Myungsoo had no idea why, but he didn’t want to drop his defenses. He didn’t want to look like a son yearning for his father’s love, because that was exactly what he was. Daehyun paused, and the other one had to look down in order to see what was happening. With a smile, the young boy fished his blue handkerchief out from his pocket, only to hand it over to him.

“So your face won’t get sticky,” Daehyun explained.

Myungsoo managed to let out a short but sincere laugh, and he ruffled his brother’s hair. He then took the handkerchief and wiped his face with it. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “And while you’re crying, hyung, I will be strong for you.”

He stared at his younger brother for a short while, before finally asking, “Where do you learn those?”

Daehyun shrugged. “Shouldn’t brothers be strong for each other?”

“But of course,” Myungsoo replied. He straightened up, and looked ahead. “It’s getting late, so we should hurry.”

“It’s okay, I don’t have school tomorrow.”

“It doesn’t change the fact of you needing to get enough sleep,” he replied, while glancing at Daehyun.

A smile graced the young boy’s lips, and finally taking him by the hand, Myungsoo carried on walking with a lighter heart. For the first time in his life, he was actually thankful for Daehyun’s life, and he felt the remarriage he detested seemed all right.

“I’m happy you’re my brother,” Daehyun blurted out.

There was a long pause, and Myungsoo replied, “Me, too.”

And they both knew they meant it.

<:>

Daehyun looked around him, and sadness was evident in his eyes. Myungsoo observed the movements of the young boy, and he knew what he was seeing swiped at his heart. Myungsoo was about six years old when he got exposed to this kind of environment, and he perfectly knew what Daehyun must have felt.

“Do you know why I brought you with me, Myungsoo?” his mom asked one spring day, when they traveled from the sparkling buildings of Seoul to the outskirts of the said city, only to visit the slums.

Myungsoo shook his head no.

“I want you to see this kind of reality,” she explained. “I am not doing this to scare you. I am doing this so you would be able to decide as to what kind of man you want to be in the future. Do you understand?”

“No.”

His mom smiled a little, as if she expected that kind of response from her son. “We are blessed to be able to live in a decent house, and to eat whatever we want. We should extend that blessing, sweetheart, that’s why we’re here.”

Myungsoo nodded, because that was what kids did if they completely understood an adult’s point or if they just wanted to get it over with. For this matter, it was a little bit of both. She squeezed her son’s shoulders, and they proceeded to help the needy by giving out food, clothes and toys.

By the end of the day, Myungsoo said, “I want to be a blessing when I grow up.”

With a slight jerk the college student was dragged back to reality. He looked to his right, only to see Daehyun, standing still.

“Oh, it’s the student!” one person cried. “What brings you here? And you’re with a kid, too. Who is he?”

Myungsoo decided to brush the last question aside. “I brought these for you.”

Daehyun was able to play with the young girl with the wiry hair, and Myungsoo held another conversation with one of the elders in the subway station.

“So you’re saying he’s your brother?” the man asked, as he nibbled on the cracker he just received from Myungsoo.

“Seems like it,” he answered.

“You look brighter than usual,” the man pointed out with a grin. “I think that kid is doing you some good.”

Myungsoo didn’t reply.

“Or maybe a girl is doing you some good,” he added.

The student had no idea why but the moment he heard that Sunshine suddenly popped up in his mind. He looked the other way to remove such insignificant thoughts, but it didn’t work.

Saturday at one in the afternoon, he recited to himself. Saturday at one in the afternoon.

<:>

The brothers walked on home, empty-handed. It was almost two in morning, but Daehyun was as awake as ever.

“Are you not sleepy?” Myungsoo asked.

“Not really,” he answered. “I had fun. Do you know the girl in there? Her name’s Ai. Just Ai. She is very smart, and she’s two years older than me. She told me not to call her noona, though.”

“Smart?”

“Smart,” Daehyun confirmed. “She knows a lot of things because she likes to read, too.”

“Oh, does she now?”

“She learned through ripped pages of magazines and newspapers.”

“If that’s the case, we can bring her some books the next time we come.”

Daehyun’s face brightened up. “I’ll take note of that.”

Silence filled the air around them, and so Myungsoo decided to break it by asking, “Do you know why I brought you there?”

The young boy seemed to gather his thoughts, and finally he answered in a hushed voice, “You want me to see a reality I never knew about until now.”

Myungsoo didn’t say anything anymore.

“Dad said back then when the adults asked what you wanted to be, you didn’t answer ‘I want to be a doctor!’ or ‘I want to be a pilot!’” Daehyun looked up at his older brother. “You said ‘I want to be a blessing!’”

No reply.

“That’s why, hyung, I want to be a blessing, too.”

Myungsoo could only squeeze Daehyun’s hand, and the younger one smiled. “I hope my actions can touch hearts, as well. I like to do what you do.”

They both stopped, and Myungsoo stared at his brother. “I’ll piggyback you.”

