before infinity: 
Sunhi notices something different about her brother and his best friend.

∞

                Daehyun, her older brother, always made it an effort to pick Sunhi up after school. Even when she insisted that she could simply take the bus, she would find him there, waiting at the gates, keys in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It isn’t a surprise to her today when she sees him by his car again, but she does blink when she sees the presence by his side.

                Yoo Youngjae.

                Sunhi first met him not too long ago. She’d been embarrassed at the fact that her older brother really came all the way over to her school to yell at her bullies, but she did feel a sense of relief, too, grateful in the end for his care. Then, Youngjae, with a swollen lip and bruised cheeks, bent down to her level and stared her straight in the eyes. To say she was startled would be an understatement, and for a second, she thought he was another one of those guys who used to come down to their house looking for her brother during the summer. She never liked those people. But her hesitance disappeared as soon as she saw him smile.

                Youngjae has a very pretty smile. Even back then, with his lip cut open, Sunhi had found it very bright. Now, as she approaches her brother at the gates, she can see Youngjae’s smile again. He’s laughing at something her brother must have said, and when she looks, she catches sight of Daehyun’s smile, too.

                It doesn’t take Sunhi very long to realize that something is…different.

                But she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she observes the way Youngjae’s gaze always seems to linger on her older brother, and how Daehyun’s own eyes always seem to soften when they meet Youngjae’s. It isn’t until they’re sitting in Daehyun’s car and Youngjae lets out another little laugh at one of Daehyun’s jokes does Sunhi finally say something.  

                “Are you two dating?”

                A rough brake at a stoplight. A strange cough. A look exchanged, and then Daehyun’s eyes meet hers through the rearview mirror.

                “What?” her older brother states more than questions.

                “I said, are you two dating?” Sunhi asks again.

                Youngjae’s eyes immediately flicker towards Daehyun, his cheeks coloring ever so slightly. “Are we?”

                Sunhi watches as Daehyun shrugs. She doesn’t miss the frown that crosses Youngjae’s face.

                “How do you not know?” she prods when neither of them say anything. Youngjae looks as if he wants to speak, but Daehyun beats him to it.

                “We haven’t really talked about it,” is all he says as he begins to drive again, and he speaks as if he’s dismissing the subject, but when Sunhi looks, Youngjae seems to harbor a certain aggravation in his eyes.

                “Maybe we should,” Youngjae states, and Daehyun glances over at him briefly before focusing on the road once more.

                “Maybe we shouldn’t in front of my sister,” Daehyun quips, and Sunhi watches as Youngjae rolls his eyes.

                “Well, then when should we?”

                “I don’t know, Jae, maybe when I’m not ing driving?”

                “It isn’t even that hard of a conversation!”

                “Does it really matter, then?”

                Youngjae almost looks appalled with the question. “Of course it matters!”

                “If it matters so ing much, then why don’t you just tell me what we are?” Daehyun gripes, clearly annoyed with the situation.

                “I can’t just decide that by myself, it’s something we’re supposed to do together!” Youngjae argues, and Sunhi sheepishly looks out the window, wanting to intervene but unsure of what to say.

                Daehyun lets out a long groan. “Why do you have to make things so comp