IPSTDS Chapter 52

Chapter 52

After thoroughly browsing the department store, the gift Nahyuk finally chose for Daon was a pair of dress shoes.

He believed shoes were the trickiest part of an outfit. Before possessing Yoon Noah’s body, when money was tight, Nahyuk rarely managed to buy himself proper shoes.

Since shoes weren’t as noticeable as clothes, he used to think it was fine to wear slightly worn ones.

The problem was the size. If he asked Daon directly, Daon would probably refuse the gift altogether and never tell him.

“…Yoon Noah-ssi? Aren’t you buying the shoes?”

Garam, who had noticed his hesitation, carefully asked him.

“Ah, it’s just that I don’t know the shoe size of the birthday boy.”

“Why not just ask him directly?”

“If I did, knowing his personality, he’d refuse the gift. Still… maybe I should call Daon…”

At his murmured words, Garam’s eyes widened.

“Huh? Daon?”

“Ah, the person I’m planning to give the birthday gift to is my younger brother, Kim Daon.”

At that, Heechan suddenly jumped into the conversation.

“No way! Don’t tell me this Kim Daon is the same Kim Daon who works as a secretary at Hansan Group?”

“…What? Yes, that’s the same Kim Daon.”

“What?”

“…Huh!?”

The three of them looked at each other in turns, as if finally piecing the situation together.

The first to come back to his senses was Garam.

“Yoon Noah-ssi, we’re Kim Daon-hyung’s younger brothers.”

“…”

So these two lovable boys Daon often talked about were actually his siblings.

Nahyuk was struck again by how small the world was.

“No wonder I thought you looked so much like him, Garam-ssi. It’s amazing we met like this.”

“Hyuuung! What about me? Don’t I look like Daon-hyung too?”

Heechan shouted as if desperate to be told he resembled Daon as well.

“You…”

Nahyuk wasn’t good at lying. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally managed to phrase it indirectly.

“…Compared to Daon, you’re much brighter and more cheerful.”

“Right! I’m way brighter than Daon-hyung, hehe.”

So simple and adorable. Nahyuk burst into laughter at Heechan’s reaction.

He laughed so hard that tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he wiped them away with his fingertips. Then he brought up the problem that had so suddenly found its solution.

“Then, could you tell me Daon’s shoe size?”

And at that moment, another good idea came to him.

“And about this Saturday…”

* * *

“Hyung, we’re back.”

After finishing their shopping with Nahyuk, Garam and Heechan returned home. Waiting for them, Kim Daon came all the way to the entrance to greet them.

“Why are you so late? And what’s with all those bags in your hands?”

Their hands were full of shopping bags.

“Ah… this.”

Taking advantage of Daon’s confusion, Heechan darted into his room ahead of them. There, he quickly hid only Daon’s birthday gift among the bags.

Once he was done, he came back out as if nothing had happened.

“Hyuuung!”

Heechan clung to Daon’s arm and rubbed against him affectionately, but Daon wasn’t swayed.

“Kim Heechan, tell me whose money you used to buy all this.”

Daon was simply curious where they’d gotten the money for so many things.

“Hyung, we went to the department store for Heechan’s soccer shoes… and there we ran into someone you know. He bought it all for us.”

“Huh? Someone I know?”

Could it have been Seo Dowoong? he wondered, but quickly shook his head. Seo Dowoong wasn’t the type to strike up conversation with strangers, nor did he seem like someone who would wander around a department store in the evening.

Soon, an unexpected name came out of Garam’s mouth.

“Yoon Noah-ssi.”

“What? Noah-hyung?”

“Yeah.”

Garam explained how they had met him, carefully omitting the fact that they’d also bought Daon’s birthday present together.

“The world really is small. But even so, how could you just accept gifts from him? You should’ve refused.”

Garam laughed awkwardly.

“I tried to, but Yoon Noah-ssi even called a taxi, shoved the shopping bags inside, and sent it off. It was a gift he stubbornly refused to let us turn down.”

“Still…”

But then Heechan clung tighter to Daon’s arm and spoke in an oddly nasal voice.

“Daon-hyung, can’t we just keep it? I really wanted these soccer cleats. I’m so happy Noah-hyung bought them for me. I even exchanged numbers with him. I’ve never met a hyung who’s both rich and kind.”

