Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 of "Became My Idol's Older Brother"**

Chirp chirp!

I woke up with a start at the sound of birds outside.

“...”

It was the familiar ceiling.

No, it wasn't the familiar ceiling.

Was I still half-asleep?

But this light, unburdened body, feeling no fatigue at all, was strangely different.

The warm sunlight streaming through the window and the friendly chirping of birds.

Based on my over 30 years of experience, this was...

“Damn!”

I was late.

“Shit.”

What was today's morning schedule?

I jumped out of bed and checked my phone...

“Wait. What is this?”

Why was I in bed?

I always just spread a blanket on the floor and slept.

“Whose room is this? Here?”

I tried to recall what happened yesterday.

I dropped Yuna off and went home immediately, drank a refreshing zero cola, and fell asleep.

Could I have mistaken the cola for alcohol and drunk it?

But there's no way I could have gotten drunk from just one can and ended up in someone else's house.

Bang bang bang!

Someone was knocking on the door hard.

What should I do? What should I do?

“Brother! Are you still sleeping? Why is the door locked? What are you doing in there?!”

I was at a loss at the voice from outside the room.

Bang bang bang-!!

“Open the door! I know you're awake!”

What should I do?

I couldn't keep this up forever.

If I jumped out the window,

“...I'd die if I jumped.”

It looked like at least the 15th floor.

‘I don't know. I'll just apologize and face it.’

Reluctantly, I opened the door.

But,

“What? You were already awake?”

“Eh...?”

“Why? Is there something on my face?”

I felt as if I had been hit by a blunt object.

“Are you making fun of me for being ugly again? Right!?”

“...”

What on earth is going on?

“What? Brother, why are you so quiet?”

Why is Yuna here...

“Hey. You're ignoring me again. I don't know. Mom said to come and eat quickly.”

Moreover, she was calling me 'brother' and her figure had shrunk.

Yes, this was definitely the young Yuna.

Her radiant appearance proved it.

But she looked like a middle schooler.

“What is this?”

I checked my face in the mirror in the room.

I, like Yuna, had shrunk.

But this wasn't my younger self.

My skin wasn't this fair when I was in middle school, and my face wasn't this handsome.

If I had this face, I would have been the idol, not the manager.

Wait. But this face, it's familiar.

Not long after, I was startled.

“Could it be Jung Yun-sung!?”

The only brother who exploited his younger sister and was known as a troublemaker, that rascal Yuna's brother, Jung Yun-sung.

I was in his body.

* * *

“Yun-sung. Are you feeling sick? Why can't you eat?”

The thing I hate the most in the world is someone fidgeting at the dinner table.

I used to want to hit them on the back of the head, but today I was the one doing it.

“No, I'm fine.”

Yuna, who was sitting next to me, nudged my arm.

I jumped in surprise.

“What? Brother. Why are you using such formal language all of a sudden? It's creepy. And why are you so jumpy?”

She looked at me with a mischievous eye and said,

“Oh! I get it. Brother, you must have done something really bad! You're lying to us, right?!”

Cough.

I almost choked on the soup I had just swallowed.

“No, I haven't.”

“Huh?”

“No, I haven't.”

“You really are suspicious.”

My stomach churned, and I felt like I was going to vomit even though I hadn't eaten much.

I still couldn't grasp what was happening.

I couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.

And what I couldn't adapt to the most was,

“Mom! Can we have chicken for dinner tonight?”

“Yuna. You had chicken yesterday. No, we can't.”

“So we can't? Huh? Can't? Dad, Mom said we can't. What should we do?”

“...Cough. How much does a chicken cost? I'll buy it.”

“Hey!!”

“Wow! Dad is the best!”

Yuna was smiling brightly.

Was she always capable of such a mischievous smile?

I had only ever seen her with a dark and cold expression, so I wondered if I was mistaking her for someone else.

“Yun-sung. You're acting weird today. Why are you so nervous? Did you do something wrong?”

I shook my head at Yuna's mother.

“No, I haven't.”

“Haha. I don't know what you did, but... you'll die if you get caught~?”

I felt a chill down my spine.

“Yeah, Yun-sung. If you think you'll get caught, confess now. Or don't get caught at all.”

“No, is that what you should say?”

“A father should teach his son the wisdom of life.”

“So, what are you hiding from me?”

“...Dad will get up first.”

Yuna lived in a very harmonious family.

“Hey. Where are you going? You have to answer. What are you hiding? Hey! Jung Young-hoon!”

No, is it really harmonious?

It seemed more like a noisy family.

* * *

“Phew.”

After the confusing meal, I returned to my room.

I tried to calm my churning stomach and took out a notebook.

“Let's think this through.”

Why am I here?

Why did I become Jung Yun-sung?

Is this a dream, or is it reality?

“I don't know anything.”

I was full of questions with no answers.

The only thing I suspected was:

“Yeosu night sea.”

The pebble I threw there.

