+010 | DECEMBER 3^{RD, 2015} 12:00PM

MIN Young likes coffee. The way it smells like good mornings, the way it tastes like bitterness but fulfills her, the way it makes her feel energized, and the way it makes her seem like a nicer person than usual. “Coffee?” Sung Jun groans as he waltz into the kitchen, from the bathroom where he previously came from. Min nods and pours him a cup before passing it to him. “Thanks.” He mumbles.

“I set up a job interview for you,” She begins as she stops for a minute to take a sip of her drink. At that minute he wants to slap the cup out of her hands in order for her to continue. It’s been months—well, one month—since he joined AA, and one month he’s been waiting to get a job. “To be a tour guide for all of the major districts. Samseong, Gangnam Station, Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, Cheongdam-dong, and Apgujeong-dong. It would be an all day affair on Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s.”

Sung Jun nods his head—trying to keep himself composed, and to not freak out like a baby because he finally has an interview for a “real” job. “Does it pay well?” He hesitates to ask—worried that he won’t make near as much as he wants to.

“Annual, you’ll make about thirty one million won.” She replies while setting her cup down on the table to now switch her view to him. She laughs the minute she does. There, in batman pajamas, is Sung Jun. His hair messy, going off in every direction, and his eyes a tinge of red from going to bed too late. It’s a marvelous sight. “What’s with your hair?”

He rolls his eyes and shifts from one foot to the other. “What’s with your face?” Sung Jun, coffee in hand, leaves to the bathroom once more after starring her down for a good minute or two. Min Young simply laughs before making her way to the living room—maneuvering around all of his thrown things—and taking a seat on the couch.

“Sung Jun?” Chang Hyun calls as he comes barreling through the front door, slamming it behind him. He moves his eyes along the room, before letting them land on Min who turns on the TV just as he spots her. “Where is he?” He asks as he moves over toward her, and takes a seat on the couch.

She turns her head toward him and watches as he places an arm around her shoulders—his sly way of flirting. “He’s in the bathroom.” She relies while pulling her legs up to her chest, and balances her coffee cup on her knees. “He’s changing for his job interview—it’s in downtown. Can you drive him?”

“Yeah,” He nods his head as he stretches his legs out onto the coffee table. For some reason, this has become the norm for the three of them. Sung Jun being taken care of by both of them—and the both of them spending too much time together, like that night stuck in the bathroom. “How are your classes going?”

Oh yeah, and that…

+011 | NOVEMBER 13^{TH, 2015} 1:00PM

CHANG Hyun hid one major detail from Min Young when he said they should go out for lunch. Lunch included meeting with an admissions office member from Seoul National University—where she was previously accepted to, back in high school. “So, Miss Lee,” The tall red headed woman drawls as she runs one of her dark scarlet nails run along the thin layer of glass atop the table in front of them. “You were previously accepted into SNU?”

Min grabs a hold of Chang Hyun’s jacket as she grips it tightly, almost pulling the zipper off in the process. She feels so uncomfortable. “Um, yes ma’am.” She mumbles, and Chang Hyun pats her back for added report—as if it would magically help her. It doesn’t though.

“Chang Hyun was telling me that you felt uncomfortable at our school. Is this correct?” She continues to ask as she scribbles away on her notebook. Min Young side glances at her cousin’s best friend, anxiety running throughout her face. Soon enough, she turns back toward the woman and nods. “And why was that?”

Min Young bites her lip and takes a deep breath. “I just, I wasn’t doing something I enjoyed. I didn’t want to go into that industry—to be a doctor. I wanted to be a sales manager, and or a law professor. It’s more my style.” She’s not wrong. Being a doctor would never be her style—oh how Godly it would be to see her standing over a partially dead body, opening them up, and trying not to do something wrong. She’s more suited for the lying game, as lawyers love to do, and or the scheming game as sales managers love to do.

“Right, so why didn’t you change majors?” The woman’s eyes snap upward.

Min bows her head in embarrassment, “I didn’t want to disappoint my parents.” The woman stares for a long minute toward Min, before dipping her head back down toward her notebook, and continuing her scribbling. After a few minutes of comparing her notes through and through, the woman’s head snaps back up toward the two.

“Well, comparing your grades from high school and your entrance exam, I’d say that you are in fact in the okay to come back to our university.” Min’s mouth falls open as she glances between the woman and a grinning Chang Hyun. “You would though, have to send in an application for this semester, with the major you want to go for. And you’ll have to get in contact with the admissions official and a counselor to designate the classes you need to take.”

