Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Male Siblings (2)
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[Dal-nim: Synesthesia ability triggered well, right? Were you successful in accessing the memory?]
[Me: Yeah, thanks to you, Yoon-seul avoided witnessing something awful. You guys modified the ability perfectly. Thanks.]
[Dal-nim: That's our relationship, after all. We're partners, aren't we? As long as you handle the business properly, Sun-nim and I will support you all the way, so don't worry.]
Dal-nim was engaging in a serious conversation for once.
Normally, they'd start rambling right away about how their helka didn't work or something ridiculous like their backs not itching properly.
[Me: What's with the calm texting? It's not like you at all.]
[Dal-nim: Can't be helped. The Kwon siblings' situation who visited the restaurant is just that heartbreaking.]
[Me: True, but were you guys always this sentimental?]
[Dal-nim: Seeing sibling bonds like that just makes us want to help so badly! It fires us up!]
That made sense enough.
The reason Dal-nim and Sun-nim helped our siblings was pretty much the same.
They claimed it was to cheer on the bond between me and Yoon-seul.
That was only part of it; the bigger reason was to expand the shop and boost their own fame, as far as I knew.
Still, it didn't seem like they were lying about wanting to help the Kwon siblings.
In that sense, this was an opportunity I couldn't miss.
[Me: So you want to help Su-young-i and Su-an-ssi too?]
[Dal-nim: Our hearts are in it, at least. Our hearts.]
[Me: What does that mean?]
[Dal-nim: Well, even if we want to help, there's not much we can actually do, right? It's already a pretty happy ending, isn't it?]
[Me: It is a happy ending now. Their sibling relationship seems better than before. They come to our restaurant often. And Su-young-i even reached family rank.]
[Dal-nim: Exactly! What could be better? If Su-an-ssi miraculously regained his sight... that would be perfect, but that's not our domain.]
[Me: Why not?]
[Dal-nim: Simple. We can't change the past, and we can't give him new eyes either. The former is impossible even with our abilities, and the latter would normally involve a transplant, which is medical territory, not ours.]
As far as I knew, eye transplants weren't easy. In cases where sight was completely lost, transplants often couldn't fix it.
That was probably Su-an-ssi's case.
Dal-nim was saying Onui's powers couldn't restore eyes like that.
But about that method.
If I came up with a way for Su-an-ssi to miraculously regain his sight, how would Dal-nim react?
It felt like it wasn't impossible if I sacrificed just a little—no, not even a sacrifice, just a small investment.
That's why I'd opened the Tycoon app—to consult about it.
....
[Me: I think if we do it this way, Su-an-ssi might be able to regain his sight?]
The siblings reacted positively to the method I proposed.
[Sun-nim: Is Joo-hyun ora-beo-ni a genius by any chance?]
[Dal-nim: Some might think it's a sucker deal, though?]
I didn't care what others said.
If this method let Su-an-ssi see again, it'd be like appointing a "forced regular," which would be great for long-term revenue.
More than that, as the older brother of one kid myself, I was touched by Kwon Su-an's courageous actions in the past, so I really wanted to help if I could.
**
A thick dusty smell stung my nose.
It was so different from the restaurant's scent that it felt unfamiliar at first, but it soon reminded me of the fragrance that couple often carried, putting my mind at ease.
The roughly 8-pyeong space was cluttered with tools for cutting and carving all over the place.
In the midst of it, the newlyweds were quietly and diligently tinkering away.
"Yeon-woo-ssi, Hye-won-ssi."
- Oh... you're here?
Yeon-woo-ssi reacted first.
"Yoon-seul's here!"
- Yoon-seul! Who would've thought we'd see you here instead of the restaurant. This is great. How about making Yoon-seul my little sister instead of Joo-hyun-ssi’s?
"Hm? Firm no. Yoon-seul is Oppa's little sister."
Hye-won-ssi was bluntly rejected right after.
It happened often.
- So, Joo-hyun-ssi. What's up? You said you suddenly wanted something custom-made and asked me to come to the workshop.
"Yeah, I want something made. I heard last time you do custom orders too."
- Of course, just tell us. What do you want? Got a design or anything?
I'd tipped off Yeon-woo-ssi in advance, so he eagerly took the order. He was often more reserved when coming to eat at our shop, but here in his workspace, he looked professional.
Hye-won-ssi, not giving up on getting Yoon-seul's attention, left us guys behind and gave Yoon-seul a tour of the workshop.
She introduced things here and there: this is what, that is what.
Among them were plenty that piqued Yoon-seul's curiosity.
Especially the wooden replicas of model guns or vintage cars—Yoon-seul nearly drooled over them.
