Chapter 38 – Traveling in Hong Kong – Something Like That… Want to Do? (2)

I was the type who doesn’t rush to get off the plane, so I wanted a seat at the back, so I sat comfortably and waited for the people on the plane with my younger brother to get off, and then, without any rush, I got off with my light luggage.
The luggage the two of us brought along while traveling together was about one suitcase and two backpacks, and it was light because we didn’t put much inside except for clothes.

After boarding with a small carrier and leaving the airport without waiting for luggage, as I found out, I first purchased a Hong Kong transportation card called the Octopus card, and while looking for my way through the Internet, called Sham Shui Po, a place where many workers in Hong Kong live. I took the airport bus to downtown, which looked a bit old.

“… It’s a bit hot for some reason.”
“I think it’s okay because it’s dinnertime… They say that Hong Kong is always hot. I need to be a little careful and not move when it’s hot and sit somewhere.”
“That’s why I told you to bring short sleeves…”

As we got off the airport bus and walked to the hotel we had reserved, my brother unbuttoned his shirt little by little and pulled up his sleeves as if it was very hot.
… For some reason, I keep looking at him, but it seems that the girls passing by also glance at him.
I knew it would be hot, so I put on a little skinny jeans and a shirt in advance, but it was still hot.
My friend said Hong Kong was originally fun like this… It was difficult to understand such an opinion, but the buildings unique to Hong Kong that I saw around me definitely felt very unique.

After arriving at a small hotel among the buildings in Sham Shui Po, my brother and I went into our room to cool off for a while.
My sister was amazed even when she walked through the narrow hotel lobby, and as soon as she opened the door that was right next to the room, she was startled and looked around the room.

“… Wow, so small… Yes?”
“Housing prices in Hong Kong are very expensive, the land is small, but the population is large… The house is getting smaller and smaller. I want to feel that kind of feeling at the hotel… They say this is the cleanest hotel with such a small feeling… Weird?”
“It’s small, but it has everything… If this is the only space between the two beds, I wonder why they made it into two.”
“It’s small, so it’s like a doll’s house. But there are all shower rooms, and there is a refrigerator… It even has air conditioning!”
“… It looks like a gosiwon.”

I laughed with a small laugh because my brother’s impression was so accurate and funny.
The hotel room, which was a double room, was really small like a gosiwon, and after placing a suitcase at the entrance, there was a shower room right next to the shower room, and two beds were placed side by side within one step.

My sister immediately opened the suitcase and took out her thin short sleeves to put on, and while she was changing, I turned on the air conditioner and sat on the bed for a while… It suddenly felt strange that her brother was watching her change clothes like this.
Is it okay to look at her sister’s body casually like this…? No, because he’s my brother… Of course it shouldn’t be anything…

“Shall I wipe away your sweat… ?”
“Ah, thank you.”

Seeing that my sister’s back was wet with sweat and reflecting the light, I wiped it with a towel in the room, and the younger sister, who had changed, took out a wallet from her bag and said, as if it was okay to change clothes in front of me.

“Then, where are you going… ?”
“Let’s go eat!”

I went out with my younger brother, and the first thing I did was visit a Michelin 1-star famous dim sum restaurant not far from the hotel.
They say there are quite a few chain stores, but this one was the main store… It was my first time ordering something in Hong Kong, so I was nervous, but I checked the menu in English and handed over the paper to order, so I was able to order without difficulty.
After ordering Xiao Mai and wonton noodles, which I wanted to try first when I came to Hong Kong, I ordered a Hong Kong-specific drink called Lemon Cola Tea.

“What about this… It’s Lemon Coke, but why is Tea written at the end?”
“Hmm… That’s not Lemon Coke… It’s a drink called Lemon Cola Tea. Boil cola, lemon, and ginger… They say it’s good for you…”
“… Do you boil it?”
“Unexpectedly, it’s like crystal and delicious…”
“… Are the crystal fruits delicious?”
“Doesn’t it taste good?”
“No… Delicious… Joe.”

