HWAMB — Chapter 38

It felt like the temperature swings were getting harsher these days.

“They say summer colds are the worst, so you’d better be careful.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. Every summer you catch one at least once. But in winter, you’re fine…”

At my stare, Hyun-woo chuckled, pressed my head down firmly, and replied,

“You watch yourself. Don’t go around sniffling in midsummer.”

“I’ve never had a summer cold in my life.”

I teased him with childish pride, grinning as if the small fact that I’d never caught a summer cold was something to brag about.

Hyun-woo gave me a baffled look, then let out a dry laugh.

Instead of admiring me, he just said I was simple.

The night market we walked into was bustling with people.

Lanterns hanging from every stall canopy lit up the dark streets in warm, reddish-gold light, like flowers blooming across the universe.

Seeing me so thrilled, maybe worried I’d wander off, Hyun-woo held my hand tightly.

The air between us slowly grew heavier.

The natural flow of the atmosphere felt like it had suddenly shifted.

I’d felt a chill earlier, but now it was strangely warm, like I was running a fever.

I grew restless, wondering if my palm would start sweating. Would I embarrassingly let go if that happened? I kept quiet, trying hard not to show it.

Still unfamiliar with this awkward mood, I spoke first.

“Do you… do you want cotton candy? Or a waffle?”

My nervous fingers pointed first at the waffle, then the cotton candy, back and forth.

Hyun-woo answered like it was obvious.

“Whichever you want to eat…”

“No, no. Not today. Today, you have to choose.”

“…Do I really have to?”

“Yeah. No excuses.”

“Mm…”

With a serious look, Hyun-woo agonized between cotton candy and waffles.

He was always assertive with other people, but when it came to me, he gave in every time. For once, I wanted to take care of him instead.

A one-sided relationship would only wear us out and never last.

After thinking for a long while, Hyun-woo chose a waffle—but he also bought me cotton candy.

Before I knew it, both my hands were full: a plastic tub of fluffy cotton candy in one hand, and a warm, freshly made waffle in the other.

Hyun-woo took a bite of the waffle covered in maple syrup and asked,

“You can finish it all, right?”

“You sure ask quickly. Of course I can.”

Sure, I could eat it all—but holding both meant I had to let go of his hand, you idiot…

The effort I’d put into lightening the mood went up in smoke.

Looking at my slightly sulky expression, Hyun-woo slipped his arm around mine on the side holding the cotton candy.

Startled, I glanced up, only to find him smiling mischievously.

I quickly turned away, staring at the ground as we walked.

“Is it good?”

“…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Whether it was nerves or just fluster, I was stuffing cotton candy into my mouth with the little fork, not even tasting it.

Then Hyun-woo, walking right beside me, pointed at his lips and opened his mouth. I scooped up a big tuft of cotton candy and shoved it in.

As the stray pieces almost spilled, Hyun-woo quickly caught them with his mouth and savored the taste, lips moving as he chewed.

It had been a long time since either of us had eaten cotton candy.

“How is it?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. It’s not bad, but it’s not like I remembered. I think it tasted better back then.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I think the old days were better.”

I tilted my head at his answer to my same question.

Well, the last time we had it was back in elementary school, so of course our tastes had changed.

Strangely, the snacks I’d loved as a kid never tasted as good when I ate them again later.

As we walked along the dazzlingly lit street, stalls shifted from food vendors to little mini-game booths.

My eyes sparkled as I craned my neck, peeking at them. Hyun-woo stopped walking.

After scanning all the tents, I confidently pulled out some cash.

“A night market’s all about games. Watch, Hyun-woo. I’m bringing back the biggest prize.”

“Go get ’em, babe.”

Hyun-woo whispered, as if genuinely cheering me on. Maybe the encouragement was real, but that “babe” was definitely 100% teasing.

There was no way Hyun-woo would use such a cheeky word otherwise. Still, since it sounded nice, I let it slide.

Inside, darts were lined up on a wooden stand, and in front of it, dozens of balloons were neatly arranged in rows.

Rolling up my sleeves, I grabbed a dart and hurled it with all my strength.

* * *

“Wooow…”

“See that? I told you! That guy’s amazing.”

Hearing the whispers a little late, I paused mid-throw with the baseball and turned my head. Not far away, a group of small kids were huddled together, whispering excitedly.

They’d been quietly following me around for a while now.

‘No way… are they talking about me?’

Since it had been a long time since I last played these games, I couldn’t hold back my excitement and got carried away.

Going from one booth to another, I ended up with an armful of prizes.

The kids’ eyes sparkled like curious lion cubs, clearly eyeing the pile.