Min nods her head a few times as she continuously thanks the woman. Over and over again. Having let go of Chang Hyun’s jacket, she reaches across the table and shakes the woman’s hand a few times, before watching her leave. And, after she does, she turns toward Chang Hyun with the largest of smiles. “Can you believe it?” She questions holding onto his arm as she jumps up and down.

He nods, “Of course I can.” Before he could ever even think about hugging her, as he was about to do, she lands a punch straight onto his upper arm. “What the hell was that for?” He cries as the two take a seat, and he begins to rub his upper arm in mock pain.

“Next time tell me your plans ahead of time.” She states while crossing her arms.

He laughs and leans across the table towards her—seeing as now they are across from each other. “So we’re doing this again?” And yes, she does punch him once more in the arm for being slightly sleazy.

+012 | DECEMBER 3^{RD, 2015} 12:45PM

Sung Jun is not a fast dresser. He takes a lot of time. The saying goes that woman are usually the ones to take the most amount of time getting ready. Well, Sung Jun beats the society standard, and tops the list of the most amount of time taken while getting ready. And when he finally does get ready, he’s surprised by the view when he reaches the living room.

There, on the couch, is Chang Hyun and Min Young…asleep. The both of them are stretched on the couch, Min laying a top of him, with his arms wrapped around her smaller body. Him snoring. Her drooling. It’s actually quite a sight—and he saw it coming. He knew they’d be together at some point, even back in high school he called it. And maybe they’re not in a relationship, yet, but they sure do act like it. From the way Min makes sure Chang Hyun always goes to work with a lunch and has dinner when he comes to pick up Sung Jun, and Chang Hyun is always making sure that Min is “okay”. Whether that be to help her with chores around the house, or doing practically anything she wants.

But now, he needs to go for his job interview and he really doesn’t have the heart to make both of them get up and move. Also, they’re always so awkward afterwards. Chang Hyun’s cheeks always turn a little pink, and Min can’t do anything but glare at the back of Sung Jun’s head. So, he decided, to just leave. Grab his Chang Hyun’s keys from the dish on the kitchen’s counter, and dodges to leave to the outside.

Chang Hyun is the first to wake up after an hour and a half of sleeping. His arms automatically loosen from around Min’s waist, and let’s them fall to his side. His mind goes into haywire when he realizes the predicament that they’re in. “Min?” After softly calling for her, she stirs awake and places her hands on his chest to pull herself into a sitting position.

She peers around the room, before looking down toward Chang Hyun with wide eyes. “How long have we been asleep?” She pushes against his chest, allowing her to come into a standing position and once more peer around the room. “And where is Sung Jun?” As she goes searching off into the not so big apartment; he goes to the kitchen in search of his keys.

“Where are my keys?” Chang Hyun mumbles.

Min comes out of her bedroom a few seconds later, “He’s gone.” And it takes Chang Hyun another minute to realize that Sung Jun had taken his keys as a way to get of the complex. “We should go after him.” She says as she goes to the coffee table and grabs for her own keys.

“Maybe you should check your voice mailbox.” Min twists to look over at Chang Hyun to see him staring down at her home phone. “It’s blinking red. Maybe he called.” Sung Jun doesn’t seem the type of guy to call after borrowing a car. Nor does he seem like the type of guy to call period. But, Min walks her way over to it anyways, and leans up against the counter next to Chang Hyun. The two glance at each other before he reaches over and presses the play button.

“Hey, guys…it’s me—Sung Jun.” Sung Jun’s voice comes out rugged and sounds as if he’s out of breath. “If you haven’t figured it out, I borrowed Chang Hyun’s car…sorry. But, um, the cops arrested me for driving on a suspended license and I need you to come pick me up. Take your time. I’m all good.” Sung Jun laughs a few times before he hangs up the phone.

Min sighs—a load of air bursting from her nose. “That idiot!”

“Come on, let’s go.” Chang Hyun grabs the keys from her hands, before hauling them both outside of her apartment, and finally to the car.

+013 | DECEMBER 3^{RD, 2015} 1:00PM

THE police station isn’t too busy. There’s only a few people handcuffed in the chairs up against a wall, and a few police officers sitting at their desks doing work. Min Young spots Sung Jun immediately; sitting in the back of the police station, hands cuffed to the ring of the desk. The scene looks similar to that of a majority of their adolescent life.

