Chapter 1
- My Brother Has Regressed
Seo Jaeha and Seo Jaeyoon, born three years apart, were ordinary brothers like any other. The only difference was that they were from a remarried family, but that wasn’t anything special in today’s world.
After living together under the same roof for years, they became a normal family to anyone looking. They were typical brothers who exchanged insults instead of occasional greetings and believed that no news was good news.
“That little shit, did he go somewhere and die?”
Jaeha was contemplating whether to send a message asking “Are you dead?” to Jaeyoon, who had been staying out for five days without any contact, but put down his phone thinking it would be pointless. It was better to leave his brother alone, who might be going through late puberty.
Ding-dong.
Ding-dong.
Hearing the sudden doorbell, Jaeha quickly checked the time.
“What crazy bastard is this at dawn?”
The doorbell ringing at one-minute intervals was hard to ignore.
When Jaeha tossed aside his game and went out, he just wanted to see which neighbor’s crazy person it was.
The crazy person reflected in the small screen was Seo Jaeyoon. His own brother. Moreover, he was completely soaked, making Jaeha not want to open the door at all.
“You bastard, how much alcohol did you drink to forget the passcode and keep pressing the doorbell?”
“…Hyung.”
During his ambiguous five-day absence—whether it was running away or simply staying out—Jaeyoon hadn’t contacted him once. For some reason, Jaeyoon’s voice, which Jaeha had expected to be shameless, was extremely low and cracking.
At his brother’s voice, which was beyond serious and even mixed with tears, Jaeha’s heart sank to the floor.
Hearing the word “Hyung” after a long time, Jaeha wondered if Jaeyoon had been drinking heavily, so he sniffed for alcohol but instead smelled iron rather than alcohol.
Seeing Jaeyoon completely soaked, instead of laughing and teasing him, Jaeha examined him from all angles. Throughout his inspection, Jaeyoon maintained a gloomy atmosphere while staring blankly at Jaeha.
Finding his behavior unusual, Jaeha asked gruffly, “Hey, did you get into trouble?”
“The accident… happened to you, Hyung.”
Confused by this unexpected statement, one possibility occurred to Jaeha.
“What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you fell for a voice phishing scam?”
“I’m sorry, Hyung.”
“How much did you lose to fraud that you’re actually apologizing?”
“Hyung, I’ll compensate you for everything. I’ll make it up to you…”
Why was he apologizing when it was his own problem if he’d been scammed?
Puzzled, Jaeha frantically checked his phone.
“Hey, you crazy bastard. Did you touch my bank account too? How did you know my password?”
Urgently checking his bank account balance through the banking app, the number of his meager savings remained unchanged. As Jaeha sighed in relief at the safety of his small, precious amount, Jaeyoon’s soaked body embraced him.
‘This guy couldn’t be acting like this unless he drank crates of alcohol.’
It was their first hug in six months since the day they had fought fiercely over a chicken leg and were forced to shake hands due to their parents’ intervention.
The situation was awkward, and Jaeyoon smelled strongly of water and iron. Embarrassed, Jaeha wanted to push Jaeyoon away, but due to the serious atmosphere, he only fidgeted with his fingertips.
Suddenly, Jaeha noticed Jaeyoon’s shoes still standing at the threshold without crossing it.
The worn-out shoes looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, he realized they were the rather expensive shoes that Jaeyoon had complained about and hadn’t worn since his job interview. It was a gift Jaeha had impulsively bought while drunk, trying to be a good brother to his sibling who had joined the workforce without going to college. The shoes had since collected dust in the shoe rack, making Jaeha regret the purchase.
Those new shoes now appeared worn as if they had been used for years, which puzzled Jaeha.
“Hey, did you play soccer in those dress shoes?”
“Hic…”
“…Are you crying right now?”
“Hyung, I’m really glad… you’re healthy… sob…”
“You’re crazy.”
Jaeha barely swallowed the curse that was about to escape his lips.
He wanted to ask why Jaeyoon was worried about his health and thoroughly inquire about their parents, but that would be like spitting in his own face, so Jaeha held back for now.
“Hey, that’s enough, go take a shower first. If you catch a cold and pass it to me, you’re dead.”
“Okay. Hyung gets sick easily. I shouldn’t make you sick.”
As the drenched Jaeyoon sniffled and tried to enter, Jaeha extended his hand to stop him.
“Where do you think you’re going with water dripping all over? Take your clothes off and put them in the basket.”
Jaeha couldn’t run the washing machine at this late hour and didn’t want to clean the floor. Any other time, he would have told Jaeyoon to clean up his own water, but given Jaeyoon’s unusual state, he was making a reasonable compromise.
Rrrip.
Taking off wet clothes wasn’t an easy task. But was it necessary to tear them apart like transforming into the Hulk?
“What are you showing off your strength for… huh?”
The nagging that naturally escaped Jaeha’s lips stopped at the sight of a long scar along Jaeyoon’s side. Jaeha’s subsequent approach to examine the wound happened unconsciously.
“When did you get hurt? You didn’t have this scar until last week.”
After seeing Jaeyoon’s wound, Jaeha was most concerned about how to tell their mother about it.
“Ah. I guess some marks remained.”
