Good Night, Brother!

‘Oh… I see.’

At the time, Eun-Hyun had no way of knowing what that really meant.

On the morning of a planned trip to an amusement park with friends, Eun-Hyun’s mood soured after a phone call from his mother.

‘What?! You can’t come?’

‘I’m sorry, Eun-Hyun. There’s been heavy snow, and the roads are blocked. We can’t get back today.’

His parents, who had visited a relative in the countryside, were now stranded due to an unexpected snowstorm. Pouting, Eun-Hyun grumbled:

‘But I planned this trip with my friends a month ago!’

‘I know, sweetie, but there’s nothing we can do….’

‘Ugh… Are you sure you can’t make it?’

Already worried about leaving her children alone, Ji-Min’s patience was wearing thin at her eldest’s persistent complaints.

“‘Oh, seriously, what’s wrong with you? If we could come, don’t you think we would have already? Are you really going to act this childish when you’re about to start high school in two days?’

‘…….’

‘When your parents aren’t home, you need to take good care of Hi-Hyeon. We can’t have people thinking there are no adults at home, so don’t go anywhere and just stay put.’

‘Sigh….’

‘You can hang out with your friends another time, okay? You still have your allowance, right? Make sure Hi-Hyeon eats properly.’

‘Okay….’

‘Good. Mom’s counting on you, Eun-Hyun.’

Beep.

Before he could respond, the call ended with a cold disconnect tone. Staring at the darkened screen, Eun-Hyun tossed his phone onto the sofa.

‘Ugh, this is so annoying.’

If Jeong Hi-Hyeon weren’t here, I’d be able to go out and have fun…

All his frustration turned toward Hi-Hyeon. Already dealing with hormonal mood swings and heightened sensitivity, his resentment toward his little brother only worsened. Every move he made became harsh—slamming objects down and shutting doors with a bang—until Hi-Hyeon began cautiously watching his brother’s mood.

After enduring his older brother’s anger in silence all day, Hi-Hyeon eventually approached him after dinner. He stood by the sofa where Eun-Hyun sat, fidgeting nervously before speaking.

‘Hyung… are you mad?’

‘No? I’m not mad.’

Eun-Hyun’s expression made it obvious he was lying.

‘Then why are you slamming things and closing the doors so loudly?’

‘…Just because.’

Hi-Hyeon’s round, innocent eyes—black as polished Go stones—stared up at him, making Eun-Hyun feel strangely suffocated. It was embarrassing to realize he’d been taking his frustration out on someone five years younger. Standing still in front of him, Hi-Hyeon hesitated, lips trembling as he fiddled with his fingers before blurting out:

‘Hyung, you don’t like me, do you?’

‘…What are you talking about? When did I say I didn’t like you?’

If Mom and Dad heard this, they’d be horrified. Pretending to be calm, Eun-Hyun lied through his teeth.

‘Liar. You do hate me.’

‘I don’t!’

His voice had a hint of irritation now.

‘Hyung, can’t you like me a little?’

I don’t hate him, but do I like him? I don’t know. Unable to answer, Eun-Hyun stayed silent. When no reply came, Hi-Hyeon panicked and added:

‘I’m pitiful, aren’t I? Huh? So like me… please.’

Hi-Hyeon’s eyebrows drooped, and his lips curved downward into a pitiful expression. It was undeniable that his situation—a child orphaned at a young age—evoked sympathy. Yet, hearing someone call themselves pitiful felt slightly off. Still, the sight of his large, dewy eyes framed by long lashes dispelled any unease. It was an annoyingly beautiful face, one that could easily disarm anyone. Whenever his doll-like brother gazed at him with such vulnerability, the walls around Eun-Hyun’s heart always crumbled.

‘Sigh… Hi-Hyeon, I do like you. So stop making that face.’

‘Really? Hyung, you like me?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Will you like me forever?’

Forever? Pausing for a moment, Eun-Hyun decided it didn’t hurt to say whatever would end the conversation.

‘Sure.’

‘I’ll like you forever too, Hyung!’

Forever? Yeah, right. Once he starts middle school, he’ll forget all about me and get a girlfriend. Smirking to himself, Eun-Hyun reached out to ruffle his brother’s soft, silky hair. His head was so round, like a chestnut, that it amused him.

And so, Eun-Hyun, who cared for his brother only when his own feelings aligned, and Hi-Hyeon, who clung to his brother like a precariously stacked tower of wooden blocks, continued their fragile days together.

The peace of their home, already unstable, began to crack when Eun-Hyun entered his full-fledged teenage years.

It wasn’t clear whether their parents doted on Hi-Hyeon out of guilt for his loss or to avoid appearing negligent because he wasn’t their biological child. Perhaps it was because Hi-Hyeon was well-behaved and easy to care for, with barely any demands or troublemaking.

The problem, however, was that all the affection directed at Hi-Hyeon had once been solely Eun-Hyun’s. Every concerned glance or loving touch that went to his younger brother stirred jealousy in Eun-Hyun.

If he had been a little more thoughtful, he might have better understood the plight of a child who lost both parents at the age of seven. But, being a moody teenager himself, Eun-Hyun couldn’t rise above his own feelings.

As Hi-Hyeon grew, his angelic looks remained intact, and his polite demeanor only earned him more admiration from everyone around him. Demonstrating his dominant Alpha traits, he excelled in competitions, bringing home trophies and awards that made him the family’s pride.

One sweltering summer day, Eun-Hyun, still without his allowance for the following week, approached the slightly open door of his parents’ room. From inside, he heard the end of a phone call followed by his mother’s voice.

‘Yes, sister. What’s the occasion?’

……

‘Oh, we’re all doing fine. How about your family?’

……

‘Kimchi? With oysters? That sounds delicious. I’ll come pick it up this weekend.’

……

‘Oh, that? Hi-Hyeon won first place in the essay competition recently. It’s because of that.’

……

‘I know, right? He wins an award every time he enters a competition. It’s amazing, really. I’m so proud of him.’

……

‘Exactly. The other day, he said he wanted to be a scientist… though his dreams seem to change a lot.’

……

‘Eun-Hyun? He’s doing well… staying healthy.’

……

‘Actually, he got into a fight with a classmate recently, and we had to meet with their parents to smooth things over. They hit each other in the heat of the moment. I was worried it might escalate into a school violence case.’

……

‘I don’t know. No matter how much I ask, he won’t tell me why they fought.’

……

‘He doesn’t even realize how much I worry about him. That boy is just so immature.’

His mother’s sigh echoed through the door. Standing there silently, Eun-Hyun turned and went back to his room.

‘Immature…’

I’m seventeen. Isn’t that the age where I’m supposed to be immature? Inwardly, he weakly defended himself.

He hated his mom. He hated Jeong Hi-Hyeon.

Flipping through TV channels aimlessly, Eun-Hyun grumbled. Living alone for years had turned him into a habitual mutterer. Just as he considered watching a movie on a streaming service, his phone buzzed loudly on the table.

Who’s calling at this hour, almost 10 PM?

The screen displayed “Mom.” The late-hour call from his mother was less than welcome, but Eun-Hyun sighed and picked up.

“Yeah, Mom.”

“Hi, Eun-Hyun. Are you home?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you have dinner?”

“Yeah, I did.”

As he answered, his gaze drifted to the half-eaten chicken on the coffee table.

“Why haven’t you been coming home lately? I feel like I’m starting to forget what you look like.”

“Been busy with work, you know.”

“Well, you should visit on the weekends. Your dad misses you too.”

“Uh… weekends have been busy too…”

These days, Eun-Hyun’s nocturnal tendencies had been flipped on their head. He now barely made it past 11 PM before crashing, utterly drained from adapting to the demands of his first-ever job. Even on weekends, he would sleep like a sickly hen, unable to shake his exhaustion.

He thought about explaining how tired he was from work but decided against it. His mother would probably think he was exaggerating.

“Everything okay at home?” he asked.

“Same as always. Oh, by the way, you know Hi-Hyeon is moving up to Seoul soon, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

Just a few days ago, Hi-Hyeon had texted him to share that he’d been accepted to Korea University. In response, Eun-Hyun had sent a congratulatory message and transferred some allowance money.

“You mentioned you moved into a two-bedroom place near your office, right? You said you use the spare room for friends when they visit.”

“Uh… yeah…” A bad feeling began to creep over him.

“Would it be okay for Hi-Hyeon to stay in that room when he moves to Seoul?”

“What? No… I’ve been using that room as a closet.”

Desperate to protect his personal space, Eun-Hyun scrambled for an excuse.

“Come on, how much clothing could you possibly have? You’ve never even been a big shopper.”

“It’s true! I’ve been buying more since I started working.”

“Don’t give me that. I know you, Eun-Hyun. It’s not like you need an entire room for your clothes.”

“I’m not making it up! And wouldn’t it make more sense for Hi-Hyeon to live near Korea University? Our place is pretty far from campus.”

“Not really. I checked the subway map; it’s only a 30-minute ride.”

“…….”