My brother’s drink was a cool purple drink called Lemon Rivena.
The drink came out first, and when I tasted it, it was refreshing, sweet, and slightly sour, and then I drank my lemon cola tea… As I thought, it was like a crystal, but it tasted a bit stranger than expected.
Should I say it feels like mixing lemon with warm ginger ale without carbonation…

“… So did the salty tomato juice… I feel like I forgot that my older sister was living in China, and now I remember it.”
“Uh? Why, why?”
“No… Well, eating well… That’s good… Do you like Sol’s eyes?”
“It’s delicious, but… In China, Korean drinks are too expensive, so I don’t drink them often. In the first place, I don’t drink much.”
“What is your favorite drink?”
“Among Chinese drinks, citron green tea with a brand called chapai… And milk tea with lots of pearls… ?”
“Uh… ? Is this normal?”
“Uh? Why… ?”

The younger brother continued to ask strange questions, and Xiao Mai came out after all.
Hmm… It’s good that it’s not as full of spices as Chinese food, but it seemed like there were a few different kinds of spices in it.
Still, rather than feeling like I couldn’t eat it, it was delicious because it only went in to make it taste better, and eating wontons while eating noodles suddenly seemed to make the taste thicker in my mouth, so I was able to eat it deliciously.

The xiao mai was also very well made, and it tasted different from the wonton… So I thought it was a taste I had eaten a few times in China, but my younger brother must have been very good and ate well… I took a wonton and ate it, then I was still looking at my younger brother with my chopsticks in my mouth.

“… What’s wrong? Did I ask you something… ?”
“Uh? Oh no… I like to see you eating something…”

After hearing what I said, the younger brother laughed and ate slowly, wondering what was funny about it. After eating, we walked out of the store and started walking down the streets of the night market.
Just after dinner, the sun had completely set and the streets were full of people leaving work and tourists at night, and I walked side by side with my brother through the night streets of Hong Kong to a place called Mong Kok Night Market.

“Hong Kong restaurants have to open their kitchens, and they say that if you don’t keep a certain level of cleanliness, you get caught and have to close the door. There is a saying among Chinese people that doing business in Hong Kong makes them clean…”
“… Today, for some reason, it seems like they talk a lot about Chinese people being messy.”
“Oh, I didn’t. I didn’t say the Chinese were dirty. I said that Hong Kong is clean…”
“Isn’t that to say that China is relatively messy?”

I became quiet because I couldn’t refute what my brother said.
Hong Kong is very small, so from what I found out, it seemed to be a little bigger than Busan.
Soon after, I arrived at the Mongkok Night Market, and my brother and I walked around looking at the products in the market.

Billboards full of neon signs, buildings whose exteriors are being repaired with bamboo frames, roads full of steel, pipes and cement… The 1st and 2nd floors were used as shopping malls, and although it was very tall and tall, the old building was full of houses where people lived.
How to say, it seemed decadent, but the retro atmosphere was amazing.
The buildings are very dense, but most of the roads are intersections, and the streets with more people walking rather than cars seem to have a futuristic feeling and a feeling of returning to the past.
And while looking around with my younger brother in a night market full of neon signboards… I felt one thing.

“Look at this! I saw it in China!”
“It feels like I’m in a small, peculiar China where I don’t understand the language.”

I really liked the unique atmosphere of the Hong Kong night market, but it was true that I didn’t really want to buy anything.
It’s not that high-quality, and it’s not particularly Hong Kong-like…
Even in the evening, it was quite humid and hot, so rather than buying souvenirs, I bought mango juice from a famous Hong Kong beverage chain called Hui Lau Mountain and walked around drinking it.

“The mango juice is delicious!”
“… It tastes strange.”
“Uh… ? Rice, isn’t it great?”
“No, it is delicious.”

My younger brother drank the mango juice while tilting his head, wondering if the taste was different from what he had imagined while looking at it.

“It’s interesting, but something strangely interesting~”
“It’s different from what I thought, but… Right?”

There were T-shirts with I♡HK written on them that looked like I♡NY, luggage tags with characters that were made without paying attention to copyrights, and various character USBs and nanocubes.
A little further in, a corner selling fake luxury bags and fake wallets appeared… My younger sister said it looked very high quality, and she looked at it in surprise.

“Hmm… Some say that fakes sold in Hong Kong are indistinguishable.”
“Uh? Is it so?”
“Something, was it a factory that made luxury goods, or was it distribution… They say that they secretly make more and sell them there, and since they flow into the market like this and are sold, there is no box and no warranty… They say the materials and process of making them are the same.”
“… Then it’s not fake, isn’t it real?”
“I think it is ambiguous. Are you curious?”

