It was a typical morning in the spring. The sun shone brightly above the twins’ head as they walked side by side to school—not too blistering to make their skin tingle in heat, but definitely bright enough to warm the day. The trees planted along the street provided pleasantly fresh scenery. Youngmin noticed the leaves had changed color to green; tiny flower buds were sprouting from the twigs. He smiled involuntarily at the view. Spring had finally greeted the city of Seoul, leaving the cold, frosty winter behind. Yeah, it was finally April, his favorite month of the year.

“What are you smiling at?” Kwangmin’s familiar deep voice snapped him out of his dazed state.

Youngmin shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied.

Kwangmin glanced at the black Casio watch he was wearing. “We’d better hurry up, or we’ll be late for the first class!” he said before quickening his pace.

“W-wait!” Youngmin ran after his brother, not wanting to be left behind.

In less than five minutes, they had already reached their school.

“Y-you’re so mean, Kwangmin! Why… did… you leave me behind?” Youngmin protested between his pants, still trying to steady his breathing.

“If I waited for you, I would be late for sure,” Kwangmin said casually.

Youngmin pouted at his brother’s response. Sure, Kwangmin could be irritating at times. But the blonde couldn’t find it in him the will to oppose, so he remained silent as he trailed behind the ignorant brunette. As soon as the twins entered the school building, high-pitched voices of hysterical screams and deafening squeals welcomed them. The next second, both boys were already surrounded by girls—or their fangirls, to be exact.

“Good morning, Youngmin Oppa!”

“Kwangmin Oppa, you look great today…”

“Oppa, isn’t the weather nice today? Would you like to have lunch with me this afternoon?”

“Kwangmin, what do you think of Noona’s new hairstyle?”

Youngmin and Kwangmin should have gotten used to it, somehow, with it being their ‘daily meal’ for almost two years now. But they still found all the commotion annoying and desperately wanted to get rid of it. As usual, the twins only smiled politely in response and slowly made their way to the classroom.

Youngmin let out a sigh of relief as he flopped down on his chair, glad that he had finally escaped the hectic crowd. But it seemed like Kwangmin wasn’t as lucky as him. He turned towards the door of his class where Kwangmin was leaning on, surrounded by three stubborn girls whom Youngmin recognized as the seniors from the third grade.

“Kwangmin, why do you keep turning down Noona’s invitation? I really want to go to the karaoke with you this weekend!” a girl with long, wavy hair whined childishly; her face was only a few inches from Kwangmin’s. Youngmin rolled his eyes at her silly behavior and was slightly irritated at the close proximity between the girl and his twin.

“Err, I’m sorry, Noona… Maybe some other time?” Kwangmin took a step backwards; his back was now firmly pressed against the doorframe.

“You keep saying that but whenever I ask you, you’ll always say that you’re busy!”

“That’s because I really am,” he said.

The girl sighed in defeat. “Then call me when you’re free, okay?”

‘How in the world am I supposed to call you? I don’t even have your number,’ Kwangmin silently muttered under his breath. But instead, he said with a fake smile, “Umm, okay.”

The girl seemed satisfied with his reply; a smile immediately lit up her face. After muttering a few things to the poor brunette, she and her friends finally decided to leave. Kwangmin rolled his eyes once they were gone and quickly sat on his chair, which was placed next to Youngmin’s.

“That senior is sure a stubborn one!” Kwangmin huffed; his mood was clearly ruined.

Youngmin couldn’t help but chuckling at his twin’s pouting face. “It must hard to be you, Mr. Popular…” he teased the brunette, earning a death glare from the other one.

“Speak for yourself!” Kwangmin snapped back.

“Well, at least my fans aren’t as much and as annoying as yours,” Youngmin said.

It’s true, though. Youngmin did notice that his twin had been gaining more attention, now that he joined the school basketball team. Wherever Kwangmin went, his fangirls would always follow him like a bunch of stalkers. If he scored for the team, they would scream hysterically as though they were watching Michael Jordan. The whole school was practically falling head over heels for him.

Youngmin, on the other hand, wasn’t as famous as his twin. Maybe it was Kwangmin’s charisma, or his manly charm, that made people like him better than the blonde. Compared to his twin, Youngmin was slightly quieter and shyer.

At first, it bothered Youngmin since he hated being defeated, especially to Kwangmin, who he had always been compared to, ever since he could remember. But as time went by, he no longer cared about such a trivial thing. He thought he kind of understood why the girls made Kwangmin their subject of admiration. The brunette had all the qualities to be a perfect boyfriend; he was tall, good-looking, smart and athletic. His conscientiousness and manners to treat anyone like a gentleman managed to get the girls on their knees. If Youngmin were a girl, he would probably fall for that type of boy as well.

