Listen to 널 웃게 할 노래 by Lee Seung Gi : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgxAgLjptQw

 

"I told you not to be such a smart-."

 

I looked up from my desk and closed my eyes before opening them with a well-learned smile. "Thanks for being such a comfort, Myungsoo. How was your sleepover with Woohyun?"

 

Myungsoo gave me his signature laidback smile and shrugged. "You really don't care do you?"

 

"Ten points for Myungsoo House!" I exclaimed, only to return to the assignment sheet on my study table. 

 

Myungsoo's father and my father had been in a relationship for the past three years. My grandfather was not alive anymore but I knew that our samurai ancestry would not have approved of this union. Even if I had the argument of many 'suspicious' friendships among a few samurais from whatever little research I had done, I knew I would have been too shy to argue against my rough-and-tough grandpa. 

 

Mother had been devastated after Father confessed that she would have to enter a marriage of convenience. She had however also empathized with his situation and after I was born, all gossip stopped. Mother passed away four years ago from ovarian cancer and I knew there was a lot of guilt Father was carrying around in his heart. Myungsoo's father was a blessing in disguise and having  Myungsoo as a brother made me feel less lonely. 

 

Lately he had been acting a little too strangely. 

 

As much as I knew him, Myungsoo was the most eased out person in the world. He didn't give a rat's about my perpetually 'out-of-reach' social networking skills. He himself had an ever-expanding group of friends but a small tight-knit circle he could get drunk with every night. Not once had he ever commented on my crush on Hoya and even last night when he found me sitting in the living room, weeping over my hot chocolate, he just glanced at me and climbed up to his room. 

 

From time-to-time however, Myungsoo would subtly showcase his feelings for me. Sometimes he would throw me a muffler, even though the warmth I needed was not physical. When I resorted towards my bedroom after the emotional breakdown session the previous night, I  found him peeking from his room to make sure I had made it in safely. When he was out with friends, he would "-dial" me and "spontaneously" invite me to have a meal with him and his group. 

 

I knew that Myungsoo was making the effort because he knew I couldn't. 

 

"I just don't know..." I murmured, aware that he was standing behind me, listening intently. "Am I being wrong? Should I be making the effort? I've always believed that love doesn't require effort, that people just fall for each other without expecting anything from the future. Then why isn't anyone falling for me? Do I have to wait for each February to tell me there's no one?"

 

I sighed, the words making me feel less lighter than I expected. I turned to face Myungsoo, who was grinning down at me. I furrowed my eyebrows when he ruffled my hair and asked me to wear my coat. 

 

"Let's get you out of this house. Leave those papers until Christmas passes."

 

I nodded and followed him out. 

 

                                                                                             *****************************

Listen to Hey U by Venny : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9w4P53X0Ro

 

Families were spilling out into the neighbourhood park, anticipating a fun afternoon under the winter sun. Myungsoo and I stood out oddly and I wondered how many siblings actually spent time with each other like this and whether it was always obvious that they were siblings. 

 

My brother was surely giving me space and let me wander around wherever I wanted. There was an ice-cream cart nearby, serving waffles, pancakes and crepes as well. I shared a banana waffle sundae with Myungsoo and reminded myself to share big meals with him. Never had I noticed before what a big eater he was. I wondered how much he noticed me. 

 

My thoughts trailed downwards and the 'treat-yourself-like-a-punchbag' session began. Even with him smiling next to me and jabbering non-stop about Woohyun getting hammered the night before, I wondered if I was being plain selfish. Myungsoo knew so much about me, much more than I could have ever imagined. We weren't related by blood,  but that wasn't an excuse for me to shut him out of my life unless I needed him. Selfish, plain selfish and I---

 

"Oof!"

 

My right shoulder felt bruised and I was staring at the sky. The back of my head was hurting like hell and when I began blinking, I hallucinated the sun dancing behind the figure hovering above me. 

 

It wasn't a hallucination. There was someone looking down at me, the sun's brightness making it impossible for me to see his face. 

 

"You alright?!" a frantic voice hollered. I didn't know who he was, but the pang of concern ringing in his tone warmed my heart. Until I realized that maybe he was the reason why I was flat on my . 

 

"I've been better," I grumbled and hesitatingly took his support to lift myself up. I rubbed my head and found myself looking up at a tall man, his jeans stained with grass and mud while the collar of his red sweatshirt was splattered with sweat. His hair itself was matted to his forehead and his sharp features failed their purpose when his eyes widened at me, his words stumbling upon each other when he spoke. Another man ran upto him, inspecting my body until I waved at him to stop. 

 

"I'm absolutely fine." I narrowed my eyes at him, lest he took advantage of the situation to check me out. He seemed to have understood my discreet gaze and in a hurry, picked up a football and left a slap on his friend's back.

 

"Get back Sungyeol," he said and ran off. The man named Sungyeol called out to wait, lingering infront of me. His eyes were blinking at the speed of light and when I cleared my throat, he straightened his back. 

 

"I'm sorry! You're not badly hurt are you?" he asked. His sincerity touched me again until a voice behind me spoke up. 

 

"Watch it," Myungsoo said in his most intimidating voice possible. In most cases it worked. This Sungyeol kid seemed to be an exception. 

 

"Hey I didn't mean to harm your girlfriend," he replied, sounding a tad bit irritated. 

 

"She's not my girlfriend," Myungsoo said, stammering a bit at the misunderstanding. That riled up Sungyeol and the roles switched. 

 

"Who the hell are you then to interrupt?!" he shouted. "Mind your own business okay?! Miss, why don't you sit on that bench. I know guys like him, looking for situations where they can play the white knight and then kidnap you in a vehicle with tinted windows."

 

The possibility of having Myungsoo even daring to kidnap a girl made me smile and for some reason, I didn't feel like correcting Sungyeol. He didn't let Myungsoo reason out our relationship and continued shouting about "unnecessary interventions" and how his long limbs often helped him to deal with such troublemakers.

 

"Yah Ninja!" Myungsoo finally shouted, completely exasperated. "Explain will you!"

 

I looked at the two and then nodded at Sungyeol. "He's my brother."

 

Sungyeol widened his eyes at me then back at Myungsoo. "But you two don't look alike... I'm sorry!" He bowed to both of us and grinned widely, looking like he didn't need any forgiving to reprieve his embarrassment. 

 

"It's okay," Myungsoo clicked his tongue, acting sassy all of a sudden. "At least I know Ninja'll be safe alone if there's guys like you."

 

"Ah," Sungyeol said --- was that a blush? --, "no problem. And you are?"

 

"Myungsoo," he said, offering a handshake. The two settled the matter and Sungyeol rested his eyes on me. 

 

"Sorry for the inconvenience Ninja," he smiled. "I was just scared about your face. You don't want a scar on a face like that."

 

The fact that Sungyeol didn't think his comment was bold at all, his oblivious grin shining down at me, made me feel awkward. Myungsoo laughed and before I knew it, he was tugging me along so he could join the game with his new friend. 

 

It was only when twenty-five minutes passed into the game did I realize that not once had Sungyeol commented on my name. His friends had raised their eyebrows and even passed amused gazes at each other. But Sungyeol seemed to have not given a damn about himself, calling out my attention-seeking name from time-to-time to ask if I was getting bored. 

 

How could I? In all my life, never had I seen someone so full of life as Sungyeol.