phrase:
*starting off on the right foot –
to begin something in a good way; to start well.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

It was eight in the evening when they arrived home. Seokjin and Jisoo's father's loud snore could be heard the moment they stepped into the living room. Seokjin assumed their parents were home earlier than usual. Awkwardly, the siblings said nothing to each other and went their own ways. Jisoo went to the kitchen for a cup of water, while Seokjin went to his room to put his luggage away.

Placing his luggage in front of the single bed, Seokjin stood there for a while. His luggage stood with its top handle still extended, his palms stuck on it. Exhaling a sigh, he turned his head to see Jisoo passing by his door, entering her room.

Wheein's words lingered in his memory.

"It's a shame that you're her brother. Isn't love supposed to be warm? ... but as her brother, you haven't shown her any of that. ... She has already suffered enough because of one man, and now you, as a man, are making her even more scared."

His knuckles gripped the handle. His eyes closed, jaws clenched and tightened, thinking how he had done a dismaying job as a brother. He realized he often jumped to conclusions and allowed his temper to get the best of him.

As a brother and a man, he also realized he needed to tame his ego and temper. His palms fell to his sides, and he turned around to face the open door, contemplating whether he should talk to his sister.

He didn't remember the last time they had argued that much, to the point where they had actually talked about it. But that argument had involved their parents. He doubted their parents knew about Jisoo's relationship with Wheein. He couldn't ask his parents to sit with them and talk. Furthermore, he didn't know how they felt about LGBT relationships. Korea had a significant number of people with a conservative mindset. Without talking, he wouldn't be surprised if his parents shared similar views.

Finally, he stepped out of his room and walked to Jisoo's bedroom. The brown door to her room was shut. He raised his fist in the air, just a few inches away from it. He remembered he used to barge into her room whenever he needed something from Jisoo, never bothering to knock. Hissing at himself, he doubted that he was starting off on the right foot*.

Just when he was about to give up on his intention, the door jerked open. There stood Jisoo with a moistured face. Under her eyes were eye masks, and she held a cup of water in one hand. Her long, straight hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she wore a pink, fluffy rubber bunny headband.

They froze in place, staring at each other awkwardly. However, Jisoo quickly broke the ice. She asked, "Do you need something?"

"Uhh..." Seokjin paused. "No."

"Oh," Jisoo muttered. Awkward silence once again filled the room. It lasted for a few moments until she said, "You're... blocking my way."

Seokjin moved to the side, giving Jisoo a clear path to the kitchen. The sound of water from the tap hitting against the metal sink resonated through the air. Next, the clanging of cups against each other on the metal rack. Seokjin still stood in the same spot even after Jisoo made her way to her room.

"Seokjin oppa," his younger sister called, and he raised his head. "What is it?"

Seokjin hesitated for a while, thinking of a way to start the conversation. "I need to talk to you," he finally said, looking at Jisoo.

Jisoo blinked her eyes, staring at him, surprised. "Okay," she said, nodding her head.

"But not here," Seokjin muttered, glancing at the door to their parents' bedroom. "I don't want our parents to hear us."

"In my room, then?" his sister asked, pointing to her bedroom with raised eyebrows.

"Anywhere is fine."

Jisoo nodded, pushing down the door handle, and entered her room. Seokjin followed her inside. She shut the door, took off her eye masks, and motioned for her brother to sit on her bed. After a brief moment, she patted her face and walked over to the bed, sitting in front of him. She asked, "What's wrong?"

Seokjin hesitated, causing another silence to settle between them. He felt ashamed of himself, realizing he had been overly protective and had overlooked some things. The thought of being a terrible older brother weighed heavily on his mind.

Sensing his silence, Jisoo spoke up, "Oppa, what's wrong?"

"Wheein told me," he said, looking up at his sister. "I don't know if that's everything, though."

Surprise flickered across Jisoo's face before it quickly faded. "Oh, that," she muttered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Seokjin asked, his voice filled with concern.

Jisoo frowned, staring at him. "Remember what happened yesterday?" she asked. "I knew that was going to happen."

"It's my responsibility to protect you as your brother."

"I know," Jisoo paused, still staring at her brother with eyebrows scrunched up. "You've done a lot to protect me. Even way before I joined Bejiwoo. I remember. But what Jimin did to me, I knew what the consequences would be if I told you. You always favored Jimin to get your things done too."

Seokjin sighed. "No brother wouldn't get angry if they found out someone they know had done disgusting things to their siblings."

"I know!" Jisoo pressed, then sighed. "I also don't want the relationship inside Bejiwoo to get ruined just because of us. I love us." She added, speaking under her breath, "That's why I kept my issues with Jimin quiet."

"It's not your fault if the relationship inside Bejiwoo gets ruined," Seokjin said firmly. "That could have been avoided if Jimin didn't do that. Besides, I don't think the kids would mind if they knew you were in a relationship with him."

Jisoo fell silent, contemplating his words.

"Jisoo-yah," Seokjin called, prompting Jisoo to look at him again. "Tell me everything."

Jisoo hesitated, and Seokjin sensed her struggle. He didn't care whether she told him everything entirely or partially. Knowing enough was enough.

"We were in a relationship way before Jiah joined us. I fell for him. I was the first one who confessed," she began. "He was sweet and kind, just like we see him at the store."

Seokjin listened attentively.

