Gwiboon put the last plate on the table before taking off the apron. It’s already the time of the month she stayed home. She snatched her mug and heading to the stairs.

“Wake your brother and tell him to get some meals.”

Her mother stops her while she gave the last touch to their brunch.

“What?! I already cooked and now I need to drag him down? Do you know how hard to wake that dino monster up, Mom?”

“Just go upstairs before I throw away your creepy mannequin.”

Gwiboon tighten her fist inevitably by her side, “You’re not fair.”

“So is life.”

She made last stomp to the ground before Gwiboon finally comply her mother’s request.

“Kim Jonghyun!! Get your down!!” she already shouting before she reached her brother’s door, “Wake up you, dino!”

Why is he home anyway? When did he arrive? She kept knocking on the door but the owner seemed simply ignoring his sister. Getting impatience, she slammed the door with her fist, “Kim Jonghyun! I swear to God, if you’re not getting your door in three, I’ll kick it open! One.. two..”

Before ‘three’, the door swung opened, but instead her brother, it was someone else with smile brighter than sunshine outside and warmer than summer.

“Ugh, hi! Jonghyun’s in the shower.”

Gwiboon’s mouth hung opened, gasping for air, eyes incredulously staring straight to the fallen angel facing her right now. How did..? When did..?

“I’ll tell him once he’s done.”

“What?”

“Your brother? He’s in the shower.”

“Ugh, yeah. Make sure he knows the brunch is ready. You should go down too and have some.”

“Oh, I will. Thank you, Jonghyun’s sister!”

He blasted his generously wide smile and Gwiboon’s turned her heels right away before her feet turned into seaweed and betray her.

“Hey, wait.”

Gwiboon takes a deep breath before facing the dazzling face on the door frame, “Yeah?”

Jinki stunned by the soft voice reached his ears. Far from the icy image plastered on her based on Taemin’s gossipy mouth, the figure before him is closer to virtuous lady. Her dark brown hair pulled into pony tail, some fade green streaks are here and there, failed to make into the tail but looked like placed there intentionally and that’s more than perfect.

“Are you done?”

Flustered by his own action, Jinki’s face went pale and red by turns, afraid she caught him looking at the perfect skin showed by her big white shirt that fell off her shoulder.

“Ugh, sorry. Just wondering, the last time we saw each other I ended up seeing you cried.”

Gwiboon wanted to hide her face so bad.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I mean that night.”

“Oh, I just had an awful day. And you sang beautifully. Lots of people cry. No big deal.”

“But yours is kind of big deal.”

The silence fell over the alley once again. Both of them are calculating in minds the meaning of Jinki’s words just now. Gwiboon’s taken aback by such a concern while the latter cursed himself for let it slipped his mouth.

“People love to see me cry. I just gave them a nice show.”

“I’m not people apparently. What’s so nice about seeing other tears?”

“I don’t know, you can ask them later.”

Jinki chuckles by the sharp words. He shakes his head lightly, adding more embarrassment to Gwiboon.

“You know what? You’re too cute to be that harsh.”

“It’s too early to flirt, Sir. But I’ll take that as compliment.”

Jinki cracks on the spot. This girl is quite challenging. Jinki encountered lot of girls before, but no one this bluntly yet classy at the same time like her.

“What’s so funny?”

Jonghyun walks toward them, hand ruffles his own hair in attempt to dry it. Gwiboon hates him for ruining her private moment with Jinki.

“I never know your sister is this interesting.”

“Oh she’s always. Up to the point I want to get rid of her, completely,” he pulled huge grin to Jinki then cocked his head to the side, “What are you doing here? Don’t you have something to finish or lockup yourself in that room full of fabrics and God knows what?”

“Is he always this hot-tempered?”

“Oh, more than you imagine!” Gwiboon rolled her eyes and Jinki fell to laughter.

“Talking like she ever considers my existence.”

“Aren’t that too cruel to say to your own sister?”

“She’s my sister only by paperwork,” he shrugs then winks to his sister, gained himself an i-wanna-throw-up-right-now look from her, “What do you want?”

“What I want? Hmm. Let’s see. I want you to stop being ungrateful and just go down and eat your brunch so your lovely mother stopped nagging to me,” and she turned her face to Jinki, “And you.”

