The Choi Brothers

🍵Chapter 13🍵

During dinner that night, the tension between Yeonjun and Soobin was thick enough to cut with a knife. Mrs. Choi, having anticipated the need for some comfort food, had asked Mrs. Hong to inform Chef Lian to prepare Kimchi Jeon, one of Yeonjun's favorite snacks, and Bibimbap, Soobin's preferred dish.

Despite the delicious offerings, the atmosphere was anything but warm.

Their mom noticed the awkward silence between the two but decided to let things play out naturally, hoping the comfort of home and their favorite foods would help ease the tension. Beomgyu, sitting between his brothers, tried to keep the conversation lively.

Yeonjun focused on his Kimchi Jeon, trying to savor the familiar flavors while maintaining a carefully neutral expression. Soobin, on the other hand, methodically mixed his Bibimbap, not sparing Yeonjun a glance as he stirred the ingredients.

Despite the underlying tension, Yeonjun and Soobin were talking casually and warmly with everyone else at the table, but pointedly ignoring each other.

"Soobin, how was your mock trial today?" their dad asked, serving himself some Bibimbap.

Soobin smiled politely, "It was challenging, Dad. A lot of unexpected things happened, but I learned a lot from it."

"That's good to hear," their mom chimed in. "Challenges are the best teachers."

"Beomgyu, did you manage to finish that project you were working on?" Yeonjun asked, taking a bite of Kimchi Jeon.

Beomgyu nodded enthusiastically, "Not completely, I did bits when we got home earlier. And it's going well."

"Glad to hear it's going well," Yeonjun replied with a smile.

Their mom noticed the silence between Yeonjun and Soobin and tried to ease the situation. "Yeonjun, I heard you had a tough day with your group meeting being postponed. Did everything get sorted out?"

Yeonjun shrugged, "Not really, Mom. It was a frustrating day, but I'll manage. Thanks for asking."

Beomgyu tried to bridge the gap, "Hey, Yeonjun Hyung, Soobin's Bibimbap looks really good. You should try some."

Yeonjun responded without looking at Soobin, "I'm fine with the Kimchi Jeon, Gyu. Thanks."

Their mom sighed softly, but kept the conversation going. "Beomgyu, why don't you tell us more about your project?"

As Beomgyu began to talk about his project, the conversation flowed smoothly, but the underlying tension between Yeonjun and Soobin remained.

They continued to engage with their parents and Beomgyu, maintaining a semblance of normalcy, but their deliberate avoidance of each other was unmistakable.

At one point, Yeonjun chuckled and asked his dad, "Dad, how would you feel if something's bothering you and you know the solution to the problem as well, but someone is deliberately trying to help without you asking for it?"

Soobin stopped eating, taking a deep breath. Before their dad could reply, he interjected, "Mom, what would you do if you knew Dad was going through a problem that left him exhausted and snappy, and he wasn't sharing? Wouldn't you try to find out what's wrong and help?"

Yeonjun's eyes narrowed, and he asked their dad again, "But wouldn't that be called invasion of privacy, Dad?"

Their dad, caught off guard, started to respond, "Well, I think—"

Soobin cut him off with a scoff, looking at his mom, "Mom, if you pieced together information with minor crumbs, how would that be an invasion of privacy when you haven't touched any of Dad's things or inquired anyone?"