Daehyun was swaying his feet in a paddling manner as he sat because he couldn’t reach the floor yet. With bright eyes he watched his older brother walk around the tiny kitchen, taking a bowl and a box of cereal. Myungsoo placed it in front of the young boy, and he proceeded to take a glass from one of the hanging cupboards, together with a carton of milk and apple juice from the fridge.

Myungsoo poured the juice into the glass, and he proceeded to fill the bowl with cereal and milk. The two stared at each other for a moment, and finally the older one said, “Go ahead and eat.”

“What about you, hyung?” he asked.

“I don’t eat breakfast.”

Daehyun cocked his head. “Why?”

He shrugged, and Daehyun carried on looking at him. It stayed like that for a few more minutes, and when Myungsoo was about to say something, the young boy bowed his head to say his graces. Myungsoo looked away, and he wondered just how long had it been since he stopped talking to God—the One his mom used to cry out to.

Daehyun proceeded to eat, and the other just sat there, looking ahead with a blank stare. The sound of the spoon clinking against the porcelain bowl seemed to be louder than usual, and so far, that was the only thing they could hear.

“My friend has an older sister, and she’s sixteen,” Daehyun began, shattering the silence. His voice was a little coarse at that time, but it still contained the same warmth. “He said he saw her throwing up in their bathroom once. She said to keep it a secret from their parents.”

Myungsoo narrowed his eyes. “But your friend told it to you?”

He nodded. “My friend always looks sad, and I read from somewhere you can make someone a bit happier if you spend some time with them. You don’t have to do anything, as well. Just listen.”

“I see.”

“His sister told him she wants to be beautiful, that’s why she makes herself throw up.”

The image of the young girl Myungsoo once saw in the train flashed in his mind. She was young, and yet she was already wearing make-up, which masked her innocent face. She was young, and yet the clothes she wore were something the adults would use.

“Hyung,” Daehyun said again, pulling him out from his reverie. “I saw his sister once, and I think she’s beautiful even without throwing up.”

“You should tell it to her, then,” Myungsoo replied, as he stared at his hands, which was resting on the table. “Tell her she’s beautiful just the way she is.”

The young boy beamed at him. “I will.”

<:>

“What day is it today?” Suzy asked Sang Moon, while they were outside of their house, doing their summer chore which was to clear the yard every now and again. The lawn mower broke, so they were forced to use scythes under the scorching heat of the sun.

“It’s Thursday,” her brother replied. He was sweltering, and from the way his mouth was set to a frown, it was obvious he hated doing their task. “Why’d you ask?”

“I tend to forget about the days lately,” she said. She wasn’t telling the truth, and she wasn’t lying, either.

“You’re getting too old,” Sang Moon remarked, and this earned him a loamy slap on the shoulder.

“I’m wearing white!” he whined. “Can’t you be more considerate?”

Suzy simply stuck her tongue out, and with a sudden movement Sang Moon dropped his scythe to run after his sister. Suzy let go of her equipment, as well, in order to widen the distance between the both of them.

“You are dead when I catch you,” he threatened.

She let out a chuckle, and this aggravated the boy all the more. They were about to enter their house when Sunggyu stepped out, holding a tray which contained a pitcher of apple juice and two cups. “Mom said the two of you must be tired.”

The siblings called it quits, and they sat on the stairs of their porch to enjoy the cool beverage offered to them.

“Thanks,” they chorused.

Sunggyu smiled, and he sat down beside Sang Moon. “No problem. I should buy a new mower, though. Doing that must be a pain.”

“It is,” the youngest agreed. “It affects our backs, especially.”

Suzy smirked at her brother’s remark. “Some chores are worse.”

Sunggyu eyed at her, and said, “I remember you wanting to watch a movie. It’ll premiere this Saturday. Do you want to go?”

Back then, Suzy would say yes in a heartbeat. She would clear everything just to spend some time with him. But of course, that was then.

She looked back at him, and smiled a little. “I have other commitments, oppa. Maybe next time.”

The older one tried to decipher what she had meant by that, but he decided to not look into things too much. In a way, something began to clench up inside of him. He guessed he wasn’t used to having Suzy turn him down.

<:>

“Hyung,” Daehyun began, as he entered his brother’s room. Myungsoo was changing the covers of his bed, then.

“What is it?” he asked back in reply, pausing to give his brother his full attention.

The boy looked up at the ceiling, and enquired, “What are those black spots?”

Myungsoo also looked up, and said, “Traces.”

“Traces?”

“Traces,” he confirmed.

“Traces of what, hyung?”

The older one straightened his back. “Of stars.”

Daehyun nodded, and asked again, “Can’t we stick it back on?”

