Archive of Our Own

Yeojoo has it all in her memory of how their family would act as soon as they saw Minhyuk in the property. It would all start with Minhyuk and Kihyun walking together with shoulders touching each other, or Minhyuk having his arm wrapped around Kihyun’s shoulders. Then, Bongsook, their 3-year-old dog would come running out of the kitchen while barking her small body off towards the men, begging to be picked up by either Kihyun or Minhyuk.

After Bongsook was successfully carried in one of the men’s hands, then mom would also appear from the kitchen with her apron on. She would greet Minhyuk with a warm smile and a high-pitched noise as if Minhyuk was a puppy. The man didn't mind the lovely gesture—even Yeojoo believed he was a puppy in his previous life. Then, Yeojoo would have to acknowledge the presence of those annoying men with a nod and a brief hum without having to leave sight off her phone for more than 5 seconds. She never paid attention to the two childish adult men since she started puberty.

Yeojoo has known Lee Minhyuk since they were in elementary school, and the extrovertness of him managed to worsen Kihyun’s antics as time went by. Yeojoo had always been tailing them both wherever they went that the neighborhood called them “The Troublemaker Trio” for how mischievous and loud the three of them are.

Well, Yeojoo believes she has grown out of it; she’s no longer the chaotic, messy kid she was. She can’t say the same for Minhyuk and Kihyun, though.

They’re still loud and silly—Yeojoo sometimes let a giggle escape when she witnessed them bickering and joking around—although there was a change in their interaction. Somehow, Minhyuk became more touchy towards Kihyun, and Kihyun seemed more accepting towards the contact. It felt bizarre to see her own twin brother accepting affection from a friend, but who is Yeojoo to complain?

When Yeojoo wasn’t around to monitor them and play-pretend to be their mom, she could hear them cackling and singing along to the songs playing on Kihyun’s computer from his room. It was annoying at first, but Yeojoo finally accepted her fate.

Boys will always be boys.

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat and Yeojoo would become the next victim of it. She decided to confront Kihyun when they were alone, lounging in the living room as the sound from the TV became a white noise. A brief talk between twins, one might claim.

“Does Minhyuk have a girlfriend?” Yeojoo asked.

Kihyun swallowed the mint chocolate ice cream, before pouting to the question. “Why? You like him?”

Yeojoo pulled her neck backwards, offended by the wild assumption. “Fuck no!”

Her brother scooped another spoonful of ice cream while his eyes were still on the screen, being too invested in the intense climax scene. “So, what’s up? It’s weird for you to suddenly bring up Minhyuk.”

“Well, it’s weird to see him always being in our house.” Yeojoo took the spoon from Kihyun’s grip before stealing the ice cream into her mouth.

Kihyun rolled his eyes, disapproving of Yeojoo’s betrayal of taking his ice cream. She shrugged, putting the spoon back into Kihyun’s bowl.

“You too,” Yeojoo started again, getting a glance from her brother, “do you have a girlfriend?”

“You’re worrying about me now?”

“I mean, you’re always hanging out with him,”

“Well, I’m always bored,” Kihyun chuckled, “and he’s my only friend,”

Yeojoo put her chopsticks down, crossing her arms on the table as her eyes were pinned at the two men across her. Kihyun was still forcing more food into his cheeks, stuffing himself as if he was a hamster preparing for winter to come. Minhyuk on the other hand, noticed Yeojoo’s sudden passive act, yet didn’t make any comment about it.

She stayed silent, watching her brother eat like a starving man. She predicted this gluttony act of him might be the reason for his lack of girlfriends in his life.

“You’re full already?” Minhyuk pointed his chopsticks at Yeojoo’s plates.

“No, not yet,” Yeojoo answered.

“Then, why are you stopping?” Minhyuk extended his arm, hovering over a piece of fried chicken on Yeojoo’s plate. “May I take this one?”

Yeojoo frowned, yet impressed with Minhyuk’s usual blatant behavior. He truly never changed.

“You owe me a 5-piece fried chicken tonight if you steal mine,” Yeojoo said, her chin pointing towards Minhyuk, yet the man flared his nose only in annoyance.

“It’s your fault for leaving the chicken untouched,” Kihyun mumbled, eyes avoiding her.

The woman squinted her eyes at her brother, feeling completely betrayed for not getting him to her side. She scoffed and smirked, poking the inside of her cheek with her tongue. She eyed the men across her, ready to pounce like a hawk preying on a poor little mouse.

“For the period of your adulthood… have you guys ever had girlfriends?” Yeojoo started, a playful smirk playing on her face.

Minhyuk raised his eyebrows, staring at Yeojoo in amusement. Kihyun, on the other hand, was slowing down on his aggressive chewing session. His eyes were glancing at both Minhyuk and Yeojoo, being the true coward he is. His friend picked up his glass, taking a big gulp of cold water. A thud was heard from the contact of the glass placed on the wooden table, making Kihyun jerked at the sound.

“Yeah,” Minhyuk answered briefly before offering a wide smile to Yeojoo.

Kihyun, who was next to him, nodded at the answer.

Yeojoo furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side. “Really? I never see you hanging out with a girl, and Kihyun has never introduced me to any of his girlfriends— if they even exist in the first place.”

Minhyuk took a glance at his friend who was still busy eating rather than feeding Yeojoo’s curiosity. “Well, Kihyun and I are two different people. I don’t know about Kihyun, but I sure did have a girlfriend once.”

“I have,” Kihyun chimed in, still not putting his chopsticks down.

“Oh?” Yeojoo propped her chin up with her palm, intrigued by Kihyun’s sudden interest in their conversation. “So, tell me, Kihyun, what kind of girls do you like?”

A brief discreet glance was given by Kihyun towards Minhyuk, followed by a warm smile—Yeojoo almost missed it. She almost missed the affectionate smile the two men exchanged in front of her.

“I, well…” Kihyun cleared his throat, putting his chopsticks on his bowl of rice. “I like… the happy-go-lucky ones, like a… um, golden retriever. You know… the dog .”

Yeojoo scoffed seeing her twin’s expression as if she didn’t know the basic breeds of dogs. Golden retriever, a type of big sized dog which is energetic, full of excitement. She turned her gaze at Minhyuk, who had this goofy smirk plastered on his face—Yeojoo wanted to slap his face but it wouldn’t be appropriate to do so in public. Unfortunately .

Why would he even have that expression, anyway? Yeojoo couldn’t figure that out.

“What about you, Minhyuk?”

“Me?” Minhyuk grinned. “I like the ones who are cute in their own way. A bit aggressive, but will act cute in private. It gives me a sense of exclusivity towards me, you know.”

Yeojoo’s eyes glimmered, accepting the logical answers from both of the men. Without exchanging any more words, she nodded then went back to her food, finishing up the last couple bites from her plate.

Yeojoo might be sleeping at that time, hence she wasn’t sure whether she was dreaming. The walls between her room are thick and sturdy, rarely she could listen to the noises from Kihyun’s room being next to hers. Honestly, she just didn’t care. She never cared to eavesdrop on Kihyun’s room as she dislikes the action being done to her as well. A clear boundary between the twins.

Somehow, Yeojoo could hear whispers and giggles coming from outside.

“Baby,” a man moaned, dragging the last note in his voice to make it sweeter.

“Shh,” another low voice chimed in, whispering, “don’t make too much noise or Yeojoo will wake up,”

A giggle came; judging by the voice, it was Kihyun.

Weird , they were both men’s voices. Whose voice was the other one?

“Minhyuk,” Kihyun called softly, yet loud enough for Yeojoo’s ears to pick up.

Ah, right. Minhyuk. It’s always Minhyuk.

Yeojoo yawned, feeling her eyelids becoming heavier as the second went by. She would tell those two childish adults to keep their voices low later, after she had her most cherished nap.

(Yeojoo absolutely forgot about to confront them.)

The two men never got enough on making explosive breakthroughs in life.

