* * *

In the kitchen, a table neatly set with side dishes and two bibimbaps awaited them.

His eyes lit up at the sight, and he quickly took a seat, swallowing as he looked at Beomhyeon.

“Can I eat?”

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

As soon as he got permission, Jungin eagerly picked up his spoon and started mixing the bibimbap, stuffing a large spoonful into his mouth.

It tasted just like the food at the hotel.

“Slow down.”

Beomhyeon handed him a glass of water with a calm voice.

Though Jungin nodded, he couldn’t seem to slow his pace with the spoon in his hand.

Watching him eat, Beomhyeon rested his chin on his hand, his expression unreadable.

After finishing the meal, Jungin, as promised, didn’t ask to see his room and sat in the living room, working on homework due the next day as time quickly slipped by.

‘I won’t be late today, no matter what.’

He was still a bit awkward with his brothers and didn’t want to repeat past mistakes and upset them again.

After packing up and saying he should head back, Mr. Yoon agreed to drive him back to school.

Somehow, Beomhyeon ended up in the seat beside him as they headed back.

As they were driving, Jungin caught a glimpse of Beomhyeon’s hand.

“Oh no, what happened to your hand?”

“Just a scratch.”

“On what? It looks bad… did you hit it on a brick or something?”

How long has it been like this?

His hand looked painfully red, as if it might bleed.

“Yeah, against a tough stone.”

“Here, give me your hand.”

So he’s a bit clumsy, it seems.

‘Luckily, I always have some first aid stuff in my bag.’

Jungin quickly opened his bag, pulled out some ointment and a band-aid, and held Beomhyeon’s hand.

“Consider it payback for treating my lip earlier.”

Though it was a bit funny, with only character bandages left because of his brothers, it was better than nothing.

After applying the ointment and band-aid on the scratch, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Beomhyeon’s gaze fell on his cheek.

“…Are you mad because I teased you?”

“No.”

Beomhyeon turned his head to the opposite window, his earlobes seeming a bit flushed. An awkward silence filled the car, and Jungin bit his lower lip as he spotted the school in the distance.

“Thanks for today.”

“I’ll take you there.”

“No, no, my brothers are just across the street. It’ll be a big deal if they catch me.”

Beomhyeon glanced at the car Jungin pointed to and nodded.

After parting ways, Jungin’s thoughts grew jumbled with feelings he couldn’t quite identify on the way home.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Ah, thank you.”

With his mind buzzing with all sorts of thoughts, he soon found himself home. After getting out of the car, he quickly checked his appearance before heading inside.

“Jungin.”

He was ducking his head, trying to avoid his family’s gaze, but a familiar voice stopped him. Lifting his head, he saw Jeongjin, who seemed to have come home early today.

“Jungin-ah.”

Startled, Jungin bit his lip as his eyes widened with surprise. Due to a new project, Jeongjin had been coming home late for the past week, so this was unexpected.

“When did you get here?”

Seeing Jungin’s visible tension, Jeongjin felt a tightness in his chest. After a moment’s hesitation, he approached him.

“Just a while ago. Did school go well?”

Though Jungin was caught off guard, he felt a warmth seeing his brother’s face after a while.

“Yeah… it went well.”

As expected, time is a healer.

Jungin felt a lump in his throat at the sight of his older brother gently patting his head, despite the awkward touch.

Though they’d seen each other that morning, this was the first time in a long while they’d truly spoken.

Hearing that familiar, tender voice call him “Little One” made him want to cry for some reason.

Jungjin’s face hardened as he noticed Jungin’s eyes welling up.

“Little One?”

“Oh…”

What’s wrong with me? Why am I like this?

Jungin quickly rubbed the tears from his cheek with his sleeve, startled by the tears that had already started to fall.

Yet the more he wiped, the more they fell, as if an unexpected sadness was welling up from within.

“No, it’s… I’m, I’m sorry, hyung…”

As Jungin tried to pull away, Jungjin caught his face, cupping his cheek gently, like he was handling something precious.

Overcome once again by the unfamiliar tenderness, Jungin choked up. Jungjin took a long breath, finally breaking the silence.

“Last time… hyung was too emotional. I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I was just so worried, scared that something would happen to you again. Even though I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that, that was my fault.”

“N-No, I…”

A sob escaped through his parted lips.

As his brother’s gentle hands cradled his face, Jungin’s mind was suddenly drawn to the injuries on his own face, something he had completely forgotten about.

But it was too late—Jungjin’s expression twisted as he noticed the wounds.

“What happened to your face?”

Jungjin examined the cuts closely, and now that his face was fully revealed, Jungin felt a wave of embarrassment.

The bruise on his forehead was from hitting a desk after tripping, thanks to one of Park Hyuntae’s friends, and his lip was busted from getting hit by a dodgeball earlier today.

“It… I hit my head when I fell, and my lip… it’s just from dodgeball…”

Despite wanting to lie, he decided to tell the truth.

“I just got hit during dodgeball. It doesn’t hurt that much, really. I’m fine, hyung.”

Watching Jungin’s cautious gaze, as if anticipating his reaction, Jungjin’s face tightened at the sight of his little brother’s bruised forehead.

Still, he reached out and inspected him tenderly, his touch careful.

Jungin’s heart tightened, and he couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips.

All the tension and discomfort he’d been feeling melted away as if it had never been there.

“How exactly did you manage to hurt your face like this? Who the hell did this?”

“What’s with all the noise?”

Just then, Jungwoo and Jungseo came through the door and approached them.

“Hyung, are you giving Jungin a hard time again?”

“Oh, come on. What do you take me for?”

“If not, why would our little brother be crying?”

“It’s… not like that…”

With a mix of concern and hostility, the two brothers shot sharp glares at Jungjin, seeming almost ready to rebel against him.

Realizing this misunderstanding, Jungin quickly waved his hands, pulling on their arms and shaking his head.

As the brothers finally looked back at him, they, too, noticed the injuries on his face and their eyes grew wide.

“Jungin! What happened to your face?”

“Damn it! What the hell is with those cuts?”

“Uh, it’s… it happened during dodgeball…”

Just as he’d explained to Jungjin, Jungin gave the same response, but all three brothers continued to glare with a deadly intensity.

“Jungin. Could you… maybe give us a name and a contact?”

“Who the hell threw it? I’ll kill the bastard myself if I have to. Who did this to your face? Tell me who!”

Jungwoo asked with a soft voice but eyes like ice, while Jungseo, barely holding himself back, seethed in fury, ready to go after someone.

At this, Jungin couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Hehe…”

“Jungin…?”

They’re hilarious.

They truly care about me.

You’d think I’d be used to their fussing by now, but it still feels strange.

Laughing until his stomach hurt, Jungin wiped away the tears that pricked his eyes.

Never in his life had anyone worried about him this way.

He still didn’t understand why Lee Jungin had lied to him, or why he’d swapped places, but thanks to him, he’d gained memories he’d treasure forever.

“Thank you, Lee Jungin.”

With a heart full of gratitude, Jungin spent a rare happy moment among his brothers.

As the night wore on, he fought off drowsiness on the living room couch, eyes drooping despite himself, until he finally drifted off after 1 a.m.

“Sleep well, sweetheart.”

Holding his youngest brother close, Jungjin carried him to bed, tucked him in, and quietly closed the door.

But as he descended the stairs, the air in the house had turned cold.

* * *