“You’re awake?”.

From the door where she just got out, Areum looked at the back of someone who had his hand busy with the pan in the kitchen. “I am…”  She looked at herself again, “Woa— wait, is this your shirt?!”

“I asked one of my house maids to come last night and changed your clothes” He looked down on the dish and add some pepper. “Sorry, couldn't find any shirt aside from those”

Her face was red, blushing in red. “Um, thanks,” Thank god it was his maid.  Areum sat on the couch in front of her. A big white shelf with books was put across from her and the glass coffee table. Next to the shelf, there was also a TV, and a rack of disk. Looking around, she realized something. “Where am I, Leo?”

“My house,” He turned around, and walked to the dining table. Leo placed a plate of fried tuna fillet on the table, as well as the bowls of rice. “It's rather small, but, at least it's clean”

The house in general was only as big as the living room and the kitchen of the boys's house. in one sight, the house described Leo in general. Simple and comfortable. “What time is it now? Kyunggi is not yet awake…”

“Still early, it's only eight” Leo smiled at her as he grabbed a chair near a book shelf and placed it on the table, so that it would have more than a chair. “Would you rather join me or?”

His voice was soft, but still hearable. “Sure, I’m starving!!”

While grasping his head, Ken got out of his room. “We survived?”

“Apparently,” Ravi got up from the couch and sat himself. “Who was driving? Was it me? You? Hyung?”

“I pick you guys up, of course” Before Hakyeon who was barely awake on the floor got to speak, Hyuk intruded with a jar of coconut water and three glasses. “You guys are reeking of alcohol”. Hyuk sat on the floor, next to Hakyeon, and poured a glass of it to his Hyung. “Hakyeon hyung you were the worst”

Ken joint them on the floor, as he poured one glass for himself. “Wa— wait, you were driving??” 

“Of course not, I went home first, ask Mr.Goo to drive me there and then pick you guys up”. Slowly he helped Hakyeon to drink the water. “You were crying, sulking, and almost hit me a couple of times” Hakyeon only nodded, and went back to sleep on the floor, and Hyuk could only roll his eyes. “This is why I don't like you guys going out and drink, I become the oldest in the next morning”

“You’ll join us next year, right?” Ravi patted his hair, “Until then, enjoy your time being the thoughtful maknae” as he reached for the glass. “Where’s Hongbin?”

Other than them talking, the house was quiet. “I don't know, I haven't met him since last night dinner—“

“Where’s my brother?!”. He swung his hand as he rose from the floor and almost hit the maknae and spilled the drink, “Where’s Hongbin?!”

Hyuk shook his head and gave him a phone, “Hyung, You even almost threw your phone to the river. Maybe you can use it now and ask your brother, why is he not home”

Hakyeon furrowed, “Why didn't you call him?”.

He only left a blank stare to Hakyeon and sighed. “Why would I? Isn't he an adult?”

“Ya! you—“ Right before he got to raise his voice, he cut his own words. “You— you— never mind, I’m just going to call him” He slowly got up, and moved to his room with his head and feet heavy, as if it were chained on the floor.

“Hyung, I’m not stupid” Hyuk shifted his eyes to the other two, Ravi and Ken who couldn't say a word. “What were you guys talking about last night?”

More than anything, “Um— well—“ Ken would love to answer his brother, “Stuff— but like, I could barely remember a thing” but He couldn’t. “Seriously, everything is vague—“

“things, stuff,” Ravi muttered, after he finished his third glass of the healing water. “Since you’re not stupid, now you know who are you dealing with, right?”

Ravi talked in a fully conscious, made him smirk and chuckle. “Yeah, of course I do”

While eating the delicious fish on her plate, Areum poured a glass of orange juice for herself and the guy who ate with her. “So this place is also your house and you have lots of maids?” 

“Not also, it's actually mine.” He smiled for a few when he watched the small hands pouring the juice into his glass.  “I bought this with my own money, that is why, there's nothing fancy”. “But my parents' house is actually not that far from here, that's why I could ask one of their maids to come and clean up a little”

“You know, Leo, I always wonder”  Areum had never stopped looking around for as much as she pleased. In a way, it made the guy in front of her not stopping himself from smiling for looking at her enthusiasm. “Wonders, to be exact. How could I not know anything about you?”. Instantly, she stopped putting meals into and just talked. “I don't know where you come from, I don't know what are your favorites, I don't know what are you doing for living now or before or do you even do one or— yeah, I just don't know” She shrugged.

“That is because I’m just like you, I don't really tell people things” after a small pause, his lips twitched and parted. “If I think it’s not important for others to know then what’s the point of telling them”.

