"Hyung! Your phone is ringing!" the youngest yelled from the other side of the room, half sprawled across the couch with his legs hanging over the armrest.
"Who is it?!" the older boy called back, his voice slightly muffled as he was busy sorting through a stack of papers spread across the table.
"Don’t know!" the youngest replied, squinting at the screen. "Something in chinese"
"Okay, could you pick up?" the older one sighed. "I’m in the middle of something."
The boy grabbed the phone and answered without hesitation.
"Yoboseyo?"
The moment he heard her voice, his expression changed completely.
"NOONA!" he yelled, breaking into a wide smile.
Almost instantly, all heads in the room turned toward him. Conversations died down, movements paused. The atmosphere shifted in a heartbeat.
"Wait—noona, I’ll put you on speaker," he added quickly, excitement clear in his voice. "I’m with the hyungs!"
He placed the phone carefully on the table, pressing the speaker button.
"Okay, noona! You can talk!"
On the other end of the line, there was a brief pause—just a second too long.
"Hello, guys," she finally said, her voice soft, cautious.
"Soul!" one of them exclaimed immediately. "Woah, it’s so nice to hear your voice! How are you?"
There was another pause.
The girl sat on the edge of her bed, phone clutched tightly in her hand, staring at the floor. She had debated calling them for nearly half an hour. Her thumb had hovered over the call button again and again before she finally pressed it.
What if they’re busy?
What if I’m interrupting something important?
What if they think I’m only calling because I need something again…?
"Uhmm…" she answered quietly. "I’m fine. I think."
She hesitated, then added quickly, as if to distract from her own uncertainty, "How about you guys?"
"We’re fine too!" the youngest answered immediately, far too cheerful for the knot tightening in her chest.
She swallowed.
"That’s… that’s good to hear," she murmured.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her sleeve.
There was a silence again—longer this time.
"Hey… uhm…" she started, then stopped herself.
The words stuck in her throat. Asking felt wrong. Asking felt selfish.
On the other end, the boys exchanged glances.
She took a shaky breath.
"I—I’m scared to ask," she admitted quietly. "So… if this is annoying, you can just tell me, okay?"
"Soul," one of them said gently, "what’s wrong?"
She closed her eyes.
"Do you maybe… know how my brother is doing?"
Her voice cracked despite her trying to keep it steady.
"He’s not answering when I text or call. Not even once. I know he said he needed space, but…"
She pressed her lips together.
"Is he still mad at me?"
"Mad?" Haechan repeated, genuinely confused. "Mad about what?"
