Jaehyun had met Taeil by coincidence, only a few weeks after Jungwoo made him join the radio show. It was his first year of medical school, and by some ghastly of luck, his assignment had been conveniently left out of the pile. He had heard that one of the teaching assistants was holding office hours, so he thought he could somehow charm his way into getting his late assignment accepted. When he poked his head through the door, he caught the sight of Seulgi sitting on a desk, her legs swaying and shoulders shaking as she exchanged mirthful laughter with a bright-eyed man sitting by the very same desk.

It took him a while to figure out that they were siblings. Normal siblings, too – none of the half-siblings, stepsiblings, siblings that found each other after twenty years of being separated by fate type of bull. They looked nothing like each other, were so close in age, had different last names –which Seulgi later explained was her parents trying to be modern by having her take her mother’s maiden name– and got along like a house on fire, so much so that he initially mistook Taeil as her boyfriend, and was close to texting Johnny to just give up already–

Jaehyun propped his elbows on the dining table, watching Seulgi and Taeil quibble fondly about how “you shouldn’t be cooking, Taeil-oppa, that’s why I’m here to help” and “don’t lie to yourself, Seul-bear, you burn water, let me handle this”, their mellow voices oddly melodic in the small, quaint kitchen.

He swept a glance across the interconnected living room, eyes trailing over the myriad of photo frames mounted on every surface that wasn’t occupied with books or medical paraphernalia. Just of them, the both of them – Seulgi and Taeil, without anyone else. Among them were Seulgi and Taeil building sandcastles by the beach, Seulgi and Taeil at a childhood piano recital, Seulgi and Taeil wearing Mickey Mouse headbands at some stereotypical Disneyland, Seulgi and Taeil at Seulgi’s high school graduation, and Seulgi and Taeil at Seulgi’s college graduation – the only picture with Taeil sitting down. There were many other frames that Jaehyun couldn’t make out under the dim lighting, but there weren’t any past that point of time. Jaehyun knew it was probably still an important moment to Taeil, or else he wouldn’t have put it up on display.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Taeil-oppa,” Seulgi said, setting a massive platter of sweet-and-sour chicken on the dining table. She rushed back to the kitchen to grab utensils, but Taeil already had them on his lap, wheeling himself into the dining area. “I keep telling you not to make so much!”

“Why? It’s not like you can’t finish it,” Taeil laughed. It was a fair assessment, Jaehyun knew. Seulgi was a swan with a bear’s appetite.

Seulgi sighed, pulling up a chair. “I can eat, but not this much,” she said.

“It’s fine. If we have leftovers, you can just take it back,” he replied. “It’s good for you to have more homecooked food, anyway. I bet you and Johnny are always getting takeout late at night in the office.”

“We get it sometimes. What else do we eat on late nights?” Seulgi defended, helping Taeil to circulate the utensils. “And I do eat at home – Jungwoo’s been making it a point to make breakfast daily. Sometimes he packs me lunch, too.”

“Jungwoo’s probably busy, too. Don’t trouble him.” Taeil waved dismissively and gestured to the food. “Let’s eat!”

Both siblings intuitively started piling chicken on each other’s plates, achieving the same effect as if they were to pile them on their own. A few seconds later, Seulgi had beat Taeil to filling Jaehyun’s plate, and somehow Jaehyun was the first person to actually eat. He popped a piece of chicken into his mouth, letting the contrasting tastes meld into a burst of flavor on his tongue. He had to admit – it was pretty good.  

“How’s work, Jae?” Taeil asked, turning to Jaehyun. “Lots of clients?”

“The usual,” Jaehyun nodded. “I’m still alright, compared to Seulgi. Have you heard about her new case?” he said, earning himself a warning nudge from Seulgi.

Taeil watched the exchange with raises eyebrows. “Of course, I was talking to Johnny about it over the phone last week. Ashin Corporation’s crown prince is getting divorced, right?” he said. “Why? Something I’m not supposed to know?”