Hyun-woo, who had been watching me with amusement, had stepped away to answer an urgent call.

At first he seemed like he could ignore it once or twice, but after checking the messages, his expression darkened noticeably.

The furrow of his brow made him look tense and irritable.

In the end, Hyun-woo apologized, saying he needed to take a call but would be right back, and told me to enjoy myself around here in the meantime.

‘It’s not something bad, is it…? Or maybe… did things blow up again with them?’

Hyun-woo’s immediate family was warm and ideal, but his relatives were another matter.

Whenever he came back from unavoidable family gatherings like holidays, he always looked worn out and exhausted.

Maybe it was because his family had wealth passed down for generations.

With all that, there was no shortage of reasons to fight—property, inheritance, and so on.

When I was little, before my father’s business failed, I had also lived comfortably enough not to envy anyone.

But unlike Hyun-woo’s family, my father hadn’t inherited wealth. He had built his fortune from scratch. Because of that, there was never a big fuss between paternal or maternal relatives in my family.

Instead, people gathered around us trying to take advantage or get something out of us.

I had seen many people put on pretenses just to win my father’s favor. But the moment his business collapsed, they all quickly distanced themselves.

Even relatives who had received help turned away and cut contact.

The only adults who stood by us unchanged and even helped at that time were Hyun-woo’s uncles.

And after that accident—the moment my parents passed away—relatives suddenly showed up again with smiles, standing before my brother and me.

By then, the failed business had been revived and the debts repaid, but the real reason was the remaining inheritance and life insurance payout.

‘If it was that bad for us, how much worse must it be for Hyun-woo…’

I threw the last baseball, hitting the stuffed toy and knocking it down. I was handed a brand-new one identical to it as the prize.

Just as I was thinking it was time to stop here and move on, Hyun-woo returned.

“You’re back?”

I quickly turned and shoved the pile of prizes into his arms.

“Here, a gift!”

Hyun-woo blinked in surprise as he was buried under the pile.

“You’ve given me so much already. I just wanted to give you something too.”

I grinned brightly. Hyun-woo looked dumbfounded, glancing between my face and the prizes several times before finally breaking into laughter.

“Thanks.”

It was the first time since elementary school I’d seen such a pure, childlike smile on him. Then, opening up a paper shopping bag he’d apparently bought earlier, he began carefully packing the prizes inside.

“Whoa… When did you get this?”

“You love these games, but it’s been ages since you played. I figured you’d be racking up prizes, so I grabbed this as soon as my call ended. Looks like I was right. Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. Totally. Now we’ve got to clear the stalls on the other side, so get ready.”

I strode ahead, face full of confidence. Hyun-woo followed close behind, holding the bag of prizes like it was something precious.

That was when someone tapped my shoulder from behind and waved.

“Eun-jae~ hey. Fancy seeing you again.”

The voice was familiar. Startled, I turned my head—and froze.

It was Hyun-woo’s older brother, Shim Hyun-seo.

I quickly looked toward Hyun-woo. His face had turned miserably sullen, almost pitiful.

‘So this is what it was about…’

At last, I understood why Hyun-woo had looked so grim earlier.

Pop!

The balloons burst with sharp snaps the moment they touched the cold, pointed darts.

Perfect accuracy.

Hyun-woo’s brother, Shim Hyun-seo, hit every balloon dead-on without missing a single one.

Standing a little farther away, I threw darts at another booth. When I glanced sideways, our eyes met.

With his handsome features, Hyun-seo gave me a faint smile and said,

“Sorry to intrude while you were having fun.”

“Ah…! N-no, it’s fine.”

I said I was fine, but at the same time, I glanced nervously at Hyun-woo standing behind.

With a shopping bag full of prizes in one hand and a stuffed toy he had just won in the other, Hyun-woo was staring daggers at the back of his brother’s head.

I let out a short sigh.

He looked utterly deflated.

Just moments before Hyun-seo showed up, the mood had been so good… did he really hate his brother that much?

Unlike my friends who often got along with their siblings, I’d always had a hard time understanding why Hyun-woo’s relationship with his brother was so strained.

I leaned closer and whispered softly, just enough for Hyun-seo to hear while he played darts cheerfully.

“…Does Hyun-woo usually act like this around you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Uh… just the mood and everything.”

Hyun-seo paused for a moment, tilted his head thoughtfully, and answered,

“Well, yeah… but today seems especially bad.”

“So you admit it’s true… Are you at least good to him usually?”

“Me? I treat him great.”

“…That’s a lie.”

“Haha, why would I lie to you about something like that?”

Pop!

Another balloon burst dead center.