Good Night, Brother!

When he arrived at the bar named Chalang, he scanned the tables until he spotted Han Jin-Seo. Catching his breath from the brisk walk, he slid into the seat across from his friend, only to be met with a teasing remark.

“Late again, huh?”

“Sorry, the subway was crowded.”

“Hah, Jeong Eun-Hyun. Being late is fine, but could you at least put some effort into lying?”

“You know I’m terrible at lying.”

Jin-Seo, with his sharp, no-nonsense eyes that could look intimidating when he was serious, gave him a sideways glare before placing a frosty glass of soju and beer mix in front of him.

“Quit the excuses and drink.”

“On an empty stomach?”

“I ordered rosé chicken. It’ll be here soon.”

“Nice. Did you add extra cheese?”

“Of course.”

Clinking glasses, they both muttered a casual “cheers.” The crisp carbonation of the drink slid down Eun-Hyun’s throat, satisfying a thirst he hadn’t realized he had.

“This place makes good soju cocktails.”

“I made that one.”

“Then you’re good at it, Jin-Seo.”

They exchanged light banter until the server arrived with their order. The sight of the cheese-covered rosé chicken made Eun-Hyun’s eyes light up.

“It’s been forever since I had this. Looks amazing.”

Spearing a steaming piece of chicken with a fork, he transferred it to his plate. Jin-Seo, as always, scraped off the excess cheese from his portion and pushed it toward Eun-Hyun’s side.

“You always go for the rich, creamy stuff.”

“You’re the weird one. Who doesn’t like cheese?”

In response, Jin-Seo tilted his head slightly and quipped, “Your brother?”

“…Hi-Hyeon? What are you talking about? He likes cheese. Just the other day, he asked for pizza.”

“Pizza? Your brother? Doesn’t sound like him.”

“I’m his brother. I know what he likes. He even said he prefers bulgogi pizza.”

“Wow, that’s your favorite. Maybe he’s just humoring you.”

“He’s not. He genuinely likes it.”

For a moment, Jin-Seo stared at him, faint amusement flickering in his eyes, before silently downing his drink.

As the night wore on, empty bottles began to pile up—green soju bottles and brown beer bottles stacked haphazardly on the table. By the time their count reached a respectable number, Eun-Hyun’s face was flushed, and his eyes drooped heavily. Resting his elbow on the table and propping up his head, he blinked lazily, his strength waning.

“To be honest… living with my brother isn’t as bad as I thought it would be…”

“But?”

“…it’s still kind of uncomfortable…”

“Not surprising.”

“I mean, when I came to Seoul, I was on my own. Had no clue about anything. I had to look for places to live all by myself… remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“You know, that awful basement place where water leaked everywhere…? You remember, right?”

“I do.”

“And now…”

As the alcohol dragged him further under, his elbow slipped from the table, and his head collided loudly with the surface, drawing the attention of other patrons.

Thud!

“Oh, great. Jeong Eun-Hyun’s down for the count again.”

Jin-Seo sighed in exasperation, regretting not cutting him off earlier. But he hadn’t been able to interrupt the stream of drunken grievances and thinly veiled self-pity.

Sighing again, he stepped out to fetch something. When he returned, he held a large iced Americano—the tried-and-true hangover cure for his friend. Forcing it into Eun-Hyun’s hands, he waited until the coffee worked its magic before loading him into a taxi.

The taxi ride was uneventful, but the trouble began when they arrived at the apartment. Standing in front of the door, Eun-Hyun failed to input the four-digit door code 1121 correctly—not once, but three times.

“Ugh, it’s so cold…”

Each breath emerged as a white puff, dissipating into the frigid night air. Just as he was about to try the code again, the door suddenly swung open.

“…Huh?”

Forgetting that he now lived with his brother, it took him a moment to process who had opened the door. Unsurprisingly, it was Hi-Hyeon.

Oh, right. I live with him now.

Shivering, Eun-Hyun rushed inside, his body trembling from the cold. But in his haste, his unsteady steps sent him sprawling face-first onto the living room floor.

“Oof…”

The warmth of the heated floor seeped into his cheek. After enduring the winter chill, lying on the toasty surface felt like pure bliss.

“Ah… so warm…”

Curled up like a baby, he tucked his frozen hands between his thighs. Standing over him with arms crossed, Hi-Hyeon watched silently for a moment before crouching down in front of his older brother. From his vantage point, Eun-Hyun could only see his brother’s legs, clad in casual loungewear and slippers. Then came Hi-Hyeon’s low, even voice.

