I thought I’d had Jung Daehyun figured out.

Jung Daehyun was a smart kid, just never really bothering for education. If he tried, I knew he could do anything he wanted. He was an older brother, the fact showing in his actions whenever he tried to baby me by feeding me whatever was at hand. Whenever nervous, he had a habit of his lips, always cracking his knuckles whenever the silence was too much.

He was born in June – the end of it – hating how the weather was always too hot to do anything fun.

Until now, I thought I’d had him figured out, but it seemed that every time such a thought arose, he would throw me a new surprise, making me stumble around helplessly as he laughed.

“H-hey,” I smiled at the kid – Jongup –, awkwardly lifting my hand to a hello, “I’m Youngjae.”

The boy nodded cheerfully, almost bouncing in his seat, “I know, hyung’s always talking about you. Are you his –,”

“Whoa!” Daehyun flailed, cutting Jongup off, leaving me to wonder what was going on. “I thought you were shy.” His face had tinted a shade of pink as he covered Jongup’s mouth, sputtering random words.

I didn’t get it, but laughed anyways, trying to fit myself into the conversation. Trying not to be the third wheel.

Squirming out of Daehyun’s grip, Jongup giggled, his lips spreading to a wide smile (that I could near swear made the world the slightest brighter) as he clung to his older brother’s hand. The whole while, his eyes stayed on me, glistening. But for once, the stare didn’t make me want to squirm away; unlike the others, his watch felt warm, welcoming.

I liked him, the kid.

To Jongup’s disabled state, we couldn’t do as the other kids could around the playground. Instead, we pushed along the walking area, Daehyun rolling Jongup in front of him as we chatted along.

Several times, the kids along the area would turn our way, whispering harsh words under their breath, but was quickly sent off by a glare from Daehyun. It reminded me of my own childhood. I’d run to Himchan, hurt by meaningless words shot my way, and Himchan would stomp off the other boys with a sharp hiss. I guess it was an older brother thing.

Unlike me, however, Jongup remained strong, his cheery smile never falling as he practically bounced in his seat.

“Hyung, I want ice cream,” Jongup whimpered, pointing a thin finger in the direction of stand, twisting awkwardly in his bound seat to pout at Daehyun in a look I’d say closely resembled a puppy.

You really couldn’t say no to a look like that. “Alright pup,” Daehyun smiled, reaching in his back pocket for his wallet (filled with the money he’d saved from his many part time jobs). “Chocolate, right?”

And with a nod of confirmation from Jongup, he was off, leaving his younger brother in my care until he returned.

“You’re hyung’s best friend, right?”

It was only seconds after Daehyun had scurried off that Jongup turned toward me. I nodded, hesitantly (I was his friend, right?) to his words, offering a light smile of my own.

To be honest, it was questionable what Daehyun was exactly in my life. Sometimes, he acted like a giant annoyance, bothering me from my every little action since day one, but on other days, he was an angel, a being sent from the heavens that I clearly wasn’t at all deserving of. But in the end, I decided, yes, Jung Daehyun was my friend. My best, and only friend.

“Thank you. For making hyung happy.”