The two just looked at each other, not saying anything. The pulse of the clock filled the silence, together with the slight rustling of the covers in Myungsoo’s hands. He blinked once, twice, and finally he said, “I refuse.”

The young boy’s shoulders slightly fell, but he kept on smiling nonetheless. “I understand,” he said, and he took the book resting on top of Myungsoo’s drawer. It had a blue cover, which contained no title whatsoever.

Myungsoo was left to deal with his thoughts in silence like always, and he didn’t know what came over him, but he abandoned his covers and opened his drawer only to get the packet of glow-in-the-dark stars he thought he’d never bring out ever again. At that moment he realized Daehyun had this effect on him, and like the other rare times in his life, he didn’t seem to mind.

He stepped on his bed, and began to stick the stars against the ceiling. It was time to make way for new memories.

<:>

“Hello, Sunshine.”

Suzy smiled upon hearing that familiar voice over the phone. “Hello, Summer.”

“What have you been up to lately?”

“My younger brother and I cleaned our front yard. What about you and your sibling?”

“I cleaned my room. I even placed some stars on the ceiling.”

She looked down on her notebook, the smile not leaving her face. It was nice, hearing his voice sound like that. It wasn’t just a monotonic drone anymore. Somehow, Suzy knew she heard something more than that—she finally heard the voice of a happy person.

“You seem happy,” she pointed out.

A pause, and he replied, “Do I?”

She bit her lower lip. “Yes.”

Summer smirked. “I think I am.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“I hope you’re happy,” he returned.

“I hope I am, too,” she said.

Another pause, and Summer blurted out, “I’ll let you meet my brother on Saturday.”

Suzy’s smile turned into a huge grin. “I’ll be looking forward to it then.”

“Goodbye, Sunshine.”

“Goodbye, Summer.”

Beep.

<:>

“Daehyun,” Myungsoo called out that evening, when they were in the living room, watching a documentary about reptiles. “Let’s go out on a Saturday.”

The young boy’s eyes lit up all of a sudden. “Where are we going, hyung?”

“We can go to the amusement park,” he answered. There was a moment of silence, and he added, “But first, we have to meet someone.”

“Who is that person?” he asked.

Myungsoo looked down for a second, and he snapped his gaze back to his brother. “You can call her Sunshine noona for now.”

“Sunshine noona?” the young boy repeated, while cocking his head.

He nodded. “Sunshine noona.”

“What does she look like, hyung?”

Myungsoo looked at his brother, and admitted, “I don’t know. All I’m sure of, however, is she’s as warm as sunshine.”

Daehyun grinned and looked at him, straight in the eye. “Like you.”

The older one didn’t reply anymore, and so the two carried on watching the documentary while they shared a bowl of popcorn. It wasn’t until an hour later when they decided to head upstairs to sleep. Myungsoo let Daehyun take the lead, and after a few moments of staying in the unlit bedroom, Daehyun ran to where his brother was, only to trap him with his tight embrace. Myungsoo couldn’t help but smile, and with hesitant hands, he hugged Daehyun back.

“I knew it,” the young boy said, grinning. “You really are as warm as sunshine, hyung.”

There was a moment of silence, and finally Myungsoo said, “Daehyun, I’ll teach you something. I learned it from my mom.”

He let go of him, and asked, “What is it?”

“It’s a special greeting.”

“A special greeting?” he piqued.

Myungsoo flashed Daehyun a slight smile. “Whoever greets first has to call the other person ‘Sunshine’. The person who received the greeting has to say ‘Summer’, instead.”

Another pause, and the older one said, “Good night, Sunshine.”

The boy’s face seemed to glow all the more, and he whispered in reply, “Good night, Summer.”

Myungsoo had no idea why he would share that to Daehyun. Nevertheless, he felt happy about it. When it all comes down to it, his younger brother could be considered as his sunshine, too.

<:>

Hello, this is Mrs. Kim. I can’t answer the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep.

Beep.

“Hey, mom, it’s me again. Daehyun’s staying with me for a week, by the way. He makes me happy. He prays to God, too. I think he puts his prayers into the form of letters more, though. Have I told you? He loves to write. I just wish dad won’t hurt him like he hurt me because—” Myungsoo sniffed, and he realized tears were already streaming down on his face. “I might kill him.”

Beep.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,"
- Hebrews 10:24

Your comments are very encouraging, and I praise and thank God for that. I am not really in the best conditiono at the moment, but the words you've weaved together made me smile. I hope you can encourage others like the way you're encouraging me. EXOGASMIC, I do not know if I am truly serene or calm. I just have no slightest idea on how I express my anger. I just usually keep quiet and cry while I tell on God. I think God's changing me and molding me for the better, though. Thank you for your kind thoughts.

Have a nice day, and God bless.