Jonghoon glares at his bickering cousins, biting into his sandwich frustratingly as he hears the conversation. He could rip the hairs of his two cousins, but Sunggyu was also staring at his older brother, sending a telepathic message not to do whatever he’s planning.

Seokjin is so close to exploding, so he breathes in heavily before continuing, “Look hyung. The shirt is mine and I have 5 of these in my closet. My 6th shirt went missing and I noticed that you have it, so I’m kindly asking if I could get it back.”

Pilkyo clutches on the shirt tightly, scrunching it in his hold. “No,” he grits his teeth, “This is mine, Seokjin. And I have been using it for 3 weeks.”

“Where the did you buy it then?” Seokjin asks, trying his hard not to bark profanities at his hyung. Seokjin doesn’t remember Pilkyo having that exact shirt. Sunggyu’s ears suddenly perked up and concentrated on the discussion.

“I just found it lying around the laundry. Picked it up then started to use it,” Pilkyo nonchalantly says, unfurling the shirt from his hold.

“You bastard,” Sunggyu suddenly utters. The two cousins turned around and see Sunggyu visibly gritting his teeth at the eldest. Jonghoon suddenly felt scared and moved away holding onto his seat. They all know that Sunggyu is scary when he gets angry, and everyone knows that he has the worst temper of all.

“No wonder one was missing last week,” he manages to say between his teeth. Seokjin backed away slowly before Sunggyu charges to Pilkyo, ripping the shirt from his hold. They toppled onto each other, hands fighting to grab hold of the damned shirt. Pilkyo was trying to get away from the younger’s grasp, but Sunggyu wasn't backing down so he tugged on the shirt harshly. The younger wasn’t even scared to scratch or bruise Pilkyo just to get it.

Jonghoon and Seokjin, on the other hand, were pulling them apart but mostly Sunggyu. He was enraged — he pulled Pilkyo’s hair, scratched his skin, and even strangled him just to reach the shirt which was above Pilkyo’s head.

“Yah! Stop this ing nonsense!” Jonghoon screams and Sunggyu successfully snatches the shirt from Pilkyo’s hold. He removes strands of his hair on his forehead, wiping his sweat using the back of his hand. Pilkyo angrily stared at Sunggyu, “I told you I’ll be getting my clothes then!”

“Uh, no, you didn’t,” Sunggyu answers rather calmly, a huge contrast from his screeches a few minutes ago. He unfurls the shirt and shows it to his hyung, “This is obviously Seokjin’s. I double-checked it too.” He tosses the shirt to Seokjin, his eyes sparkling as he stared at his shirt.

Pilkyo scrunches his face, struggling to get up and scans his arms, eyeing the scratches from Sunggyu’s (long) fingernails. “I’ll buy you the same shirt hyung. Just promise me next time not to interfere with my laundry,” Sunggyu says with finality, crossing his arms, “and please stop arguing with Seokjin. You’re waking the whole complex so early.”

Pilkyo rolls his eyes but Sunggyu stared at him intently. He tilts his head before Pilkyo immediately answers with a “ugh, fine!” before he retreats to fetch the first aid. Jonghoon helps Pilkyo stand up, gently swatting his clothes to remove the dust. He led the older to the couch and assisted him in sitting down.

The cousins actually forgot what would happen if they crossed Sunggyu, so that was a good refresher. Even though he’s an older brother, Jonghoon was still shocked with what Sunggyu did. He’s reserved and rarely shows any interest other than his priorities, a complete opposite of his personality during childhood. Jonghoon points out it’s due to school. The only thing that retained was his curiosity.

Sunggyu returns with a first aid and attends to his older cousin’s wounds. Jonghoon and Seokjin left them alone, while Wonshik silently made his way to the kitchen for breakfast. He was supposed to leave the bedroom, but was scared when he witnessed the brawl so he retreated.