“That’s because I’m simply irresistible,” Kwangmin announced shamelessly while sending his twin his signature smile as well as a playful wink.

Youngmin blushed immediately at the sight. He quickly turned his face to the other direction, hoping to hide his flushed face from his brother. The blonde swore that his heart stopped beating for a second back then! Now his heart was pounding madly against his ribs for a reason that Youngmin didn’t understand. He knew that it was normal for a teenage boy to get butterflies in their stomach when they were in the presence of their crush. But it was Kwangmin, for God’s sake! It was his brother, his flesh and blood. Why did Youngmin’s breath hitch in response to Kwangmin’s smile?

Youngmin turned around and gasped when he found Kwangmin’s face only a few inches from his. The brunette was studying his twin’s face, seeking for any hint of something unusual there. “What’s wrong, Hyung? Are you sick?”

Youngmin could feel Kwangmin’s hot breath against his skin and blushed even more. “N-nothing! I’m fine,” he stammered a little as he tried hard to avoid Kwangmin’s gaze, deciding to busy himself with his books instead.

“Are you sure? Your face is red,” Kwangmin asked again in concern.

“Positive,” the blonde replied without looking at the other’s eyes.

Kwangmin shrugged and took out his books as well. Just a moment later, their teacher came in and the class started.

~~~

“Kwangmin? Kwangmin!” The said brunette rubbed his eyes, trying to open them against the protest of his heavy lids. The first thing that he saw was Youngmin’s face hovering above him. He yawned loudly and looked around, only to find the whole classroom almost empty.

Youngmin shook his head in disbelief. “You fell asleep during the class again? Seriously, Kwangmin, it’s the third time this week! What’s wrong with you?”

“Don’t mind me, Hyung,” Kwangmin replied lazily as he stretched his arms. He got up and began gathering his belongings and shoved them all into his rucksack.

“How can I? Your grades will fall if you keep sleeping during the classes…” Youngmin mumbled worriedly. He bit his lower lip and said in a low voice, “This is just a suggestion, but maybe you should quit the basketball club, Kwangmin… There’s no point joining if it only wears you out!”

Kwangmin sighed. “No, Hyung, I’m fine. Don’t worry too much about me; I’m not a child anymore!”

Youngmin couldn’t deny the twinge of pain that suddenly formed in his heart upon his twin’s words. He knew that Kwangmin was just trying to tell him not to worry so much, knowing that the blonde could be such a pain in the sometimes. Ever since they were kids, Youngmin had always been somewhat protective of his slightly younger brother. Maybe that’s what Kwangmin disliked about him.

They were all grown up now, so what the brunette said was mostly true, that Youngmin probably didn’t need to watch over him anymore. The blonde made a mental note to himself to stop acting like a noisy mother. But still, it hurt to think that Kwangmin didn’t need him anymore. It was as if Youngmin was going to lose a precious position as his brother’s guardian and protector if he did so. As much as he hated the idea, Youngmin decided to keep quiet.

He sighed. “Let’s go home, then!”

Kwangmin hesitated for a moment. “Umm, I’m sorry, Hyung… But I can’t go home with you today. I promised Donghyun Hyung and the others that I will hang out at his place after school,” he said as he scratched the back of his head, refusing to meet Youngmin’s eyes. Guilt was apparent in his voice.

“Again?” Youngmin narrowed his eyes. Donghyun was the captain of the basketball team. Since his twin joined the club, Kwangmin had been hanging out with those guys a lot. Not that Youngmin really minded, though. But Kwangmin went to their place almost everyday and his brother’s nervous behavior whenever they talked about it only elicited the blonde’s curiosity.

“You don’t mind, do you?” Kwangmin asked cautiously, studying his twin’s face all the while.

Youngmin bit his lip in hesitation. To be honest, he did mind if Kwangmin spend too much time with his friends and ignore him instead. But what could Youngmin do? There’s no way he could voice out his concern to his twin. He didn’t want Kwangmin to think that he was such a nag that couldn’t do anything without the brunette.

“No, it’s okay… But don’t come home too late, alright? You went home really late yesterday.”

“Okay, Hyung. See you later!” Kwangmin said before running out pass the school gate, leaving his twin completely alone now.

Youngmin watched his twin’s back as it slowly disappeared in the distance sadly. He felt so lonely already. Sighing loudly, Youngmin turned to the opposite direction and slowly walked home. The blonde honestly couldn’t remember when the last time Kwangmin and he went home together was.

~~~

Youngmin kept glancing at the clock every five minutes. It had been five hours since school ended, but his twin was still nowhere to be seen. With an exasperated sigh, the blonde threw himself to the couch in the middle of the living room. Reaching for the remote control, he began flipping randomly through the channels. There was no interesting show to watch. Youngmin finally gave up and turned off the TV with one click.

