HYUNG 32

My phone, with only 13% battery remaining, was filled with text messages and missed calls from Ham Dowon. Was there an emergency? Feeling a bit serious, I checked the message window.

Hyung, did you make it home okay? 09:13

Hyung, are you busy meeting your family? 10:11

Hyung, can I call you? 11:02

Hyung, are you very busy? You aren’t answering. I’ll contact you later then. 11:04

Hyung, please tell your mother happy birthday for me. And also tell your younger sibling that I hope they enjoy the bread. 2:32

Hyung, this kid is Nicola. Cute, right? We’re having a birthday party for Nicola right now. Come to think of it, Nicola and your mother have the same birthday. (Image) 2:44

(Image) 2:44

I’ll show you our Saja, too. Cute, right? (Image) 2:46

Hyung, can’t you please look at my texts? 16:07

Hyung, I’m a bit upset, but I’ll endure it since you’re meeting your family. 20:06

Hyung, sleep well and have a good night. 22:54

Hyung, did you sleep well? Have a good morning. 10:19

5 Missed Calls

“…What in the world.”

It was just full of trivial daily life details. Why did he send so many texts? Was he bored?

“Hyung, hyung, hyung… someone would think he was a ghost who died unable to call out to his hyung. Who is it?”

“A junior from school.”

“Doesn’t he like you, oppa?”

“What are you talking about?”

Ye Hwanyoung, who had peeked at my phone screen without permission, narrowed her eyes at me.

“It’s just because he’s someone who gets very lonely.”

It’s a relief there’s no emergency. I should call him once I feel a bit more clear-headed.

“The cat is super cute. They had a birthday party? 2 years old? Amazing.”

Ye Hwanyoung snatched my phone away entirely and stared into the photos as if she were about to go inside the screen. She really loves cats. The photo Ham Dowon sent was of a cat wearing a small party hat. It was a cat with black fur around its eyes and white fur on its mouth, wearing a grumpy expression. A cute cake with a paper topper cut into the shape of the words “Nicola’s 2nd Birthday!” was also there, but the cat seemed to be glaring at someone beyond the camera as if it had no interest in it.

While Ye Hwanyoung was preoccupied with the cat, I stared blankly at the TV. However, because a boy and a girl were kissing too deeply, I grimaced and turned off the TV.

“Oppa, you’re getting a call.”

Ye Hwanyoung handed the phone to me. While I took the phone and brought it to my ear, I pretended not to notice Ye Hwanyoung turning the TV back on and hiding the remote.

“Hello.”

— Hyung, are you not curious about me and only curious about the cat? Huh? I was worried something might have happened, but now you’re only curious about Nicola? He’s probably sleeping by now! He wouldn’t even know you exist! If he has a catnip candy, he wouldn’t even recognize his parents or siblings and would happily follow a stranger!

“What?”

Ham Dowon poured out words in a rapid-fire, angry voice. Wondering what was going on, I checked the screen and saw the message window.

Dowon-ah^^ The cat is cute^^ Please send more pictures of Nicola^^

“…”

I glared at Ye Hwanyoung. That brat avoided my eyes.

“I didn’t send that text; my sibling sent it… because she likes cats.”

What was up with that tacky smiling emoticon? Did she just imitate my way of speaking like that?

— …Then I’ll send more photos. I’ll ask my auntie and send a ton!

“There’s no need to go that far.”

— But, because your sibling said she wanted to see them… Do you and your sibling look a lot alike? If so, she must be really cute.

“We don’t look alike at all. This girl… is like a beast.”

Ye Hwanyoung, who luckily realized I was insulting her, glared at me.

“But why are you sending texts instead of KakaoTalk? You can send them via Talk. Texts are a bit cumbersome.”

— Yes. I’ll do that from now on. It was a bit inconvenient because I couldn’t check the read receipt, maybe because our phone brands are different.

Beep, beep. The phone signaled that the battery was low.

“My phone is out of battery. I’ll contact you later, so I’m hanging up.”

I was just about to hang up when I gripped the phone again at Ham Dowon’s urgent voice. The phone battery was now at 9%. I wonder if it will be forced to shut down at this rate.

— Hyung, hyung! I can call you again, right? I mean, without necessarily having to contact you in advance, I can just call you suddenly, right? We’re at the point where we can do that now, right?

