Rescue
“Hyung, we already went to the hospital—do we really have to go again?”
“After what you went through, you should at least get checked out one more time at a neighborhood clinic to make sure everything’s fine.”
“I’m okay, though…”
“And Areum-noona.”
“Noona?”
“Yeah.”
The moment her name came up, Areum flinched in surprise and looked at Seong-min. Their eyes met; she grew bashful and quickly turned her head away.
“Noona should go to the hospital and get checked out too.”
“Then we’re going.”
“I see!”
With that settled, the three of them headed to a nearby neighborhood clinic. There, Areum and Min-hyeok both received examinations to confirm they were all right. Fortunately, aside from a few minor bruises, neither of them had any broken bones or serious injuries. Min-hyeok’s split lip needed to be disinfected and treated with ointment once more.
When the checkups were finished, they stepped back outside.
“Still, it’s a relief there was nothing worse than a few little bruises.”
“Right, hyung~! You’re glad too, right, noona?”
“Mm…”
Areum nodded in answer to Min-hyeok’s words.
“Noona, are you talking again now?”
Areum nodded once more.
“Whoa—so that means we get to hear noona’s voice again?”
She nodded yet again.
Watching her, Min-hyeok broke into a small smile.
The noona who hadn’t spoken—who hadn’t been able to speak—had opened her mouth again. It had happened under far from ideal circumstances, born of a guilty, apologetic desire to say she was sorry. Even so, the simple fact that she could talk again filled Min-hyeok with overwhelming joy.
“Hey, there’s a vending machine.”
“There really is.”
“Come on. My treat—to celebrate getting through the checkup.”
“I should be the one buying this time…”
“You don’t have any money anyway. Next time.”
Seong-min looked over at Areum.
“Areum-noona can talk again, so this is my treat to celebrate.”
“Whoa… I knew it! Hyung’s face-reading skills are—”
“Stop with the weird talk.”
Seong-min led the two of them over, pulled a card from his wallet, and tapped it against the machine. He selected a drink. A moment later a paper cup dropped down; after a short wait, the cup was full. He opened the hatch and took out a cocoa.
“Areum-noona, here.”
Areum looked at the cocoa he held out, then carefully accepted it with both hands. The polite way she received it made Seong-min smile. He selected another drink. Once again, what came out was cocoa.
“Here.”
“Thanks, hyung. I’ll enjoy it.”
Last of all, Seong-min got himself a cup of milk coffee. With all three drinks in hand, they sat down at the round table and chairs set out nearby so people could rest for a bit while they drank.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“What’d you buy at the mart?”
“Samgyeopsal, pork neck, and stuff for wrapping—lettuce, perilla leaves, that kind of thing. Plus some drinks.”
“Whoa—so we’re feasting tonight?”
“I bought plenty, so we can eat till we’re stuffed.”
“I really love samgyeopsal. How’d you know, hyung?”
“Doesn’t pretty much everyone?”
“Oh, is that it?”
“Yeah.”
“So you like it too, hyung?”
“I eat it just fine.”
“I eat it great too~ And of course noona does as well. Hehe…”
Seong-min glanced at Areum. Their eyes met; she grew shy and couldn’t hold his gaze.
“Noona, are you embarrassed because Seong-min hyung is looking at you?”
Min-hyeok’s teasing only made Areum even more bashful.
“Hehe… Hyung, I think noona’s really embarrassed.”
Seong-min, mid-sip of his coffee, let out a quiet snort of laughter at the two of them.
“Stop teasing her. Look at Areum-noona—she doesn’t know what to do with herself.”
They rested a little longer, finished their coffee and cocoa, then got up, stopped by a pharmacy, and headed home.
“Hyung, you’re the guest, so just rest in the room~! Noona and I will get everything ready…! Right, noona?”
“Mm…”
“Then let’s go fry up the samgyeopsal and get the rest ready. Noona, I’ll grill the pork belly and neck and put them on plates. You wash the lettuce and perilla leaves and get those ready.”
Areum nodded, and the two of them left the room again.
Left alone, Seong-min looked around for a moment, then walked over to the picture frame beside the television. It was the same frame he had seen before—Areum standing side by side with Min-hyeok on his first day of elementary school, their hands clasped for the photo. A picture of close, affectionate siblings. Looking at it was how Seong-min had first realized Areum was the older sister and Min-hyeok the younger brother. Even in a still photograph, the two of them looked truly fond of each other.
“Ah—right! We didn’t set up the table in noona’s room~!”
Min-hyeok’s voice carried through the door.
“It’s fine, noona. I’ll go set it up~!”
A moment later the door opened and Min-hyeok came back in. He unfolded the low table that had been standing on its side against one wall, its legs folded.
“We forgot to set the table out…”
He grinned at Seong-min with shameless ease.
“Take your time.”
Once Min-hyeok had left the room again, Seong-min found himself turning over everything that had happened.
The Martial Power stat worked even better than I expected.
He’d always been fairly confident in a fight, but Martial Power had elevated what he already had to another level entirely. He’d only pushed it to sixty, then saved up ten more Stat Points to buy a single charge of the Escape Skill just in case—and he hadn’t needed to use it. He’d felt the difference sparring at the combat gym, but Martial Power had still exceeded his expectations.
Martial Power, and the Physicality stat too.
Both of those stats kept proving how useful they were. The rest of them would probably be the same.
Just then the door opened, and Areum came in carrying a tray of thoroughly washed lettuce and greens. She knelt on the floor mat, then carefully set out a plate piled with lettuce and perilla leaves, followed by ssamjang, peppers, and oil sauce, arranging them one by one on the open table.
“You washed them well.”
Areum looked at him.
