Knowing Brother-Chapter 45

The third game had started. It was a Jenga game. One by one, each player would take turns pulling ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) out sticks until the tower collapsed. The game had been going on for quite a while. When it was Choi Seolwoo's turn, a precarious tower stood before him.

It was obvious to anyone that no matter which stick Seolwoo pulled, it was unlikely the tower would survive. At that moment, Won Daeyoung rested his chin on his hand and grinned mischievously, teasing Ha Young-seo.

"Someone pulled out two sticks at once. I thought you were betting your life on this game."

"Ah, hyung...! It's not that I was risking my life, I'm just naturally delicate, you know?"

"I saw you concentrate and purse your lips, don't deny it."

"Ah, that's not it!"

In just their second meeting, the two were already growing close. Won Daeyoung, who had made an effort to be there, was now teasing someone to build rapport.

— The male is desperately courting the female to win her favor, using any means necessary, even sacrificing food, territory, and perhaps even his pride for the chance.

"......"

As Seolwoo reached for a precarious stick, he felt dizzy. At the same time, a massive swirl of emotions rose within him. It was an uncontrollable feeling. The voices of his friends attempting to distract him faded into the background.

At that moment, Won Daeyoung flicked a stick with his finger. The attention that had been on Seolwoo shifted to Daeyoung, and boos erupted. Seolwoo took advantage of the distraction, pulling out his phone and getting up from his seat.

"I'll be right back. I need to take a call. You all continue."

"Hey, you're leaving because you think the tower's going to collapse on your turn, aren't you?!"

Seolwoo stuck out his tongue and made an obscene gesture, then turned around, phone in hand, and opened the café door. He hurried down the stairs, littered with flyers and trash. He leaned against the wall with trembling hands, looking for a place to hide. Across the street, he spotted an arcade.

Barely managing to open the coin karaoke booth door, he sat down and opened his wallet, only to find he had no 500-won coins. He almost went to the coin exchange machine but ended up sitting on the booth seat instead.

His consciousness grew fuzzy, and his breath became erratic.

When he had leaned on the chair with his elbow, someone suddenly forcefully opened the door. It was Won Daeyoung. A strong scent of perfume filled the booth.

"Are you okay? Damn. Come here."

Won Daeyoung knelt down in front of Seolwoo and leaned his upper body back. His hand brushed just under Seolwoo's nose. Seolwoo pushed the hand away, but Daeyoung, unaffected by the push, continued to check on him.

"What's going on? Did something happen yesterday or today?"

As Seolwoo exhaled irregularly, a harsh realization hit him.

Seolwoo, in the end, you're just the kind of friend who causes Daeyoung to worry about malfunctioning. The desire, excitement, and pleasure of reaching the climax in the process of mating will never be directed at you, so there's no use suffering alone.

For a moment, his mind cleared up. That moment of clarity allowed him to ask Daeyoung one final question before losing consciousness.

"Hey, you... do you...?"

Do you have feelings for her?

"Huh? What did you say?"

"...Do you?"

"What do you mean? What are you looking for?"

"...Do you?"

Do you have feelings for her?

"Do you have 500 won...?"

And with those words, his memory cut off. When he opened his eyes again, the second verse of Namchon was playing.

By the time of the monthly report, there would be an additional malfunction recovery.

Daeyoung was still kneeling in front of Seolwoo. Seolwoo rubbed his forehead hard and muttered.

"I hate that Jenga game. What’s the point of building a tower to purposely knock it down? You spend so much time stacking it, and then it just crashes down when you pull out one stick. What’s the point of building it when you know it’s going to fall?"

They say that the hormones involved in romantic attraction don’t secrete after three years. So, what’s wrong with me? This will pass, it’ll all go away, I thought, and distanced myself, thinking everything would be fine. What’s the problem?

Could it be a problem with my dopamine and adrenaline systems?

If I still feel this way, am I the one with the problem?

Won Daeyoung chuckled.

"Did you really hate losing that Jenga game?"

"It’s not that. I hate it when the tower falls. It’s like everything you’ve built just shatters with one or two pulls."

"Is that really your stress?"

"Yeah. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have even started building the tower."

Seolwoo kept babbling nonsense to hide the pain in his chest. After holding back laughter, Daeyoung sighed deeply and wiped his face, then spoke.

"Next time, let’s build a tower that won’t fall, okay? I’ll bring super glue."