Jaeha was surprised by Jaeyoon’s nonchalant response.
The long scar on Jaeyoon’s side looked as though it had been there for quite some time, already in the healing and fading stage. Following the mark, Jaeha noticed unfamiliar abs that were as striking as the scar.
The definition was too clear to be the result of his brother’s three-day exercise spurts, almost grotesquely so.
This couldn’t be my brother.
Since everything about Jaeyoon seemed strange today, Jaeha shook his head and took a step back. At the same time, Jaeyoon followed, grabbing his arms and bringing his face close, startling Jaeha enough to hold his breath unknowingly.
“Don’t do that, Hyung.”
Jaeyoon’s eyes, blazing with intensity beyond seriousness, looked deeply hurt.
“Do… do what?”
“Don’t avoid me.”
“What are you talking about, you crazy bastard.”
As Jaeha, whose dignity as the older brother was threatened with both arms restrained, swung his arms, they were released much more easily than expected given how tightly they had been held.
The number of rice bowls eaten can’t be ignored after all.
As Jaeha raised his chin triumphantly, Jaeyoon’s demeanor remained disconcerting.
“Hyung…”
Could anyone look like they had lost everything in the world?
Thick tears poured down Jaeyoon’s pale, ashen face.
Perhaps the domestic liquor industry had invented alcohol without any smell. Otherwise, was he dreaming after passing out while gaming all night?
“Haa, I should stop pulling all-nighters.”
It was clearly a punishment for chasing double experience points. Perhaps he was actually asleep.
As Jaeha shook his head, trying to deny reality, Jaeyoon knelt down and clung to him.
“Hyung, I did wrong. Please don’t avoid me.”
“I’m begging you, please shower.”
“Stay here. Don’t go.”
“Where would I go? This is my house! Get off me, man!”
After Jaeha spent a long time arguing and persuading that this was his house and he wasn’t going anywhere, Jaeyoon reluctantly entered the bathroom. Even then, he left the bathroom door wide open. Jaeha disliked the house getting humid, but it was easier for him to rationalize that his brother was acting drunk without having consumed alcohol.
“Should I just throw this clothes away…”
As Jaeha was putting Jaeyoon’s half-torn clothes into a garbage bag, he approached the still-open front door. Before closing it, he was puzzled to see a starry sky.
“What’s this? Not a single drop of rain must have fallen.”
With the sky so clear, he couldn’t understand why his brother had come home completely soaked.
Before closing the door, he also failed to notice that there wasn’t a single water mark in the hallway where Jaeyoon must have walked.
* * *
“Hyung, you broke your promise.”
“Wow, this is driving me crazy. Stop clinging to me, it’s creepy.”
“Are you trying to leave me behind again?”
Jaeha had just made a quick trip to the convenience store since they had eaten the last pack of ramen. When he returned home, he found Jaeyoon standing in the middle of the living room, emanating an ominous aura. As soon as their eyes met, Jaeyoon transformed into a gentle lamb, as if he had never exuded any menace, and then immediately turned into a faucet.
“Hyung, if you’re going somewhere, take me with you.”
“Sure. Next time I’ll definitely send you on ramen errands.”
“This isn’t a joke. I’m worried about you.”
“Please go see a doctor. Unless you hit your head somewhere in the past few days…”
When Jaeha kicked at the clingy Jaeyoon, pushing him away with his foot, Jaeyoon was easily pushed aside despite his hard muscle mass. Then, with a face anxious and sad like a lost child, he stared blankly at Jaeha.
“No hugging. No grabbing either.”
“Hyung…”
Even though Jaeha typically viewed his brother as an enemy, he couldn’t completely push him away when he made such a face.
“Instead, I’ll sit next to you, so stay still.”
Even with Jaeha’s compromise, the tears welling in Jaeyoon’s eyes fell. He had sat next to him specifically to avoid seeing this, but it was too late.
Since yesterday, Seo Jaeyoon would cry at the slightest provocation.
It was too much to handle. They were barely half-brothers, but they had lived sufficiently like family. Their relationship was such that when Jaeyoon cried, Jaeha would tease him, poke his side, and run away. Isn’t that how brothers are?
Over the years, they had become unmistakably brotherly, like family, or even like enemies.
But this brother who was crying so bitterly while barely holding onto the edge of his shirt was unfamiliar to Jaeha, yet triggered a primal emotion.
Who made my brother cry?
Only I can hit him.
It was also brotherly to grab a baseball bat and rush out when seeing your brother come home beaten up.
Of course, that was also the spirit of student days.
For now, he attempted conversation to stop his brother’s tears.
Yesterday, thinking Jaeyoon was drunk, he had put him to bed, but he didn’t want to experience again having his brother crawl into his bed and repeat “I’m glad you’re safe, Hyung” until his ears rotted.
“Hey, Seo Jaeyoon. Seriously, explain properly. What happened during these few days that’s making you act so strange?”
“It’s not just a few days. And you… won’t believe me. You’ll think I’m strange.”
“You are already strange. You are a weird guy. So just tell me.”
Jaeha was determined to listen to whatever he had to say in order to resolve this uncomfortable situation.
* * *
His brother says he has regressed.
“Are you on drugs?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