“Hyung. Why are you so late?”

“Huh…? I told you… I was meeting a friend…”

“Which friend? Han Jin-Seo?”

Too drunk to notice the oddity of his younger brother speaking casually about someone five years older, Eun-Hyun slurred, “Huh? How’d you know?”

“You came back reeking of his pheromones.”

Although the accusation was inaccurate—Jin-Seo had been careful not to release any unnecessary pheromones—it wasn’t entirely baseless. As a super-dominant Alpha, Hi-Hyeon had a hypersensitive ability to detect even the faintest traces of pheromones that might cling naturally.

While Eun-Hyun noticed the anger in his brother’s tone, he was far too intoxicated to grasp the underlying nuance. Instead, he addressed the situation with the indulgent tone one might use with a sulking child.

“Ohhh… are you mad ’cause of that? I’m… I’m sorry…”

“…”

“I’m reeeally sorry… It won’t happen again, okay?”

“…”

“You’re so cute when you’re mad…”

If Eun-Hyun had been sober, the word “cute” from his younger brother would have set him off. But in his drunken haze, his brain failed to register anything except the pleasant buzz of alcohol.

“Fine. I’ll let it slide since you’re cute.”

“Huh? Let what slide…?”

“Okay, La.” Eun-Hyun mulled over her brother’s words in a drunken daze.

For Eun-Hyun, having someone “look at” her felt comforting. As Yi-Hyeon had pointed out, it wasn’t just about understanding her emotions or actions—it was also about the literal act of being noticed, being seen.

Eun-Hyun often wished her parents would “look after” her whenever she bullied her younger brother, Yi-Hyeon, put off her homework, or skipped school to hang out at the PC room with her friends.

“… Phew…”
Damn it, I was feeling so good just a moment ago…

Thinking of her parents quickly brought her mood crashing down. Eun-Hyun rubbed her sleepy eyes and exhaled a warm breath. Even though she was lying flat on the cozy, heated floor, an inexplicable chill crept over her.

“Cold…”
“Are you cold?”

“Yeah… I’m cold… I’m cold…”

Eun-Hyun, who had been saying earlier how much she liked the warmth, was now whining about being cold, as if flipping a switch. She looked so adorable. Lee Hyun impulsively reached out with his index finger and poked her cheek, flushed red from the alcohol. Her cheek, soft like rice cake, wrapped gently around the tip of his finger, and the sensation was pleasant. Enjoying the feeling, he poked her cheek repeatedly.

Eun-Hyun grimaced and let out a groan, “Ugh…” as if it hurt. Then, as though to tell him to stop, she grabbed Lee Hyun’s index finger.

“Let’s go to the room and sleep, hyung.”

Instead of responding, Eun-Hyun rolled over from her side and stretched out flat on the floor.

‘She’s got quite a few quirks when drunk,’ Lee Hyun thought to himself, while removing his sister’s coat.

With her eyes still closed, Eun-Hyun protested, “Huh… What is it… Why are you taking it off when it’s cold…?”

“You need to change your clothes before going to bed, hyung. Come on, let’s cheer, cheer.”

Eun-hyun grumbled, “It’s cold,” but still gave a cheer. Yi-hyeon sighed with worry as he watched his brother take action without saying a word, no matter how much he had told him to do it.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen you drunk. Do you act like this to everyone when you’re drunk? You shouldn’t drink.’

Yi Hyeon easily took off Hyung’s man-to-man t-shirt and pants as if he was handling a light doll. Eun Hyun, who was almost naked, with only the drawers left, curled up and pouting her lips in discontent.

Yi Hyeon slowly moved his gaze from his brother’s upper body to the tips of his toes, admiring them as if licking them.

It had been a long time since I last saw him when he was fifteen, and his body was still sexy.

Her milky white skin was as flawless as her face. Her straight shoulders and her slightly lean, yet appropriately balanced upper body. Two pink peaks on her chest. Her long, slender legs stretched out beneath her small, rounded buttocks. Her slender ankles could fit in Lee Hyun’s hand… Her shoulder blades jutting out from her rounded back looked like wings.

When Yi Hyeon saw his brother’s body, blood rushed to his lower body. He felt a thirst to immediately rip off his brother’s drawers and rape him, but instead, Yi Hyeon took off his jogger pants and underwear.