Ch.83My Brother (10)

I tucked my now-bulging wallet into my pocket and returned to the store.

“Hey, Dopplepoong! Let’s go to karaoke! I’ll carry you! I just met my mom’s son and got some allowance… Huh?”

But when I got back to the store, Hamin wasn’t at the counter.

“What the hell, where did this bastard go?”

Strangely enough, whenever I took my eyes off Hamin for just a moment, he would constantly disappear from his original spot, vanishing somewhere or running off.

Despite acting like a model student at school and in front of his parents, he never seemed to listen when told to stay put.

It’s amazing how he managed to grow up until high school with that habit without getting separated from his mother.

“His bag… is still here.”

The backpack that had been on Hamin’s back just moments ago was now placed on the chair where we had been sitting.

What had been on his back right before paying at the counter had somehow returned to its place.

It was exactly where we had been sitting, specifically on Hamin’s seat, which could only be explained by Hamin himself having put it there.

“Hamin student, could you help with this too?”

“Ah, yes…!”

“Huh…?”

Amid the busy noises of the kitchen space, between the sound of running water and the hollow clanging of dishes colliding against stainless steel kitchen equipment, I heard the name ‘Hamin.’ Through those gaps, I could faintly make out what sounded like Hamin’s voice.

“Do Hamin…?”

While customers weren’t allowed to enter the kitchen area according to store policy, I was so certain of what I’d heard that I had no choice but to head in that direction.

*Squirt*

Just in case there was a hygienically strict chef who might throw a kitchen knife at the sudden intrusion of bacteria, I squeezed some hand sanitizer from the counter a couple of times, rubbed it on both hands, and carefully lifted the kitchen curtain to step inside.

“Oh, student Hamin. He’s helping with the dishes.”

“R-really?”

“That’s right. He’s thorough and surprisingly strong too. The part-timer we hired before was quite unsatisfactory… leaving subtle residue on plates and forks… in the end, my wife and I had to redo everything.”

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, Ban Doyoung…”

“Hey! Why are you washing dishes here?!”

Hamin, who had been planning to wash future Ms. Ban Doyoung, was clueless as he scrubbed plates used by other customers in the tonkatsu restaurant.

“Excuse me, owner! We paid in full! Why are you making him wash dishes here? He has other dishes to wash!”

“Uh… huh?”

“Whoa, whoa, Doyoung student, was it? Calm down. We didn’t ask him to do this; Hamin volunteered himself.”

“Even people trapped in salt farms as slaves say the same thing! That they’re staying because they want to! Just because you make delicious tonkatsu, does that mean you can grab some clueless kid and make him wash dishes?”

“I-I’m telling you, that’s not it! Hamin insisted he couldn’t just leave with the money those soldiers gave him, so he offered to at least wash dishes… we’re only letting him because we had no choice!”

“Hamin, is that true?”

“…Yeah.”

Hamin quietly nodded as he removed the radish-kimchi-colored rubber gloves from his hands.

“Sorry… I… I couldn’t accept paying for the tonkatsu with the money those people gave. No, I don’t think I could even say I enjoyed the meal.”

“What are you suddenly talking about? They gave us that money to eat, so why not?”

“I s-saw earlier… peeking outside… you hugging one of those soldiers…”

“…Huh?”

“Th-those people. They asked you to do something weird, right? Like hugging them or doing something else… That’s why you went to those soldiers before me…?”

“…”

“D-don’t agree to do such things next time… If you’re short on money like today, I’ll wash dishes or do whatever I can. I’ll always keep about 100,000 won in my pocket from now on so this doesn’t happen again, so please don’t fall for such temptations… I’d like that. I’m not joking… Please, Doyoung, value yourself even a little.”

“…”

You’re completely off base, you idiot.

You’ve got it all wrong.

Nothing like what you’re thinking happened.

If it had, I would have shut it down immediately.

He’s my brother, how could something like that happen?

Ah, since this is a webtoon world, I can’t completely deny it, can I?

No, even so, it definitely wouldn’t happen.

From my vague memories of sampling, <Half of Half-Do> didn’t have an #incest tag.

“Sigh…”

All sorts of harsh words rose up through Ms. Ban Doyoung’s throat to the tip of her tongue, but with a deep sigh, she let go of everything she was about to say to Hamin.

Since Hamin had no way of knowing the relationship between Ms. Ban Doyoung and Solyoung, it was understandable that he might interpret my earlier actions that way.

“So you’re washing dishes that don’t need washing by pleading with the owner? To pay for the tonkatsu?”

“…It’s my fault. It’s my fault for not realizing I didn’t have enough money before coming here.”

“Geez, I can’t believe this, I really can’t. Is this guy really the protagonist?”

How did they manage to make a guy like this the protagonist and finish with positive reviews?

That <Half of Half-Do> author.

*Squish*

I grabbed Hamin’s cheeks with both hands as he looked up at me with anxious eyes.

“Ow ow…! Why, why are you pinching me…?”

“Because you’re ugly. So you’ll grow taller and become handsome faster. Squeeeeeze.”

“Ah, it hurts… ahudaikka…”

*Stretch*

Whether he still had some baby fat from elementary school or not, despite his skinny frame, Hamin’s cheeks stretched longer and softer than I expected.

It felt just like pulling sticky rice cake with oil.