“Go talk to him, I’ll deal with the police officer.” Chang Hyun mumbles near her ear. She turns to look at him, nods her head, and leaves to Sung Jun. Sung Jun hates this situation. It’s like he stepped back in time to all those times where Chang Hyun would have to call his parents and get him the hell out of trouble before Sung Jun’s parents would find out. Though, in the end, they usually did. Min would find out soon after, and would give him that disappointed look she’s giving him now.

“I know, I know, I messed up.” He sighs as she arrives to stand in front of him. “I should’ve asked one of you to drive me.” Min shakes her head to keep him quiet, and instead envelopes him in a hug. As much as she wants to punch him in the face for messing up again, she needs him to know that everything is okay. That no matter what he did today, everything is still okay.

He sighs and relaxes into his seat and looks over to watch as Chang Hyun talks to a police officer in disparity. He knows he’s the type of guy that always messes up, he just wishes he could be the type of guy that could fix it in the end—not his best friend, and cousin. He wants to be the guy that can stand on his own two feet without worrying others.

“Is everything going to be alright?” He asks.

She nods and takes a seat across from him, with a chair supplied to her by a police officer. “Chang Hyun can deal with it. Did you get to the interview?” Sung Jun tears his gaze away from Chang Hyun to nod at Min. “How did it go?” Sung Jun shrugs his shoulders and Min can visibly see him slouch as if he’s disappointed with what happened.

“I’m not really sure. I was so nervous.” He lets out a deep sigh, and he truly wants to run a hand through his hair, but the restraints on his wrists stops him. “The man was nice about it, but he said I wouldn’t find out until this upcoming Monday.” It’s not like it’s hard for Min to figure out why her cousin is so desperate for a job—it’s easy to see. He wants to prove that he can be reliable, and not the one that needs the reliance.

She smiles at him and leans over to pat his knee. “It’s okay, I’m sure you got it.”

“Thanks.” He smiles back and reaches his hand out to tap her on the knee, but gets stopped short and resorts to waving his chained hands instead. An hour later and the three of them are back at the apartment, relaxed—finally. It’s almost as if this family can never be relaxed. “I’m hungry.” Sung Jun says after awhile, just as Min Young stretches her legs across his, and Chang Hyun’s laps.

“We don’t have anything.” Min replies as she throws her arm over at the kitchen. The kitchen that they barely ever use. “Just order something, and I’ll pick it up.” Sung Jun nods, and removes her feet from his lap; letting him walk over to the bookcase to grab the small file filled with takeout places. While Sung Jun is messing around with all the different pamphlets—Chang Hyun is having a tiny heart attack. Usually, when Min is trying to stretch out on the sofa or fall asleep—Chang Hyun is usually already asleep. So, he never really see’s what it’s like to be in this situation when awake.

“I ordered.” Sung Jun says as he walks back over to the couch. His previous spot was directly in between the two, but with Min already asleep—he can’t just pick up her legs and sit back down. “Move to the middle.”

Chang Hyun’s eyes bulge, “What?”

“Move to the middle.” Sung Jun says a bit louder.

Chang Hyun shakes his head, “I can’t.”

“Why? It’s not like she has cooties.” In the end Sung Jun has to practically shove Chang Hyun over, before he takes a seat next to him. “God, you’re like a middle schooler learning how to date. It’s embarrassing.” He mumbles while socking Chang Hyun in the shoulder.

The other boy groans and rubs his arm, “I am not. I just feel like it’s an invasion of privacy. It’s….” He really hopes his best friend would believe that, but he doesn’t…and it’s not hard to tell. Sung Jun is giving him that once over glance before shaking his head and pushing him in the shoulder again—directly in the same spot he punched beforehand. It’s the same way he always reacts whenever Chang Hyun gets nervous around girls—especially Min.

“She’s wearing sweats, and has her legs atop yours—is that in anyway?” Sung Jun bites back as he flips the TV station to the baseball game. “Besides, she’s sleeping. I doubt she’ll care.” The older settles into the couch and watches the younger’s awkwardness as he stays completely still, eyes focusing solely on the TV. “You shame every man over the age of twenty.” Sung Jun mutters.

Chang Hyun sighs, “Just shut up.” The two keep quiet for the next few minutes. The only sound coming from the TV and Min’s soft snoring. Also the crunching noise from when Sung Jun grabbed a bag of chips, and then plopped back down on the couch. It only made Min swivel onto her side and press her legs up against both of them.

