"Are we still going out?" Changsub asked lazily, yawning as he did. Joy nodded, her eyes still glued on the television. It was half past seven and they were still lounging in the living room while watching their favourite show (Runningman). They had made plans for the night to meet up with friends at a bar just outside of the city but they could not bring themselves to start getting ready. It was as if it had been ingrained into their genes to be (fashionably) late.

It had been a while since Joy was left alone with her brother in their house. Sungjae who had just started working a mere month finally had his first outstation assignment. He had been gone for six days and she was missing him like crazy.

She was feeling a little mellow in his absence day by day and it showed. After day three, she could not be bothered to cook for her brother and apparently Changsub was finally tired of eating takeout for the past three days and suggested to get out of the house.

"By the way, why is Sungjae's tie in your room?" That woke her up from her daze. Changsub's voice was mild but Joy knew better than to answer this carelessly. Her brother could be the most carefree person in the world but once he was pricked, he could blow up in an instance.

"Really? Maybe it got mixed up in the laundry." She put up a nonchalant front, shrugging as if it was not a big deal, but her heart was racing. She only prayed that her face did not betray her nervousness. "By the way, why are you snooping around my room?"

"Mom was asking about some jewellery? I don't know, she couldn't get you so she asked me to find it for her." His eyes never left the screen as he answered.

She nodded. She wanted to accept his explanation but she could not push away the uneasiness she was feeling in her belly. Was he suspecting something? She knew that the place where she kept her jewellery stash (on her dressing table) and the place where she kept some of Sungjae's clothes (in a drawer inside her closet) were in two different areas. Unless, it was one of those stray ones that had been left forgotten in some corner of her room (which was unlikely, because she was a neat freak and there was no way she would have left his things lying around on her floor unattended), it was impossible for Changsub to accidentally find the tie while looking for the jewellery. She made a mental note to talk about Changsub with Sungjae once he comes back tomorrow. Maybe it was time.

***

Sungjae let his eyes ran appreciatively over his girlfriend. She had donned a wine colored dress; her hair let loose and swept to a side, revealing a smooth back; a gold bracelet and a small bejeweled watch graced her wrists; while her legs were made even longer by a pair of ankle strap heels.

He could not take his eyes off her as she strutted out of her room, at one point bending over as she adjusted her heels.

"Are you deliberately trying