There was no fanfare, no flashy sound effects.
I stared blankly at the final line that appeared, then muttered under my breath.
“...Did it work?”
[Yes.]
The system window spat out only a firm reply, offering no further explanation for once.
“...This is really the end?”
The box with “Yes” blinked, as if nodding.
For how hard I’d wracked my brain, the result felt almost anticlimactic.
I pressed the palm of my hand against my throbbing forehead, then got up.
I wanted to check on Seo Hojin. Whatever I had done, the consequences tied to him were mine to bear.
Only then did I realize how quiet it had gotten outside. I carefully opened the door.
The clock on the living room wall pointed to 4 a.m.
The members, who must have dozed off while watching a movie, were sprawled across the floor and sofa.
I erased as much presence as possible so I wouldn’t wake them, slipped past Jung Dajun—who was clinging to Kang Ichae in his sleep—and headed for the entrance. I was slipping on my shoes when a rustling sound came from behind, followed by a husky, low voice.
“Where are you going?”
Kang Ichae sat up awkwardly, peeling the maknae off him and yawning over and over. His messy hair was sticking out in every direction thanks to his restless sleep.
“You awake?”
“I asked where you’re going.”
“Home, just for a bit.”
“...Ah, because yesterday was Hojin’s birthday?”
Half-lidded eyes squinting at me, Kang Ichae frowned.
“...But, are you seriously going out like that?”
Following his gaze downward, I finally realized what I was wearing: a black turtleneck and plain slacks.
Feeling a little sheepish, I reached for my shoes again, but Kang Ichae quickly got up first, grabbed his own padded jacket and scarf from where he’d tossed them, and threw them at me.
“Wear these. It’s cold outside. Snowing too. Way too cold.”
“....”
“Oh, right. Take an umbrella too.”
He mumbled half-asleep, repeating himself as he collapsed back down. That was just like him.
“...Thanks.”
I pulled on the padded jacket, wrapped the scarf around my neck, grabbed an umbrella, and added a belated word of thanks.
Outside, I pressed the elevator button and called a taxi with the app. The crisp dawn air cleared my head a little.
By the time I got down, the taxi was already waiting.
I climbed in, took out my phone to call Seo Hojin, and realized the battery had died because I’d forgotten to charge it.
“...Haa.”
I felt unusually clumsy today.
Rubbing my chin, I turned to look out the window.
The snow was still falling thick and heavy, endlessly.
Maybe that was why everything felt detached from reality.
At the apartment complex entrance, I got out of the taxi, opened the umbrella, and walked the fresh, untouched white path toward home, passing the bench my uncle used to sit on.
Standing before the door at last, the unease I’d been pressing down began to seep out.
I clenched and unclenched my fist once before punching in the passcode.
...1, 2, 2, 3....
The door clicked, the knob turned, and the entry light flicked on. The living room beyond was pitch dark.
It was late, so chances were he was asleep. I called softly.
“Seo Hojin.”
No answer.
I called again and opened his door. The room was empty.
With a sigh, I plugged my phone into the charger by the bed.
‘Maybe he went out drinking with friends.’
Maybe I should have reset while he was with me.
Thinking that, I flopped down on the bed.
“...Should’ve left the heat on at least.”
All I could do now was wait for him.
Just as Seo Hojin had always done for me.
.
.
.
Suddenly my eyes flew open. My whole body was heavy, as if lead had sunk into my bones. The lack of sleep these past few days was catching up.
I groped for my phone. The connection was loose; it had barely charged up to 10%.
[Heavy Snowfall Warning in Effect for Capital Region.
Expect icy roads due to heavy snow and freezing temperatures. Exercise caution with walking and driving.]
[Traffic congestion expected during tomorrow’s commute. Please use public transportation if possible.]
Skipping over unimportant notices, I opened the group chat and tapped the latest message.
[Jung Dajun: Hyunghhhyyyyung hyung hyung Hyoyun hyung hyung hyung]
The Dawn’s group chat was filled only with the maknae’s frantic texts.
[Jung Dajun: Hojin hyung came to the dorm!!!! He was looking for you!!!!!]
