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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Tiger Brother
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Leading Go Du-yeol into an alley right next to the cafe, Kang-jun carefully glanced left and right before speaking.
“I’m warning you. Don’t try to get any more involved with me.”
At his words, Go Du-yeol asked back, his eyes trembling violently.
“Gwak… Gwak Du-pal…”
Kang-jun swept a hand through his hair and added in a quiet tone.
“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’ve been spouting about being sworn brothers…”
“Nonsense!”
“As I’ve said repeatedly, my name isn’t Gwak Du-pal, and of course, I have never sworn an oath of brotherhood with you.”
Go Du-yeol, who had looked heartbroken for a moment, nodded in resignation and replied.
“It doesn’t matter what you think. No matter what you say, I will continue to consider you my one and only sworn younger brother.”
“Why on earth?”
“Because, obviously, through our ‘slapping contest,’ we forged a bond as sworn brothers, vowing to close our eyes for the last time on the same day, at the same hour.”
Finishing his words, Go Du-yeol pounded his brawny chest—Thump! Thump!—and added.
“We may not have mixed a single drop of blood, but now that we’re sworn brothers, you’re the only family I have!”
When Kang-jun retorted sarcastically, “Oh, really?” Go Du-yeol briefly flashed a grin.
“I’ve been eagerly awaiting the day we’d meet again.”
With that, Go Du-yeol suddenly dropped to his knees.
“I dare to offer my gratitude on behalf of everyone.”
“What are you so grateful for that you’re suddenly kneeling and making a scene, what the hell…”
“Thank you for stopping the Cataclysm-grade Gate last time.”
Finishing his words, Go Du-yeol now slammed his forehead against the ground with a thud! and added.
“Thank you, truly.”
Kang-jun’s brow furrowed.
“What is that supposed to…”
Only then did Go Du-yeol raise his head and reply.
“You may be able to deceive the entire world, but if you thought you could deceive this older brother, you were gravely mistaken.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“The manly sight of you walking steadfastly toward that Gate, a place that could have been your grave, still shimmers before my eyes.”
Then, in a voice uncharacteristically subdued, Go Du-yeol began to speak.
Gazing off into the distance with eyes lost in reminiscence, Go Du-yeol began to speak in a voice uncharacteristically subdued.
“My training was insufficient.”
“What?”
“I was unmanly.”
He then began to confess his true feelings.
“Shamefully, I was so scared back then that I couldn't do anything but stand there like a folding screen.”
Go Du-yeol and Kang-jun’s eyes met for a moment.
“I’m sure it wasn’t just me, but every Hunter gathered there felt the same. We were all crushed by the sheer presence of the Cataclysm-grade Gate, unable to move a muscle…”
Kang-jun asked back, dumbfounded.
“You’re not about to spout some nonsense about me taking down a Cataclysm-grade Gate all by myself, are you?”
“I am.”
“No, but how could I, a mere civilian, do something that even those so-called great Hunters couldn’t achieve…”
Go Du-yeol nodded a few times and replied.
“I’m not sure of the details, but it seems my dear younger brother has a story he has yet to tell me.”
“Look, I think you’ve got something seriously wrong…”
“Then again, I did find it strange that such a remarkable Hunter like you was still unknown.”
Muttering to himself, Go Du-yeol nodded a few times and came to a conclusion.
“If that is your wish, then we’ll say it wasn’t your achievement. But still, someone…”
“I just hope you don’t forget that there is someone who is truly grateful to you.”
With those final words, Go Du-yeol promptly got to his feet and began to lightly dust off his knees.
‘He’s quite sharp.’
Kang-jun could confidently say that he had seen quite a few people who could be categorized similarly to ‘Go Du-yeol’.
A rare kind of fool.
To be more precise, it felt more appropriate to call him a ‘righteous fool’ rather than just a simple fool.
Like right now.
Instead of prying and asking him questions, hadn’t Go Du-yeol knelt and offered his sincere gratitude first?