“hm?”

“Aren't you like that too?” Leo had finished his food, and could finally see her wholes. “You didn't tell us a thing about you before Seoul simply because you think it's not necessary for us to know, am i right?”

Unlike what he thought, “Yeah, right” Areum quickly answered the question, before she grabbed her glass and gulped the orange liquid. “But still, I’m curious about you”

To hide his rosy cheek, he also grabbed his juice and slowly drank it. Glad you are.

“Where are you going?” Ravi smirked, and stood himself next to the boy who was an inch away from touching the knob. “Are you going to visit your ‘mom’?” He quoted, emphasizing a certain word.

“I am, actually” Hyuk turned his head on him, “Why do you care?”

He hissed and breathed while folding his arms, slowly leaning on the wall. “Gosh, you just met her yesterday”

“Hyung, We used to meet her everyday—“

“But that was when she lived with us, Hyukkie”  He pointed out. “Can't you see the difference? It's different now, she clearly builds a wall on us and you can't just climb it up!”

“Climb? Who said I’m going to climb the wall?” He looked down at his shoes for a moment, before tilting his head and chuckled. “I’m going to break the wall, Hyung”. Ravi just watched Hyuk walking away from him, without even waving. “Yes, it's different now, that is why we can no longer lie and hide a thing”

“Wa— wait what?? You took liberal arts??” Areum gasped, “Whoa— whoah, okay, and then— and you also work with your sister?”

“Not really working, I just help her most of the time” Leo started to clean up the table by taking the dirty dishes to the sink. “I’m like a freelance consultant, if that even make sense”

While the dirty glasses were still on the table, Areum didn't forget to help him out by taking it to the dishwasher. “What kind of person is your sister? you seem to be close with her”

“She is only a year older than me, meanwhile my older brothers are at least seven years apart so I am the closest to her” no matter how Areum tried to soak her hands, he didn't let her do so. “Let me do the dishes, and you can make kyunggi’s milk” Leo pointed out the dispenser next to the fridge. 

“Ooh, yes! let me get his bottle first!" Areum turned around, and ran to the bedroom. 

***

“Look who is hungry and fully awake!” After a moment, Areum didn't come out of the room alone. In her right hand, she held onto Kyunggi’s tiny hand and walked with him to the kitchen. “Kyunggi would you like your milk or fillet tuna instead?”

Reaching his eyes with his fist, Kyunggi brushed his face. “Tuna..”

Leo moved from the counter to the table, in a flash, took the plate that still have one last piece of tuna and brought it to the kitchen, turning on the stove and placed it on the frying pan. “Wait— wait for a minute, let me heat it first”

“But— but,” Areum and Kyunggi just looked at him being all busy for himself. “But you just wash  the pan…”

As if he couldn't hear a thing, he just continued to stir the fish, then placed it back to the plate. Even before serve it back on the table, he made sure to add some final touch that made the fish looked like it smile for real. “Enjoy,”

Kyunggi sat on the chair, alone without his sister at his side. Areum chose to sit on the couch alone, and watched him and Leo having their own moments. “It's still hard for me to teach him on how to hold chopsticks” She leaned on the rest, and muttered. “Like, you know, even with— heol…”

“You put your thumb over here, and your index over here,” Kyunggi’s eyes were filled with twinkles when he watched his hyung in front of him helping him on holding on to the two wooden sticks. “Yes, like that” 

“Le— Leo…”

He looked to the side, to the couch where Areum was sitting with her eyes wide opened. 

“You would be a great father… for sure…” Areum had her eyes blank, looking at nothing. Not even the figure who looked back at her with a deeper stare. “How I wish he would have a figure like you”

Leo got up from the chair, almost tripped on his way, when he ran to the couch, and kneeled in front of the person who had her legs curled up under her hands. “Eh,”

Areum looked down and met her eyes with his, “What are you doing?”. With no words following, A hand that was bigger than her face, grabbed a box of tissue on the table, and took a sheet of it, and used it to brush her face. “Oh, did I just shed a tear?”

“You still are,” 

She just chuckled, and snatched the tissue away from Leo. “Damn,”

“Noona…” Little steps followed the two people on the couch, making his way onto the girl’s arm. “Noona is sad?”

“No, no, of course I’m not,” Areum opened widely to grin, laughed, then open up her arms to wrap the little boy’s self. “Im just so happy that you finally got to use chopsticks! ahahahaha”

The two siblings ends up playing on the couch, and Leo, for being bloodily unrelated, he only got to watch them from the floor. She needs to stop hiding things, before it gets to the point where she lies for real.

