Suspiciously Close Siblings (Going Up)

I had lunch with my mother who had just returned.

I decided to eat it properly in the evening, so I filled it with bibimbap in moderation.

I didn't eat it very often.

It wasn't really a food that took sincerity, but I thought it was a real home-cooked meal.

Of course, I got a bit choked up while eating.

Being alone in my room was so lonely, so I went to the living room and talked to my mother.

Did you get along with her brother,

What are you going to do until you return to school?

Return the car keys soon

Did you date a girlfriend, etc.

As we were chatting about every detail, I suddenly heard shocking news.

"Mom, so I'm going to take a break next year."

"⋯ Yes?"

"My mother is now over half a hundred years old, and it is difficult for her to continue as an instructor at an academy. I don't know if it's the director."

"⋯Suddenly?"

I was surprised because it was so out of the blue.

Already? I thought, but

If you look closely, it seems like you've been doing it for a very long time.

Because moms have their own ideas too.

"Not all of a sudden. Originally, I was going to stop doing it until this year."

"What are you going to do after you retire?"

"Why are you so worried, my son? Even if mom doesn't do any work from now on and she just lies at home, she can take care of the house and coma when you get married, so she'll hold onto her worries."

"No, I'm not getting married, so that doesn't matter. You're retired and you're not just staying at home. Because you love your job."

"What does the son see her mother as? She hates her mother working too."

"⋯Really?"

"Who likes to work? Of course, it makes me happy to see the kids who used to learn from their mother go to college, but she prefers taking a break from her mother too."

"⋯Really?"

"Of course. She can't work if her mom isn't having fun watching her payroll be stamped into her bank account."

She was a mother who got up early every day, prepared us meals, and never saw me oversleep.

Mom is a human too.

Cry when sad,

Smile when you're happy,

You may be tired and exhausted.

Is it because I have an image like Superman?

I wasn't very conscious of it until now.

"Originally, after I retired and opened a cafe, I wanted to try my hand at being the boss. ⋯Isn't that the case these days? It's not good to start self-employment."

"That's right."

"So, go around and play around for about a year, take a break and think about it."

"Are you going on a trip?"

"I'll be at home most of the time, but if I stay at home too much like you guys, my mom will get bored and can't live. She needs to go outside sometimes."

My mom has a lot of friends, and she's close with her aunts.

Because she is such a pleasant person that sometimes I wonder if she is my mother.

⋯If you look at your eyes, nose and mouth, anyone can see that you are my mother.

She's too much alike to be useless.

Nana,

Brother or

"Does your son drive for you when you go out to play?"

"Me?"

"When mom goes on a trip, will she go out alone with mom? Take you and Winter, or go out with your aunts. It's no fun when she goes alone."

"Well… When the time comes."

"I have to take Winter somewhere before he goes to college. Since I can't go abroad these days, should I go somewhere like Jeju Island?"

"I'll go when it calms down outside."

"Anyway, people walk around outside. Does it matter if you wear a good mask? Anyway, if you go, you'll be resting at the hotel, except when you're eating."

"I also walk around outside and take pictures in order. Even if I like the corner of the room in Amman, at least when I go on a trip."

"Yes, yes. What next year, January or February? Let's go there once. When we eat dinner a little later, winter will also tempt you."

"⋯Yes."

"Anyway, I'll be at home except when I go on my mom's trip in the future. I'll make you a lot of home food. Did you say you want to eat meat for dinner? With kimchi stew."

"Yes."

"Then go out and shop."

"⋯Yes?"

"Mom, you pricked her nostril yesterday, and she can't move in pain? I'll give you back the car keys for a while, so please go out and buy some meat~ I'll give you a card too~"

"⋯."

"If you don't have enough hands, take your little brother with you. Understand?"

"⋯Yes."

My mother's smiling face as she smiles and gives me her wallet and her car keys,

I missed it so much even though it's only been 2 weeks,

I didn't want to break it.

***

"⋯Brother. Why did you bring me out?"

"My mom told me to take you out too."

"Really?"

"It's true."

"⋯Didn't you just want to hang out with me?"

"I brought it out because I didn't have enough hands."

"I'm tired of cleaning."

"Then you shouldn't have followed me."

"How is it?"

"Why, you can ignore the long wait."

"It's not Oraebi, it's my brother."

"What kind of car is it?"

"⋯It's different anyway."

Simply wearing a sweatshirt and padding, I drove to a large supermarket.

When I went to the market chatting with Winter, I noticed that the cart was filled with enough food to eat for almost a week, not dinner.

Since it's a commemoration of the completion of the college entrance exam, I should write this much.

Pork, beef, ssam veggies, and everything else.

Since neither of them was well versed in seafood, I ended up buying only one salmon with a beautiful color.

"What, didn't we buy anything?"

"Uh… I don't think there is."

"⋯Let's do the calculations and go."

"Huh."