"But then, after a year, I felt something wasn't right. He became distant, and I didn't know why. On our first anniversary, he asked for sex. At first, I thought of saying 'no,' but it didn't feel right. I was afraid of losing him. I thought he was an ideal guy, so... we did it. Even though I wasn't ready," Jisoo said, her voice filled with pain. "I don't know much about sex, but you know I've received sex-ed. It just... I couldn't follow his fantasy. Can it even be called sex when your boyfriend hits you until you're almost unconscious? I don't know how many times he hit me during intercourse, but I always woke up with body aches and bruises."

Heat started to rise within Seokjin. His jaws clenched, and his temples throbbed in contrast. He exhaled deeply and said, "And then?"

"I was at his apartment when I caught him with another girl. She was sexy, pretty, and tall. She looked like his type, while I was nowhere near that. I imagined he had been spending more time with her than me, his girlfriend. I thought I was doing everything right to be a good girlfriend. I tried to learn how to cook, I knitted couple scarves for us, I did everything I thought he deserved. But there he was, with another girl," Jisoo paused, her voice filled with bitterness. "I assumed she knew he had a girlfriend. I remember how relaxed she was when she left us."

"Bitch," Seokjin muttered through gritted teeth.

"Seokjin oppa," Jisoo said, her tone a warning.

Seokjin clenched his jaws again and let out another sigh. "What else?" he asked.

"We broke up right there, at his apartment. I'm sure he didn't feel bad about it."

Closing his eyes, Seokjin tried to calm himself. He breathed deeply before opening his eyes and looking at his sister, who had her gaze fixed on the floor. He scooted closer, causing the bed to creak, gently pulled his sister towards his broad shoulder. Patting and caressing her arm, he softly muttered, "I'm sorry."

Jisoo slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. Her shoulder felt damp, indicating that she was crying.

"You must have been hurt so much. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being a better brother to you," he said.

"It's okay," she said, her voice cracking. "I can't blame you for not knowing. And I was never mad at you. I was just frustrated that you didn't approve of my relationship with Wheein."

They remained in each other's arms, a brief silence enveloping them. Seokjin broke the silence by asking, "How long has it been?"

Jisoo pulled away, looking at him, and asked, "How long, what?"

"Your relationship," Seokjin clarified.

"Oh!" Jisoo quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hands and sniffed. "I don't count anymore, but it was our fifth month when you caught us in the pantry," she said.

Smiling lightly, he remarked, "Celebrating your fifth monthsary, huh?"

Jisoo's face contorted with confusion. "What?"

"So, the kissing was your gift. I ruined your fifth month," he explained.

"What's a 'monthsary,' though?"

"Don't tell me you've never heard of that!"

Jisoo furrowed her eyebrows and muttered, "I haven't."

Seokjin stared at her in disbelief. "Well, a 'monthsary' is... uh... it's like an anniversary, but you celebrate it monthly."

"Ugh, that sounds childish!" Jisoo grumbled.

Raised eyebrows, he said, "Oh, seems like you don't like the idea of a 'monthsary.'"

"It doesn't seem necessary. But now that I remember, Wheein was the one who kissed me first. She might know something about it."

Seokjin chuckled. "Tell your girlfriend you don't like 'monthsaries,' then."

"That explains why she always takes me out on that specific date too!"

This time, Seokjin burst into laughter. "I can't believe my sister is such an idiot," he said, ruffling his sister's hair.

"Ah! I just put hair essence on my hair. I even combed it!" she complained.

Seokjin patted her head, as if trying to fix the mess he had made, and said, "Oh no, oh no, sorry, my sister. There you go. Your hair is less messy now."

If he were to tell someone why he was against his sister being in a relationship with Wheein, he knew that person would accuse him of being homophobic. But that day, he learned to accept his sister as she was. If allowing his sister to be in a relationship with Wheein could heal the wounds caused by Jimin, then he had to accept it.

That was not the first time he had encountered something related to the LGBTQ+ community, if Namjoon's announcement about being asexual counted. He was still not clear about the community, but he was willing to learn.

"I have a question," Seokjin uttered.

"What is it?" Jisoo asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What's your sexuality?"

Jisoo hummed and said, "I'm still questioning, but right now, I can say that I'm still heterosexual but biromantic."

A quizzical look appeared on Seokjin's face. He asked, "How is that possible?"

Jisoo nodded. "It's possible for me. I'm not sexually attracted to women, but I see the benefits of being in a romantic relationship with a woman. I'm romantically attracted to women too."

Seokjin blinked multiple times. Whatever it meant, Jisoo's statement proved that Wheein never pressured her into sex and that she respected Jisoo's boundaries and understood her past experiences. If that was possible, he needed to accept it and learn. Whether or not his sister would decide to explore this further, it was not his concern. He smiled at her.

"Come here," Seokjin said, opening his arms wide and encouraging his sister to embrace him again. "I love you, Jisoo-yah."

He didn't know when his sister would choose to open up about her relationship with Wheein, especially with their parents. They had never discussed the LGBTQ+ community, and he was worried for Jisoo. Nevertheless, he was ready to stand by her side.

"I love you too, my brother," he heard her whisper. "Thank you."

Warmth. That was what Seokjin wished to share with his sister.

And indeed, 'love is supposed to be warm.'

"Oppa, do you like Jiah?" Jisoo's sudden question caught Seokjin off guard. His eyes widened as he stammered, "What?"