The younger one grinned, and nodded. It didn’t take him long enough to fall asleep on his older brother’s sturdy shoulder.

<:>

Whenever it was bright, the sunlight would shine through the cracks of the abandoned house found in Suzy’s neighborhood. Sang Moon and Suzy had decided to keep their spot a secret, because they didn’t want anyone—including Sunggyu—to stop them from playing in that place. Suzy was seven years old, then. Sang Moon, being the curious child that he was, discovered a way to enter the house. It was through a hole located at the back of the house, neatly covered up to hinder mischievous kids such as them from entering.

All in all the place was empty, and the siblings usually brought their toys along with them. To prevent themselves from sneezing too much they even decided to clear the cobwebs and dust in the living room, because that was the most spacious portion of the house. Sang Moon would play with his toy cars and action figures while Suzy would read and write. In a way, that had become their personal shack whenever the summer season arrived.

One day Sang Moon decided to pull a prank on Suzy by locking her into a closet. He knew she hated narrow spaces, after all. Suzy kept banging on the door, then, screeching and coughing. Sang Moon could only snicker because he thought it was all too funny. Suddenly, there was a thud, and things quieted down.

“Noona?” Sang Moon asked.

No response.

“Noona, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll open the door now.”

He proceeded to twist the knob, but panic started to fill his senses when he realized the door was jammed. He shook it, in hopes it would open up, but it didn’t.

“Noona!” he shrieked, while desperately slamming his fists against the wooden door until it got bruised up. “Noona! Open the door—noona!”

Warm tears welled up in his eyes, and he found it difficult to breathe. He started to cough and his knees trembled. Out of instincts he finally decided to call Sunggyu, who was playing in the arcade with a friend of his. When Sunggyu heard his brother’s explanation he wasted no time and ran to the abandoned house.

“What did you do?” Sunggyu yelled at Sang Moon. He was twelve years old, then, and the responsibility of being an older brother had already sunk into him a long time ago. He knew he was adopted, after all, and he promised to himself that the original Bae siblings shouldn’t get hurt, so long as he was alive.

“H-Hyung I’m s-sorry,” Sang Moon spluttered. “I-It w-was all a j-j-joke—”

Sunggyu shot the younger one a leer. “We’ll talk later; you have to tell me the truth.”

Without stopping he ran upstairs, and Sang Moon could feel the ceiling vibrate because of the stomping of Sunggyu’s feet. He was in a rush, and adrenaline was all that gave him the strength at that moment. He came down a few minutes later, carrying an ax.

“Get out of the way, Sang Moon,” he said. The young boy obeyed, and with all his might, Sunggyu shattered the door. It didn’t do much damage, but it was enough for him to punch through the damaged part of the hole just to get their beloved sister back. Sang Moon could only watch as his older brother pounded on the door until his fists bled, and until splinters started to cling on his flesh. His teeth were gnashed together, but the determination in Sunggyu’s eyes showed that he felt no pain. He was too focused on getting Suzy he completely blanked out.

The only real thing Suzy felt was the warmth of Sunggyu’s back, and the slight trembling against her chest and stomach whenever her brother spoke. There was the slight smell of sweat, but the cool, lemony scent overpowered it. She didn’t know what had happened, but she was sure the space beside Sunggyu was one of the safest places for her.

Her eyes kept on fluttering to a close, then. And defeated, she let the tiredness carry her to a deep slumber.

When Suzy woke up, she was eighteen again. She rose up from her bed, and checked the time. It was already four in the morning. She sighed, and ran her hand over her long, black hair. Why would that memory fill her thoughts once again? Suzy looked up, in attempts to sort her feelings out.

“Stop thinking about such things,” she whispered to herself. “It isn’t healthy.”

Suzy retreated back to her bed, and she could have sworn she heard the piano from downstairs. It played a familiar, faint tune. It was the one Sunggyu used to play to Sunye whenever they were talking on the phone or even in person. She then wondered if what she was doing was right. Sunggyu was able to remember Sunye through those memories. Would it be too much of her to remember Sunggyu through her memories, as well?

“Of course it is,” she muttered. “Don’t go around missing those days, Suzy. Just don’t.”

She closed her eyes, and tried to fool herself that the tiredness she felt was something sleep could recover. Soon, her phone vibrated, and she knew it could only be one person. Sure enough, it was Summer.

“You’re still awake,” he pointed out in a mere whisper.

“And so are you.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Me, neither.”

“My brother’s staying with me for a week.”

“That’s nice.”

“What did you do earlier on?”

“We just had barbecue.”

“See you on Saturday.”

“See you.”

That was the last sentence dropped in their conversation, because they listened to each other breathe.

"Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions."
- Ecclesiastes 7:10

Yes, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. It's nice to know that some of you know that novel of hers.
I have been receiving good reactions from Daehyun, and for that, I am glad. Children are truly a joy, aren't they?
If you have any siblings of some sort, it would really be nice if you could share your experiences with them.
Or just about anything in general.