Yeojoo checked for any signs of rejection on their parents’ faces, yet she found nothing. Mom was sipping on her soup, and dad was busy disciplining Bongsook, trying to stop her from jumping and scratching his legs for some human food. Kihyun, on the other hand, pulled both of the corners of his lips into a tight smile.

He just asked their parents to live with Minhyuk near their campus, and the dinner table was still as quiet as before.

“Mom,” Kihyun called for attention.

Mom lifted her sight towards her son, offering a warm polite smile at him. She clearly heard Kihyun’s proposal, but she didn’t give any answer yet. Yeojoo wondered why.

“So, what’s your opinion about it?” Kihyun asked, “dad, I’m also asking you the same question so stop playing with Bongsook!”

Dad lifted his head, forced to ignore Bongsook for a moment. His dumbfounded stare took Yeojoo off—she spurted the water out of her mouth, luckily to the floor instead of across the table.

“Yeojoo!” Mom yelped, “what is wrong with you?!”

“Sorry, mom.” Yeojoo wiped her lips, still stifling her laughter. “Dad always looks silly everytime we catch him playing with Bongsook.”

“I wasn’t playing with her,” dad said, gathering his dignity back before putting rice into his mouth.

Yeojoo chuckled. He has always been the type of dad that would reject a pet’s presence the first time, but then will shower it with love when no one is looking.

“So, dad,” Kihyun called him.

“Ah, yes.” Dad took a beef cutlet and dipped it in the sauce. “Sure.”

The twins tilted their heads in the same direction. Mom giggled at the sight; truly a sight when her children were being cute unintentionally.

“What do you mean ‘sure’ ?” Kihyun asked.

“You can live with Minhyuk, as long as you split the bill and rent.” Dad shrugged. “I’ll help you with parts of the rent, but you should get a part-time job to cover parts of it as well.”

Yeojoo had never seen Kihyun having the brightest smile until that time, and it sent chills through her spine.

It was funny how Yeojoo found herself sitting in the backseat while having a box of Kihyun’s belongings on her lap, with her left and right were stacks of boxes and DIY racks poking her head annoyingly. The box was filled with his collection of figurines of dragons and robots, and albums of his favorite bands, and in Kihyun’s words, they are fragile and have to be placed carefully in someone’s care—Yeojoo was present for that task.

Kihyun was sitting in the passenger seat, his lap was suspiciously empty, unlike Yeojoo. Minhyuk was the driver (somehow they hadn’t hit any curbs yet), and he was singing along to Kihyun’s favorite songs. Yeojoo wanted to complain, but she figured her complaints wouldn’t even be heard and decided it would be best to think about her happy place instead.

It didn’t help much as they were stuck in a traffic jam. Great, Yeojoo couldn’t wait to straighten her legs later.

“Oh! Bungeoppang!” Kihyun pointed at the stall on the sidewalk.

“There’s some money in my wallet,” Minhyuk said, without giving another glance at Kihyun.

Swiftly, Kihyun picked Minhyuk’s wallet, taking a couple cash with him before getting out of the car. A couple of cars honked at him, and he bowed apologetically towards them before sprinting to the bungeoppang stall.

In the car, it was only Yeojoo and Minhyuk accompanied by the music from the player. They both were watching Kihyun waiting for the bungeoppang to be put inside a paper bag. After giving a sufficient amount of money, Kihyun then bowed at the old man selling the treat, before then running back to the car with a wide grin on his face. His hair was bouncing as he took more steps, and the wind was brushing his bangs away from his forehead.

Noticing the adorable scene playing in the distance, Minhyuk took his phone out and leaned his forearms on the steering wheel, taking photos and videos of Kihyun.

“Ah, cute!” He cooed at the sight, his camera was still recording, “he’s so cute,”

Yeojoo felt… particularly funny; watching Minhyuk compliment Kihyun only because he was running with two paper bags full of piping hot bungeoppang was strange, yet again, Yeojoo didn’t make any comment about it.

When Kihyun finally got back into the car, he quickly turned his torso towards Yeojoo. He extended his arm, giving a whole paper bag of bungeoppang to his sister. Yeojoo took it without any complaints, then searched for the custard filled ones.

“Which one do you want?” Kihyun asked, his gaze was fixed on Minhyuk who finally could move forward slowly with the traffic.

“The red bean,”

Kihyun took one out, broke it right in the middle and gave the head to Minhyuk. Instead of taking it with his hand like a normal person, Minhyuk opened his mouth widely instead and made a long “ah” sound—a signal to be hand fed.

“Use your hand,” Kihyun nagged.

“Feed me,” Minhyuk replied demandingly.

“What a spoiled brat,” Kihyun muttered under his breath, pulling the bungeoppang head back to himself to blow on it.

Kihyun extended his arm back to Minhyuk, offering to feed Minhyuk who had his eyes pinned on the road.

“Careful,” Kihyun said.

Minhyuk, failing to comprehend what ‘careful’ means, decided it would be wise to take a big bite—he quickly learned his lesson. He kept his mouths apart, inhaling and exhaling breaths of air to cool the bungeoppang in his mouth. He made a screeching sound in his throat, feeling the burn on his poor tongue, yet his friend was laughing at him.

Yeojoo, who was observing the scene while eating her own bungeoppang, kept stealing glances at them.

The new apartment became Yeojoo’s place to hang out. Her parents were worried that she might be jealous of Kihyun for getting his own place to live near the campus, but Yeojoo insisted on staying with mom and dad to steal their whole attention as she was studying in a different university than Kihyun and Minhyuk.

However, there was a reason why Yeojoo kept visiting their apartment.

She realized how quiet it was when there were no two childish adult men in their 20s talking loudly and cackling like a bunch of seagulls terrorizing people on the beach which is ironic for how much Yeojoo complained about their noises for years.

The couch was small for Yeojoo to lie on, yet she felt at ease. With her right hand feeding herself of chips, her left hand was holding her phone, playing a video of cats and dogs being adorable. It was a calm afternoon; Kihyun was in the bathroom taking a shower and Minhyuk was in his room, doing whatever he could do alone.

Ping!

A familiar sound alerted Yeojoo. Kihyun’s phone was on the table, its screen lit up as a text notification showed up.

Yeojoo swears on her whole life, she isn’t the type of person to nudge her nose into other people’s business, especially not into her twin brother’s life. Yet somehow, the lockscreen of his phone caught her attention. The text itself? Not so interesting.

The wallpaper showed a picture of Minhyuk and Kihyun standing on a beach, grinning and laughing at each other. The picture seemed to be taken using a phone perched up on a tripod judging at the angle of it. It made Yeojoo wonder, does Kihyun actually not have any other friends?

The trickling sound of water died down inside the bathroom, signaling that Kihyun had finished showering and would exit the bathroom in seconds. Yeojoo locked the phone back, turning the screen off before going back to her previous position, laying on the couch with her eyes staring onto the screen blankly.

The class for the day was cancelled, and Yeojoo had no interest in going back to home as soon as possible. She called her brother, wanting to ask for a space for her to take a nap for a while. It took a bit of time for Kihyun to pick his phone up, and when she got through the call, it was another person talking.

“Minhyuk?”

Minhyuk chuckled nervously, “hi, sorry Kihyun is asleep right now,”

“Oh, um,” Yeojoo said, slurring her words in the process, “may I hang out at your place for a while? My class got cancelled and I don’t want to go home yet,”

“Sure,”

“Thanks, Minhyuk,”

Yeojoo hung up the call, quickly running towards the bus stop.

She rang the bell, and in less than a minute, she could hear a hurried set of footsteps coming running to the door. Minhyuk opened the door, offering a polite smile to Yeojoo despite his face was swollen and messy hair.

“Sorry, I just woke up, so don’t mind the swollen face and all.” Minhyuk scratched the back of his neck, smiling lopsidedly.

“Good nap?” Yeojoo asked.

