All The Little Things - Hyunho

Chapter 5

Yeji stands in front of Hyunjin's closed door, contemplating what to do. Her dumb brother suffered heartbreak for the first time in his life, locked himself in and now she can't decide which is more depressing, the sad music he's blasting on full volume or the fact that he hasn't left his room in the last three days.

Since the very first moment she saw him arrive home a little later than usual with eyes a little red, possibly from crying, looking like a lost puppy who can't find his owner, she figured something had happened. 

She knew better than to immediately ask what's wrong, that only would've resulted in Hyunjin crying his heart out for hours and frankly Yeji didn't want that. 

She hoped whatever he was going through would've blown over by now, instead he fell into a black hole of spiraling thoughts he normally would've avoided if Yeji was there. 

For once, Yeji regrets not helping her brother. 

She sighs and pushes down the door handle, entering the room without knocking. It's dark inside. She can barely make out Hyunjin's form on the bed but the light peeking in from the hallway is enough to navigate her through the room. 

She first pauses the music on Hyunjin's laptop then heads over to the window to pull up the blinds and open the window for a little fresh air. 

She takes in the morning sunlight and takes a deep breath before turning around. She can faintly see some movement under the covers which confirms her suspicions of Hyunjin being wide awake. 

She steps closer to the bed and with one swift motion she rips off the duvet, revealing a curled up Hyunjin and a squirming Kkami in his arms. 

Yeji's eyes land on the dog who looks back at her with his two eyes looking different ways and his tounge sticking out of his mouth. She frowns. She doesn't understand what Hyunjin sees in this dog. 

"Hyunjin," she tries calling out. No response. 

Yeji lets out a frustrated sigh and turns to the dog once again. 

"Kkami," she starts. "Can you tell your owner that he's being dramatic and that he should take a shower for the sake of this family?" she asks in a cynical tone. 

"Leave me alone," Hyunjin mumbles and squeezes Kkami even tighter to his body. The small creature tries to wiggle his way out of the boy's arms but to no avail. He instead lets out a loud bark which, in his case, sounds more like a scream of agony. 

Yeji frowns. "He looks constipated." 

Silence. "It's possible," Hyunjin says sheepishly. Yeji's eyes go wide. She was just joking when she said that but he actually could be? 

"Hyunjin," she tries again. 

"Yeah?" 

"When did you last take him outside?" She asks staring down at the dog. 

"Like yesterday?" His answer comes out more like a question but it's enough to make Yeji completely freak out at him and start rambling about how he's being such an irresponsible dog owner. 

"I'm just gonna take him outside okay?" She reaches over and snatches the puppy out of Hyunjin's arms who can only whine in response. "And you are going to get up and take a shower. You better be in that bathroom when I get back," she yells from the door and hurries down the stairs with Kkami in her arms. 

She barely lets the dog out of her arms at the backdoor, but he's already at the other side of the backyard, trying to find a spot to do his business. She closes back the glass sliding door but leaves a gap big enough for Kkami to fit through if he wanted to come back.