The ridiculous urban legend I made up to cheer Yuna up.

At that time, Yuna wished for an older brother, and I prayed for her wish to come true.

Does throwing a pebble make wishes come true?

That's absurd.

If it were possible, I would have thrown a truckload of pebbles there.

“But there's no other connection.”

I groaned and leaned back in my chair.

“At least it seems like a good home.”

When I glanced around the house earlier, it seemed like a well-off place.

There were two children, each with their own room, and it looked like the parents had their own room too.

It was a spacious house, probably around 50-60 pyeong.

So Yuna's family was well-off.

I heard that Yuna's father had a successful business before he passed away.

Was it in the entertainment industry?

I can't remember.

I only knew that after her parents passed away, she lived with her grandmother.

Bang!

“Brother!”

“Ah!”

I fell backward as the chair tipped over from the sudden opening of the door.

“Ha! What are you doing? Are you doing a physical comedy act?”

“No. At least knock...”

“What? You also barge into my room. Last time, you even opened the door when I was changing!”

“...”

I didn't do that, but it felt like it was all my fault.

“Why did you come... no, why are you here?”

“You've been acting really weird lately.”

She approached me and held out a textbook.

Then she shouted confidently,

“Help me!”

“With what?”

“Homework!”

It was a middle school math textbook.

Math.

I can't remember much, but...

“Sure, I'll help.”

She looked at me with wide eyes.

Is it that surprising that I said I would help?

“Brother, what's wrong with you today?”

Her suspicious gaze scanned me.

“What, what?”

“Shouldn't you call me a 'freak' and tell me to get lost?”

“Huh?”

“Brother, are you really sick? Or are you thinking something bad? Are you stressed about school and thinking about jumping off the roof...”

“No! I said I'll help. Just go then.”

When I pushed her away, she quickly came back and linked her arm with mine.

I stiffened.

“Hey. Are you still sulking? Are you really going to help?”

I nodded slightly.

“Thanks, Brother. You saved me. In return, Mom bought some pudding jelly for us to eat. You can have mine too.”

“Okay.”

Yes, middle school math shouldn't be that hard.

I opened the math book confidently.

“...”

I was stuck on the first page.

* * *

“Ah!”

Early morning.

I woke up in shock and checked my surroundings.

I was still in Jung Yun-sung's body, and this was Yuna's house.

“Phew.”

It wasn't a dream.

I thought it would be over when I woke up.

Monday morning.

The day of my first day of school.

No, it wasn't originally Jung Yun-sung's first day, but it was for me.

This morning, this spacious room, the shower in my room, and this school uniform,

everything was unfamiliar.

But why is the room so spacious?

It's bigger than the studio apartment I lived in.

“Kids! It's time to wake up! How long are you going to sleep?”

Mom knocked on the door.

I carefully opened the door.

“Good morning.”

Mom looked surprised.

“Huh? No. Our son. What's going on? A kid who wouldn't wake up even after 30 minutes. And you're wearing your school uniform?”

“I woke up early today.”

“Hmm. That's strange.”

Then Mom put her hand on my head and her own.

“No fever. Do you want to go to the hospital?”

“Why?”

“Your behavior is suspicious. A kid who used to yell in the morning is suddenly polite, and a kid who used to talk back to me is now using formal language. It's good, but why am I worried?”

“...”

How much of a morning troublemaker was this kid?

Maybe it's the typical behavior of a Korean son.

Especially for a middle schooler, it's the time when they often have middle school syndrome.

I found out Yuna and Jung Yun-sung's grade and class from their textbooks.

Saeheon Middle School, 3rd grade, class 1, Jung Yun-sung.

That was my current identity.

“I'm really fine. I feel like I've caused my parents a lot of trouble. I won't do that anymore.”

“Sure, do that. It seems like you were deeply moved by some self-help book, but you'll probably be back to your old self in three days.”

“...”

I thought she would be a little moved, but she seemed to have a very cold assessment of her son.

Or maybe she's just that cool.

Mom patted my head and said,

“Come and eat some bread. I'll make you some toast.”

“Okay!”

I sat at the large dining table in the kitchen connected to the living room.

Mom spread cream cheese and jam on the bread.

I can see who Yuna takes after.

She must have been even more beautiful when she was young.

“But where are the others...”

But I was alone in the living room.

I thought Dad would be up already.

“Hey! Get up. Your son is waiting for you to wake up!”

“Ugh. Five more minutes...”

“Really, I can't live like this. You have an important meeting today!!”

The sound of slapping echoed.

Mom was busy going around the rooms in the morning.

“Yuna! Get up, lazybones!”

“Ugh... I don't want to go to school.”

“You're talking nonsense again. Get up now!”

“Eeeek.”

A noisy family.

Or a peaceful family's daily life.

“Oh, by the way-”

I suddenly remembered the pudding Yuna mentioned and opened the fridge to look for it.

“...”

There was no pudding left in the fridge.

Chapter 3