Final

Family Affair

Jiho is happily dozing through his history class when he feels someone poke his cheek. He knows right away that it is just his best friend, Park Kyung, so he ignores him. But he can't ignore him because he keeps poking him until Jiho finally gets up and glares drowsily at the other boy.

"Did you hear that new rumor?" Kyung asked, completely unfazed by his friend's icy stare.

"What rumor?"

"About your sister." Jiho is wide awake now; his sister usually isn't the subject of many rumors. Noticing the blond boy's rapt attention, Kyung continues, "Yeah, they say she's dating some older guy."

Jiho feels like he might pass out. "What?" He doesn't realize how loud he is until he meets his teacher's irritated gaze. He bows his head apologetically and tries to control his breathing. When the teacher turns back to the board Jiho leans toward his friend and hisses, "Where did you hear that?"

"Jaehyo," Kyung answers simply.

Oh. "Oh." Jaehyo is the biggest gossip in the school, but he is also the most reliable; if he says something happened, 85% of the time it probably did.

"I know," Kyung sighs dejectedly, a slight frown on his face. "I mean, I don't mind her seeing someone else on the side, but it hearing about it from other people."

Jiho stares blankly at his friend, unamused by his antics. Since the two of them became friends years ago, Kyung has had a crush on Jiho's sister, but the siblings never take him seriously because he has a tendency to show his affection in disgustingly greasy ways and his attempts at wooing the girl are always embarrassing failures. Jiho's mind is still reeling and he doesn't have time for his friend's ridiculousness, so he ignores him (as he usually does). Thoughts of resuming his nap are long gone and he spends the rest of class staring vacantly at the wall.

When the bell rings he goes through the motions of gathering his things and filing out of the classroom with everyone else. He wants to find his sister and ask her what all the talk is about, but it's only second period and he won't see her until lunch. Kyung tells him he's exaggerating when he notices his lifeless expression and Jiho kind of agrees, but this is his twin sister they're talking about— he has every right to be devastated. He just can't get over the fact that she didn't tell him; he doesn't even know if the rumor is true or not, but he still thinks he should've heard it from her first.

Jiho knows that if and/or when he gets a girlfriend, she will be the first person he tells (well, after Kyung), even if it's really just gloating. And what's the point of being twins if there's no sixth sense to warn him about these kinds of things? They are close enough to know what the other is thinking before they even say it, so he should be able to know when random boys are hitting on his sister. But, instead, Jiho is left fretting over who would dare ask his sister out, a feat he never thought was possible.

Lunchtime finally rolls around and Jiho impatiently heads to the cafeteria, his eyes constantly scanning the crowd of students for that familiar face. He finds her in the back of the packed room laughing and chatting with her insanely tall friends. Without much thinking he approaches the raucous group and calls out, "Kyungri!"

The girl looks up curiously and meets her brother's expectant gaze. As she walks over to him, her expression quickly changes from slightly confused to mildly irritated; true to their alleged "twin psychic connection", she knows with just one look that he either wants money or he's trying to pry into her personal life. "What do you want," Kyungri demands as she crosses her arms across her chest. "And I thought I told you to call me Noona."

"Eight minutes doesn't make you my Noona," Jiho retorts almost immediately. They'd had this argument many times before; Kyungri always insisted that as the firstborn of the two she was his elder and should be called as such— Jiho obviously didn't agree. "Anyway, I don't have any money for lunch," he says, not quite ready to ask her what he really wants to ask.

"So? Ask Kyung," his sister scoffs.

"You know how stingy he is. Come on, please?"

Kyungri only shakes her head, looking extremely unimpressed.

"Fine," the blond boy huffs and mentally prepares himself for what he is about to do. "Noona, can I please borrow some money?" He has an exaggerated pout on his lips and even throws in a shoulder wiggle for added effect. There are a few eyes on the siblings, but Jiho doesn't bother with being embarrassed; everyone already knows he's a big softie when it comes to his sister— even Jiho himself.

Kyungri wears an unaffected expression, but the younger boy knows she gets a huge kick out of his aegyo. With a proud smirk, she pinches her brother's cheek and chides, "Was that so hard?" She hands him a few bills that he gladly accepts; he even does a little victory dance that has the girl giggling at her cute dongsaeng.

With the money safely tucked away, Jiho throws on a somber look and decides to get down to business. He shoves his hands in his pockets and coolly drawls, "When did you get a boyfriend and not tell me about it?"

