Sitting in the park, watching the birds fly around. Little kids are playing on the playground, adorable as usual. Fathers are pushing their daughters on the swings, mothers playing with their little sons in the sandboxes with their little toy trucks. Elderly couples sit next to each other on the benches and stare lovingly into each other's eyes, fingers linked with each other. Life is slowly passing before my eyes, and what do I do? I just sit here, and watch.

"Ryeowook-ah!"

I turn my head, only to see Yesung-hyung waiting for me at the gate entrance. I stand and wave goodbye to whoever it was I was staring at, and make my way over to him. Something about me is different, he can tell. But of course, he doesn't push the subject, knowing that if he does I'll start crying right then and there.

Making our way up the stairs to the apartment all of us shared, there was something in the air that had a slight chill to it. Seeing as how it was in the middle of June, I highly doubt that was even possibe. Maybe it was the quiet and awkwardness that could figuratively be seen between hyung and I. Ever since that damned night, everything has changed. Whether he knows it or not, surely the other guys do. Especially Sungmin-hyung. That guys notices everything.

Oh, you're wondering what happened that night, hm? Well, let me entertain your curious minds, and let you in on a little story I like to call my life.

-----

It was the night of Kangin hyung's return home from his army services. Everyone was so excited and nervous to see him again, since we haven't seen him since he left. We were all running around the house cleaning up, or we were out buying things, or just preparing. We were throwing him a little, welcome home party if you would like to call it that.

Well anyway, we were all assigned duties to fulfill. Leeteuk hyung and Siwon hyung would clean the rooms and around the house apartment. Eunhyuk hyung, Donghae hyung, Sungmin hyung, and Shindong hyung all went to go grocery shopping, buying Kangin's favorite beer and foods. Heechul hyung and Kyuhyun had a very special job, however. They were given the task, of calling Hankyung hyung and Kibum so that way they can all talk to Kangin and the rest of us as well. As for Yesung hyung and I? We were assigned kitchen duty.

I especially liked the fact that I'll be in the kitchen again. I always feel in control there, which is a rare situation considering I'm the third youngest out of the bunch. Well, as I was preparing to cook the food the other four hyungs came home with, Yesung was sitting at the table trying to arrange the plates and silverware in a way where everyone had their own space, yet we were still close enough. That guy and his details, I tell you.

As he was trying to get everything organized I really needed some help in the kitchen. I mean yeah, I can handle a little pressure with preparing a few dishes at the same time, but this wasn't any other night. This was for the return of our brother and I needed everything to be absolutely perfect.. So I asked Yesung for some help. Getting no response from him, I asked again. And again. And again. Until finally when I saw one of the pots barely start to overflow from boiling I snapped at him.

"Hyung, I know you can hear me, dammit! I said, for the fifth time, I need some help in here!"

"If you need help so badly, why don't you just ask Leeteuk hyung or Sungmin hyung?"

"Because they didn't get assigned to the kitchen, we did. And we need to follow orders, just like everyone else."

"Wookie, you sound like you're the one coming home from war, instead of Kangin.", he laughed. He laughed at me, when I was being dead serious about this! I just couldn't take it anymore. With being ignored, made fun of. I understand I'm one of the youngest, but come on! They treat Kyuhyun way better than me! Well, maybe it's because he scares the living hell out of us, but that's beside the point. So I just blew up in front of his face, slammed whatever plate I was holding in my hands down on the floor and watched as it cracked and fell apart in pieces.

"Ugh, you no what? Whatever Yesung, go and cook dinner your damn self!" walking towards the door, fists balled up. Swinging it open only to see Kangin hyung standing behind the door. But I was so angry, I just pushed past him and made my way down to the park. That was the first time I've ever been at the park at night, and it was definitely different. More quiet, more isolated, more. . .alone. And that was what I needed to be, alone.

----

"Ryeowook ah, can I say something before we go in? I need to say it, when it's just us."

Looking at him suspiciously, I just nod my head and wait for him to finish whatever it was he wanted to get off his chest.

"I'm sorry. You know, for treating you like that. I understand how hurt you feel whenever the rest of us just ignore you, or push you around. We forget how sensitive you can get, and can get out of control sometimes. But yeah, I wanted to say sorry. Forgive me?" he asked, extending his hand in a friendly gesture.

Tears filled my eyes as I heard him apologize. Smiling at him, I shake his hand in a brotherly manner, and walk into the arms of all my other brothers. Yeah, that's it. We're brothers. We fight and say things we don't mean one minute, and the next we're hugging and laughing like nothing ever happened. Because that's what a family is for.