“Mhm,” Minhyuk said, “until you called. Well, technically, you called Kihyun,”

Yeojoo chuckled, “thanks for letting me staying here for a break,”

“No problem.” Minhyuk opened the fridge, taking out a litre bottle of cold water. “You can go to Kihyun's bedroom if you want to take a nap.”

Yeojoo, who was going to place herself on the couch, froze at Minhyuk’s words. She made a face, confused by his nonchalant words and action. Minhyuk was gulping the water and didn't notice the conflicted thoughts Yeojoo had in mind.

“Kihyun’s room? I thought you said he was sleeping,”

Minhyuk nodded, putting the water bottle back into the fridge before slowly closing it to make minimum noise. “Oh, he’s in my room. His room is all yours.”

The woman stared at the man, bewildered. The cogs inside her head were working hard, trying to connect the dots. Kihyun was asleep—Yeojoo could understand that perfectly, but the thing which she didn’t was Kihyun sleeping in Minhyuk’s room. Their apartment wasn’t a single bedroom, no, it was a two-bedrooms property, and both rooms were used by each tenant. There was no reason for Kihyun to do a little sleepover session when his room was perfectly fine.

Right?

“Um.” Yeojoo tucked her hair behind her ear. “Why is he sleeping in your room?”

Minhyuk pulled the corner of his lips, yet his eyes were searching around the room. “I… slept in his room and he’s in my room.”

As much as Yeojoo wanted to not believe her brother’s childhood friend, Minhyuk seemed… undeniably trustworthy. He seemed to be so manipulative, but Yeojoo couldn’t place a finger on the misplaced things about the guy. 

Minhyuk walked past her, leaving her standing in the middle of the room in confusion, only to enter his room. His own room. The room where Kihyun is supposed to be sleeping . Nothing made sense anymore.

There was something about Yeojoo and taking a nap.

She was sure that she only took an hour to rest her body and mind—she checked her phone twice already before going out of Kihyun’s room—but maybe her vision and brain were messing her up. She might be still dreaming and this was all a hallucination. An object of her own imagination.

She pushed the door ajar, exposing the view across the room wider. She wanted to look more closely, to observe the scene in detail, but she didn’t want to give her presence away.

Minhyuk was standing there, his hands were perched on the kitchen island and he was whispering, talking to someone. His shoulders are broad, it could almost hide the other person who was standing in front of him, washing the dishes while listening and responding to Minhyuk. They were giggling, soft enough as if they didn’t want to bother Yeojoo.

Yeojoo had all things going on in her head, once again getting curious to know about Minhyuk’s hidden relationship, and also Kihyun’s whereabouts.

Does Kihyun let Minhyuk bring people over? Well, they’re both in legal age, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they had their partners over to hang out at home, but when knowing that Yeojoo was still in the said property? It felt as if Yeojoo was disturbing the privacy of their home; Minhyuk and Kihyun’s home.

Minhyuk moved his head to the side, leaning to the other person’s shoulder while showing off his perfect smile. Yeojoo then could clearly see the person in Minhyuk’s arms.

It's Kihyun.

She gasped, quickly bringing her hand to cover her mouth. She wanted to see more, curious about the outcome of the interaction. Though, she wasn’t quick and stealthy enough for both men missed the sound of her; they pulled themselves apart, knowing well they just got caught red-handed. Minhyuk scratched the back of his neck, walking towards the fridge and opening it, checking the content of it. Kihyun, on the other hand, left the remaining dishes in the sink, turned the tap off and shaked his hands dry. He turned his head towards Yeojoo, who was now sticking her head out of the room. Her ears are red, yet it was hidden by her long hair covering them.

“Oh, Yeojoo,” Kihyun greeted her, trying hard to hide his embarrassment, “You already woke up,”

“Mhm,” Yeojoo hummed, slowly coming out of the room.

“Any classes for this afternoon?”

“No,”

“Do you want to have lunch with us?” Minhyuk asked, closing the fridge as he found nothing interesting to fulfill his hunger.

Yeojoo glanced between the two men standing awkwardly in front of them. The air felt weird; a lot of things were happening inside Yeojoo’s head. She couldn’t take it anymore.

She needed to get out of the apartment immediately.

Long story short, she avoided her brother’s place for days. Kihyun had reached her out to grab lunch together, but she kept finding more excuses to tell; either she had an additional class going for that day, or she had scheduled a study group meeting for the day, or she had a lunch plan with mom, and other more lies she could think of in a split second.

That day, Yeojoo was sitting in a nearby cafe with Chae Dowon, a friend of hers. Despite her laptop being opened and its screen turned up to the brightest, she didn’t feel the urge to do any of her work. Her right hand was idly stabbing the double chocolate cake she got while she frowned blankly at the sight of the blank page in her laptop. Dowon kept stealing glances at her, especially when she kept sighing.

Dowon rolled his eyes. “Spit it out.”

“What?” Yeojoo raked her hair with her fingers, ruining her perfect bangs.

“The Yoo Yeojoo I knew will never mess her hair like that.” Dowon pointed at the impulsive action. “Something is truly bothering you.”

Yeojoo sighed, finally closing the laptop to face Dowon’s curious expression. She smiled before mirroring the woman’s gesture: closing her laptop. No more studying and working hours, it was time to listen to Yeojoo’s thoughts.

Yeojoo started. “Do you think it’s normal for best friends to hug each other?”

Dowon pursed her thick lips, her eyes were squinting at the woman in front of her. “Sure.”

“Yeah?” Yeojoo responded without missing a beat, “like, two male best friends hugging each other?”

The tall woman shrugged. “Yep. Nothing’s wrong with it. I think.”

Yeojoo slumped her shoulders. This pretty friend of hers doesn’t understand anything.

Dowon sensed the disappointment, swiftly taking a sip on her iced coffee before smacking her lips and trying to do some damage control. “If they’re very close or something, it’s all fine, you know , for best friends to be hugging.”

“Dodo, you don’t understand,” Yeojoo groaned, pressing her hands on her eyes, “this one looks weird!”

“How weird?” Dowon raised her eyebrows. 

“They do back hugs and some shit!” Yeojoo exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Dowon fell silent. Slowly, she reached her fork, stealing a bite from Yeojoo’s chocolate cake. She let her, being too in depth with her own emotions and complicated mind, that she didn’t mind a small issue of Dowon stealing a bite from her plate.

“Who are we exactly talking about?”

Yeojoo lifted her head. “Kihyun. With his best friend.”

Dowon blinked once, glancing at the roof to recall previous memories of her interacting with Kihyun. “Didn’t know your brother would be the type who likes skinship.”

“Me neither,” Yeojoo sighed.

“But, Yoo Yeojoo,” Dowon asked nonchalantly, “we do hugs and shit all the time, too, so what’s the difference?”

Yeojoo blinked quite a few times, her brain seemingly got short-circuited.

Somehow, Yeojoo found herself back watching the trashy dating show together with Kihyun sitting next to her. They were sharing their favorite snack, the shrimp flavored one; their eyes were glued to the screen, while sometimes making snarky comments about the bachelors and bachelorettes being a pathetic bunch. It was on an advertisement break that Yeojoo decided to pounce her chance in.

“So, Kihyun,” she started, stealing glances at her brother, “what’s your actual relationship with Minhyuk?”

“We’re friends?” Kihyun answered, yet his intonation was rather questioning the statement himself.

Yeojoo blew raspberries, clearly brushing off the answer. “No, you’re not.”

Kihyun turned his head, staring at her sibling in disbelief. “Yes, we are.”

“No!” Yeojoo smiled mockingly. “Both of you do not act like ordinary friends! At all.”

“Like what?” Kihyun furrowed his eyebrows, his chin wrinkled like a walnut.

“You guys were hugging and all! I literally saw you! I- I caught you in the middle of it!”

Kihyun’s eyes widened in shock, his ears reddened. “Are- are you saying friends aren’t allowed to hug each other?”

She groaned, almost wanting to pull her hair out of her skull. “You guys were hugging weirdly!”

