Chapter 129: The Snow That Became Our Home

But what reason could Do Yoon possibly have to bully me?

On the contrary, if anyone was bullying, it was me bullying that kid….

Six years ago, and even now.

I glanced over at Do Yoon, who was sitting at a round table in the distant outer garden, having tea with Mother.

It was a sight hard to believe even though it was right in front of my eyes.

I had no idea what had happened in Korea during the four months I was gone.

The feeling of love blooming just from seeing someone’s face was truly unfamiliar and overwhelming.

While I was momentarily captivated by Do Yoon’s side profile, Seung hee, standing beside me, kept poking me and forcing me to respond.

When I nodded vaguely, she muttered in frustration, ‘Why have you become so soft? How are you going to live like this from now on?’

It seemed becoming vice president had made her worry about unnecessary things.

As we stepped outside, Mother had already left for somewhere else, and Do Yoon was sitting alone at the garden table.

He saw me and grinned.

“Did you finish talking with your sister?”

“Uh-huh…. It wasn’t anything much.”

We sat side by side in the chairs for a while, saying nothing, just gazing at the night sky.

Do Yoon reached out, grabbed my hand tightly, and spoke.

His hand holding the teacup was warm.

“Are you really going to live with me?”

“Why, don’t you want to?”

He looked at me with a slightly softer expression.

“I thought since you care a lot about Mother and Grandfather, we might end up living here with the adults.”

I was momentarily surprised by Do Yoon’s words, which seemed to pierce right through my heart.

Honestly, I hadn’t never considered it, but when Seung hee asked earlier… naturally, my mind had pictured a future with Do Yoon.

Suddenly, I felt a pang of pity for him.

Wasn’t this kid all too accustomed to the idea that I wouldn’t put him first, as if it were obvious?

I intertwined our fingers and held his hand even tighter.

Do Yoon let out a laugh.

I looked at him and suddenly said.

“Hey, I want to go see the ocean on January 1st. Can you… come with me?”

Do Yoon seemed a bit surprised but soon replied with a face bright as sunshine.

“Of course.”

“I want to watch the sunrise. But somewhere without people.”

“Then how about leaving a bit early? If we drive, there might be a lot of people.”

I nodded.

Actually, the sunrise was just an excuse; there was something I wanted to do on January 1st.

From the moment I decided to come to Korea, I had been thinking about preparing for it.

Thankfully, there were still a few days left.

A few days later, Do Yoon’s words proved true.

With the heavy snowfall lately and so many people heading toward the East Sea, if we had left leisurely, it would have been dangerously close.

The traffic was so bad that by the time we arrived at the pension on December 31st, it was nearly midnight.

Do Yoon, who had been driving the whole time, looked especially exhausted.

I suggested resting first.

“Let’s rest a bit and then go out.”

“Are you sure, hyung? The sun will rise soon….”

“If we don’t sleep now, neither of us will make it later.”

When I chuckled and said that, Do Yoon reluctantly nodded.

Then he pulled me into a hug and fell straight asleep on the bed without a sound.

I did the same.

But contrary to our plan of just napping a little, when I came to, bright sunlight was stabbing our eyes relentlessly.

I blinked several times, checked the time, and let out a hollow laugh.

It was 7 a.m.

Do Yoon must have been very tired because he wouldn’t wake up.

Since seeing the sunrise wasn’t the important part anyway, I let him sleep.

Do Yoon finally opened his eyes about an hour later.

Then he jumped up in panic.

“It’s eight already!? What do we do?”

Seeing him flustered like a child after so long made me burst into laughter.

“What do you mean what do we do? We can just go see the ocean now.”

“But you said you wanted to watch the sunrise….”

He looked dejected, like he’d committed a grave crime.

I shook my head.

“That was just a ritual in my mind. Anyway, the important thing is that today is the first day of the new year. And I just woke up too. Let’s get dressed and go.”

I gripped the small box in my puffy parka pocket tightly, patting his back reassuringly as if nothing was wrong.

Luckily, Do Yoon was too busy sulking to notice my tense face.

We parked the car in a suitable spot and trudged through the squelchy snow up to our ankles all the way to the crashing waves.

I looked around.

Coming at this awkward time actually meant almost no people, which was even better.

The January sky was piercingly blue, the beach had untouched pure white snow, the day was a bit cold, but the sunlight bathing us glowed golden.

Occasionally, the sound of deep blue waves crashing under the light echoed.

