"Kim Su-Ho!" Eun Jung exclaimed, eyes wide as she stared at the boy standing in front of her door. He grinned like a cat who just got away with stealing fish, arms full with grocery bags.
"Surprise!" he chirped, stepping inside like he owned the place.
"Yah! You punk! What are you doing here?" she asked, half-shocked, half-laughing as she shut the door behind him.
"Is that how you greet your one and only adorable little brother? No 'welcome,' no tears of joy? Tsk tsk," he clicked his tongue dramatically, tossing the bags on the couch and plopping down.
"When did you even get to Seoul? How are Mom and Dad? They didn't say anything about this"
"Woahhh, look who still remembers she has parents! Are you sure you're their daughter? You haven't even called them once this week. Mom almost started fasting in your name!"
Eun Jung rolled her eyes, already digging into the bags. "Is this Mom's doing?"
"Obviously. She packed enough side dishes to feed the whole building. And don't even get me started on how she kept reminding me to make sure you eat all of it. Honestly, she treats you like you're the only child."
"Because I am the favorite, duh." She beamed, pulling out containers of kimchi, stir-fried anchovies, and her mom's signature lotus root side dish. "But wait, what are you doing here anyway?"
"Well… I got admitted to SNU." He said it casually but with a tiny proud smirk that gave him away.
Eun Jung's jaw dropped. "SNU?! Yaaahhh, my baby brother's going Ivy League in Korean! Congrats, you little brat! Why didn't you call your big sister and brag properly, huh?"
"I wanted to surprise you. And… I kinda needed a place to crash until I move into the dorms."
She narrowed her eyes, pointing at him with a piece of kimchi. "Ahhh, so this was a calculated ambush."
"Guilty." He raised both hands with a sheepish grin.
They both laughed. Then he handed her his phone. "Here, Mom wants to talk to you."
"Eun Jung-ah, how are you? Mom and Dad miss you so much! Are you eating well?"
Hearing her mother's voice warmed her heart and stung a little at the same time. Guilt crept in as she realized how little she had called lately.
"I'm good, Eomma. Just working a lot. Thank you for the side dishes."
"Make sure Su-Ho doesn't trouble you too much, alright? And you — Su-Ho! Don't mess up your sister's house, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" he replied, making both women chuckle.
After ending the call, Eun Jung sighed. "Our family group chat is about to blow up, isn't it?"
"Already did. Dad sent a gif of a chicken dancing with your name on it."
---
Taeri stood in front of Cha Jinhwan's desk, notebook in hand.
"So, regarding the figures from the quarterly report..."
Just then, the door burst open.
"Sir, I tried to stop him—" his secretary stammered behind a tall, sharply-dressed man who strolled in like he owned the building.
Jinhwan didn't even flinch. He slowly looked up, face unreadable. "You may leave, Miss Kang."
Taeri bowed awkwardly and walked out, glancing curiously at the man as she closed the door behind her.
Inside, the air chilled.
"What do you want, Jinhyuk?" Jinhwan asked without standing.
Jinhyuk smirked. "No 'hyung'? How cold. Just like your mother."
Jinhwan's jaw clenched slightly, but his voice remained calm. "If you came to talk about the shares again, you're wasting your time."
"We'll see about that. Father's getting tired of your games. You think just because you're the golden boy at board meetings, he won't—"
"Get out," Jinhwan said coldly.
Jinhyuk leaned in slightly. "Don't think she'll be safe forever. She may be your mother, but she's still just a pawn."
The temperature in the room dropped.
"Leave. Now."
Jinhyuk scoffed and left, brushing past Taeri in the hallway without a word.
---
Minjae placed a steaming bowl of vegetables and rice on the table.
"Eat up. Added a tiny bit of meat this time so you don't die of boredom."
Eun Ho poked at it with his chopsticks. "Looks like garden clippings."
"It's healthy," Minjae said, sitting across from him. "You'll thank me when your abs are still intact at forty."
Eun Ho took a bite, paused, then resumed eating without a word.
"I started learning how to cook from YouTube during the pandemic," Minjae continued. "Then I got into it. Kind of therapeutic."
"Therapeutic? Feeding a man steamed broccoli is therapeutic?"
"Yes. Watching you suffer gives me peace."
They both chuckled lightly.
Suddenly, Minjae paused, remembering something. "Oh. Your father called. Said you should come home for family dinner this weekend."
Eun Ho's chopsticks froze mid-air.
He didn't say anything.
Minjae cleared his throat. "I know you hate things like that. Just passing the message."
Eun Ho stood up slowly, placing the chopsticks down. "Thanks for the food."
"Hyung, you didn't eat that much—"
But Eun Ho was already he
ading upstairs
Minjae looked down at the half-eaten bowl, sighed, and muttered, "Ramyeon was better received."