“I’m sorry,” Sunggyu mumbles as he gently wiped the cotton with antiseptic. Pilkyo hissed, refusing to acknowledge his younger cousin. Sunggyu didn’t mind the silence, he knew it was his fault and he should’ve managed his temper — but when it comes to his laundry duties and other responsibilities, no one should interfere with it.

Time flew by fast and Sunggyu applied cream on the scratches. He mentally sighed in relief when the wounds weren't that deep. He mutters another apology before gathering the supplies, abruptly stopping on his tracks when he sees Pilkyo also tidying the supplies. “Let’s talk later,” the older calmly says before picking up the zip lock filled with cotton balls. Sunggyu nods and leaves him alone, storing the kit away in the bathroom.

The Kims’ summer time consisted of peace and minding their own businesses. Only a few of them would leave the complex due to the humidity and Seokjin’s usual “too many tourists!” complaints. After they all moved in, they settled on visiting a nearby spot on a weekly basis. Han River was the farthest spot that they could go to from the City Jungle.

It was understandable though, as Seungkwan and Seokmin had to study for their SATs and Wonshik promised his subscribers to be more active on his Youtube channel. Pilkyo could file a leave, but he already thought about the pile of work that he would return to.

Luckily, whenever they leave, the sky is clear and there aren’t too many people. Over the weekends, Pilkyo dragged them to the Han River for a picnic, and Jonghoon taught the younger Kims on how to bike. Seungkwan usually falls over, but Seokmin immediately caught the hang of it as he pedals around his stepbrother and his step-cousin.

Today is a weekday and Pilkyo is fortunately given a day-off. He already planned a date with Sunggyu, which would obviously be an emotional rollercoaster. Seokjin already apologized to him and willingly promised to buy him the same shirt. Pilkyo made a mental note to find out the reason why he has a lot of those shirts.

Seungkwan asked for permission if they could study at the café across the complex. Jonghoon agreed, asking them to return before dinner time. Wonshik cooped up in the bedroom, practicing a piano cover of a song.

Jonghoon sat in front of his desk, staring at the blank Word document and contemplating how to start his contributory article for SNU’s official newspaper. It was about a recent pioneering research of the university about a certain gene. Even though he’s on his 2nd year of medicine, he still doesn’t get the wonders of biochemistry.

A calming piano piece started to float around the apartment. Wonshik already started practicing. Jonghoon felt his shoulders relaxing, but his eyes still focused on the blank document. He should really start typing, and so he did. Guided by the soft music playing in the background, he launches Chrome, opened tabs necessary for the article, and begun his work.

The café was not packed, but Pilkyo wanted more peace so he retreated at the far end. Sunggyu came back holding a circular contraption that the older swore it’s too high-tech. “It’s a paging buzzer, it lights up when our orders are ready,” Sunggyu explains while Pilkyo played with it.

It was an awkward date. The two haven’t had a decent bonding moment together due to Pilkyo’s demand at ShinCom and Sunggyu’s law school admission priorities. The older kept on letting the communication arts major know about his schedule, an indirect, subtle message of ‘hey, if you need anything relating to law, I’m here!’.

Of course, Sunggyu isn’t that oblivious. He senses Pilkyo hovering whenever he fills up his application for the LEET. Law books and reviewers were already stacked up neatly near Sunggyu’s desk. While the younger is frustrated at how excited his hyung is, he lowkey feels glad that someone roots for him other than his brother.

The contraption lights and buzzes, and Sunggyu quickly stood, beating Pilkyo who was also about to stand. He thanks the cashier at the counter before hobbling towards their seat, a tray between his hands.

“Thank you,” Pilkyo says as he grabs his matcha latte. Sunggyu forms a small smile, nursing his iced Americano between his hands. The sunlight slowly illuminated the café, bright rays creeping into the windows. A few customers enter and leave, some staying with laptops opened. The only thing filling between the cousins is the acoustic rendition of a song.

Even if they don’t get together, Sunggyu knew how Pilkyo works. The older would not start the conversation, a subtle action that echoes ‘you first’. Sunggyu taps on his grande-sized plastic cup, “I’m sorry about a while ago.”

