I Became the Sickly Eldest Son - Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Ju-kyung reminisced about the time before he left.Â
‘Eun can’t come?’
‘Yes. Young master Eun has a very weak immune system. He’s just a baby.’
‘Then who will play with me?’
‘…?’
‘…?’
‘Young master, are you in your right mind?’
‘Speak like an employee.’
‘Is there something wrong with your head?’
‘…Hooo…’
And so, this trip ended up being for those age 15 and over.Â
“I’ll unload the luggage.”
After driving for a while, they arrived at the Gangwon-do villa. The air was certainly clear… and the atmosphere was bleak.
‘We’re doomed.’
As soon as they got out, the kids disappeared without looking back. Their cold attitude was very blatant. They each went into their rooms and even locked the doors. Only Ju-kyung was left with an awkward expression. Â
Of course, the younger siblings didn’t really want to come. It was understandable. At that age, who would want to go to a villa with a brother they’re not even close to for a week, instead of playing with their friends.Â
But the powerless younger siblings had to follow their father’s unilateral decision without a word. Of course, Ju-kyung was no exception.
‘I think it’s going to be like this all week…’
The prediction became reality. He should have laid out a mat at least. For the first time in his life, Ju-kyung became a being worse than an acorn on the street.
‘You guys don’t know, but this is the first time I’ve been treated like this. Really. I swear.’
But no one listened. The house was so quiet, it felt like he had come alone. He couldn’t even hear footsteps. Were these guys tiptoeing around?
It’s not like he didn’t try. He did. Every morning he tried to coax them to go hiking, and even begged to play a game of janggi, but they remained silent. They didn’t even react when he made them food. Of course, the fact that the menu consisted of chicken breast and protein was already out, but let’s just gloss over that.
Anyway, he also constantly tried to start conversations. …The problem was they didn’t go through.
‘In the end, we spent 5 days in our own rooms.’
It would have been nice to rest comfortably at least. But he couldn’t rest well because he was worried about his younger siblings. Efficiency hit rock bottom. He felt like he was getting more haggard by the day.
‘Eun must be waiting for Kkukku too…’
Ju-kyung, who had been sighing while worrying about the youngest, shook his head and headed to the kitchen. He went down thinking he’d have a cup of coffee, but discovered an unexpected gain. For the first time in 5 days since arriving at the villa, he ran into Woo-dam!Â
Joy spread across Ju-kyung’s face. The kid must have come out to drink water too, holding a cup.
‘Will he run away if I talk to him…?’
Ju-kyung glanced around cautiously. Should he just say a brief “Good morning” after calculating a bit? Or add a little greed and invite him to join for a meal?
‘There’s a lot I want to ask…’
It was the moment he was timing it. For some reason, he spoke to him first.
“Hyung.”
…Huh? There was only one hyung here… Ju-kyung looked around him. Woo-dam was staring at him. Guess he was right.
“Oh, uh… Why?”
He stammered, too surprised. But pro hunter Shin Ju-kyung. He doesn’t let go of the opportunity that comes. He will open the long-awaited conversation between brothers!
“I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”
Woo-dam fiddled with the rim of the water cup. His fingers were long and white. The bruises must have all faded, his face was also smooth. He didn’t seem to be in pain anywhere, which was a relief. Ju-kyung nodded, signaling him to speak.
‘He’s especially handsome today.’
He observed his younger brother while waiting for him to open his mouth.
Yang Woo-dam was like a child that personified winter. Not only was he light in pigment, but his whole aura was like that. For example, like snow softly piled on trees, warm cocoa, crisp and clear air… The opposite of Jaemin who reminded him of summer.
“Cha Jaemin said, hyung…”
Woo-dam put down the cup and relaxed his body. His speaking pace was slower than usual. But it didn’t feel frustrating. Rather, the soft low voice was very pleasant to hear.
Ju-kyung briefly pondered if it would be in the public interest for his brother to become an entertainer instead of a hunter.
“He said you like me?”
The pondering stopped.
“…Huh?”
“No?”
Well… It’s true. But hearing it openly made him a bit embarrassed. Ju-kyung slowly nodded, putting affirmation in it. Then a short laugh flowed from the other side.
“Ah…”
Woo-dam cleared his throat. He fiddles with his hair, shaking his head slightly. It was an action that made it hard to tell if he was feeling good or bad.
