Love Advice from My Brother
Beep beep beep—
Hayeon turned her gaze toward where the mechanical sound had come from. It was the front door of her house.
Creak— The door soon opened and a man stepped inside. The moment Hayeon saw his face, her entire body stiffened.
“B-Brother?”
“....”
He simply smiled without a word.
“Brother! What the heck, when did you get here?”
The instant she saw his face, Hayeon’s smile returned in a flash.
“I arrived from the States yesterday.”
“Then you should’ve told me ahead of time. Why come without saying anything? If I’d known, I would’ve gone to the airport to meet you.”
“Haha—that’s exactly why I didn’t.”
Hayeon’s brother looked at her and grinned slyly.
“Because watching you get so startled is entertaining. Hehe—”
He put on a mischievous expression.
“Ugh, what? Are you insane?”
Hayeon gave his arm a light smack.
“Ow— Even so, don’t start swinging at me.”
He clutched his arm dramatically, pretending it hurt.
“I didn’t hit you hard at all! You need to get hit more, brother. Maybe then you’ll come to your senses.”
Hayeon kept tapping his arm. At that moment—
Beep beep beep—
The mechanical sound rang out from the entrance again. This time an older, dignified-looking man entered. He was Jeong Hayeon’s father, Jeong Yangcheol.
“Father!”
Jeong Hayeon’s brother, Jeong Haesu, ran straight to him the moment he saw him.
“Oh! Son, when did you arrive?”
Jeong Yangcheol smiled warmly.
“I got in yesterday. But more importantly, Father, look at this.”
He rolled up his sleeve. His arm was covered in bruises—honorable scars earned from battling monsters.
“These are all because Hayeon keeps hitting me. It hurts so bad I could die.”
“What? When did I ever hit you that hard?”
“Father, please scold her. She can’t even greet her brother warmly after so long, and yet she keeps smacking me like this?”
“Brother. I’ll give you real bruises. Come here.”
Hayeon began inching toward Jeong Haesu. He quickly hid behind their father’s back.
“Brother, aren’t you coming out? What kind of cowardly act is this?”
“Hehe—”
Jeong Yangcheol simply chuckled softly without saying a word.
It had been a long time since the whole family had gathered like this.
“Hayeon, Haesu. Have you two eaten yet?”
They both shook their heads.
“Then good. Should this dad show off his cooking skills for the first time in a while?”
He said while rolling up his sleeves.
“You two sit on the sofa for a bit. And no fighting.”
Jeong Yangcheol narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
“Okay~”
The pair answered and headed to the sofa. The moment Jeong Haesu sat down, he grabbed the TV remote. His favorite soccer match soon began playing.
Hayeon snatched the remote from his hand and switched it to her favorite Korea Travel program. They bickered back and forth like that for quite a while. In the end, both gave up on watching TV altogether.
“Sigh. No wonder you’re not popular with girls, brother. That’s why you’re still a lifelong singleton. Ugh—”
“You’re a lifelong singleton too…”
“…Huh?”
“Isn’t it funny that you’re calling me a lifelong singleton when you’ve never dated either?”
“What… what nonsense is that? I’ve gotten tons of confessions, you know? You’ve never gotten a single one, right?”
“Oh. I’m so jealous. But then why haven’t you dated anyone?”
“…That’s none of your business, brother.”
Hayeon whipped her head away.
“Ah… so there’s someone you like, huh?”
Jeong Haesu’s face was full of playful mischief.
“Wh-what nonsense.”
Hayeon’s face burned bright red.
“It’s probably that Radeon guy, right?”
“…N-no it’s not?”
Hayeon stammered.
Jeong Haesu let out a small laugh.
“I saw that secret box in your room. It was packed with photos of that Radeon friend.”
“Why were you looking at that? Are you crazy?”
Hayeon jumped up and down in frustration.
Jeong Haesu chuckled again.
“It’s been almost eight years now, hasn’t it?”
“I don’t know.”
Hayeon turned her head sharply away.
“…Is it going well?”
Jeong Haesu asked, still staring at the ceiling.
Hayeon stared at him for a long moment. Then she let out a deep sigh.
“Brother. Then let me ask you just one thing.”
“Oh. What is it? Love advice? I’ve always wanted to try giving some.”
Jeong Haesu clenched both fists excitedly.
“Who said anything about love advice? It’s just about someone I know, so listen.”
“A story about an acquaintance? That’s perfect—”
Jeong Haesu grinned.
“There’s this person I know. She says she’s liked a certain guy for a really long time.”
“Yeah. And?”
