Ch.81My Brother (8)

The small stainless steel cup that Ban Do-young launched instantly drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

Her face was already optimized to attract attention even when doing nothing, so even her smallest actions would catch eyes. But what she just did would have put anyone at the center of attention.

If there had been just a few more people at this table, live videos might have already been streaming on social media or YouTube.

“Hey you, what do you think you’re doing!”

“I’m sorry, that’s why I brought tissues to clean up.”

She wiped the women’s cheeks and mouths with tissues she’d pulled from the restaurant’s tissue box.

“Wup! Uuup!”

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. Got a lot on you, didn’t I? Pork cutlet sauce and pickle juice all over. Don’t worry. I’ll clean it all off for you.”

“S-stop it…! You’re removing my makeup! I have to work the counter later!”

“Hmm? A lady like you would look pretty even without makeup. You’re confident enough to judge someone else’s face, so you must be overflowing with confidence about your own, right?”

“Huwup, I said stop it!”

-Thud!

Just as I was wiping the lips of the female employee who had been insulting Doha-min, a strong hand with considerable weight grabbed my forearm. The hand that briefly flashed in my vision looked even larger than Doha-min’s.

“That’s enough.”

A man lifted Ban Do-young’s arm as easily as picking up a twig. At first, I thought it was the restaurant owner rushing over because of the commotion, but that wasn’t it.

“What’s with you, military uncle? Why are you grabbing my hand?”

“It’s not your hand, it’s your arm.”

“…”

The one who intervened to stop me was none other than one of the soldiers those women had been mocking earlier with talk of “military vacations” and whatnot.

‘Damn, he’s huge… must be over 190cm.’

While I was slightly surprised by the size of his forearm and hand, what shocked me most was his build and sturdy shoulders, so large that even someone of Ban Do-young’s height had to look up to see his face.

Perhaps he was in special forces or worked as a drill instructor. He had the look of someone who could intimidate others just by standing there.

Despite being the subject of mockery in these women’s conversation, this man had grabbed Ban Do-young’s arm as if it were the most natural thing to do, approaching to prevent the situation from escalating.

Having experienced military service in my original world, I knew how dangerous it was for soldiers on leave to get involved in social troubles.

No military teaches its soldiers to directly intervene in public disturbances. Soldiers can be punished for being part of a commotion even if they’re just on the receiving end of a beating, let alone fighting back.

Was it his sense of justice?

Or was it just unnecessary meddling?

“H-hyung…! I told you not to get involved in pointless fights! If something goes wrong, we’re the only ones who’ll get screwed!”

The junior soldier who had come on leave with him showed a perfectly normal reaction, surrounding the soldier who had come to stop me.

“D-Do-young. Let’s stop now.”

“Doha-min…”

Doha-min also approached me right after the soldier grabbed my arm, trying to stop me.

“I-I’m used to hearing such things. It’s nothing new. I’m really fine, so let’s just stay put.”

“…Let go for a moment.”

I put down the woman I was holding, brushed off Doha-min’s hand from my shoulder, and spoke to the soldier who had grabbed me first.

“Excuse me, military uncle, these women were insulting you guys earlier, calling you ‘military vacationers’ and stuff. I was trying to get back at them for that too, so can’t you just stay out of it? Getting involved here won’t do you any good either.”

“Yeah, hyung… You don’t have much time left in service, and you don’t want it extended. Just leave them be. They’ll sort it out themselves.”

“No, I can’t.”

Despite his junior’s urging, the man looked down at me without blinking and said:

“Stop. Don’t fight anymore. This is a warning.”

“Why? Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“Because I’m worried. If you get hurt or something.”

“…What?”

What the hell did this guy just say?

“…Hyung?”

“…”

For a moment, I stood there stunned after hearing the soldier’s words. It felt like this man had stolen something very important from me.

“Hey, hey-! How could you say that!”

I shouted at the soldier, my face flushing red. Yes, this guy had definitely stolen something very important from me—the boyfriend move that Doha-min should have made.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry! Our senior has a habit of sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong… Hyung, let’s go. Okay? Let’s try to eat our meal peacefully and leave? So we don’t cause trouble for the owner or other customers?”