Kyungri nearly laughs at how predictable her brother is; she knew he would hear the rumor and start whining because she didn't tell him. Instead, she puts her hands on her hips and fixes him with a frosty glare, refusing to satisfy his curiosity.

Not one to be easily deterred, the blond boy scowls in return; it is not as intimidating as he hopes though because he has to crane his neck a good forty-five degrees to meet her eyes. "What's his name?" Jiho asks, sounding much calmer than he feels. His nerves are beyond agitated and he just wants to know who this guy is that thinks he can date Jiho's sister without going through Jiho first.

"He's not my boyfriend, so don't worry about it." Stubbornness seems to be a shared trait between the twins as Kyungri still refuses to give in.

Jiho smirks at her defensive words and says, "I'm your brother— it's my job to worry about you."

"Well, I'm your older sister," the girl counters, taking a step toward her brother. "And I'm telling you to out."

Indignation surges through Jiho as he opens his mouth to argue, but before he can get a word out his best friend appears seemingly out of nowhere, looking uncharacteristically downhearted.

Pouting in what he probably thinks is a cute manner, but actually makes him look dumb, Kyung grouses, "I know our relationship has been pretty open and everything, but now you're going a little too far. If you wanted to see someone else you could've just told me— you know how understanding I am." He shakes his head sadly before turning to his blond friend with an apologetic smile. "You're my best friend and I love you, but your sister is a total bad girl. My heart is too fragile for her games."

The siblings stare at the dark-haired boy in shocked silence, neither of them quite sure what just happened. Utter disbelief and horror takes over Kyungri's features while Jiho can only cringe in embarrassment. Seconds pass as the three students remain frozen in the same spot until Kyungri finally regains her senses with a small shudder. "I'm leaving now," she states before racing away from her brother and his weird friend as fast as she can.

Almost instantly, a big grin breaks out on Kyung's face as he waves and calls out excitedly, "Bye!" He catches the other boy's skeptical expression and shrugs. "I can't quit her."

Jiho doesn't know whether to be worried for his sister or his friend; he's sure there are a few gray strands hidden within his bleached locks. He turns his back, figuratively and literally, on the older boy and heads to their usual lunch table, the idea of food sounding much more appealing for his sanity.

Eating proves a worthy distraction and it isn't until he's shuffling through the packed halls to his next class that Jiho realizes he still hasn't gotten the guy's name. He curses himself for being thrown off so easily (and Kyung for his bad timing). Seeing as his sister is still the talk of the school, he makes it his mission to get to the bottom of this whole ordeal one way or another. It just so happens that his way is that of a pesky younger brother.

Growing up, Jiho had a knack for minding his sister's business; whether it was the desire to annoy her, pure curiosity, or just a boy missing his Noona, he always found a way to involve himself in whatever she was doing. He didn't care if the other kids laughed at him and called him names because his sister was more important to him than any of them. And she's still the most important person, not because he wants all of her attention, but because he only wants the best for her.

Jiho is, admittedly, an overprotective brother, but he has every right to be because, as troublesome as it, Kyungri is actually quite popular with the males of their high school. And he can't really blame them— even though he still does.

Seeing that he has known her since before they were born, Jiho thinks it is only fair that he has a say in whoever Kyungri dates; he wouldn't dream of dating a girl without first introducing her to his sister. So he really doesn't understand why the girl insists that he stay out of it when he's only trying to help her. But he has always done the opposite of what she tells him, so it doesn't matter what she says.

With his mind made up, Jiho formulates a plan to find out exactly what his sister is up to. Essentially, his plan is to spy on Kyungri. He has extensive experience in that field so it should be a piece of cake. Jiho is confident as he races out of class after the final bell, brushing off Kyung's inquisitive stare with a quick "don't wait up". Ever the caring brother, he is well aware that Kyungri goes to her locker at the end of the day before meeting up with her friends by the front gates.

The halls seem extra-packed today and he wonders if he might've missed her, but as he turns the last corner he spots two figures a few feet away, one of them most definitely being his sister. The boy quickly backpedals and hides behind the wall, furtively peeking to see if they noticed him. He breathes a sigh of relief at not being caught as the pair continue to converse; his mood darkens, however, when he notices how close they are to each other. He wants to run over there and elbow his way in between the two of them, but he knows he needs to be smart about this and think before he acts.