Hakyeon sat in the empty chair and faced the person in front of him. “Where have you been?” the one place that started everything, The coffee shop, Hakyeon could finally find his brother.

“Around” Hongbin shrugged, and took a sip of his latte. 

“Ya— Ya!” If only they weren't in a public place, Hakyeon would have stolen away his brothers drink and threw it away to the floor. “I’m talking to you!”

Hongbin looked back at his brother, “I know, but I don't want to talk to you” and got up from his seat.

Three years ago

“Let me walk you home—“

“No, thank you” Areum shook her head while she still got her head on her knees, with her hands busy on tying her shoelaces. “Your brother is coming tonight, right? You should go home now, it's almost five”

Hongbin lowered his back and eventually levelled his head with her's, as he used his hand to involved be with her shoes. “I should, but he would be happy if he knows that I’m coming late because I’m helping a girl to tying her shoes”. In reflected, Areum thumped her feet and made the dust of the field flew away, causing a nose sneezed. “Achoo!”

“Sorry, but if it's this, then I can do it myself”. She got up, then crossed her arms while still looking down on Hongbin. “Please, you, get up too ”

“Uhm.. But I can’t.. I think I’m weak because of the dirt that I inhaled…”

Before “Aish,” lending her hand, Areum made sure to roll her eyes first. “Now you go home, okay?”

He clucked, “Okay!” and winked. Then left her alone slowly as he made his way home.  

***

“Hey, I’m home!” Hongbin put his bag on the couch and went to the kitchen. “Mom, is Hyung already— Hyung!”.

Before he even got to finish asking, Hakyeon was already standing in the kitchen, with his back facing him. “Oh, Hongbin!” He turned around and smiled. “Mom just left not long ago, she said that its urgency and she is sorry for not telling you first because her phone was dead”

Hongbin nodded and went to stand next to his brother. “Oh, okay, so I guess it's only the two of us?” 

“Yup, I’m cooking chicken and— woah! you’re getting taller!!” 

“I am now taller than you, hyung” He chuckled, while using his hand to secretly dip into the sauce in the bowl and then tasted it. “Hmm, I’m going to take a shower first and you better work on this, it tastes like…”

Hakyeon pushed him away, “Crap, I know, I’m practicing”. 

***

“It's pretty quiet…” 

“You’ll get used to it, I practically live alone, remember?” Hongbin grabbed the one last chicken to fulfil his hunger. “Um, wait, you supposed to be used to this too, you also live alone in Seoul, right?”

Hakyeon leaned on his chair. “Ah.. Not really…”

“not really?”

“I actually moved into my friend’s house so… yeah…”

Hongbin nodded. “Oh… I see… so it's always noisy in there, right?”

“ah… not really…”

“Not really??” the younger Dong furrowed.

“Well, there’s only the two of us and he doesn't talk much either, so…. Yeah…”

“Ah…” He finally got it.  “Must be a very boring guy…” 

Hakyeon was about to get up and grabbed a drink, but then he stopped, “No! He's not boring-- eh-- H— how do you know that he’s a he??”

“Eh?” Hongbin was confused, just why would his brother had  panic and anxiety written on all over his face. “What do you mean? Of course its obvious… as if you would live in with a girl—“

“you— you knew?! si— since— since— when??”

“Hyung? Are you… okay??”

“Do— do you hate me?? ha— have you told mo— mom? da— dad?”  In each of his words, hakyeon was getting slower and smaller, tripped on every consonant. “Do— do you hate me for— for who I am?”

Hongbin carefully shook his head, “Why would I?”

The frightened Hakyeon turned in for a smile. “Tha— thank you… I guess..”

“For?” He raised his brows and wondered. 

Turned in for a smile, and eventually laugh to himself. “Hahahaha, For not being angry and still treat your gay brother normally”

His loud laugh was suddenly cut off by the sound of the metal chopstick fell on the floor. “Eh?”.

“What?! why?! what did I do wrong??” Hakyeon longer his hand, and reached for Hongbin’s shoulder. “You didn’t come home and didn't even leave a message, was it wrong for me to be worried??”

“Hyung, I’m not a kid—“

“I know! That is why I ask you not to act like one!” on the not-so-empty bust stop, Hakyeon couldn't help but to raise his voice. “Lo— look, I’m sorry, its just that—”

“You try to be a good brother, well you are” Hongbin tucked his hands into his pocket. “But Hyung, you need to stop being too worried, cause I— ah, never mind”

Hakyeon took a step back, “Cause you what??”.

