“I work in the same department as you,” Woohyun began, by the time they were both inside the car. Sunggyu’s luggage was already in the trunk. “And so, we might bump into each other frequently.”

   “I see,” Sunggyu replied. “How long have you been here?”

   Woohyun glanced at the rearview mirror before reversing the vehicle. “Long enough. My family moved here before I turned thirteen.”

   The older one nodded away.

   “So then,” Woohyun began. “I can call you hyung, right?”

   “Of course.”

   The younger one grinned. “The apartment you’re going to live in is not too far from the company. We live in the same building, so if you need anything, just ask me.”

   “Thanks.”

   “I haven’t been in Korea for about five years now,” he said. “I miss that place. Did you leave anyone special in there, aside from your family? A girl, perhaps?”

   Sunggyu looked at Woohyun, and smirked. “I did.”

   “Ah, you’re straightforward,” he remarked.

   “She left me first,” Sunggyu carried on. “She’s in an urn now.”

   “Too straightforward,” Woohyun concluded. He stopped in front of a red light. “It will take a while before we get there, hyung. You can rest if you want to.”

   Without saying a word, Sunggyu reclined his seat, only to find out that his thoughts, once again, had wandered off into Seoul.

<:>

   Myungsoo was surprised to see Daehyun’s mother standing in front of him one autumn afternoon. She was wearing a white blouse, paired with a black pencil skirt and high heels. They greeted each other, and without saying a word, Myungsoo made way for her. They settled in the living room, where Daehyun’s toys were compiled in a basket, just next to the television.

   “After all this time,” Daehyun’s mother began. “Thank you for looking after your brother.”

   “It’s nothing,” he mumbled. “I enjoy his company.”

   She smiled upon hearing this, and so Myungsoo added, “You reared him well.”

   “I heard that you went to Sunday school with him, together with a friend of yours and her brother.”

   “Yes.”

   “Daehyun was really happy. Your father…never really did that.”

   “He’s doesn’t go to church that much,” he pointed out. He tried to suppress his frown. Ever since his mother died, Myungsoo wanted to forget the fact that he was his father’s son.

   “You’re right,” she agreed.

   They looked at each other. Myungsoo bit his lower lip before asking, “What brings you here, Ma’am?”

   Her lips trembled. He could only stare at her shaking fists, resting on her lap. Myungsoo stood up to get her a glass of water. After settling down again, she finally spoke. “I’m here to ask you a favor, Myungsoo-yah. Can you…can you promise me that you will never leave Daehyun’s side, no matter what?”

   He sat still, trying to scratch the surface of her words. Myungsoo knew she meant more than that, but from the way she was looking at him, he was certain that she wouldn’t give anything away.

   “Is something the matter?” he asked.

   She smiled, and shook her head no. “I just felt like saying this. We never know what might happen in the future. We are fallible parents, your father and I. And so, Myungsoo, if we ever fall…can you look after Daehyun for a while?”

   “I’m going to look after the son of my father from another woman,” Myungsoo stated. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”

   The hurt was evident in her eyes, but she nodded anyway.

   “What makes you think that he’ll be safe in my care?”

   “You love him,” she pointed out, smiling a little. Her eyes were beginning to brim with tears. “I can only entrust Daehyun to you. This is the truth, Myungsoo.”

   “I should at least know what’s happening,” he said. “Let me understand.”

   She breathed in deeply, and finally she choked out, “We are in a very shaky relationship right now. Can Daehyun stay here for a bit longer?”

   Silence. Myungsoo sneered, and leaned back on the chair he was sitting on. “Did the two of you talk about divorce already?”

   Daehyun’s mother did not reply.

   “Don’t even think about divorce,” was all Myungsoo said, before standing up. “That’s all I need to understand. I’ll look after Daehyun.”

<:>

   “Hyung!” Sang Moon yelled, while waving in front of his monitor with a huge smile plastered on his face. “It’s great to see you!”

   “I just arrived,” Sunggyu replied with a chuckle. “How did Suzy’s birthday go?”

