“Mom, I think I’ll just going to the school alone.”

Everyone at the dining table had turned quiet, movements halted and Seonho could feel those intimidating pair of eyes directed to his face. The thought of it made he lose his appetite.

“Eh, why? Minhyun can take you there on his way to campus―right, Minhyun?”

“Well, I don’t really mind it, Mom,” his stepbrother replied curtly.

Seonho took a deep breath before bracing himself to glance at his stepbrother's direction. Minhyun was cutting his pancake stubbornly and Seonho gulped at the sight; he is mad at me.

“No, wait, it’s fine, Mom. I’ll just go to Muel’s house and we can go to school together.”

His mother looked at him weirdly. “But you know that Muel usually go to school early. And look at the time, you’re almost late to school,”

“Uh, but―”

“Seonho, it’s okay, I can drop you off for today. I have a morning class, anyway.”

The youngest one bit his lips worriedly. He had no other excuses and it seemed like his mother really wanted him to have a quality time with his new brother. Ever since his parents remarried last week, his mother always tried to make the two closer. But Seonho knew better than anyone that Minhyun was not that fond of him.

“Come on, you’re going to be late, Seonho,” his stepfather reminded him and Seonho could only pray that the ride to his school would not be so awkward.

 

***

 

“Ohhh, Yoo Seonho, is that your stepbrother?”

“Stupid, his mother remarried―it should be Hwang Seonho right now,”

“Dude, is that even important? We’re going to call him Seonho anyway,”

“Hmm, your new brother looks so handsome, I bet he has every girl wrap around his fingers. Lucky you, you’ll see a lot of hot campus nunas.”

“Wow, he got a nice car. Dude, you didn’t tell me that your stepfather is super rich!”

Seonho could not even process the questions thrown by his friends as he entered the classroom. He was almost late because of the busy morning traffic and he did not really know if that was intentional or not, but Minhyun really took his sweet time in driving him to the school.

'Didn't mother already mention that I was almost late earlier?'

“Hey, can we go and play at your new house? I also want to know what kind of person your new brother is.”

Justin’s sudden question made Seonho choked on his saliva. He coughed and God bless Euiwoong for offering his bottle of water.

“No way, no way, no way!” Seonho glared at the tallest one in the group after thanking Euiwoong with a kiss on the back of his hands. “Don’t you dare come to my house.”

“Tsk, you’re really no fun,” Daehwi booed but Seonho refused to hear anything. His number one priority was to make a clear distance from his stepbrother so he would not annoy him even more.

 

***

 

The long awaited Friday finally came and it marked the last day of school. Seonho already laid out a perfect plan for his weekend; one of which was to be as far as possible from Hwang Minhyun’s sight.

He came home with such a good mood. Earlier at school, the last Math exam result was announced and he passed the test with a satisfying 89 mark. Also, because Justin lost a bet, he needed to treat everyone to McDonalds the following day, which meant that Seonho would not be home. This also meant that he would not have to deal with his mother's antics who was always trying to put her two sons together.

Seonho checked the schedule that he wrote in his phone last Wednesday. He had to sneak in to Minhyun’s room to actually match his schedules with his brother. He also took note of his parents' schedule. Being an active businessman, his stepfather often went on business trip and being the dense mother she was, his mother already persuaded the man to take her along in the future. Seonho would try if he could; to sleep over at his friends' house if the time came, but the next scheduled trip was still in over two weeks so he did not have to worry much about it.

Opening the fridge, his eyes landed on a familiar snack. His stomach had growled loudly, demanding to be fed properly after the basketball evaluation earlier at school. Without thinking much of it, Seonho opened the package and devoured until the last bit of its content.

Everything in this Friday seemed so perfect until Minhyun asked him if he saw the very same snack inside the refrigerator that Seonho had ate so mercilessly and claimed it as his snack. Seonho’s mouth was faster than his brain when he said he did not see the snack and did not open the refrigerator at that day. Minhyun looked unconvinced but he did not say anything more and just left to his room, leaving the younger feeling guilty and miserable.

In the following week, Seonho did his best to wake up early so he could go to school with Samuel. To boot, he just went straight to his room after school; woefully sacrificing his much needed 5 to only 3 meals a day.

 

***

 

Seonho still avoided his stepbrother after the snack incident, he even had to reduce his meal times and yet, he did not feel that good about lying to Minhyun. Deep down inside his heart, Seonho knew that he would feel like a loser if he did not do something about the matter. So he thought of a perfect plan to apologize to the older.

It was Tuesday and the school dismissed early because there was a meeting for the teachers regarding the national competition held by the government next month. The students could not be happier than they already were. Seonho and his friends were not an exception.

“Let’s go somewhere today as I don’t feel like going back now,” Justin checked his phone and Daehwi peeked over. “For some reasons, I really want to see some movies while chilling and eating pizzas and hamburgers. Who’s with me?”

“I’m in, I’m in!” Samuel exclaimed excitedly, eyes gleamed with such an interest. “I don’t have anything to do at home anyway. What about you guys?”

Daehwi nodded and placed his arm around Samuel. “My house is empty right now. My parents are out of the town until Friday. We can totally do whatever we want to in my house.”

