Spring 2003

"Ilhoon-ah, starting today, Soeunie will be living with us. You two will become real siblings now..."

He heard his father speak but his attention was focused solely on the girl in front, whose head was hung low, avoiding everyone's gaze. 

"But then..." He started, glancing at his father shortly before training his gaze back to her. "What about aunt Miseul?" He asked. 

"Ilhoon-ah," it was his mother who answered him this time, leaving the girl's side to kneel down in front of him. He looked up at her questioningly even if she was already kneeling to be on his level. 

"Aunt Miseul won't be coming home for a while." She smiled sadly. "So, She left Soeunie under our custody. You love Soeunie right? You want to be her brother right? Well, that's good news because starting today, Soeunie is part of our family, until aunt Miseul comes back, okay? You be a good boy and protect our Soeunie, alright?" 

At that time, he couldn't fully understand, but he nodded nonetheless. The porch in front their house a witness to his bonding with her. 

--

Seoul, 2019

"Yah, yah! Wake up, wake up!"

Ilhoon groaned, feeling the incessant shaking on his shoulders. Straightening his body before leaning on his chair tiredly, he opened one eye to peek at his colleague and friend lazily. What? He mouthed. 

"She's here!"

Yook Sungjae whisper-yelled at him, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. Ilhoon frowned. 

"Who?" He whispered back. 

"She!" Still whispering, he widened his eyes more, as if trying to get his point across, jerking his head somewhere in the room. 

The older darted his eyes to where the younger was pertaining to and his lips immediately formed a thin line, his eyes going blank as he looked at her approaching the larger group of people inside the set. 

"Ah, Jang Soeun," he muttered, studying her from head to toe. 

She used to hate wearing dresses before, and yet, here she was, wearing one. 

"You know her?!" Sungjae hushed and he shot the younger a look. Lazily, he raised his brows in agreement before he leaned his head back on his chair, ready to fall asleep.

"Wah, daebak," he heard the younger mused and some other blabbers, shaking him awake but he chose to ignore him. He could really use some sleep today. 

Ah, right. 

Sleep. The thing that he needed the most right now. 

-🎧-

A/N: how is it?