My Greatest Award (나의 제일 좋은 상)

A Real Job

The orange glow of the evening sun intrudes into my room as I sit at my desk. The section of the song which I've highlighted loops over and over again through my headphones as I tweak the tone of the guitar track. I've been working on this cover for the past few hours, and hadn't noticed the sun begin to set until my vision is hit with a glaring yellow. Irritated, I lift my small Ikea chair slightly and move it backwards to get up and draw the blinds over the windows in my room before getting back to work on the project.

With the blinds drawn, the room returns to its usual slight yellow tinge, from the aging LED ceiling lights, no doubt. The light warm light almost shines off the white wallpapered walls of my room. I head back towards my desk - a simple black wooden Ikea desk placed against the wall some distance from the bed. My laptop is placed centred on it, while my synthesiser rests right next to the desk, above my guitar amp on the carpeted floor. I slump back onto the white plastic chair and continue the mixing process on the cover.

Just as I'm about to put my headphones back on, my bedroom door almost flies open and immediately I know whose presence I'd have the honour of witnessing. I turn to face the door and my dread is confirmed as I see my elder brother, Taylor Jackson waltz into my room like he owns it. Though, knowing Taylor, he probably believes he does.

"Hey, twat. Whatcha working on?" Taylor spits out in his obnoxious low voice. For as long as I can remember, Taylor has been treating me that way - like I'm always in his way. Like, damn, I'm sorry I randomly entered your life when you were 2 years old, not like I could've stopped it anyways. Usually at that point, parents would begin to favour the younger child. Usually. My parents aren't that stereotypical though; they'd instead focused all their love and attention towards their first born. And where does that leave me? I do what I can to get by with minimal effort on my parents' part. The only reason I'd managed to get the equipment I have in my room was because I'd managed to save from the pocket money they'd given me growing up; Taylor had gotten nearly twice the amount every month, but that didn't matter since he'd always get whatever he'd wanted anyway. The fact that our parents were pretty well off didn't help the case at all either.

"It's just a cover, nothing of interest to you," I reply dryly, hoping that he'd restore my inner peace by mercifully walking out the door. Instead, he proceeds to sit himself on my bed. I wince slightly; judging by his ripped jeans and his favourite grey sweater, he hadn't showered or even bothered to change out of his dirty clothes after going to the mall today.

"You haven't even changed your clothes after you got back home, so get your ass off my bed," I snap at him, earning a light chuckle from Taylor.

Taylor ignores me, lowering his torso back onto the comforter. I sigh; I'll have to do the laundry tonight, I guess. He knows how particular I am about cleanliness, and yet he does this stuff just to torment me.

"Hey, what did you get for your birthday this year again? I forget." A smug smirk forms in the corner of his mouth.

"Same as every year, Taylor: 100 dollars," I answer blankly.

"Well, it's my birthday in a few weeks," he points out. I roll my eyes at the pointless statement.

"And?" I run my index finger along the stitched thread on the edge of my headphones.

Taylor gives me another one of his dumb smirks. "Nothing." He pulls himself up from his lying position. I know all too well that it wasn't just nothing. He'd come to gloat at the bare minimum our parents always give me and brag about how he'd probably be receiving another token of their utmost love for him this year, like he always does.

Seemingly satisfied with my annoyance, Taylor finally gets up from my bed to leave, much to my relief. As he slams the door shut unnecessarily, I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I pick up my phone from the edge of the desk and decide to text my girlfriend, Janet King.