I thought… this was a pretty decent setting to solemnly begin something new.

I walked side by side with Do Yoon and suddenly stopped.

“Hey, I have a confession.”

“Yes?”

Do Yoon stiffened at my sudden serious tone.

I pressed the small box in my parka pocket firmly into my palm.

I tried not to shake, but I kept taking deep breaths.

Each time I inhaled deeply, white puffs of breath threatened to cover my entire face.

My heart felt like it would explode, but I took one more deep breath and calmly began.

“Hey, I… like I said back then, I used to think life was all set in stone.

So I believed no matter what I did, I couldn’t change the future.”

Do Yoon seemed confused by my out-of-the-blue words.

And a bit anxious about my sudden actions.

“But I thought I was preparing for the future in my own way, yet… there was a bigger problem.”

I looked into Do Yoon’s eyes and continued.

“That I kept avoiding everything.

My feelings for you, my life… I thought running away was the only answer.

I believed that was the most correct and efficient path.

In truth, it was because I was a coward.”

“Hyung, what are you…”

“Wait, let me finish.”

Even though I’d rehearsed it many times, my voice trembled—maybe from the cold, maybe from nerves.

“I’ve never been able to take responsibility for someone else’s life.

No, I didn’t want to.

I was scared of things going wrong because of my choices, so even when Grandfather offered the company, I refused.

Same with my heart.

Once I admitted it, I wouldn’t know what to do next.

That scared me, so I kept pretending not to know.”

Do Yoon now looked at me with a slightly frightened expression.

He seemed completely unable to predict what I was about to say.

“But now I know, all that was stupid thinking.”

My Adam’s apple bobbed.

“I’ll probably live that way in the future too….

People don’t change suddenly.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them.

And mustered my courage.

“…Still, I’ll take responsibility for you until I die.”

As I spoke, I abruptly pulled out the box I’d been fiddling with from my pocket.

I thrust it right in front of Do Yoon’s nose and opened it aggressively.

Inside the red velvet box was a sparkling diamond ring.

“……?!”

Do Yoon’s eyes widened like walnuts.

He kept alternating glances between the diamond ring and me.

I hid my flushed face in my scarf and spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

“Will you… live with me from now on too?”

Do Yoon looked dazed for a moment.

He stared at me without blinking for a while, then bit his pretty lips hard enough to draw blood.

Soon, his eyes filled with waves more intense than the ocean, brimming with tears.

“Of course.

If you go anywhere from now on, I’ll drag you back and lock you up.”

“Hahaha!”

Do Yoon’s attempt to make a scary joke while trying not to cry was adorable and funny.

He hurriedly threw off his gloves and spread his fingers wide.

I removed mine too and carefully slipped the ring onto his fourth finger.

It was a design I’d chosen over several days right after arriving in Korea.

The simple style suited Do Yoon’s long, pretty fingers perfectly.

The moment the ring fit snugly, Do Yoon finally burst into tears like a baby.

I hugged him and said random things to keep from crying too.

“Don’t cry, you look ugly when you cry.”

My voice wavered.

He sniffled, wiping his tears on his coat sleeve like a child.

His truly childish appearance made me laugh out loud without thinking.

Do Yoon couldn’t stop the tears and finally said while sobbing.

“How could you do this first….

I’m late again.

I’d been looking at places and rings.

Why are you so perfect?

But I don’t hate that….”

If I left him any longer, he might wail on the beach.

Thanks to that, my tension washed away with the waves.

Even amid the nerves, I chuckled and said.

“Give me yours later.”

“Of course.”

He couldn’t take his wet eyes off the ring on his finger.

Then, as if suddenly remembering, he asked me.

“But am I the only one wearing one?”

“Of course… no.”

I pulled out another box from the opposite pocket.

Do Yoon cried and laughed continuously.

This time, he slipped the ring onto my fourth finger.

We stared at the shining rings on each other’s fourth fingers for a while.

The diamonds sparkled dazzlingly under the sunlight.

Basking in the new light of the new year, we held hands tightly and looked at each other.

I thought my face must look weird from the tension, but in his eyes, my reflection was smiling widely, unlike I imagined.

In that moment, my heart naturally spilled out.

“I’m happy.”

“Me more.”

I closed my eyes slightly as Do Yoon approached with his tear-streaked face.

Our kiss tasted of tears.

The story of Do Yoon and me, the one I chose, was just beginning now.

I Became the Villainous Half-Brother of the Protagonist – Complete.