Pilkyo sips before he looks at his cousin, his eyes landing on the wall beside him, “It’s okay. I should’ve known better when you spoke up.”

The younger nods slightly, bringing the straw to his lips. He might have forgotten that his cousins don’t know his temper, or they knew but they haven’t seen how he gets mad. He’s always viewed as one of the persons who rarely gets mad, and if they do, it feels like a volcano has turned active from its long period of dormancy.

Sunggyu doesn’t care most of the time. He feels the emotion then gets over it. He doesn’t hold grudges; the only times would be if someone hurt him to the core. He thinks about the reason why he exploded and recounts what happened before that incident.

“It’s my fault really, hyung,” Sunggyu takes a deep breath then exhales rather shakily. Laughs emptily. “I exploded because I just got tired of you and Seokjin arguing every morning. And the time when I did the laundry was the deadline for LEET and I completely forgot about it.”

Pilkyo nods, his head hanging down. He examines himself, mentally facepalming after realizing how petty the morning fights were. It probably took a toll not only for Sunggyu but for the others as well. He remembers promising the elders that they won’t fight, and they’ll set it diplomatically (yes, Pilkyo used that word). He felt like he put his foot in his mouth when he and Seokjin would literally fight over food on one day, apologize later that afternoon, then resume arguing about the humidifier’s scent.

“But you still passed your requirements, right?” Pilkyo asks, suddenly concerned about the deadline the younger mentioned. Sunggyu nods, leaning back against the chair, “After I put in all the clothes in the dryer, I rushed to my laptop and submitted everything. Then I forgot folding them. Although I remembered how many clothes there are for each of us.”

Sunggyu only remembered about the clothes in the basket the following day, so he immediately went to the laundry area and was relieved when he saw the clothes still in their place. He was confused when he wrongly counted Seokjin’s shirt, but didn’t bother asking if the younger already retrieved it.

Probably it was also Seokjin’s fault not raising the concern immediately.

Ugh, recalling the memory was a stupid move. Not only Sunggyu felt embarrassed, but he earned a mild headache.

The eldest Kim cousin notices Sunggyu’s head lolls. He chuckled and patted on the younger’s hand, “Yah. Past is past. The good thing is that you and Seokjin apologized to me. I’m still sorry if I acted like a whiny kid.”

Sunggyu nods and mumbles an ‘apology accepted’. The two are glad that they got past this hideous argument, so they started to talk about anything new in their lives. Pilkyo would still subtly hint about his availability to help the younger on law, which Sunggyu caught on and answers with an ‘I will’.

“How are your friends?” Pilkyo asks while playing his now-empty cup. Sunggyu stretches his arms before leaning back again, “They’re great, as usual. Dongwoo’s still bright as ever, Sungyeol’s still questioning Donghae hyung’s life choices.”

Pilkyo tilts his head, seemingly feeling that there’s something lacking, “How’s Woohyun?”

Sunggyu freezes. Oh dear, did he forget how to breathe?

“He’s… well,” Sunggyu begins, holding his other hand to steady himself. He wishes that Pilkyo couldn’t see the changes in his composure, but knowing his cousin, Pilkyo might have noticed that he let out a shaky breath.

“Did you two fight again?” Pilkyo frowns. To be honest, Pilkyo could see his younger, adorable cousin and Nam Woohyun together. They complement each other and they were inseparable since high school. It also shocked the older when he learned about Woohyun attending KU, as he remembered from Sunggyu that Woohyun is supposed to move back to Chungcheong after graduation.

Should Sunggyu lie?

They’ll find out eventually on what happened between them. Or to himself in that matter. The cousins love Woohyun as he was usually the only one from his friends that he could comfortably bring home.

Sunggyu is still confused but he doesn’t hurt if he lies… right?

“No,” Sunggyu says with finality. This deception could continue, and if he’s ready, he could tell his cousins about it. “We just had… a misunderstanding? Y-you know, just some political stuff,” he lies. He crosses his fingers, hoping that his hyung could bite it.

