The Choi Brothers

🍵Chapter 14🍵

The next morning at breakfast, the atmosphere was tense and quiet. Mrs. Choi and Mr. Choi exchanged a series of silent glances and subtle gestures, each trying to delegate the task of talking to their sons to the other.

Mrs. Choi shot her husband a pointed look, silently urging him to address Yeonjun and Soobin.

Mr. Choi widened his eyes, clearly taken aback, silently communicating that she was supposed to handle this.

Mrs. Choi raised an eyebrow, questioning when they had decided that she would be the one to talk.

Mr. Choi tilted his head slightly towards the direction of their bedroom, subtly reminding her that they had discussed this last night. His eyes darted briefly to Yeonjun and Soobin, then back to his wife, silently arguing that the boys were closer to her and would respond better to her intervention.

Mrs. Choi widened her eyes in disbelief, silently retorting that this reasoning was nonsense. She then subtly gestured towards his chair and back to him, conveying that he was the head of the house and it was his responsibility.

Mr. Choi widened his eyes again, silently countering that being the head of the house didn't mean he had to handle everything.  

As the silent exchange continued, Beomgyu looked between his parents, catching onto the wordless debate they were having. He rolled his eyes slightly, finding their non-verbal communication amusing despite the tension. 

The silent exchange continued, becoming almost comical in its intensity, but no words were spoken aloud. Yeonjun and Soobin, caught up in their own thoughts, were oblivious to their parents' non-verbal debate.

The tension at the breakfast table was abruptly shattered by a sudden snort from Soobin. The room's silence was broken as Beomgyu and their parents turned to look at Soobin, who was trying and failing to stifle his laughter. Yeonjun's expression turned to one of irritation as he glared at Soobin.

Yeonjun, who had been brooding silently, shot Soobin an irritated look. "Don't laugh, you brat," He was fully aware of what had tickled Soobin's funny bone.

Soobin, unable to contain himself any longer, burst into laughter. "Why are you going to take it out on the pea again?" he managed to say between fits of giggles.

Standing up, Soobin leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with mischief, and scooped a spoonful of boiled peas from the communal bowl. He plopped them directly into Yeonjun's salad bowl, the peas making a distinct clinking sound as they landed among the greens. He continued chuckling.

"Just use a fork or spoon instead of chopsticks to eat it, or you might snap at them again," Soobin teased, still laughing.

"Soobin, seriously?" Yeonjun groaned, rolling his eyes. "It was one time yesterday. I was tired and irritated. Can you just give it a rest already?"  he retorted, trying to sound indignant but failing to hide a smile.

Soobin, still grinning, managed to control his laughter but couldn't resist one last jab. "Sure," he said, still chuckling, "but not anytime soon."

Yeonjun scoffed and then, unable to resist, let out a laugh himself. "You're such a cheeky little brat." He said with a wry smile, shaking his head. "Always finding a way to get under my skin."

Soobin grinned widely, leaning back in his chair. "Well, at least I'm consistent. And I'd say I'm more cheeky than a brat."

Beomgyu glanced between Soobin and Yeonjun, his curiosity piqued. "Why are you laughing, Soobin?" he asked.

Soobin, still trying to control his chuckling, replied, "Yeonjun Hyung was struggling to lift the peas with chopsticks."

Beomgyu looked confused. "So what? Am I missing out on some inside joke or something?"