   “Aside from the same relatives being a pain, Myungsoo hyung visited, as well.”

   “That’s nice to hear. How about the rest? Where are they?”

   “Mom and Dad are out. It’s only noona and I at the moment. Do you want to see her?”

   “Can I?”

   Sang Moon nodded. “I’ll go get her, hyung. She must be in her room again.”

   “You do that,” he said.

   “You must be a family guy,” Woohyun remarked, as he stood beside Sunggyu’s swivel chair. “Contacting your loved ones the moment you arrive. You’ll be a great husband.”

   “They’re all I have,” Sunggyu returned. “The boy from earlier is my brother.”

   “You don’t look alike.”

   “I’m adopted.”

   Woohyun’s eyes widened a little, but he still nodded. “Where’d he go?”

   “He went to get his sister.”

   Soon, Sang Moon reappeared, with his arm hooked around Suzy’s. Sunggyu smiled, and his companion took note of it.

   “She’s here,” Sang Moon reported.

   “Suzy-yah,” Sunggyu began.

   She smiled, and waved at him. “You’ve arrived safely.”

   “Yeah. Where did Mom and Dad go?”

   “They dated,” she replied. “They’ll be back a few hours from now. How was the trip?”

   “It was peaceful for once, considering that the two of you aren’t by my side.”

   “Is that a good thing?” Suzy scoffed.

   “Not really,” he answered with a grin. “And by the way, this is Woohyun. Woohyun, these are my siblings: Sang Moon and Suzy.”

   The three waved at each other, and finally Woohyun excused himself before vanishing into the kitchen.

   “When will you start working?” Suzy asked.

   “Three days from now,” he answered.

   “Rest well, then.”

   “I will.”

   The three talked for a bit more, but when they noticed how Sunggyu frequently yawned, the younger ones decided to drop the call.

   Sunggyu entered the kitchen, only to see Woohyun preparing food.

   “It’s for dinner,” he explained. “Consider this a housewarming party for two, as well.”

   The older one could only smirk. “Thanks.”

   “Hyung,” he began, as he carried on slicing the onions.

   “What is it?”

   “You said your girl is already in an urn.”

   “I did.”

   “It’s strange, though.”

   Sunggyu looked at him. Woohyun smiled a little, and said, “It felt like your girl was the one you were chatting with earlier.”

   “What makes you say that?”

   “Writer’s intuition,” he simply answered.

    Sunggyu let out a short laugh. “She’s my sister.”

   “It must be difficult for you, then.”

   The older one smiled quietly to himself. Woohyun glanced at Sunggyu, and added, “The paper says she’s your sister, but you aren’t related by blood in reality.”

   “Don’t encourage something like this, Woohyun,” he said. “It’s more difficult than it actually is.”

   “I’m just saying,” he pointed out. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.”

   “This situation…” Sunggyu mused. “Don’t you find it strange?”

   “What do you mean?”

   “The older adopted brother being strongly attracted to his sister. Don’t you find it strange?”

   “So now you’re admitting it?”

   “I don’t have any reasons to lie to you,” Sunggyu explained.

   “Fair enough,” Woohyun replied. “It does sound strange, but I know a couple who were stepsiblings before. In the end they got married and had a child.”

   “How did that happen?”

   “Both their parents died from an accident while they were young.”

   “And their relatives?”

   “They separated the two, meaning the adults only took in the one who’s related to them by blood.”

   “And then what happened?” Sunggyu asked.

   “They grew up. There were no means of communication between them, since both sides were against the marriage of their parents. By chance, they met again, and fell in love with each other.”

   “Did they know about their past?”

   Woohyun smiled. “They found out just a few months before their wedding, where only five people from both sides of the family attended.”

   “And they carried on with it?”

   “Like I said, they got married and even had a child.”

   Sunggyu nodded away, and looked up at the ceiling.

   “That child is me,” Woohyun finished off. Sunggyu didn’t say anything. Instead, he stood up to place his phone on the dock in the living room. Soon, an acoustic song started playing, resonating against the bare walls.

You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is beneficial.
- 1 Corinthians 10:23