“But that guy doesn’t look her way at all. He already likes someone else.”
“Hmm—”
“Even so, she just can’t stop liking him. No matter what she does.”
“…”
“Then another guy approaches this acquaintance of mine.”
“Yeah.”
“Even though he knows she likes someone else, he keeps making advances. And he says he’ll wait for her to come to him.”
“Yeah. So?”
“What do you think that acquaintance should do?”
“Hmm—”
Jeong Haesu stared at the ceiling for a long time.
“How old is the guy who says he’ll wait for her?”
“Seventeen.”
“He’s pretty mature for that age. Waiting for her to give up on the other guy and come to him. He must have grown up receiving a lot of love from his parents.”
“Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”
“People who didn’t grow up loved by their parents usually try to fill that void through the person they like. They want to feel loved.”
“…”
“On the other hand, people who grew up loved by their parents don’t have that sense of deficiency, so they can afford to wait for the other person with ease.”
“….”
Hayeon lowered her head deeply. Nam Doyun—his parents were killed by Demonic Humans. He must have grown up without receiving any parental love at all. So he must have been filled with the desire to receive from others the love he never got from his parents.
But even so, he had been mature. Instead of pressing her for affection, he had said he would wait until she came to him. Hayeon couldn’t even begin to imagine the depth of loss he had endured. Both parents murdered by Demonic Humans—and he had been less than ten years old. How profound must that loss have felt? How much pain had he carried? Yet he never showed any of it. She hadn’t even guessed until she heard it from Cha Jiyun.
“….”
Hayeon bit her lip.
“Hmm—”
Jeong Haesu watched her closely, then continued.
“Well—it doesn’t seem like something I should comment on. In the end, what matters is that acquaintance’s own heart.”
“Yeah…”
“But you know, Hayeon. If I were that girl, I think I’d do this.”
“Do what?”
“I’d try to make myself like the guy who likes me.”
“…What?”
“Since there’s clearly no hope with the guy she likes anyway. Then it would be better to put effort into liking the person who likes her.”
“….”
“By the way, Hayeon.”
“What?”
“That guy who says he’ll wait for the acquaintance. Actually, isn’t the acquaintance a little interested in him too?”
“What?”
“That acquaintance is you, isn’t it?”
“What… what nonsense is that.”
Hayeon clenched her fist tightly.
“You put up a total iron wall the moment any guy shows even the slightest interest in you. The fact that you don’t do that with him means you’re at least a little interested, doesn’t it?”
“..I told you it’s not about me. It’s about an acquaintance.”
“Ah, yes yes. It’s about an acquaintance, of course. Sure, sure.”
“Brother.”
“Why?”
“Do you really want to die?”
“Not particularly?”
“Just die already.”
Hayeon hurled a nearby pillow at her brother.
“Kids.”
Jeong Yangcheol’s voice rang out from the kitchen.
“I told you not to fight, didn’t I?”
Clink. Clink.
Hayeon was spooning soup into her mouth. Her family was currently in the middle of dinner.
“Haesu,” Jeong Yangcheol said.
“Yes.”
“I heard you completed your mission in the States successfully this time. You worked hard.”
“Haha—what I did was only natural.”
Jeong Haesu scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“At this rate, I really will be able to retire soon.”
“Hey, retirement? Already?”
“If you keep performing like this, no one will be able to complain when you take the next Hunter Association President seat.”
“You’re praising me too much.”
Hayeon looked at Jeong Haesu and let out a small laugh. The siblings were always bickering, but deep down she had always respected her brother. She had always wanted to be like him. That was why she had even enrolled at Elphon Academy to become an outstanding hunter just like him.
“Brother.”
“What?”
“Don’t get too cocky. I’m going to become a better hunter than you.”
“Pfft—”
Jeong Haesu burst out laughing.
“You want to die?”
After finishing her meal, Hayeon returned to her room. She pulled out the box hidden beneath her bed. Inside were photographs of her and Radeon taken together since she was nine years old.
“…”
Hayeon stared at the photos in silence. She had made a promise with Nam Doyun. If she lost the sword duel, she would give up on Radeon. And Nam Doyun had won that bet.
“….”
Hayeon lifted the box. Her hands began to tremble. Of course, he had also told her she didn’t need to give up. But a promise was a promise.
She began throwing the photos inside the box into the trash can one by one. She told herself that doing at least this much might lessen her lingering feelings a little.
Before long, every photo in the box had been moved to the trash. Hayeon stared blankly at the bin.
She would do her best to let go of Radeon. But even if she did, what was she supposed to do if these feelings refused to disappear?
She clutched her chest tightly.