He roamed his sight around, taking in every detail of the huge living room and the stillness that filled in. The twins’ parents often went for business trips, so they were rarely at home. It usually was just Youngmin and Kwangmin, the two of them alone. But without Kwangmin around, this house felt two times emptier than usual. The large rooms of their luxurious house that their parents bought seemed to mock him—the empty rooms and dark halls only screamed of the loneliness he felt deep inside.

Youngmin reached out for the Pikachu that was sitting on the other end of the couch. He caressed the yellow stuffed doll softly, imagining it was Kwangmin. Usually Kwangmin would get mad at him if Youngmin touched the brunette’s belongings without permission, especially his oh-so-precious Pikachu. “Hyung! How many times I have to tell you not to touch my Pikachu?!” the younger twin would yell at him; his nicely-shaped eyebrows creased into an annoyed frown. Oh, how much Youngmin missed that voice right now… He wished Kwangmin was there with him. He remembered how they used to cuddle on the couch when they were young, snuggling to each other while watching Pokémon on weekends.

Compared to those sweet, nostalgic childhood memories, their relationship had changed so much now. As much as he hated it, he must admit that Kwangmin and he were slowly drifting apart as they grew up. Youngmin wasn’t a fool; he was completely aware of the cold way Kwangmin had been treating him in lately. His brother no longer clung onto him like how he used to when they were kids. The brunette refused to rely too much on Youngmin and decided to act independently.

Youngmin wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The blonde could understand that in his age, Kwangmin probably preferred to spend time with his buddies rather than sticking around his brother all the time, which Youngmin tried to tolerate. However, he couldn’t deny that sometimes it made him feel lonely… and even worse, unwanted. His heart clenched painfully at the thought.        

Being drown in his muddled thought, Youngmin was startled when he saw a streak of lightning flashed outside the window, followed by an earsplitting roar of thunder. He flinched in his seat and immediately covered up his ears. Soon after, rain began pouring down to earth in a heavy stream. Youngmin walked to the window and watched as the rain droplet grazed across the glass surface. His mind wandered to his twin who hadn’t come home yet. The blonde wondered if Kwangmin remembered to bring his umbrella with him. But knowing Kwangmin, the brunette had most likely forgotten it.

Youngmin grabbed his phone and began dialing Kwangmin’s number. After the sixth ring, his twin finally answered.

“Hello, Kwangmin?”

“Yeah, what’s up, Hyung?”

“You know, it’s raining outside and you left your umbrella at home… I was just wondering if you want me to come pick you up,” the blonde said.

Kwangmin was about to answer, but a voice behind him startled the brunette. “Kwangmin, who’s that?” said a high-pitched and somewhat hoarse voice—definitely a woman’s.

“Wait, I’m coming!” Kwangmin shouted in reply. He placed the phone to his ear again and spoke in a rush, “You don’t need to come, Hyung. I’ll borrow Donghyun Hyung’s umbrella. Or if the rain gets heavier, I’ll get a taxi. By the way, I should hang up now. Bye!” And with that, he ended the call.

“W-wait,” Youngmin said. But he was too late. The only reply he heard was a continuous beep from the other end. The blonde stared at the blank screen of his phone. The dark display seemed to reflect his feelings now—empty and lonely.

Again, that uncomfortable, nauseous feeling he had been having lately settled back in the pit of his stomach. Why, though? Why did his heart ache at his brother’s cold words? And what’s with the woman’s voice he heard just now? Weren’t Kwangmin supposed to be at Donghyung’s house now, along with other boys from the basketball team? Could the brunette possibly lie to him?           

