DPGR 180

“Jiho-ya? Ihyun-ah?”

Dojin called them again as he walked across the living room. He saw a door left open about a hand’s width. It was Jiho’s old bedroom that was no longer used.

‘Are they in there?’

Light leaked out through the open door. Dojin walked over quickly. When he poked his head inside to check, he was startled.

A sketchbook was spread out on the rug-covered floor, as if someone had been drawing. On it were all kinds of things they had seen at the aquarium, and colored pencils were scattered nearby.

Jiho was beside the sketchbook. He lay on his stomach with his belly against the floor, one arm used as a pillow, the other hand still holding a colored pencil as he slept soundly.

“Hehehe.”

Ihyun clung to Jiho and played with his hair. She was decorating his fine brown hair with the colorful snap clips she had brought, not even paying attention to Dojin.

“Jiho…?”

“Shh!”

Ihyun turned around and put her little finger to her lips. Dojin unconsciously closed his mouth.

In the silence that followed, Ihyun continued. Her tiny hands busily worked, and soon Jiho’s hair turned into a clumsy set of pigtails.

“…Ha.”

Dojin laughed. He knew he should wake Jiho before the food got cold, but he pulled out his phone instead and took a photo of him sleeping.

Both Dojin and Ihyun tried to hold back their laughter, their mouths twisted awkwardly.

***

After dinner, which had cooled a little but was still delicious, Ihyun, who had been lively and energetic the whole time, gave in to drowsiness and fell asleep.

Finally freed from childcare, Dojin and Jiho moved her to the bed and came back to the living room.

“Phew… you worked hard, hyung.”

“Jiho had the hardest time. You must have been tired from walking around the aquarium with Ihyun earlier.”

“It was my first time at an aquarium too, so I was too busy looking around to feel tired. And I took a nap earlier…”

Maybe he felt embarrassed about dozing off while playing with Ihyun. Jiho’s pale cheeks flushed red.

Dojin kissed his cheek and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

“Since Ihyun’s asleep, let’s rest for a bit. Sit on the sofa. I’ll bring dessert.”

“I’ll bring it. Hyung, you go sit. You were standing the whole time except for meals.”

“No, I’m fine, Jiho you…”

“I’m fine too, so hyung should…”

They argued in whispers for a while, worried they might wake Ihyun. Just then, the intercom rang loudly, making all their effort pointless.

“……!”

“Ah, no…”

Jiho flinched in surprise, while Dojin sighed knowingly and hurried to the intercom. Visiting at this late hour were his sister, Baek Dohee, and her husband, Song Hanseok.

Fortunately, Ihyun didn’t wake from the noise. Jiho checked beyond the bedroom door, saw it was quiet, and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“What? The door’s open? Hey, Baek Dojin! Jiho-ya! Noona’s here!”

Dohee arrived at the front door with a box of donuts and greeted them loudly. The hallway between the front door and the bedroom wasn’t short, but it wasn’t safe. Her voice was too loud, so Dojin panicked and stopped her.

“Shh! Ihyun’s asleep. Be quiet or you’ll wake her.”

“Ah! Really? When did she fall asleep?”

“Earlier. Not long ago. Come inside first. Brother-in-law too.”

“Sorry, brother-in-law. Excuse us.”

Whatever they had been doing, Hanseok looked exhausted. While Dojin and Jiho wondered about it, both Hanseok and Dohee noticed Jiho’s appearance and looked curious.

“Did the three of you play house with Ihyun or something?”

“Huh?”

“Your hair. It’s cute though.”

Dohee spoke, trying to hold back laughter. Jiho belatedly touched his hair. He thought he had undone the pigtails and removed all the clips, but…

“Ah…!”

Something caught at his fingertips. Not one or two, but three or four clips were still scattered here and there, adding to the cuteness.

Not knowing this, Jiho’s face turned red and he glared at Dojin. Dojin, who hadn’t said anything earlier, now looked guilty.

“Sorry, it suited you.”

When Dojin apologized softly, Dohee jumped in.

“Yeah, don’t take them off. They look good on you.”

“I-I’m an adult, and a man…”

“That’s just prejudice. Where’s the law saying adult men can’t wear hairpins? If it suits you, you just wear them.”

She kept laughing loudly for some reason. Jiho, still awkward at dealing with people, couldn’t tell if she meant it seriously or if she was teasing him, so he only tilted his head in confusion.

