My brother is an Idol

Chapter 93

“Hyoyoung! Hyoyoung!”

It was her mother. And even her father, who was on a business trip abroad, was right behind her.

Her mother was always smiling and confident, but today, she looked awful. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and her outfit looked ridiculous, indicating she wasn’t thinking clearly when she picked out her clothes. Her voice was hoarse as she kept calling for Hyoyoung.

Her father also looked like he was lost as he looked around frantically for Hyoyoung.

“Mom?”

When her mom saw Hyoyoung, she burst into tears again as she hugged her daughter.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault.”

Her mom hugged her tightly and patted Hyoyoung’s back as if she was still a baby. Hyoyoung replied in embarrassment, “Mom, I’m not a baby anymore… Have you seen a baby this big?”

Hyoyoung tried her best not to cry and consoled her mother, “Mom, I’m perfectly fine. Like I said to Oppa, I already knew everything.”

“What? How? Since when?”

“Just… I just started to remember my past. At first, I thought I might be confused, but my memories slowly came back. I have known for a while now.”

“Hyoyoung… you should’ve told me.”

“What would be the point? I mean, I am your daughter no matter what, right? To me, you are my only mother… I only have one mom in this world. I know it and you know it, so what is the point? Nothing will change this fact.”

“My baby… my beautiful baby…. I am so lucky to have a daughter like you, my baby…”

“See? I’m your baby. I am just like you. Everyone knows I resemble you because I am your baby. I am cool, impatient, and love meat, just like you.”

“That’s right. Exactly. My Hyoyoung is my baby. My soulmate.”

“That is why I didn’t think it was necessary to tell you that I know. And…”

“And?”

“I hoped that you and dad wouldn’t find out that I know. I didn’t want you guys to find out like this. I knew it would upset you.”

“What a kind soul you are, Hyoyoung. You are a treasure. Such a smart, amazing girl… I can’t believe how grown-up you are. So much more mature than even your mom. It feels like just yesterday when you were wearing a pink dress and playing princess with your bunny doll…”

“Mom, come on. Don’t cry, I’m really fine.”

“Ok. I won’t cry anymore. You are acting so brave, I should do the same for you. I will.”

Hyoyoung turned towards her father and hugged him as she whispered, “Dad, you too. Don’t be so sad.” She buried her face into his jacket and whispered, “Long time no see, dad. I missed you. The best thing about this whole mess is that it made you come home. Haha, I missed you so much.”

She acted like a five-year-old girl and watching her, Hyojun wiped his eyes. Jiwoo, who was the most sensitive of the members, was already bawling his eyes out while even Hyunsuk, who was known for his coldness, couldn’t help his eyes turning red.

“My daughter. You know I love you so much, right? Daddy loves you the most.”

“Of course, I know. I know you are my biggest fan, Dad.”

“Hyoyoung, you are the most important person in my life. My treasure. If you weren’t here with all of us, I would die. You know that, right?”

“I do. That’s why you always get in trouble. Mom thinks you spoil me too much and Hyojun Oppa gets jealous of me because you favor me, Dad!”

“I know, and I don’t care. You are my princess, Hyoyoung.”

“But don’t be too obvious about it. You are going to make even mom jealous.”

“My princess… I am so sorry you had to go through this…”

“I’m really fine, so everyone, stop feeling sorry for me! You know what? It has been so long since the whole family was gathered together like this. Why don’t we cook some steak!”

“Absolutely. For you, I will buy you a whole cow! Maybe even a whole farm!”

“Dad! Don’t even joke about that, because you know I would ask you for it if you offered!”

“Ask me! I will do it! If my daughter wants it, I totally will!”

Hyojun chimed in, “Wow, Dad… This is not fair. You never offered me to give me anything!”

“Hyojun, you are a boy, and older too! In my days, you would’ve been married by now with a kid…”

“Fine, fine. By the way…”

“Yes?”

Hyojun’s eyes reddened as he lowered his face in shame. He whispered, “I’m sorry.”

He had never seen his parents looking this distressed, so it pained to see them this way. It was all his fault. He should’ve taken care of Hyoyoung while his parents were busy, but instead, he ended up causing a lot of trouble.