Ah, Youngmin felt so dizzy now… 

~~~

Kwangmin opened the door slowly, only to find his twin lying motionlessly on the bed with his back facing the door. The brunette sighed in relief and closed the door behind him. Not wanting to wake the blonde, he tip-toed across the room and placed his bag next to the desk. Kwangmin changed into his pajamas, not even bothered to take a shower since he was damn exhausted, and carefully climbed to the king-sized bed that he shared with his brother. He laid his head on the soft pillow and pulled the warm blanket up to his chest, feeling his muscles relax to the tender surface.

Little did he know, Youngmin was actually still wide awake. The blonde rolled on his back so that he was facing Kwangmin now. A sharp pang of pain suddenly invaded once his sense of smelling caught something unusual from his brother’s body—a pungent and intoxicating scent, like a mixture of white musk, floral lily, and citrus—like that of a woman’s perfume. So Youngmin didn’t hear it wrong. It was indeed a girl’s voice. Kwangmin had just met a girl.

It shouldn’t be a big deal, considering that they’re high school boys with raging hormones. It was perfectly normal for them to feel some kind of attraction towards the opposite , or at this rate, to have a girlfriend.

Girlfriend…

Youngmin didn’t know why, but that word made his heart ache in a way he never felt before. The thought of his twin brother with some random girl sickened him to the core. The blonde tried hard to decipher the barrage of mixed emotions that suddenly flooded his senses—hurt, anger, disappointment, and what shocked him the most… jealousy. Why would Youngmin feel jealous, though? Why did he feel as though he was betrayed?

Even though he was afraid to hear the answer, he decided to ask anyway. Mustering all the courage he possessed within him, the blonde finally spoke in a soft whisper, “K-Kwangmin…”

Kwangmin was surprised to find that his twin hadn’t fallen asleep yet. He opened his eyes and turned to face the timid Youngmin. “Hyung? I thought you were asleep…”

Youngmin shifted uncomfortably on his side. “…You are late again,” he said. That’s not a question, but a statement instead.

“Yeah… I wanted to leave early but Jeongmin Hyung forced me to stay until really late.” Then, with a softer voice, Kwangmin asked, “You aren’t mad, are you?”

Youngmin could feel his whole body turned into jelly under Kwangmin’s scrutinizing gaze. Although he was somewhat mad, he couldn’t show it to Kwangmin. “…Not really,” he muttered hesitantly.

“Good, then.”

There reigned a silence in the room.

“Kwangmin?” Youngmin called again; there was a barely noticeable squeak in the end. “May I ask you something?”

Kwangmin’s body immediately tensed up in response to the unexpected question. His heart did a little tap dance as he nervously waited for what his brother would want to ask; his mind began forming assumptions. Could it be that his twin had found out what the brunette had been hiding this whole time?

“Yes, what it is, Hyung?” he said anxiously.

“…D-do you have a girlfriend?” Youngmin blurted out all of sudden.

Kwangmin blinked his eyes a few times. That question really took him by surprise. “No… Why did you ask?”

Youngmin felt like a fool now. “J-just wondering, you know,” he said without looking at Kwangmin. “But if you get one someday, you’ll tell me for sure, right?” Youngmin asked again just to make sure. He really wished that his twin would share the news of having his first girlfriend with him, despite the fact that they probably weren’t as close as before.

Kwangmin didn’t know how to response. He could sense a hint of uneasiness as well as extreme curiosity in his twin’s voice, so instead of confusing the blonde even more, he decided to reply with a simple “Yeah”.

Youngmin let out an inaudible sigh of relief. But he still wasn’t 100% convinced by his brother’s words. What he heard on the phone earlier and the unfamiliar scent on Kwangmin’s body remained a mystery to him—something that definitely would keep him up the whole night.

“Good night, Kwangmin.”

“Good night, Hyung.”

Youngmin reached out one arm and placed it around Kwangmin’s waist. They used to sleep together like that in the past, even more intimate, with arms and legs tangled around each other. An electrical sensation ran through Kwangmin’s body as he felt Youngmin’s arm atop of him; the elder’s breath ghosting over the sensitive skin of his nape. As much as he wanted it, Kwangmin slowly slid the blonde’s hand away, trying not to hurt his twin’s feeling.

But he didn’t know how much pain he had caused the blonde just from his simple action.

~~~

Youngmin woke up with a big smile plastered across his face, knowing exactly what day it was today. He got up from his bed and walked to the calendar that was hanging on the right side of his desk, just to make sure that he didn’t count it wrong. But he didn’t. The corners of his lips pulled upwards into a wider grin as he stared at the circled date that marked April 24. All the issues that troubled him last night were now long forgotten, replaced by a sheer of sudden euphoria. Today was his and Kwangmin’s birthday, and the blonde was determined to make it an unforgettable one. He had prepared a surprise for his brother, but of course, it should be kept hidden until tonight.

Kwangmin stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes eventually. He groaned a little at the uncomfortable intrusion of sunlight that fell onto his face, catching Youngmin’s attention in the process. “Good morning, Kwangmin! Hurry up or we’ll be late,” the latter said jauntily, unable to hide the cheerfulness in his voice, before disappearing behind the bedroom door to use the other bathroom.

Kwangmin raised an eyebrow at his brother’s sporadic behavior, with him being all animated and bouncy so early in the morning. The brunette, however, couldn’t help but smiling involuntarily at the view. He liked seeing his brother smile so sincerely like that. Youngmin had this special charm that Kwangmin had always admired; whenever the blonde smiled, it was as though the whole happiness was radiating from within him and it spread positive energy to people around him, causing them to smile back in response. It had been a while since the last time Kwangmin saw his brother in high spirits. He did notice that the elder twin had been somewhat down for the past few days, as though he was keeping something to himself.

