“Someone special” Myungsoo asked once again thinking Sungjong didn’t hear him the first time around.

“You, you could say that… maybe. Probably… possibly”

“Haha, what kind of reply is that?” the older boy said however seconds later the two of them fell in silence.

            “Hey, Sungjong” Myungsoo’s voice was on a serious note, “I’m sorry”

            “On what?”

            “I probably took away your chance for a having a happy relationship with that person just because of my foolishness”

            “Nah, don’t sweat it. Not gonna happen anyway” the one lying on the bed was quick to reply.

            “What do you mean? She taken?”

            “Yeah, sort of.  Yes?”

            “What’s with that? You not sure?” Myungsoo was relentless with the questions.

            “Well… I guess the person’s taken in a way”  

            “Nah, it’s just a relationship anyways. I say if she’s not tied yet, you can still snatch her”

            “Dumb***! Haha, are you trying to say that I should steal her? Just give it up already. Not gonna do it, No way” Sungjong shot back.

            “I’ll help! I’ll try to act like a kidnapper and you came in to rescue her something like that”

            “Hahaha! If that happens, I can guarantee that she’d rather have you kidnap her than for someone like me to rescue her.”  

            “My, My. Are you saying that I’m that too good-looking Lee Sungjong?”  

             “Go die.” The latter tried to kick him but Myungsoo caught his leg.

            “Don’t be like that I’m a good person trying to help his loveless friend”

            Sungjong threw a pillow at him. “Who you calling loveless?”

            “Ah that’s right, you have this good looking boyfriend so you don’t need her anyways”

             “As if!” Sungjong scoffed at his “boyfriend”. “I’m gonna find me a nice girl who can cook and not too clingy. She’s gonna meet me when I come home and kiss me goodbye when I go to work.”

            “Hey, I could learn to cook” Myungsoo kept on with his teasing.

            “Yeah? I’d like to see you try.”

            “Haha, you’re right. I’m horrible at it.”

            “Yup, so just keep quiet now and let’s go to sleep” Sungjong said pulling the blanket to his chest and closing his eyes.

            “Ideal date”

“What?” Sungjong’s eyes shot back again.

            “I said, what’s your ideal date be like?”

            “If I answer your question will you finally shut up and go to sleep?” Sungjong was bargaining. He had been feeling drowsy for quite some time now.

            “Yes boss”

            With one deep sigh the younger boy said, “I’m going to bring her to a picnic by the beach on a sunset and give her a magazine” Sungjong rolled to his side away from the wall, just an inch away and he could, if he want, take a glimpse at his “boyfriend” lying on the floor.

            “Wait what? Hahaha! Why a magazine?” Myungsoo was still in high spirits but Sungjong was just keeping himself awake.

            “I’ll…*yawns to let my partner choose the design for house I wanted to build for the two of us”  

            The room fell silent, while Sungjong’s eyes finally gave up and went to sleep. The tick tock sound of the clock hanging by the wall filled the space.

Myungsoo rose from his bed and glanced at the younger boy peacefully sleeping on the bed. He reaches out and gently poke the tiny pigment on Sungjong’s nose before lying down again.

“Dang it, She better love you right”

            The younger boy flinch his nose feeling something touched it and went straight back to sleep.

            For the next hour Myungsoo sat leaning on Sungjong’s bed before deciding to take a stroll outside. As he was descending the stairs he was surprised to see Yuu, the eldest sitting by the couch.

            “Oh, care to join for some late night snacks” Yuu offered upon seeing the young man at the foot of the stairs.

            “Uhmm… I’m not” Myungsoo rubbed the back of his neck.

            “Don’t worry I won’t be so strict this time. Wanna see Sungjong’s pictures when he was a kid?” Yuu smiled at his brother’s boyfriend.

            The young man took the couch opposite the young lady.

            “Wine” Yuu offered. “Popcorn?”

            “No thank you, I won’t drink anymore” Myungsoo declined, “I’ll take the popcorn though.” Wine and popcorn? He thought as he took some from the bowl.

            “You don’t drink?” Yuu asked as she took some photo albums and set it in front of Myungsoo.

            “No, I can. But I promised Sungjong-ah I won’t” Myungsoo casually answered as he began to flip the pages of the photo album. As he looked the pictures he failed to see th surprised look on the elder's face.

            “Oh, is this from he was in middle school?” Myungsoo asked seeing Sungjong’s photo in a school uniform. “Why does he look like he’s gotten into fight or something? Haha”

            “Oh, that the first day of middle school and got into a fight with other kids” Yuu pointed out the next photo.

            Oi wait why is there so many photos of him with torn clothes? How many fights did he get himself into before high school? Myungsoo thought flipping through the pages.

            “See that one? That’s two day after we moved in to the city. He beat up a guy two years older than him” the elder sister was almost proud pointing to the photo.

            “What happened?” Myungsoo asked.

            “Ah. Don’t tell him I told you this okay?” Yuu was cautious. “He used to be mistaken a lot for a girl when he was a kid and that just pissed him off

 I remember when he was in third grade they have this new teacher and he called Sungjong a little miss. That was epic, the school called our house saying it’s an emergency. When we got there he was sitting on the chair with an angry expression while his teacher was on his knees asking for forgiveness! LOL! Later we were shocked to found out that he kick his teacher on the balls!”

            “Wow, he got away with that?” Myungsoo asked personally amazed.

            “Ah, well. He was actually so cute that everyone just laughed it off about it.” Yuu said, “Even when he’s angry he still looked so cute you just want to go ahead and forgive him.”

            “Ah, I get what you mean” there was a spark in Myungsoo’s eyes as he replied, “Whenever he his angry his face blushes, whenever he’s embarrass he’ll hit me but when I see his face somehow I can’t bring myself to get angry. More like I want to more!”