“Jeez! Cause I’m going to leave the house!” there was an old lady, only an old lady as a stranger sitting on the bench, in the middle of them having a conversation. Hongbin noticed her, but didn't even think to care, but lowering his voice. “Look, Hyung, I’m going to move out, pretty soon and—“

“What?? Why??” He crossed his arms, “Ho— hongbin, how could you—“

“I have my own reasons and it is not your business, but like— fine— I was kinda wrong for not telling you, but I also have my own reason for that!”

Hakyeon could only sigh, and didn't even have the energy to be angry. “And that is?”

“Ho— hongbin….” Hakyeon gulped as he settled his eyes on his brother’s, “You— you—“

“Well… that… That is new…” and Hongbin could only slowly nod, “Very… very… new”

“I— I— I’m sorry! I— no— I—“

“Why are you saying sorry?” The tissue box was closer to him, and so he brought it to his hyung, who out of no where started to drip the tears. “More than anything, I’m grateful, and I’m proud of you, hyung”

“You— you’re not mad?”

“Of course not…” He shook his head, then watched Hakyeon wiping his face while laughing. “Now come to think of it… I just realized that you never talk about a girl in a way that dad talks about mom…”

“Why are you sounds like ten years old? hahaaha” He spontaneously spread his arms and hug his brother, “Ahhh, you don't even scared of me!! Thank you!”

“Why would I? Its not like you’re going to bite me or anything” The more he said things that Hakyeon wanted to hear, the more its hard for him to breath, “But— like— hyung— I— I cant breath…”

“Oh! right, sorry! sorry! hahahahaa” This time his laughs were mixed with tears of happiness, “Ah… now just how am I going to tell mom and dad…”

Hongbin sighed and then started to grab the empty plates on the table. “You’ll be fine, Have mom told you? About a week ago Uncle Kim gathered everyone except for me, who was happened to be in school and tell them that he is actually biual, and mom was one of those who didn't get mad and helped him going throughout his tough time”

“O— ooh, that’s.. That’s great…” Hakyeon nodded. “Okay, guess I need to be nicer to Uncle Kim from now on…”

“Hahahahaahaha, you better do” Hongbin threw a sheet of tissue to his brother then left the dining room. “Glad you didn't hide a thing, hyung”

"Never mind, lets just go home, okay?"

“You have Disney channel, nice” Areum folded her legs on the couch and sat herself, “Kyunggi, we’ll go home after this one show, okay?”. Being focused with the changes of images on the Tv, Kyunggi only nodded in response. “Great, now he even prefers the TV rather than me”

“Do you want me to drive you guys—“

Areum looked to the side, to Leo. “Oh, no thanks, no thank you” 

Leo just nodded, “Oh, okay, I’ll just call a cab for you guys later”

“Hooh wait, can I borrow your phone— eh, no never mind” She shook her head and slapped her face. Pabo!. “No, no, I’ll just apologize to her later—“

“Of course you can,” He took out his phone from his pocket and gave it to her, “who are you going to call?”

“My Unnie— eh, I mean, yeah, I Unnie”

He just mouthed an ‘ah’, then put his phone back. She didn’t even want me to know where she lives, isn’t she? “Areum,”

“Yes?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do, why?”

Argh… should I ask her or should I not—

“Leo, what do you want to ask?”. Areum tilted her head to the side and looked at him, “you seem bothered”

“I am,” His answer made her jumped for a little. “I am bothered by the fact that you think is unnecessary for me to know about you before Seoul”

As if she changed into a whole new person, her smile turned into a very toned one. “Damn it, I don't like it when you seemed bothered”

three years ago

“I have taken care of it,” Hongbin sat on the bench and gave a box of juice to the girl next to him. “Well, at least now that girl deserves what she had done to you”

“Thanks,” Areum put in the straw and quickly slurped the liquid out of the box, “For the juice, of course”

“No problem, I need to treat you with something better next time…”. Every student that had passed them always made their time to look at both of them, and in a way, it forced Areum to keep looking down and only looked at her shoes. “So…”

“The tattoo? I had it since I was a baby, I guess. It's almost like a birthmark” 

Hongbin just breathed in. “Your father is pretty… weird”

“He is, but what can I do, I don't even want to understand him” She had stop crying but her soul isn’t. “I’m not against people who chose to not get married, in fact i dont have any prejudice against them but then there's my dad. well its just him in general, like how could he treat her like ? I mean, just, I—“

“I want to meet your dad” Hongbin cut off, “I just want to”

“No, no, no, you—“

“Is that why you never let me to go to your house? Cause Really, I’m starting to be worried—“

