The first time you laid eyes on him, you were at a disco-themed club. He had a silver suit on and a large collared shirt. His strawberry-cream hair stood out to you in the midst of the crowd. You couldn’t see anyone else as he glided around the LED squares. He caught you staring and winked. And for the first time in a long time, you were flabbergasted.

Maybe it was the amount of liquid confidence you drank. But you danced up to him and asked if he'd like to dance with you. He smiled, and soon you were in each other’s arms and spinning around to the songs together. It took another song before you asked if you could kiss him, and he nodded. When you pulled away, you both were blushing red, but he initiated the second kiss as you two slowly rocked back and forth. 

When the night ended, and you parted ways, you realized you never caught his name, too caught up in the feeling of having his lips on yours. You sighed as you got into bed, and your roommate, who was still up, asked, “So, how was the disco?” You shook your head, “It was magical. Yet, I never learned his name.” He laughs, “Damn, you should have.” He looks at the time, “Shit, how long did you make out with him?” You look at the time and see it’s three in the morning, “I thought you were going to be home at one!” You laugh, “Did you base your sleep schedule on when I returned?” He huffs, “Yes, usually you have two drinks and come home.” You shake your head, “Yeah, but that was before I saw him.” He sighs, “Did you at least get his number?” You pout, “No.” He shakes his head at you, “And you say I’m hopeless.” You sigh, “You have me there.” 

You throw yourself onto your bed, and he follows suit, throwing himself on his own,  “Did you end up going on a date today?” He nods, “Yeah, it was successful.” You pout, “Fucker.” He laughs, “But I didn’t make any bases.” You do a little fist bump in the air, “I win!” He rolls his eyes, “At least I know her name.” You shrug, get under the covers, and go, “Whatever, good night, Joo.” “Good night, (Y/n).” 

---

The second time you met him, you still didn’t know he was your best friend’s older brother. You watch as his band performs at your college’s packed bar. His strawberry-cream hair still drawing you to him. But hearing his singing voice and watching as his fingers glide across the fretboard of his guitar had you enraptured. You just had to know more.

When his band leaves the stage, you return to drinking and conversing with the people around you. You're asking for a second drink. When someone asks sweetly, “Is this seat taken?” You turn your head to see him again and shake your head no, and he sits beside you. You still can't believe he came up to you, but come up with, “I didn’t know you could sing?” He grins, “It’s my major!” You laugh, and he finally tells you his name, “I forgot to introduce myself the last time we were with each other, but I’m Hoetaek, but almost everyone calls me Hui.” You grin and introduce yourself, and he says, “That’s a beautiful name.” You blush and thank him. 

You talked more than you had kissed, but you still couldn’t get enough of him. He left you starstruck. You wanted to know everything and more about him, like what his favorite songs were and his favorite kind of weather. You went back home, and your best friend was already fast asleep, having learned his lesson from last time. His name should have rang a bell, but you still couldn’t place where you’d heard his name before as you fell asleep.

You didn’t register it until you were brushing your teeth in the morning. You gasped as you brushed your teeth, “Hoetaek?” You rushed to your roommate’s photo frames, toothbrush still in your mouth. And there they stood at the beach together. Your best friend was disgruntled in the photo while Hui was smiling wildly. You clutch your shirt, not believing the coincidence. You drag your feet back and finish brushing your teeth. “No fucking way.” You had always heard about his older brother, the absolute dork, and here you were, making out with the said dork. For a dork, he certainly knew how to kiss. You went to class and shook off the thought. He probably didn’t even know you were best friends with his little brother. Just like how you didn’t realize he was your best friend's older brother. 

---

The next time you saw him, you were sitting with Joo on a blanket, studying on the campus grounds, when he came up. “Hey, did you get mom’s text?” Joo blinked at him before quickly grabbing his phone and looking, “Oh, she wants us this home this weekend?” He nods, “Yeah.” Joo asks, “Are you going to go?” Hui shrugs, “I have band practice.” You tune them out, fantasizing about what it would be like to kiss him again. You shook your head at those thoughts because he's supposed to be Joo's dorky older brother. But you couldn't help it. 