Would it have been better if Daeyoung hadn’t said that and just let it slide with nonsense? Wouldn’t that have been so much better...

Daeyoung naturally settled into Seolwoo’s group. Soon, their little group of five or six friends became well-known to the whole school.

Without realizing it, the two exchanged phone numbers, Ha Young-seo personally invited Daeyoung to the group chat, and when they studied late at the advanced class library, Seolwoo would open his phone to messages from Ha Young-seo saying she watched Daeyoung train.

Such little shocks added up over time, and Seolwoo became detached from all the pain.

What good is it to wish for things you can’t have?

Because, after his mind had cleared up, that was his only thought.

A few days later, with his fingers tingling and his head dizzy, he asked for leave from school. Seolwoo now knew how to recognize the signs of a malfunction. During break time, when he was quietly walking around the school yard, Ha Young-seo came running from afar. She was also on her way to the practice room after taking leave.

She got close to Seolwoo and whispered.

"Daeyoung-hyung, is he normally careful about dating?"

"...Why?"

"It’s the first time he confessed."

Seolwoo, quietly picturing the situation in his head, asked nonchalantly.

"What did he say?"

"He said he’s thinking about it."

"He’s thinking about it...?"

He knew very well that that was a polite way of rejecting someone. Ha Young-seo noticed the tone in Seolwoo’s voice and quickly shook her head.

"If Daeyoung-hyung wanted to reject me, he would have done it right away. Do you think he’s the type to beat around the bush?"

"...No."

Her logic was sound. Daeyoung wouldn’t hesitate to reject someone if he didn’t want to, and he wouldn’t keep someone hanging. That was not Daeyoung’s style. When Seolwoo tilted his head seriously, Ha Young-seo hesitated before speaking again.

"Well... Daeyoung-hyung thought we’d end up together from the start. So he wanted to get close to all of us as a family."

Even if that was the case, why does Daeyoung need to be involved in my dating? And... that means, even if Seolwoo ended up dating Ha Young-seo, it wouldn’t affect Daeyoung emotionally. For Daeyoung, Seolwoo’s relationship wasn’t a matter of emotional turmoil, but simply something he was offering as an act of goodwill, bringing her into his circle.

Just as Seolwoo was trying to push away the painful thoughts, the curse words behind him jolted him awake.

"Fucking hell... Where the hell is that bastard going?"

Seolwoo turned his head towards the unfamiliar voice. A few third-year students who had been bothering Ha Young-seo were standing at a distance.

"Won Daeyoung is a piece of shit."

Seolwoo stopped in his tracks. Kang Jonghyuk was squatting by a flower bed, snickering, while the others posed exaggeratedly, asking what they had just heard. Ha Young-seo’s face turned pale.

Not wanting to engage, Seolwoo took Ha Young-seo’s arm and led her forward.

"Let’s go," he said, pulling her elbow, as they started walking. The mocking voices continued from behind.

"Going to the practice room, huh?"

"Practice? What practice? He probably spent all his energy sucking off Daeyoung."

Seolwoo immediately understood why Daeyoung had tried to bring them closer. He was trying to prevent these twisted obsessions from the third years from reaching Ha Young-seo.

Seolwoo stopped, placed Ha Young-seo in front of him, and walked towards the group.

"I think you know more about Daeyoung-hyung’s situation than I do."

Kang Jonghyuk stood up. Realizing Seolwoo was there, he roughly scratched his chin. His eyes scanned Seolwoo, quickly figuring out his next move. One of the guys, wearing a pricey wristwatch, sneered.

"Wow, taking sides. Are you two sharing the same hole now?"

"..."

"How do you think Daeyoung-hyung spends his time? You think he hasn’t slept with her? You’re probably enjoying the benefits of being close to him."

"Can you stop talking nonsense and have a normal conversation?"

Kang Jonghyuk, who had been shaking his legs while laughing, lowered his voice.

"Hey, stop poking fun. Your friend, if his hamstring tears, his life is over, you know?"

In the ecosystem, there is no way to gain power without bloody power struggles. This has been an unchanging truth since the dawn of human civilization. Seolwoo didn’t flinch in the face of his violent threats.

"No. That guy will just live off his family’s money and play around for the rest of his life. Why would he ruin his reputation with a criminal record?"

Kang Jonghyuk’s lips twisted briefly. Thanks to a teacher passing by, their confrontation ended right there.