SDM 75
by Sorai3. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
“Father.”
“Yes?”
“Do we have a private jet?”
“…A private jet?”
At the shocking question from Seong-woon during their weekly family dinner, everyone fell silent. Because Ryu Shin’s private jet…
“We don’t have a private jet.”
“Oh, really?”
Seeing their father unable to continue with a pained expression, Hae-yoonanswered instead. Seong-woon seemed to have just been curious if they had one or not, as he simply reacted and then resumed eating. But above his head, the family’s gazes darted back and forth.
It was when Chae-yoon turned 15, wasn’t it? There was a time when his heart had stabilized somewhat and his condition had improved slightly. Taking advantage of that window, the whole family had planned to go on a trip to Hawaii, but on the morning of their departure day, Chae-yoon complained of extreme pain and had a severe seizure.
Was it because he got excited about going on a trip? Or was the very mention of overseas travel poison to Chae-yoon? After considering all sorts of possibilities, Ryu Byeong-chan, the chairman of Ryu Shin and Chae-yoon’s father, made a big decision.
‘No more family trips until Chae-yoon fully recovers! So we don’t need a private jet! How can we use a private jet when Chae-yoon can’t even go abroad! Just use commercial flights!’
With unanimous agreement from the whole family, Ryu Shin sold their private jet. Since then, they mostly used commercial flights, only chartering planes when the company needed to travel as a group.
“Um… Chae-yoon. Why suddenly ask about a private jet? Do you need one?”
“No, I got an ad offer that’s supposed to be shot in New York.”
“…New York?”
“Yeah. They said they’d send their private jet, so I was wondering if we had one too.”
Eating some vinegared raw fish, Seong-woon winked slightly. Caught off guard by the unintentional aegyo of their increasingly handsome and pretty youngest, Ho-yoon, who had been at a loss for words, asked again with wide eyes.
“Can you go to New York?”
“…Huh? If I take a plane, I can go, right?”
“How can you take a plane!”
“Why can’t I?”
“Huh?”
“I have a passport and everything, right?”
“That’s not the issue….”
The family, who had witnessed Chae-yoon’s pain firsthand, fell silent in unison. They all silently acknowledged how fortunate it was that Chae-yoon had lost his memories, sharing a sentiment only they could understand. Meanwhile, Chang-yoon asked,
“Did the doctor say you can fly?”
“Yes.”
“What about the defibrillator?”
“They said if we tell the airport, they’ll give a separate security check.”
“So, are you taking a private jet?”
“Ah, they offered to send one, but I declined. It costs a lot to operate, and it’s not good for the environment.”
Waving his hand dismissively, saying it was expensive and not worth it, Chae-yoon took a big bite of white rice. Watching him chew, Hae-yoon found it truly adorable… and because he had dyed his hair a straw-like color yesterday, he inwardly stroked Chae-yoon’s head dozens of times, thinking he looked like a golden hamster.
“What kind of ad are you shooting all the way in New York?”
“…Jewelry?”
“Wow, really?”
The whole family erupted in congratulations. In fact, it was a brand Seong-woon had never heard of before. When he looked it up, he found that it wasn’t even stocked in regular department stores and had only one store in the entire country.
“When are you going?”
“Next week.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to charter a plane?”
“There are only three of us going…”
Just me, one manager, and one stylist. What private jet? As Seong-woon shook his head, Chang-yoon nodded with a disappointed look.
“Tell Hyeong-seok not to skimp on money and book good seats for the staff too.”
“Okay. Oh, right. Anyone want to appear on a variety show with me next Monday?”
While picking up some spinach side dish, Seong-woon casually dropped a bomb. Everyone frowned, doubting if they had heard correctly, and Ho-yoon stepped forward to ask.
“What variety show? What’s this about suddenly?”
“The movie did better than expected.”
“Orbital Collision” surpassed the break-even point of 3 million viewers in just a week. With no major movie releases scheduled for the near future, it was expected to dominate for several weeks, likely reaching a final score of 7-8 million viewers.