He was the type of man who prioritized his convictions over his own life, a person singularly obsessed with martial prowess for that very purpose.
For some reason, exchanging a few words with this Go Du-yeol brought the name of an old comrade swiftly to mind.
‘I wonder if that fool is doing well…’
One of the five ministers who had sworn their loyalty to him, the one who held the post of Minister of Military Affairs, one of the five core institutions of the Anux Imperial Palace…
The name of a rather strong and dependable comrade who had now succeeded him to the throne, leading the Anux Empire.
‘Nazgûl…’
There was only one reason why Kang-jun was so averse to people like Go Du-yeol and tried to avoid getting involved with them.
These types of people had a strange power to draw out words that were better left unsaid.
“I’ll be honest.”
Just like now.
“If another crisis like the last one occurs, I’ll have no choice but to reluctantly step in again.”
“Then…”
“As you guessed, I suppressed the last Cataclysm-grade Gate by myself. But I didn’t do it for some grand purpose.”
Finishing his words, Kang-jun added in a low voice.
“It was simply to protect my own ‘peace’.”
“I see.”
“I despise playing the hero, and I hate being in the public eye.”
Their gazes locked in mid-air for a moment.
“I want to continue living an ordinary life like everyone else.”
“Understood.”
“I’d appreciate it if you kept this a secret.”
Go Du-yeol nodded, his tone sounding quite serious as he replied softly.
“Even if a knife is at my throat, I will guard my one and only younger brother’s secret.”
He then added.
“A ‘hero’ who acts in secret without seeking anything in return… How breathtakingly cool is that…”
At that, Kang-jun was about to protest, “That’s not it…” but he swallowed his words and abruptly asked.
“Have you eaten?”
The short question made Go Du-yeol’s eyes waver for a moment.
“N-Not yet…”
Kang-jun replied in an indifferent tone.
“I was about to order jjajangmyeon with my family. If you’re interested, you can join us…”
Go Du-yeol suddenly shouted, “Jjajangmyeon!” and, spittle flying, hurriedly continued.
“How did you know that my favorite food in the world is ‘jjajangmyeon’…”
Kang-jun’s brow furrowed once more.
“It’s not that, it’s just that today is moving day…”
Go Du-yeol reacted enthusiastically again.
“Of course, moving is best with jjajangmyeon!”
“Isn’t it the other way around?”
“What does the order matter?”
Go Du-yeol slung his thick, log-like arm over Kang-jun’s shoulder and added with a simple-hearted smile.
“Heavy lifting is this older brother’s specialty, so if you need any help, feel free to ask for anything!”
A faint smile touched Kang-jun’s lips as he replied.
“If you’ve got so much energy to spare, you can help arrange some furniture.”
Since this person had unintentionally learned his secret, he planned to maintain some level of a relationship.
He was also certain that this guy would never leak his secret…
And for some reason, he didn’t entirely dislike this man who strangely reminded him of his old comrade, Nazgûl.
Besides, wasn’t he a somewhat famous public figure who frequently appeared on TV?
‘In any case, it seems like knowing him will be helpful in one way or another…’
Having organized his thoughts, Kang-jun said.
“Let’s go, I’m hungry.”
A newly built villa near the bustling streets of Yeoksam-dong.
A place with a whopping four rooms and two bathrooms!
This was the new home for Kang-jun and his family.
“Haap!”
As Go Du-yeol hoisted a large double-door refrigerator, Lee Su-bin’s eyes widened like saucers.
“Wow…”
Once Go Du-yeol rolled up his sleeves and started helping with the furniture arrangement in earnest, everything was resolved in a flash.
“Sister, would it be okay to put the refrigerator here?”
At Go Du-yeol’s amiable question, Lee Su-bin nodded vigorously and replied.
“Yes, that’s perfect!”
She then looked around their new home with eyes full of satisfaction for a moment.
“I think we’re pretty much done now…”
At her words, Go Du-yeol began to take off the work gloves he was wearing and replied.
“You’ve worked hard, Sister.”