“Really, you’re exactly the image I was looking for, honey.”

At that moment, Dohee stopped laughing and nudged Hanseok’s side as he slouched on the sofa. Hanseok perked up as if he had never been tired and replied.

“Right? Right? I always knew Jiho-ssi had a pretty face, but he looks more and more striking as time goes on. Jiho-ssi, how tall did you say you were?”

“A-about 177 cm….”

“Good. Just right. Hm? That’s average. Of course, taller would be better, but it’s not like we’re putting you on a stage.”

“Exactly. His face is small so the proportions are good. In photos he’d look above average.”

“And he’s in his early twenties, so he matches the casual line perfectly.”

“Mhm, mhm. Remember the summer photoshoot we did back then? If we did something like that, it’d be perfect. Cute and refreshing style.”

The two suddenly started chattering seriously while surrounding Jiho. Dohee, who must have already heard about Jiho from Hanseok, was just as enthusiastic.

When the same thing that happened in the morning repeated, Dojin pulled Jiho close against his side and warned the two.

“Stop it, noona. You too, brother-in-law. Jiho’s embarrassed.”

“Oh my. Jiho-ya, it’s not that. We weren’t trying to make you uncomfortable. You know noona’s heart, right?”

“Sorry, brother-in-law. Sorry, Jiho-ssi. We just haven’t been able to find the model we’re looking for lately, so all our attention’s stuck on that.”

Fortunately, when Dojin sternly spoke, the two quickly came to their senses.

After that, Dojin deliberately changed the subject, and neither Dohee nor Hanseok mentioned modeling again. Instead, they chatted briefly about Ihyun, the baby in Dohee’s belly, and how Dojin and Jiho were doing, before the visit soon wrapped up.

“It’s really late. Thanks for today, brother-in-law. And Jiho-ssi, you worked hard too. Ihyun kept saying she wanted to see her uncles, I hope she didn’t tire you out.”

“I had fun playing with Ihyun too. Please leave her with us again if you need.”

“Haha! Thanks for saying that.”

Hanseok laughed heartily and came out carrying the sleeping Ihyun. Dojin and Jiho saw them off at the front door.

“Get home safe.”

“Yeah, Jiho, take care. Let’s see each other again!”

“Next time we’ll invite you to our place. Brother-in-law, come visit with Jiho-ssi too.”

“Yes, we will. Get home safe. Noona, take care too.”

“Alright. Don’t come out, don’t come out.”

After a brief commotion, quiet settled in. Once Dohee and Hanseok left, the house became silent again.

“Ahhh….”

Jiho, who had seemed fine earlier, was suddenly hit with fatigue. He staggered like a zombie and flopped onto the sofa. Dojin laughed at the sight.

“Are you okay? It must’ve been hard.”

“I’m fine… just a little sleepy….”

“Sorry. You must have felt awkward because of noona and brother-in-law.”

“Mm. That was fine too. At first I was a bit flustered, but after a while it seemed fun.”

“Fun?”

At Dojin’s question, Jiho pushed himself up. With drowsy eyes, he looked at Dojin and answered in a voice laced with a faint laugh.

“It’s rare to see people that passionate about their work. It was fascinating, and fun too… maybe I even felt a little envious.”

“Fascinating and fun, sure. But envious? What do you mean?”

“I’ve never had something I could feel that passionate about. Ah, well, when I worked as your pair guide, I was passionate in my own way.”

The guide work hadn’t been something Jiho chose, nor something he continued because he liked it. The sudden appearance of his ability forced him away from a normal life. Dojin understood the helplessness and self-doubt Jiho must have felt.

“…With photography these days, and trying out different things, you’ll find something you can be passionate about someday.”

“Yes….”

Jiho rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned. Dojin wanted to keep the conversation going, but when he saw Jiho’s eyelids drooping, he let it go.

“Shall we go to bed now?”

“Mm….”

Now used to being held, Jiho stretched both arms toward Dojin. With a small laugh, Dojin lifted him easily and carried him into the bedroom.

“Good night, Jiho-ya.”

“Mm… hyung too, sweet dreams….”

Jiho’s half-asleep voice sounded muffled. In the dark room, Dojin listened to the faint breaths and went over Jiho’s words again and again.

It was a restless night.