Joo interrupts your thoughts, “Oh, (Y/n).” You look at him, and he says, “I never introduced you to Hoetaek. Hui this (Y/n), and (Y/n), this is Hui.” His cheeks were red as he smiled at you and shook your hand, “It’s nice to meet you again.” You blushed as you shook his, “Yeah. I didn’t realize you were Joo’s older brother.” He laughs, “I didn’t realize you were his best friend.” Joo goes, “Ahem,” and you both immediately detach. Joo crosses his arms, “How do you two know each other?” You scramble to find an answer, and Hui says, “We met at the disco club two weeks ago.” Joo nods, “You could have told me you two knew each other.” You shake your head, “We didn’t realize who the other was.” He nods, and Hui gets up from the blanket, “I have to walk to class now, but I’ll pick you up on Friday night.” Joo nods, and when he is far enough away. Joo goes, “Tell me everything.” 

You blushed, “I um, I didn’t realize he was your dorky older brother. Firstly, he was an amazing dancer. And I… may have ended up exchanging a few kisses with him.” He groans, “Ew… He was the whole reason your night was magical?” You nod, and he squints, “Nothing further?” You shake your head, “Unless you consider that we met at his gig a week ago, too…” His jaw drops, “Holy fuck. You two left out a major detail…” You blush and hide your head in your hands, “I know.” He shakes his head, “I’ve always thought of you as my sibling, but you didn’t have to make it official.” You whine, “I know.” And he goes, “Again, you know he’s not cool unless he's in his element.” You pull your hands away, “You’ve said that, but I’ve met him in his element, and god he’s…” He deadpans, “I do not need to know.” You smirk and tease, “Are you sure? I thought you loved hearing the details?” He rolls his eyes, “Yes, I’m sure. I do not need to know whether or not he’s a good kisser.” You smirk, “He is.” He sighs, shaking his head, “Anyways… Do you like him?” You look down at your hands, “I think so.” He smiles, “Well, when are you gonna make a move?” You blush, “Joo...” And he goes, “Well, now that I have the opportunity for you to become my sibling officially. I want this process to speed up a little faster.” You roll your eyes and go back to studying. 

As you’re finishing your homework, you hear Joo say, “Hey, Mom!” You hear her sweet voice over the phone, “Oh, honey, I was wondering when you would get my text!” You look at him to see the smirk gracing his lips, “I was wondering, (Y/n) has nowhere to go this weekend… Can they come too?” You glare at him. And you hear her go, “Oh, of course, we love having (Y/n) over!” He tells her sweetly, “Thanks, mom!” And she asks, “Anything else, honey?” “No, we'll see you this weekend. Love you.” “Love you more!” When he hangs up, “You little-!” You tackle him immediately, and he cackles as you tickle him, “You brat!” He laughs even harder, “You’ll thank me later.” You roll off of him and finish your homework, refusing to talk to him. “I thought you loved my parents?” He asks with a pout, “I love them. You, however? Not so much.” He shakes his head, “If you say so.” You sigh, and you both walk back to your dorm room together. 

---

You don’t see him again until Joo opens the door and lets you in behind him. You kick off your shoes and turn to look towards the living room to see him sitting there playing guitar. If you didn't have no way back to the college, you would have taken your belongings and ran for the hills. Why is he already here? You thought you'd at least have an hour before you had to face the music. Your brain is unraveling fast, and you do everything to lie low. 

But with Joo talking to you in the hall, it was enough to be spotted by him. You gulp as he stops strumming and waves to you, and you wave back. Joo turns at that, and he smiles, “Hui! You’re home!” He grins at his brother as he gets up and hugs him. Joo whines about his hug but accepts it anyway, “I thought you were going to be late because of your band practice?” Hui shakes his head, “No, I told them I was heading home for the weekend.” Joo hums and tries to wiggle out of the hug, and Hui whines, “I thought you were happy to see me!” And Joo goes, “I was!” And he mutters, “Until you kept hugging me.” Hui laughs before he lets him go, and you both awkwardly smile at each other before he goes back to his guitar. 

You both give a quick hello to his parents before dragging your bags up the stairs to Joo’s room. As you walk to his door, you can’t get the sight of Hui out of your head. The memories of kissing him play in the back of your mind, ruining your resolve of a peaceful weekend. Joo and you take time to set up your air mattress, and he giggles, “You sure you want to sleep in my room?” You gasp, “It is my best friend privilege!” He smirks, “Yeah, but don’t you wish to sleep next to your crush?” You squint, “Oh, so that's how it is.” He smirks, “I’m teasing you forever for falling for my brother.” You groan, “I should have never told you!” He smirks, “But you couldn’t keep a secret like that from your best friend and roommate, could you?” You groan again, “I’d try.” He continues smirking, “I’d find out anyway.” You sigh, “I’m starting to see how you’re the little brother.” He pouts, “Hey, that was mean.” You roll your eyes, and with the mattress finally filled, you cap it as he unplugs the blower, and you both head downstairs. 