“You don’t have any plan today, do you?” Youngmin asked when they were having breakfast in the dining room.

“Actually, I have club activities after school…” Kwangmin feebly responded. Seeing the dubious look on his brother’s face, he quickly added, “The summer competition is just around the corner, so the coach wants us to practice more.”

“Oh, I see…” Youngmin replied shortly before taking another bite of his toast. Unlike usual, he actually didn’t mind if Kwangmin came home a little late today, since it would give him some time to prepare everything. “But you’ll get home before dinner, right? I mean, it’s our birthday today…”

The brunette repressed a chuckle at how demanding his twin sounded, despite Youngmin’s hard effort to hide his eagerness behind the calm tone he used. “Don’t worry, Hyung! I won’t forget what day it is today,” he said reassuringly, earning a satisfied smile from the other.

~~~

“Happy birthday, Youngmin Oppa!”

“Kwangmin Oppa, happy birthday…!”

As soon as the twins reached the school building, they were greeted by a bunch of fervent fangirls, who were busy shoving random presents towards their direction. Youngmin and Kwangmin had a hard time accommodating all the gifts given to them—the amount certainly exceeded their initial expectation. Luckily, moments later, Minwoo and the other boys from their class came to help them carry all the stuffs.

“Geez… I can’t remember a day in my life when I get so many birthday presents!” Minwoo complained with a huff; his voice laced with a hint of slight jealousy.

“Thanks for helping us, Minwoo,” Youngmin said guiltily, while his twin was still busy handling those persistent fangirls that were piling up in the hallway, blocking the only access to their classroom.

“You’re welcome. And happy birthday, Youngmin!” the shorter boy exclaimed, still as bubbly as ever. “By the way, how about going out with me and the gang tonight? We can celebrate your birthday together!”

“Thank you, Minwoo. But sorry, I already have a plan,” Youngmin politely rejected.

“Is that so?” The direct rejection made the baby-faced boy look kind of disappointed. “Anyway, we’re still going out tonight. Just call me if you change your mind later!”

“Okay,” Youngmin promised, although the blonde was confident that it was less likely to happen.

~~~

“Welcome,” a young woman behind the counter beamed out of reflex when the door of the bakery opened, revealing a tall and lean boy with silky blonde hair.

Youngmin smiled back at her and began scanning the various cakes on display. It was hard to decide which cake to buy since they all looked equally nice and appetizing. ‘I wonder which one Kwangmin would like the most…’ he said in his head. His gaze fell onto a big chocolate cake and he smiled, remembering that his brother was a chocoholic.

“I want this one,” he pointed at the cake.

“Sure,” the young woman took out the cake carefully and placed it on the counter. “What do you want me to write on this cake?”

It took Youngmin a while to figure it out. “Can you please write ‘YoungKwang Forever’?”

The woman complied with her customer’s request, using icing to write exactly what Youngmin told her. When she offered the candles to him, he settled on the date of their birthday instead of number 18 that represented their age. After paying for the cake, Youngmin thanked the cashier and left the bakery, careful not to drop the precious cake on his way home.

Once he arrived at home, Youngmin gently sat the cake on the kitchen counter while he went to prepare a special dinner. With their parents away most of the time, the twins had learnt how to cook on their own, taking turns to prepare meal everyday. Youngmin was definitely not the best cook on earth, but compared to Kwangmin, you could say that the blonde was more skilled. Actually, he could take a day off from cooking and just order food from the nearest restaurant, but then that wouldn’t make it special. Unbeknownst to Kwangmin, Youngmin had been practicing a lot and today was the perfect chance to show how much his cooking skill had improved.

In less than two hours, all the dishes were done and ready to be served. Youngmin arranged the plates on the table, along with the cutleries, after changing the table cloth with a new one. Last, he placed the birthday cake in the middle as the final touch. After that, he took a long, hot bath and dressed nicely. Staring at his reflection on the mirror, Youngmin smiled in satisfaction upon seeing his gorgeous appearance and couldn’t help but wondering how his twin would react at the surprises he’d prepared. Grabbing the wrapped birthday present he bought for Kwangmin, the blonde then descended the stairs that lead to the living room.

And then he waited.

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes changed into hours, but Kwangmin wasn’t back yet. Youngmin glanced at the small digital clock placed atop the TV—it read 9.17 pm. The blonde couldn’t deny the worried feeling that began tugging at his heart, wondering why his brother was late again. He decided to shrug it off and keep waiting for the brunette. But when another 30 minutes had passed and not even a single call from his twin came, Youngmin started pacing back and forth across the spacey room in panic.

‘Relax, Youngmin… Kwangmin has promised you, right? He won’t break his promise, so you should put your trust in him!’ he tried to convince himself.

