Episode 23
“What’s up?”
Joon-wan pressed the intercom button, his voice trembling.
“What do you mean ‘what’s up’? I was worried about my little brother, so I came to visit on your day off. Open the door.”
Joon-hyeok’s voice echoed from the speaker.
“…”
Joon-wan’s face paled.
It wasn’t like he was secretly raising a dog or a cat.
It was a woman, at least in appearance.
“Hold on, I left the stove on.”
He hurriedly ended the call, his voice strained.
He and his brother were close, but they didn’t just show up at each other’s homes unannounced.
‘Why? Why now?’
No, he didn’t want to know.
He wasn’t curious about why Joon-hyeok had suddenly come all the way to Yongdam City. He had a more pressing matter to attend to.
He rushed to the living room. Hanin, lying on the sofa, looked up at him with an innocent expression.
“What’s wrong?”
He grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Transform into an earthworm, now.”
“No.”
She frowned at his sudden request.
“Why should I?”
She looked confused.
“Ugh…”
Explaining the situation would take too long.
“Ugh…”
He bit his lip, suppressing a groan, and lifted her off the sofa.
“If you’re not going to transform, stay in this room. Understand?”
“Wait, what?”
He carried her to the guest room and closed the door. He heard her protesting from inside for a moment before silence fell.
‘She’ll be fine, right?’
He wiped the sweat off his forehead and headed back to the entrance. But as he caught his breath, something struck him as odd.
‘Why did my brother come here?’
He had given Joon-hyeok his address, but this was his brother’s first visit. And Joon-hyeok wasn’t the type to surprise people. He would have called first, even if it was something important.
‘What is it?’
He checked his phone for missed calls and found a text message.
“Joon-wan, where are you? Want to grab a coffee with your brother if you’re free?”
“Or, let’s have dinner. I have something to tell you.”
The messages didn’t explain why he was here.
‘Why?’
He felt like a thief with a guilty conscience. A shiver ran down his spine as he opened the door.
“Hey, Joon-wan.”
Joon-hyeok greeted him.
“Why did it take you so long to open the door?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Here, take this.”
He handed Joon-wan several bags.
“Mother wanted you to have these.”
“Does Mother know you’re here?”
“Yes. Why? Am I not allowed to visit you?”
Joon-wan narrowed his eyes and accepted the bags, his body blocking the entrance.
“So, can I come in?”
Joon-hyeok tilted his head, his expression puzzled.
“Is your place messy or something? You’re always so tidy.”
“…”
“You’re not going to offer your brother a cup of tea after he came all this way, are you?”
It was too early for any cafes to be open. Joon-wan bit his lip, but he had no choice. Refusing to let his brother in would be even more suspicious.
He stepped aside, and Joon-hyeok entered, asking,
“Do you really live like this?”
Joon-wan didn’t answer, even though he knew it wasn’t his mess. Joon-hyeok continued to look around, asking questions.
“Were you cooking? You eat breakfast now? You never ate breakfast, even in high school. You said it made your brain foggy.”
“That was ages ago. I eat breakfast now.”
He replied curtly, brewing coffee.
“But that’s a lot of food for one person…”
His brother’s observation was sharp.
“Are you going to keep pestering me?”
Joon-wan snapped, feeling cornered. Joon-hyeok sat down at the table, his expression concerned.
It would be strange to stop cooking now, so he made his brother a cup of coffee and finished preparing the scrambled eggs, sausages, and pancakes.
“Want some?”
“I already ate.”
“…”
And so, Joon-wan, who normally skipped breakfast, found himself sitting across from his brother, eating breakfast with a cup of coffee.
“They say the rain hasn’t stopped in this area. Everything felt damp on my way here. Are you okay?”
Joon-wan felt another pang of guilt at his brother’s casual question about the weather.
“It’ll stop soon.”
“I hope so…”
For a while, the only sounds were the clinking of coffee cups and the scraping of cutlery against plates.
“…”
“…”
Joon-wan waited for his brother to reveal the reason for his visit, but Joon-hyeok maintained a calm expression, not saying a word.
“So?”
“Huh?”
He wished his brother would leave soon.
“So, why are you here?”
Joon-hyeok stared at him silently for a long moment. His strange behavior made Joon-wan uneasy.
“…Joon-wan.”
“Yeah?”
He set down his half-empty coffee cup and spoke.
