chapter eight
landed!
⊱ ────── .⋅ ❈ ⋅. ────── ⊰
🌌
THE SMELL OF HOME never felt so calm like any other else. The palm tress singing against the burst of wind. The village purring along with the laughter of the kids playing in their neighborhood. Kyung hums a tune, patiently waiting at their guest house for his brother Kyuhyun to make a show.
Kyung would occasionally check for Lisa and his brother on his phone, seemingly content that their younger brother is going to enjoy his summer than before. With a soft sound of a car halting, Kyuhyun arrives with a scowl on his face.
"Where the hell is that kid? Did he call you?" he walks in the pathway to meet Kyung at the terrace.
"He did. Apparently, he is on his way off the country." Kyung casually said.
"What?! Where?" Kyuhyun spat.
The middle child put an opened hand between them for Kyuhyun to stay cool. Seems like Kyuhyun hopped out from his work already cheesed off. "He did not tell me. But our brother is safe, Yugyeom's with Lisa."
"What the fuck." Kyuhyun slips inside, heading towards the living room for them to get some privacy. Kyung follows. "So, that's it. He is leaving for a vacation. He would rather go somewhere else than to attend his brother's wedding this Monday?"
"It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"It's always like this. Yugyeom only called you. He's been avoiding me like a plague or some fucking disease." The older was so close to throw his phone on the wall. He'll get mad at small things—the complete opposite of Yugyeom—whereas the younger would not know how to dig any revulsion at all. "I'm always a fucked up anyway."
"Runs in the family, I guess." Kyung side-commented, indicating his brother to take a sit.
Kyuhyun adjusts his tie, leveling his posture to Kyung and sits across his younger brother. Seconds later, he starts to let out a long sigh and contemplates. "I wasn't a good brother figure to begin with."
Kyung clears his throat, easing his brother's fret. "You know, when Yugyeom's just five—still a crybaby. He always looked up to you. He adores you more than me. When he was a fresh high schooler, he said he wanted to become a Civil Engineer like you, he was always boasting your intelligence to his friends without you knowing it. He loves you. It is no one's fault. You were just busy."
The room temperature suddenly became colder, yet Kyung's heartfelt words sent a little comfort for Kyuhyun. "Yugyeom growing up, when you started siding dad than mom from cheating, that's when he breaks. And it broke our family apart. It wasn't always you who fucked up. It was all us. Me not being there to confront him—and everything else that a brother would have done. We practically neglected him, blinded by our trust and adoration to dad. And look where we are now. We should've just trusted our own mother and Yugyeom."
"Dad's gone. And Yugyeom is gradually slipping away from us." The older's mind was racing into many scenarios, thoughts how to build them back together. Like how a family should. "Yeah, we were just young back then. The only thing that's been keeping me close to him, somehow—is Seohyun."
"She loves him too much." The two brothers chuckled, finding mirth in small reasons. This should have been them—the three of them. Bond. Love. Finding home. They were all lost in their own battles.
"Yeah. More than me perhaps. Treating him like her own kid." Kyuhyun looks at Kyung, with a delicate smile that can only be seen so often. "But I never stopped loving him, you know. I will never let him completely slip away from us ever."
Kyung raises a question. "So, I guess it's fine for Yugyeom to ditch your wedding day, then?"
The other groaned like on the verge of pain. "Seohyun would fucking kill me for this."
"Yugyeom called her. She probably heard the news more prior than us."
"Of course, he would do something like that."
🌌
ALL LIGHTS WERE SPARKLING beneath them. Lisa priorly books a window seat to behold the view besides the clouds and the miniature size seen below. It never fails to astound her. That includes her, slipping her fingers in between Yugyeom's warm ones and rests her head on his shoulder like her own snug cushion.
"You're being extra clingy, I see." he whispers, chucking like they are on their own world.
"The stewardess with a gold wristband. Did you noticed?" Lisa asks, like a lawyer on her eyes to her client to dig evidences.
"No, why?"
Lisa sits up straight—an eyebrow raised with a tight stare on Yugyeom. "Are you blind? Or you're just pretending to act like a stone?"
"Why, w–what's wrong?" Yugyeom slips his arms around Lisa to get her closer to him. Somehow stuttering at her change of mood.
"She's obviously eyeing you like you will be her own dinner and whatever. She even flirted with you when she asked your drinks earlier. You are completely unaware, huh?"
Yugyeom denser than a foam, starts smirking at her behavior. "No surprises coming from you. You're practically jealous personified."
A heavy smack in the ribs was received by Yugyeom, giggling still from his teases. "But it's true though."
"Save your honesty later, or I'll be spending this vacation alone." Lisa warned, eyes not leaving his brightening visage with his moles beautifully arranged on his face. This might be a great spot to look at than anything else.
"Yes, ma'am." And he even had the nerve to offer a smirk.
Somehow later at the touchdown of the aircraft, they heard an announcement that excites the antsy Lisa.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The local time is 9:36 PM and the temperature at 29 degree Celcius. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened—"
"I really thought we'd go for Singapore last week." Yugyeom said, distracting Lisa from listening the flight attendant.
"Philippines had its perks to convince me why spending summer here is great. I heard people are nicer here."