“Yoo Yeojoo, you hugged that one girl—the tall one who looks like a model—in front of me!”

“Who? Dodo?”

“Yeah! Chae Dowon!” Kihyun pointed at Yeojoo accusingly, as if he got a moment of eureka.

“I-it was different!” Yeojoo slapped Kihyun’s thigh, frustrated by his defensiveness.

“How can you say it’s different, when the difference between our relationships is that my best friend is a guy and your best friend is a girl!” Kihyun complained, “You’re being a double standard, Yeojoo,”

“What?”

Kihyun took his phone, distracting himself from the presence of his annoying sibling next to him. She noticed the attempt—as petty as her brother is—she pouted, crossing her arms on her chest and did the same as him. The advertisement break ended, yet none of the twins were interested back to the TV. The apartment was wrapped in cold silence, not even the two women on screen fighting and scratching at each other’s faces over a man could break the ice.

The sound that could fill the air and pull their attention back in was the twinkling electronic sound of the keypad being used from outside. With a smiley face and a blissed empty mind, Minhyuk strolled in with a bag of groceries.

“Um, hi, Yoo twins,” Minhyuk greeted, his grin unmoving from his face, “What happened here? The vibe seems off,”

Yeojoo straightened her back, twisting her torso and head to follow Minhyuk walking to the kitchen. “Kihyun is being an annoying gaslighting bitch.”

“Shut your mouth, Yeojoo,”

Yeojoo threw a nasty glare at Kihyun, offended by his brief statement. She then turned back to Minhyuk who was putting the vegetables into the fridge, treating the argument between the two as a simple siblings’ bicker. Seeing that, Yeojoo exhaled harshly. She stood up, taking her belongings with her.

“Lee Minhyuk, I swear to God”—Yeojoo pointed at Kihyun—”your boyfriend here sucks,”

“My what—” Minhyuk caught in the crossfire.

“Yeojoo, what the fuck?!” Kihyun stood up, following her.

“I don’t know why you even want to live with him,” Yeojoo mumbled, “I’m leaving,”

She left the property, without having the opportunity to see their flushed faces.

That time, Yeojoo made a pact to herself that she wouldn’t step herself back inside the apartment anymore. She chose to rot at home instead, almost dying out of boredom, yet she couldn’t move her feet towards Kihyun’s apartment.

Everyone noticed it; mom, dad, even Bongsook the dog.

Her parents started asking about Kihyun, but she refused to give any solid answer. All she could say was “I don’t know,” or “why not call him yourself instead?” For Yeojoo, being someone’s exact copy in physical appearance—despite her being the opposite sex of Kihyun—didn’t mean that she needed to know about Kihyun’s whereabouts 24/7. Siblings don’t have to text or call each other everyday, right?

Mom sensed Yeojoo’s annoyance, and decided to cut back her questions related to her own son. Dad never truly asked about Kihyun to Yeojoo, but he would delegate the questions to mom—hence, the endless questions and answers between the two women in the household. Mom even had to force Yeojoo to take the bus at 8pm to bring him some homemade dinner.

“Why?” Yeojoo asked, “why do I have to go to his place? Can’t I just ask a cab to send it to him?”

Mom placed her hands on her waist, shaking her head in the process. “Yoo Yeojoo.”

Her daughter looked up from her phone; her hand had stopped rubbing Bongsook’s belly. Knowing that Yeojoo is a hard-headed person, mom joined her instead, sitting next to her.

“You had a fight with Kihyun, didn’t you?”

“No,” Yeojoo deflected.

“I know when my child is lying,” mom said with a smile, her voice was soft, “and between you and Kihyun, he’s a much better liar than you,”

Yeojoo rolled her eyes.

“Come on, send the food to Kihyun and Minhyuk, okay?”

Yeojoo has always been a sucker for her mom, especially when she uses her gentle begging and puppy eyes—and that’s why, Yeojoo was standing there in front of the familiar door, waiting for someone to open the door. She had been ringing the bell, yet no one had come to the door and welcomed her with a big apologetic smile on their face. She once again tried to call Kihyun, but before she managed to get through, familiar hurried steps approached her from inside.

It took less than a minute for Minhyuk to finally open the door. He was sweating, hair was a mess, his face was flushed, and his shirt was all wrinkled. He plastered a crooked smile on his lips, feeling awkward all of a sudden as he faced Yeojoo.

He looked stupid, that was all Yeojoo had in mind when he saw Minhyuk.

“Where’s Kihyun?” Yeojoo said, pushing her way into the apartment.

“He’s in the bathroom.” Minhyuk closed the door, following Yeojoo inside. “He’s taking a shower right now.”

Yeojoo put the bag full of side dishes on the kitchen table, yet her mind was questioning Kihyun’s life choice of taking a shower at night. “At this hour?”

Minhyuk could only shrug and smile. Yeojoo accepted the silent answer anyway, as she didn't want to prolong her stay.

“Here’s dinner from mom, you can just freeze it and heat it for tomorrow,” Yeojoo said, “eat well. I’m going now,”

“You’re not gonna wait for Kihyun?” Minhyuk asked.

“Nope. Tell Kihyun that”—Yeojoo raised her voice, making it loud enough to be heard from the bathroom—”I fucking hate him!”

“I hate you too, Yeojoo!” Kihyun replied with the same intensity as Yeojoo’s from the shower.

Minhyuk exhaled, rubbing his face with his hand, scratching his nose and cheeks although they weren’t itchy at all. “Hey, you two… stop it.”

The trickling shower stopped running. Kihyun stepped out of the room, meeting Yeojoo and his housemate staring at him. The twins were in a staring contest, none of them breaking eye contact until Minhyuk decided to melt the tension away.

“Yeojoo, let us send you home. We need to thank your mom for giving us an abundant amount of food.” Minhyuk picked the car key, going to reach for his sandals until he heard Kihyun click his tongue.

He halted any movement, waiting for Kihyun to voice his disagreement. “Not before you take a shower, Minhyuk.”

“Oh, right.” He smiled lopsidedly.

Minhyuk then scurried to the bathroom, leaving the siblings alone in the living room. The cold war continued where only glances were exchanged. It frustrated Yeojoo much for how similar they are; their hard and hot headed personality got the best of them. None of them were backing up from the argument as their dignity and pride were on the line. Kihyun acted as if there were no problems between them that needed to be solved, so did Yeojoo. She was deciding whether it would be a great idea to let Kihyun and Minhyuk drive her home instead of taking the bus. She couldn’t imagine staying any longer between those two men, especially not when her brother was giving him a silent treatment.

However, it got Yeojoo to think deeper about her feelings. If Kihyun were actually dating Minhyuk, then what would Yeojoo do? It wouldn’t bring any harm towards her and Yeojoo had known Minhyuk for a long time, since they couldn’t differentiate between left and right without the aid of their right hand motioning the gesture of eating using chopsticks. Yeojoo didn’t know why she got so caught up in her brother’s business; she didn’t know why she got so angry about them.

She knew it wasn’t because she hates the idea of homosexual relationships, no, she supports them and she was in the process of figuring things out herself, so what exactly bothered Yeojoo so much?

Apparently it was how secretive Kihyun was around her.

They’re twins, and in textbooks, twins should have each other’s backs. Kihyun knew about her past boyfriends and her messy breakups before, he knew about her sneaking out of the house to be at a nightclub and he even protected her from getting in trouble. He fought the weird student who kept approaching Yeojoo even when she had rejected him politely. What had Yeojoo done for Kihyun, then?

She did Kihyun’s homework when they were in high school because Kihyun was simply too lazy to do it at that time, she took the blame when Kihyun bumped the car on the sidewalk, and she calmed Kihyun down when he was stressed due to the finals. They were such a good pair of siblings. They bickered, they tried to snatch the TV remote from each other’s grasp to watch each of their favorite shows, Yeojoo had claimed Kihyun’s hoodie and Kihyun had stolen her snacks. It was all normal siblings’ antics, but this one argument they were having was strange.

