The last bell of the day rang, releasing the students from J-High into the buzzing streets, Minsoo walked alongside Zack, Vasco, Zoe, and Mira Kim The group strolled down the sidewalk, backpacks lazily over their shoulders.
Zack was in the middle of an exaggerated story again "I'm telling you, I totally aced that math test The teacher just couldn't recognize my genius handwriting!"
"Genius handwriting?" Zoe scoffed, crossing her arms "Your handwriting looks like a Ancient rune."
Then Zoe laughed so hard she almost tripped, leaning into Minsoo for balance Vasco, meanwhile, nodded seriously "Handwriting is important, Zack You should practice If you can't even write clearly. "
Zack groaned, Combed his hair with the Hand "You're supposed to be on my side, Vasco!"
The banter went on, lively and loud, as the group teased, argued, and laughed like typical teenagers, Minsoo, walking a step behind, listened quietly A faint smile tugged at his lips as he watched them.
Then Zoe clapped her hands together, her eyes gleaming "Hey, Since tomorrow's Saturday why don't we all hang out at Minsoo's place today? We've never seen your house before."
The group's chatter paused, everyone looking at Minsoo.
"Yeah," Mira added "it's about time we meet this mysterious little brother of yours, don't you think?"
Vasco's face lit up instantly "Meeting Minsoo's brother?! Yes! Let's do it! This is important for family bonding!"
Zack, though pretending to be indifferent "Eh, I don't mind Let's see where this guy hides all the snacks."
Minsoo chuckled "Alright, alright fine But don't blame me if you're disappointed."
The group cheered.
---
When they finally arrived, they froze.
"…No way," Zack muttered, eyes widening as he took in the neighborhood.
The streets were quiet, lined with trees and high-end houses, Expensive cars sat in pristine driveways This wasn't just a good area, this was where celebrities and CEOs lived.
Zack's jaw Dropped "Minsoo… you live here?"
Zoe's eyes sparkled with disbelief "This is like… a K-drama neighborhood! Are you secretly famous?"
Vasco, true to himself "Minsoo, you've been hiding this from us? Such humility such modesty!"
Minsoo, ignoring their reactions "Come on, Don't make a big deal out of it."
He walked up to one of the houses, sleek, modern, and far too large for what anyone expected from a high schooler, He pulled out a set of keys, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
The group stepped inside hesitantly, their eyes darting everywhere, the spacious living room, the polished floors, the clean modern decor.
But what caught their attention most wasn't the house.
It was the person sitting casually on the couch, leaning back, phone in hand, tapping away at a mobile game.
He looked up as the door opened, His features were sharp, handsome to the point of seeming unreal, His posture radiated calm confidence, and the faint smirk tugging at his lips made him look even more magnetic.
"Hey," the man greeted them, putting his phone down "You guys must be Minsoo's friends."
Zoe's cheeks went scarlet instantly, her voice caught in her throat. "H-he's…"
Mira, usually composed, felt her heart stutter, her face betraying a faint blush she quickly tried to hide.
Zack's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening "Tch…" He looked away, annoyed for reasons he didn't want to admit.
Even Vasco, though less affected, blinked in awe "handsome, Minsoo, is this your brother."
Minsoo sighed, already knowing where this was going, He gestured casually "Yeah, This is my brother, Sun-ho."
Sun-ho stood smoothly, pocketing his phone His smile was warm, He gave them a polite nod.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Sun-ho I've heard a little about you guys from Minsoo." His tone was smooth, charming in a way that made Zoe and Mira's blush deepen.
Zoe stammered, her hands clutched together nervously "N-nice to meet you too!"
Mira crossed her arms quickly, trying to act unbothered "Yeah… nice to meet you."
Zack gritted his teeth.
Sun-ho chuckled lightly at their reactions, then turned to his brother "Well, Minsoo, you brought good company, Make yourselves at home, everyone."
The group exchanged glances half nervous, half amazed before slowly settling in.
The group was still adjusting to the shock of Sun-ho's presence when the sound of soft footsteps echoed down the staircase, Everyone turned their heads.
A girl descended from upstairs, her long hair brushing against her shoulders, her steps light and graceful, She was dressed casually sweatpants and a loose T-shirt but somehow she carried an elegance that didn't need any effort, Her presence alone seemed to brighten the entire living room.
The group went silent, their jaws slowly dropping.
"Woah…" Zack muttered before catching himself and looking away, cheeks red.
Vasco's eyes widened as his face flushed crimson "S-she looks-"
The girl stopped halfway down the stairs, blinking at the unexpected guests Then she smiled warmly "Oh! You must be Minsoo's friends, Nice to finally meet you."
"This is Hana," Minsoo said casually "We grew up together Since childhood "
Hana nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear "Yeah I've known Minsoo since we were kids, I'm the oldest of us by seven months, so technically that makes me the noona here." She winked playfully.
Her lightheartedness broke the tension, but not the blush on Zack and Vasco's faces,
Soon the introductions were out of the way, and everyone began to relax What started as awkward silence quickly turned into laughter as the group settled in
"Seriously though," Zoe leaned forward, her eyes darting between Sun-ho, Minsoo and Hana "why aren't you guys models? Like look at you Three, You could be on billboards."
"Exactly," Vasco said enthusiastically.
Minsoo chuckled and shook his head "You guys are exaggerating."
After a while, someone suggested games They played through card games and multiplayer mobile games, laughter filling the room with every ridiculous win and over-dramatic loss, Vasco yelled with such intensity when he lost that the others had to calm him down with snacks, Zoe and Mira ganged up on Zack during a game of charades.
By the time dinner rolled around, the group had worked up a big appetite, They gathered around the long dining table, with Sun-ho and Hana preparing dishes they had cooked earlier The smell of seasoned chicken, kimchi, and stir-fried noodles filled the air.
"This is amazing," Vasco mumbled through a full mouth.
They chatter and laughing
After cleaning up, they gathered back in the living room for movies.
The first pick was horror.
The lights were off, the room dark except for the glow of the television, The jump scare made Vasco practically leap off the couch, gripping Zack's arm like his life depended on it, Zoe laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes, while Mira pretended to be composed, Minsoo sat quietly, amused at their reactions, while Hana leaned against the armrest, smirking.
Then came the second movie, a comedy-romance.
At first, everyone laughed along to the jokes, but soon the movie shifted to a softer, more romantic tone The atmosphere grew awkward when a love-making scene filled the screen.
Zoe quickly covered her face with both hands, peeking through her fingers with her cheeks burning, Mira coughed and crossed her arms, trying to look unfazed but failing as her ears turned red, Zack groaned "Why do they always put these scenes in?"
Minsoo chuckled lightly, shaking his head Sun-ho smirked knowingly, clearly entertained by everyone's reactions Hana simply rolled her eyes, though a faint blush touched her cheeks.
Eventually, the tension melted into laughter again, the group throwing popcorn at each other and making jokes about the silliest parts of the film.
By the time the credits rolled, it was late One by one, they grew drowsy Vasco sprawled on the floor with a blanket, snoring loudly within minutes, Zoe and Mira fell asleep curled up on the couch, Zack muttering in his sleep as he claimed a corner chair.
Hana went upstairs, and Sun-ho returned to his room after making sure everyone was comfortable.
Minsoo lingered for a while, looking at his friends sleeping peacefully in his home His chest felt warm, he never experienced something this simple, this normal A smile spread across his face before he finally lay down.