Sweet Sugar Candyman

#10

There’s nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm

It took a long time to calm my flushed cheeks. However, even while feeling the warmth, there was no one to see, so I could proceed with what needed to be done.

I did the laundry, found a container for porridge in the pantry, and accurately divided the side dishes my aunt had made. Meanwhile, the washing machine announced that it had finished, but my older brother was still sleeping as if he had fainted.

I occasionally listened towards Saheon’s room, but even when I held my breath, I couldn’t hear anything. He seemed to be so tired that there was no tossing or mumbling.

Well, after a twelve-hour long-haul flight and helping me move, he couldn’t help but be exhausted.

Sinking into the unfamiliar sofa, I felt the quiet stillness. Habitually pressing my tired eyes, I picked up my phone as it began to lightly blink.

「Korea National University French Literature Department Group Chat」

「Start of Semester Notice: 3/4 at 11 AM, Location: Hanseong University Cheolmaegwan 3rd Floor Room 305.

※Attendance is mandatory※ Account: 110-…」

I pulled down the top bar to check today’s date. I already knew, but I checked once more just in case.

Suddenly, a sigh escaped me. I would officially be a college student after this weekend, but since I had missed both the freshman welcome party and orientation, it was inevitable that worry outweighed excitement.

CHAPTER 02.

There’s nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm

While my older brother was asleep, I took some time to get accustomed to the still unfamiliar house. I drew the curtains, turned on the lights to brighten the room, and raised the heating a bit.

I prepared rice so that we could eat as soon as Saheon woke up, and while rummaging through the kitchen pantry, I found some dried seaweed that was on the verge of expiring and decided to make seaweed soup. Fortunately, there was a tiny bit of beef left in the freezer.

Not knowing how long the beef had been there, I was a bit worried about its expiration date, but I decided to follow my aunt’s philosophy that freezing food makes the expiration date disappear.

I sautéed the thawed meat in sesame oil, then added the soaked seaweed and stirred it over medium heat until a savory smell wafted up. After the seaweed changed color, I filled the pot with water and boiled it for a while before seasoning it with minced garlic and soy sauce, and it turned out just right for my taste. Since both Saheon and I had eaten more of my aunt’s cooking than my mom’s since we were kids, I felt reassured that our tastes would be similar.

While the soup was boiling, I took half of the stir-fried pork that my uncle had made for us to share. Looking at the pan filled with meat, it seemed like it would be enough to fill the table.

After finishing the meal preparations, I looked around to see if there was anything else to do and remembered my older brother’s words about choosing furniture, so I opened my laptop. After searching for beds and changing the filter to the lowest price, I found beds that were cheap but not exactly inexpensive.

Having learned the prices of furniture for the first time in my life, I widened my eyes at the screen that started at least 200,000 won. With that amount, I could buy ten chickens. After a moment of contemplation, I decided to stick to my original plan and found the cheapest bed to keep open in one window.

Once I finished searching for furniture, there was nothing else that came to mind. Meal preparation was complete, laundry was done, and I had found furniture. As I sat there idly wiggling my feet, I checked the time. It was 7:30 PM.

I had planned to go buy what we needed once my older brother woke up, but looking at the time, I started to worry that it might be too late for him to wake up and eat.

I calculated when Saheon had fallen asleep. I thought it was just past 4 when I started the laundry. That meant he had only slept for three hours, and I was torn about whether I should wake him up, considering how tired he must be after working.

The house was filled with the comforting scent of fabric softener and diffuser, along with the delicious aroma of food. I sniffed a few times and gently rubbed my hungry stomach.

Surely, my older brother hadn’t said when he wanted to be woken up. I noticed a few items I needed to buy while preparing the food, but they weren’t urgent. By the time I concluded that it would be fine to let him sleep soundly and wake him up tomorrow to go to the store, I began to wonder if he had to go to work tomorrow.

A wave of worry surged up. What if I left Saheon, who was sleeping like the dead, and he ended up being late the next day? I bit my lip and frowned as I cautiously headed towards his room.

Gripping the doorknob, I slowly turned it down, and the door opened silently. Saheon’s room, untouched by the smell of food, was filled with his scent. Greedily inhaling the intoxicating aroma, I quietly approached the bed where he lay.

Hyung was sprawled on the bed, not making a sound, lost in deep sleep. If it weren’t for the slow rise and fall of his back, I might have mistaken him for being unconscious.

