Knowing Brother-Chapter 47
He yelled at Mrs. Choi for having no pride. He had raised his voice so much and argued so fiercely that by the time Mrs. Choi left the house, his throat was almost hoarse. To suppress the disgust he felt for himself, he started taking out his frustration on the dartboard. He threw arrows at it in a frenzy to numb the shock.
It was suffocating to be in a position where he couldn’t earn money right away.
It was suffocating to exist like this.
‘I dared to dream of being happy.’ The Frankenstein born with an imperfect body must have been sad because of that. All that existence wanted was to be equal to the one they loved, to be accepted.
Things that everyone else had. For some, they were as natural as breathing, but for others, no matter how hard they tried, they could never have them—an ordinary body, an ordinary home, an ordinary life...
‘Daring to be happy,’ Seolwoo understood all too well the pain embedded in that phrase.
After learning of the debt he owed Won Daeyoung and soon starting his relationship with Ha Young-seo, all that remained in Seolwoo’s heart was the painful distance from Won Daeyoung.
The distorted rumors about Kang Jonghyuk and Won Daeyoung fighting over a girl at school had become an established fact, supported by photos of them together at a board game cafe and the existence of a group chat. In a situation like this, if they hadn’t started dating, the school would have fallen back into dark rumors and chaos. The public couldn’t tolerate an unclear ending.
Won Daeyoung officially started dating Ha Young-seo. With that, the war that had shaken the school ended without any lingering doubts.
The whole school buzzed with the news of the relationship between the third-year and first-year students.
Seolwoo didn’t have deep conversations with Won Daeyoung about it. He didn’t ask how he felt or how excited his heart was. He believed the reason Daeyoung accepted the confession was for clear power consolidation, which made it less painful to believe.
From then on, the atmosphere and trends at school remained solid. Kang Jonghyuk’s parents claimed emotional damages and pressured the school and Daeyoung’s mother. “Why is our kid being kicked out? He should be the one changing schools,” they raged, making connections with the children of lawyers and politicians who attended the same school. They tried a second uprising to gather school influence and crush Won Daeyoung.
But it failed as soon as it started. Ha Young-seo’s parents intervened.
With the opposition from Ha Young-seo’s parents, they quickly found themselves on the losing side. If Won Daeyoung had rejected the confession, that support may not have come.
Eventually, Kang Jonghyuk’s side changed tactics. He started reducing his time at school, using preparing for his detailed report (세특, a detailed section in high school records) as an excuse. Rumors that he was preparing to transfer spread.
Afterwards, Seolwoo’s actions noticeably drifted from Won Daeyoung. It was an unconscious behavior, like a survival instinct. Every time he looked at his phone, he thought of "how much money I owe to the yakuza," and he hated the shoes and cardigan Daeyoung had given him, wearing them without telling anyone. Meeting Ha Young-seo in the same classroom every day was also a struggle.
Then, the student council president suggested that Seolwoo join a writing club for essays. After meeting a few times in the self-study room of the advanced class, Seolwoo had just recently exchanged greetings.
"If you're going to go to the humanities track, don't study essays alone, join the club. It's a good atmosphere with students who are eager to study. We do mock essay exams, read newspapers, and have debates. If you join, I bet more girls will follow you."
Seolwoo wanted to join a club, but there was one thing holding him back. There was a senior in the writing club who had secretly given Seolwoo chocolate and convenience store gift cards in middle school, only to get scolded by Won Daeyoung when he was caught. As someone close to Daeyoung, Seolwoo found it uncomfortable to see that senior’s face. But, with the current situation where the student council president praised Daeyoung for removing Kang Jonghyuk from the school, he figured it might be okay now.
More than anything, he wanted to minimize encounters with Won Daeyoung and Ha Young-seo. His desire to avoid them was strong, and so his hesitation didn’t last long.
"Yeah, if there's a spot, I'll move. Should I talk to our club teacher?"
"First, you’ll need to get permission from our club teacher. I'll ask and get back to you. Give me your number."
After exchanging phone numbers, Seolwoo left the self-study room and it was dinner time. He received a message from Won Daeyoung about where to meet for dinner.
Tonight, it was hamburgers at a nearby fast-food restaurant. Seolwoo had been skipping the school meal plan and opting for dining out. It had become a habit because Seolwoo was part of Daeyoung’s group, and students at the center of attention like Daeyoung wouldn’t eat school meals—those were seen as ‘uncool.’