“The production company and PR team suggested it might be good to appear on a variety show.”
The lead actor Song Ji-kwang had already appeared on a variety show when the movie was released, and Baek Sang-hyun didn’t have time to appear. So the only one left was Ryu Chae-yoon, whose name was third on the list, and being the freshest face, variety shows warmly welcomed his appearance.
“It’s a show called ‘Let’s Play Together’ that I appeared on last year, piggybacking on Baek Sang-hyun sunbae’s episode.”
Putting down his chopsticks, Seong-woon scratched his cheek, indicating embarrassment. Of course, he could film himself spending a holiday alone, but feeling burdened about revealing his home, he decided to do outdoor activities. The problem was that the joint appearance with Baek Sang-hyun, whom he had relied on, fell through.
“Originally, I was going to appear with Baek Sang-hyun sunbae this time too. But he has to reshoot for another movie that day. If we postpone the variety show filming further, it probably won’t affect the movie’s success much… so it’s difficult to change the schedule.”
“So you want to go with us?”
“Yeah… I don’t have other friends, you know.”
As he smiled brightly, saying this, everyone jumped up from their seats.
“I’m okay!”
“Me too.”
“I…”
Hae-yoon, who was about to raise her hand, deflated.
“Hyung, you have to go to Las Vegas on the weekend.”
You’re not thinking of missing the world’s largest electronics expo, are you? Seeing this meaning in their eyes, Hae-yoon shrank even more.
“Ah, I have an exhibition starting that day… Should I postpone the exhibition?”
“Noona. The dates are already printed on the posters.”
“Can’t I just delay it for a day?”
“No, you can’t.”
Firmly cutting off Ha-yoon’s whining, Seong-woon smiled prettily at his parents to prevent any unnecessary comments and suggested first:
“Mother and Father, you can come separately from me. The filming would be too hectic.”
“What about me?”
Ha-yoon asked, her eyes sparkling.
“I’ll include you too, hyung. And noona.”
Preemptively blocking Ha-yoon before she could open her mouth, Seong-woon pointed at Ho-yoon and Chang-yoon.
“Then Ho-yoon hyung and Chang-yoon hyung, don’t you have to go to work?”
“I can take a day off.”
“Hmm… Okay. I’ll talk about having two people appear then.”
“But what are we going to do?”
“I was thinking of going glamping.”
Actually, for Seong-woon, a day off usually meant doing his required strength training and then lying in bed, emptying his mind, reading scripts, or watching old movies. But thinking that would be really boring, he had barely come up with this idea.
“Oh, I’ve been glamping before.”
“Then can I leave the preparations to you, hyung?”
“I… just ate meat when I went?”
Ho-yoon, as expected, didn’t disappoint. Wondering what to do about this, Seong-woon hesitated for a moment. Meanwhile, Chang-yoon, who had been holding his forehead, muttered gloomily:
“Both of you don’t do anything. I’ll take care of it, so just tell the production team to set the location.”
“Oh, really?”
It’s nice when someone offers to prepare everything. Seong-woon had never been camping or glamping, so he had no idea what to prepare. He had vaguely thought, maybe just buy some pork belly?
Seong-woon informed his manager about Ho-yoon and Chang-yoon’s appearance. Hyeong-seok panicked, saying he’d talk to Ryu Shin’s secretariat, and not long after, an OK sign came through, indicating the secretariat and production team had finished their discussion.
At that time, Seong-woon, unaware of the aftermath to come, devoured a basket of strawberries handed to him by his family.
* * *
“It’s airing today, right? ‘Let’s Play Together’?”
“Yeah. I told everyone to come to the main house today, but I didn’t go.”
Nothing particularly eventful happened during the variety show filming. The studio shoot was fine too. But still, watching his appearances with family was too embarrassing, so he was a bit reluctant.
The peak was during the recent TV commercial for Ryu Shin Electronics. They treated him too much like a baby, so he blew up in anger – “I’m never watching with you again!” – and things got a bit better after that.
