𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗗𝗬

16.Way Back Home..

Seungcheol stood amid the buzzing crowd at the airport, his jaw clenched as he glanced repeatedly at the arrival board. The minutes felt like hours.

 A year had passed since Dokyeom, his youngest brother, had left for the business trip that turned out longer than any of them expected....

 But in those moments before Dokyeom's arrival, the pressure grew sharper, mingling with a quiet anxiety he didn't care to examine.

He scanned the faces emerging from the arrival gates, the swell of voices around him fading into the background.

 Finally, Seungcheol spotted him. Dokyeom looked different—a little thinner, his smile not quite as carefree as it used to be

. But the moment their eyes met, something shifted in Seungcheol's chest.

 Dokyeom's face broke into that familiar, radiant grin, and he quickened his pace, his luggage bumping against his legs as he rushed forward.

"Hyung! You... you actually came," Dokyeom breathed out, his voice slightly shaky with disbelief

 Before Seungcheol could react, Dokyeom threw his arms around him, holding him tighter than he ever had before, like he was clinging to something slipping away.

For a moment, Seungcheol froze, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the tension in Dokyeom's grip, the way his younger brother's breath hitched as if holding back tears.

 But then, he pulled himself together, raising a hand to pat Dokyeom's back.

 "Of course, I did, idiot. You thought I'd let you just slip back in without a fuss?" His voice was lighter than he felt, a careful mask.

Dokyeom let out a laugh, but it sounded hollow, like an echo of his usual cheer.

 He pulled back, swiping a hand across his eyes.

 "It's... good to be home, hyung," he said, and something about the way he said it made Seungcheol's chest tighten further.

"Yeah, well," Seungcheol cleared his throat, slipping back into the role of the dutiful eldest,

"Mom's been driving me crazy asking when you'd get here, and Soonyoung's been planning some elaborate welcome. You'll probably need a vacation to recover from it."

Dokyeom's smile grew a little more genuine, but his eyes still looked tired, shadows lingering beneath them.

 Seungcheol didn't ask, not yet. He told himself there'd be time for questions later.

 For now, he had to focus on getting his little brother home.

                                                                                   -----

The ride back home was filled with small talk and forced jokes, but beneath the surface, both brothers sensed the unspoken words simmering between them.

 Seungcheol gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, glancing over at Dokyeom every now and then.

 He could tell something weighed on his brother, something more than the exhaustion of travel.

As they turned onto the driveway, Seungcheol felt a jolt of nerves.

 He knew their family had been through a lot—Soonyoung's relentless cheerfulness, their mother's tearful calls, and Wonwoo's silent endurance had been his anchors in those hard times.

 But now, with Dokyeom's return, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were standing on the edge of something fragile.

The front door burst open, and Soonyoung came tearing down the steps before the car even fully stopped.

 He launched himself at Dokyeom the moment he stepped out, pulling him into a hug that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"My little minniee is back!" Soonyoung's voice rang out, loud and triumphant, but there was a tightness to it, a desperation that Seungcheol recognized all too well.

"Hyung, hyung, I can't breathe!" Dokyeom gasped out, but he didn't pull away.

 He let Soonyoung cling to him, his own arms circling his brother's back in a grip that seemed to speak of a fear of letting go.