Jiyong swears to God he will not bring Seungri, his little brother, to mall anymore.

Now Seungri shows him his not-so-cute puppy eyes while pulling Jiyong’s shirt, “but I want that bag sooooo bad…”

“In hell I’m gonna sacrifice our monthly food only for your ing bag, Seungri. Stop being so childish!”

“You don’t need to give me anything for my birthday this year?”

“No.”

“Two years ahead?”

“No.”

“Three?”

“Seungri!” his brother already crosses Jiyong’s patience line, “can you, as the big boy you are, understand our condition now?”

Seungri pouts. He hates to be reminded of their condition. Nobody in his class doesn’t have parents. Nobody in his class has a brother who should work for fulfilling their daily life. Nobody in his class should beg only for having anything—and Seungri is sure as hell he actually isn’t a spoiled brat who wants everything he wants to be done.

But this bag. Last time Seungri bought a bag was… five years ago? His friends in school mock him because of his bag. He knows his friends mocking him just for fun. But… sometimes it hurts? Seungri is only an unstable teen. What he wants is actually just to… fit in.

Plus, tomorrow is camping day. He can’t bring his shabby bag to camp!

But well, seems like he doesn’t have anything to do.

“K.” Seungri sighed more than he should and leaves his brother.

“The heck?! Ya!” Jiyong shouts, “did you just ‘k’ me?!”

Seungri turns back as sassy as he can, “mehrong!”

“Ya!” Jiyong runs toward him. His lips unconsciously draws a little smile as he whispers, “why so cute, Seungri-ya?”

***

Kriiing!

“The ?! Urgh…” Jiyong rolls his body and covers his ears. It’s always like this in the morning; Jiyong will be woken up because of Seungri’s alarm but the owner himself still stays in his deep slumber.

The alarm sound disturbs him again and finally Jiyong decides to get up and make Seungri get ready for his camping day. He really can’t understand how Seungri manages to not wake up with that noisy alarm. Is his dream making him deaf or what?

But suddenly Jiyong remembers their conversation on one fine day.

“Tell me, Seungri,” Jiyong said when they had a breakfast together, “why do you always smile in your sleep?”

Seungri smiled, enjoying his brother embrace, “Mom and Dad.”

“Hmm?”

“They always visit me in my dream.”

Jiyong looked at his brother in awe.Seungri told that with unreadable expression. Seungri always looked tough. He never showed any sad expression in front of Jiyong. Jiyong always thought that he was the miserable one; been left with nothing but one little brother who wasn’t even legal yet. Jiyong cried, cried, cried, but he never looked at Seungri that day. He never asked him if he was okay.

Seungri always looked cheerful that at some point Jiyong believed that it can’t be changed by anything.

He was wrong. Big fat wrong.

Seungri drank his milk in one gulp and looked at his empty glass with blank expression, “I somehow believe.”

Jiyong frowned. Seungri’s voice was too low, “w-what?”

“I somehow believe,” Seungri bit his lip, “that on parallel world. Somewhere between skies. At the time we can’t reach… we live a good life.”

“Seungri-ah…”

“That gives me enough strength to carry on.”

Jiyong immediately stood up and hugged his one and only brother.

“Sorry, Seungri-ah. Hyung is sorry,” Jiyong hugged Seungri tighter, “we will live a good life. Hyung promises.”

***

“YOU UGLY FAT PANDA BETTER BE WAKING UP IN FIVE MINUTES OR I SWEAR I’LL CUT YOUR NECK!” Jiyong screams right in front of Seungri’s ear, “WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UUUPPPP!!!”

“YA!” Seungri—not in his full conscious state, yet—punchs Jiyong’s face, “LEMME SLEEP!”

“DID YOU JUST ‘YA’ AT ME?!”

Seungri’s eyes immediately open after he realizes to whom he just yelled at, “h-hyung?”

“No. it’s Justin Timberlake,” Jiyong snorts, “now, wake up!”

Seungri stumbles between his fluffy blanket—Jiyong always makes sure his little brother using his blanket as comfort as it can be, “sorry, hyu—“

Jiyong stops Seungri from talking by closing Seungri’s mouth with a bottle of fresh milk, “you take a bath after this. Your bus will come in two hours.”

“Bfft mff bffg?”

“I’ll help you packing.” Jiyong walks out from Seungri’s room, “what would you be without me, honestly?”

Seungri smiles so wide, “mmfff!”

Jiyong smiles too although he knows Seungri can’t see him, because he knows Seungri just says ‘love you!’

***

Seungri walks out from his room looking all neat and good while checking his watch “do I have enough time for breakfast?”

“I’ve prepared sandwich for you. Just have your breakfast on bus, okay?”

“A