[Jung Dajun: But when Ichae hyung said you went home, he ran straight outㅠㅠ.....]
[Jung Dajun: And... did something happen to Hojin hyung? He looked like a ghost... we all freaked out, at least gave him an umbrella....]
[Jung Dajun: (crying emoji)]
[Jung Dajun: Anyway, we tried to help... don’t get mad at us later.......]
My chest pounded hard as I read.
I sat up and checked missed calls.
[Little bastard]
[Little bastard]
[Little bastard]
Over and over, Seo Hojin had called.
I rubbed my face once and dialed back. The ringtone didn’t last long.
“Hello?”
No voice came back.
But after over ten years raising someone, whether you want it or not, you develop certain instincts.
“Hello? Seo Hojin?”
[...Yeah.]
That damp, sluggish voice jolted me awake.
“What’s wrong with you?”
I shot to my feet and rushed out of the room.
“Seo Hojin, where are you?”
Balancing the phone between shoulder and jaw as I shoved on my shoes, I grabbed the door handle—
[...In front of the house.]
The voice echoed through the speaker just as the door lock clicked.
There he was: in only a white sweatshirt and black sweatpants, Adidas slippers on his feet, snow piled on his head and shoulders.
“...Are you out of your damn mind?”
What, planning to freeze to death?
I yanked him inside, stunned by the ice crystals clinging thick to his lashes.
“No umbrella? You’re soaked through—”
“—Hyung.”
I was about to scold him to pieces when Seo Hojin lifted his head and called me.
“I’m about to say something really weird, but you can’t call me crazy. Don’t laugh, don’t cut me off. Just listen to the end.”
His tone was firm, but his voice pleaded. He licked his lips over and over, chest rising and falling with nervous breaths.
“...We’re not the same age. And our parents’ accident didn’t happen when we were twenty—it happened when we were ten.”
His eyes shimmered, trembling with tears.
“My brother wasn’t some celebrity. The brother I knew always came home after endless overtime, the one I could only check in on at dawn. The one who never listened no matter how much I begged him to take care of himself—”
His nose crinkled, his throat tightening.
“—But still, the one I really liked, my PD-nim....”
He couldn’t finish. His lips sealed shut.
I looked at him quietly, then shifted the mood by stating it lightly.
“You’re right. You didn’t know, but I am your brother.”
“...”
“I’m your brother.”
Like a line from a famous sci-fi classic.
But seeing the stunned look on Seo Hojin’s face, I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
‘So this is it.’
What I’d wished for had finally come true.
Whether ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) it was a good choice, I wasn’t sure yet.
“...Anyway, idiot, it’s freezing out there. Almost like the Arctic. Why the hell were you wandering around like that?”
I brushed snow off his hair and shoulders, trying to lighten the air, when his gritted voice slipped out.
“...Why are you only telling me now?”
I raised an eyebrow, then lowered it when I noticed tear tracks on his cheek.
“Why only now....”
And then, certainty washed over me like a wave.
Whatever words came next from Seo Hojin would be the answer to my choice.
“The thing that pisses me off the most is that I don’t even know why I forgot in the first place. But you should have told me. If I was being an idiot, you should have drilled it into me until I got it!”
Even things useless for the future—like losing our parents at ten, or living under a terrible older brother—were still precious to him.
Just as they were to me.
“No wonder it felt off. I know the face you make when you’re struggling, and suddenly every time we met, that was the only face you showed. And I didn’t know a damn thing, just playing the fool....”
His expression was on the verge of tears, like the child he once was. I reached out, brushed wet hair from his eyes, and smiled faintly.
“Hey... I’m...”
“...”
“...I’m sorry I was late.”
I added the words I’d nearly swallowed.
“...Late for your birthday.”
Seo Hojin’s face crumpled, and tears spilled.
He pressed his face to my chest, sobbing quietly, even shoving at me with his fists.
“You’re so annoying....”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“You’re the worst, hyung....”
He buried his cheek against my shoulder, muttering “sorry” over and over.
But I wasn’t much of an adult either. I couldn’t think of some wise way to accept it all.
So I only whispered softly:
“Happy birthday.”