“Rich and kind?”

“Yeah, he looked pretty well-off. He bought expensive things without hesitation. Isn’t he rich?”

“Hmm…”

Daon thought of Noah’s pitiful bank account balance he had heard about recently.

‘Did hyung go out of his way and overdo it for my brothers?’

There was no need for that. Daon worried Noah might have strained himself unnecessarily.

“Fine, we’ll let it go this time. But from now on, don’t just accept things so easily.”

“Okay! I’m going to my room to try these on.”

Excited, Heechan ran off to his room, while Garam and Daon watched their youngest sibling fondly, smiling faintly. Heechan truly was someone impossible to dislike.

The two of them walked into the living room and sat side by side on the sofa.

“Did you have dinner?”

“Yeah. Heechan and I ate something simple before heading to the department store.”

“Good…”

As Daon spoke, his gaze fell to the shopping bag Garam had placed on the table.

“What did Noah-hyung buy for you?”

“A shirt. He’s got a good eye. It’s not the kind of style I usually wear, but I liked it. Pass on my thanks.”

“And nothing for me?”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t be so shocked. I’m joking.”

“…”

“It’s just… since I’m closest with him, it felt a little odd that he only bought things for you two. Not that I expected a gift, of course.”

Daon chuckled quietly at his own words. Garam looked at his brother intently.

Even back when their parents were alive, Daon had carried himself as though burdened with the role of eldest son. Surely there were days when he hurt or struggled, but he never showed it.

After their parents passed away, it had only gotten worse. Daon never allowed the slightest crack to show in front of his brothers.

Garam often worried about him.

Wouldn’t he one day collapse if he kept pretending to be strong and never leaning on anyone, only for all the hidden pain to rot away inside?

That was why Garam tried to present himself as reliable. He even secured a stable job. He wanted Daon to feel like he could rely on him.

But Daon never shared his worries or hardships. Maybe he still didn’t trust him enough.

Or maybe, Garam thought, Daon didn’t trust anyone at all. He had never heard his brother talk about other people.

Sometimes, Garam even worried about Daon’s lack of human connections.

But here was Kim Daon, speaking openly about someone named Yoon Noah, smiling so candidly that his face looked unguarded, almost slack.

It was a strange sight, even unsettling.

On top of that, Daon seemed to expect something from Yoon Noah.

Was this really his brother, the one who hated relying on others so much? Daon was definitely acting unlike himself.

“Hyung, you must really like Yoon Noah-ssi.”

Garam felt genuinely relieved that such a person had appeared in Daon’s life.

At last, his brother, who had never learned how to lean on others, might now be able to receive comfort and encouragement.

Even if that person wasn’t Garam or Heechan, it was still a good thing.

“Noah-hyung has gotten a lot better recently.”

“You weren’t close before?”

“Not really. Back then, I didn’t think of him as a close friend… just some hyung from the neighborhood.”

Daon replied with a languid smile, recalling the time Noah had dragged him on that forced drive.

Seeing that smile, Garam felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

That foolish grin—it felt like he had seen it before.

And soon, he realized where. It was the same smile Daon had shown at the dining table just days ago.

He remembered their conversation then.

‘Not a girlfriend, just an older friend I was keeping in touch with.’

‘You’re not flirting with that person, are you?’

‘What flirting, come on.’

“Is Yoon Noah-ssi the same senior you mentioned before? The one you said worries about you more than they should, despite being frail themselves?”

As expected, Daon nodded.

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“So that senior was a guy…”

“Garam, does that matter to you?”

Garam shook his head.

“No, gender doesn’t matter to me. I just hope whoever it is doesn’t hurt you or bring you down.”

He hated old-fashioned prejudices. All he wanted was Daon’s happiness.

Even if Daon fell in love with an alien, he’d gladly accept them as family.

“Noah-hyung isn’t that kind of person.”

Daon didn’t bother explaining to Garam that Noah had changed. The past didn’t matter—what mattered was now.

And Garam readily agreed.

“I thought so too. Meeting him, he seemed like a genuinely good person.”

Garam locked eyes with Daon and repeated the question he had asked just the day before.

“So… do you see Yoon Noah-ssi as just someone to lean on?”

“…”

Daon responded with an ambiguous smile.