“Uh… wait.”

“What do you mean ‘wait’? Pretending to be innocent while flirting with a high school girl, seriously! When I mentioned how pretty that high school girl was, you just listened quietly, but behind my back, you were planning to charm her first? First come, first served, is that it? That’s so underhanded, hyung!”

“No, I…”

“Enough, come over here! Just eat your food!”

Eventually, the exasperated junior dragged his senior soldier back to their table.

“Hey, let’s go!”

“S-senior! Just a moment! Owner, I’ll pay for this!”

“Hey, where do you think you’re going! Apologize for insulting Doha-min’s face before you leave!”

“Hmph! Just try coming to our dental clinic! I’ll tell our doctor to make it extra painful when kids from your school come for scaling!”

“You age-inappropriate old hag?”

The female employees who had caused the commotion also fled the restaurant without looking back.

“Um… the pork cutlets just came out, so I’ll bring them over… Did something happen with the customers at the other table, student?”

“Ah… I’m sorry, owner. For cutting off potential regular customers. They seemed to work at a dental clinic nearby.”

“No, it’s fine. They always responded with ‘Hmm, I guess so’ whenever I asked if my wife’s pork cutlets were delicious, never giving a single compliment. They always complained the portions were unnecessarily large and left food behind. I didn’t like that either.”

“Owner…”

“Here, eat before it gets cold, students. You must be hungry at your age.”

“Thank you, and this restaurant’s pork cutlets are the most delicious in the world.”

-Thumbs up

The owner gave a thumbs up instead of replying and returned to the kitchen. On our table were two plates of steaming king-sized pork cutlets that the owner had just served.

Somehow, I hadn’t particularly liked this owner’s excessive friendliness before. But after today, I felt like I might become a regular too.

“Since you said you’re tired of hearing apologies… I’ll say thank you. For getting angry on my behalf.”

“Of course I should. We’re dating, after all. On a contract basis. Though it would have been better if you had come to stop me before that soldier uncle did.”

“I-I tried to stop you as quickly as possible… but that soldier rushed over first. He must be someone with a strong sense of justice. Quick in action and decision-making too.”

“Yeah, and I caught a glimpse of him earlier—he was really handsome too.”

“He… he seemed to be interested in you…”

“…What are you trying to say?”

I asked Doha-min, who was hanging his head.

“Isn’t that the type most girls like…? Tall, handsome, considerate… you know, like an alpha male.”

“Where did you learn such terms? Hey, cut up the pork cutlet. It’s getting cold.”

“Huh? Oh, okay…”

Doha-min quickly cut his king-sized pork cutlet into bite-sized pieces.

“I’ve cut it all.”

“Yeah? Then feed me.”

“Huh…?”

-Ahhh

I slightly opened my mouth toward Doha-min.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to give me any? Are you going to eat it all yourself?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Hurry up. You lost the chance to make a boyfriend move because you came later than that soldier uncle. So make up for it now with this.”

“…Okay, I got it.”

Doha-min selected a piece that would fit in my mouth and fed it to me. A perfect bite of sweet sauce and well-fried meat crossed my tongue.

“Wow, delicious.”

“Haha, you look really happy.”

“Men are creatures who can live on just pork cutlets, spicy pork, kimchi stew, and Zero Lime until they die.”

“M-men…?”

“Never mind, give me another bite. Ahhh.”

This restaurant’s pork cutlets were truly excellent. The sauce was thick, the meat plentiful, and above all, the price of 6,500 won enhanced the value of this taste.

Cost-effectiveness. This is an extremely important factor. It’s a precious value that allows mutual satisfaction even with little money.

Thanks to this, we could visit relatively burden-free even when our pockets weren’t doing well at the end of the month after exams.

“Thank you for the meal! Owner, we’d like to pay! Doha-min, did you enjoy it?”

