The first thing that registers in Joonmyeon's mind as he walks into his brother's home is how utterly empty it is. The furniture is still there, the pictures are still there, but the boisterous laughter of his elder brother and the sizzling of his sister-in-law's cooking are missing. Two black ribboned pictures are positioned at the front of the home and three small figures are huddled in front of them. The youngest of the sons sob miserably, furiously wiping at his tear-stained cheeks. His brothers clench their teeth and hold him, restraining their own weeping to seem strong.

Joonmyeon reaches out to them, but another hand replaces where his should have been.

"Men do not cry. Do not look pathetic, Jongin. Look at your elder brothers-see how they do not shed a tear," the children's grandfather-Joonmyeon's father-chides, not unkindly, "Do not cry."

It does little to muffle the young child's sobs and this time, Joonmyeon does reach out to him, as well as the other boys. He wraps his arms around the three and take them in for a warm hug, something he doubts they've received from his emotionally reserved parents. It's then that Jongdae bursts into tears, feeling the embrace of a man too familiar to his own father.

"A-Are they really gone, uncle?" the second-born cries, "Are we alone now?"

Pain racks the professor's heart as he feels his nephew's ache and Joonmyeon's hold tightens.

"You're not alone, Jongdae. I'm with you, Minseok's with you, and Jongin's with you." he whispers against the boy's dark locks.

After a moment of hesitation, he continues.

"Your parents aren't gone. They'll always be with you in spirit, as long as you remember their love and how much they cherished you."

A soft sniffle escapes Minseok as his stoic expression opens to that of utter suffering. The young teen's hands reach to grip Joonmyeon's black suit and he lets out a muffled sob.

"I miss them, uncle. I miss Dad's stupid jokes and the way Mom would nag me about everything. I miss them so much and I don't know what to do." he rasps out as moisture gathers in his eyes, sliding down his cheek.

Joonmyeon keeps quiet, for he knows that there's nothing he can do to dull that certain pain. It's one that he's never known and so, can never comfort.

~~~

It doesn't take long for Jongin to drift to a restless sleep, worn out from his tiring sobs. Jongdae follows not long after and their uncle positions the two together on the leather sofa. On a whim, Joonmyeon leans down to press a gentle kiss to both of the boys' temples and Jongdae's lips curl up into a smile.

"Dad?" he whispers and the man's heart clenches as he steps away, expression unreadable.

Minseok is at the kitchen table, sipping on warm tea as the adults discuss the matter of inheritence and the such. Joonmyeon settles down next to him and though his presence is acknowledged, he knows that he has little say in the matter. As an uncle, he's been nothing short of friendly and welcoming during the few times he saw the boys, but as a brother...he's never been on the best terms with his brother due to their conflicting interests and vast of 12 years.

Suddenly, a young woman speaks up, drawing all of the attention. She's slight in height, face demure and pretty, but her atmosphere is commanding and Joonmyeon doesn't have to ask to know that she's headstrong.

"I'm Park Chorong, Mr. Kim Joonhyuk's lawyer," she introduces, voice quiet but still intimidating, "There's a portion in his will that I'd like to discuss with everyone. It regards the custody of the children."

Next to his uncle, Minseok tenses and Joonmyeon rubs a calming hand on his back.

"Yes, yes, that's a mere formality, I'm sure. Ms. Park, my husband and I will help the children pack up their belongings and move them to our home in Anyang this week-"

"I'm afraid that's not possible." the lawyer interrupts Joonmyeon's mother, drawing confused stares from the others.

The elder Mr. Kim is immediately by his wife's side, eyes boring into the young woman.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Chorong murmurs, handing the two a copy of the will, "Joonhyuk didn't want his parents to be the guardians of his children. The one granted with sole custody of Minseok, Jongdae, and Jongin is-"

A gasp leaves the crowd as Joonmyeon stands, eyes wide and knuckles white as he clutches his copy of the will.

"Me," he laughs in disbelief, "Joonhyuk left his kids under my protection."

An uproar bursts through the adults and Minseok grabs onto Joonmyeon's hand in shock and fright, never having seen so many people outraged.

"He's a workaholic!"

"How can such a young man be a good parent to three kids?"

"Ridiculous! What was Joonhyuk thinking?!"

Raising his hand, Joonmyeon's father hushes the crowd and the patriarch steps up to speak.

"This is not a matter to be dealt with such chaos," he reasons, "Joonmyeon will obviously hand over the rights to us, his parents, who know better than he does."

A twinge of scorn passes through the professor's system and he distracts himself by squeezing his nephew's hand in reassurance. Minseok's hand is still and slick with sweat, the boy obviously unwilling to go with his notoriously cold grandparents.

Chorong looks at Joonmyeon, gaze assessing the man, and gives him the official will.

"That's your decision to make. Will you take the kids?" she asks simply, as if she were asking him to choose between two flavors of ice cream.

Opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again, Joonmyeon glances at the two peaceful boys slumbering in the living room and he feels his eldest nephew's fingernails digging into his palm in nervousness. He remembers the sleepless nights draped over textbooks and enduring his father's spitfire reprimanding that he knew he didn't deserve. He remembers the pain of thinking that no one cares and at that moment, his choice is clear. The consequences will be drastic, but Joonmyeon doesn't care. He saw the pain in his nephews' eyes when he came in and he knows how much worse it'll get if no one is there to heal them.

He lets go of Minseok's hand and the boy's face falls, thinking that he was being given up to his grandparents, but Joonmyeon raises him up and pushes him gently in the direction of his brothers, smile warm and encouraging.

"Go get Jongin and Jongdae, kiddo. You guys are coming home with me."