Spin-off: While Noona Was Asleep
If there are any issues, delete it; I have no intention of disparaging the artist.
All content is unrelated to reality.
After eating dinner, Hana slumped onto the sofa and immediately started nodding off.
Hana "Mmm… Noona, I’ll just close my eyes for 10 minutes…"
During those 10 minutes, three little kids gathered in a row in front of the TV.
The one holding the remote was Ringring.
Without anyone noticing, the channel changed and stopped on "Animal Kingdom"
A pack of wolves was running across the snowy field on the screen.
The narrator "Wolves lead the pack and protect their family to the very end."
Myeongmyeong’s eyes sparkled.
Myeongmyeong "……So cool"
Myeongmyeong "I’m a wolf too! I’ll protect my family too!"
Taepung "You’re a puppy"
Myeongmyeong "Wolves and dogs are relatives!"
Ringring (quietly) "…a Pomeranian maybe?"
Myeongmyeong "I’m not a Pomeranian!!"
Myeongmyeong climbed onto the sofa armrest and, like the wolves on screen, threw back their head.
Myeongmyeong "Awooooo~!!"
But the sound that came out was nothing like the bravado.
Myeongmyeong "Awo… whine…"
Taepung rolled around on the floor laughing.
Taepung "Pfft, it’s whining now"
Myeongmyeong "I’m doing it again! Awooo~ whine!!"
Without a word, Ringring rolled a sunflower seed over in front of Myeongmyeong.
Only Ringring knew whether that was applause or consolation.
At that moment, Hana shifted on the sofa.
Hana "Mmm… Myeongmyeong, be quiet…"
The three of them froze solid.
5 seconds without making a sound
Once Hana fell back asleep, breathing softly,
the three of them let out a sigh at the same time.
After all that commotion, they got hungry again.
Taepung "I saw Noona’s snacks in the top kitchen cabinet yesterday"
Myeongmyeong "If we eat Noona’s, we’ll get in trouble…"
Taepung "If we don’t get caught, it’s fine"
Taepung came up with a plan.
Taepung "Myeongmyeong, push the chair. I’ll climb up, and Ringring, keep watch in case Noona wakes up"
Ringring "…I’m good at keeping watch"
Myeongmyeong grunted and shoved the dining chair all the way to the sink.
Taepung stood on tiptoe on the chair and cracked open the top cabinet door just a little.
Rustle
All three of them turned toward the sofa at once.
Hana was sleeping with her mouth slightly open.
Ringring (making a circle with their hand)
Mission accomplished
The three of them squatted under the dining table and split a bag of snacks.
Every time Myeongmyeong ate one, they whispered, "Tasty…" and
to erase the evidence, Taepung meticulously brushed off the crumbs.
Ringring gathered snacks into their cheeks one by one.
After they finished eating, Taepung crumpled the empty bag into a ball and handed it to Myeongmyeong.
Taepung "You throw it away"
Myeongmyeong "Why me!"
Taepung "’Cause you ate the most"
Myeongmyeong "……Fair"
Myeongmyeong went to throw the bag in the trash can and came back,
then suddenly stopped with snack crumbs all over their mouth.
Myeongmyeong "…But who’s the oldest brother in this house?"
Myeongmyeong "Anyway! I got here first, so I’m the big brother!"
Myeongmyeong straightened their chest and declared it.
Naturally, Taepung seemed like they’d object, but surprisingly—
Taepung "Fine, you can be the big brother."
Myeongmyeong "……Really?"
Taepung "Yeah, but if you’re the big brother, you have to do stuff like this too"
Taepung lay back on the sofa and held up one finger after another.
Taepung "If you’re the big brother, you’ve got to get your little sibling some water"
Myeongmyeong "Water! Got it!"
Myeongmyeong hurried off and brought back a cup of water.
Taepung "If you’re the big brother, you’ve got to bring the remote for your little sibling too"
Myeongmyeong "Remote! Here!"
Taepung "If you’re the big brother, you’ve got to spread out the blanket for your little sibling too"
Myeongmyeong "Blanket! Because I’m the big brother!"
Myeongmyeong flitted happily back and forth across the living room,
and Taepung, lying on the sofa, wagged only the tips of their feet instead of a tail.