Jiho watches with clenched fists as Kyungri laughs at something the guy says, her hand moving up to cover in a ladylike fashion he has never seen from her before. She gently tucks some hair behind her ear and smiles shyly up at the boy in front of her and Jiho wonders if that is really his sister; he has never seen her act like that in all his life. He thinks he is hallucinating, but he swears sees a blush color the girl's cheeks and that's the final straw— his sister does not blush.

Jiho storms down the small hallway with no idea what he wants to do or say, but it's too late to turn back because Kyungri spots him and the look in her eyes tells him to expect a slow and painful death when they get home. Swallowing his fear, the blond boy marches toward the pair, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. He bites back a smirk as he squeezes in between them to get to his locker in front of which they are coincidentally standing; it takes all of his self-control not to laugh when he swings the door open widely and it nearly hits the other male in the face.

After throwing his books carelessly inside, Jiho slams the locker shut and turns to face the brazen boy chasing after his precious sister. The guy is much taller than Jiho and even towers over Kyungri by a few inches. Paired with a firm build and a strong gaze, the older boy makes for an intimidating opponent, but Jiho is not interested in fighting— he just wants to keep him away from his sister.

Slipping on as polite a smile as he can muster, Jiho stretches out his hand and says, "Woo Jiho."

The tall boy hesitates for a moment before taking the offered hand and introducing himself as well. He grins brightly and continues, "You're Kyungri's younger brother, right?"

Jiho's face sets into a hardened grimace; he's only just met the guy, but already he doesn't like him. Folding his arms across his chest, the blond boy stands a bit straighter and fixes the chump with a withering glare. "Actually," he snarls, finding it harder and harder to remain civil. "We're twins."

"I know," the older male smirks. Jiho doesn't miss the smug look on the guy's face and he wishes he could smack it right off, but he's never really been one for violence. Rather, he finds his words to be much more lethal. He is just about to give the buff giant a piece of his mind when Kyungri steps in front of him and effectively silences him with a swift kick to the shin. A low hiss is the only thing that escapes his lips as he tries not to crumple to the floor in pain; the tall girl is definitely the more aggressive twin.

"I should probably get going now," Kyungri interjects, smiling innocently as if she did not just maim her brother. "My friends are waiting for me."

Jiho nearly gags at the way the older boy looks at his sister, grinning like some lovestruck fool. His disgust quickly turns to ire when the guy tucks a lock of Kyungri's hair behind her ear and rests his hand on her shoulder before murmuring, "See you later." He walks away before Jiho can tear him a new one, leaving the younger boy glaring at the retreating figure.

Almost immediately, Kyungri spins around and snaps, "I thought I told you to stay out of this?" Any remnants of the shy sweet girl she was moments ago are long gone save for the light flush of her cheeks.

"I'm your brother— I don't have to stay out of it," the blond boy retorts; normally he tries to avoid making her angry, but he is much too incensed to care. "There's no way in hell you're dating that guy."

Kyungri rolls her eyes and lets out an aggravated sigh. "I already said I'm not. And even if I do, you don't get a say." The girl wonders what she did to deserve such a hardheaded brother; he never listens to her and is always pushing his opinions on her.

Jiho is equally as frustrated as his sister; she ignores his opinions and does whatever she wants without telling him. He wants to argue with her, but she's way too stubborn and would probably hurt him some more. He tries to cool his indignation as he insists, "Dad would never let you go out with that tool." Their father is much too fond of his only daughter to watch her run off with some meathead upperclassman.

The older girl looks hardly put off by her brother's words, a smirk pulling at the corner of . "You're really out of the loop, Jiho-yah," Kyungri notes, patting the boy's head lightly. "Dad likes him just fine— he even invited him over again."

Jiho is completely floored by this revelation; he doesn't think his heart is strong enough to handle all the distressing news he's been receiving all day. The fight has been knocked out of him and rendered him speechless. He snaps out of his minor daze and sees his sister already halfway down the hallway; he may have been momentarily distracted, but their conversation is far from over. Rushing after her, Jiho exclaims, "Wait, Noona! What do you mean 'invited him over again'? Yah, Noona!"

Kyungri continues down the hall, a small smile playing on her lips; her brother could be unbelievably irritating most of the time, but sometimes he could be the cutest dongsaeng ever.

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thesilentsiren #1
Chapter 1: Too cute~~~
exohss
#2
Chapter 1: Jiho is soooo cuteee! I'm curious to see who the older guy is. :))
rendezvous-
#3
ooooh. looking forward to this.