The latter looks dismayed by an unexpected finger pointed right in front of his face.

“Stop calling me Jonghyun’s sister. I have a name.”

Then she walked away to her room, left the astonished boy flustered on his feet.

***

“Mrs. Kim! This is amazing! I really like the chicken wrapped! Thank you so much for having me!”

Jinki is half shouting half squealing after finished his brunch and moved to the small plate full of appealing mangoes. Jonghyun scowled right beside him, tad amused by his friend’s admiration toward food.

“Ah, it’s nothing, Son!”

“Wow. Look at her. Suddenly having the new son and forgetting the old one,” Jonghyun mumbled in a very low tone intentionally, so neither Jinki nor his mother able to catch it.

“No, no, it’s definitely not nothing. I’m not a brunch person but these dishes are great.”

“I’ll tell Gwiboon you like it, then.”

“Gwiboon?”

“My sister.”

Mrs. Kim continues the story with so much proud filling her eyes, “She inherits her grandmother cooking skill. She did magic in the kitchen whenever she came home.”

“Then why she didn’t join us?”

Mrs. Kim is not ready with Jinki’s sudden attack, so she just beamed in straight line, “She ate a lot while she cooked.”

“Nah. She just doesn’t share table with me.”

“Kim Jonghyun.”

Mrs. Kim shot a glare to her son then left immediately when the latter just gazing back with no fear.

“What?” his mother just left the crime scene, unable to restrain Jonghyun’s rather big mouth, “That’s true.”

“Why is that so?”

“Well, I’m afraid I have no answer for that, Champ. Why don’t you ask her by yourself?” Jinki looks perplexed, but when Jonghyun’s eyes drifted to the stairs, he just knew.

“Why you tell me just now? Isn’t supposed to be next week?!”

“No, no! You can’t!”

“Please wait for me! I’m heading there right now.”

Gwiboon paced quickly to the kitchen and grabbed some water to cool her down.

“Yaa! Where are you going??!?!!”

“What do you care?”

Jonghyun threw his fork down, “Hey! I’m being nice here, can’t u see?”

Gwiboon really wants to ignore him, but decided that her brother might have some good, “Then, can I use your car?”

“Where’s yours?!”

Gwiboon almost blurted out telling him that her car is being confiscated almost two months by their father since she hasn’t been able to get a place for internship, but that would be inappropriate information to tell in front of a guest.

“It’s in the shop. I need something to be fixed.”

“Where the heck are you going?”

“I’m going east! Do you really need to stalk me like that?! Now can I use your in’ car or not?!”

“You’re heading east?”

“Dude, are you deaf or I needed to shout to your ear?”

Jinki’s face went blank like some imaginary little fairy threw some bricks on it and Jonghyun’s anger already up to his throat, he wanted to punch his sister so bad for making his friend shifted uncomfortable on his seat.

After some deliberation in his head, Jinki opened up his mouth again, “Well, fortunately, I need to pick some new books at my friend’s house and Taemin somewhere in the east too. You can go with me if you want.”

Gwiboon can’t decide whether she should scream in excitement or burn herself with the heat crept up her cheeks. Her heart’s thumping as if some tribe moved their wedding celebration inside her chest. By Jinki’s side, Jonghyun rolls his eyes and scoffed.

“Can I?”

“Why ask me?!” Jonghyun snarls right away when her eyes met his gaze. Gwiboon just shrugs her shoulders, “Whatever!”

Jongyun brings his fruit to the living room, mouth still mumbling aimlessly. Jinki took that as a green light.

“I’ll go get my stuff upstairs. See you outside in ten minutes.”

***

The first 20 minutes of the ride’s a dreadful silence. Jinki sets his eyes straight to the road before him, fingers tapping on the wheel, following the tunes he put on to reduce the tensed atmosphere inside the car. While on his right, Gwiboon kept looking on the not so appealing scenery passed through the window, minds wondering how long she could stand this moment without ruining herself.

Then maybe Jinki’s humming too loud or Gwiboon just love to hear the man beside her delivering soft melodies, she finally let out a giggle, couldn’t contain her feeling anymore, made