Prologue

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If words could describe Hye Joo, then it would be ‘Park Chanyeol’s little sister’.

It’s not only because of her brother’s overprotectiveness over her that got her the title, but it’s also because of how similar they are in character.

“You two sort of remind me of each other,” Hye Joo’s best friend mentioned as the three of them played in the playground’s sandbox with her huge nametag written ‘HANI’ plastered on her shirt.

“Why?” Chanyeol frowned.

“You two are so friendly and nice,” the girl shrugs. “I guess that’s why,”

Suddenly Hye Joo tittered, throwing them a look. “You have no idea how grateful I am that he’s the only one with those ears.”

Chanyeol was known as the free spirited, multitalented, good looking and passionate guy. You could literally put all the good adjectives in front of his name and it’d fit him. Everybody wanted to be friends with him, and most of them could because he’s that friendly and open with people. 

Hye Joo isn’t that different from him, though Chanyeol would add that she can be a bit whinier at times. She’s nice, has good looks, bright in class, a little bit more sarcastic, and has his brother’s trademark positivity too. They even share the same sense of humor, and both would laugh pretty easily. They’re both like balls of energy that would make you smile, but there’s one thing that clearly draws the line between them.

Chanyeol’s stubbornness and Hye Joo’s flexibility—two defining traits that really differ them from each other.

Chanyeol is the definition of obstinate. No matter what you say to him, his willful and headstrong personality won’t budge him no matter the consequences. His good friend, Kyungsoo, said that his stubbornness is almost like a terminal illness.

On the other hand, Hye Joo is more compliant. Unlike her brother, Hye Joo doesn’t like confrontation or arguments, and she’d rather adapt to others than force her way through. It’s not that she always gives people the upper hand either, she’s docile in nature if you will, and sometimes a little bit half-hearted with things, which actually helps her not to get attached with a lot of things.

This character made it easy for her to accommodate with her parents’ rules, while her brother got some serious rebellious issues.

“No cellphones until you’re sixteen.”

“No hair dyes until you graduate high school.”

“No late night phone calls.”

“Smoking and drinking are forbidden in this house, and absolutely no tattoos.”

Although it might not seem like it on the outside, the two siblings live with quite conservative and strict parents. Hye Joo personally doesn’t have a lot of problems with this. Sure, her parents could be a bit uptight, but she knows that they’re all good intentions and they’re not too hard for her to follow.

However, this kind of environment is a total mismatch for Chanyeol. Every time he reaches his hand out to a musical instrument, his father would be there to smack his hand away and complain about the noise. Whenever he tries to draw something, his father would be there to put his pen down to do something more ‘productive’. When he wanted to dye his hair, his mother would be there to snatch the bottle away. When he wants to hang out, his mother would be there to stop him and choose his friends for him.

Do Kyungsoo was one of those ‘bad fellows’ their mother spoke of, their supposedly deranged neighbor.

“Don’t play with him, he’s a bad influence.” their mother would always say to them, especially Chanyeol, since they’re both boys and are in the same class. Of course, things didn’t go as planned, and the two boys became best friends pretty quick. He shares a tight-knit relationship with Hye Joo too, acting like a real brother around her.

It’s a bit funny to see since the two boys are almost like complete opposites. Chanyeol is like a ray of sunshine while Kyungsoo was like a silent night owl. He doesn’t speak a lot, has this sharp looking gaze that’s akin to a glare, skips school from time to time, and pretty much antisocial. There are only two things that these two share in common—their love for the arts and protectiveness over Hye Joo.

Hye Joo and Chanyeol are five years apart, and though the isn’t too far apart for some major differences, Chanyeol has the growth spurt of a cannon—so their differences are pretty apparent. Ever since junior high, Kyungsoo would hang out in their house or at the park, and Hye Joo would always follow her brother around, so they’re bound to spend time together.

They’d take turns to look after the little girl while the other plays around, and since Chanyeol was so active, Kyungsoo would end up looking after her more often, and it didn’t take him long to grow attached to her, after all she’s quite endearing to him.

“You know, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at the said male sitting beside him on the couch. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be the big brother, not you.”

Kyungsoo, who was brushing the little girl’s hair as she’s preoccupied with the TV, stopped for a moment to a brow at him. “Chanyeol, there was gum in your little sister’s hair, and you didn’t even do anything about it,”

“I was the one who put it there,”

“… Exactly my point.”

“He was upset at the bully who tripped me at school and threatened to beat him up, but he does the same thing to me at home!” Hye Joo pointed an accusing finger at her older brother, the little elementary student ratting him out.

“Hey, I’m your big brother!” Chanyeol exclaimed, putting a hand on his chest. “It’s my job to fool around with you, and kick bullies’ butts at the same time!”

Hye Joo stared at her brother with a disappointed yet judging look for a second before turning to Kyungsoo with desperate eyes. “Can’t you be my brother instead?”

Immediately, Kyungsoo’s lips stretched into a smile. “Of course, I already am.” he cooed, pulling the little girl into a hug before throwing a smug look at the taller sitting beside him.

Rolling his eyes, the taller heaved a sigh before throwing a look at his sister. “Guess who’s gonna do your homework now? Not me.”

However, their parents didn’t see the good light in Kyungsoo. One of Chanyeol’s worst fights with their parents started over him. During their middle school years, their parents—especially their mother, was fine with Kyungsoo, but it all changed after high school when Chanyeol’s mother found a little piece of information about their neighbor.

“Kyungsoo is my friend, mom. I am not going to flake on him just because his family owns a tattoo shop.” Ch