After a while, Myeongmyeong, who had finished laying out the blanket, tilted their head.
Myeongmyeong "……Huh? Wait, this is weird…"
Ringring "…You finally get it?"
Myeongmyeong "You!!!"
Round two started as a battle for the seat beside Hana.
If Myeongmyeong claimed Hana’s sleeping arm pillow,
Taepung would climb onto Hana’s stomach and curl up into a ball.
Myeongmyeong "That’s my spot!"
Taepung "Your spot? A stomach isn’t a spot, is it?"
Unable to stand it anymore, Ringring quietly raised a hand.
Ringring "…Let’s take turns beside Noona. Monday, Wednesday, Friday for Myeongmyeong; Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday for Taepung"
Myeongmyeong·Taepung "Then what about Sunday?"
Instead of answering, Ringring gave a shy smile and slipped under Hana’s pillow, lying down there.
Ringring "…Me"
The quiet Ringring was the final winner.
Myeongmyeong "……Tch"
Taepung "……Hmph"
Though they both grumbled, they lay down on either side of Hana.
Full, warm, and smelling like Noona.
On the sofa, Hana and the three little kids huddled together and fell asleep just like that.
It was the middle of the night.
Thud!
Something fell over near the front door.
Myeongmyeong shot up.
Looking beside them, Ringring was fast asleep, wrapped up in the blanket, and Taepung’s spot was empty.
Myeongmyeong '……I’m scared'
Their legs were shaking.
They wanted to crawl back into the blanket.
Then they remembered what the nurse at the hospital had told them.
'A real big brother, you know, is someone who protects the little siblings and Noona when it’s scariest.'
Myeongmyeong clenched both fists tight.
Myeongmyeong "……I’m the big brother, I’m a wolf"
Myeongmyeong crossed the pitch-dark hallway alone and went out to the front door.
Myeongmyeong "A, awooo…!"
After shouting in a trembling voice, they looked at the entrance,
and there they saw a toppled delivery box,
and next to it, a black-haired kid crouched down, playfully poking the box with their toes.
Even in human form, Taepung was nocturnal, wide awake at night.
Taepung "…What, you really came out?"
Myeongmyeong "Because I have to protect Noona and Ringring! I’m the big brother, you know!"
Taepung "……"
The toes kicking the box froze in midair.
Taepung casually wiped their face with the back of their hand, then looked away awkwardly when their eyes met Myeongmyeong’s.
Taepung "……Idiot, the box just fell over"
Myeongmyeong "Really? Thank goodness…"
Myeongmyeong plopped down and let out a sigh.
Taepung nudged the fallen box back into place with a foot.
As if nothing had happened
Myeongmyeong "In case I hear another noise, I’m staying here"
Taepung "……Do whatever you want"
Myeongmyeong crouched by the front door guarding it, and before long, nodded off right there.
Taepung dragged the blanket from the sofa over with both hands, tossed it onto Myeongmyeong, and vanished in a flash.
After Hana woke up to the alarm and got ready for work,
she tilted her head when she saw Myeongmyeong sleeping curled up under a blanket by the front door.
Hana "……Why is this kid sleeping here?"
In the kitchen trash can was an empty snack bag,
and snack crumbs were still stuck around Myeongmyeong’s mouth.
Hana "Myeongmyeong… you ate Noona’s snacks, didn’t you?"
Myeongmyeong rubbed their half-awake eyes and looked up.
Myeongmyeong "……Huh?"
As soon as they heard that, Taepung and Ringring both looked away at the same time.
Hana "No snacks for Myeongmyeong today!"
Myeongmyeong "Waaah… I wasn’t the only one who ate them…"
Hana never found out in the end.
That there had been a little wolf in this house last night
The morning news was playing on the TV they’d left on.
Anchor "The 'handsome rabbit' that had been a hot topic among Seongbuk-gu residents has recently disappeared,
and fans are now going out to find him themselves."
A photo of a white rabbit filled the screen.
Waiting for Hana, who was getting ready for work,
the three sitting side by side in the entrance all suddenly turned their heads toward the TV.
Taepung "……Him too?"
