Vol 6 Ch 3

“How is it?”

 

Startled by the voice behind him, Inseop turned around.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

“Uh, …yes. It’s nice.”

 

Inseop mumbled his response.

 

“I’m glad you like it. I’ll leave your luggage here. Take your time unpacking.”

 

The man placed the suitcase next to the bed. Inseop thanked him quietly in English.

 

“We agreed to use Korean, remember?”

 

“Oh, right. I’ll do that… Sorry.”

 

“No need to apologize. Unpack and make yourself comfortable. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The door closed.

 

Inseop slowly looked around. The room was clean and orderly, as if everything had been prepared with this moment in mind.

 

‘Are you really my… younger brother?’

 

In the hospital room, Inseop had asked the man this.

 

‘Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be?’

 

The man had elegantly smiled back. The man who introduced himself as his younger brother had asked Inseop to use Korean rather than English in their conversations, citing his lack of proficiency in English. Inseop couldn’t bring himself to point out how perfect the man’s pronunciation and expressions had been earlier.

 

‘No. No, it’s just that, it’s too….’

 

‘Too?’

 

The man waited for Inseop to continue.

 

…His face was too beautiful. It felt strange to say this about another man, but there was no other way to describe it.

 

Aaron and his twin brother were tall and handsome, popular even. But the man before him was on another level.

 

‘Too what?’

 

A gentle smile crossed the man’s eyes as he asked.

 

…Too handsome. Ridiculously, excessively handsome. Not just his face, but his entire physique was imposing. Broad shoulders and long legs. He was like a perfectly sculpted bronze statue made by a master artist. He could easily be mistaken for a model or an actor.

 

‘We don’t… look alike.’

 

‘Don’t we? The moment I saw you, I thought we looked quite similar. Don’t you think we look a lot alike?”

 

As he spoke, the two middle-aged men in the hospital room nodded with slightly perplexed expressions.

 

Inseop lowered his gaze.

 

His eyes were large to the point of being unsettling, his nose round at the tip, and his skin freckled and pale. Inseop wanted to ask which part of his face was supposed to resemble the man’s.

 

‘It must be because I take after our mother’s side.’

 

At that moment, Inseop looked up. He was curious about their birth mother. The man’s smile faded when their eyes met. He sighed softly before speaking.

 

‘We can figure out which parts we resemble later. For now, get some rest. They say you need to take it easy.’

 

Though the man’s voice was gentle, it carried an undeniable force. Inseop nodded silently.

 

He spent a week in the hospital. During that time, he underwent various tests and was monitored, but nothing changed. Throughout that week, the man slept on a small cot in the hospital room. No matter how many times Inseop told him to go home since he wasn’t bedridden, the man paid no heed.

 

‘What’s wrong with wanting to look after my older brother?’

 

‘In times like this, it’s only right for a blood-related sibling to take care of you. Don’t worry about it.’

 

‘What if you get sick while you’re alone? Isn’t that what family is for? This is when you need to put your younger brother to good use.’

 

Every time the man referred to himself as his younger brother, Inseop felt a strange sensation. No matter how many times he saw him, he couldn’t see him as his brother. Was he lying? But the man didn’t seem to have any hidden agenda.

 

‘Did you sleep well? Is there anywhere that hurts?’

 

Every morning, the man would ask him this, and the sincerity in his eyes was something that couldn’t be faked.

 

Inseop unpacked his belongings and took a shower. As he stepped out of the bathroom, drying his wet hair with a towel, he stood in front of the mirror.

 

“…….”

 

He stared blankly at his reflection. His memory was stuck at seventeen, yet it was hard to believe nearly ten years had passed since then. He had thought that by the time he became an adult, he would be much taller and look more mature.

 

“…Nothing’s changed.”

 

Inseop looked at himself in the mirror. He didn’t look much different from his memory. The only difference was that his hair had grown a bit and his cheeks had thinned slightly.

 

“Did I stop growing?”

 

Inseop roughly measured his height with his hand.

 

He hadn’t told anyone, but he felt a bit anxious seeing his younger brothers surpass him in height long ago. He tried drinking milk and going to bed early, but it seemed to have had no effect. He sighed deeply and was about to look for more differences in the mirror when—

 

“Dinner’s ready. Come out and….”

 

The man, who had opened the door and entered, suddenly fell silent. Inseop turned around, startled. The man’s gaze, seemingly angry for some reason, made him feel suffocated. Then, he realized he had come out wearing only briefs and a T-shirt.

 

“Oh, I’ll be out soon. I’ll just get dressed… Just a moment.”

 

Inseop hurriedly rummaged through his bag for pants. The man’s eyes followed his bare legs under the T-shirt intently. It was strange. Why was he looking at him like that?

 

“…Take your time and come out.”

 

Fortunately, the man closed the door and left. Inseop finally breathed deeply and changed his clothes.

 

When he came out, the table was neatly set with food.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Inseop pulled out a chair and sat down, expressing his gratitude.

 

“Eat a lot.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Fortunately, there was no spicy or greasy food. As Inseop ate the grilled tofu in front of him, he carefully observed the man. The man, dressed in a white T-shirt and training pants, had no resemblance to him at all.

 

Is he really my brother?

 

“Why? Does it not suit your taste?”

 

“Oh, no. It does. It’s delicious.”

 

Inseop quickly shook his head and stuffed another piece of tofu into his mouth. The man chuckled softly at the sight.

 

“With such a small mouth, why do you eat so much….”

 

He reached out and wiped the tofu off Inseop’s lips. Inseop flinched and leaned back. After a moment’s hesitation, the man reached out again.

 

“Eat slowly. No one’s going to take it from you.”

 

His large hand brushed against Inseop’s lips, causing an inexplicable warmth to rise. Inseop nodded and lowered his head, answering with a soft “Yes.”

 

The meal continued in silence. As Inseop chewed on his salad, he glanced at the man. His table manners were impeccable. He used chopsticks correctly, never made noise with his utensils, and didn’t spill food.

 

…He must have grown up in a loving home.

 

When their eyes met, the man smiled brightly.

 

“What are you so curious about?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“You’ve been sneaking glances at me since earlier. If you have something to say, just say it.”

 

“Uh….”

 

Inseop stopped chewing his salad. Their eyes locked. The man never looked away. He raised an eyebrow slightly, indicating he was waiting for an explanation.

 

“It’s just, you seem to know a lot about me. Like my habits….”

 

The man nodded, saying, “I know them.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Inseop wondered if his actions were that transparent.

 

“So, what are you curious about?”

 

The man repeated his question.

 

“…How you’ve been….”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“How you’ve been all this time, what kind of parents you grew up with, …even if I don’t know exactly, I’m glad you seem to be doing well. I mean, I hope you’ve been well…. I would feel bad if only I was doing well….”

 

Inseop stammered through his words.

 

“…I’m glad.”

 

He wanted to know how much time the man had spent with their birth parents and what kind of life he had lived since. He hoped his time had not been hard.

 

“…….”

 

The man looked at Inseop quietly. His piercing gaze was solely focused on Inseop.

 

Is he angry?

 

Inseop felt uneasy, wondering if he had overstepped.

 

“I’m sorry. I was just worried….”

 

“Even in this situation, you’re worried about me….”

 

The man trailed off, looking as if he had swallowed something bitter, suppressing the next words with a pained expression.

 

“…You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been fine.”

 

The man muttered, “Finish your meal,” and continued eating. The rest of the meal passed in silence.