The problem wasn’t because Kihyun took Yeojoo’s favorite ring or because Yeojoo had taken a peek into Kihyun’s poor attempt at songwriting—it was because Kihyun acted like she was a stranger that wasn’t worthy of his time and trust.

“Yeojoo,” Kihyun called, he was sitting on the couch already, waiting for Yeojoo to join him.

“What?”

“I’m—”

“Kihyun, you’re my one and only brother,” Yeojoo interrupted him, walking towards the couch before throwing herself on it, “so tell me, have you ever had a girlfriend before?”

Kihyun lowered his head, staring at his thighs. He gnawed on his lips in silence.

“You know a lot of things about who I had a crush on, you know my boyfriends, you know how I broke things off with them and how they dumped me. We were born on the same day, with you being only 7 minutes older than me. We never left each other’s side.” She had her hand on top of his, gripping it reassuringly. “But now… honestly? I feel like I barely know you, Ki,”

Kihyun took a deep breath. He reciprocated Yeojoo’s hold, grabbing her hand back in response.

“Be honest with me, have you ever had a girlfriend before?” Yeojoo asked in a hush.

Kihyun nodded.

“When?”

Kihyun raised his head, meeting Yeojoo’s hopeful gleaming eyes. “In kindergarten.”

Yeojoo closed his eyes, exhaling a heavy tightening sensation in her chest. “Fuck you.”

He giggled, but it died down rather quickly. His melancholic expression returned, and Yeojoo knew he was messing with her just to minimize the tension between them.

“If someone who is close to you is… different—like, different compared to any other people”—Kihyun’s voice gradually became softer—”will you still befriend them?”

“Different in what way?”

“Like, um.” Kihyun was staring at the ceiling, at the wall, at the floor—everywhere except Yeojoo. “Uh… like, if they’re… gay?”

Oh. So that’s why.

As if she received an epiphany, she gasped, “you’re gay,”

Kihyun swallowed his saliva, slowly nodding his head yes. He still avoided Yeojoo’s surprised eyes, afraid of what her next sentence would be.

“And you’re… actually dating Lee Minhyuk.” Yeojoo pointed at Kihyun—rather than judging him, it was more of a method of her absorbing new knowledge.

Kihyun shut his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek.

“Hey,” Yeojoo whispered, running her thumb on the back of his hand, “I’m not gonna be mad at you. I’m totally fine with you being gay and dating Minhyuk,”

He nodded again. “We’ve been dating this whole time. We knew we liked each other when we were still in high school, but we weren’t sure until we got into college and started dating officially.”

Yeojoo sighed, finally feeling the tightness in her chest loosen. “Well, that explains a lot of things.”

“I’m sorry for hiding this from you.” Kihyun smiled, influencing Yeojoo to mimic him.

The small, relieved smile then turned into the widest grin both had ever shown with the dimples on the apple of their cheeks to each other.

Minhyuk got out of the bathroom, his face beaming. Yeojoo could go blind if she kept her eyes longer on him. Kihyun, on the other hand, was smiling at his housemate—his boyfriend, now that Yeojoo found that out—his eyes were soft and sparkling.

“Oh, it seems that my favorite twins have made up!” Minhyuk exclaimed, his eyes were squinting as his smile reached his eyes.

“Minhyuk, I’ve told her.” Kihyun walked towards him, his voice was light and happy.

Minhyuk stared at Kihyun, tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy. “Um, you’ve told her about what?”

“About us,” Kihyun answered.

Minhyuk was standing still, his mouth agasp before he squealed and threw his arms out to pull Kihyun into his embrace. Yeojoo blinked several times as she pulled her neck backwards in surprise due to the sudden affectionate act. She grimaced, but Minhyuk didn’t care, he stroked Kihyun’s back while his lips were still smiling.

“Oh, you did a great job. I’m so proud of you, Kihyun,”

Kihyun giggled, feeling like a kid being praised because he finished his meal. “Thank you.”

“So, uh… Minhyuk, you’re gay too?” Yeojoo asked.

Without letting Kihyun go out of his arms, Minhyuk rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, staring at Yeojoo who was still sitting. “I don’t really know, but I don’t care about labels. I just love Kihyun so I don’t think it matters much for me to truly reinforce my sexuality.”

He cupped Kihyun’s cheeks, squeezed it hard before pulling him to kiss on his pouty lips. He then parted them and grinning at the state of Kihyun’s blushing face.

Yeojoo crumpled her face, disgusted by Minhyuk’s sappy confession. “Yuck, I think I prefer when you guys are dating in secret so I don’t have to witness the public kisses and hugs.”

Kihyun muttered under his breath, “homophobic,”

It reached Yeojoo’s sensitive ears. “I’m not! I just hate seeing you guys being lovey dovey and all in front of me!”

The couple cackled, finally found the buttons to annoy their sister further.

Watching the busy cars going around them, Yeojoo rested her chin on her palm. She yawned, it was almost her bedtime anyway. As much as she looks tough and a rule-breaker, she can’t miss the opportunity to sleep at exactly 10pm.

Kihyun and Minhyuk weren’t talking much either, letting the radio hosts have a nice conversation about the latest national news. When popular songs were played, both Kihyun and Minhyuk would hum and sing along, making harmony with their voices.

Yeojoo felt at ease. Her troubled heart no longer existed, replaced by the sheer pleasure of gaining her brother’s trust again, although she still had questions left. It might be a good opportunity for her to voice them out while they were with themselves only.

“You guys took a bit long to open the door for me earlier,” Yeojoo mumbled, “what were you doing? Usually at least one of you was quick to let me in,”

Kihyun glanced at Yeojoo through the rear-view mirror before refocusing on the road ahead. Her sibling stayed silent instead, despite making a minute gesture that her inquiry was clearly heard.

“We were working out,” Minhyuk answered lightly.

“At home?” Yeojoo continued, playing detective on her brother’s relationship.

“We just got back from the gym before you came so we were spent,” Kihyun chimed in.

She pondered at the added answer. Surely it did explain the sweaty Minhyuk, but didn’t explain the messy hair at all. Her mouth was opened, ready to fire more inquiries.

“We were doing a leg day,” Minhyuk said.

“Then why was your hair a mess?” Yeojoo quickly responded.

“Cardio.” Kihyun didn’t let Yeojoo think critically, answering her questions at the same pace as her interrogation coming towards them. “Cardio was tough today.”

She pursed her lips far, squinting her eyes at Kihyun even when he couldn’t see it. It took a couple of minutes for her to finally nod, and hummed in acceptance.

(The two men in the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat were exchanging glances, in disbelief of how easy Yeojoo to be manipulated.)

Mom was as surprised as Bongsook when she saw her son standing at the door with Minhyuk being next to him. The dog was whimpering and whining at Kihyun, offering her butt to him and wiggling her tail violently left and right. Yeojoo rolled her eyes while muttering under her breath of how betrayed she was feeling because Bongsook couldn’t hold herself back on Kihyun. The puppy finally stopped making dragged squeaky noises after Kihyun finally picked her up.

“Uh, why are you here?” Mom asked them, wiping her hands on the apron hanging on her neck. “Yeojoo has delivered the meal, right?”

“Yeah, but they insisted on coming,” Yeojoo muttered.

“We… we want to personally thank you for giving us a whole week's supply of food.” Minhyuk took the initiative to continue the awkward conversation and her boyfriend nodded along.

Mom’s eyes sparked in the most beautiful way Yeojoo had ever seen. Her face was beaming and her expression softened at Minhyuk’s sweet words.

“No problem, Minhyuk. It’s my responsibility to take care of my sons. Do you want to have a cup of tea with me?”

Her son rejected the offer quickly, pulling his lips to each side in a smile. Mom was curious about his behavior—it was unusual for him to deny mom’s invitation to have an evening tea with her before going to sleep—seemingly he was hiding something from her, yet she didn’t want to push, trusting her kids to come to her voluntarily whenever they wanted and needed too.

