"Hyung..." Guan Lin maybe a five year old kid, but with all the fighting happening in their house lately, he's learned what a serious argument meant. It wasn't always this scary, he thinks as he pulls up his blanket for comfort, they always usually make up to before the end of the day. Jihoon, his older brother, gives him a small smile before patting his head, a consolation for being a good boy and not throwing a tantrum.

Jihoon knows how much Guan Lin hates fighting so whenever their parents fought in front of them, Guan Lin would shed tears. Their parents would immediately make up after that, they didn't want any of their children worrying. So as kids, they thought that the arguments could easily be mended with their tears but Jihoon had to learn from their other brother Jinyoung, that it never stopped. Long hours of fight is what keeps Jinyoung up at night. He could easily hear them through the wall, his parents didn't have to know that though. 

"Don't worry, it'll stop Lin-ah..." Although his older brother says it's going to be ok, somehow deep within him, he knows they can't ever go back to normal. 

It doesn't stop for another hour, they probably think the two kids can't hear them but everything is loud and clear from where they are. It's past their bedtime and it's a first for Jihoon to experienced the late nights Jinyoung was talking about. It wasn't pleasant to hear, every now and then, the bickering resonates through the wall, there were shouts but he could also hear crying. Jihoon's heart clenches in sorrow with the thought of his Father in pain.

They were supposed to be a happy family.

"Hyung, what if...what if Dad decides to leave? What will happen to us?" 

It's a question both if them don't dare ask each other. It's like an unspoken rule, they don't talk about their parents separating but they've seen kids in their school with only one parent with them. They say it's fine, say that everything's ok but whenever there are family activities, there's longing in their eyes. 

Guan Lin doesn't know about Jihoon and Jinyoung, but the first memory he remembers is them being a family and he hopes it never changes. 

The three of them had been adopted from different places by their parents. They wanted to start a family of their own, want to work everything out.  Somehow, along the way, something changed. 

"Guan Lin I told you, it's going to be ok" Jihoon's voice wavers as he feels tears starting to prickle his eyes. He was supposed to give assurance to his younger brother but why is he about to cry? 

"It's not going to be ok" A new voice suddenly joined their conversation and Jinyoung enters the room, eyes red from crying. 

"What do you mean hyung?" Guan Lim squeaks in his bed, gripping the comforter tightly. 

"T-They're separating" 

With those two words, everything seemed to crash down. Guan Lin and Jihoon started to cry while Jinyoung gathered them in his small arms. There's sadness present in him but there's also determination. There's no way he'll leave his two brothers alone, no way they're going to separate.