“Was it fun going out with your hyungs?”
“Hyung… That’s quite a title for people you’ve only met once?”
“Then, should I say brothers-in-law?”
“Do you want to be treated like a daughter-in-law that badly?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
Having just returned from an overseas location shoot with strong sunlight, Seong-woon tapped Baek Sang-hyun’s slightly tanned cheek and lay down with his head on Baek Sang-hyun’s thigh.
Watching the commercial break that seemed somewhat longer than usual, he couldn’t help but yawn. Seeing his phone on the side table vibrating continuously, it seemed all sorts of messages were popping up in the family group chat.
“Want me to hand you your phone?”
“No, it’s fine.”
He waved his hand, knowing all too well what the messages would be like. As he finished his third yawn, the commercials finally ended, and he saw himself sitting stiffly in the studio with a rather awkward expression.
“…Why do I look like that?”
“What do you mean? You look cute.”
He wanted to say, “How is that cute?” But knowing Baek Sang-hyun was genuinely sincere, he didn’t bother to pour cold water on it.
“I wasn’t that nervous.”
“You don’t look nervous.”
“Should I have acted more nervous?”
“Quite a few comments are saying you don’t look like a rookie.”
“…I guess I should act more like a rookie.”
“What does it matter? Everyone’s saying you did well.”
Right, even if he seemed a bit too skilled, surely no one would think a 30-year veteran actor’s soul had entered a 20-year-old body.
Pushing aside unnecessary worries, Seong-woon watched himself responding with a bright smile to the praises of the MC and panelists who were hyping him up.
“…It feels a bit different from watching myself act.”
“Maybe because it’s not really acting?”
“I guess so…”
Come to think of it, these days he doesn’t seem to act unless he absolutely has to. And others don’t seem to find it strange.
The opening scene started with Jin Seong-woon bundled up as if climbing a snowy mountain in the middle of winter. Standing in an alley slightly downhill from his house, waiting for something.
Comments:
Ahh Chae-yoon is a bunny ㅠㅠ
Is he going to the Himalayas?
The lowest temperature that day was 7°C lolhahahaha
And then Ryu Chae-yoon’s SUV comes up the alley. In reality, Chang-yoon and Ho-yoon had gotten in at the house parking lot, driven around the block, and come back.
“Chae-yoon-ah!”
Ho-yoon waved both hands frantically from the wide-open window. Seeing that, Seong-woon’s expression was slightly crumpled.
“No… I don’t find Ho-yoon hyung that irritating.”
In fact, he likes him a lot. It’s just that he often calls him a baby, which he only dislikes at those times.
“It doesn’t look that way.”
“Didn’t I look like I was really despising him just now?”
“No, you didn’t.”
Jin Seong-woon reluctantly waved and got into the back seat. The cameras installed inside the vehicle clearly captured and transmitted Chang-yoon and Ho-yoon’s faces. And the state of the subtitles…
H.A.N.D.S.O.M.E. B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S
Seeing the subtitles hammered in with periods after each letter, Seong-woon’s expression crumpled again. Even when filming reactions while watching the video in the studio, he couldn’t help but grimace at this part.
“Hmm…”
Unable to say anything positive about this part, Baek Sang-hyun just hummed and stroked Seong-woon’s hair.
Comments:
Are these subtitles from the 80s?
Are these Ryu Chae-yoon’s brothers? Why are they so handsome?
Doberman and Retriever vibes lolhahahaha
Crazy, the appearance of the executive director gives me PTSD…
➥Is this Ryu Shin Construction? hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
“Hyung, I want to go to Deokpyeong Rest Area and eat rice soup.”
“Rest area? Rice soup?”
“Yeah. I heard the rice soup there is delicious. It’s on our way anyway.”
Originally not having much outing experience except for work, Seong-woon was subtly excited. He deliberately entered “Deokpyeong Rest Area Gangneung Direction” into the navigation and smiled brightly. Chang-yoon, who had been staring at Seong-woon for a while, chuckled.