"Can you take a look at this photo?"
After confirming Yoon-seul was distracted, I pulled out my smartphone and showed Yeon-woo-ssi a picture.
It wasn't anything grand enough to call a design.
- Three people and one dog?
"Yeah, regular customers at our shop."
- Looks like it. I think I've seen those two ladies a few times.
The couple and Su-young-i's family came to the restaurant so often that they'd probably run into each other.
"But the star isn't the people—it's this dog."
- The dog?
"I was wondering if you could make a pendant based on this dog's face. Something to wear around the neck."
- That much? Not hard. It'll be small with fine details, so it'll take some time, but doable.
"Really? Then I'll leave it to you. I'll text you the photo... And can you engrave the name 'Rui' on the back?"
- Rui. Got it.
"And how much for the custom order...?"
I'd never commissioned handicrafts like this before, so honestly, I was nervous.
Sure, recent income was decent, but my ingrained frugality kept popping up.
I'd searched on my phone a few times—prices varied by size and material, from 50,000 won to over 200,000 won.
It was a bit hesitant as a gift expense.
- Cost? Just give us 20,000 won.
"Huh? That's all?"
Way cheaper than expected.
- Urgh... Honestly, I'd love to do it for free, but with Hye-won watching, I can't. We're partners, so I can't just decide to do it gratis on my own.
"No, then shouldn't you charge the regular price?"
- We'd have to charge several times more at our set rates.
"But you're saying just 20,000 won...?"
- We owe you from last time. Donburi. If you come, we go too.
"Oh..."
Yeon-woo-ssi seemed to still be thinking about how I'd shared pork neck donburi ingredients and the recipe last time.
I'd heard their relationship improved a lot that day, so the discount made sense.
I'd done it casually as a favor to regulars, not expecting payback like this.
Good thing I'd done it.
"Then I'll gladly accept your kindness, Yeon-woo-ssi?"
- Of course. It's not kindness—I'm the one paying you back.
"In return, next time Hye-won-ssi says she found something delicious at our shop, text me secretly. I'll note the recipe separately and pass it to you."
I whispered so Hye-won-ssi couldn't hear.
- Heh! Joo-hyun-ssi, you're such a good guy. I told Hye-won last time too—I want to be a dad like you! That's okay, right?
What kind of question was that?
"Uh... yeah, sure. Do as you like."
Hard to say no.
After ordering what we needed, we headed back to the restaurant. Their workshop was close enough for a quick break-time visit, which was lucky.
"Oppa, Oppa. That tick-tock making place had so much fun stuff."
"Tons?"
"Yeah! Wanna go see again next time."
"Shall we drop by again sometime?"
"Yeah! Yay!"
Yoon-seul seemed to have enjoyed the workshop too.
**
About a week later, the ordered item arrived at our shop via delivery. Yeon-woo-ssi texted that he'd wanted to bring it himself, but orders were backed up at the workshop.
He didn't have to share internal details like that.
I was starting to think this couple doted on our siblings too much.
With the item in hand, all that was left was waiting for Su-an-ssi.
Everything would depend on his answer. I'd contacted him separately earlier.
Today was Su-young-i's school day, so if possible, come to the shop just the two of them with Rui.
I politely asked if the trip would be hard.
- Rui's already memorized the smell of Onui Restaurant. It takes time to get there, but shouldn't be too tough.
I told him to take it slow since there was no rush.
"Oppa, Oppa, Rui's coming today?"
"Yeah, should be here soon."
"Then can Yoon-seul give Rui a little apple later?"
"Sure. But we'll ask Rui and Su-an-ssi first, okay? Rui might be full."
"Right. Got it!"
She nodded eagerly but clutched the small bowl of sliced apples tightly in both hands.
She looked really excited.
Soon after, Su-an-ssi entered the shop.
With Rui.
"Welcome."
"Wah! Rui came!"
Rui, who'd grown close to Yoon-seul lately, wagged his tail vigorously the moment he entered.
Such a different attitude from his first visit to our restaurant—it was amusing.
Su-an-ssi sat at the bar table with Rui beside him.
- Why'd you call me to the restaurant, Joo-hyun-ssi? We're eating dinner here anyway after Su-young-i's school ends, so no big deal.
"There's something I wanted to ask privately. Better if Su-young-i doesn't hear."
- You're not into our little sister, are you? If that's it, absolutely not. Joo-hyun-ssi, you're a good guy, but the age gap's too big. I'd oppose it completely. I'd crash the wedding and cause a scene. For sure.
All brothers were like this, huh.
It made me reflect on myself.