 Finally he had had enough. Youngmin flipped open his phone and dialed the number that he had memorized so well. He kept waiting, but instead of his brother’s sweet voice, it was the operator who greeted him over the line, saying that the number he tried to reach was not accepting calls right now and he should try again later. Getting frustrated with his futile attempts calling Kwangmin, the blonde decided to call Minwoo instead. Minwoo was Donghyun’s cousin, so he should have the basketball captain’s number.

“H-hello,” Youngmin spoke hesitantly.

“Hello? Who’s this?” asked a familiar voice that he recognized as his senior’s.

“It’s Youngmin, Kwangmin’s brother,” Youngmin stated the obvious. “Sorry for intruding you, Hyung… I was just wondering if you happen to know where Kwangmin is. He said that you guys have a practice after school, but it’s getting really late and he isn’t home yet.”

“Huh?” Donghyun was taken aback. “But, Youngmin, we didn’t have any practice today.”

“Huh?” Youngmin sounded just as confused as the older boy. “B-but, Kwangmin said that…” That’s when it hit the blonde that his brother was lying to him. There was a short pause as Youngmin tried to comprehend what was really happening here.

“Hello, Youngmin? Are you okay?” Donghyun’s voice brought Youngmin back to reality.

“O-oh, yeah, sure… Sorry for bothering you. Thank you, Hyung!” He quickly hung up before Donghyun had time to respond.

 Youngmin walked limply to the couch; his phone was still in his hand. He sat down there and stared blankly at the TV screen before his eyes, not paying attention to the soap opera that was airing but merely let each scene flickered through his eyes. His body was there but who knows where his mind wandered to. His head was clouded with countless possibilities as to why his brother lied to him. A wave of doubt swept over him in an instant as horrible thoughts overran Youngmin’s brain.

Why did Kwangmin lie to him?

How long the brunette had been lying?

Where he actually was all the time he told Youngmin that he was over at Donghyun’s place?

What did he actually do behind Youngmin’s back?

Like a bulb that suddenly lighted up inside his head, the blonde recalled the woman’s voice he heard through the phone and judging from the way she called his twin, Youngmin could tell that their relationship was rather close. He was also suddenly reminded by the woman’s perfume that he found on Kwangmin, making his suspicion seemed to be even closer to the truth. All those hints, added by the fact that his brother was extremely popular among the girls, only lead up to one conclusion: Kwangmin was dating someone.

Youngmin brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them while burying his head in between. He found it hard to breathe as his heart clenched painfully inside his chest. Tears filled the rim of his eyes as he realized that his worst nightmare had finally come true. The blonde always knew that there was something off about his twin lately, but he decided to give Kwangmin the benefit of doubt. Now that the fact had sprung up clear for him to face, Youngmin couldn’t help but bursting into tears. His body trembled lightly as he let his last defense fell down and began sobbing hard.

After crying for God only knows how long, Youngmin felt that he had no tears left anymore. With a pair of red and swollen eyes, he reached for his phone that was sitting on the empty space next to him and dialed the first number that came across his mind.