When you reach the kitchen, their dad looks away from the pot he's stirring, “Oh, (Y/n)! Have you ever met our eldest, Hui?” Hui, who is currently wearing an apron and cracking eggs, causing your heart to burst into a million pieces. You smile, scrubbing the heart-melting moment from your mind, “Yeah, we’ve met.” Hui turns around and smiles at you. His dad grins, “How did you two meet? I know how you met Joo. You both are roommates.” You turn red as his dad flips the vegetables in the pan, and Joo nudges you to say something. And you go, “We met at a disco night.” His dad gasps, “You know disco?” You laugh as you nod, “Yeah, I love it.” He sighs in relief, “Ahh good, you can move in forever if you’d like.” You cackle, and Joo goes, “Where’s Ma?” And Hui says, “Back in the garden.” Joo grins, “Okay, later!” 

He exits the kitchen, and you’re still standing in front of the island. Hui asks, “You’re not joining him?” You shake your head, “I know better than to leave when food is about to be served.” Hui laughs, and his dad asks, “Can you get the plates out?” You nod, walk around the island, open the first cabinet, and pull out five plates. You set them out, head to the silverware drawer, and grab utensils for everyone. They finish what they’re making as you get a seat for yourself as you do. Their dad comes over, “I’m sorry I would have gotten that out sooner! I forgot you were coming.” You shrug, “It’s okay, Mr. Lee. It’s just a chair.” He pouts, “But you’re our guest.” You shake your head, “It’s okay.” And he sighs, “Okay.” 

Hui comes over, and you ask, “When did you get here?” He looks at the clock, “About an hour and a half before you two.” You nod, and he places his dish in the middle while his dad calls for the other two to come in for dinner. Your heart is hammering out of your chest, but you try to be cool about it. He opens his mouth to say something. And before he can get a syllable out, the rest of his family returns. Joo sits beside you, and Hui sits across from both of you. You speak minimally throughout the dinner, just focused on eating and trying not to think about the man across from you. 

---

While Joo snores peacefully on his bed, all cuddled up, you can’t help but roll to your side again. Even after begging to whatever’s up there, you’ll fall asleep. You can’t. You sigh as you get up, deciding to get a glass of water. You fill up your glass, drink a few sips, and head back towards Joo’s room. You hear music coming from the basement with nothing better to do. You decide to investigate. You shut the door behind you and start walking down the steps. 

And that’s where you see him again. He’s playing guitar along to the radio and humming the tune. He hears your footsteps as you come down the creaky old wood and looks back at you, and you ask, “Do you mind if I join you?” He shakes his head no, and you come in further, and he goes, “I come down here when everyone’s sleeping, so I don’t wake them up.” You nod, and he gestures for you to sit beside him, “Can’t sleep?” You softly tell him no as you sit down next to him. It felt awkward to be alone with him again. Because the last time you were perfect strangers making out in a bar. And now you were in an odd dynamic of him being the older brother to your best friend. Not knowing what to say, you sit there and listen to him play along to the radio.

As the next song starts, he grins, “I haven’t heard this since I was in high school.” He starts playing along effortlessly, and you smile, “It’s Led Zeppelin.” He smiles, “Dazed and Confused.” As the song nears its end, he asks, “Did Joo invite you?” You scrunch your nose, “No, rather, he asked his mom to let me come over in front of me.” He hums, “He’s always been an odd one.” You laugh, “What about you? You never skip band practice.” He smiles, “I finally had a reason too.” You blink at him, and he says, “I heard you were staying here.” You blush, and he asks, “Do you always stay here on breaks?” You nod, “Yeah, ever since I’ve become best friends with Joo.” He nods, “Interesting.” After a moment, you ask, “Do you remember the first time we met?” He smiles, “I couldn’t forget it.” You blush, “Me neither.” He asks softly, “Is that why you can’t sleep?” You hum, “Something along those lines.” 