“So in the infirmary…”
He mumbled something incomprehensible and suddenly narrowed the distance. Ju-kyung noticed it before, but this guy’s legs were too long. Ju-kyung flinched. Because if someone just lightly pushed right now, their chests, no, possibly even lips would touch.Â
‘This is a bit too much after all.’
Ju-kyung tilted his head down diagonally. Awkwardness settled heavily. He wanted to talk to his younger brother, but not like this. Ju-kyung only wanted to humbly chat about the ‘reason for starting to go to Fight Club’ while keeping manners with each other at a slight distance.
A little, um, apart… That’s when it happened.
“Avoiding me?”
“…!”
Woo-dam grabbed Ju-kyung’s chin and turned it. Soon their gazes intersected. An incredibly handsome face approached aggressively. Such a persistent gaze. He had no hobby of exchanging glances with a guy, but maybe because he was his brother, there was less rejection. No, was it just because he was pretty regardless of gender? …Anyway.
“You know.”
“…Huh? Uh-huh.”
“I think it doesn’t make sense too, but I’ll ask just in case.”
“…?”
“When you say you like me, do you mean love?”
Love? Ju-kyung blinked.
‘Why are you asking the obvious? If I don’t love you guys, why would I…’
Hmm… No. He vaguely understood. He only talked about getting along well, but looking back, he never properly expressed that he loved them. Because Jaemin was uncomfortable, because Woo-dam was awkward, and so on. He made excuses saying it was for his younger siblings. He should have been bolder and more proactive.
So maybe Woo-dam was asking too. Wondering if he could trust his not-so-reliable brother.
‘I’m sorry. I’ll express it more from now on.’
That’s why Ju-kyung answered without hesitation.
“Why wouldn’t it make sense.”
“…”
“I’m sure. It’s love.”
* * *
Hmm… Shit. Ju-kyung~! Please give it a rest! I almost smashed Shin Ju-kyung’s head, telling him to stop spouting bullshit. It’s a good thing I put the cup down beforehand. The corners of my mouth that I barely raised trembled.
Now it wasn’t dislike but fear. I made a resolution to never pick up soap in front of that bastard, and a natural rejection bloomed.
Woo-dam let go of Ju-kyung and stepped back two steps. This wasn’t the picture he wanted. It was supposed to be Shin Ju-kyung stammering in embarrassment after being hit where it hurts. Then he was going to ridicule him with the most disgusted expression until he threw up…
‘Hmm~ Shiiiit!’
I got played trying to make fun of him. Can this crazy story be possible where a brother who’s lived under the same roof suddenly confesses, even if we’re not blood related? Didn’t we socially agree to call such a guy a lunatic?
‘Is this a life level that an 18-year-old can handle?’
Woo-dam inwardly laughed “This is fuckedã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹” and slyly covered his butt. On top of that, the one he thought was just a trash turned out to have pure love. How shocking is this truth. Is it his turn to deliver lines like “Let’s become one, just the two of us” now? Damn, I’m getting goosebumps all over.
“Do you see me as a man?”
When Woo-dam asked with a bitter smile-
“…Oh, yeah. Isn’t that usually the case?”
Ju-kyung responded with a confused expression.
‘I know you’re handsome. You’ve gone too far, Shin Ju-kyung.’
He’s not embarrassed at all, but confident.
Woo-dam snorted. Somehow his gaze made him want to sue him too. How can a person be so shameless. Does that mean he has no intention of treating him like family at all? Okay, I got it. Fortunately, there’s no lingering attachment on this side either.
“Do you think we can work out, saying that?”
Prickliness was evident. He may be more used to hiding his emotions than his peers, but he’s still eighteen after all. There were also parts he couldn’t hide.
“…”
Ju-kyung lowers his head. He must realize it doesn’t make sense even in his mind. I was about to curse inwardly out of resentment and drive in the wedge one more time. That’s when Ju-kyung suddenly lifted his head and responded with an even more solid expression.
“I’ll try my best.”
…What? Woo-dam went blank. What are you going to try your best at? Having sex again? Or showing what you haven’t shown yet? Wahaha. What a fucking bastard.
“Give me a chance. I won’t disappoint you.”
Crazy straightforwardness. Shit. Why does he look so damn handsome too. How twisted is he…
‘I don’t fucking care but shit I’m curious.’
Translation Notes:Â
I wanna make things clear but Eun is a he I already edited the chapters below. Thank you!