"Stop being wild to my big bro, silly," he whispered, giving me goosebumps, before pushing him away.
"If you're not in your right mind, go find a bee's nest and stick your head in it!" I said.
"If I lose an ear because of you, you'll pay!" he shouted, running to the mirror.
"Good, because there are plenty of dogs on the street that you can borrow ears from!" I shouted back.
"Pfftt, bro, it looks like you've met your match," he laughed loudly, patting my shoulder.
I glared at him and was about to approach him when he screamed and ran away.
"Dad! Help me!!!" he shouted as he ran away.
I grinned, watching Yujin run like he was being chased by ten dogs. Wait, Dad? Dad gave me this address, and as far as I know, I don't have siblings like these... Did I enter the wrong house?
I quickly grabbed my belongings, thinking if this is the wrong house, I don't want to end up in jail. People would miss my handsome face if I got locked up. I was about to open the door when someone called my name.
My fear vanished when I saw Dad smiling at me, with Yujin smiling next to him and another guy to Dad's left, checking his watch. Our eyes met briefly, and I quickly looked away.
Fast forward to now, the five of us are sitting on the sofa, waiting for Dad to speak.
"Since you're already here, meet your brothers," Dad said.
"B-brothers?" I asked, confused.
"This one is Yujin, Seiji, and the last is Ayato," Dad said, pointing to each of them.
I nodded, making eye contact with Seiji, who had been glaring at me. His ear was still red. I stuck my tongue out at him while Dad wasn't looking, and he got visibly irritated.
"I have a business trip to Thailand tomorrow, so they'll be with you here," Dad continued.
I barely listened to Dad because I was enjoying teasing Seiji so much.
"Your room is next to Ayato's, and he doesn't like noise," Dad added.
"Can we sleep in the same bed?" Yujin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He will sleep in my room tonight!" Seiji declared.
"How?" Ayato asked.
"Just wait and let me teach this one a lesson," Seiji said.
"Then after that, Dad will kill you," Yujin retorted.
I could see how annoyed Seiji was with me, so I made the most of it by grinning and teasing him while Dad wasn't looking.
"Make yourself at home. If you need to ask anything, just ask Yujin since he looks like a pet dog staring at you," Dad said.
"Dad! I wasn't staring at him at all, and I'm not a pet dog!" Yujin protested.
Dad and I laughed while Yujin fumed. One brother was glaring at me silently, and the other seemed to be drowning me with his eyes.
"If we're done here, may I excuse myself?" Ayato asked.
"Sure," Dad replied.
Ayato stood up and walked away. He was cold, but still handsome and tall like Seiji.
"Maki, you can go to your room now. Yujin, lead Maki and don't do any nonsense," Dad said.
"Sure, Dad," Yujin replied with a smile, grabbing some of my bags.
Yujin walked ahead, and I glanced back at Dad's seat. I saw Seiji smirk, making me feel something bad was about to happen. I ran up to Yujin, who was surprised but then smiled.
"If you need anything, brother, you can call me," Yujin said.
"Just call me Maki, not brother," I replied.
"Don't you want me to call you brother?" he asked playfully, pouting.
I glanced at his lips for a moment, and he noticed. I quickly pinched his cheek.
"I'm just used to being called Maki," I said with a smile, letting go of his cheek, which I had been holding for a while.
"Are you two flirting in front of my room?" Ayato said grumpily.
"What the-" I started, but Yujin pulled me into the room.
"Why did you pull me? I was about to teach that arrogant guy a lesson. He was so quiet and angelic in front of Dad," I complained.
"You don't know him at all, so don't mess with him," Yujin warned.
"But-" I started again, but he cut me off.
"We respect him even with that attitude. Without him, my brother and I would be dead," Yujin said.
"Dead?" I looked into his eyes, but he avoided my gaze.
"If you need anything, just call me. I have some important things to do. See you around, Maki," he said with a smile, leaving me to ponder what he had said.
Someone's POV
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes, son, he left around one o'clock," said Aling Lourdes.
"Do you know where Maki went?"
"No, son. Are you related to him?" Aling Lourdes asked.
"Ah, we're friends. We lost contact when I went back to the US. I'll be going now." I didn't wait for her to respond because it seemed pointless.
I got back in the car and saw my sister pouting at me.
"How is it, Brother? Did you find him? Did you ask him? Did you-"
"Stop it, Cindy! Can you ask one question at a time?" I said, irritated.
"Fine, sorry. But I'm not you. So, did you find him?" Cindy asked, smiling.
"He doesn't live there anymore. He left earlier today," I said.
I started driving us home. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again.
"Brother, I really want to see him. I badly want to," she said sadly.
I didn't respond immediately, feeling my sister's sadness. I didn't want her to feel this way.
"Okay, just this once, I will help you find him, even if you don't tell me what your relationship with that guy is," I said, not looking at her.
"YAY!!! Thank you so much, Brother! You're the best!" Cindy said, hugging and shaking me in her excitement.
"Hey, I'm driving!"
I braked, and she stopped, sitting properly and smiling at me. I resumed driving, unable to help smiling back, seeing the happiness in her eyes and on her lips.
Who are you, Maki, in my sister's life? That question always lingered in my mind whenever I was with my sister.
"Brother?" Cindy called.
"Hmm?"
"You got a text," Cindy pointed to my phone on the side. I grabbed it and read the text.
"Seiji: Are you free tonight, bro?"
"Yeah, why?" I replied.
"Seiji: Just join us tonight at the same club."
"Okay, count me in," I texted back and turned off my phone.
There must be a problem again. Whenever we go to the club and he's the one who invites us, we know he's stressed.
"Was that Kuya Seiji?" Cindy asked.
"You know, even if you don't ask, you already know the answer," I said, shaking my head.
"brother, why is brother Seiji still single? He's handsome. Do you think he plans to be an old bachelor?" Cindy asked.
I didn't know, but I laughed at what she said. It would indeed be a waste of his good looks if Seiji grew old alone.
Ayato's POV
Dad asked me to bring Maki a bag he left downstairs, and out of everyone, he chose me.
I stood in front of his room and knocked twice, but there was no answer. I decided to enter and found him asleep, his shirt slightly lifted, exposing part of his stomach. I closed the door and approached him.
You just arrived, and the house is already noisy. What more if... I trailed off when he moved but remained asleep.
I sat on the edge of his bed and touched his cheek. So, this is what it's like to touch the cheek of a noisy person. I didn't know why, but I smiled at my thoughts. I kissed his forehead and adjusted his blanket. He had smooth, fair skin, smoother than a woman's. I stood up, leaving the bag by the bed, and exited the room, still smiling.
I went back to my room, trying to stop myself from smiling. Why am I smiling? It's just Maki.
To Be Continued...