Zero by One: Take Me Home

1. Dongjak and the Kangs

　"My, my... Let me see," Yeosang picked Jiu up. "Did our little one try on a new hairstyle today?" He nuzzled against his little one's nose as Jiu proudly showed off her pigtails tied with yellow ribbons of which the symmetry was a little off just enough to prove it was his brother's handiwork.

　"Yes! Uncle did my hair today!" Yeosang's lips curled into a fond smile as he dragged out a chair to sit her down.

　"I see~ It suits you well." Then he went back to the countertop to pick up the side dishes.

The 'drr' sound of the metal foot of a chair scraping against the vinyl tiles echoed through the kitchen, followed by a greeting:

　"Morning, hyung."

　"Morning, Tyun." Yeosang returned the greeting while distributing the dishes equally for everyone's reach before he sat himself down on the top seat. He grabbed his chopsticks and scissors and started cutting some meat into bite sizes for Jiu.

　"Is our youngest up?"

　"Just now. I had to wake that lazy bish up five times after her alarm went off. She'll be here in a minute." Taehyun rounded the dining table and came to the countertop to make himself a cup of instant coffee.

　"C'mon, let her sleep. She's still on her vacation after all."

　"Not when her godforsaken alarm screeching while she plans to sleep through half the day and expects me to turn it off for her. I had to." The middle child sat down at the table and started digging in the meal his brother prepared. After having two spoonfuls or so, he began hesitantly.

　"So uh, hyung..."

　"Yeah?"

　"I have a shift today and... uh may get home a little late than usual. Since it takes half the day to get to Mapo and back." Eyebrow raised, Yeosang paused midway in taking the empty spoon out of his mouth.

　"Hm? As far as I know, you don't have a job on the north of Hangang*. Care to elaborate a bit?" Taehyun gently cleared his throat after he swallowed a spoonful.

　"I looked it up and there's a lot of construction sites in Hongdae. I thought of um, maybe looking for a job there." The brunet then took a sudden interest in the kimchi landing on top of his rice as if he hadn't seen or tasted it since birth.

　"What? Why? Don't tell me you got fired from 7-eleven again." Yeosang then cringed at his own ridiculous thought of a fresh Marketing graduate running around under the sun with a wagon full of heavy loads.

　"No, the store's fine. It's not about side gigs. It's- how do I put it..." The older waited patiently for Taehyun to speak despite curiosity and confusion piling up in his mind, supervising his toddler feed herself with training chopsticks. After struggling, Taehyun finally let out the words lingering on his mouth.

　"I thought of changing my plans since I got rejected from yesterday's intervie-"

　"What!? YOU WERE REJECTED??"

Much to Taehyun's dismay when he had to muster all his strength to phrase his failure in shame, only to be cut off with an overdramatic gasp and a piercing shriek.

They watched the owner of the shrilling voice, none other than their sister, with a wet towel hung on her shoulder, bang down the five hell of stairs and shimmy to the dining room.

　"For goodness sake. When will you ever drop your over-the-top reactions even just for a day, flat chest! You're literally announcing my case to the whole neighbourhood." Taehyun spoke through gritted teeth as to refrain himself from swearing to keep the talk under PG.