Lee Su-bin tilted her head and asked in a rather cautious tone.
“But am I really your sister?”
“Pardon?”
“No matter how I look at it, I don’t think so…”
Go Du-yeol let out a hearty laugh, wiped the sweat from his brow, and replied.
“You’re the sister of my one and only precious sworn brother, so couldn’t you also be my sister?”
Lee Su-bin was muttering under her breath, “That’s not it, it’s my apparent age…” when suddenly.
Ding-dong-!
The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their food, and Go Du-yeol quickly dashed to the entrance.
“Oh my, we’ll pay for that…”
Lee Su-bin tried to stop him, but Kang-jun shook his head and replied.
“He said he’ll pay for it, just let him be. He won’t listen even if you tell him.”
And so, the meal began…
“I wonder if you all know about this method.”
Having captured everyone’s attention, Go Du-yeol took a container of jjajangmyeon, still covered in plastic wrap, and shook it vigorously from side to side as he continued speaking.
“If you shake it like this, you can mix the sauce and noodles well without using chopsticks.”
At his words, everyone except Lee Su-bin exclaimed in admiration, “Wow…”
“My Lord, he seems to be a man of great knowledge, contrary to his appearance.”
“I, too, agree with Duke Crabslie’s opinion.”
“Indeed, it seems he knows how to use his head, surprisingly.”
Lee Su-bin, on the other hand, just seemed bewildered by the whole situation.
‘He’s just an old friend from my school days.’
To think that her younger brother had been such close friends since childhood with a ‘famous Hunter’ who frequently appeared on TV…
Moreover, wasn’t Go Du-yeol a Hunter who represented South Korea, a heavyweight ranked 6th among the nation’s S-rankers?
Even Lee Su-bin, who had little interest in the lineage of Hunters, was well aware of Go Du-yeol’s name and reputation.
‘I thought I overheard them say they were sworn brothers…’
Munching diligently on the jjajangmyeon in her mouth, Lee Su-bin suddenly stopped her chopsticks and muttered, “Huh?”
‘Come to think of it, didn’t he say Bong-gu was also a neighborhood kid he was close with since they were young?’
Just as Lee Su-bin was marveling at her brother’s unexpectedly wide network of connections, there was a development.
Go Du-yeol, who had been skillfully shaking the jjajangmyeon container back and forth like a bartender, hummed for a moment. “Hmm?”
“Niece, your skill with utensils is still clumsy.”
Finishing his words, Go Du-yeol gestured for Seol-i to hand over her fork and continued in a serious tone.
“Since it has come to this, I shall demonstrate my skills, so watch closely.”
Taking the fork, Go Du-yeol twirled the jjajangmyeon into a portion small enough for Seol-i to eat in one bite, then added.
“This great-uncle guarantees that if you train hard, you will one day be able to handle a fork as skillfully as I do.”
“Woooow…”
“And if you don’t stop there and continue to strive, you might even become skilled enough to handle not just a fork, but ‘chopsticks’.”
At his words, Seol-i’s eyes sparkled as she replied.
“Seori wants to do chopthticks too!”
Go Du-yeol narrowed his eyes and replied.
“To do that, you’ll have to eat a lot and grow big and strong, but I wonder if a four-year-old like you can eat this in one bite…”
Seol-i, looking indignant, clenched her tiny, fern-like hands into fists and shouted loudly.
“Seori can eat it!”
“Do you accept the challenge?”
“Uh-huh, Seori will do it!”
“Good, I’m rooting for you.”
Go Du-yeol then personally popped the twirled noodles right into Seol-i’s mouth.
“Goodness, you really ate it in one bite.”
Finishing his words, Go Du-yeol added.
“Niece, remember this well.”
“Uh-huh?”
“This is the ‘taste of victory’.”
Seol-i nodded her head vigorously and replied.
“Seori can eat even bigger ones!”
Watching the scene unfold, an “Oh…” of admiration escaped Lee Su-bin’s lips.
How should she put it?