To hell with their birthday! Youngmin didn’t even give a damn about it anymore. He wasn’t going to wait for his twin like a lonesome fool while the said person was having fun with other girl and probably was laughing behind his back.

~~~

“Today was the last day, huh? I guess I won’t be seeing you around again…” said a woman with petite figure and long hair.

“What? Missing me already, Noona?” Kwangmin teased the older woman, earning a playful slap on the shoulder.

“Visit me sometimes, okay?” she asked him.

“Don’t worry, I will,” Kwangmin promised as he packed his stuffs and walked to the door. Before leaving, he bowed slightly and said, “Thank you for everything, Hyorin Noona!”

“No problem, Kwangmin. Oh yeah, I almost forget… Happy birthday!” Hyorin said as she leaned forward to give the birthday boy a peck on his cheek, making the brunette blush in embarrassment. She pulled away and giggled a little when she saw Kwangmin’s face as red as a beet.

After saying goodbye for the last time, Kwangmin started walking home. He hummed lightly on the way, feeling all happy and excited, as though a hundred-ton burden had just been lifted from his shoulders. He was glad he didn’t need to lie to Youngmin anymore; it was killing him to say those deceitful words to his brother. Kwangmin knew that Youngmin had sensed something wrong, but felt relieved since the blonde didn’t question his strange behavior for the past few weeks. And this was finally coming to an end.

Stealing a glance every so often at the small silver shopping bag he was carrying, Kwangmin couldn’t contain the excitement he felt inside and kept grinning like a fool. The passerby that saw him might think he was crazy, but he couldn’t care less. After a long walk to home, he finally reached the destined place. Kwangmin inhaled deeply as he placed his right hand on the doorknob, ready to open it. The brunette expected his twin to greet him with open arms and a big smile, but he was stunned to find Youngmin standing right behind the door, staring at Kwangmin, dumfounded.

Kwangmin’s gaze was affixed on Youngmin’s favorite black sneakers that the blonde was wearing at the moment. “H-hey,” he greeted his twin awkwardly. “Happy birthday, Hyung!”

Instead of answering, Youngmin just brushed pass him casually, as though Kwangmin wasn’t there in the first place. “Where are you going?” asked the brunette curiously.

“Minwoo’s place.” Kwangmin was taken aback by the cold tone his twin used; Youngmin rarely spoke to him like that.

“But it’s already so late…”

“So?” Youngmin snapped back and glared; his eyes throwing daggers in the direction of the other boy. His usual charming, lustrous brown orbs were now filled with nothing but hatred and anger. He was about to leave the house, but then suddenly turned around and said, “Oh… I forgot to tell you. You can have the cake for yourself!”

Kwangmin reached out his hand and grabbed Youngmin’s wrist just before the blonde took another step away. “Wait, Hyung! Aren’t we supposed to celebrate our birthday together? What’s wrong with you?”

“Shouldn’t I ask you the same question?” Youngmin said; his gaze grew even more murderous now, causing Kwangmin to unconsciously take a step backward. “Where have you been? Didn’t I tell you to come home early today? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? I kept calling you but you didn’t pick up your phone. I kept waiting and waiting until I’m sick of it!”

A wave of guilt swept over the brunette now. He knew that he was late—way too late, in fact—but he couldn’t remember what he had done to cause the blonde to get so angry. He opened his mouth to say something to defend himself, but he got cut off. “I was—”

“Shut up!” Youngmin suddenly yelled. “Stop lying to me, Kwangmin. I know that the basketball team didn’t have practice today.”

‘Crap! How did he know?’ Kwangmin cursed silently. “I’m sorry I lied, Hyung. Actually I—”

“Save that, Kwangmin,” Youngmin didn’t give him the chance to finish his sentence. “I don’t want to know where the you went earlier or which you met… I don’t give a damn about your personal life!”

This time, Kwangmin was completely caught off guard by his brother’s venom filled words. His eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing those words rolled off Youngmin’s tongue. The inevitable sting began forming inside his chest. Youngmin jerked his hand in attempt to break free from Kwangmin’s iron grip, but the brunette only tightened it.

“Listen to me, Hyung! I think you got it wrong… I have a reason why I’ve been lying to you this whole time.”

“Because you’ve already got a girlfriend, am I right?” Youngmin retorted quickly; he had to force out the word that seemed to stuck in his throat and felt the bitterness swathe his tongue just as soon as it escaped his lips. Kwangmin’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ and his eyes went wider than before, if that’s even possible.

“I heard her voice when talking to you on the phone yesterday…” Youngmin carried on; his nose prickled a warning that tears were not far behind. His body began to shake lightly as the images of Kwangmin with a girl began invading his mind. He closed his eyes against the pain and mumbled weakly, “Why do you have to hide it from me, Kwangmin? You should have told me earlier… If you’re happy, then I’ll be happy for you, too.”

‘Even though it hurts to let someone steal you away from me…’ he added mentally.

Kwangmin had no idea where this silly girlfriend thingy came from. His heart ached when Youngmin said that he was okay if he was dating someone. He silently wished that his twin would get jealous at the thought, but apparently he didn’t. Maybe the feelings he harbored for his brother were indeed an unrequited one. Kwangmin had made sure to keep it well hidden all this time, but he didn’t know how much longer he would be able to deny it.

“I don’t have a girlfriend, Hyung. What makes you think so?”

“There’s no need to hide it from me anymore, Kwangmin… Just ad—”

