It is definitely late, but expect no mercy from the ball of energy. He tackles the leader just as he is about to walk elsewhere. His face, it breaks into a smile.

“Hello, Seung,” he greets kindly.

The dog stares up at the boy, as though asking a wordless question.

“Follow me, I’ll show you what I do at night,” he says. “But you’ll have to promise to be quiet.”

Seung rubs his head against Sungjin’s leg briefly before tagging along.

First, they come upon Brian, who’s already dozing off on the sofa. Somehow, he falls asleep in the middle of playing his video game on screen. Yet he is thoughtful, playing it with the headphones equipped. No one else would be startled with the noise.

The leader smiles, draping a small warm blanket on him.

“Don’t go jumping on him, okay?” warns Sungjin. “Somehow I feel that you’d like to make it a hobby once you get started.”

They walk on along the corridor. The apartment unit isn’t outrageously huge, but comfy. Each of them have their own rooms, though visits are welcomed if well-timed.

A little peek into Wonpil and Dowoon’s own rooms prove them asleep, and the leader makes sure that they would remain in that state by being silent. Jae is the last to check on, who is mysteriously not in the room.

“Eh?” says Sungjin airily, perplexed.

The leader cautiously walks in with Seung, who gives a sudden woof but it is too late, for Sungjin has been given a jump-scare from behind.

“Oy, my heart,” says the leader, semi-collapsing on Jae’s bed.

“Oy to you, dear leader,” says Jae with a smirk. “You’re creeping around without catching sleep for yourself.”

“I’m just checking up on you guys,” groans Sungjin. “I do feel traumatised now.”

“Yeah, I know,” says Jae cheerfully, sitting next to him. “Thank you, but you don’t always have to be the grown-up around here. I might be a little immature and messy, but you can count on me as the oldest.”

Sungjin mumbles something about his messy laundry pile, making Jae mess up the leader’s hair. Seung only smiles, giving small woofs of amusement.

[click here to continue]