When I passed the bag corner and went to the place where there were a lot of watches, people were soliciting customers, saying in Korean, “I have a Rolex, I can’t see it.”
My younger sister suddenly became interested in her and approached her at a faster pace, so I followed in surprise and watched as she looked down at the watch… I thought that her brother was also a man.

“… How much is this?”
“Oh! No! Never! Fakes are not for sale!”
“Oh, no… I was just curious about the price.”
“If you would rather have one, tell your sister! I’ll make money and buy it for real! Don’t be interested in fakes because you’re not buying them!”

Living in China, I saw a lot of fakes, so I was very sensitive to that.
I didn’t like to proudly carry a fake as if it were real, and I didn’t like making money simply by stealing other people’s ideas or efforts.
My younger brother listened to my firm words and gave up buying a fake watch, and my younger brother and I went in a little further and took a commemorative photo together… I went into the market a little more.

“And…”
“Daddy, hurry up.”

When I went in a little more like that, I wondered if I had entered the wrong place, and I was selling erotic underwear or something openly hung up.
There are also a lot of adult products on display… I was surprised that something like this was put out and sold, but somehow I urged it by pulling the shirt of my brother who was standing still in front of his dirty underwear.

A thong that looks better if you don’t wear it because you can’t cover anything, a design that seems to be made by decorating a maid’s uniform with underwear… On top of that, short but tight-fitting underwear that looks like a remodeled Japanese school uniform for girls…

“That’s good… ?”
“Uh, that…”
“Do you want me to wear something like that?”
“… Will you wear it?”
“No?!”

And taking a commemorative photo… The two of us drank a few drinks together and took a picture. For some reason, I wanted to ask someone else to take a picture for me, but I was afraid to leave my phone with someone I don’t know, so I only took more selfies.

After seeing the night market quite a bit, I took a taxi and returned to Sham Shui Po with my brother.
The basic rate was about the same as in Korea, and I watched the rates go up, handed over the correct price and lowered it.
I was trying to end the first day of my Hong Kong trip by simply seeing the night market… I found a shop that sells leather crafts.

“This is cute…”
“… It’s a cat key ring.”

And I was fascinated by the keyring in the shape of a cat’s face, which was made by putting patterns on the leather with only stitches, so I just looked around.
I was contemplating whether to buy it or not, and my brother came up to me and poked his head out as if he was curious about what I was looking at. I took out my wallet and was handing the money to the shopkeeper before I knew it.

“Uh?”
“I didn’t have a keychain, so I bought two and share them.”
“Uh? Uh?”

I was taken aback because I didn’t expect to buy it so suddenly.
As if nothing had happened, my sister handed me the matching pair, and I looked down at her with the keyring on her palm… Excited at the thought of receiving a present for the first time, I held it tightly in her hand and looked up at my sister.

“Oh, thank you… I will definitely do it.”

I put the key ring right away in my bag in case I lost it.
I was in a very good mood, so I was walking the streets at night with my younger brother while smirking… There was a restaurant I wanted to try before it was too late, so I went to the restaurant with my younger brother, thinking that I would not go around anymore.

“You have to eat a late-night snack on a trip!”

It was also not too far from the hotel… It was a restaurant that became famous on Korean TV shows.
There was a poster on the wall with a Hong Kong TV show, and on one of the pillars was a Korean TV show.
The store was full of customers… It’s not just us sitting together, but several people eating together, so me and my sister felt a little awkward, but the two of us stuck together and ordered food together.

“… Would you like a drink too?”
“Oh… That’s forbidden…”
“Hmm… They say there is beer from Hong Kong. It’s a blue girl… Order this and drink it together.”
“Uh, uh… That, then… Just one bottle, that’s it… ?”

I decided to ban alcohol for a while, but when I heard that beer was only available in Hong Kong… In the end, I decided to just buy one bottle and share it.
The menu is stir-fried beef potatoes and spicy chili crab, especially spicy chili crab… Really, salty yet spicy, stimulating yet delicious… It was a very snack-like dish, so I enjoyed eating it.

“Wow, this… Try this.”
“Wow, this… Do you even eat the peel?”
“Oh, I only eat the soft part. I think they made it that way on purpose… Interesting. It’s kind of like Korean food. Chives, garlic…”
“It’s like fried crab. How delicious is this?”
“Mae, beer… Would you like another bottle?”
“Can I?”

And… After drinking three bottles of beer with a delicious dish, I feel slightly drunk… After eating cleanly, I slowly stood up, holding my sister’s arm and leaning against it.
My brother did not refuse to lean on me because I was a little drunk, and rather, he was slightly worried, so he gently hugged her with one arm.

