I ended my last day of work with ease and gave Mr Shin a bag full of mini packets of handmade cookies I found time to make. I was about to walk out of the store when Yoonhyeong walked in. “Oh, what are you doing here, Yoonhyeong? Something you gonna buy? You might need to hurry up or my manager will have some explaining for my overtiming pay.” I chuckled when he gave me the confused look until I said “I quitted my job and today’s the last day.” He was dumbfounded, stood rooted on the ground. Mr Shin came out to see who I was talking and saw Yoonhyeong. “Hey, newbie! Nice to see you early on your first day!”

“You’re the new staff Manager Shin was talking about?!” He embarrassingly rubbed the back of his neck and nodded his head. When I asked him for the reason, he said it was to ease his dad’s burden. Funny how he said that when our— I mean his— dad is a wealthy man and he would most likely be the successor of his finance and work. I quietly accepted his excuse despite knowing that he was lying. I decided to extend my last day to work with him, gave an excuse to Manager Shin that I would be teaching the newbie how to restock items and also the cashiering whatsoever, since it would be a weekend on the following day. We had lots of fun packing all the goods up on the shelvings and removing expired foods, not forgetting price tagging war! I got to know that he loved potatoes so instead of wrapping expensive presents and giving those to him, he would rather people giving him a truck full of frozen fries and he will cook them himself. When it was time to end our shifts, we tapped out and then went to the nearest street stall to have some midnight snacks. We even took some selfies and videos of each others’ weird faces and impersonations, keeping them for times when we need a little help and could use something to threaten each other (but we both knew that we would never do that unless it was something fun-wised important). He walked me to my house and I was thinking… “Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?” He chuckled and asked if it was a bribe. “Nope but, I can tell you one secret: I’ve only invited Seventeen and you’re the first person in Boys24 to be invited. YOU SHOULD FEEL HONOURED Y’KNOW?!” He frowned a little when I mentioned ‘Seventeen’ but soon smiled when I joked a little. He nodded and came in.

I made Earl Grey Tea and set it in front of him before settling down on the sofa next to the one he has settled on. He sipped on it a little and widened his eyes. “Wow, that’s a great cup of tea! Never had one like this.” I quickly went to the kitchen and took out the box of earl grey tea leaves and showed him. He took another sip and felt warm and comfy, but got a shock by the thunder. “Dang it, how am I supposed to go home at this rate?” We looked out and saw that it was raining heavily. I was thinking of calling the cab but on a second thought, he was, afterall, my own brother so… “Would you like to stay over for the night? I have a guest room.” He shook his head at first before sighing heavily then nodded his head. He showed me a message from his dad, saying that no one would be able to fetch him back home and asked him to stay over at a friend’s house. Nice going, even though I didn’t like the fact that he had a similar thought as me. 

I took out a box of guy clothes and he gave me a weird look. “These belonged to my dad but now it’s sort of mine? I keep these here in case the boys needed a shelter from bad days.” He nodded and took some to change in the toilet. He walked in tight top and baggy bottoms. I quickly hid my eyes as I saw his toned muscles and visible abs line from the tight top he wore. He laughed, “Are you sure other guys have stayed here before? Because judging from your reaction, it doesn’t seem like it.” I replied with my eyes covered, “they’re all skinny and having loose skin! Not… toned… like… y-yours…” I placed a new toothbrush and towel on the desk by the bed and rushed to my own bedroom. I was feeling a little embarrassed but soon it was replaced with a sense of proud feeling as I thought that I have such an awesome brother, well body-maintaining and handsome features. If only he could dress up as a girl… Oh yes! That’s definitely what I’m gonna do…

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He woke up and took the necessities I’ve prepared for him last night with him to the toilet. I placed a sticky note on the clothes I’ve prepared for him and he wore it out, still with his eyes semi-closed. I took a video of him in a dress I kept for months and forgotten that my flash was on, which obviously made him open his eyes wide. He looked down at what he was wearing and then to my seemed-to-be-constipated-but-actually-forced-straight face. “SO YOU WANT TO PLAY EARLY IN THE MORNING? FINE, TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME!” He chased me around the house and my legs eventually gave ways, resulting to me falling on the sofa and he falling on me. We were in such an awkward position and froze there for a few seconds before we got back into our senses and he got off of me. To clear the atmosphere, he asked about breakfast and I told him that there’s a great café down the street on the other side. He quickly went back to the guest room and changed into the clothes he wore yesterday.

We took a slow walk towards the café and eventually arrived. I ordered 2 sets of Morning deluxe and 2 cups of cappuccino before returning to our table. Our order came quick and we started taking small and slow bites on the sandwiches that came in the Morning deluxe. He commented that the sandwich was superb and said that he wouldn’t mind going there to eat it everyday. “You don’t need to have it everyday or you’ll grow sick of it. They have plenty of varieties on the menu, so you don’t have to worry about delicious food.” He then took a sip of the cappuccino and inhaled the scent before saying, “This must be brewed using coffee beans from France. I remember having this when I went to France last year and the scent along with the taste had been logged into my memories.” I took my wallet and checked at the amount of money I had left, it was enough to get him a jar of the coffee beans he liked. I went to the counter and bought a jar of the coffee beans. The staff placed the jar in a nice paper bag and handed it to me. I took it and placed it in front of him. “This is a present from me to you. Take it as an advanced birthday gift.” He opened it and was shocked to see that is was the coffee beans that he liked, especially after the moment the scent hit him. 

We walked back to my house and soon enough, his chauffeur arrived. “It’s time for you to go back home. Thank you for making my last day at work fun and accompanying me from last night till now.” He inched closer and was about to peck my lips when I pushed him away. “I—I don’t have that mutual feelings like the one you have for me… I only treated you as a big brother, nothing more… Sorry…” He nodded and flashed a weak smile before saying, “Sorry for doing that, but… I have fallen for you.” After that, he took his belongings, the gift I had given him and left.

“I couldn’t believe that my very own brother… tried to kiss me… and has fallen for me…” That’s not allowed, in any ways and countries. I looked at the name card my birth father has passed to me before he had left the house. “It’s time to talk to him…”