After paying the bill, I walked away holding two sticks in both hands, and Gye-ryeol opened my left hand, put his right hand on one of the envelope handles, and began to share.

"⋯What is it, ambiguously holding only half."

"I thought it would be heavy."

"If it seems heavy, why don't you just lift one whole instead of half?"

"I'm not saying that my brother will be heavy to lift. It sounds like it will be heavy for me to lift."

"The weight is out of balance because it costs like this."

"That's because your brother is tall."

"You're not particularly small, are you?"

"Still… He's small compared to my brother."

"It can't be helped because the genders are different."

"⋯I used to be really scared. It's like he's twice as tall as me."

"Hey, it wasn't even that much."

"It sounds like that's how it felt."

Well… Because I was already tall before entering high school.

Winter continued to grow even after I enlisted.

If you headbutt me now, my jaw will break, roughly 170? I want it to be a little smaller than that.

I like it because I like to cuddle.

"⋯Brother."

"Why."

"⋯The back of my hand is itchy."

"It could be."

"That… No matter how outside…"

"I'm doing it because it's outside."

"⋯."

"⋯Look at me. Didn't you sleep well last night because you were lonely?"

"⋯Not even a child."

"You're right. You or me."

"I am not a child."

"Wherever you look."

"I had my ID card, I took the CSAT, and I also did that."

"⋯What is that?"

"⋯Are you going to keep playing around?"

"Uh."

Unlike me, Winter, who had a free hand, hit my forearm hard, but

It didn't hurt.

As always.

***

Rubbing the back of the hand and the back of the hand,

After returning to the parking lot in line with each other, we loaded our luggage into the trunk.

I stopped Winter from getting into the passenger seat and grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards me.

I almost lost my balance and fell, then rested on my chest and turned my head to glare at me.

I like the rebellious eyes,

He put his arms under his chest and hugged him from behind.

"⋯Winter."

"⋯Why are you suddenly like this, oppa?"

"You are good at lying."

"⋯Something."

"I couldn't even make eye contact with my mother."

"Because me and my brother are different."

"What is different?"

"⋯ How long has it been since you liked me?"

"⋯."

Aware of love,

When was the last time you started recognizing him as Winter rather than as a younger brother?

Pretend not,

Should I include the time I pretended not to know?

Should I measure from the point of crossing the line?

Not sure either way, but

At least the fact that it was after he was discharged was certain.

Not very long,

A time of about four months at most.

Time is too short for people to change.

"I'm… Much taller than you."

"⋯How old are you?"

"Secret."

"When will you let me know."

"When the time comes."

"⋯I've liked you longer than I have, so I have a different mindset. You mean that?"

"Huh. ⋯Because I worried more."

"⋯Can I pretend to be shameless if I worry a lot like you?"

"Do I look shameless in your eyes?"

"Uh."

"⋯You have to change, oppa too. Like me."

Four months is too short a time,

Actually I haven't changed at all.

In the original ideal,

It's just that winter came just in time.

To the point of ignoring the disqualification of being siblings.

Because it fits so well

Like,

Like it was made for me

Face too,

Hair too,

Smell,

Chest too,

Personality too,

⋯ Everything, even the secret places.

"⋯ What? We."

"⋯Is it difficult?"

"Rather than being difficult… I don't know. ⋯ Will I be able to hide it well without getting caught? I."

"You will do well. ⋯Because you're my brother."

"I've already been caught by your friend, and almost by your sister."

"Because you made a good excuse… It will be fine. Maybe."

"⋯Actually I don't think others have been duped."

"⋯ Then?"

"I think it's because it's comfortable to pretend to be fooled."

"⋯."

"Listening to my older sister, I was a bit distracted. If you think Yohan and Anna are doing the same thing as we do… Honestly, no matter what I say, I don't think it will be heard as an excuse."

"⋯."

That day, when my sister saw us for the first time,

Did she really ask if I was her girlfriend because she thought I was sleeping with her?

Or not,

Was it because I couldn't understand it with my head?

I seemed to know now.

"Hey, winter."

"Yes."

"I told you to stay at home as brother and sister."

"Huh."

"⋯No matter what happens, let's never let Mom find out."

"⋯."

"Even if everyone else sees you as strange, points fingers at you and curses at you… Let's pretend we're not as good as Mom."

"Yes."

"⋯I said I learned it in the army. It's nothing if you don't get caught."

"I heard that to the point of getting sick of it."

"When both of them graduate, they either go to the provinces or overseas… Let's pretend that she isn't a brother and sister."

"⋯I'll think about it."

"What, why don't you agree right away?"

"I'm going to propose, but this outfit is a bit…"

"…Should I have prepared a ring?"

"You don't need a ring. ⋯Because I can't get married."

"⋯I'll buy you a necklace later."

"Yes."

Hiding behind a car borrowed from her mother,

Hug her without seeing her face,

A story whispered in each other's ear.

It was sweet enough

Rather than your favorite hazelnut latte,

It had a bit more bitter taste.