“No, no, of course not,” Seulgi replied quickly. God damn it, Johnny, she sighed to herself.

“Well,” he said, slowly cutting himself a piece of chicken, “if you didn’t tell me because you thought I’d be worried – you thought right.” He raised his head, looking at Seulgi with concerned eyes. “Seulgi, the whole South Korea is watching this case. Are you sure that you want to subject yourself to such scrutiny–“

“No, I don’t,” Seulgi interrupted. She set a hand on Taeil’s, preemptively attempting to reassure him. “That’s why, don’t worry – I’m just going to assist Johnny for a week or two, and drop out. Changmin-sunbae would understand.”

Taeil’s eyes softened. “Would he?”

“He would. Don’t worry.”

“Alright, well, as long as you can manage it,” Taeil said, hesitantly reaching for his glass and downing the remnants of water. “This case is insane. Everyone’s been talking about it, worried that the stock market’s going to take a turn once the verdict is out.”

Seulgi nodded, heaving a sigh. “It probably will, if I’m being honest. They’ve been married for a while, so she’s definitely has a controlling interest in the shares, and probably will fight for more.”

“Jesus,” Taeil said, shaking his head. “That’s why choosing the right life partner is so important. You don’t know who your divorce can hurt.”

A tense, sterile silence slowly enveloped both siblings. Jaehyun cleared his throat and promptly stood up. “Okay if I use the bathroom?” he asked.

“Sure,” Taeil nodded quickly. “Straight down the hallway.”

Seulgi flipped a lone piece of broccoli on her plate, fixating on it until Jaehyun was safely out of earshot. She saw Taeil’s chest fall, watching him exhale wearily.

He poked Seulgi’s arm. “You,” he said, staring at her sternly, “you should stop letting Jaehyun drive you here. It’s such a long drive for him every week.”

“It’s not like I can tell him what to do. You know I’ve tried,” Seulgi sighed, returning his look. “He wants to see you too, Taeil-oppa. He’s your friend as much as he is mine.”

Taeil drew his breath. “I know, I know,” he smiled, letting the old memories slowly flood into his mind. “I never thought the joker would actually quit medical school after I did,” he chuckled to himself. “Jaehyun, a therapist? It’s been years and I still find it unbelievable.”

“Well, it’s less risky than him becoming a doctor,” Seulgi pointed out. “Can you imagine it? He’d be so out of the way that his patients wouldn’t even know who treated them. He might not even take on patients the legal way. He’d be a literal ghost doctor.”

Taeil laughed at the thought. Jaehyun being a shady, unknown, underground surgeon was quite befitting of him.

“So, is he seeing someone?” Taeil continued. “Actually, are both of you seeing people? Please don’t tell me you’re both still footloose and fancy-free.”

“Jaehyun?” Seulgi snorted. “He’s probably footloose, but not fancy-free. He’s probably 90% of what the rest of us gossip about.”

“And you?”

Seulgi inhaled, digging her fork into another piece of chicken. “Married,” she said, eyeing Taeil as his brows rose all the way to his hairline, “to my job.”

Taeil nearly choked. “God, Seulgi–“

“Oh, please don’t start,” Seulgi sighed. “I’ve just been really busy. Johnny pulling me onto this mega-case also isn’t helping. Let me just figure out all this first.”

“You always say this,” Taeil nagged. “After this case, you better go on some dates. You know you’ll always be the most beautiful person, in my eyes, but society’s going to see things differently a couple of years. Don’t waste your youth just nose-deep in work.”

“Okay, okay.” Look who’s talking, Seulgi wanted to shoot back, but she knew when not to argue. Thirty-three years with her brother gave her very good insight on who would win a battle between them. She took in a breath, set down her fork, and levelled her eyes on her older brother. “Taeil-oppa,” she called.

“Yes?” He looked up.

“You should move back to Seoul and live with me and Jungwoo.”