He stops playing and puts his guitar on its stand. He turns towards you, “Is it because my brother is your best friend?” You tilt your head, “Well, no.” He waits for you to continue, “It’s more so the fact that we’re under the same roof.” He holds his hand out to you, and you carefully take it in yours, and you ask, “Is it weird because I’m your little brother’s best friend?” He shakes his head, “No. But maybe it's a little awkward that we’re in my parent's house, though.” You laugh, “Yeah.” He smiles and squeezes your hand, “It kinda reminds me of being a teenager again.” And the two of you laugh. 

The radio starts playing a slow song by Smokey Robison, “Would you like to dance with me?” You smile, “I’d love to.” He pulls you up, and you both sway to the music, but instead of kissing, you talk. You ask, “Is it true that you’re out of your element outside of music?” He blushes, “Yeah. If you met me in the florist shop I work at, I would have shriveled up and asked Hyunggu to run the cash register.” You laugh as you softly tell him, “I would have still found you dreamy.” His cheeks are red as he asks, “Really?” You smile, “Yeah.” 

He twists you under the recessed lightning, and you two giggle as you spin around. You can’t help but get lost in his eyes and wonder what it would be like to kiss him again. You ask softly, “Would it be bad to say I really want to kiss you right now?” He giggles as he says, “No, I want to kiss you too.” You tangle your fingers in his hair as you place your lips on his, and he reciprocates. You both slowly sway to the song as you kiss. When you both pull away, he leans his forehead on yours, and you play with his pink locks. He looks into your eyes and asks, “Would you want to get breakfast with me tomorrow? Like as a date?” You can’t help but grin as you tell him, “Yes.” He kisses you again, and you both giggle into it. 

When the song ends, you sit back on the couch closer than before. You both stay up the whole night talking. As the clock reaches five in the morning, you yawn. And he smiles, “You should probably head upstairs to bed.” You yawn again and agree, “Yeah.” You get up off the couch before looking at him again, “I can’t wait for our date.” He smiles, “I can’t wait either.” You hear him yawn as you round the couch to the stairs, “Good night, Hui.” He smiles, “Good night, (Y/n).” You head upstairs, open the door, walk to the kitchen, clean your empty glass, and head to bed. When you finally rest your head on your pillow, you fall asleep. 

You wake up to Joo loudly stretching, “Dude. You’re so loud.” He rolls his eyes before he stares at you, “You weren’t here when I rolled over at one in the morning.” You look at everything but him, “I got a glass of water.” He hums, “Is that why you weren’t back until 5 am?” You sigh, “Nothing can get past you, can it?” He laughs before he asks, “So?” You sigh, “I just wanted to investigate where the music was coming from.” He leans his chin on his hand, “Yeah?” You blush, “And then we danced and talked until then.” He tilts his head, “Did you not confess?” You smile as you move the blanket away, “Something better.” 

He gasps in horror, “Not underneath my roof!!” You shake your head, “No! That’s not what I meant! And this is your parent’s roof!” He cackles, “So, what is it?” You smile, “We kissed a few times throughout the night, and he asked me to go to breakfast with him.” He gasps, “Omg?! We have to get you dressed nicely!” He pulls you up fast, and you both dig through your travel bag and find something nice to wear. “Okay, go to the bathroom! If he comes up before you’re ready. I’ll distract him.” You laugh and high-five him, “Thanks, Joo!” You rush into the bathroom and freshen up, and you hear outside Hui coming up the stairs. 

Joo asks, “So, was it you or (Y/n) that asked first?” Hui blushes as he rubs the back of his neck, “Well, we were dancing in my room, and they asked if it was bad if they wanted to kiss me. And I told them ‘No,’ that I wanted to kiss them too.” And Joo goes, “And?” Hui turns bright red as he says, “They kissed me first.” Joo smirks, “That’s my best friend!” Hui laughs, “Then I asked them to go to breakfast with me.” Joo claps his hand on his shoulder, “You know, for being a musical nerd, I didn’t know you had it in you. But man, I can’t be prouder.” Hui wrinkles his nose, “Ouch. But thanks. So, how did your date last week go?” Joo nods before telling him. 

The two talk for a few more minutes before you return from the bathroom. Joo leaves you two to head downstairs to the kitchen and sits at the table as his parents make coffee. His mom asks, “Are (Y/n) and Hui joining us?” He shakes his head no, “You’ll see.” They both draw their attention to the stairs, waiting for the two of you to appear. 