And finally, the names, ages, occupations, and relationships with Ryu Chae-yoon of Ryu Ho-yoon and Ryu Chang-yoon appeared in the subtitles.
Comments:
The third brother is 32???
➥He looks late 20s at most…
Wow, Ryu Chae-yoon is really a late child
How big is the age gap? He must look like a total baby
As if answering this reaction, Jin Seong-woon in the studio spoke calmly:
“My third brother and sister are twins, 12 years older than me. My second brother is 15 years older, and my oldest brother is 17 years older.”
“Wow, you’re really a late child. You must be very loved at home.”
“I’m just treated like a baby.”
As soon as this conversation ended, the word ‘baby’ burst out of Ho-yoon’s mouth.
“Baby, didn’t you eat breakfast?”
“…No. I didn’t eat because I wanted to have rice soup.”
“Hyung bought some bread, want some?”
“No, I want to eat rice soup.”
“Babies shouldn’t skip meals.”
The TV Jin Seong-woon shooting a glare full of “please stop with the baby talk”, the panelists’ laughter, and even Baek Sang-hyun chuckling above his head. Seong-woon rubbed his forehead, which was somehow feeling hot.
Because he disliked being called a baby, he would just nod whenever that word came up, so Ryu Ho-yoon used that word to get his way. Even now, or rather, the Jin Seong-woon in the TV reluctantly accepted a garlic bread and shoved it into his mouth.
“Hyung packed some drinks, so drink if you’re thirsty.”
“What did you pack?”
“Barley coffee.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“You seemed like you wanted to try coffee.”
Shoving the rest of the garlic bread into his mouth, Seong-woon opened the thermos and poured a little steaming barley coffee. He opened his already large eyes even wider and quickly took another sip.
Seeing this, Baek Sang-hyun went “Hmm” and quickly turned his gaze to the kitchen. There was a pouch of barley coffee on the island counter.
“Ah, so that was the first time you tried it.”
“Hyung sent a lot.”
“I should have looked into it more. I thought barley tea was fine.”
“…What, are you jealous?”
“Not jealousy… I was just complacent. If there was something better, I should have looked for it.”
Twirling Seong-woon’s slightly darker chocolate-colored hair around his finger, Baek Sang-hyun spoke with a voice full of regret. Seong-woon, who had been watching TV with his head on Baek Sang-hyun’s thigh, quickly turned to look up at him.
“You’re cute.”
“…Why are you finding this cute?”
“You find unnecessary things cute, too.”
Stretching his arms to barely wrap around Baek Sang-hyun’s neck and pull him down, Baek Sang-hyun resisted and didn’t lower his upper body. Well, then I’ll go up. Having found a simple solution to the problem, Seong-woon bent his arms to raise himself and lightly kissed Baek Sang-hyun’s lips.
“We should be watching TV.”
“Watch it then.”
“After kissing me?”
“It was just a kiss, wasn’t it?”
A large hand suddenly covered his face. Baek Sang-hyun made Seong-woon rest his head back on his firm thigh and turned his gaze back to the TV screen. There, Jin Seong-woon was shown eating beef soup with great enjoyment and enthusiasm. The PD had meticulously edited the unexpected mukbang scene.
Comments:
Oh my, Chae-yoon-ah hahahahahahahahaha He eats soup so well hahahaha
He looks like he’d only eat dew hahahahaha
I’m jealous that Ryu Chae-yoon doesn’t seem to sweat or get a runny nose
“…The soup was delicious.”
“Let’s go eat it together sometime.”
“The glamping was nice too. It’s a private space, so we could go together.”
“When should we go?”
“Whenever you’re free… I have plenty of time, you know.”
“You’ll soon be very short on time.”
“Well… that’s good then.”
In the entertainment industry, being busy was always a good thing. Because the prime and career lifespan were short anyway, sleep and physical strength were sacrificed to turn into wealth.