            “See! That’s what I’m talking! He easily blushes and when he acts like a delinquent it’s so cute!”

            The two of them was really having a good time talking Sungjong behind their backs, it’s like they’ve found camaraderie to things they can very well relate to each other.

            “But, I was really surprised to see Sungjong-ah dating a guy” Yuu later said, “Oh don’t get me wrong, it’s just you’re the first lover he ever brought home and he even introduced you to us.”

            About that, if I was a girl I would definitely be alright without getting introduced. Myungsoo thought thinking what all happened earlier, he was really thankful that Sungjong came in to rescue him and the “interview” was interrupted but deep inside he felt like he wasn’t able to explain the things properly.

            “He was so nervous prior to us coming here that I thought we won’t be able to make it” the young man explained, “but the he bucked up and we’re able to make it.

            “Haha, that’s Sungjong for you. Always putting others before himself” Yuu was proud yet a little bit sad.

            “I can’t believe how different his life is when he was in grade school. Back in high school I remember him quite different, even until now.”

            “About that” Yuu’s expression looked a little bit sad, “Because he probably chose to grow up soon to protect us.”

            Myungsoo didn’t say anything but there are things that have been bugging him. He flips the next page and saw Sungjong with a young woman happily smiling while holding a flower. He had been seeing photos and the woman was always there. “Is she your mom?”

            Yuu paused for a second and smiled, “She is”

             “She and Sungjong resembles a lot.” Myungsoo commented.

            “You probably noticed it by now that among us, Sungjong looked different. We’re all biological but he’s the one that took after our mom.”

             “She’s very pretty” Myungsoo points out with a smile. So he can also have this kind of expression.

            As he continue to flip through the photos he came upon Sungjong when he was already in high school. Photos of him with his friends, the entrance ceremony, graduation and many more.

            “So that’s why Ailee said you looked familiar” Yuu suddenly exclaimed, “Here look, this is you right?”

            “Me?” Myungsoo asked confused, he took the album from Yuu’s hand to check. It was a photo from during an entrance ceremony. It was a cluttered photo of Sungjong trying to pick up Jiae while Ailee was grinning beside his brother, the background has a lot of students in motion and Myungsoo was standing on his at the edge of the frame. He looked like he was staring at siblings.

            “It’s me” Myungsoo couldn’t believe himself either. It’s like he was seeing himself exist somewhere he never knew before and all of a sudden he was staring at himself.

            “Ailee has a good memory, she always has this knack for remembering people’s faces and when she said you looked familiar I was wondering if she had seen you back in high school.”

            “Back in high school? But our school doesn’t have a university nearby.”

            “Oh that, we went on a stakeout just to make sure he’s fine. Our mom was kinda famous for being beautiful and Sungjong got her looks.”

            Myungsoo said nothing to interrupt.

“We have to deal with some erts from time to time so we learned martial arts because of that, Ailee particular. She’s the one who taught Sungjong how to fight. She used to have a bunch of friends and Sungjong learned from them too”

            Is she talking about a real gang? I can clearly see why he’s so like this. Women are scary. Sungjong’s boyfriend thought to himself as the conversation goes on.

            “Ah! Wait you’re here too! I wonder if you have more” Yuu said eagerly flipping the pages.

            Myungsoo didn’t reply as he took the album Yuu had pointed out. It was a graduation picture, Sungjong was smiling happily on the foreground holding their graduation certificates. This time Myungsoo can be clearly seen at the back. He was sitting on bench with a blank expression on his face. It’s as if he was looking at the camera’s direction giving an expression that he’s staring at Sungjong’s direction.

            “What’s wrong?” Yuu asked seeing Myungsoo quiet.

            “Ah no, nothing. I vaguely remember a memory during our entrance ceremony seeing a family happily taking photos but the kid with the same uniform with me is crying. Then they all went crying”

            Yuu looked at the young man in front of him.

            “I used to see people crying on graduations but never in an entrance ceremony so I assumed something must’ve happened.”

            “Our mom,” Yuu calmly said after finishing the wine in her glass, “That day, marks the fourth year that she’s been declared missing.”

            “Our dad was working away to raise us and that’s when Sungjong decided to take the role of both the dad and mother of this house. He took off the burden that I was supposed to handle as the eldest so I could follow my dreams…

            That’s why whoever he chooses to love he’s completely got my support” Yuu looked at the person sitting across him.

            “Kim Myungsoo, my brother’s is an idiot who likes to keep things to himself. Can I count on you to take care of him, to be his shoulders when he needed it, to be there when his family can’t?”

            “Yes ma’am. I will” Myungsoo was surprised by the words coming out of his mouth at the same time he felt something stab at him.

            “Good. I’ll leave the cleaning to you.” Yuu said getting up. “Oh, and one more thing. If you ever make him cry I’ll wipe you in the face of the earth. Are we clear?”

            “Ye…Yes ma’am”

            “Well then, I bid thee good night”

            By the time Myungsoo finish washing the popcorn bowl and putting it away his made up his mind to just head back upstairs rather than going out for a walk.

            “You know, that was the first time I had seen myself in a high school photo. I was sitting at that bench nursing a broken heart after I got harshly rejected in my first ever confession. And to think you even have a photo of that *laughs. Why do you always see me at my worst and most flawed moments in life?

            “If it were others who had seen them they…” Myungsoo did not finish the words staring at Sungjong. He wanted to scoot beside the latter but thinking the sisters might check up on them he content himself with holding unto Sungjong’s hand while trying to sleep but then whenever he closes his eyes there’s something that’s keeping him awake.

........................IDeviant....................................