenly blushed and murmured, “Honey…”

“Shut up!” Eunhyun shouted, recoiling as he shoved Yi Hyeon’s hand away. Goosebumps erupted all over his body at the audacity of the word.

Finally coming to his senses, Eunhyun glanced down at the puddle of spilled tea on the floor and sighed. “Ugh, just stop saying weird things and let me clean this up.”

As Eunhyun reached for a cloth, Yi Hyeon grabbed his arm firmly.

“What now?”

“You can’t, Hyung. It’s dangerous for you to clean.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“You’re two people now, and I’m just one. It’s more efficient if I do it.”

Despite the strange logic, Eunhyun couldn’t argue as Yi Hyeon grabbed a mop and began cleaning up the mess. He watched, dumbfounded, as Yi Hyeon tidied the room with a cheerful efficiency.

Once the floor was spotless, Yi Hyeon declared that pregnant people needed to rest and practically forced Eunhyun onto the bed. Then he crawled onto the bed himself, lying down next to Eunhyun like an excited child.

“Hyung,” he began, his voice filled with curiosity, “does the baby’s heart beat all the time?”

“It’s not something you can hear without an ultrasound,” Eunhyun replied, sighing.

“Oh, I see…”

Yi Hyeon didn’t seem deterred. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his ear against Eunhyun’s stomach, as if trying to hear the baby’s heartbeat through sheer willpower.

“Your belly’s still so flat. Is there really a baby in there?”

“For the last time, it’s too early for my belly to show.”

“Ohhh, I see…” Yi Hyeon said again, as though he’d forgotten the answer already.

As Yi Hyeon continued to rub Eunhyun’s stomach gently, his soft touch lulled Eunhyun into a light doze. His eyelids fluttered shut as sleep overcame him, and Yi Hyeon smiled.

“Pregnancy really does make you sleepy, huh? Sleep well, Hyung.”

He pressed a light kiss to Eunhyun’s stomach, and Eunhyun drifted off completely.

An hour later, Eunhyun awoke to the sound of Yi Hyeon talking on the phone.

“Yes… tomorrow. We’ll come down tomorrow.”

Eunhyun rubbed his sleepy eyes and shuffled into the living room. Yi Hyeon greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hyung, did you sleep well?”

“Who were you talking to?” Eunhyun asked suspiciously.

“Mom and Dad. We’re heading to Daejeon tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? That soon?” Eunhyun asked, startled.

“Yup.”

The sudden timing caught Eunhyun off guard. His throat felt dry, and he licked his lips nervously.

“Did you already book train tickets?”

“I’m about to. We’ll go in the morning and be back quickly.”

The way Yi Hyeon phrased it, Eunhyun felt as though he was being excluded. Frowning slightly, he asked, “Wait… you mean we’re going, right?”

“Oh, um… I was thinking of going alone.”

“What? Why?”

“Well… I’m the one who caused all this. I manifested you as an Omega, and I… you know… so I should handle it myself.”

Eunhyun’s face flushed at Yi Hyeon’s blunt words. Yi Hyeon glanced at his stomach and added, “Besides, you need to rest. It’s a long train ride.”

“Don’t I take the subway to work every day?” Eunhyun countered.

“That’s different.”

“And how do you expect me to feel, sitting here while you go alone?”

“…Fine. We’ll go together,” Yi Hyeon relented with a heavy sigh.

The weight of their impending visit to their parents sank in, leaving Eunhyun emotionally drained. The whirlwind of events from the past two weeks made him feel like he was being swept away, unable to regain control.

Slumping onto the couch, Eunhyun reached for the TV remote, hoping to lose himself in mindless entertainment. Before he could switch it on, Yi Hyeon snatched the remote from his hand.

“You can’t use this, Hyung. What if it strains your wrist?”

“…What?”

“Just tell me what you want to watch. I’ll do it.”

Eunhyun wanted to argue but found himself watching silently as Yi Hyeon flipped through channels.

The rest of the day passed similarly, with Yi Hyeon hovering protectively around him, even following him into the bathroom.

“What are you doing? Why are you in here?” Eunhyun demanded, startled.

“I was worried. What if you have trouble holding it?” Yi Hyeon replied, his face inexplicably red.

Horrified, Eunhyun shoved him out of the bathroom, shouting, “Get out, you lunatic! Just get out!”

“Hyung, don’t use such harsh words! The baby can hear you!” Yi Hyeon called back.

“Aaagh!”

Eunhyun and Yi Hyeon stood silently outside the house, the cool metal of the blue gate pressing against their backs. The morning’s events left them both stunned, as though the ground beneath them had vanished. For a moment, neither moved nor spoke, caught in a haze of disbelief and emotional exhaustion.

Eunhyun was the first to snap out of it. Clutching the tissues he had hastily grabbed from the fallen box, he turned to his younger brother.

“Yi Hyeon, let me see your face. You’re still bleeding.”

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