Chapter five

⭐ ୧ My fist. My raging
fistও 👊🏻

Later that evening, the six of them—Daeuk, Sanha, Hae-Jun, Jeong-Jae, Joo-won, and Aera—sat around the dining table for dinner. Jeong-Jae had made an impressive spread, mostly catered to Sanha and Hae-Jun's tastes, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the family. Aera, having showered to avoid catching a cold after their earlier run in the rain, sat comfortably in her baggy clothes, her damp hair tied up in a messy bun. The warm scent of home-cooked food filled the air, but there was a tension simmering under the surface.

"Your sons aren't your only children, you know," Joo-won mumbled, her eyes fixed on the array of dishes. The faint frown on her lips mirrored her disappointment.

Aera leaned back in her chair, casually crossing her arms. "She's right. You always make what Kang Hae-Jun likes. Especially lately" Her gaze drifted to Hae-Jun, who was grinning like a child on Christmas morning as he stared eagerly at his favorite foods. The sight made Sanha smirk, watching the playful glint in Aera's eyes as she tried, and failed, to mask her teasing.

Jeong-Jae gave a small chuckle, glancing between his daughters. "You like it too" he said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"So we don't need that legal adoption thing, right?" Daeuk chimed in, his tone slightly teasing as he picked up his metal chopsticks. He shot a quick glance at Joo-won, who seemed to stiffen at the mention.

Joo-won shifted in her seat, looking down at her tea. "Oh, no, no." She took a sip before continuing, her voice low but firm. "Do you think I only suggested to stop relaying love letters? Considering everything, I think it would be better to do it. Then we wouldn't have to head weird comments from the neighbors" Her words hung in the air, and Aera bit her lower lip, the familiar frustration rising in her chest.

It was always the same—neighbors, strangers, people who barely knew them, whispering behind their backs, or worse, in front of them. Pitying them. Judging them.

Jeong-Jae's brows furrowed. "Weird comments? Like what? Did someone say something?" His voice was firm, concern etched in his features as he looked around the table. None of them answered immediately, and his gaze landed back on Joo-won, who had clearly said more than she intended.

"If one of us gets hurt, who signs the consent form for surgery?" Joo-won asked, her tone a little more defensive now. She was tired of these conversations, tired of the uncertainty.

Sanha, who had been quietly eating, scowled. "Stop talking about bad stuff. Just eat," he said sharply, his serious tone cutting through the room. He didn't want to hear about it—any of it.

Joo-won wasn't deterred. "It applies to good stuff, too. Let's say I won the lottery, hypothetically," she added quickly. "But in my way from depositing money in the bank, I get into a car accident. Only my dad will get that money" she pointed to Jeong-Jae, "You guys won't get any of it!"

Jeong-Jae's expression hardened, his hand freezing mid-motion as he served another helping of food. "Is that an example of a good thing? Me getting your inheritance?" he asked, raising his voice slightly in frustration.

"No," Joo-won muttered, looking down at her plate again, chastised but still trying to make her point.

"You can't even buy a lottery ticket yet," Hae-Jun said from beside her, trying to break the tension with a light-hearted comment.

Joo-won shot him a glare. "I know. That's why I said hypothetically. Life is about preparations. Why do we get vaccinated? It isn't given after catching the flu."

Aera, sensing the growing tension and not wanting another drawn-out argument, waved her hand dismissively. "Just eat."

"If you eat well and sleep well, you won't get the flu," Hae-Jun quipped, nodding as though he were giving sage advice.

Daeuk chimed in with agreement, "Of course."

Joo-won shook her head in disbelief, clearly feeling defeated. "It isn't like that..."

Before she could finish, Sanha's phone vibrated on the table. He glanced at it, declined the call, and continued eating in silence. His maternal grandma, no doubt. The atmosphere grew heavier as Daeuk's phone rang next.

"Hello?" Daeuk answered, standing from the table as he smiled into the phone. "Yes. Oh, we are good. Yes, we are doing well. Yes" He laughed, moving toward a more private corner of the house for the conversation.

As soon as he left, all eyes shifted toward Sanha. He didn't need to say anything. They already knew who had called him.

"My maternal grandma," he finally muttered, eyes lowered to avoid their stares. The silence hung over them like a thick cloud until, almost in unison, the others began placing food on his plate—small gestures of comfort, as if sharing their food could somehow ease the sting of the call.

"Eat what I gave you," Joo-won said softly, pouting slightly, trying to lighten the mood as she nudged the food toward him. "You can have mine."

Sanha stared at the offerings for a moment, the kindness tugging at his heart. He gave a small, forced smile before taking a sip of water. "Thank you for the meal."

Jeong-Jae, noticing how little Sanha had eaten, frowned. "Why don't you have a little more?"

Sanha shook his head, still smiling faintly. "I had some bread at school," he said quietly before standing up, tucking his chair in neatly, and leaving the table. The plate of food before him remained almost untouched.