“I’m emigrating.”
“What?”
“So, Mother told me to try to convince you to move back to Seoul if I’m leaving.”
Rumble! Boom!
Thunder roared and lightning flashed outside. The explosive sound made Joon-wan turn his head instinctively before looking back at his brother.
“Emigrating? Why… What? How can you just decide this suddenly…”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I was going to tell you the last time you visited, but things didn’t work out.”
It was a bolt from the blue.
Their father had been the CEO of a prominent shipping company.
Normally, in such a situation, the two brothers would be engaged in a fierce rivalry to inherit their father’s business. However, neither of them had ever shown any interest in their father’s company.
The elder brother, significantly older than his sibling, had chosen to become a psychiatrist, entering medical school despite his academic prowess. Their parents had then placed their hopes on the younger son, assuming he would take over the business. However, Joon-wan, who had seemed to be casually pursuing folklore as a hobby, suddenly decided to become a scholar, abandoning any plans to join the company.
It was a devastating blow to their parents.
Their father had passed away prematurely, and their mother had inherited the business. The two brothers had been deflecting their parents’ pressure to take over the company, shifting the responsibility onto each other.
‘But why suddenly? Was this the important thing you wanted to talk about over dinner?’
And now, one of the pillars was suddenly disappearing. Joon-wan barely managed to collect his thoughts.
“Emigrating? What do you mean?”
Joon-hyeok spoke with a resolute tone, as if his decision was final.
“Well, I received a great opportunity. A research position opened up at a place I’ve always wanted to work. I didn’t think I would get it, so I didn’t tell you beforehand.”
“What did Mother say?”
“…”
He smiled wryly and stared at Joon-wan, his expression saying, ‘What do you think she said?’ Joon-wan felt embarrassed.
“What can she do? She’s heartbroken. She tried to change my mind, but when that failed, she packed all these things for you, hoping you might reconsider moving back to Seoul. She’s just doing what she can.”
“…”
“I can’t disobey her, especially since I’m leaving everything to you and emigrating. So, I decided to visit you while I’m here.”
“Is it final?”
“Yes, that’s why I have some free time now. I’ve transferred most of my patients to my colleagues and I’m in the final stages of handing over my responsibilities.”
“…”
Joon-wan was speechless, his stomach churning. He took a sip of coffee.
“As you know, I’m not here to force you to take over the business. I’m just here to tell you about my plans and see you.”
“…”
“I was also worried about you after your last visit. How are you doing? Are you okay? Have you had any more episodes where you couldn’t distinguish between dreams and reality?”
He wasn’t okay. The rain hadn’t stopped, and he was now living with an earthworm.
Slurp.
He kept sipping his coffee, unable to speak. The cup was soon empty. He felt a growing unease about the closed door behind him.
‘Will she be alright?’
Hanin was surprisingly perceptive, but he hadn’t explained the situation properly. She could burst out of the room in her pajamas at any moment.
“Want another cup of coffee, brother?”
“Joon-wan.”
Joon-hyeok, who had been observing him intently, spoke as he stood up to refill his cup.
“Are you seeing someone?”
“Gasp.”
Joon-wan inhaled sharply. His brother wasn’t a psychic, but his words sent a chill down his spine.
“What?”
“I was putting away the food Mother gave you, and your fridge was full. There were fresh ingredients too. But you don’t cook.”
He was a mind reader.
“And you don’t eat breakfast. So, who’s changed you?”
He looked around the apartment.
“There’s a woman here, isn’t there? Who is she? You wouldn’t be involved with a student, given your ethics…”
“No!”
He raised his voice involuntarily.
“Why not? You’re healthy and perfectly capable. Are you not interested in dating?”
“Why is everyone so interested in my love life?”
“Because you’re not exactly unpopular, and you haven’t dated anyone in forever. Just tell me, are you choosing not to date, or are you unable to?”
Joon-wan frowned, refusing to answer.
“Did Mother send you on a mission or something?”
“What mission? I never listen to Mother. I’m just worried about you, especially since I’m leaving.”
“…”
“I have plenty of time. Come on, tell me. Do you have some trauma related to relationships that you haven’t told me about?”
He placed his empty cup under the coffee machine without answering. His mind raced.
‘He wants to drag this conversation out. How can I get him to leave or change the subject?’
And then it happened.
Rumble! Crash!
A sudden loud noise sent a shiver down his spine.