All he could do was apologize. His fingers twitched nervously, and his dad quietly walked towards him and hugged Hyojun.

“Son, it’s ok.”

“…”

“This isn’t anyone’s fault. Certainly not yours.”

“Dad…”

“Your mom and I know better than anyone that you love Hyoyoung as a good older brother. I know what good siblings you two are, and it makes us so happy to see you care for each other. You make life for mom and me very easy. You just have to get along well with your sister and become a responsible and productive adult. And you and Hyoyoung are certainly doing that. You have no idea how appreciative your mom and I are. So Hyojun, don’t be sorry.”

Hyojun’s mom added, “That’s right, Hyojun. Dad is right. I am so thankful to you for being a good brother and a son. If I didn’t trust you, I would’ve never left Hyoyoung at home and go to work. I only chose to continue with my business because I know you would be able to take good care of Hyoyoung. And you have done an excellent job, so don’t feel bad about anything, ok?”

Hyojun nodded quietly.

Then suddenly, his dad said seriously, “But Hyojun… this incident… Whoever did this… I can’t forgive him. I will not let him go unpunished.”

Hyojun turned to Hyunsuk and Jiwoo, who nodded in agreement. Hyojun replied, “I agree, Dad.”

“Who did this?”

“I think you know him. President Jaehoon Shim. It’s him… I heard you paid him back our deposit when we left his agency. I just learned it recently. I’m sorry you had to do that.”

“No need to apologize. Are you sure it’s that man?”

“Yes. Our agency’s CEO called the reporter who wrote the article this morning. When President Kim threatened to sue him, the reporter told him that the story was told by Jaehoon Shim, so if anyone is going to be sued, it should be President Shim.”

“And how did that man, Jaehoon Shim, find out about us?”

“I am not completely certain… I have an idea though, but I can’t tell you about it right now.”

“Hmm… alright. I will contact some of my friends to find out what I can do about this situation. Until this situation gets resolved, I will be staying in Korea. And Hyoyoung…”

“Yes, Dad?”

“Could you perhaps stay home from school for a few days more?”

“Dad, I already talked about this with oppa, and…”

“Well, just until we get this situation under control. Maybe just a week, or even just for three days? I want you to be where no reporters can reach you. This is mostly for you and your friends’ safety.”

“Oh, safety.”

“If the reporters see you, they might come after you and insist on an interview. They might even barge into your classroom, which won’t be fair for your friends, right? I mean, they need to focus on their studies. For their SAT.”

“Oh, I never even thought about that…”

“So you should go to grandma’s with your oppa for a few days. If you pack right now and leave, you should be able to arrive there tonight. Stay there and enjoy the scenery for a while. You can come back in a few days, and meanwhile, your mom and I will talk to President Kim and the media and get this sorted out. We might have to involve the police as well. We will try our best.”

“I should go with oppa?”

“Of course. We can’t send you alone. Hyojun, you can do this, right/”

“Of course, but will you and mom be okay without me?”

Jiwoo and Hyunsuk volunteered, “We will help you.”

“Yeah, we totally will!”

Hyojun’s dad thanked the two boys. Hyojun and Hyoyoung went to their rooms to pack, and Hyunsuk brought out his laptop for Hyoyoung’s dad.

“I can tell you the details now if you want, sir.”

“That would be great, Hyunsuk. Please start from the very beginning. Oh, and by the way, Hyoyoung’s mom and I will be staying at a nearby hotel, so you and Jiwoo can stay here comfortably. We will be working a lot and we already have our luggage packed, so that would be the best.”

“Are you sure? We are so sorry to put you out like this…”

“No worries. You boys will be comfortable here, and we don’t mind the hotel. Besides, if we stay in this house, we may have to deal with the reporters… Oh, will you boys be okay if the reporters come here? Would it be better if you and Jiwoo also go with Hyoyoung and Hyojun?”

“No, we should be fine here. People still don’t know our faces, so we will be ok. Besides, we won’t be leaving this house often anyway. I really think we could be of help to you in solving this problem.”

“Alright then, that’s settled. Now, what’s next?”

“Well, please have a seat.”

After Hyoyoung’s parents sat down at the table, Hyunsuk opened his laptop.