You might think that best friends would know each other’s families. Well, Kira’s family knows me but mine doesn’t. I have two brothers; one elder and one younger. We don’t share that much. So, by telling them about Kira, it’s either they think she’s my girlfriend or that I’ve gone mental to suddenly tell them about this. So, naturally, my parents don’t know about Kira.

But she knows a lot about them – especially about my relationship with them.

Mid semester break was approaching and my friends and I planned for a getaway to Japan. One of my best lads, V, offered to pay for the tickets first until I came up with the money and also, getting permission from my parents. The money was the easy part. I had savings. It was the permission part that was tough for me. But I tried, nonetheless.

Two weeks before mid-semester break began, I went home on a weekday just so I could discuss this in person with my parents. I’d told them earlier that I had something important to discuss with them. And I had no idea why it made me nervous to the core. Perhaps it was the answers that I would get from the question? There were so many possibilities.

I guess I could say that I’m the black sheep of the family in my parents’ eyes. Whatever I do always seem so wrong in their eyes even if the same thing is done by my elder brother, I still get the blame. I still appear as the villain, the spoilt rotten child that ruins the perfect happy family portrait – reasons why I’m always so afraid to do anything that’ll end with my parents seeing me as a disappointment.

I arrived home in time for dinner since my class finished at 6 PM. I joined them for dinner immediately and they were busy talking to my elder brother, Junghwa, about his phone.

“My phone’s busted, Dad. I’ve accidentally stepped on it, and… well… iPhones – when the screen cracks, the whole thing cracks,” Junghwa explained.

“But you’ve only recently changed it,” Dad replied.

“Yeah, but I can’t work without my phone. It can’t switch on at all.”

“Okay, I’ll bank in some money tonight to your account.”

Junghwa smiled brightly. “Thanks, Dad.”

I scoffed. My phone’s suffering from lag, screen cracks and constant shutdowns, and he can instantly get a new phone?

“Dad, I think I need a new phone,” I asked once.

“What’s wrong with my old phone?” I could already hear the irritation in his voice.

“It’s alright but it’s got numerous cracks now and it’s lagging a lot.”

“Just make do.”

How different his answer was to me compared to Junghw