Chapter 93: A Gift of Warmth

You idiot, stop asking silly questions and pay some attention to Hyun-jin.

That was what Hyun-woo’s stare was trying to say, but Seung-hyuk just tilted his head, clearly not understanding.

So frustrating, honestly.

He’s so sharp about everything else, but whenever it comes to this kind of thing, he suddenly plays dumb.

Hyun-woo glared at him with sharp eyes.

Seung-hyuk, now completely oblivious, only repeated the same question as if nothing was wrong.

“How old were you in this one?”

“Ha….”

Hyun-woo sighed and gave up, studying the photo Seung-hyuk was pointing at.

In the photo, not only young Joo Hyun-woo but also Hyun-jin were together — though it wasn’t a very flattering picture.

Hyun-jin looked as if she was about to cry, head lowered, while Hyun-woo was staring off somewhere else with a sulky face.

They must have fought right before the picture was taken.

Why anyone would decide to take a photo at that exact moment, he had no idea.

Still, in a way, it looked kind of cute.

It was obvious the bad-tempered Joo Hyun-woo had bullied the gentle Hyun-jin.

The real Hyun-woo’s memory of those days was hazy, but that much seemed clear.

“Well… I think I was around eight.”

The real Joo Hyun-woo had been an elite student since childhood.

He’d attended a private elementary school that required uniforms, and since he was wearing one in the photo, that must have been around that time.

“You were nine then.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah.”

“……”

Hyun-jin said it with such certainty that even though they were only a year apart, Hyun-woo could only nod.

“You’ve got a great memory.

I barely remember anything from back then.”

“I do.

I cried a lot that day.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, remember?

I begged to go to school with you and even tried to wear your uniform in secret.”

“Ah….”

That jogged a faint memory — the real Joo Hyun-woo’s memory.

When little Hyun-jin had begged to go to school with him, he’d pushed her away with an annoyed face.

That jerk.

Couldn’t even comfort a crying kid.

Hyun-woo clicked his tongue in disapproval toward his past self.

“Haha… I was kind of mean back then, huh?

Sorry, Hyun-jin.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry.

I was such a bother.”

“Hyun-jin…”

So sweet, as always.

Feeling touched, Hyun-woo reached out and gently patted her head.

“Hyung.”

“……”

“Hyung, hey.”

“Ah, what!”

Their quiet sibling moment was interrupted by Seung-hyuk, who kept calling out to him.

Annoyed, Hyun-woo whipped his head around.

“Why don’t you have any photos of just yourself?”

“……”

Would he?

Of course not.

It was Hyun-jin’s birthday today.

Naturally, all the photos were either of her alone or with him.

Why would he hang solo shots of himself at someone else’s birthday party?

Hyun-woo gave him a cold look.

Realizing how odd his question sounded, Seung-hyuk coughed awkwardly and looked away.

“Ahem… anyway, here’s my present.”

“Present?”

Hyun-woo seized the moment and handed his gift to Hyun-jin.

Her eyes widened at the large wrapped box.

“What’s this?

It’s huge!”

“Just open it.”

“Okay…”

Hyun-jin carefully began unwrapping it.

She peeled off the wrapping paper bit by bit so it wouldn’t tear — such delicate behavior.

If it were Hyun-woo, he’d have just ripped it open.

She really was meticulous to the core.

Clicking his tongue, he watched her patiently unwrap it.

After quite some time, she finally opened the box.

“Oh… this is…!”

“You said you wanted that for a while.”

“Yeah…”

Hyun-jin nodded blankly.

Inside was a high-end coffee hand-drip set from a famous brand — something she’d always wanted but could never afford.

But… had she ever told him that?

She blinked, trying to remember.

Maybe once or twice… I might’ve mentioned it in passing.

Since she started working part-time at a café and dreaming of becoming a barista, she hadn’t talked much about it to Hyun-woo.

She’d been hiding the fact that she was living independently and refusing Chairman Joo Moon-hyuk’s financial support.

In fact, the reason she’d wanted to become a barista in the first place was because of Hyun-woo.

He had always loved coffee since his student days.

Watching him enjoy it so much made her want to one day make him a cup he’d truly love.

That’s why she’d never wanted to admit in front of him that she couldn’t afford nice equipment.

She hadn’t even mentioned it seriously, and yet, Hyun-woo had remembered — and bought it for her.

“Thank you… hyung.”

“Sure.”

“Really… really, thank you.”

“……?”

She was almost crying.

Hyun-woo looked at her, bewildered.

Was it really that moving?

It was just a coffee-making set.

Sure, it was expensive for most people, but not to him.

Maybe she was just overly emotional after living frugally for so long.

That explanation at least made sense.

“Uh… aren’t you hungry?

Let’s eat.”

“Yeah!”

The table in the room was already full of dishes.

Finally tearing her eyes away from the gift, Hyun-jin shouted excitedly.

The three of them sat down to eat.

Luckily, thanks to Hyun-woo’s distractions, she didn’t notice that Seung-hyuk hadn’t brought her a present.

Good.

Otherwise, she might’ve been disappointed again.

How bad would it feel if the person you liked didn’t even get you a gift on your birthday?

Hyun-woo kept watching her anxiously even while eating.

“It’s delicious, hyung.

Try this too.”

“Yeah, you eat some too.”

“Say ‘ah~.’”

“……”

Contrary to Hyun-woo’s worries, Hyun-jin was bright and cheerful.

Happiness practically radiated from her.

Yeah… as long as she’s smiling, that’s enough.

Hyun-woo smiled faintly and leaned forward, reluctantly opening his mouth to take the bite she offered.

“Mmm…”

“Tasty, right?”

Before he could even chew, she was already asking eagerly.

Hyun-woo swallowed quickly and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“Hehe.”

Maybe she was just extra happy because of the food.

He should bring her to nice places like this more often.

Smiling proudly, Hyun-woo watched her eat.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

Then came a low voice from beside him.

Startled, Hyun-woo turned his head.

“Try this too.”

“……”

Just like Hyun-jin, Seung-hyuk held up a fork toward his mouth.

But this time, it wasn’t steak — it was pasta with seafood.

A plump shrimp dangled in front of his lips.

“……”

Why were these two so desperate to feed him?

Hyun-woo frowned slightly.

Then he noticed the seating arrangement.

Somehow, he had ended up sitting in the middle — with Hyun-jin on one side and Seung-hyuk on the other.

The birthday girl wasn’t even in the center.

They always sat like this at home, so he hadn’t realized until now.

*So that’s it.

They’re both awkward and trying to use me as a buffer.*

Hyun-woo immediately understood.

They probably wanted to act affectionate toward each other but were using him as a stand-in.

Convinced of this theory, Hyun-woo nodded to himself.

Fine.

He’d play along for now and quietly slip away later.

He was planning to leave after dinner anyway.

So, he decided to just go along with it — even if it was ridiculous.

Forcing a smile, Hyun-woo opened his mouth.

“Ah~.”

The shrimp popped into his mouth and burst with flavor.

It was actually really good.

The taste softened his mood immediately.

“Good?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmph, maybe I should’ve become a chef instead.”

“What?”

Did he just hear that right?

Hyun-woo tilted his head, but Seung-hyuk only smiled.

“Hyung, hyung.

Say ‘ah~’ again…”

“Enough already.”

“Hee…”

Hyun-woo muttered through gritted teeth like a ventriloquist, glaring at the sulking Hyun-jin.

Just a little longer.

Once the meal ended, he’d finally be free.

At least, that’s what he thought.

But unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan.