Chapter 15: Cute

 

Even as a high schooler, I couldn’t just go empty-handed to a friend’s house for the first time. A fruit basket seemed overly formal, and a box of energy drinks felt more suited for a hospital visit, so neither option appealed to me.

 

In the end, I bought a roll cake from a local bakery and made my way to Eun-ha’s house.

 

After walking for a while, I reached my destination.

 

The moment I pressed the intercom button and stepped into the elevator, I was hit with an overwhelming sense of nervousness. Finally, the elevator doors slid open, revealing the hallway that led to Eun-ha’s front door.

 

-Ding-dong-

 

As soon as I pressed the doorbell, the front door opened immediately. There stood Eun-ha, dressed in casual clothes to greet me.

 

She wasn’t wearing pajamas, but she looked comfortable.

 

“You’re here!”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Come on in!”

 

Following Eun-ha’s lead, I walked inside. At the shoe rack, I encountered the curious gazes of Eun-ha’s family members.

 

From the right, there was Eun-ha’s cousin sister whom I’d met before, then Eun-ha’s mother, and finally Eun-ha’s older brother.

 

I was aware that Eun-ha’s father was often busy, but it seemed he wasn’t around even on the weekend.

 

“A-ah, hello. I’m Lee Han-gyeol, a classmate of Eun-ha.”

 

I bowed politely, but all I got back were curious glances. It was slightly awkward...

 

“Aunt, that’s the guy.”

 

“Hyun-joo, your voice is too loud. Han-gyeol, was it? Come on in. I’ve heard a lot about you from Eun-ha.”

 

“Eun-ha talked about me at home?”

 

“Oh my—of course. We’ve heard so much we’re practically tired of it—”

 

“Mom! Stop embarrassing me! Everyone, go back to your rooms!”

 

“Ah, what? I was just telling the truth. Are you embarrassed?”

 

“Aunt, she’s probably embarrassed. After all, a guy from the same class is visiting.”

 

“Sis, you too?! Han-gyeol! don’t take them seriously! They’re just teasing!”

 

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

Feeling more at ease thanks to Eun-ha’s mother’s warm reception, I took off my shoes and proceeded further into the house.

 

“Ah, I brought this. It felt odd coming empty-handed.”

 

“Oh my, how thoughtful of you. I’ll bring the roll cake to your room.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Did you come to set up Eunwoo’s computer today?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

So, Eun-ha’s brother’s name was Eunwoo. Come to think of it, this was my first time seeing him in person.

 

Our eyes naturally met.

 

“Ah, can I call you Eunwoo Hyung?”

 

It seemed like he somewhat resembled Eun-ha. Would it be impolite to say siblings look alike?

 

“No, I should be the one calling you Han-gyeol Hyung. I apologize for welcoming such an esteemed guest to this humble place.”

 

He is an interesting character.

 

“No need for that. Speak casually. Then where should we go?”

 

“I’ll take you to my room... this way.”

 

“Haha...! Sure.”

 

He was a bit hard to read in some ways.

 

“Then Eun-ha, I’ll be assembling the computer in Eunwoo Hyung’s room.”

 

“Ah... okay! Let’s go eat something delicious later, on Hyung’s dime.”

 

“Sure, sure. See you later?”

 

Just as I was about to part ways with Eun-ha, her cousin Hyun-joo suddenly interrupted.

 

“What—? That won’t work. You’ve come all this way, you should also take a look at Eun-ha’s room-”

 

“-Ah, Sis! I’ll be in my room with you, so if he needs anything, he can call me. And Han-gyeol if my brother does anything weird, scream! I’ll come running right away!”

 

It seems Eun-ha was embarrassed to show her room, so she pushed her sister Hyun-joo into her own room.

 

-Thud.

 

As the door closed, I entered the room across from Eun-ha’s, Eunwoo’s room.

 

“So, this is it.”

 

“Did you keep all the original boxes?”

 

“Indeed. The box is essential, whether for after-sales service or resale.”

 

“Haha. Seriously, feel free to speak casually. It’s more uncomfortable for me if you use formal language.”

 

“Hahaha! Well then, so be it! If you need anything, just say it! I’m sorry for asking you for such a favor!”

 

“No worries. I enjoy assembling computers, and I couldn’t say no to Eun-ha’s request.”

 

“Oh? So my sister is quite popular at school, huh?”

 

“She’s kind and gentle, don’t you think?”

 

At that, Eunwoo slightly shook his head.

 

“Are we even talking about the same person?”

 

“Is she not like that at home?”

 

“Don’t even get me started. She’s the exact opposite of kind and—”

 

-Bang!

 

Suddenly, The door burst open.

 

“Shin Eunwoo...!”

 

“Jeez! You scared me! What the heck?!”

 

Eun-ha was standing there, with her face flushed.

 

“Don’t make me say it twice. If you say anything unnecessary to Han-gyeol, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

 

“Look at this. You call her kind and gentle? She doesn’t even call her own older brother ‘big brother’, such a rude—”

 

“Han-gyeol! Let’s just go! We don’t need to help people like this!”

 

“No! It’s fine if you want to leave, but Han-gyeol can’t!”

 

Eun-ha and Eunwoo each grabbed one of my arms and pulled me toward them.

 

Hm—Being the object of the Shin family’s affection wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. But thanks to the arrival of Hyun-joo, the sibling conflict was immediately resolved.

 

“Goodness, what a commotion. Eun-ha, why don’t you stick around in this room to supervise Eunwoo?”

