Parallel Lives | BBANGSAZ

T W E N T Y F O U R

M I N J I
—

"So, what's new?" My brother's voice fills my ears as he takes a seat in front of me. We're hanging out at Ocean's. He landed in Vancouver just two hours ago and came straight to see me, but my shift only ended five minutes ago.

"What's new?" I narrow my eyes at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Oh, you know, the usual. Mom asking me for money, threatening me, you know." I shrug, rolling my eyes.

Despite being twins, my brother and I are absolutely nothing alike. His blond hair is long enough that he can put it into a short ponytail, but this time he's hiding it under a baseball cap. He looks so much healthier and happier than when we left home—his face is lighter, his smile seems real, and his brown eyes have never looked more alive than they do right now. He's got muscles now, a sharp jawline, and high cheekbones. I'm pretty sure he's the definition of a fuckboy or whatever they call the hockey players from my uni. Ugh. It's hard to picture my brother being a 'king' in the States. But I guess that's why he left—to build another life. A fresh start.

I'm so sure that I look the opposite of him—sad, lifeless, tired, and everything in between.

"And you still give it to her?" he raises his light brows at me, rolling his eyes. "You never learn your lesson, baby sis."

"And what do you want me to do if she keeps threatening me, you big idiot?" I hiss. At least you got out. "I don't want to be rude, but I will. What are you doing here, Taehyung? We've never celebrated Thanksgiving in our nineteen years of life."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "I... I missed you."

"You have a funny way of showing it." I roll my eyes so hard I think I can actually see my brain. "You have uni. I'm pretty sure they don't have a holiday break this week, since you're in the States and all."

He shrugs, leaning in on the table. "Well, actually... I'm here because we have a game."

"What?"

He clears his throat. "Yeah. We're playing against your school's team, and I... I wanted to see you, and I want you to come see me."

Oh, that makes so much fucking sense. Of course he's not here for me. Of course he's not here to set Mom straight. Of course he doesn't miss all of this. Why would he?

He's here because he has a game with his teammates from another fucking country, and he wants me to go see him.

Taehyung has always been my best friend, my only friend in the world—until he decided to leave me behind and start a new life, away from me. He keeps telling me it was to get away from Mom, and I get it, I do—but he also got away from me. His twin sister. I haven't seen him in two years, except for that time he came home for a minute. He got on a plane so fucking fast that I thought I imagined my whole interaction with him.

"Does she know you're here?" Of course she does; she told me just yesterday she wants to spend Thanksgiving with us, but I need to hear him say it.

"Yeah, I called her." He shrugs, and his face falls.

I think it's sad that my brother still seeks Mom's approval after all. He still wants to make her proud, wants her to like him, wants her to tell him she's proud of him. He was always like this; I stopped trying when I was six.

"Did you invite her to your game?"

"I did. She said she had a thing."

"A thing," I point out.

"Yup."

My heart sinks with guilt when I see his face. I love my brother, I really do, but he has so much hope for someone who does not love us. "I'll be there."