Irritated by his twin’s dubious manner, Kwangmin threw the silver bag in the blonde’s direction, which Youngmin managed to catch just before it landed on the ground. “If you really think that I’m lying, then just take a look at what’s inside! Let’s see if you still don’t believe me afterwards.” And with that, he stomped in to the house.

Confused, Youngmin decided to check what’s inside the bag. He sneaked a peek and saw a rectangular box covered in dark blue velvet. Curiosity got the better half of him, so Youngmin took out the box and slowly opened the lid. He gasped at what he found inside: two identical silver chain bracelets with his name carved on the metallic bar and Kwangmin’s on the other one. The tears that he had tried hard to suppress eventually slipped past his defense and ran down both sides of his cheeks.

Youngmin ran inside the house and saw Kwangmin standing before the dining table, also unable to move at what he had just discovered. He gasped when a pair of slightly muscular arms wrapped themselves around his waist. “I’m sorry, Kwangmin…” Youngmin softly murmured between his sobs; his face pressed against the other’s back. “I didn’t expect you to—”

Kwangmin turned around to meet the elder twin’s eyes, but Youngmin quickly covered his face with both hands, too embarrassed to let his twin see his tears. His sobs wracked his slender body as various emotions raging inside him; he felt extremely guilty for not trusting his twin. The blonde should have known that out of all people, Kwangmin was the least likely to hurt him. Overwhelmed by the horrible guilt, Youngmin’s sobs only got louder as Kwangmin slowly pushed his hands away, allowing the younger twin to have a better look at his wet face.

“It’s okay, Hyung… It’s also partly my fault,” Kwangmin spoke softly. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I just want to surprise you. I had been eyeing that bracelet for a long time and then decided to take a part-time a job at a café quite far from here to buy it. The voice you heard on the phone that day was Hyorin Noona’s, the owner of the café. She’s way older than me and is married.”

That explained everything—the voice on the phone, the woman’s perfume he smelt, the reason why Kwangmin always came home late and fell asleep during classes. Youngmin was at a loss for words at the newly found truth of what his twin had done for him. Kwangmin had made such a priceless sacrifice for the blonde, and yet all he could do was suspecting the brunette. Tears once again flew down his face like a waterfall.

“Stop crying, Hyung…” Kwangmin used his thumb to wipe away the tears from Youngmin’s face, but his twin still refused to meet his eyes. Sighing loudly, the brunette held his brother’s chin with his fingers and lifted it up so Youngmin had nowhere to look but him. Youngmin immediately blushed at the close proximity; his cheeks felt as though they were grilled on fire under Kwangmin’s heated gaze.

Seeing his brother’s cute flustered face made Kwangmin’s heart skip a beat. Yes, Kwangmin thought that his brother was cute. The blonde’s big, round eyes were glistening in crystalline liquid; there was a hue of pink on both sides of his cheeks and his red, plump lips were slightly parted oh-so-invitingly. To hell with rules! Kwangmin let his last defense break down as he leaned closer to press his lips against his brother’s, tasting them almost experimentally.

Youngmin’s eyes went wide as he realized what the brunette was doing and his hands went automatically to the younger twin’s chest to push him away, but Kwangmin’s hand on his chin held him still. Kwangmin gave a few tentative as he ran his tongue across the older boy’s lips, earning a delightful moan from his twin.

“K-Kwangmin…” Youngmin panted hard once they pulled away. “W-what did you just do?” He still couldn’t believe that they had just kissed! It was Youngmin’s first kiss, for crying out loud, and he just did it with none other than his twin brother.

“Kissing you,” Kwangmin replied casually, although he was just as embarrassed as Youngmin. “Is something wrong with that? Do you hate it?”

Youngmin bit his bottom lip and shook his head in reply. No, he didn’t hate it. It was something new for him, and totally unexpected, but he couldn’t deny how soft and nice Kwangmin’s lips tasted against his. The blonde even thought that he kind of liked it.

“No, I was just surprised… But why did you do that, Kwangmin? I thought that you hate me… You always avoided me whenever I tried to, you know, have skinship with you.”

Kwangmin couldn’t help but chuckling at his twin’s silly assumption. How could he ever hate the blonde? “No, I don’t hate you, Hyung… How could I? It’s quite the contrary, though, since I love you so much.”

Youngmin’s ears perked up at the three words. He stared at his twin disbelievingly. “Really? You love me?”

“Yeah,” Kwangmin smiled and pulled the blonde into his embrace. “I always avoided you because I’m afraid that if you let me touch you, then I would want to do more. I was restraining myself, you know. But it was awfully hard, with you turning gloomy every time I did so.” Youngmin blushed at the brunette’s confession.

“But now, I’m not holding back anymore…” Kwangmin said in a warning tone that sent the shiver down the blonde’s spine and winked playfully at the embarrassed boy in his arms.

“You’re such a tease!” Youngmin punched his twin’s shoulder lightly before burying his face in the crook of Kwangmin’s neck, delighting in his scent and warmth. “But I still love you.”

Kwangmin’s lips curved up into a sly smile. Gently kissing the blonde’s head, he whispered softly to Youngmin’s ears, “Happy birthday, Youngmin Hyung!”

The elder twin giggled and replied, “Happy birthday, Kwangmin!”

That night, they slept with arms securely draped around each other’s waist; legs tangled together and their noses almost touched—the position they used to sleep in since 18 years ago. The moonlight pierced through the tiny slits of the blind, falling gently onto the metallic straps that were glistening on both their wrists, reflecting the names that were written there: ‘Youngmin’ on the brunette’s and ‘Kwangmin’ on the blonde’s.

Special fic for Jo Twins' birthday (although it's a little bit late)! Yay! ^^