After eagerly eating their soup, the three brothers arrived at the glamping site. They climbed a nearby low mountain, came back down, and took a nap with their heads together.
As the sun was setting, they woke up and started grilling pork belly. They managed to light the charcoal well – because the glamping site owner did it for them – but Ho-yoon placed the pork directly on the holey grill.
“Huh?”
Simultaneously with Ho-yoon’s dumbfounded voice, the pork fat dripping onto the charcoal began to ignite. Bright red flames flared up as if they would burn Ho-yoon’s eyebrows.
Seong-woon, who had been obediently following his brothers’ instructions to just rest and do nothing, approached behind the frozen Ho-yoon, quickly pushed the grill away with tongs, and tossed an ice cube.
The flames immediately subsided, and Seong-woon silently moved the burnt meat to the side. He tore off some aluminum foil, wrapped one side of the grill, and placed the meat on it again.
“Be careful, hyung. Your hair might burn too.”
Comments:
Why is Chae-yoon so calm and collected?
I thought Chae-yoon was cute, but why is he acting like the older brother? hahahahahaha
➥The 20-year-old maknae seems more like a hyung than the 32-year-old hyung hahahahahahaha
Seong-woon’s brow furrowed slightly as he saw the ramen Chang-yoon was boiling.
“Hyung… how much water did you put in?”
“That whole bottle?”
Chang-yoon pointed to a 2L water bottle.
“…And how many packs of ramen did you put in?”
“Two.”
“…Hyung. You only need 500ml of water for one pack of ramen.”
Comments:
hahahahahahahahahaha His expression hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
➥Contempt.
Oh no hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
This is crazy hahahahaha
Both of you, get out!!! (slapping back meme)
Ah, how hahahahaha A world where only Chae-yoon suffers hahahahaha
Seong-woon sighed deeply and put in all the remaining ramen. He looked at the pot full of boiling ramen with a tired expression, but it was better to burst from too much ramen than to eat a watery, tasteless soup.
“Are your hyungs… always like this?”
“I didn’t know either. Chang-yoon hyung said it’s his first time cooking ramen that’s not cup noodles. Ho-yoon hyung… I think he’s always like that.”
Even watching it again, Seong-woon laughed for a while at how absurd it was. The panel reactions during the studio filming were quite good, so he thought the viewers would find it quite entertaining too.
Seong-woon watched Ho-yoon clumsily cutting the meat with a pitiful expression before taking over, cutting the meat skillfully as if in a restaurant and lining it up neatly.
“Chae-yoon-ah, how are you so good at grilling meat?”
“I was born with it.”
Of course, Seong-woon answered without any seriousness. Viewers’ fingers typed long strings of “ha” as they watched him calmly doing his job and answering nonchalantly, not particularly flustered.
Comments:
hahahahahahaha He says he was born with it hahahahaha
Ah, the Ryu brothers are so funny hahahahahahahaha
Oh, I think I’ll have to do the “don’t laugh challenge” whenever I see the executive director’s face ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
➥hahahahahahahaha Executive director, remember, you only need to put 500ml of water for ramen?
➥➥Stop teasing hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Seeing that the ramen and pork belly were roughly ready, Seong-woon rummaged through the grocery bag. Despite saying he’d prepare everything, Ryu Chang-yoon only bought meat and ramen, forgetting all the necessary side ingredients.
For example, ssamjang, or ssamjang, or things like ssamjang… It would have been nice to have some lettuce for wrapping too, but he forgot that Ryu Chang-yoon was a complete carnivore.
There was salt and pepper in the glamping site’s kitchen cabinet, but no ssamjang. Seong-woon sighed deeply and looked at the production staff as if pleading, breaking the fourth wall.
The staff member who met his eyes briefly appeared on screen. With pupils wavering in temptation, he swallowed dryly and made an X with his hands. Seong-woon dejectedly dropped his arms.
Comments:
Crazy, I can’t believe that beauty trap didn’t work. The production team isn’t human.
