Jeong Tae-ui has a Hyung who was born on the same day and at the same time.
Though they were branches from the same root, Jeong Tae-ui’s brother, who bore little resemblance to him, was incredibly intelligent. It was as if the word 'genius' was insufficient to describe him.
If only my Hyung wasn't so laid-back and indifferent to the world, if he had a bit more ambition, I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said he could probably blow up a continent.
Even the United Nations' human resources development organization coveted Hyung, who possessed extraordinary talents spanning from the humanities to science and technology, and even the arts.
On the other hand, Jeong Tae-ui was ordinary. Or rather, slightly above average. After all, he never fell below average at anything he did. In some areas, he even earned praise for being exceptional.
However, when Jeong Tae-ui was praised for being exceptional, it was always the result of his own hard work. Unlike his Hyung who achieved top scores without putting in half as much effort, Jeong Tae-ui always worked diligently.
However, Jeong Tae-ui never envied his Hyung for that. While he might have thought it would be convenient to have such talent, he never wished to possess his brother's abilities.
What Jeong Tae-ui envied about his Hyung was not his intellect, talent, or ability.
What he envied about his Hyung was his luck.
Jeong Tae-ui’s Hyung, Jeong Jae-ui, was not only extraordinarily intelligent, is often referred to as a genius among geniuses, but he was also blessed with an unparalleled level of luck. It would be an understatement to say he was born under a lucky star, his good fortune was truly extreme.
It wasn't just that Jeong Jae-ui would miraculously escape unharmed from major accidents; his luck went beyond that. For instance, he never needed to receive a proper allowance as a student. Since there was simply no need for it.
Despite generally having little desire for material possessions and rarely needing money, whenever Jeong Jae-ui faced an unexpected expense and had no money on hand, he would borrow a few coins from those around him and buy a lottery ticket.
The lottery ticket would always bring him exactly the amount of luck he needed.
It was always like that.
While Jeong Jae-ui's extremely and almost unbelievable good fortune was a normal part of his everyday life, Jeon Tae-ui experienced the typical amount of luck and misfortune that most people do. I would be lying if I said I didn’t envy my Hyung’s luck in such a life.
When I was younger, I envied him so much that my stomach ached, but as I grew older, I didn't feel that way anymore. It was just the normal envy anyone feels for something they can't have, something new and good.
Despite the fact that it was relatively insignificant, this was the only thing Jeong Tae-ui ever envied about others, considering how he was not one to feel envy easily.
Although he sometimes felt envious and jealous of his Hyung, Jeong Tae-ui loved him nonetheless.
That incredibly unlucky person, who was incredibly intelligent, exceptionally skilled at using that intelligence, and even incredibly lucky, wasn't so unlucky in terms of personality. Sure, he could be careless, fickle, and a bit mysterious, but as a Hyung, he was pretty normal. He was kind in an ordinary way, and he was reliably dependable.
I think we're pretty good brothers. ……Even though there are still some puzzling aspects of my Hyung, even after living together for over twenty years, maybe that's just how geniuses are. But maybe my Hyung didn't really like me.
The night before my older brother left, which was four days ago.
As was often the case, he was staring intently at a complex blueprint that Jeong Tae-ui couldn't understand, and occasionally he would scribble something like chemical formulas or molecular models beside it as if something had occurred to him, and he would lose himself in thought again. Even when Jeong Tae-ui approached him closely and peered over his shoulder at the blueprint, he didn't realize it for a long time.
Looking at the unfamiliar chemical formulas and numbers, Jeong Tae-ui thought, ‘Hyung is moving into an unfamiliar world again,’ walked over to the couch next to him, pulled out an ordinary humanities book he could understand, and opened it.
It was a quiet, comfortable night, just like any other. Having stared at the papers for a long time, perhaps feeling exhausted, Hyung pushed them aside and lay down on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling as if his soul had left his body.
Perhaps a weary sigh escaped his lips at that moment. Suddenly, he went and sat next to Jeong Tae-ui, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book, and then he unexpectedly grabbed Jeong Tae-ui's pinky finger and spoke.
‘Right here you see…….’
And then, as he spread out his pinky finger, he continued.
‘Here is a red thread between the hands. Born on the same day, at the same time, on the same ship, it’s only natural…… But Let’s cut it now.’
‘……. What?’
Suddenly, what kind of incomprehensible thing is this? Though Hyung always said he was swimming in a world he didn't understand, he'd never spoken such nonsense to me before.
It was already well-known that his older brother wasn't of average brain, but at that moment, Jeong Tae-ui briefly wondered if perhaps his brother wasn't even of normal brain.
However, with his usual calm gaze, his Hyung spread his fingers into the shape of scissors and pretended to snip the space between their pinky fingers. It was as if he were cutting the invisible red thread of fate that connected them.
And then, as if nothing had happened, his brother looked back up at the ceiling, and Jeong Tae-ui, still holding up his pinky finger, stared at him blankly. Then, he suddenly asked.
‘Hyung……. you actually hated me, didn't you?’
Or maybe I thought, 'Did I do something recently to upset him?' and I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind. What could be the problem? What kind of issue could have arisen without me knowing, to the point where they would suddenly want to cut ties?
When Jeong Tae-ui asked that question, it suddenly seemed like he was saying something out of the ordinary.
‘Why me.’
His brother ended the conversation with those words. Jeong Hyung tilted his head and stared intently at his brother's face. But seeing his Hyungs expression, which revealed no insincerity despite its unreadable nature, Jeong Tae-ui said nothing more and turned his gaze back to his book.
But if you think about it, maybe those words were a shorthand way of saying, 'Then why would I like you?'
Even if I'm curious now, the only person who could answer that question has already left without saying when he'll be back. They left behind the words, 'I guess I'll have to experience some bad luck.'
Jeong Tae-ui had thought, 'What a spoiled thing to say,' but now he realized that his Hyung had been extremely lucky to leave when he did. He had left just before this bothersome guest arrived.
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Tâmago
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