He was wrapped in comfortable clothes that he wore at home. While the sharp uniform looked good, I found his relaxed appearance in casual wear much more appealing.

Seeing him sleep so soundly, I thought it would be better to let him continue resting. I pulled the blanket up to his calves.

“Sleep well.”

I whispered almost inaudibly. Unless the faint sound escaped, it was barely a movement of my lips. I tried to tiptoe out of the room. But at that moment, my older brother’s voice caught me.

“…Mungmung.”

The faint, mumbling sound was lower than usual. Saheon, who had let out a low, muffled groan, furrowed his brow. I quickly blocked the light with my back against the door. Saheon, who had been groaning, asked in a drowsy voice.

“What time is it?”

“It’s 7:30. Did I wake you? Sorry. Go back to sleep.”

“No, I need to get up.”

Even as he said that, Saheon, still frowning, lingered for a moment before finally sitting up after letting out several sighs. I felt guilty for waking him and mumbled an apology.

“Sorry….”

“It’s fine. I had to get up anyway.”

Saheon splashed some water on his face, trying to shake off the drowsiness. As he rubbed his rough cheeks with his palm, he seemed to have shaken off some of the sleepiness and spoke with clearer eyes than before.

“It smells delicious.”

“Yeah, my uncle made stir-fried pork for you, and I cooked it.”

“It sounds good.”

Hyung, who had answered casually, raised one eyebrow as if he noticed something was off. Perhaps because he had just woken up, he seemed to be struggling to think clearly, and with a puzzled expression, he finally spoke.

“…Did you do it all by yourself?”

“Well, I did, but… my uncle made everything, so I just touched it up.”

“Next time, let’s do it together.”

Saheon said sternly. Though my parents’ words about doing housework floated in my mind, I nodded in agreement for now. Hyung seemed satisfied with my response, and with a languid smile, he got up from his seat.

“Shall we try some of what our Mungmung made, then?”

Fully sitting up, Hyung was dressed from head to toe. I had already seen him lying on the bed, so I knew that, but somehow, I felt a bit disappointed that he didn’t look like he had just showered.

As my gaze slowly traveled down from the top to the bottom, it paused around Saheon’s waist. At a glance, it looked like he might be aroused, but his clothes seemed to hide it well.

My thoughts continued as I moved to the kitchen to serve the food I had prepared earlier. I filled a bowl with rice and transferred the soup while Saheon brought out the stir-fried pork and side dishes.

I sat across from the beautifully arranged table and watched as Saheon took out his phone to take a picture for proof.

Well, if it was well hidden, he could go about his daily life. If it weren’t, it would be obvious that everyone would be staring at that part of Saheon.

Having reached a trivial conclusion, I picked up my chopsticks as soon as Saheon finished taking the picture. Hyung, who quickly took a bite first, widened his eyes with chopsticks in his mouth. Although I hadn’t made the food, I couldn’t help but smile at his obvious enjoyment.

“It’s delicious. I’ll eat well.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I followed Hyung’s lead and took a bite of the side dishes. My uncle’s cooking was quite good too. A silent mealtime continued. The only noise in the kitchen was the sound of chewing, and my phone kept flashing. As Hyung quickly emptied his bowl, he said,

“I think I got a message.”

“Oh, this? It’s a group chat. I turned on the notifications just in case there was something important since I’m going to school on Monday, but I’ll turn it off again.”

I held my phone with the hand that wasn’t holding chopsticks. From across the table, I heard a short exclamation of surprise.

“Mungmung, you’re an adult now, right?”

“I’ve been for three months already.”

I replied lightly as I entered the group chat and turned off the notifications. Inside the chat, my classmates, who had already become close, were chatting away.

“Wow, once the semester starts, I’ll just be drinking for a while. Have you ever tried drinking?”

Saheon looked at me with curious eyes, as if he was enjoying this. I was about to answer obediently that I had only tried it once, but I quickly changed my response. It was a good opportunity to emphasize that I was now an adult.

“Yeah, I drank with my dad. I don’t get drunk, and I think I can handle strong drinks.”

“Really?”

Saheon burst into laughter. His bangs, which fell comfortably down to his eyebrows without wax, trembled slightly.

“Look at our Mungmung, all grown up.”

Although there was a playful tone in Hyung’s voice, I felt a bit teased. He poked at the braised tofu prepared as a side dish and lazily added,

“I was wondering when you’d grow up…”