I can make such delicious ssamjang!
With Ryu Chang-yoon staring intently at the pot of boiling ramen and Ryu Ho-yoon focused on the meat behind him, Seong-woon came out holding a large bottle of cola and went to find the glamping site owner. He was managing the campsite down the stairs.
“Hello.”
“Hi there. Is the charcoal fire okay?”
When Seong-woon greeted him with the brightest smile possible, the owner responded kindly.
“Yes, we’re grilling the meat deliciously.”
“Do you need anything?”
CG was added, showing the ears of another guest, who was busy grilling something on a barbecue grill in front of their tent, perking up.
“Ah, um… is it possible to get some ssamjang? We forgot to bring it.”
“Ssamjang…?”
“We have some! Take this!”
Another guest with enormously large ears CG, ran over and placed a small green ssamjang container in Seong-woon’s hand.
“This looks brand new. You could have just given me a little…”
“Oh, it’s fine. We have more. You can use it all.”
“…Thank you. Here, have this cola.”
Comments:
Crazy, I wondered why he took that out, turns out he was going to barter with itㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Aww, poor baby squirrelㅠㅠ
“Could I get a photo and autograph…?”
“…Do you know who I am?”
“Of course! You’re Ryu Chae-yoon, right?”
Seong-woon nodded with wide eyes.
“I really enjoyed your movie”, “I was amazed by your acting”, “You’re so handsome”… Faced with praise pouring out right in front of him, Seong-woon was dumbfounded and could barely manage to nod.
It seemed so genuinely moved that Seong-woon couldn’t bear to look at the TV screen and quickly turned his head away. Even though it wasn’t his first time seeing it, hearing the panelists’ groans and cooing sounds so clearly on that screen made his whole face flush.
“What if you act this cute when you go out?”
“…How is that cute?”
“Of course it is. Everyone must be going crazy about how cute you are right now.”
“How is that cute? It just looks stupid.”
“Even the captions say it’s cute.”
“No, that’s… the PD exaggerating.”
“It’s not an exaggeration, I’m telling you.”
Baek Sang-hyun pulled up Seong-woon, who had suddenly stood up, and sat him on his thigh. He kissed Seong-woon’s warm cheeks. Frustrated by the kisses only landing on his cheeks and chin, Seong-woon cupped Baek Sang-hyun’s face with both hands and kissed him on the lips.
After rubbing just their lips together for a while, then rubbing the inner membranes, the moment Seong-woon bit and pulled at Baek Sang-hyun’s slightly firm tongue tip, Baek Sang-hyun’s phone started ringing loudly.
“…A call?”
“No, probably a notification…”
“At this hour?”
“Yes. It’s important.”
“…More than kissing me?”
“I can’t compare the two.”
“At times like this, you should obviously choose me!”
“They’re both related to you, Sunbae-nim.”
Baek Sang-hyun checked the time on his phone, which had turned midnight, and planted more kisses on Seong-woon’s chin and cheeks.
“Happy birthday.”
“Huh…?”
“Yes. Today is Ryu Chae-yoon’s birthday.”
“Today?”
“March 31st.”
“…I hadn’t even thought about it.”
“I figured. Didn’t your family ask you to come home?”
“So that’s why they insisted I come home tomorrow instead of watching the broadcast together…”
So it was Ryu Chae-yoon’s birthday. Seong-woon smiled slightly as he saw the digital clock on the wall showing 12:01. He found it a bit amusing thinking about Baek Sang-hyun, who must have set an alarm to go off at midnight.
“So you’re wishing me happy birthday twice?”
“Yes. I should do it tomorrow too.”
Ryu Chae-yoon’s birthday is March 31st, Jin Seong-woon’s birthday is April 1st…. Seong-woon briefly recalled the time when he was immersed in a victim mentality, wondering if there was a reason he was born on April Fool’s Day, as people started to dislike him. But really… even his very existence was a lie.