*Ping!*

When I let go, his cheeks snapped back into place like rubber bands.

I could understand why Solyoung mistook Hamin for an elementary school student with that elasticity.

“Owner, how many more dishes do I need to wash?”

“Ah, there are quite a few left. We haven’t finished clearing the lunch dishes yet.”

“Then I’ll help too.”

I rolled up my school uniform shirt sleeves and lifted my hair with both hands to tie it back.

It was a ponytail I often did when practicing kendo or doing housework to keep my hair from getting in the way.

“Do you have any extra rubber gloves? Small ones?”

“Ah, you can use my wife’s gloves. They have fleece lining inside, so your hands won’t get cold even in cold water.”

“Wow, fleece-lined!”

After putting on the fleece-lined rubber gloves from the owner, I stood next to Hamin at the sink where he was washing dishes.

“I-I’m fine, so Doyoung, you should go home first. I can do this alone, and I don’t want you to get involved.”

“I don’t want to.”

“W-why…?”

“Because I’m going to karaoke with you after this.”

If I wait for you to finish all those lunch dishes by yourself, the chances are high that the affordable karaoke place that offers 3 songs for 1,000 won will be fully booked.

I didn’t particularly like washing dishes and had no reason to do it, but I wanted to avoid waiting outside the karaoke place for others to finish singing because we arrived late due to Hamin.

“Hurry up. We need to get there before it fills up. The owner said you’re good at washing dishes, so you do the scrubbing. I’ll do the rinsing.”

“U-um… okay.”

Naturally, washing dishes together was much faster and easier than doing it alone.

The dishes and cooking utensils that would have taken 30-40 minutes for one person to handle started showing an end in less than 20 minutes thanks to Ms. Ban Doyoung’s emergency deployment.

“Oh my, our Pongpong is doing well. The small apron suits you too? Your future wife will adore you, heh heh.”

“…You too.”

“Huh? What about me?”

“The apron… Ban Doyoung, it suits you too.”

“…”

“P-ponytail too…”

“O-oh… thanks.”

*Cup-clang!*

While listening to Hamin’s words, I accidentally dropped the stainless steel cup he had soaped up into the sink.

Hamin’s compliment, filled with pure sincerity without a hint of playfulness, had something that made even the great Ms. Ban Doyoung shrink back a little.

“B-by the way, what did those soldiers say to you earlier?”

“Ah, they told me to spend it wisely with my friend. And not to eat too much junk food. Said my elementary school friend won’t grow tall.”

“E-elementary school? No matter what, I’m not that young… Of course, compared to that model-like soldier, I fall short… But elementary school is…”

“That’s what I said. He told me he was already taller than you, Hamin, when he was in elementary school. He was so tall that when he carried me and my little sister when we were young, everyone asked if we were his niece and nephew.”

“S-somehow, from earlier, that soldier… he sounds like someone very close to you…”

“Oh, he’s my mom’s son. Ban Solyoung, that guy.”

“…Huh?”

…

After finishing the dishes at the store, we arrived at the karaoke place.

Fortunately, there was exactly one room left at the affordable karaoke place that offered 3 songs for 1,000 won, so we could go in right away without waiting.

“S-so he was your brother… And I said such disrespectful things without knowing…”

“Woohoo, karaoke! How much should we put in? I got some allowance from our family’s eldest son earlier. The junior soldier with him was really nice too. Thanks to them, I think I’ll be comfortable until May.”

“N-now that I think about it, his face did look a bit like yours, Doyoung… Why didn’t I realize… It should have been easy to figure out if I’d just thought about it…”

“Hey, Hamin. How much should we put in? We should at least put in 3,000 won to really enjoy singing, right?”

“If I meet him again, I must apologize for the strange misunderstanding…”

“HEY!!”

*HOWLING*

Ms. Ban Doyoung’s shout, powered by her natural vocal projection, filled the room through the microphone.

“Eek…!”

“Hamin, are you ignoring me right now? Not paying attention?”

“S-sorry… What did you say earlier? I didn’t hear well…”

Perhaps it was because we had already spent the big event of studying together in Ms. Ban Doyoung’s room.

Despite entering this narrow, dark, humid space with flashy disco ball lights spinning—quite a sensual environment—Hamin showed no signs of being flustered or affected.

No, from the beginning, he didn’t seem to show any interest in Ms. Ban Doyoung at all.

Even now, he was making a face that suggested he hadn’t heard a word I said.

“You didn’t hear well? Then I’ll tell you up close.”

It seems our cherry boy’s education has been insufficient.

If that’s the case, I’ll have to teach him properly this time.

“W-whoa…! Why are you coming over here?!”

“Hehe, where do you think you’re going!”

I went behind Hamin, wrapped around him, and pressed my face close to his right ear.

“Hnngh…”

“Why are you closing your mouth tight? If you’re at karaoke, you should sing.”

“D-don’t get so close… Y-your breath is touching me.”

“I won’t let you go until we finish the [Mari★Huana] opening and ending medley duet.”

“I-I can’t sing… I got all C’s in my singing evaluations…”

“Sing anyway. I’ll only choose songs you know. You’re still my boyfriend, right?”

“Urk…”

The day is still far from over.

My contract boyfriend.

“Sing quickly. Before I blow in your ear.”

That day, until we used up all 5,000 won received from my brother,

we couldn’t leave the karaoke room.