 

“Han-gyeol, is that okay? If it bothers you because there are too many people, you can say no.”

 

“Huh? Not really? I don’t mind if there are a lot of people. It’s comforting to have Eun-ha nearby.”

 

“R-really?”

 

With that, Eun-ha quietly took a seat across from me.

 

“Should I stick around to watch, too?”

 

Eun-ha’s cousin, Hyun-joo, also sat down next to Eun-ha.

 

Just before I began assembling the computer in earnest, the door swung open, and Eun-ha’s mother entered the room.

 

“Here, have some roll cake to keep your energy up while you work.”

 

“Ah, Thank you, I appreciate it.”

 

“Of course~”

 

To my surprise, Eun-ha’s mother also settled into a chair.

 

“Um, why are you sitting down, Mom?”

 

“Huh? I’m just curious about the boy my daughter brought.”

 

“It’s getting a bit cramped with five people in the room, isn’t it?”

 

“Then why not do it in the living room?”

 

“Should we? Let’s move to the living room.”

 

It was a bit awkward, but I picked up the computer components and headed for the living room.

 

Before starting the assembly, I took stock of what had been done so far. At a glance, the CPU and cooler seemed to be assembled, but the cooler was installed quite haphazardly.

 

The intake and exhaust were also reversed, and the attachments didn’t look secure. I dismantled it to reassemble it properly.

 

“Why are you taking that off?”

 

“Ah! The intake and exhaust are reversed, and the cooler is a bit wobbly, so I’m going to reassemble it.”

 

As I answered Eun-ha’s question, I detached the cooler and restarted the assembly from scratch.

 

Once I got started, the tension disappeared, and I carried on assembling the computer while chatting casually.

 

But at some point, everyone went silent and was intently watching my hands.

 

“It got so quiet all of a sudden that it startled me.”

 

Eun-ha’s cheerful mother broke the silence with a bright smile.

 

“Oh my! Right? Why is everyone so quiet?”

 

“We were all just amazed at how skillful you are. We must’ve been watching you without realizing it.”

 

“Yeah, where did you learn to do this?”

 

“Wow! Should I call you Han-gyeol Hyung after all?”

 

“Eunwoo, you’re a computer science major and you can’t even assemble a computer?”

 

At Eun-ha’s question, I paused and looked at Eunwoo.

 

“Stop looking at me like that. It’s embarrassing.”

 

“Just because you are in computer science doesn’t mean you would be adept at hardware.”

 

Then I said to Eunwoo.

 

“Hahaha! You sure know your stuff!”

 

“Haha... Is this much wire management good enough?”

 

“Yes! I’m more than satisfied.”

 

“Then let’s check if the computer works.”

 

I picked up the assembled computer and headed back to Eunwoo’s room. After connecting the power and the monitor, it started up perfectly.

 

From there, we completed the basic settings and wrapped things up.

 

“Whew—It’s done. Call me if you have any more problems.”

 

“Ha...Han-gyeol Hyung...!”

 

Eunwoo suddenly hugged me.

 

“What are you doing to Han-gyeol—! Get off!”

 

“Thank you..! Let’s go eat! I’ll treat you.”

 

“Back off!”

 

Eun-ha pulled Eunwoo away from me and stood in front of me.

 

“Eunwoo, you’re noisy. Just give me your card! I’ll go eat with Han-gyeol!”

 

“What?! It’s only courteous for me to treat him myself!”

 

“When did you become so considerate!”

 

If I had to choose, I would prefer to have a meal with just Eun-ha.

 

“Why don’t we eat at home?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You can have dessert outside with Eun-ha, but let’s eat at home first.”

 

“Ah! In that case, I’ll gladly accept.”

 

“Great~”

 

Deciding to eat a home-cooked meal from Eun-ha’s mom, the rest of us headed to the living room.

 

The four of us debated what to do and ultimately decided on playing a game. I naturally thought of the fighting game I had played with Eun-ha before.

 

“Eunwoo Hyung, how about a round of a fighting game?”

 

“Oh—Is that a challenge? I accept.”

 

I asked Eunwoo if he wanted to play a game, but Eun-ha, sitting on the sofa, chuckled softly and said,

 

“Look at the second-in-command trying to take charge.”

 

“What did you say?! Come down here. Let me show you what ‘My real powers and skills’ is.”

 

“Forget it. Play with Han-gyeol. He’s good too.”

 

“Come down while I’m still asking nicely. Don’t trip over your own arrogance.”

 

“Forget it. Han-gyeol, my brother always uses the same combo. Just know that and you’re good!”

 

“Hey! Stop giving tips! Are you taking his side because he’s your friend?!”

 

“Taking Han-gyeol’s side is a hundred, no a thousand times better than taking yours!”

 

Eun-ha and Eunwoo seemed quite close. Eventually, the sibling showdown began, and I sat on the sofa, watching the game with Hyun-joo noona.

 

Just then, Hyun-joo noona gently tapped my arm and cautiously asked,

 

“What do you think? Isn’t Eun-ha so cute?”

 

“She really is. She has a different aura at home. Very cute.”

 

“Hehe... Eun-ha! Han-gyeol says you’re cute!”

 

“Wha—?!”

 

Eun-ha’s body twitched as she looked visibly surprised.

 

“He says you’re very cute~”

 

Was Eun-ha blushing because she was embarrassed by my comment, or was it because she was starting to have some feelings for me?

 

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

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