Knowing Brother-Chapter 27

Following the gaze that was intensely fixed on one spot, Seolwoo also turned his head. At that moment, his chest blocked his view.

“Want to take the subway with me and go somewhere where there aren't any people?”

“What? Suddenly? No.”

“I’m really bored today...”

“That’s possible, I guess. But why should I hang out with you? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous even to you?” freēwēbnovel.com

Seolwoo returned the words exactly as he had received them, stepping aside. Daeyoung let out a large sigh.

“What? You’re so clever, huh? Wow...!”

“Are you teasing me?”

After seeing how people in Misaeng would attack each other without using insults, Seolwoo didn’t think the words sounded very kind. The sunset glow was intense. Perhaps they had been walking in the sun too long. Without a word, Seolwoo kept walking ahead, and Daeyoung muttered behind him.

“I know a place where you can eat a buffet for free... But I’ll have to go alone.”

Seolwoo turned around, clearly suspicious.

“...Really free? Where can there be a free buffet in the world?”

“There is. You’ll see.”

The only reason Seolwoo followed was because of doubt. He couldn’t fathom a place where a buffet would be set up for free. When they entered the large supermarket through the door, he realized he had been completely fooled.

“Sit down. I’ll take care of you.”

They had already passed several subway stations, so there was no way for Seolwoo to go back alone. He sat in an empty shopping cart, following Daeyoung’s lead. It felt so natural that he thought it was fine. It wasn’t until he saw the look of the customer service staff that he realized what a mess they were making.

“Eat. Ah.”

Seolwoo had no energy left to argue about going back alone. He thought he could probably sleep in the cart. Rubbing his eyes, he ate the sample foods Daeyoung handed him.

“Do you like this dumpling?”

“The seasoning is bland.”

“Then try this.”

When Seolwoo silently chewed the dumpling, Daeyoung picked up another piece and put it in Seolwoo’s mouth. The staff standing by the sample counter opened their mouths as if to say something, but stopped. Daeyoung slowly made his way around the store. By the time they were leaving, Seolwoo’s stomach was full.

He was so sleepy that he shamelessly climbed onto Daeyoung’s back and took the subway. As he slept, Daeyoung’s back was a stable, comfortable bed.

As soon as they entered the alley, Seolwoo saw adults gathered in front of the house. Mrs. Choi spotted Seolwoo and rushed over, smacking his back. With tears in her eyes, she yelled at him.

“Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you? How can you just leave without a word? Do you know you're an Android and have to take your medicine on time? Do you know? Do you know, answer me!! How long have I been waiting here, huh, mom?”

Daeyoung was confused about whether he should respond to the mention of “Android.” Seolwoo wanted to apologize to Mrs. Choi, but the pain from the second smack made him angry.

“I wait for mom more! I wait more than mom, even when I’m asleep!”

Mrs. Choi’s face, wet with tears, twisted in a mix of anger and sadness. At that moment, Daeyoung intervened.

“Hey, sis. Just let it go today.”

“You.”

Mrs. Choi glared at Daeyoung with the same expression she used when arguing with the market lady or the uncle she disliked. Seolwoo looked up, observing Daeyoung’s reaction.

He gave Mrs. Choi a slight nod, sending an unspoken message. At Daeyoung’s gesture, surprisingly, Mrs. Choi stopped raising her voice.

After sending Seolwoo inside, Mrs. Choi talked with Daeyoung for a while in front of the house. Seolwoo stood by the window, watching them.

“Are you fighting with mom and oppa?”

A few minutes later, Mrs. Choi came in through the side door and explained that Daeyoung had purposely taken Seolwoo out to walk around. She added that two unfamiliar people had been loitering in front of their house.

The next day, Mrs. Choi stayed home, planning to catch those people. Around 3 p.m., a loud voice came from the second floor.

“Hey, who are you...!”

The voice drew out long and deep, and it was Daeyoung. In response, a sharp voice echoed through the alley.

“We got a report about suspected child abuse, so we came out.”

There were only two households in this house. The nosy mention of child abuse was obviously aimed at Mrs. Choi. Daeyoung lowered his tone and argued with them.

“Where did you come from?”

“From the Baegae3-dong Residents Association...”

“What do you mean, from the Residents Association? What kind of report would you get to come out here? You just want to start some trouble. Speak properly. We don’t like you spying on our house. Please leave now, and don’t ever do this again.”

His forceful words were the kind a neighbor would use when calling someone “lost from humanity.”

“Seolwoo! Are you studying?”