Aera sighed deeply, her eyes following him as he walked away. She knew all too well what those phone calls from Sanha's grandma were like. They were just updates about his mother's perfect new life without him. She couldn't understand the purpose—why hurt him like that?

"Ahjumma never calls," Aera muttered, her frustration seeping into her voice as she put down her chopsticks.

"Moon Aera," Jeong-Jae said, her full name rolling off his tongue like a warning.

"Is she wrong?" Joo-won interjected, a hint of disbelief in her tone.

Aera pressed on, her voice rising slightly. "Why should Kim Sanha hear about her being remarried and happy? She married a doctor and had a baby. The living room in their new apartment is as spacious as a soccer field. Her child's English kindergarten costs 2 million wons a month. Why should Kim Sanha know any of that?" She looked around the table, her frustration palpable.

Joo-won nodded in agreement, opening her mouth to add more, but Jeong-Jae cut her off sharply. "Is Sanha's grandma your friend? Stop it."

Aera clenched her jaw, looking down, unwilling to retract her words. She knew she was right, and so did everyone else.

Just then, "Yes. Let me get him" Daeuk returned from his call, still holding his phone. "Where's Sanha?" he asked, noticing the tense atmosphere at the table.

"He went upstairs," Hae-Jun pointed up, his voice calm but heavy.

"Oh, Sanha has already gone to bed. He's tired these days from all the studying. Yes, bye" Daeuk muttered into the phone before hanging up. "Why this atmosphere?"

Jeong-Jae sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll make some rice balls. Take it upstairs after dinner"

"What will you put in them?" Joo-won asked, a piece of rice stuck to her lip.

Jeong-Jae raised his fist playfully. "My fist. My raging fist"

Aera chuckled, shaking her head as she reached over to gently wipe the rice from her sister's mouth, their brief laughter cutting through the heaviness in the room.

Joo-won extended the plate of rice balls toward Sanha, the soft glow of the desk lamp illuminating his face as he sat at his desk, scribbling away in his notebook. It was late, the deep blue of night pressing against the windows of his room, only broken by the flickering streetlights below. The three of them were in Sanha's space, a place they often found themselves, even though he'd long given up on kicking them out.

"Hey, just have some," Hae-Jun urged from the window seat, where he, Joo-won, and Aera had settled in for the evening. The room was quiet except for the low hum of city noise drifting in through the cracked window, and the steady scratch of Sanha's pen on paper.

"Have some," Aera echoed, her head falling back onto Hae-Jun's shoulder, her voice lazy and teasing. She stretched her legs out, clearly more interested in relaxing than actually persuading their brother to eat.

Sanha, hunched over his books, didn't even look up. "I'll eat them later," he mumbled, flipping a page in his notebook. His face was cast in shadows, the warm light from the lamp emphasizing the exhaustion in his features. "I'll get a stomachache if I eat them now."

Joo-won frowned, placing the wrapped plate of rice balls on the edge of his cluttered desk. "When will you eat them?" she pressed, adjusting the transparent wrap to make sure he'd see the food every time he glanced up.

"Before midnight," Sanha responded, not lifting his eyes from the notes he was intensely focused on.

Aera, watching from the window seat, let out a soft, playful sigh. "We'll check the plate tomorrow morning," she teased, her voice carrying across the quiet room. As she spoke, the dim light from outside flickered across her face, giving the scene a cozy, intimate feel despite their usual banter.

"Fine"

Joo-won, with a satisfied smile, stood up and drifted over to Sanha's bed, her fingers absentmindedly running across the soft duvet. Behind her, Hae-Jun stretched out on the window seat, his legs sprawling lazily. Aera, ever content, dropped her head onto Hae-Jun's stomach, her legs shifting to rest on his lap.

Sanha finally glanced up, only to see Joo-won pause, her nose twitching as she leaned down to smell the covers on his bed. Her eyes squinted in curiosity, and she sniffed again, her expression shifting.

"What? What's this smell?" Joo-won asked aloud, turning her head slightly toward the others, her voice curious. Hae-Jun raised his head from where it had been resting against the window frame, while Aera sat up, intrigued by Joo-won's sudden focus.

"Did you change your shampoo?" Aera asked as she slid off the window seat and made her way over to his bed, her hand reaching for his blue pillow. She took a deep sniff, her brows drawing together.

Sanha looked up from his desk, clearly puzzled. "What are you doing?" he asked, standing and swiftly grabbing the pillow from Aera's hands before she could investigate any further.

Joo-won crossed her arms, faking offense. "Do you use expensive shampoo by yourself?" she accused, her tone teasing but her gaze intense, as if uncovering a hidden secret.

Without any further prompting, Aera, Hae-Jun, and Joo-won exchanged a glance before sprinting out of the room, they rushed toward his bathroom in search of answers. Sanha groaned, exasperated, and leaned back against his desk, rubbing his temples as their footsteps thundered through the apartment.

They returned moments later, triumphantly holding up three different bottles of shampoo, their faces gleaming with the thrill of discovery. They surrounded Sanha's bed once again, passing the bottles between them, sniffing each one with exaggerated seriousness.