“I guess I’m in?” Euiwoong answered unsurely. “I know you’ll force me if I say no anyway.”

“Oh, that’s the spirit, my brother!” Justin cheered him but Euiwoong knocked his head. “That’s not a compliment, you stupid.”

The latter groaned and rubbed his sore head, muttering, ‘Did you eat salt for breakfast today? Why are you so salty?’ toward Euiwoong.

Seonho was the last to answer and Euiwoong’s last words made him afraid. He had planned to do something before Minhyun went home today and his plan would fail one hundred percent if he decided to hangout at Daehwi’s house. For God’s sake, he knew how his friends loved to go back home late past 8 p.m.

Seonho then coughed and placed his hand on his temples, feigned to be sick. “Uh, actually I don’t feel that good―oh, why there are two Justin right now? Ah, ah, ah, I see three Samuel too,”

Daehwi glanced at Euiwoong (they both looked at Seonho as if the latter grew another head) and frowned at the obvious lie. “Come on, you don’t have to pay for the foods and drinks, Justin will pay for them―right, Justin?”

Justin shot him a disapproving look. “Dude, I was buying you all McDonalds last Saturday. How can you expect me to treat you again? It’s barely been a week―give my wallet a break and please remember that I’m not your walking ATM machine.”

Samuel gasped dramatically. “Oh my God, so who is buying the foods and drinks? I left my wallet at home today!”

In the end, their plan was cancelled and they went to hangout at Seven Eleven instead. Daehwi lent Samuel some money because no one wanted to treat the latter (Samuel had not paid me back the last time I lent him my money, Justin reasoned casually while Euiwoong was only bring enough money to get him a meal).

Seonho’s soul left his body, knowing that today he definitely could not do his plan to make it up for the snack that he ate a few days ago because he was stuck here with three idiots; minus Euiwoong because he was the smartest out of them.

 

***

 

The next day, he managed to slip out from whatever plan that his idiotic friend made.

He heard that Samuel just found a new arcade place that twenty minutes away from the school and Justin, the rich and apparently spoiled kid, could not wait to spend his money there to have fun. Daehwi had always had a soft spot for Samuel and he just could not decline the offer while seeing the younger with such a wide smile.

Euiwoong, the mentally healthy one in the group, had nagged them to not spend money on such an artificial thing and that he suggested to go to the public library to study for their exam next month; which without no doubt, was ignored by the three. He then rolled his eyes and Seonho, the closest one to stand beside Euiwoong, offered to accompany him to the library.

At least if he was with Euiwoong, he could still go back early and did his plan without getting caught by his stepbrother.

“You know, if you want to go home so badly, you don’t have to accompany me. I’ll be fine on my own, Seonho.”

Seonho putted down the comic in his hands before looking up at the boy across him. “What?”

Euiwoong was still writing on his note, scribbling down every important part from the thick Math book he just took a couple of minute ago. “I said you can go home now. You’ve been checking your phone a lot and whatever it is, it’s must be important for you.”

Seonho almost choked down in tears but he stopped himself. “Thank you, Euiwoong―thank you, for real! Oh my god, are you an angel sent from heaven or what?”

The latter chuckled for a moment before continued his activity while Seonho organizing his belonging to his backpack. Seonho gave him a quick nod and Euiwoong playfully shooed him away.

 

***

 

Seonho was greeted by the silence as he stepped into the house. He frowned and shrugged; an empty house was better than having his mother ruining his plan for Minhyun.

He bought a box of fried chicken (his weekly allowance was mostly spent at Seven Eleven yesterday and it was the only thing that came into his head today) and placed it carefully in front of Minhyun’s room. A sticky note with his handwriting; hyung, it was me who ate your snack. I’m sorry and please forgive me, was glued on the top of the box.

After checking out Minhyun’s schedule on his phone, the older was supposed to come back home in thirty minutes and he had planned to wait inside his room, in case if Minhyun wanted to talk it out (or even sharing the chicken because Seonho found nothing edible to eat at the kitchen earlier).

He took his phone to play some games. A yawn escaped from his lips as he started the first game. He blinked his eyes to erase his sleepiness and glanced to the clock beside his bed; it was indeed time for his afternoon nap, he was still a baby, after all, and a big one at that.

He then turned off his phone and placed it beside him. Eyes closed and soon sleep engulfed him dearly.

But it did not last long, an hour later, he found himself peeking through his door to see if anyone (or Minhyun in particular) had arrived home. But it was too quiet and the only sound that he could hear was actually the loud growl inside his empty stomach.

He was starving and there was nothing edible in the house.

His gaze traveled toward the alluring fried chicken in front of Minhyun’s room. His mind told him to screw his morality and ate the chicken to save himself from starvation while his heart was telling him the opposite.

“No, no, wait,” he shook his head and slapped his cheeks comically. “That’s for Minhyun hyung. What will it make me if I eat them?”

In the end, he ended up eating all of the chicken pieces because apparently, his mother was out of the town with her friends (she only texted him on 6 o’clock, telling his son to just call a delivery service without leaving any money behind) and Minhyun did not even coming home after he waited for two hours in starvation.

 

***

 

The moral story that Seonho got