Students in their school uniforms crowded the fast-food restaurant. The movements of the group, which included Won Daeyoung, Ha Young-seo, and Seolwoo, were always the focus of attention and they drew crowds wherever they went.
Seolwoo took a big bite, chewing the bread, patty, and vegetables.
He often ate hamburgers in front of his friends, though he didn’t like getting sauce on his mouth. He didn’t make a fuss about it because he knew that would seem strange.
While struggling to eat the burger alone, Ha Young-seo started chatting with him.
"So, when are you coming to our company? Let me take you to meet them, Seolwoo! Don’t play hard to get!"
The table erupted into chaos when they talked about Seolwoo possibly going to audition at Ha Young-seo's agency. Won Daeyoung stared at Seolwoo with a blank expression, as if hearing this for the first time.
Although Ha Young-seo had suggested the audition, it was impossible for Seolwoo, an android, to enter the entertainment industry. Whether as an idol or an actor, it was an absolute no-go. Seolwoo’s personality would never allow him to pretend to smile in front of a camera and say things he didn’t mean.
"I’ll fail right away. Have you seen me dance? I got the lowest score in singing, didn’t you know?"
"There are lots of people who want to be models or actors. No one knows if you'll pass or fail, just take the camera test and see."
"Such a waste of time."
"...Was I the only one who didn’t know?"
When Seolwoo casually responded, Ha Young-seo cheerfully replied.
"I thought Seolwoo had already told you. Oppa... no, did I make you mad? Huh? You're mad, aren't you? Won Daeyoung’s mad."
When Seolwoo tried to get up, he noticed several wet tissues next to his school jacket. Since no one had seen them, it was clear that Daeyoung had left them there.
Seolwoo felt Daeyoung's gaze from across the table, as if he had noticed that Seolwoo was looking at the tissues. But Seolwoo left them where they were and stood up.
"I'm meeting the senior members of the writing club today. I’ll get going first."
"Are you switching clubs, Seolwoo? Aren’t you going to stay with us in the bowling club?"
"I enjoyed the bowling club, but they said they’ll help with college entrance prep, so I’m moving. Don’t act like you’re sad, you were the one who always made fun of me for being bad at bowling."
"Seolwoo, aren’t you in the advanced class? Our only hope for IQ and you’re playing bowling? You should be studying essays. It’s a shame, but we’ll let you go!"
While his friends reacted noisily, only Daeyoung stayed silent with a neutral expression.
He might have remembered that the senior who had pushed him with gifts of chocolate and cards was in the writing club. But, he decided it wasn't worth worrying about.
He teased his friends who were disappointed about not keeping Seolwoo in the bowling club and left the place.
"Stop pretending you care. I’m going, you bunch of fakes."
"Ugh, really...! What’s Seolwoo’s problem?"
The reason Seolwoo had eaten dinner early and left was because of the hospital. He had an appointment for a regular check-up with Mrs. Choi.
Normally, he would have told Daeyoung about the hospital visit, but today he didn’t. It had been a few days since he had contacted Daeyoung personally. Daeyoung was busy preparing for the U20 East Asian Athletics Championships.
While waiting at the hospital, Seolwoo’s phone rang. Mrs. Choi was next to him, and since he was about to undergo some tests, he didn’t pick up.
The vibration kept going for a while before it stopped, and the nurse opened the door to the examination room.
"Choi Seolwoo, patient’s guardian?"
After finishing the EEG and blood tests, he received a one-month prescription. Seolwoo overheard Mrs. Choi asking if the payment could be divided into three months, only to be refused. She seemed to have finally paid everything off after using a debit card and bank transfer. Seolwoo wanted to help her, but pretending not to notice seemed like the best thing to do. His heart ached. But Seolwoo waited calmly for Mrs. Choi.
"Were there many people waiting?"
"Yeah, it took a while, didn’t it?"
By the time they left the hospital, it was just past 8 PM. Mrs. Choi suggested they go home and rest, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) but Seolwoo insisted on going back to school.
"Oh, you’re being so stubborn! Don’t you think you’ll feel worse if you don’t rest?"
"If my son wants to study, what mother would stop him? You’re lucky, Mrs. Choi."
"You’ll just sit for two hours and leave anyway! You should think about efficiency."
Though she was right, Seolwoo knew if he stayed home, he’d just dwell on unnecessary thoughts. It would be better to kill time outside. He stuck to his decision and sent Mrs. Choi home before heading back to school.
