The house was silent, the kind of stillness that only comes deep into the night when everyone has long gone to bed. Kang Soo-bin, however, found herself tossing and turning, unable to quiet her restless mind. She finally gave up on sleep and wandered out of her room, hoping a glass of water would help.
As she padded down the hallway, she noticed a faint light glowing from the direction of the kitchen. Curious, she tiptoed closer, her breath catching when she saw a figure moving inside. It was Min-jae.
Her brother, dressed in simple workout clothes, stood at the counter with precise, deliberate movements. The sharp scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and she watched as he prepared what looked like an intricate meal—one that required actual effort. Her brother had once been someone who couldn't make instant ramen without burning it. Now, here he was, flipping something in a pan with expert ease, assembling a meal that looked like it belonged in a high-end restaurant.
Soo-bin blinked, unable to reconcile this image of Min-jae with the brother she had grown up with. He worked methodically, his face calm, his actions efficient. When the coffee was ready, he poured himself a cup, and without looking up, he asked in a low voice, "Do you want some?"
Caught off guard, she hesitated but eventually nodded. "Uh, sure."
Min-jae moved as though he hadn't just surprised her out of her wits, brewing her a fresh cup with the same meticulous care. He slid the cup across the counter toward her, the rich aroma enveloping her senses. Tentatively, she took a sip and almost gasped—it was incredible.
"This is… really good," she admitted, still staring at him as he returned to his dinner preparations. "When did you learn to do all this?"
He didn't look at her as he plated his food, a balanced and colorful dish that looked like it had been pulled straight from a health magazine. "When I needed to," he replied simply, his tone devoid of emotion.
That answer only added to her confusion. "You never even touched the kitchen before," she said, more to herself than to him.
He didn't respond, focused on finishing his meal. Once he was done, he ate quickly and silently, as though it were just another task to check off his list. When he was finished, he stood and began cleaning up, scrubbing every plate, pan, and utensil with the same precision he seemed to bring to everything now. Not a single trace of his activity was left behind when he was done.
Soo-bin watched all of this in stunned silence. She couldn't believe how much he had changed. The brother who once left trails of mess wherever he went now moved with a discipline that felt almost unnatural.
When he was done, Min-jae grabbed his coffee, gave her a brief nod, and headed out of the kitchen. "Good night," he said, his voice soft but distant.
She stared after him, her cup of coffee still warm in her hands. For the first time, she realized just how much Min-jae had left his old self behind. It wasn't just his appearance or his work ethic—it was everything. He was someone else entirely now.
And for reasons she couldn't quite put into words, that thought left her unsettled.