Yeojoo noticed the unexplainable tension—it wasn’t an uncomfortable, negative tension, more of a waiting game between her brother and mom. Each of them was waiting for who would cross the bridge between them.

“Um, mom,” Kihyun started.

“Yes, son?”

“I… uh, we- we have something to tell you,”

Minhyuk whipped his head towards Kihyun, he whispered loudly at him. “You’re going to tell her right now?”

Kihyun’s eyebrows were knitted, side-eyeing Minhyuk. “We’re here already, so why not?”

“Shouldn’t we wait for a better moment so we can dress up a little bit? I have to make a good first impression!”

Kihyun exhaled, putting down Bongsook to let her run free. Mom was watching them argue, confusion was painted all over her face. Yeojoo, becoming the sole audience, was watching in the first row of the seat; she was enjoying the show even when her heart was beating hard, joining the nervousness of her twin. She knew what he wanted to talk about right away.

He has always been that kind of kid—the one that would always try to clear miscommunication right there and then so he could play a knight role in every situation, to also kill two birds with one stone. 

This one was similar to every other occasion.

It wasn’t a miscommunication, but more of a practicality to send Yeojoo home and to meet one of his parents (more preferably mom, but dad would be okay too). He likes being an effective person, but Yeojoo quietly disagreed with him in this scenario. Minhyuk was right, they should’ve waited for the right day, the right moment where all sides were dressed properly and not being in a simple hoodie and a knee-length cargo, combined with cheap sandals that might break any minute.

“Minhyuk, this is clearly not your first time seeing my mom,” Kihyun scoffed.

“Yes, but!” Minhyuk pointed his pointer to the air, like an elementary student going to brag about the existence of a Bermuda Triangle. ”As their future son-in-law—”

“In-law?” Mom blinked her eyes quickly several times, her chin wrinkled into the same walnut pattern as her children.

The kids expressed their own shocked expression; Yeojoo slapped her mouth as her eyes were bulging out of their sockets, Minhyuk grimaced as he realized his mouth ran before his brain did all the processing, and Kihyun smacked the taller man’s shoulder as hard as he could.

“Minhyuk… are you dating Yeojoo?” Mom asked gently.

Yeojoo, who was dragged and caught in the messy crossfire out of nowhere, shrieked, “mom, no!”

“No?” Mom focused on Yeojoo whose face and ears were all red like a cooked shrimp.

Kihyun grabbed the sleeve of Minhyuk’s hoodie, urging him to quickly get out of the house before mom could understand what he was talking about. They decided for Kihyun to be their spokesperson, knowing that he had a bigger control of his own mouth.

“Mom, thanksforthefood, we’rejustdroppingYeojoohome, we’regoingnow! Bye!” Kihyun rushed through his words, exposing his lisp before dragging Minhyuk out with him, without hearing a greeting from mom nor Yeojoo.

The front door was slightly ajar, showing Kihyun getting into the driver’s seat and Minhyuk in the seat next to him. The car didn’t take long to start, before finally leaving around the corner.

Mom then turned her face to Yeojoo, who was still as shocked as the couple, mumbling to herself as she went back into her bedroom. “Future son-in-law?"

Yeojoo could only shrug and offered a silly looking smile at her.

“Can you just leave my kitchen? You’re ruining our dinner rather than helping me, Minhyuk,” Kihyun was grumbling at Minhyuk who’s trying to stir the noodles cooking in the pot.

Yeojoo was lying on the couch, taking her sweet time to watch her favorite series playing on the TV while Kihyun and his housemate (also his lover) bickering in the kitchen. The delicious scent of spicy instant noodles, vegetables, and meat were mixing in the air, triggering Yeojoo’s stomach to rumble softly.

The apartment was noisy, but Yeojoo welcomed it more and more. She became more satisfied with the dynamics between her and the men, where they respect her and her personal space, and she respects their relationship. A mutualistic symbiosis, indeed.

It was also becoming more noticeable that the sibling relationship between Yeojoo and Kihyun had been better than before; one of the proofs was Kihyun giving up his room for Yeojoo whenever she came to visit—he confessed he rarely slept in the room, and preferred to be in Minhyuk’s room instead.

(Upon hearing the sudden statement, Yeojoo tried not to picture weird scenes containing Minhyuk and Kihyun doing what couples do.)

She peeked at the couple, seeing Minhyuk hugging Kihyun and leaving wet kisses on Kihyun’s cheeks while her brother was trying to escape Minhyuk’s embrace.

“Kihyun, please don’t get mad at me!” Minhyuk squealed, “I’m doing my best to help you. I’m sorry!”

“I’m okay with you helping me, but just don’t touch anything, ” Kihyun mumbled.

“You’re being too dramatic! I didn’t ruin anything, stop saying that I can’t cook,” Minhyuk whined, trying to latch on Kihyun’s skin to coax him out into a better mood, “I’m actually making it more delicious for you and Yeojoo using my pure, innocent love,”

Yeojoo, hearing her name being mentioned, sat up and grimaced at Minhyuk’s words. “Can you not drag me into your bullshit, Minhyuk?”

Minhyuk turned to glare at Yeojoo before sticking his tongue out at her. Her face felt hot, dominated by embarrassment and anger towards him. Why was Lee Minhyuk so annoying and acting like a kid? It felt like he truly never changed. Ever.

“Stop bothering her, won’t you? The more you tease her, the more she’s going to out us to our parents,” Kihyun sighed, his hand patting Minhyuk’s butt as a signal to let him go.

His boyfriend did so, letting him finish his cooking so they could finally eat. Yeojoo was sure that Lee Minhyuk is the true epitome of a dog. He instead joined Yeojoo on the couch, leaving a proper distance between them.

“Your parents don’t know that you’re dating Kihyun?” Yeojoo asked.

He threw a handful of nuts into his mouth, catching some of them while some pieces fell onto the couch. Yeojoo watched him in disgust, noticing the pieces were dropping into the cracks of the cushions. If Kihyun saw it, he would probably have kicked Minhyuk out for dirtying their new couch.

“Well, I think they know I like men too, and they have eyes so they probably can see the signs that I’m dating Kihyun.” Minhyuk chewed, before continuing. “We’ve been together since forever, anyway.”

Yeojoo furrowed her eyebrows, looking at Minhyuk like he was an alien walking around naked in broad daylight. He kept munching on the nuts; almost looking like he was ignoring Yeojoo’s stare on him.

“Have you ever suspected us of being a couple or something?” Minhyuk raised one of his eyebrows, glancing at Yeojoo.

“Well…” Yeojoo trailed off, recalling the suspicion she had for the last few months, “maybe?”

Minhyuk nodded, his expression didn’t find the answer amusing somehow. He looked cool, Yeojoo thought.

Sometimes he acted like a childish loser, but in some situations when Minhyuk kept his lips sealed, he looked mature with his jawline and features sculpted well. She could see his charm only when he was acting like a normal, quiet human being. No wonder Kihyun likes him.

“I thought you guys were just super close best friends, you know?” She cleared her throat.

“We are close, though, you’re right.” He smiled. “We are so close that I sometimes want to get on my knees and propose to him.”

“Lee Minhyuk!” The twins quickly shut him off in unison, the red on their cheeks was visible—both being embarrassed by listening to Minhyuk’s cheesy words.

The said man, on the other hand, was hurting his stomach for laughing too hard.

It was a random Saturday where Minhyuk was visiting Kihyun and Yeojoo’s parents. He brought a gift, but Yeojoo couldn’t figure out what was in it. It was wrapped beautifully with a red bow on it as if it was a christmas gift. She was sure they weren’t even near December yet and it wasn’t anyone’s birthday coming up, so what was the occasion for the sudden visit?

They were all sitting on the dining table, enjoying the various mouthwatering dishes made by mom with the help of Yeojoo and Kihyun. Yeojoo watched the scene unfolded with her own well-working eyes: Minhyuk was sitting next to Kihyun, Yeojoo was next to mom, and dad was sitting on the head of the table with Bongsook loyally laying near his feet after getting her own dinner (she was still asking for more, but no one paid attention to her).