Baek Sang-hyun gently rubbed Seong-woon’s furrowed brow, which had creased as if he had swallowed something bitter. Just as Baek Sang-hyun’s lips parted after seemingly choosing his words, Ho-yoon’s voice came from the TV. The program, which they thought had already ended, was broadcasting something more after a mid-roll ad just before the preview.
“PD, when did you say this would air?”
“March 30th.”
“So it’ll still be broadcasting past midnight the next day, right?”
“Yes, probably…”
“Then… Happy birthday to our maknae! Today, or tomorrow!”
Seong-woon’s eyes widened towards the TV. His pupils were shaking, suggesting this was the first time he was seeing this footage.
“You didn’t see this during the studio filming?”
“No, no… this is the first time I’m seeing this…”
Oblivious to Seong-woon’s shock, Ho-yoon even excitedly waved his hand. Even Ryu Chang-yoon, sitting next to him, waved as if saying hello, with a smile that looked painted on his face.
When did they film this interview with those two? Surely not when I dozed off briefly after dinner because I was sleepy?
“You seem to love the maknae a lot?”
Ho-yoon and Chang-yoon took turns answering the question that filled the screen.
“Of course. Our maknae is our little darling!”
“It would be strange not to love him.”
Ho-yoon might be like that, but how can Ryu Chang-yoon say such things with that robotic expression? Seong-woon got up abruptly and covered his face in frustration. The phone on the bedside table, which had been quiet for a moment, started vibrating again.
“If you asked all the family members to pick their favorite family member, they’d all pick Chae-yoon.”
“Without a doubt.”
“No one would feel hurt about it.”
Ah, no. There’s no need to nationally ingrain this late-born youngest child attribute in everyone’s minds. As Seong-woon trembled with anger, about to call and express his feelings immediately, Baek Sang-hyun grabbed his wrist to stop him.
“Let’s listen a bit more.”
“Listen to what more? I’m going to…”
How could they hide all this and not show it during the studio filming? Before Seong-woon could even turn on his phone screen, the voices of the Ryu brothers filled the living room.
“Do the brothers often travel together?”
In response to the PD’s question, Ho-yoon mumbled in a slightly subdued voice:
“Chang-yoon hyung was with Chae-yoon when he was much younger, so they probably went on trips together. But the other siblings were abroad, so we don’t have many memories. Also…”
“I went on many trips with him,” Ryu Chang-yoon abruptly cut off what Ho-yoon was about to add. Perhaps… he was about to mention the chronic illness, but that was a good interruption. I should praise him for that later.
Ryu Chang-yoon boldly shared baby photos of Ryu Chae-yoon from his phone gallery. Photos labeled “Source: Ryu Chang-yoon” filled the screen and then disappeared.
Pictures of them at an amusement park, playing in the sand at the beach, a back view of Chae-yoon riding on Chang-yoon’s shoulders…
“Isn’t Chae-yoon so small, so pretty, and so cute?”
How embarrassing! Seeing Ryu Chang-yoon, not Ryu Ho-yoon, ask this with such a serious voice really messed with Seong-woon’s head.
While Seong-woon was clutching his head, about to go crazy, Baek Sang-hyun remained calm. He completely agreed with the brothers’ words. In Baek Sang-hyun’s mind, Jin Seong-woon and Ryu Chae-yoon were now acknowledged as the same person.
And honestly, even without rose-colored glasses, no one could deny that young Ryu Chae-yoon was small, pretty, and cute. Even objectively speaking.
“So I really enjoyed this filming. I thought we should come often from now on. If Chae-yoon asks us to go, we’ll all go no matter what.”
“This time too, everyone wanted to come, but Chae-yoon chose the two of us.”
It’s unbelievable. I indeed raised my hand when asked if I wanted to go, but I never specifically said I wanted to go with those two!
“…Wow, they’re fabricating like that?”
Seeing Ryu Ho-yoon nodding continuously next to them was also quite annoying. As Seong-woon glared at the TV, Baek Sang-hyun pulled him back down to sit as he was about to stand up.
