"You look so cute when you're frustrated and angry, little brother."
Zack said it with that teasing smile—the one that usually makes people laugh.
On me, it just lands wrong.
Sometimes I think he has a few screws loose.
Nothing else explains how he never takes my threats seriously.
Stupid dog.
He didn't even give me a chance to respond before cutting me off.
"Anyway… how were you so sure there's a mole in the system?"
Ah. There it is.
The seriousness beneath all that annoying charm.
"Good to see you were paying attention,"
I said, dry and sarcastic.
I wasn't in the mood to explain myself, not to him, not to anyone.
My anger was already sitting too close to the surface.
Wasting it on Zack would be pointless.
He stepped closer.
The smile was gone now—completely erased.
Which, frankly, looked wrong on him.
"The system is no joke."
He said it quietly.
I patted his shoulder in return—part warning, part acknowledgement.
"I know. I have somewhere to be. We'll talk later."
Zack may act like a Labrador, but I know better.
There's more behind that smile than anyone realizes.
But I wasn't about to dig into that right now.
I had somewhere important to go.
Someone important to meet.
Chibi.
I made my way out without wasting another second on the mad dog.
I had a promise to keep.
And I'm not the kind of man who lets her wait.
---
The moment I stepped into the elevator of her apartment building, my heartbeat changed—sharper, faster.
Only she can do that.
Even when she's nowhere in sight, she gets to me.
As I walked down the hallway, one stupid question filled my head:
Do I greet her with a hug… or with a kiss?
A kiss would make me happy.
A hug would make her comfortable.
I hate having to think about this.
She makes me soft in ways I don't understand.
I rang the doorbell.
My voice dropped without me meaning to.
Lower. Warmer.
"I'm here, Chibi."