Minhyuk’s wrapped gift was left in the living room, but Yeojoo could see the invisible question marks being plastered on dad’s face. Minhyuk had never brought actual properly wrapped gifts specifically to their parents; he usually only brought food, or simple knick-knacks from other cities or countries after the holiday seasons.

Kihyun was also sitting weirdly. He was stuffing his face with the food, barely looking up at mom or dad except when they initiated small talks. He kept glancing at Yeojoo who was sitting diagonally across him, making her slightly irritated. She wanted to know what was wrong with these two guys whom she had known since she was a toddler, but she definitely couldn’t ask them when their parents were sitting around them.

“The gift,” dad finally spoke up, breaking the iceberg.

Her brother and his friend suddenly straightened their backs into a perfect posture. Minhyuk softly cleared his throat, secretly preparing himself to respond to dad’s next words.

“What’s the occasion, Minhyuk?” dad asked.

Kihyun nibbled the inside of his lips, his shoulders were tense yet Minhyuk kept a smile on his face.

“Um,” Minhyuk started, inhaling his breath deeply, “uncle and auntie… um, I… I’m actually… currently dating Kihyun,”

The house was silent; only the buzzing and whirring noises of the fridge running in the background, filling the air. Yeojoo stared at her brother closely, observing his change in expression while also preparing herself to defend them in case things took a turn. Mom was frozen in place, her hands limp on the table. Her eyes were on Kihyun too, but Yeojoo couldn’t figure out the emotions in them. Dad pulled the corners of his lips. It looked like those smiles dads universally give to their sons when they were disappointed in their own blood.

Yeojoo was scared for her brothers’ sake. What if mom and dad disagreed with their choices in life and decided to disown Kihyun? She couldn’t imagine a life without the ability to keep her twin near her. If Kihyun got disowned, Yeojoo would leave the house as well, following her brother and his lover to the place where the sun sets.

“Mom, dad.” Kihyun finally opened his mouth, trying to take control of the situation. “I’m gay.”

“Oh,” mom exhaled.

“I’m sorry,” Kihyun mumbled an apology.

“Since when?” Dad chimed in, keeping his voice low; Yeojoo thought he was trying to keep the conversation chill.

“I realized I’m gay since high school, but Minhyuk and I… uh, our relationship, romantically started 2 years ago,” Kihyun answered, hiding the tremble in his voice well.

His right hand was under the table, so was Minhyuk’s left hand. It was noticeable that they were holding hands not so secretly in front of mom and dad. The discussion was still going well so Yeojoo wouldn’t have to step in for now.

“Does Yeojoo know?” mom asked, turning her attention to her daughter sitting silently next to her.

“Very recently as well,” Yeojoo answered before chucking a slice of steak in her mouth, shutting herself up to prevent further interrogation towards her.

“Do your parents know, Minhyuk?” Mom changed the focus to his son’s boyfriend.

“They know I’m queer, but I haven’t told them that I’m dating Kihyun yet,”

Mom and dad’s eyes somehow transformed from being surprised to concerned—which was, in Yeojoo’s opinion, understandable. Imagine if you were having a nice dinner with your family and your children’s best friend since childhood, then suddenly your son came out and also announced his relationship with his best friend who was still sitting in the room.

The fact that they were concerned for Kihyun and Minhyuk was reasonable, probably; what if Minhyuk’s parents didn’t enjoy the idea of them dating? What would happen to them if other people knew about them being together? Things were running in their head although none of them were voicing it out.

Dad coughed as a desperate attempt to once again drive the discussion forward. Kihyun kept his head low, feeling embarrassed and cornered despite none of his family members berating him for liking men. He’s an extrovert, he was supposed to enjoy receiving attention from people. However, this was different. Instead of a positive attention of admiration and affection, it felt like the universe was judging him as a whole.

“Kihyun,” dad called.

“Yes, dad?” He responded as softly as he could.

“Are you,” dad hesitated a bit before smiling and continued, “happy?”

Hearing the sudden question, Kihyun looked up to dad. His eyes were glassy and his lips were slightly apart. Taking in a deep breath, his lips were trembling before he then closed them. His chin then wrinkled as he was holding his tears back.

“Yeah,” he whispered.

Mom exhaled, unrealizing that she was holding her breath the whole time. Her eyes were sparkling and her gaze was gentle. Dad kept his smile, even wider than before. His smile was so similar to Kihyun’s smile even though Yeojoo is his twin, and it made them unique in a way. Seeing the calm reaction of the parents, Yeojoo was sure the brief answer managed to put ease in dad and mom’s hearts (and hers too).

Minhyuk was helping mom to wash the dishes while she wiped the clean plates dry. It was supposed to be their private moment, only the two of them having a nice small talk until Yeojoo came to take a glass of water. She took very silent steps in order to not bother them and overheard more conversation between the two.

It was endearing to see Minhyuk’s face, ears, and his neck turned red when Yeojoo witnessed mom saying, “thank you for being in Kihyun’s life, Minhyuk,”

Yeojoo, being the true sister she was, noticed a new behavior of Kihyun and his lover. Despite being open now about his sexuality and their relationship to mom and dad, they had become so sheepish around each other. It was completely different when they were dating in secret; they would smack each other’s shoulders while playing games in the living room, Minhyuk would hug Kihyun when they were on the couch watching TV, and they would close the bedroom door when they were inside.

Seeing them being so awkward sitting next to each other, Yeojoo could only giggle and tease them. “Didn’t you tell us you guys are already dating for 2 years? Why are you now acting like a new couple?”

“Shut up, Yeojoo,” they both said, almost in unison with their ears reddening and eyes darting at the floor and the wall, with their fingers entangled on the couch sheepishly.

The first time Yeojoo met Minhyuk’s family, he had introduced Kihyun and their very serious relationship to them.

According to Kihyun’s experience, they treated him nice and well just like before, but Yeojoo is a woman who always needs to have proof before believing in anyone’s words. Hence, when facing the Lee family, she figured that Kihyun wasn’t lying; Minhyuk’s mom was warm and welcoming (and still is), and his dad was the depiction of the peace itself—completely the opposite of Minhyuk, in Yeojoo’s opinion. She was stuck with Kihyun to help in the kitchen, wiping the clean dishes alongside her brother who’s handling the wet and dirty chore.

The moms were preparing for dessert while talking about the current national news. Accompanied by the sound of running water and the faint voices from the living room where Minhyuk and the dads were having a nice conversation, it was a peaceful night for all of them until the sound of a glass being dropped broke the silence.

Yeojoo witnessed it all; how the blood was dripping from Kihyun’s hand and mixed with the clear water into the drain, Minhyuk’s mom was rushing to the living room to call for Minhyuk’s help to bring the first aid kit, and mom approached them to check for the wound. Kihyun, on the other hand, was trying his best to reassure the old women that he was okay despite the blood gushing out endlessly.

A set of hurried footsteps were approaching, then showing a panicked Minhyuk barging into the kitchen with the first aid kit box in his hand. He held Kihyun’s palm up, observing the deep wound on his boyfriend. There was a moment of tug-o-war between them, where Kihyun felt it wasn’t needed for Minhyuk to make it as a big deal, but Minhyuk was persistent to take care of him.

“The bleeding isn’t stopping yet. Come here, let me fix you up,” Minhyuk urged him.

“Minhyuk, I’m okay. I need to clean up the glass pieces—”

“Kihyun.” Minhyuk’s voice was stern. “Leave it.”

Minhyuk pulled Kihyun out of the kitchen earlier to his room, leaving her alone stranded in the room.

Yeojoo ended up finishing the work while her ears kept picking up on the moms’ conversation. It wasn’t her intention to be eavesdropping, her ears happened to be attached to her head, unfortunately.

“Your children are a blessing,” Minhyuk’s mom said.

