The morning sun filtered through the thin, faded curtains of the small apartment, casting a warm, golden haze across the room. The air was thick with the comforting, savory aroma of fried garlic and jasmine rice wafting from the kitchen.
Ter stood by the edge of the small mattress, fully dressed in his crisp, neatly ironed university uniform. He looked down at the lump buried under a mountain of blankets, a soft, indulgent smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"North," Ter said, his voice gentle but firm as he reached down to shake his younger brother's shoulder. "Wake up, lazybones. It's our first day. We can't be late on day one."
A low, muffled groan came from beneath the sheets. North pulled the blanket tighter over his head, curling into a tighter ball to shield his eyes from the morning light. "Five more minutes, Phi Ter..." he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. With his messy hair peeking out and his delicate features soft with slumber, he looked entirely like a child refusing to go to school, completely innocent and untouched by the harsh realities of the world.
"Not even one more minute," Ter chuckled, ruthlessly tugging the blanket away. "Mae is already setting the table. If you don't get up now, she's going to come in here with the wooden spoon."
As if on cue, a warm, lively voice called out from the small kitchen just beyond the partition. "Ter! North! Breakfast is ready! Come eat while it's hot, or you'll miss the bus!"
"Coming, Mae!" Ter called back. He gave North one final, warning pat on the shoulder. "Hurry up. Get dressed. I'll save the best omelet piece for you if you're fast."
The threat of losing out on Mae's cooking finally worked. North let out a dramatic sigh, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. He blinked sleepily at his older brother, his wide, bright eyes carrying a trace of lingering exhaustion, though he forced a bright, boyish smile. "Fine, fine. I'm moving."
A few minutes later, both brothers were seated at the small wooden dining table. The space was tight, but immaculately clean. Their mother, a woman with kind eyes and lines of hard work etched gently around her smile, placed a steaming platter of food between them. She looked at her two sons, her expression brimming with undeniable pride.
"Look at my beautiful boys," she said softly, reaching out to gently smooth down the collar of North's uniform shirt, then doing the same for Ter. "University students now. Both of you on full scholarships. Your father would have been so proud to see this day."
"We'll work hard, Mae," Ter said smoothly, placing a perfectly fried piece of egg onto his mother's plate first, then a piece onto North's. "You don't have to worry about a thing. We'll keep our grades up, keep our heads down, and graduate with honors."
"I just want you both to be safe and happy," she murmured, a fleeting shadow of worry crossing her face as she remembered the tense news reports from the night before, though she quickly replaced it with a warm smile. "Just focus on your studies. Don't get involved with the wealthy, arrogant crowds there. Students like us... we just need to stay under the radar."
"We will, Mae," North promised, his smile radiating pure, sweet reassurance as he chewed his food. He looked completely carefree, the very picture of a dutiful, loving younger son. "We'll stick together. Nobody is even going to notice us."
Ter watched his brother over the rim of his glass, his own expression calm, steady, and perfectly composed. "That's right. We're just ordinary scholarship students. We won't cause any trouble."
After finishing their meal and receiving a tight, lingering hug from their mother, the two brothers grabbed their bags and stepped out of the apartment. As the heavy metal door clicked shut behind them, locking their sweet, fragile family life safely inside, the atmosphere between the two brothers shifted by a fraction of a degree.