He sighed. He withdrew his hands, placing them on the wheelchair and swiftly wheeling himself back into the kitchen. “Seul, we’ve gone over this–“

“There are so many good medical research firms there. With your resume, they wouldn’t bat an eyelid in taking you in. Even if you wanted to continue at your current place, I know for sure they have a Seoul branch,” Seulgi said, trying to cover all her bases like she was in trial at court. “Plus, I also found a really good physiotherapist who Jaehyun recommended. I’d be able to take you to his clinic every Saturday, too, instead of driving up to Incheon–“

“Seulgi,” Taeil said, with his usual sense of finality in his tone, “I’m happy here. Don’t worry about me. I also keep telling you and Jaehyun not to come all the way here, but neither of you listen.”

“Because you don’t, either.” Seulgi ran her fingers through her hair, emitting a frustrated laugh.

Taeil’s eyes met hers, and in what was a brief, telepathic moment, their expressions softened. Taeil smiled, pulling open the refrigerator and extracting a few stacks of plastic Tupperware, filled with what seemed to be an entire lifetime’s worth of side dishes.

“That’s not all for me, right?” Seulgi asked, narrowing her eyes.

“No, it’s not,” Taeil set, lining up the Tupperware in a neat row in front of her. Seulgi counted ten, no, eleven. “It’s for you, Jaehyun, Johnny, Wendy, Yuta and Jungwoo. And give some to Mark, too. The last time I met him, he looked like he grew five meters.”

“God, Taeil-oppa,” Seulgi said, half-laughing, half-groaning. “You really are turning into a little old lady.”

“I second that.” Both Seulgi and Taeil turned, watching Jaehyun as he strode out of the hallway, with what was his usual, impeccable timing. “Did you pick up knitting or something? There were like fifty red doilies hanging in the bathroom.”

“Handkerchiefs,” Taeil corrected. “What? I just happened to have some string!”

Seulgi and Jaehyun stared at Taeil, erupting into peals of laughter.

“Should we make him really awful?” Johnny asked, trudging through the living room. He lifted up a foot to kick Yuta, who was splayed out on the couch looking like he was about to ask someone to paint him like one of his French girls.

Yuta refused to budge, so Johnny just sat on him. Seulgi pushed her spoon into her tub of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy. “Who?” She looked up.

“Who do you think? The person we’re going to steal 70% of his wealth from,” he sighed. “Should we go all out? Bring out all the big guns – assault, neglect, adultery, maybe throw in murder if we find it?” He kicked Yuta a few more times, finally getting a small section of the couch for himself.

“God, Johnny, client confidentiality,” Seulgi said, scooping up her ice cream.

Yuta aimed a kick at Johnny, successfully sending the document Johnny was holding flying into the air. Before Johnny could come for him, Yuta darted to the kitchen. “How many packets of popcorn should I make?”

“One!”

“Six!”

Wendy whipped her head around, glowering at Jungwoo and looking like she was about to shove him into the microwave instead of the un-popped popcorn. “Six?” she squawked, flabbergasted. “One for each of us? Are you nuts?”

“I’ll eat yours if you don’t want it, so just shut up,” Jungwoo said, waving a dismissive hand at her.

Wendy slapped his hand away. “You won’t even eat yours!” she shot at him. “You’re going to be too busy screaming at the horror movie for you to eat .”

Jungwoo bolted upright, his sudden movement nearly displacing Seulgi from her space next to him. “We’re watching a horror movie tonight? Whose idea was this?”

“Everyone but you,” Jaehyun said, curled up comfortably on Seulgi’s other side. She shifted after Jungwoo almost knocked her over, and Jaehyun patted his legs, letting her use his folded legs as a backrest. “Read the group chat, buddy.”

“What the ! We’re not watching any of that , I veto–“

“I’m making five!” Yuta called, thumbing the buttons of the microwave.

Johnny turned back to Seulgi. “It’s fine,” he said, continuing their earlier conversation. “It’s just our lot here. If any of these ers rat on us, we can all get arrested together. Might even be a better option than being dealt a follow-up suit from Kwon Boa because we couldn’t deliver.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Jungwoo fan himself.