"This is it!" Aera declared, holding up a white bottle with dramatic flair. "What is this? Why do you use cotton-scented shampoo by yourself, oppa? Explain!" She thrust the bottle toward Sanha, her voice rising in mock indignation.

"Explain!" Hae-Jun and Joo-won echoed in unison, stepping closer to corner him.

Sanha rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "Put some of this fierce energy into studying" he muttered, the tiredness in his voice betraying how little patience he had left for their antics.

"You're changing the subject!" Joo-won accused, her eyes widening dramatically as she pointed at him.

"He's changing the subject," Aera and Hae-Jun repeated, nodding solemnly in agreement.

Sanha groaned again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Cotton scent," he began, snatching the green bottle from Hae-Jun. "Lemon scent," he continued, taking the next bottle from Aera, "and strawberry scent." He grabbed the last one from Joo-won's hands. "We got them on a 2+1 sale. You three took the lemon scent saying it smell refreshing. Remember?"

Aera, Joo-won, and Hae-Jun froze, the realization slowly dawning on them.

"Ah," they chorused, their expressions shifting into sheepish smiles as they exchanged guilty looks.

Sanha, now mimicking their earlier tone, raised an eyebrow. "Ah?" he teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he stared at them. "I'm reminding you I have less than a hundred days until college entrance exam" He threw the pillow back onto his bed, clearly done with the conversation. "Spend time at your place."

"Your place? He speaks so heartlessly," Joo-won complained, frowning dramatically as she shot a look at Aera and Hae-Jun for backup.

"We also have less than a hundred days left," Hae-Jun pointed out, gesturing between himself and Aera with mock indignation.

Sanha nodded, stepping forward to grab Hae-Jun by the shoulders, turning him toward the door. "Sure. Go," he said firmly, before guiding Aera and Joo-won by their arms and pushing them all toward the exit. "Just go!"

"Gosh!" Joo-won whined, her feet dragging slightly as she protested.

"Go!" Sanha repeated, practically shoving the two girls out into the hallway. Just as he was about to close the door, he paused, staring at them with a sudden softness. "I feel better now. Close the door and go," he added, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Aera, Joo-won, and Hae-Jun couldn't help but smile back. Sanha closed the door, only to open it again a moment later, his grin wider this time. "Go!" he said one last time before shutting it for good.

The three of them stood outside his door for a moment, their smiles mirrored on each of their faces. Without saying a word, they knocked on the door in unison, then burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the quiet hallway. They bumped fists, amused by their own mischief.

"Good job," Joo-won said with a satisfied smile.

"He'll eat the rice balls, right?" Aera asked as they made their way down the dimly lit stairs, the hallway cast in shadows from the overhead lamps.

"If he's hungry, he will," Hae-Jun replied confidently, tapping in the code to their apartment door. Before opening it, he paused, turning to face them with a mock-serious expression. "Hey. I'm disappointed about something," he said suddenly.

"Okay" Joo-won shrugged, her hand hovering over the door handle as she glanced at him curiously.

"You two sometimes call Sanha 'oppa'" Hae-Jun began, his voice thick with exaggerated hurt. "Why am I just 'you,' while Kim Sanha gets to be 'oppa'? Shouldn't I get the same respect?"

"We do? When?" Aera asked, looking genuinely confused as she crossed her arms.

Hae-Jun mimicked Aera's earlier voice with perfect precision, "'Why do you use cotton-scented shampoo by yourself, oppa?'" He pouted dramatically, crossing his arms in protest. "Why am I just 'you' when Kim Sanha is 'oppa'? Shouldn't our tittles be equal?"

"Oppa," Joo-won said suddenly, her voice light and teasing. "One hundred won for every time we call you that."

"Never mind, stop it," Hae-Jun groaned, turning away quickly to open the door, clearly regretting his complaint.

"Oppa, oppa, oppa," Aera started, her voice sing-song and full of mischief.

"Three hundred won, okay?" Joo-won chimed in, grinning as Hae-Jun visibly cringed at the word.

"I said stop it!" Hae-Jun groaned, pushing the door open as he tried to escape the relentless teasing.

"Oppa, oppa, oppa," the two girls sang in unison, their voices echoing through the dimly lit apartment as they followed him inside, their laughter lingering in the quiet of the night.

"Oppa!"

࿁ • 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘬 . . . 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝒚𝒐𝒖
ྀིྀི 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝒎𝒆 𐙚 ~ @ 𝑾𝒐𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 • ࿁

I was supposed to update yesterday but I kinda forgot 🥲 sorry about that. I'm way behind, I think there's like 6 episodes already and I'm still stuck on episode 2 LMAO

Sorry just been busy watching "Love next door" with my mom, I promise I'll try to finish episode 2 and begin watching the rest of the episodes so I can finish this as quickly as possible 😮‍💨

See y'all in the next chapter tomorrow (Hopefully I won't forget this time!) 💗