“Well… I suppose so.”

Normally, you call when you have business. It’s cumbersome to specifically send a text or a Talk before calling. It’s not like we’re in a difficult relationship through work; isn’t that something everyone can do?

— Yes. Then next time, suddenly! I’ll call you!

“Yeah. Okay.”

I hung up the phone after hearing Ham Dowon’s voice, which sounded excited for some reason. And just as I was about to check the Talk messages from Ham Dowon that were coming in a sequence of (Photo)(Photo)(Photo)(Photo), the phone turned off.

After connecting it to the charger Ye Hwanyoung uses and checking later, Ham Dowon’s Talk messages were almost all photos of the cat.

Ham Dowon: I’m sending these because your sibling said she likes cats! Please tell your sibling I said hi! I want to make a good impression! Because it’s your sibling! 1:13

Why does this guy want to make a good impression even on my sibling? If he wants to be friends, he only needs to make a good impression on me. Since the cats were cute, for now, I showed the photos to Ye Hwanyoung. When Ye Hwanyoung saw Nicola, she shouted that tuxedo cats are the best in the world, and when she saw Saja, she even screamed that cheese cats are the best. She was a girl who had a foul temper and absolutely no consistent opinions.

‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹

As soon as I entered the classroom, I saw Ham Dowon sitting in the same spot as last time. I arrived early, but he got here really early. He was sitting with his chin propped on his hand, staring blankly out the window. He looked bored.

Ham Dowon had sent Talk messages all through the weekend and even yesterday, Monday. The content wasn’t much. It was just talk about daily life.

Ham Dowon: Hyung, what are you doing? I’m playing with Saja. (Photo)

I’m eating. With my sibling.

Ham Dowon: What are you eating?

Grilled mackerel. It’s hard to eat fish in a studio apartment. (Photo)

Ham Dowon: That looks delicious. I like mackerel too. I know a place in Seoul that does grilled fish well; let’s go together later.

Okay.

We had conversations like this via Talk during meals, or

Ham Dowon: Hyung, our Saja is yawning (Photo)(Photo)(Photo)(Photo)

Right. He’s cute. How old is he?

Ham Dowon: 12 years old. Mom brought him home when he was wandering around injured near the academy. (Photo)(Photo)(Photo)(Photo)

We also talked about Ham Dowon’s cat, Saja, or

Ham Dowon: Hyung, did you see this movie too? (Photo)

I saw it. The cinematography was incredible, but the story was just so-so. Do you know the cinematographer for that movie is Korean? He’s the one who filmed “Blue of Autumn.”

Ham Dowon: I didn’t know that. You know things like that; you’re so cool, hyung.

He would suddenly take a picture of a TV screen showing an American movie and send it, so we talked about movies too, and

Ham Dowon: Hyung, the professor’s voice is so sleepy. I’m sitting in the front, but it’s so quiet I can barely hear. I’m thinking of asking him to use a mic.

Who is it?

Ham Dowon: Professor Seo Mingi.

The name sounds familiar for some reason… What class is it?

Ham Dowon: Literature and Art.

Ah, that’s a required general ed. I took that too. That professor gives good grades, though. The exams aren’t hard either.

Ham Dowon: Really? That’s a relief.

We talked about things related to classes as well.

Yawn. Ham Dowon, who let out a listless yawn, lowered his head and operated his phone. A moment later, buzz, my phone vibrated lightly, and at that sound, Ham Dowon snapped his head up and his expression changed instantly.

“Hyung! Hwanoh hyung!”

He smiled brightly exactly like a puppy discovering its owner, and even waved his arms while bouncing his body up and down. Was it really something to be that happy about?

“Hyung, did you have a good morning? I’m so happy because I see you, hyung!”

“Yeah. Hi. Good morning.”

On the preview popup on my phone screen, I saw the Talk message Ham Dowon had sent.

Ham Dowon: Hyung, are you on your way? I miss you, hyung.

“Hyung, it’s been a while. I missed you so much.”

“Right.”

It was only one day over the weekend and the day with no classes that we hadn’t seen each other. Even if they go to the same school, everyone doesn’t see each other as often as Ham Dowon and I do. This guy is really good at saying cheesy things.