“Ah, thank you,” mom replied bashfully, “Minhyuk is also a nice kid. I’m very grateful that he’s always by Kihyun’s side,”

The other woman chuckled, receiving the compliment sweetly.

Mom continued, “Kihyun… he’s a clumsy kid, and Minhyuk seems to care a lot for him,”

Minhyuk’s mom sighed—the relieved kind of sigh.

“I think Minhyuk is now much calmer than before, thanks to Kihyun.” she smiled, her gaze was distant as if remembering the good old days. “He was unpredictable and wild when he was a kid—even now, probably—but whenever Kihyun is around, he’s tame and calm like a domesticated cat. It probably sounds weird to hear someone comparing their son to a cat, don’t you think?

“When he’s acting like that, he reminds me perfectly of his dad when we were both young.” Minhyuk’s mom covered her lips, suppressing the giggle she was having.

“Is that so?” Mom’s curiosity peaked, the tone of her voice raised cheerfully, “Minhyuk is a cheerful kid. He’s also very respectful. Imagine our surprise when he visited us with a gift when they came out about their relationship! I thought he was going to propose a marriage,”

Laughters broke in the room.

“Kihyun also brought us a gift when they came out to us. It was a pretty expensive one, too.” Minhyuk’s mom recalled the memory affectionately. “My husband and I wondered if we were being a burden to Kihyun for giving us such a present.”

Mom waved his hand, denying the negative thought of her son’s future in-laws. They continued chatting as they were finishing the desserts for the dads in the living room. As they were leaving the kitchen, Yeojoo exhaled.

She felt relieved, somehow.

The fact that the moms accepted their sons’ relationships with such ease tickled Yeojoo’s chest. Parents usually are old-minded and most likely to reject homosexual relationships as they’re not the norm, yet their parents didn’t make any fuss about it. It felt like they had prepared themselves for the moment, making them more accepting and less denying the fact that their first-born sons like each other.

Witnessing the peaceful interaction between the two families, Yeojoo smiled to herself, feeling light and airy underneath her skin.

Remembering all the past memories of her being suspicious and finding out about her brother’s relationship is truly a dopamine rush on its own. She smiles to herself, realizing how much the time has passed since those days. With a corsage on her right wrist, she finally knocks on the door, before then hears a faint “come in!” from inside. She takes a peek inside, finding her twin standing in front of the mirror, fixing his tie carefully. His fingers are shaking despite his best effort to hide his nerves from Yeojoo.

He has his hair slicked back, exposing his forehead and his sharp face features. His pale skin contrasts with the black suit and a matching black shirt. He has a light make up on him, enhancing the blush on his cheeks and the redness of his lips. As much as Yeojoo wants to bully him out of habit, she acknowledges that Kihyun actually looks really good.

It’s his wedding, after all.

She approaches him, offering a hand to place the boutonniere on Kihyun. “Are you nervous?”

Kihyun scoffs, “maybe,”

“As you should.” Her hands are busy making the small bouquet of flowers look presentable on Kihyun’s suit. “I saw Minhyuk in his room earlier.”

The corner of her lips raises, showing a mischievous smirk. “He looks really handsome, by the way, and you’re… definitely not on his level.”

Kihyun groans, rolling his eyes. “That’s literally your brother-in-law you’re ogling at.”

“Am I not allowed to appreciate art?!” Yeojoo places her hand on her chest, mimicking a dramatic offended expression.

Kihyun laughs; his face showing a more relaxed state of mind. Seeing him smile widely, Yeojoo follows suit. She steps aside, letting Kihyun check on himself before stepping up to the altar later.

From the angle, Yeojoo can pinpoint the similarities between them; their noses and the apple of their cheeks are high, their lips are equally thick on the bottom and the top, their eyes tend to be smaller than others’, and their hair colors are rather on the darker shade of brown.

The contrast between their outfits are striking—which Yeojoo is wearing a pastel-colored flowy floral dress as Kihyun’s bridesmaid (she wonders, is she considered as a bridesmaid or a groomsman? Groomswoman? It’s confusing), and Kihyun’s boutonniere matches the pink on Yeojoo’s corsage.

The whirring aircon noise fills the room, replacing their voice with its sound instead. Yeojoo can’t help but to stare at their reflection in the mirror, admiring Kihyun’s flawless appearance. Watching him fumbling with his own shirt, Yeojoo feels heavy in her stomach. They’re 32 years old already, they have great, stable jobs already. The life of being college students had long gone, but seeing their faces staring back at them through the mirror, it feels like they barely aged since the moment of Minhyuk and Kihyun bringing their relationship out to the light.

The days were filled with happy and sad moments, where Yeojoo sometimes being caught in the middle of it as the referee to their relationship. They’ve matured since, being a group of proper adults with a bright future ahead—and by being a grown-up, they’ll have to say goodbye and go their separate ways. Kihyun and Minhyuk will be staying abroad, where society is more accepting towards same-sex relationships, while Yeojoo will stay in Seoul.

Sensing that Kihyun has the same melancholic thought in his head through his softened gaze, Yeojoo clears her throat. “Minhyuk is lucky to be your husband.”

Kihyun smiles, teasing her. “Complimenting me suddenly?”

Yeojoo shrugs. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

His eyes are squinting as his smirk grows into a smile. Turning his head to Yeojoo, he reaches to hold her hand.

“Thank you, Yeojoo,” he whispers.

Hearing the simple words from her twin brother’s mouth, Yeojoo’s eyes turn glassy.

The wedding is an intimate one; the weather outside is sunny with some shade from the thick white clouds above, the wind is blowing gently, and the humidity is just right. From the side, Yeojoo is standing alone near Kihyun, watching his brother standing next to a charming man with his gray suit and white shirt paired with a rich shade of red flower for his boutonniere. They’re standing face to face, exchanging the golden rings to be placed around their ring fingers.

Standing facing the audience, Yeojoo uses the chance to observe her surroundings. The grooms are elated, having a big smile plastered on their faces. Mom and dad are sitting on Kihyun’s side, watching the moment with bright gleaming eyes while holding hands. Minhyuk’s mom is patting the corner of her eyes with a ply of tissue in a desperate attempt to dry her tears, while his dad is curling his lips into a smile.

The scent of spring blankets them warmly and the birds are chirping excitedly and as if the universe is on their side, the ceremony runs perfectly without a flaw. Seeing the two grooms giggling and sharing secret whispers, Yeojoo realizes that fate works funnily.

She never imagined Kihyun marrying his best friend, which happened to be Lee Minhyuk as well. She has known the two men for her whole life, she knows the bads and the goods they have. Yet here they are, with their hands tangling together, their gazes are locked onto each other as the world is theirs alone.

The officiant steps back, distancing himself from the grooms. With a light and calm voice, he announces.

“You may kiss your husband,”

Hearing the statement, Kihyun cups Minhyuk’s cheeks before pulling him closer. Minhyuk reciprocates, pulling his now-husband on his waist. Nose to nose, they finally close the distance between their lips with a smile still plastered on their faces. Claps and cheers erupt, celebrating the new steps of life both Minhyuk and Kihyun are entering.

Once the kiss breaks, Kihyun’s cheeks are red, suddenly feeling embarrassed due to them kissing in front of friends and family despite his initiation to pull Minhyuk into a kiss. Minhyuk, on the other hand, is grinning from ear to ear, very pleased by the kiss and the successful wedding.

Both grooms turn their attention to Yeojoo, watching her tears trickling down on her face. Kihyun laughs at her—for the first time in forever, he finally sees her cry in public. Realizing that she’s a sobbing mess and knowing that she won’t stop in a second, Kihyun approaches her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Before she manages to escape, she feels another set of arms wrapping around her. Both her brother and her brother-in-law are soothing her down, just like in the past when Yeojoo fell down and scraped her knees to bleed.

The past shaped their happiest present and future, she realizes.

(She wails louder, wetting her brother’s suit with her tears, making the grooms and her parents worry and laugh at her at the same time.)