Youngmin carefully drove the tip of the knife into the block of wood. Trying his hardest to apply the pressure evenly, he pulled the blade across the smooth surface slowly, occasionally rotating the piece of wood so he could have an easier time carving the circle.

Suddenly, Youngmin froze, lifting his head and directing his gaze to the bedroom door. Without missing a beat, he grabbed the wooden chunk and his knife and threw them into the open drawer beside him. He reached for the thick and boring school book that he put in the corner of his desk and flipped it open to a random page just as Kwangmin burst into the room.

“Youngmin-ah, have you…!” Kwangmin trailed off as his eyes fell on the roll of tape lying on his desk. “Oh, never mind.”

He walked over and picked up the tape. Turning around to leave and head back downstairs, Kwangmin glanced at Youngmin, who was still looking at him with wide eyes. The younger twin contemplated asking what was wrong but changed his mind and left after an awkward silence between the two.

Kwangmin continued to barge in on Youngmin for the next week, which couldn’t be helped since the twins share a room. Every time he heard Kwangmin’s footsteps coming up the stairs, Youngmin would stuff his wood carving and knife into the drawer and quickly busy himself with something else. Kwangmin could tell his brother was acting weird and finally questioned him about it, but Youngmin assured that everything was okay.

A few days after Kwangmin asked him if he was alright, Youngmin finished his project. He picked it up carefully, minding his bandaged fingers, which were results of the many times the knife slipped and sliced the fleshy part of Youngmin’s fingers.

The cuts in the wood weren’t the neatest nor the most consistent. Some ran deeper than others, while a few of them veered off their intended path only to get back on track a few centimeters later. Nevertheless, it was a good carving for someone who had only been practicing xylography for two months.

Youngmin gave the carving one last glance, checking to make sure he hadn’t missed any details. Satisfied with his work, Youngmin walked over to Kwangmin’s desk, opened the bottommost drawer, and placed the block of wood inside. He closed the drawer gently, watching as the smiling Pikachu carved into the wood chunk disappeared from his sight.

When Kwangmin discovered the gift later that day, his squeal of happiness could be heard from across the street. He took the carving out and placed it on top of his desk, proudly displaying Youngmin’s efforts for their friends and relatives.