Daeyoung’s call made Seolwoo come out into the yard, holding Mrs. Choi’s hand. Mrs. Choi went out the side door to argue ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) with the people. Once a fight started, Mrs. Choi had to see it through to the end. She couldn’t just stop in the middle. Seolwoo was just like her in that regard.

Watching Mrs. Choi engage in a verbal battle made Seolwoo feel uneasy. Then, suddenly, something soft and plush fell from the sky.

Seolwoo looked up. With his back to the sky, Daeyoung leaned on the second-floor railing, watching Seolwoo. He pointed to the plush toy that had fallen. Seolwoo bent down and picked it up.

It was an orange dinosaur toy with a flaming tail. Its eyes were too large, and the pupils sparkled so much that it was hard to like it.

“You look like this.”

“Where did you get it?”

“From the claw machine next to the bar.”

Laughing with his hair falling over his face, Daeyoung shouted.

“Throw it!”

Seolwoo jumped towards the second floor, swinging his arm. The toy almost reached Daeyoung’s hand but fell down the big stairs to the first floor.

“Again! You just need to throw it a little harder!”

After several successful throws and catches, the nosy people quietly left.

From that day on, Daeyoung became Seolwoo’s homeschooling teacher.

Mrs. Choi, unlike before, said that it was fine for the suspicious person to know Seolwoo’s “secret.” However, going out together was still prohibited. Considering the back in that alleyway, that precaution seemed somewhat justified.

Exhausted in the middle of summer, Seolwoo lay down in the narrow hallway. Turning the fan to full speed, Seolwoo shouted loudly.

“Hyung—!”

He was clearly on the second floor, and the window was wide open, so it should have been heard, but there was no answer. By this point, Seolwoo was driven by competition. For five minutes, he persistently called for Daeyoung.

“Daeyoung hyung—!!!”

The sound of slippers scuffing the floor came through. Seolwoo smiled triumphantly. Wiping the sweat from his neck, he lay down flat.

“Knock knock. Android C8.”

That was their secret code to confirm it was Daeyoung. Daeyoung opened the door and entered. His messy hair was pushed back as he walked up to the hallway. Seolwoo just raised his eyes and spoke.

“Water from the fridge.”

“......”

Without a word, Daeyoung went to the fridge. He crouched down, took out a bottle of water, and approached Seolwoo.

“Ahh!!”

Seolwoo jumped up, soaked with water. The chase began inside the house. Now fourteen, Seolwoo had grown tall enough to reach Daeyoung’s neck, but due to the size difference, their strength was still unequal. Eventually, he was caught and forced to apologize.

“More politely.”

“What do you mean politely, you’re only three years older than me!”

“Three years makes a huge difference. It's like the difference between a newborn and a child running around. The difference between a middle schooler and a high schooler. You should respect and serve me.”

It was ridiculous to think of serving someone that big while sprawled out in the narrow hallway. Seolwoo snickered.

“Daeyoung hyung. Why don’t you go to school?”

“I’m doing homeschooling too.”

“What...?”

“My academic performance is too good. They asked me if I wanted to skip a year, so I’m just taking it easy.”

Could anyone really believe that? Daeyoung yawned, stretching lazily.

Seolwoo sat in front of the fan and answered.

“Stop lying and spit it out.”

“Spit it out for me, Seolwoo. Please spit on my mouth.”

“Ugh... don’t do that!”

The daily pranks—scratching his chin and armpits, squeezing his neck until Seolwoo almost screamed, or carrying him until he begged to be put down—never stopped.

Seolwoo shot him a look while coughing. He wondered who would ever marry such a lazy, big-bodied grasshopper. It was pitiful, the way he scratched his stomach while lying down.

“Seolwoo... I said, please spit on my mouth.”

At times like these, Daeyoung looked endlessly pathetic. Seolwoo began to seriously study Daeyoung's existence from that point on. He was such a confused person.

By 4 p.m., when Daeyoung always appeared with his arms wide open to take him, Seolwoo felt strange. He was just a year or two older, but Daeyoung’s clothes and words made him seem like a much more mature adult.

Daeyoung sometimes gave off the smoky, pungent scent that Mrs. Choi had when she smoked. He would sometimes show a smile that wasn’t really a smile. And sometimes, he’d take a call and leave with a scary expression on his face. One day, when Seolwoo asked if Daeyoung was coming to pick him up by 4, Daeyoung didn’t answer but left and appeared just past 4, with scratches and bruises on the back of his hand.

Seolwoo once saw him walking with a woman in a mini skirt from a distance. When Seolwoo saw Daeyoung laughing and draping his arm over someone else’s shoulder, he felt bitter, as if Daeyoung valued that woman more than him.