“NO! NO! This is exactly what I want to avoid!!” Areum almost yelled her thoughts, almost made everyone near the school yard looking at her. “Wh— what happened to me, is none of your business, what happened in my house, is none of your business—“

“What happened to you is sure damn my business,” He couldn't help but to hold her hands, and gently caress it, calming the girl’s self. “The moment I lay my feelings for you, I set another thing in mind, and it's about me wanting you to be happy 24/7. That's kinda impossible, cause you’re still a human, and that is why I just want to prevent you from being not happy”. Areum left her lips and eyes parted, as her ears were soothed by his words. “I hope that blushing cheek of yours is also a sign of you being happy, as for now”

She looked away, and used her hands to brush her thoughts. “No, really, I still can handle him, I still can live in that house. It’s not like he hit us or anything,”

“Okay, I believe in you,” Everything that she did, it was all a sequences of her own cuteness, according to him. “But I also want you to believe in me, so if anything happened, you ran out of your house, go to the public telephone and call me”

Areum gazed him back, as it was her only response that she was capable of.“Yeah, sure”

Areum shook her head before she breathed in. “Because I believe in him, I ended up hurting him, ” she wrapped her knees in her arms and leaned on it, “I still do”

For sitting next to her and couldn't do a thing, it made his heart ache, as it pounded so hard. Leo, look at what you did to her…

“I honestly don't know how to either forgive myself or just to make him stop… like…” She tightened her hugs once she felt like she wanted to cry. “Like for god sake Hongbin I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you! I’m sorry for everything but I just hate you!! like—“. When she got to scream her minds, the guy next to her slid a little. “Like, no, I actually just want to hate you. can you stop doing what you’re doing now cause I—“ Even Kyunggi shift his eyes to his sister, “Cause I will definitely lose to you like always!”

“What are you doing here?” Hyuk widened his eyes when the person who opened the door for him showed up, “Where’s my mom?”

“Hyukkie, hello” Eunju made a space for him to enter the house, “Your mom and I are currently having a problem of finding our dearest Lee Areum—“

Before he stepped inside, her words made him pull back. “What?!” 

“I don't know whether it's her hobby or what, but she does like to go out and went missing without telling us—“

“Tsk! Noona!!” Hyuk reached for his head and ruffled it with all his might, “Yaa!! Now what—“ Suddenly, a black sedan showed up and stopped in front of the house, making Eunju and Hyuk to put their attention to it. 

When the door was opened, someone jumped out of it, and it was, “Kyunggi???” as Eunju exclaimed.

Hyuk ran to the gate and opened it, letting Kyunggi to walked into the house nonchalantly. Not long after that, another person came out, and it was, of course, “Noona??”.

“Oh my god, Eunju, I was about to call the police, but then this little guy came stopped me!” Another person joined Eunju at the front door. “I was like, ‘Kyunggi! Where have you been— wait, isn't that??”

“Yes Unnie, that is your son,” Eunju sighed, as she and Yoora were looking at the same view. “Oh my Hyukkie—“

“No, well, I mean, yes, but isn't that… Leo’s car?” Yoora adjusted her hands so that Kyunggi could sit comfortably.

The car quickly went away when the all of the passengers have gotten out of it.

“Hyukkie—“ Hyuk came to her with a hug, a big hug that made her hard to breath. “Wow, wow, what’s with the hug?”

“Are you okay?” He released his hug and took a step back. Coughing, as he tried to hide his pink cheek. “I mean, I just came here and then Eunju said that you were missing so—“

“Oh that, yes, I’m sorry, I wasn't exactly missing… but like, you know, I forgot to tell them where I was, so…”

“But are you okay?” Hyuk insisted to be answered.

Areum looked at him and smiled, “Yeah, I’m okay”

“Stop it,” Leo moved his hand on her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug.

“I’m sorry,” Areum only said that, and only that, aside from her sobbing silently. “You see, at least now you know the truth and won't be bothered anymore”. She stayed in his arms and rested there, as he thought that it was more comfortable than a blanket. “I’m sorry, I think me and kyunggi need to go home now—“ Leo fully wrapped her tiny body in his arms, and with that, it made her hard to get out of it, even when she wanted to. As she looked up and found his chin was only an inch away from her, she wondered. “Leo?”

“I’m calling my driver now and ask him to drive you both there,” With his right hand, he picked up his phone and made a call. “Until then, stay right here”

“Ooh, Okay, sure…” Areum nodded, “But Leo I’m okay, really—“

“Yeah, you’re okay,” He just froze and gulped, while he looked up to the ceiling and hid his face from her. 'But i’m not'.