6. FACE TO FACE

”You make better forts than Oppa.”

I took a step back and admired my work. I had turned the tiny living room table sideways and dragged the couch closer to the tv in order to attach a wide blanket over it all. Then I had taken two out of the three kitchen chairs and placed them by the ”entrance” of the fort, so that we could drag the blanket over them to close the ”gates” to the fort.

”She’s right”, Hanbin admitted, looking at my creation.

”I used to build blanket forts everywhere”, I said and kneeled down in front of the entrance gates, which were two kitchen chairs. ”And I never wanted to tear them down. I think my mom had to take down about three forts in a day.”

Hanbyul crawled into the fort and dragged down the blanket, so that she was fully hidden behind it. ”I’ll never come out.”

”Fine, I’ll tear it down while you’re in there then”, Hanbin blurted.

”No, you can’t”, Hanbyul objected. ”Unni, come!” She lifted up the blanket and waved her little hand as a signal for me to go in with her. I tilted my head and crawled through the chairs. Once I was comfortably in the fort, I peeked from under the blanket and grinned at Hanbin. He replied to my grin with yet another sheepish smile.

”We’ll never come out of here”, I said, wiggling my brows.

”You’re siding with my sister now?”

”You were about to tear down my creation”, I reminded.

”Fair enough”, Hanbin chuckled. ”Since neither of you will come out, I guess I’ll eat all the dessert by myself then…”

Hanbyul tilted her head at the mentioning of dessert.

”That’s not cool”, I moped.

”Oh yeah, well guess who started-”

”I will eat the dessert if I can watch videos on your phone”, Hanbyul stated.

”I’ll give you dessert, if I can take down the fort before work. I need the tv.”

The siblings glared at each other for a while, before Hanbyul nodded in agreement.

We ended up taking the dessert in with us to the fort and ate there while Hanbin sat on the lonely kitchen chair, finishing his portion in no time. It was magical how our relationship had developed during the day and gotten a lot deeper than I thought I would be with anyone within a week. And Hanbyul, she was definitely a person I had never known I'd need in my life. She managed to ignite something in me, that I didn't know I even had until she lit it up. It was this childlike way of seeing things. I began to see things in different lighting, even with my writing. And I couldn't wait until I'd get to write everything down.

Hanbin got to watch his favourite tv show before work. All three of us lounged on the small couch, Hanbyul lying between us. She was holding Hanbin's phone, watching kids videos, not bothering to look up once. Every time a violent scene began on the tv, Hanbin raised his hand in front of his sister's face to block her view to the screen. Hanbyul didn't even notice it. I thought it was cute.

At the end credits, Hanbin slid his arm over the backrest and gently started to rub his thumb against my neck. I leaned back on the couch and let my head rest against his touch. Hanbyul shifted between us, trying to get comfortable in the tiny space. She was squeezed between us.

”Who’s your favorite?”

”Hmh?” Hanbin turned to look at his sister.

”I think your favorite is Amber.”

I figured she was talking about the kids show she was watching on the phone.

”Why’s that?” He closed his eyes and let his head rest on the backrest.

”Because she is kind like Jennie.”

Hanbin chuckled. I glanced at him.

”Which one is my favorite then?” I asked.

Hanbyul touched the phone screen to pause her video. ”You like Poli.”

”Let me guess”, Hanbin began his contemplation. ”It’s because he’s the most badass, like me.”

”No”, Hanbyul said. ”That would be Roy.”

Hanbin rolled his eyes.

”It’s because he’s my favorite too”, Hanbyul said and turned to look at me. She pulled off a wide grin, one that was ridiculously similar to her brother’s. I smiled back at her.

”I don’t wanna go to work”, Hanbin groaned. He let his hand drop on my shoulder and rolled half on top of Hanbyul, who shrieked and tried to push her brother off. I couldn’t help but to laugh at the sight.

”Ah, I wish didn’t have to go.” He grabbed Hanbyul from her armpits and lifted her on his lap. ”But unfortunately I have to get going.”

”Wait- so you work just downstairs?”

”Yeah”, Hanbin said. ”I usually put her to bed and just leave my phone with her so she can call the  counter if she wakes up.”

Hanbyul tried to wriggle out of Hanbin’s grip. ”I want mom to tuck me in.”