Pilkyo made a confused face, but went along with the excuse. “I swear the only thing that could tear you and Woohyun apart is your views,” he remarks. Sunggyu chuckles and it’s true: whenever Woohyun and Sunggyu argue, it’ll always be about anything about their opinions on certain social issues. They rarely have fights about something other than those, and Sunggyu prays that it wouldn’t happen.

Although Sunggyu swears he could punch Woohyun for making him feel this way.

A phone rang and the two of them quickly checked if it was theirs. Sunggyu exhales and glad it wasn’t his, but Pilkyo looked distraught. “We should go home,” Pilkyo insists. Sunggyu blinks, but understood what it was.

The six cousins stare at a puffy-eyed Seokjin. They were seated, unusually comfortable on the couch, across the 4th Kim, who was sniffing and frustratingly pulls the tissue from the box.

Seokjin explained to them that he and his boyfriend have split, and he still couldn’t tell them the real reason behind it. Wonshik also felt heartbroken, as he and his brother’s boyfriend were really close and bonded over music.

“Should I punch Namjoon?” Sunggyu asks. He’s the most protective towards Seokjin as he treats him like a baby, alongside the two youngest cousins.

The 4th Kim shakes his head and blows his nose on the unused tissue. The pile was starting to grow beside the box, but he didn’t care. How could Kim Namjoon nonchalantly tell him that they should break up? Did the spark disappear all of a sudden?

“Who’s Namjoon again?” Seokmin whispers to Seungkwan, the latter explaining that he’s Seokjin’s boyfriend, ‘the one who speaks English well’. Seokmin nods slowly and looks back at his teary hyung.

Pilkyo immediately went to his side and patted the younger, “It’s okay. We’re here. You have all the time to calm down.”

Seokjin wails again, clutching onto Pilkyo’s shirt and spilling his tears over. It’s their first time to see Seokjin cry; heck, it’s their first time to handle this kind of situation. Jonghoon messaged Pilkyo when he noticed Seokjin hugging his knees at the edge of the couch. The younger exploded into tears, prompting Wonshik and Jonghoon to calm him down.

The atmosphere became heavy as Seokjin’s cries were the only sound heard. They just stayed there as a family. They knew that Seokjin is a stubborn person, and he wouldn’t let them know what transpired.

Wonshik volunteered to buy ice cream at the convenience store downstairs, while Seungkwan grabbed pillows and blankets and built a pillow fort for his hyung. Pilkyo the television and plugged his terabyte, flipping through possible movies until he settled with Welcome to Dongmakgol.

Everyone took their places in front of the television, the center table long gone to accommodate the extending fort. Seokjin settled on the couch, Pilkyo beside him while the others opted to stay on the floor. Wonshik arrives with four tubs of ice cream and two large bags of popcorn, “I met Junghyuk hyung and he gave me these,” he raises the bags, “after I told him about Seokjin hyung’s dilemma. He wishes you well, hyung!”

Seokjin giggles and Pilkyo makes a mental note again to thank his boyfriend for the gift. The movie begins while they also begin digging into the snacks. Seokmin would try to spoil a scene, but Seungkwan would just shove a spoonful of cookies and cream ice cream into his stepbrother’s mouth.

Jonghoon looks around to see the concentrating faces of his cousins. Seokjin was also absorbed into the movie, smiling occasionally on some scenes. While Jonghoon thinks that it’s still an outrageous idea to live with his cousins, he had to remind himself of these kinds of moments that make him want to stay. Sure, he would still experience his cousins' heartbreaks and their arrangements would still make one get bothered, but it's the lessons and the adjustments that make him grateful. He would continue to grow as an individual but also as a family.

Chapter Notes: That was... intense xD Although it's a bit dragging, but I'm trying to perfectly portray what I imagine. Fun fact: Hyesung's character is based on one of my guy cousins who is really funny and takes good care of us well~ Anw, I hope you guys loved the double update! I'll see you guys in the next chapter~