“You just ordered food, and you’re eating?” Chang Hyun whispers.

Sung Jun mocks him by making the same facial movements as him before shoving a handful of chips in his mouth. “I’m a growing boy, I need food.” Chang Hyun throws him a distasteful look as he fidgets himself away from him, and more toward Min.

“If you haven’t noticed, you’re twenty-one. You stopped growing five years ago.” Chang Hyun stops for a second to roll his head to the side, at the same exact time that Sung Jun does. The two stare at each other. “Idiot.” The word comes out slow and long. And it makes Sung Jun frown as he glares at the younger. The younger did not just call him an idiot.

“Take it back Chang Hyun.” Sung Jun warns.

The younger shakes his head, “Sorry, you can’t take back what Jesus gave you.” Sung Jun legit wants to face palm himself at the comment. Really? What Jesus gave him? Jesus gave him good looks, and a way to make women fall in love with him.

“Take it back right now, Chang Hyun or I swear on your mother’s grave—you’ll regret it.” Chang Hyun simply laughs, and that there—that was the last straw. He shifts his body toward the younger before grabbing at both sides of his body and shoving him down towards Min. Creating a very awkward situation for Chang Hyun.

He’s plastered up against Min, and if it wasn’t for the way his elbows are holding him up, he for sure would be kissing her—especially because his lips are hovering right above hers. “Apologize, or you meet your biggest fear.” Sung Jun cackles as he holds a huge fist of Chang Hyun’s shirt in his hand, keeping him in place above her.

“Sung Jun,” He breathes; it causes a few pieces of her bangs to waver to the sides of her face. “I’m sorry.” He finishes before holding his breath and not letting his voice waver from the situation at hand.

Sung Jun grins and loosens a bit of his hold, “Now call me hyung.”

If Chan Hyun could, he’d reach over and slug Sung Jun in his face. He just, he can’t stand this situation. If Min were to wake up, God, how embarrassing. Not to mention, she might be pissed at having him be like this. “Hyung…Sung Jun Hyung.” Sung Jun laughs, and when Chan Hyun thinks the older is going to let him go—he doesn’t. Instead, he shoves Chan Hyun so close, so close, that his lips graze the tips of hers—and her eyes bulge open at the foreign touch.

“What are you doing?” Min’s voice comes out as a high pitched shrill as she knocks both Chang Hyun and Sung Jun off the couch. She snaps herself into a sitting position, and with the back of her hand she smudges it against her lips. She glances between the two, right after, and glares at them. “I’ll go get the food—don’t come near me.”

The two watch speechless as she gathers her purse and coat in her arms, before leaving the apartment with the slam of the door. Chang Hyun is the first to make a move, by tackling Sung Jun on to his back and slamming his fist into the boy’s collar bone. At the impact Sung Jun groans out a cuss word and drops his arms to the floor in defeat. Because once again, he did mess up. “You said you’d let go after I call you hyung.”

“No, I just said to call me hyung—that’s it. I didn’t say I’d let go.” He laughs despite it not nearly being a humorous situation. Especially because Chang Hyun looks like he wants to kill him. “Look, just go after her and explain the situation. She’ll understand.” Chang Hyun nods his head, and stands up—letting go of the man he seriously wants to punch. “Bring her a scarf, its cold.”

He nods, grabs for one of Min’s many scarves, and dodges out of the apartment. He runs, and he runs fast. The further he leaves the situation, the more Min will think about it, and the more Min will think about it, the more she’ll start to speculate without actually knowing the truth. “Min!” He calls when he sees her trotting down the sidewalk wearing the pink coat she had bought a few weeks ago.

She glances over her shoulder toward him and sighs when she actually does see him. “Go back. I’ll be there soon.” He shakes his head as he arrives next to her, and places the grey scarf over her shoulders and around her neck.

“What you saw; it wasn’t what it looked like.” He begins while shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Sung Jun had me pinned down. I wasn’t trying to do anything.” Min Young already knows. When she woke, she saw the way Sung Jun was holding his back. What made her upset was that she was used as a pawn to force Chang Hyun to do something. But why? “You know I wouldn’t do that, right?” Of course he wouldn’t. She knows he doesn’t like her anymore.

Except that he does like her, but the way she interprets his actions, she just believes that he doesn’t. “Of course.” She mumbles as the two, unknowingly, huddle against each other as they walk along the side walk. He watches as her hand jitters next to her body, but she refuses to place her hands in her pocket. The reason unknown to him.