“The lettuce and perilla leaves, I mean.”
Seong-min gave her a warm, smiling look with his eyes.
“…Yes…”
Her cheeks flushed as she answered. Then she turned and left the room again.
Cute.
Every time he saw her, Seong-min thought the same thing—she was truly pure and adorable. On another level, he felt genuine relief. The situation itself had been anything but good, yet Areum had regained the ability to speak. He wasn’t sure whether “a blessing in disguise” was the right phrase, but Areum-noona could talk again.
I did the right thing.
He’d answered a single text asking for help that day, and now, looking at the two of them restored as close siblings, he was glad he had stepped in.
Some time later, Min-hyeok appeared carrying plates of beautifully grilled samgyeopsal and pork neck, while Areum came in with a tray of side dishes she’d transferred into serving bowls for easy eating.
“Hyung~! I grilled it super deliciously…!”
Plates heaped with pork belly and neck were set in the middle of the table.
“What, you grilled all of it at once and piled it on?”
“Of course~! Hyung eats a lot, I eat a lot, and noona eats a lot too~! Grilling it all in one go means less work later~!”
“Yeah, good job.”
“Pretty impressive, right?”
“Pretty impressive.”
“Hehe…”
Everyone took their seats, and three neatly portioned bowls of rice that Areum had prepared were set in front of each of them.
“Let’s eat~!”
With Min-hyeok’s cheerful cry, a delicious meal began.
Min-hyeok prepared a leaf of lettuce, laid on samgyeopsal, pepper, ssamjang, and a little rice, then rolled it into a neat wrap and held it out to Areum.
“Noona, open up.”
“You’re… giving it to me?”
“Yep!”
She parted her small lips and accepted the wrap he offered. Her cheeks puffed out round.
“I must’ve made it a little big.”
Areum shook her head.
“You okay?”
This time she nodded.
Seong-min watched the two of them feeding each other so affectionately, smiling with his eyes, then picked up a piece of samgyeopsal, dipped it in the oil sauce, and ate it.
“You grilled it well.”
Not burned—nicely browned and perfect.
“I grilled the meat super carefully… You can’t let this kind of thing burn, you know.”
“I’ll give you that.”
Meanwhile Areum finished wrapping a ssam of her own and held it out to Min-hyeok.
“You’re wrapping one for me too?”
Areum nodded.
“Thanks, noona~”
He opened his mouth wide and happily accepted the wrap she’d made.
“Mmmph! …Sho good… sho good…!”
With his mouth full he couldn’t speak properly, yet Min-hyeok still managed to look deeply moved as he gave Areum a thumbs-up.
“You’re gonna spit rice. Stop making such a fuss.”
Min-hyeok chewed thoroughly, swallowed with relish, and finally opened his mouth again.
“It was really that good~ Probably because noona wrapped it so deliciously.”
“That so?”
“I’m serious! Noona, hyung doesn’t seem to believe me—this time you should wrap one for him too.”
Areum looked a little startled.
“Look at that face—he totally doesn’t believe me~ If noona wraps a really good one right now and lets him taste it, he’ll have to believe it, right?”
“I’ll wrap my own. You don’t have to. Areum-noona looks flustered.”
“Huh? Noona~! Hyung’s just wrapping his own~ Come on, noona~”
After a moment of hesitation, Areum seemed to make up her mind. She prepared a leaf of lettuce, laid on the meat, and carefully, piece by piece, wrapped a ssam.
“Hyung~ I’m not lying, I’m serious~ Noona wraps ssam so well~ Try it~!”
Areum carefully held out the wrap she had made.
“Thank you, Areum-noona. I’ll enjoy it…”
He opened his mouth and accepted the ssam she offered.
“Well? Isn’t it even better than wrapping it yourself?!”
Min-hyeok made a big production of it while Seong-min chewed.
Gulp.
When he finally swallowed, Seong-min nodded.
“It’s good.”
“See? I told you~ Noona, hyung says it’s good~!”
Areum nodded along—then their eyes met, and she grew shy and looked away.
There had been unexpected chaos that day. But Seong-min, Min-hyeok, and Areum all shared a delicious, peaceful meal together.
“All right, I’d better get going.”
When the time came, Seong-min rose from his seat.
“Be careful on your way, hyung.”
“Yeah… Listen to noona. Don’t cause any trouble, all right?”
“Come on, hyung. I don’t cause trouble.”
Seong-min snorted a quiet laugh, then turned his head to look at Areum standing beside him.
“Noona, I’ll be heading out.”
Areum nodded. Seong-min put on his sneakers and left the house.
“Huh?”
Then Min-hyeok saw his noona, who had been watching, step forward, slip on her shoes, and follow him out.
Seong-min was walking down the alley when he felt a presence behind him and a hand catching the hem of his clothes. He turned his head.
“Areum-noona?”
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. Areum stood there fidgeting, glancing up at him as if gauging his reaction. After watching her for a moment, Seong-min spoke.
“Did you have something you wanted to say to me…?”
Still fidgeting, Areum parted her lips slightly, then finally opened her mouth.
“…Th…ank you.”
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“For… listening to… my request… thank you…”
Seong-min looked at her with mild surprise at the words of gratitude, then answered.
“I’m glad.”
Glad about what? Areum blinked at him. Seong-min offered her a small smile.
“That you two… got to go back to being close siblings again.”
In that instant, the eyes watching him trembled. Tears welled up almost at once.
“Uhhuh… uhhuhuh…”
Areum broke down crying. Right there in the alley she wept without holding anything back.
Min-hyeok, who had followed them out, simply stood and watched—watched Seong-min hyung, and his noona crying in front of that hyung. He simply watched.