“Y-yes. Fortunately, I still have about 13,000 won left in my account…”

“Thank you, two king-sized pork cutlets. That’s 15,000 won.”

“…What?”

Doha-min looked at the owner with a stunned face, and of course, I felt the same after hearing the price.

I’m sure I taught Doha-min math properly, but why does it seem like he still can’t do basic arithmetic?

“Isn’t a king-sized pork cutlet 6,500 won here?”

“Ah, sorry, students. Flour and egg prices have gone up so much lately that we had to raise the price to 7,500 won… That’s how it is.”

“Eek. W-what should we do… I’m a little short on money…”

“What? Don’t you have money in your account?”

“Well… I overspent a bit buying Zero Lime and coffee throughout the exam period…”

Ah, that’s right. I remember now. Well, can’t be helped.

“Come on, Doha-min. Owner, I’ll pay.”

-Beep

[Insufficient balance in account.]

“What?!”

“The female student’s pay is showing insufficient balance too…?”

Damn it. If only I hadn’t splurged on the [Mari★Hana] 3.5th Anniversary Festival gacha the day before yesterday. If only Swimsuit Marina-chan and Swimsuit Harina-chan hadn’t cost me a fortune, I would have had enough left.

“Um… Owner. Do you need a dishwashing part-timer? Doesn’t Doha-min look like he’d be good at washing dishes?”

“B-Ban Do-young…?”

“Well, if you don’t have money right now, you can pay what you have and the rest next time…”

“Owner, I’ll pay. Please include these friends’ bill with mine.”

At that moment, the nosy soldier uncle who had stopped me earlier stepped between Doha-min and me, holding out his National Love Card.

“W-what? Uncle, why are you paying for what we ate?”

“…”

“D-don’t tell me you’re expecting some pure love boy thing in return for buying us a meal—”

-Flick!

The soldier’s large hand accurately flicked the center of Ban Do-young’s forehead. It was a heavy yet swift flick that felt somehow familiar.

“Ouch…!”

“Save your allowance. You should at least treat your friend properly.”

“Ow, why did you hit me! I’m going to report you to the Ministry of Defense!”

“Heh, Taek, let’s go.”

“Y-yes, let’s go! Hyung!”

“Come again, customers!”

With a winking smile, the soldier left the restaurant, taking his junior with him.

“Ugh, what’s with him acting like a caring boyfriend since earlier…”

“Hyung…! Wait for me! Sol-young hyung!”

“…Sol-young?”

Strange. I’m sure I’ve heard that name somewhere before.

“No way…”

“D-Do-young, where are you going?”

I left Doha-min in the restaurant for a moment and ran after the soldiers who had just gone outside.

Maybe it was because of the height difference, but although I thought not much time had passed, quite a distance had already opened between us.

“Hey! Buzz cut!”

I shouted toward the soldier duo who were about to cross the street at a traffic light. Even if they didn’t respond to “hey,” they would have to respond to “buzz cut.” Thanks to that, I was barely able to catch up with the two who were far ahead.

“Oh, Sol-young hyung. That high school kid from earlier. Could she be coming because she’s interested in you?”

“Haa… haa… Why do you walk so fast?”

“See? Everyone says you walk fast, hyung. Girls say it’s exhausting just trying to keep up with you.”

After rushing down a slope in one breath, I caught my breath for a moment, then looked up at the senior soldier.

More precisely, I looked at his chest where his name was written. It was hard to make out the name without focusing, as it was black lettering on a military green background.

“Ban… Sol-young.”

[Ban Sol-young]

That was what was written on the soldier’s chest.

That towering height.

That handsome face.

That familiar flick.

And a name that differed by just one character from Ban Do-young.

Plus his military status.

No matter how vast the world is, with this much circumstantial evidence, it’s as good as confirmed.

The person standing before my eyes was undoubtedly Ban Do-young’s older brother.

My brother.

Ban Sol-young.

“Hey.”

I called out to the brother I was meeting face to face for the first time, boldly extending my left hand.

“Give me some karaoke money.”

Finally met you.

My money source.