Chapter Text
Yoo Mia thinks her brother is acting strange.
She doesn’t understand why he’s so infatuated by this plain-faced, boring ahjussi when he’s talented and handsome enough to be dating an idol.
Yoo Mia doesn't understand, but she knows her brother, more than anyone else. She remembers, years ago, the grief pouring out of his body, quickly contained and shut away as soon as he caught his little sister’s eyes.
Her brother is many things, to many people — a man who single-handedly accumulated some of the most prestigious honors in his profession at a young age, a chef who runs his kitchen like it’s a military battalion, a supreme king who carries the weight of the world without so much as a flinch.
But to Yoo Mia, Yoo Joonghyuk has always been, before any of those things, her brother. One who shut other people out with the learned, merciless determination of a man forced to survive all on his own.
When Yoo Mia first meets Kim Dokja, she finds nothing special about him. He’s a plain man, with a plain job, and a seemingly plain personality, until she hears his voice rise in challenge.
He easily ensnares the affection of her brother’s kitchen staff as though they aren’t just as standoffish as their boss. If her brother is a blazing sun, burning too bright and too high for anyone else to reach, Kim Dokja is the vicious swell of the tide in a raging storm. His surface lies peaceful and unassuming at first glance, until an unnoticed rip current pulls a victim deep into water. He submerges them with a smile, inescapable and yet...somehow kind.
Sometimes, she looks at her brother and sees a determined edge in his face. Steely, as though he’ll chart those unknown waters until he’s explored every mile and dived into its darkest depths. All too happy to drown.
How long has it been since he’s looked like that? Since she's seen him laugh loudly, without a care if it makes him look too young, too boyish?
Yoo Mia sees the things they don’t tell each other in their hands. They brush against a waist, fix a stray strand of hair, or pass a bottle of wine, but they always linger a second too long. Like they’re hesitant to separate. Like these brief moments of touch are too little, too fleeting for what they are to each other.
And finally, she understands.
The world put her brother on an untouchable pedestal, but it’ll be Kim Dokja who pulls him down to be human.
It’s only by luck that whatever gods might exist in their world had the foresight to equip Yoo Mia with all the skills necessary to solve her hard headed brother's problems.
—
Her brother’s in an even worse mood than usual. Although he’s never let out any kind of anger on her, there’s a rising tension in the harsh, deepened furrow of his eyebrows and the sharper edge in his voice as he spoke on the phone to a local produce supplier.
She suspects it has something to do with a certain ugly ahjussi.
So Yoo Mia sets her plan on its course. She has to be sneaky about it because her brother is too proud, and very likely still simmering in emotional denial.
“Wow, oppa,” the girl starts casually, as they sit on the couch to watch Yoo Mia’s pick during their weekly movie night.
“The male lead is so dumb. He’s clearly in love with her, but he’s not giving her any hints that he even likes her. That’s the problem with these tsundere types, they’re too emotionally constipated. If I was her, I’d dump him right away.” She proclaims, snapping her fingers.
Yoo Joonghyuk frowns. “You’re too young to be thinking of relationships.”
Yoo Mia rolls her eyes. Honestly, isn’t she old enough to be spared the lecture? “I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about them.” She gestures wildly to the screen, huffing when the male lead insults the female protagonist while telling her off for hanging out with the second lead.
Yoo Mia had picked this movie strategically, knowing that her brother unknowingly bears an uncannily similar personality to the love interest. Surely he can't be that stupid?
“She’s the one preventing the relationship from progressing,” He judges stubbornly, “All of his actions are indicators of interest. He looks out for and takes care of her every episode. She’s blockheaded if she doesn’t notice.”
He really is too similar to the protagonist. “Well, sometimes people like being told nice things. What if she doesn't know what he means?"
“If she’s drawn to frilly words and empty promises, she’ll only find unhappy relationships.”
Yoo Mia’s eye twitches. Was her precious brother always this obtuse? “Yes, but she’s insecure, that’s her major character flaw! She thinks it’s impossible for anyone to like her because she was bullied. Plus, they're best friends so she doesn't want to burden him with her feelings."
At this, she raises her eyebrows in dramatic emphasis. "What he needs to do is something so romantic, that it’d be ridiculous to misinterpret.”
He scowls. “It’d be nothing different than anything he’s done so far."
“No, oppa, pay attention!” She says aggressively, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Look at the setting. There’s candles, soft music, and wine to set the mood. He gave her flowers and even dressed up for her. It’s super romantic!”
Yoo Joonghyuk tsks. “It’s materialistic and superficial. Also,” He glares vehemently at the screen, “he’s a fool for pairing red wine with an artichoke-based side dish. It’ll taste completely disgusting. That woman should rethink her standards if she’s willing to go around with him.”
Yoo Mia rolls her eyes and takes a fortifying shot of cold orange juice and silences the urge to tell him off for hypocritically falling for a man who thinks tomatoes are vegetables.
She watches her brother's face as the second male lead bursts into the scene to interrupt the protagonist’s confession. “So you think it’d be better if she ended up with the other lead?”
“What?" Yoo Joonghyuk's face hardens, like the idea never occurred to him. "She and the first lead trust and care for each other more than anyone else.”
Yoo Mia clicks her tongue and waves a hand. “That’s not a guarantee of anything. While the male lead couldn’t get his act together, another guy came in as competition! If he waits any longer, she just won’t be interested in waiting around for him and give up.”
“Then she’s unfaithful, or doesn’t love him back.” He says after a tense moment, but Yoo Mia can see the doubt starting to creep into his face. It’s an expression he rarely lets her see, so she relishes in it.
“Oppa, no, think about it! Why would he risk a decade-long friendship with his dearest, lifelong companion,” she emphasizes indignantly, “when he doesn’t even know that you —“ Yoo Mia coughs. “—the lead feels the same way?”
At that, her brother goes completely silent in stoic contemplation, and Yoo Mia wonders if she’s pushed him too far or if he’s figured out her plan.
She readies herself to backtrack and apologize when she hears him grumble, “So how do I let him know?”
Yoo Mia smiles. Finally.
She's so winning that bet with Lee Jihye.