“Here.” He places his hand out in front of her face.

She glances at him, “Okay?”

He chuckles and shakes his head as he leans down to grab her hand and lace their fingers together before placing them in his hoodie pocket. She lets out a sigh and gazes up at him. “You don’t have to do this.” Surprised, Chang Hyun looks down at her to see her staring down at the ground as they continue to walk.

“What do you mean?” He asks not letting his curiosity go.

She shrugs her shoulders, and lets him continue to hold her hand. “You don’t have to keep taking care of Sung Jun, and I. Going back to college enables me to drive Sung Jun to and from anywhere. So, you can just; stop coming over, unless Sung Jun and you want to hang out. I guess…” She trails off and watches as his facial expression sours.

“You want me to stop coming over?” He questions as he brings the both of them to a stop near the gas station and a potted plant—allowing for many people to pass by. “Why?” It’s not that he doesn’t understand—she made it clear why he should stop; but, he wants to know why now. She’s been going to university for a month or so. Why not back then? Why now?

Min nods her head and lightly pulls her hand out of his pocket and ultimately his hand. “I just think—there’s really no use for it anymore.” Chang Hyun takes a deep breath and nods his head.

“Ok, I get it.”

+014 | DECEMBER 11^{TH, 2015} 4:00PM

Sung Jun got the job. He cheered so loud that the landlord got a call saying that there’s a commotion at the apartment complex. Thus leading to a yell from their landlord, telling them to keep down—like the party wasn’t enough for them to suffer through. Min was happy for him, and Sung Jun knew that—but it didn’t stop him from wondering why she’s been looking so sad lately. Especially whenever he’d bring up Chang Hyun.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sung Jun asks as he watches Min shovel away food in . She glances up at him and nods her head, then quickly goes back to eating. “Did something happen between Chang Hyun and you that I don’t know about? I mean, it’s strange that he stopped coming here, and you always act strange when I bring him up…like right now.” He watches as her body stiffens, and she drops the spoon full of food onto her plate with a crashing like sound. “Just tell me what happened.”

Min sighs as she runs a hand through her hair, “It’s complicated.” Sung Jun purses his lips and gives her the look that says ‘just continue.’ And she does. “It’s embarrassing,” She runs a hand down her face and takes a deep breath. While she is busy freaking out, Chang Hyun takes a step inside the apartment. Before he can greet them, Sung Jun puts up his hand notifying him to shut up and keep still. “I like him…more than I should.”

“Who?” Sung Jun continues.

He watches Chang Hyun’s face fall out of the corner of his eye. The younger had entered a little too late to hear the earlier conversation. To know that Min actually likes him, and not some imaginary guy that he made up in his mind. “You’re seriously going to make me say his name? Out loud?” She whines while leaning her head down on the counter.

“Who do you like?” Sung Jun asks one more time.

Min curls her fingers into her shirt as embarrassment runs through her system—to the point that her face flushes a light pink. “Chang Hyun, I like Chang Hyun.” The younger boy, now fully aware of the situation, flicks his eyes toward Sung Jun for conformation—and when the older nods, Chang Hyun places all of the things in his hands on the table before walking up to Min and standing next to her.

“I like you too.” He says with a smile.

Min’s head snaps toward him in surprise, as she almost stumbles off the stool. Maybe it was just her, but she honestly didn’t hear him—or see him—come into her apartment. And the fact that Sung Jun didn’t freak out, means that her cousin did in fact plan this. For her to confess, and Chang Hyun to hear. Because he knows that neither of them would confess straight to each other’s faces. And that, right there, proves how dangerous her cousin truly is.

“Great, now that that’s sorted—can we please go back to how things were? The Bears are playing the Giants today; and there’s no way that the Bears are losing.” Sung Jun stands, pushes past the unsettled couple, and takes a seat on the couch. “Come on, game starts in two minutes.”

December eleventh was the day things became a little bit better for the three of them. It was the first day that Sung Jun got his paycheck, and the first day Chang Hyun got to hold his crushes hand—as something more than just her cousin’s best friend. The three know for a fact that things will continue to change, and not always for the better—as they’ve experienced.

DICTIONARY:

1. Thirty One Million Won: Is equivalent to about twenty eight thousand US dollars.
2. Hyung: Means older brother/male; said by a younger brother/male to an older brother/male.