”Mom’s not here, you’re gonna have to settle for me.”

”No, I want mom”, she insisted.

”I can put her to bed”, I said.

Hanbin raised his brows at me. ”Really?”

”Yeah, I’ll be here until she falls asleep and then come downstairs.”

Hanbyul stopped struggling. Her expression lightened up.

Hanbin bobbed his head. ”Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

”Will unni read to me?”

”Yeah. She’s a great storyteller by the way. She can make up stories as she goes”, Hanbin explained and shot me look. I felt the bottom of my stomach twitch.

”Can she tell me a poli story?”

”She sure can”, Hanbin said confidently.

We stood up from the couch and I cleaned the kitchen meanwhile Hanbin made Hanbyul change into pajamas. Then he carried her in the kitchen and set her on top of the kitchen counter. I watched from aside, as he swiftly the tab and watered a small yellow toothbrush under it. Hanbyul held onto a little tube of toothpaste and managed to squeeze out almost half of the product onto the brush.

”Open-” Hanbin said and held the toothbrush in front of Hanbyul’s mouth.

I myself had never had any siblings, so just looking at the two in the dimly lit kitchen, brushing teeth together, made me almost emotional. They had a special bond that was somehow so visible, yet very hard to detect. Like a secret. Which was crazy because the pair was the quintessence of honesty. Everything about them was so honest. That was probably the biggest gap between the people in Seoul and the people in here. The level of depth. It made these people more open. Just the way they said ”good morning” to every passerby made them so much… more. I wanted to be like that too. But I knew once I’d go back to Seoul, I would walk in the crowds like everyone else, staring at my feet or answering a text. In Seoul, if I had met a guy and wanted to see him again, I would have gotten his number. I still didn’t have Hanbin’s phone number saved on my phone. And yet we had seen each other every day. It felt amazingly refreshing.

”Do I leave the living room lights on?”

Hanbin sat on the edge of the double bed, his back crouched as he searched for the counter’s number from his phone. I stood at the end of the bed, looking at the two.

”Yeah”, Hanbyul said. She was already dozing off. ”Where’s mom?”

”She’s working, you know that.”

”When will she stop working?”

Hanbin put the phone on the night stand next to the bed. Then he pulled the bedsheet closer to Hanbyul’s chin. ”Soon, don’t worry. She’ll pick you up from daycare tomorrow.”

”I want you and unni to pick me up”, Hanbyul said. She wrapped her little fingers around Hanbin’s wrist. ”Can we go fishing on a boat?”

Right then I realized that I would have to say goodbye to Hanbyul in the end of this week.

”Sure”, Hanbin said, comforting her. ”I will catch you the biggest paddlefish in the world.”

”Big nose fish.”

”Yeah, sorry, the biggest big nose fish.”

I had no idea which fish they were talking about.

”Jennie will stay here until you fall asleep, okay?”

”Okay”, Hanbyul sighed.

Hanbin leaned to his sister and gently pecked her forehead. ”Be nice.”

”Okay.”

Hanbin stood up and checked the phone one more time. He was very sharp when it came to taking care of his responsibilities. ”She usually passes out in minutes”, he asserted.

”Got it.”

”And she has this habit to put her hands under everyones shirt, I guess it soothes her or something. Like this-” Hanbin slid his hand through the neck of my shirt. ”I know, it’s weird but if you take it off she’ll wake up cranky. And if I don’t have a shirt on she’ll just do it without the shirt.”

I chuckled. ”Roger that.”

Hanbin glanced at Hanbyul who blinked at us on the big bed. Then he dragged me out of the room. ”One second-” he exclaimed.

Once we were on the other side of the wall, Hanbin locked his hands with mine and stopped to just look at me. ”You can sleep here too if you want to.”

I couldn’t decide whether to look at his plump lips or his mesmerizing eyes. His face was truly addictive. ”I don’t know-”

”It’s just, I don’t want you to go back alone, after, you know, everything…”

The nightly streets didn’t seem so frightening to me anymore. I guess I had managed to suppress most of my memories and fears after that night. Thanks to Hanbin.

When I didn’t answer right away, Hanbin continued. ”And I’m not asking this so I could, you know, or we could… do - something.”

I tried to keep my face decent, but I knew he could see all the different emotions go through my he