I kept eating my breakfast silently while my mother was nagging about how much my little brother ate on his puberty days. I couldn’t blame my Mom. It was Jong Up’s second bowl of rice and he held up the bowl again for my Mom to fill.

“Jong Up-ah, it’s breakfast, I think you should hold your need for rice for now so you can spare some place for your lunch?” I carefully remind him.

Jong Up shook his head. “Noona, if I don’t eat this one I’ll be starving before 10.” He answered while munching a piece of kimchi.

“Jeong Ae, just let your brother gulping everything he need. That big body needs to be fed,” my Dad said behind his newspaper.

Jong Up showed me a fully toothed smile before he reached to his third bowl of rice from my Mom’s hand and began digging… stealing my rolled eggs in process.

I sighed. If only I didn’t love this kid so much, I would smack that silly grin out of his face. But this kind brother was the only brother I have, so smacking was out of the quest ion. I reached for a piece of rolled eggs and held it in front of his mouth, he opened up his mouth and I tucked the eggs in, waiting for him to bite it, but he swallowed the whole piece instead.

“If I don’t know you’re my brother I would say you’re an extremely hungry little cub,” I took another piece of the rolled eggs and fed him again, and though his mouth was full he took the eggs again in one bite.

“Jeong Ae, you need to eat too. Don’t just feed your brother, you barely even touch your food,” my Mom reminded me as she put another plate of rolled eggs in front of us.

I nodded and took a piece of the rolled eggs and bit it. My Mom’s food was always delicious, but these days I rarely had desire to eat. But to make my Mom happy, I kept chewing the food I knew I would put out again later.

Jong Up eyed me worriedly. My little brother knew that I would often throw up if I eat when I didn’t want to eat. He was worried that his sister was bulimic. But I know I’m not bulimic, God forbid. I didn’t know what it was yet, but from what I read it’s not what they afraid it was.

“Noona, open up, aa…,” Jong Up gave me a piece of kimchi. I grimaced at this little kid’s affection, I didn’t want to eat it… but I opened up my mouth and eat what he gave me. He grinned and continued digging his food in. I could already felt my stomach stirring, but I gulped the kimchi and ate the remaining eggs on my chopstick.

My Mom smiled and began to eat her own breakfast. I put up a smile and tried to eat again.

After my Dad left for work I and Jong Up went outside to leave to our schools. As I opened up the door while waiting for my little brother to put on his shoes, a tall boy grinned up to me from the street. He waved his hand to me and smiled widely while holding his skateboard.

“Good morning, pretty Noona,” he waved frantically as I waved back.

“Morning, Jun Hong-ah….”

I closed the front door as Jong Up slip out to find his bicycle.

I went to Jun Hong as the little boy put his skate board on the street.

“I swear you boys growing as fast as trees. Last year you were ten centimeters below me, now you’re ten centimeters taller than me,” I said as I got next to him.

“Growth spurt,” he answered with a shrug.

“Hah! Right,” I nodded. I looked closer at his facial feature. He lost some of his baby fat during summer and he really got that twinkling eyes when he saw me staring.

“Is something wrong?” He asked as I paid more attention to his face.

“You became handsome, Choi Jun Hong. It’s peculiar,” I touched his nose.

“Will you be my girlfriend now, then?” He grinned playfully.

“Ah, little boy… you’ve been asking me the same question since you were on kindergarten. I thought that would have stopped by now. Don’t you already have a girlfriend?” I shook my head.

“I don’t. I’m still waiting for you,” he laughed. “But Jong Up already got one,” he wiggled his eyebrows. I turned around to find my little brother showed up with his bicycle in hand.

“What?” He asked when he saw my face.

“Moon Jong Up, you got a girlfriend and you’re not telling your Noona?” I asked in disbelief. My little brother has a girlfriend! While his Noona never even date. So ironic. Sniff.

He glared at Jun Hong with his little eyes. “Choi Jun Hong, you….” Then he looked at me and blushed. “She’s not my girlfriend. We’re just friends,” he avoided my eyes and walked straight to the street.

“Hah! I can see through you! You do have a girlfriend,” I walked to him and pinched his cheek. My little brother was so cute when he’s embarrassed.

He pulled himself away. “She’s not,” he huffed. “At least not yet.” He blushed again.

I looked at Jun Hong’s direction and he looked back at me. We laughed out loud but stopped when he threw us that glare again.

“Let’s go,” he told Jun Hong and he ride on his bicycle to their school.

I heard a sound of a door opened when Jun Hong put his foot on his skateboard. “Bye Jeong Ae Noona, I’ll see you again tomorrow. I’ll ask you the same question again. I love you!” he said as he rode that skateboard of his away.

I just waved to him while he swiftly chasing Jong Up.

Middle schoolers.

I looked back when I heard sound of door closed and got eye to eye with him again.

“Morning, Dae Hyun.”