After that, I stopped at a convenience store to buy something to drink and went back to the hotel.
Fortunately, the hotel is not far, and her brother also remembers her way, so she was able to return to her room in less than 10 minutes, and the day passed in an instant… After coming into the room and lying on the bed… She turned her head slightly and looked at her brother.

For some reason, her younger brother was also staring at me… My younger brother and I were still with our eyes closed, smelling like alcohol even though it was a little bit from the beer we drank.

“First day… It’s over.”
“Yes, yes… How was it?”
“Hmm… More than I thought, it doesn’t seem very busy and it’s strange.”
“I feel like I’m on a trip… ?”
“To be honest, I don’t think I came to Hong Kong for a trip, I just think that I came somewhere to play with my sister.”

For some reason, after hearing what her brother said, I sympathized.
Even though I came to Hong Kong, strangely, I didn’t feel excited about the destination or want to go somewhere quickly like when I was traveling alone.
Feeling strange all day… Rather than the night view, I’m looking at my younger brother, and rather than souvenirs, I’m watching what my younger brother is looking at… Rather than enjoying the food, I’m watching what my brother eats…
Come to think of it, my brother was similar. At some point, when our eyes meet, he’s looking at me… For some reason, rather than enjoying being in a different place, he seems to enjoy being with someone in a different place… It was a feeling.

“Hey, Hong Kong… A building, isn’t it?
“… Yes, he looks like a tall grandfather wearing only branded shoes.”
“Poop… What, what is that?”

I laughed at the metaphor of my younger brother, but I thought it was a metaphor that fit very well.
Only the 1st and 2nd floors have been renovated several times and are clean, and since they are being used as shopping malls, they have become very modern… The stores located there were also modern stores such as 7-Eleven and Starbucks with neat interiors, but the tall apartments that looked straight above them were faded gray with old outdoor fans and dark windows.

I thought that was a strangely futuristic yet contradictory feeling, like going back to the past… It was very interesting to hear what my brother had to say.
Only the lower part is clean and pretty building… Hong Kong buildings built high as if they were forcibly raised to save space.

“The analogy is strange… It’s fun…”

Even as I said that, I smiled with my face half buried in the bed, and my younger brother looked at my face silently.
Still… Quietly… In bed, in a hotel room with each other… Lie down, face down, in a foreign country where only the two of us know each other…

“Sir, wash… I will.”

I started to have strange thoughts, so I blushed and caught my sister’s eyes, then I got up after talking while avoiding her eyes.
Then, leaving behind her silent sister, she went into the shower with her clothes on, took off everything from the inside, and bathed in warm water… I tried not to think strangely.

I wasn’t tired because I didn’t walk that much, but I took a shower and cooled my body and head because the inside of my head suddenly became hot for some reason.
Thinking that my younger brother should also wash, I finished a short shower, put on a gown with my hair tied up in a towel, and as soon as I returned to the small room, I caught my younger brother’s gaze.
My younger brother couldn’t take his eyes off me after I came out of the shower, and I felt embarrassed for some reason.
Little by little, I examine the body in the gown… For some reason, only now, my heart is pounding as if I realized that I was in the same room only belatedly.

“Shah, shower… Do.”

I tried my best to stay calm, and handed over a towel for my younger brother to take a shower as well since he needs to wash up before going to bed.
The younger brother nodded her head without answering and went into the shower… As soon as the shower door closed and I heard the sound of water splashing, I let out a long sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Haha… Strange…”

I was definitely planning to go on a trip while looking around happily, but I was worried that I was always alone with my younger brother in a place where no one would know.
It wasn’t like this when I was planning the trip… When I came, it seemed that my brother and I were not having fun while watching new scenery and culture, but only glanced at each other.

As I untied the towel that had lifted her head up and dried her wet hair, my eyes kept looking toward the shower room, and I imagined her sister’s body, which was now vividly remembered in her mind.
Even though I know I shouldn’t be like this, I’m imagining it and getting nervous, so my heart keeps pounding… I was thirsty for no reason, so I grabbed the drink I bought at the convenience store and drank it in one gulp.

(Aaaaang, aang, haaaaang haaang)
(Creak, creak, creak, creak)

“Uh, uh… ?”

And then suddenly… A groaning sound began to be heard from above.