My brother is an Idol

Chapter 15: Chapter 15
Chapter 15

Ironically, Hyojun and Kiwook became good friends at school.

When they played basketball, Kiwook played defense to help Hyojun score. When playing soccer, Kiwook was the striker while Hyojun provided an amazing defense. If Kiwook scored the highest grade on the midterm, Hyojun would get the highest grade on the finals. They also had similar, if not the same, taste in music.

They were very close and talked about everything, yet they never brought up the subject of Hyoyoung or what had happened in their childhood. It was an unspoken rule between them.

To remain silent about it.

Hyojun also never invited Kiwook to his home.

And like that, their friendship continued for 10 years.

They had hidden their feelings for the past 10 years.

But finally, those feelings couldn’t be ignored anymore, and once they were acknowledged, there was no stopping them.

Kiwook had been harboring feelings for Hyoyoung, who was once his adopted younger sister. Hyojun also felt strongly about her, who had lived as his younger sister but in truth was not related to him at all. Until now, they had been pretending that their feelings didn’t exist, but when one person, Kiwook, started to express his, Hyojun couldn’t hide his feelings anymore.

Of course, they had no idea that Hyoyoung had overheard their conversation. Both men went back to their rooms around 3 AM, and Hyoyoung, who had been eavesdropping, sat down on her bed feeling confused and weak.

‘Is this a dream? Because if it is, it’s the worst nightmare I’ve ever had.’

Hyoyoung couldn’t think clearly.

So her older brother wasn’t her biological brother, and Kiwook was her first adoptive brother? And those two guys were fighting over her? And they were Black M and Purple M?

It felt like she was the main character in a romantic novel, or a sad love story. Hyoyoung felt frustrated and she had a hard time controlling her emotions.

***

“I’m off to school now. You don’t have any shows to do today, right? So you better not show up at my school again like yesterday.”

She didn’t get any sleep at all last night, and as she left her house, she didn’t even look at the members. She was afraid that she might cry, so she quickly put on her shoes and left.

The guys were sitting at the table eating breakfast and by the time they looked up, Hyoyoung was gone.

“Hmm… did something happen to Hyoyoung last night? Something feels different about her. Something’s not right.”

At Jiwoo’s perceptive observation, Kiwook and Hyojun exchanged knowing glances. Hyunsuk also realized something was amiss, so he asked quietly, “I’m sure no one did or said anything dodgy last night, right?”

Hyojun and Kiwook seemed guilty. They refused to look up and continued to eat their salads quietly. The table with the members of The M became tense and awkward.

***

The walk and ride to school felt much longer than usual.

When she walked into her classroom and saw Mikyung, Hyoyoung burst into tears.

“Mi… Mikyung!”

She was upset with confusing feelings. So many things happened to her within the last few days, yet there was no one she could talk to, not even her best friend. Hyoyoung felt helpless and cried in Mikyung’s arms.

“I…. It… It’s too hard… I don’t… know what… to do ah, Mikyung…”

Mikyung was shocked at first as Hyoyoung bawled her eyes out, but she quickly hugged her and consoled Hyoyoung.

“So you saw the show, right? Man, I was so worried about you. I knew you wouldn’t be alright after you watch it.”

‘Hmm…? The show?’

Hyoyoung was confused by Mikyung’s words, but her tears wouldn’t stop. She remained in her arms as she patted her back and continued, “I totally understand how you feel. The scandal with that stylist was bad enough, yet he announced to the world that he had a crush on someone. And this all happened in just two days! I understand why you are crying, Hyoyoung. You have such a soft, romantic heart. Well, at least the good thing is that after Purple M’s confession during yesterday’s show, everyone and the media lost interest in the whole scandal with the stylist. No one is talking about it anymore, thank god.”

Hyoyoung’s flood of tears finally began to stop and she was able to think more clearly.

‘Oh, Mikyung thinks I’m crying because of the Purple M’s confession during yesterday’s live show…?’

When Hyoyoung looked up, she saw what was happening in her classroom.

Her friend Aran, who was also a huge fan of The M, was crying as well. Aran’s goal in life was to marry Blue M, and she was upset because she thought Blue M didn’t say much during the show. When Hyoyoung started to cry, Aran became emotional and began to cry as well.

There were girls other than Aran who were also tearing up nearby.

“We all know how you feel.”

“We all cried yesterday too.”

“Let’s… go for a snack after school today. How about Tteok-bokki [1]? It will be on me.”

“Yes, let’s all go. I will buy sundaes for everyone.”

Suddenly, an after-school meeting was set. Hyoyoung blew her nose and opened her bag. Inside, she noticed something odd.

‘Huh? What’s this?’

It was something that was wrapped with aluminum foil and packed inside a plastic zipper bag. On top of it, there was a note.

-You shouldn’t skip breakfast. You can’t learn if you are hungry. Eat it before your classes.

It was Kiwook’s writing.

Inside the foil was a clumsily made sandwich. It was made with shredded chicken breast, fried egg, and layers of cabbage. Though it looked ugly, it was still quite carefully made.

Hyoyoung stared at it, and when Mikyung saw it, she asked, “What’s that? Did your mom make it for you? But I thought your mom doesn’t do things like that for you.”

“Yeah…”

“It must be because you are in grade 12 now. She must finally want to take care of you. Quickly eat up, class will start in ten minutes. I ate a huge bowl of stew this morning for breakfast, so I’m already getting sleepy again.”

Mikyung started to get ready for the class, and Hyoyoung took a bite out of her sandwich. She liked sweet and salty food, and the sandwich catered to her taste. It had a layer of jam on one side, and it tasted great. For some reason, eating the sandwich made Hyoyoung feel calmer.

Last night… the things she heard started to make sense as she continued to eat her sandwich. There were things Hyoyoung vaguely remembered from her childhood. Until now, she thought they were just from her dreams or her imagination, but she finally realized that they were genuine memories.

She remembered watching her previous parents, Kiwook’s parents, arguing and fighting. She was only a child and she remembered them throwing things at each other and yelling.

She cried and trembled in fear at the time, and…

She remembered Kiwook hugging her and singing a song to make her feel safe.

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Tteok-bokki or stir-fried rice cakes is a popular Korean food.