“Take a deep breath.”
“I’m not angry.”
“You are.”
Hearing the calm voice, Seong-woon realized his chest was heaving quite roughly. He sat down heavily and just focused on breathing slowly. A large palm gently stroked his back.
What’s the last thing you want to say to the youngest?
“…I hope he’s always healthy. Don’t get sick.”
What’s conveyed from Ho-yoon’s words and Chang-yoon’s silent nod is just… sincerity.
The deep sorrow, wishes, and relief contained in what would otherwise be a simple greeting made Seong-woon bury his face in his hands, this time with completely different emotions.
How can we mend the scars etched into so many people’s hearts because of that Yoon Gwan-wi agent, whose number I can’t even remember?
Even if Seong-woon never gets sick again, the wounds of the family who suffered watching their late-born brother and son battle illness for 10 years won’t disappear. The pain of Baek Sang-hyun, who must have been confused by his sudden death and the subsequent surreal situation, won’t disappear either.
A warm palm covered the back of his cold hand. Baek Sang-hyun gently pulled it down to meet his eyes and smiled more brightly than ever.
“You’re thinking unnecessary thoughts again, aren’t you?”
“I wasn’t.”
“I think you were.”
“…I don’t know. Just sometimes… I get angry.”
“Even I would feel that way.”
Baek Sang-hyun quietly pulled Seong-woon into an embrace and slowly stroked his hunched back. After receiving warmth like this for a while, his tensed body gradually relaxed.
“…Bastards.”
Saying that one word made him feel a bit better. After cursing the PD and the Yoon Gwan-wi guy in his mind, Seong-woon suddenly raised his head.
“I should tell Hyung-seok hyung not to give this monitoring material. I don’t think I can watch it.”
“I think the response will be really good. Your brothers are good-looking too, so everyone’s probably going crazy already.”
Seong-woon glared silently at the word ‘brothers’, but Baek Sang-hyun finished speaking neatly as if he was used to it now. Well, ‘brothers’ is better than ‘brothers-in-law’.
Since it was his own father who had gone on about a new person and daughter-in-law, Seong-woon couldn’t say much more and just kissed Baek Sang-hyun, intending to shut him up.
“We have to catch a plane tomorrow.”
“…So what? Once is fine.”
“Really?”
“As long as it’s not… um… too long…”
In between long kisses and brief separations, Baek Sang-hyun picked up Seong-woon as he spoke, mixing words with his breaths. Seong-woon smiled slightly as he hung on, arms wrapped familiarly around Baek Sang-hyun’s neck.
“I’ll try my best.”
“Mm…”
Seong-woon’s back sank into the soft goose down comforter. Not wanting to be apart even for a moment, he tightly hugged and pulled Baek Sang-hyun’s neck. Then he gently bit Baek Sang-hyun’s exposed nape. Though not hard enough to leave teeth marks, it was more than enough to ignite Baek Sang-hyun’s passion.
“…I said I’ll try, didn’t I?”
“Who said not to?”
Seong-woon had already swiftly removed Baek Sang-hyun’s top and was caressing his warm skin. He thought idly that while it would have been fine if Baek Sang-hyun was cool to the touch, it was even better that he was warm, as he nuzzled his cheek against Baek Sang-hyun’s smooth chest.
“Well… I’ll take good care of you on the plane.”
Baek Sang-hyun pulled Seong-woon up and planted a long kiss on his forehead. Then, foreheads touching, he gazed into Seong-woon’s eyes for a while before whispering:
“Happy birthday, Chae-yoon.”
Seong-woon’s eyes widened, but he laughed softly as he relaxed into Baek Sang-hyun’s tight embrace. How could he not love Baek Sang-hyun, who acted as if he truly understood and accepted that crazy story?
Baek Sang-hyun, who suggested they both live crazily, whether it was true or not. Even if it was just a choice made when pushed to the edge of a cliff, for Seong-woon, it was nothing short of salvation.