Although his way of handling the child seemed rather rough, he also appeared quite skilled.
‘Well, what does it matter…’
The ‘great-uncle’ that Seol-i had gained overnight seemed a bit over the top in some ways…
But since Seol-i seemed to like him quite a bit, she figured that was all that mattered.
After focusing on her jjajangmyeon for a moment, Lee Su-bin looked at Kang-jun and brought something up.
“Kang-jun, about the kindergarten Seol-i will be attending.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been looking into it, but I think we should start discussing it.”
Kang-jun replied in a perfectly calm tone.
“I thought the Snow White Kindergarten near our house looked the best, so I was thinking of sending her there.”
At Kang-jun’s words, Lee Su-bin trailed off, “That place is…” and couldn’t seem to continue, her lips just moving silently.
It was because she recalled the argument—or rather, non-argument—she’d had with the ‘Yeoksam-dong Early Childhood Parents’ Association’ at the cafe earlier.
Even to her, it seemed that no other kindergarten in the vicinity could match Snow White Kindergarten’s facilities and educational curriculum, but…
She was terribly worried about whether Seol-i would be able to adjust well among the children of the overbearing Yeoksam-dong mothers.
“Actually, I was considering Snow White Kindergarten too. And as it happens, we meet the conditions for their free tuition program…”
“But?”
“It would be great if we could send her, but I’m worried that Seol-i might feel intimidated among the children from wealthy families…”
At those words, Go Du-yeol suddenly stopped his chopsticks and began to stare intently at Kang-jun’s face.
‘This guy… could he be struggling financially because he’s playing the hero in secret?’
Having jumped to conclusions based on the conversation, Go Du-yeol muttered in a somewhat indignant tone.
“My sworn brother’s daughter is my niece…”
He then slammed his chopsticks down with a “Clack!” and spoke to Kang-jun.
“Do you happen to know the story of the ‘Tiger Brother’?”
At the random question, Kang-jun frowned and asked back.
“What’s that?”
Just then, Seol-i replied, “Seori knows!” and began to babble.
“The tiger was going to eat him, but he lied and said he was his brother! Then the tiger brought yummy meat to his house every day!”
Go Du-yeol nodded once and replied.
“Correct.”
He then added.
“From now on, you shall call me ‘Tiger Brother’.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Huhu, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.”
Finishing his words, Go Du-yeol gave a wink and added.
“It’s the 87th quality of a true man.”
Having been a high-ranking Hunter for many years, Go Du-yeol recorded an astronomical income every year.
He wasn’t a big spender and had few material desires, so his only expenditures were on workout equipment…
Thanks to that, even without trying to invest, his bank balance swelled like a snowball year after year.
Simply put, he had an unimaginable amount of money.
Therefore…
He was planning to become a ‘Tiger Brother’ for his younger brother.
‘I can’t just stand by and watch my only niece lose her spirit!’
Yes, of course…
* * *
That night.
Knock, knock—
At the sound of someone knocking on the door, Lee Su-bin muttered, “Hmm?” and opened it.
“Oh my, what is all this…”
Lee Su-bin’s eyes went wide as she scanned the shopping bags piled up at the entrance, leaving no room to step.
Starting with a Hermès children’s handbag that cost tens of thousands of dollars, there were items from Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balmain, Chanel, and so on…
Kids’ products, specifically ‘children’s clothing,’ released by all sorts of famous premium brands were piled up like a mountain.
Although she wasn’t an expert, it was an amount that she guessed would cost at least tens of thousands, and possibly even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Huh?”
As she was examining the shopping bags one by one, Lee Su-bin found a Post-it note covered in messy handwriting.
“A letter?”
Lee Su-bin read the contents of the letter from beginning to end.
“To my one and only younger brother…”
The handwriting was atrocious, the worst she had ever seen.
“I’m sending a few gifts so my beloved niece won’t feel discouraged at kindergarten…”
Lee Su-bin read the very last line.
“From your Tiger Brother…”
It was clearly a gift sent by Go Du-yeol.