In the quiet hallway, you tell him softly, “I like your black and white striped sweater.” He grins as he tells you that he likes your outfit. After another beat of silence, Hui asks if you’d like to hold hands on the way cause the diner is just a block away, and you smile as you agree. You walk down the stairs hand in hand, and his parents gasp as Joo grins. They whisper and ask him, “Oh, they’re going on a date?” He nods, “Yeah!” You walk over, and both bid them goodbye, and Hui tells them where you’re going before leaving. 

---

His dad smiles, “So, do you have all the details?” And Joo grins as if shining an apple on his shirt. He blows his hand and wipes it on his shirt, “Of course I do. They’re my brother and best friend couple.” He tells them how you two met at his gig, and his dad says, “We knew that, though.” He smirks, “Did you know the two kissed?” His parents gasped, “No, did they know each other then?” He shakes his head, “They didn’t know until after they met at his gig.” He shares a few more details before his mom asks, “How did they end up going on a date then if neither of them confessed to their feelings?” He smirks as he gets to rat them out, “They were in his room last night, and they danced to classic rock songs. And Hui finally confessed.” His mom grins, “Oh, that’s so sweet.” 

---

You walk hand in hand down the block, swinging your arms, talking about various things. You open the door for you two, and you both walk in and sit down across from each other at a table for two behind the interior wall. You look at Hui, admiring him as you wait for your waiter, his black beret making him look even cuter than before. You smirk, “Loverboy? Is that true?” He blushes as he remembers the branding on his hat, “For you, yeah.” You blush and look down, “Hui…” He grins, his cheeks red as he lifts your chin and winks, “You’re cute when you’re blushing.” You shake your head, “You’re cuter.” He pulls his finger away as the waiter comes over, hands you each a menu, and asks what you'd like to drink. You tell him, and he comes back shortly with the drinks and gives you time to figure out what you want for breakfast. 

He returns and gets your orders before putting them in the kitchen. Hui puts his left hand up on the table, and you smile as you catch onto what he means and place your left hand against his before interlocking your fingers. He grins and moves your hands back and forth happily, and you can’t help but grin and squeeze his hand in yours. He asks you questions about yourself, and you ask them back after answering. You smile as you realize you’re learning more about Hoetaek, the kind and silly, than Hui, the older musical nerd in the family. And you can’t help but feel endeared. 

The waiter brings your food, and your hands part to eat. He makes you laugh as whipped cream coats his lips, and he laughs as you get some on your nose. He licks his lips, and before you wipe the whipped cream from your nose, he grabs his napkin and swipes his napkin over your nose. “All better.” You shake your head and smile, and he’s grinning right back. 

You finish up your breakfast, and before he has a chance to pay, you do. And he pouts, “But I asked you out on this date. I should have paid.” You wink, “There’s always next time.” He gasps before he grins, “You’re right.” He wraps his arm around your waist, and you smile as you do the same, wrapping your arm around his. You grin, and as you walk through town, he softly hums along to the songs playing, and you can’t help but smile and do the same. You both walk-in time at each other’s pace, strolling around before heading back to his house.

When you reach the front door, he asks, “So, when we head back tomorrow. Will you attend my gig as my special guest?” You grin, “I’d love to.” He smiles and kisses your cheek before unlocking the door and letting you in first. Joo sits on the couch, watching TV. He looks at you two, “So how was it?” You blush, “It was nice.” And Hui goes, “I’m glad I got the courage to ask.” Hui asks, “You don’t mind if we’re together for the rest of the day?” Joo shakes his head, “Nah, I hang out with you two too much. I need some alone time, too.” You cackle, “As if you aren't texting people twenty-four-seven in there.” He rolls his eyes, “Yeah, but it’s hard to text people when someone is talking about how handsome my brother is.” You gasp, “Mean!” 

He cackles, “Yeah.” Before he shoos you two away, “Go have fun. You can tell me all about your date later!” You both smile, and he leads you to the basement door, “What do you say to me, you, and my favorite records?” You grin, “Well, considering your taste in music… Hell yeah.” He smiles, and you both walk down the stairs. And you dance and talk until its dinner time. 

“We organized it so it’s more comfortable for us to eat!” His dad says all cheerily, and he has you sit at the end of the table while Hui is on one side and Joo is on the other, and he happily sits across from his wife. You immediately say, “You didn’t have to.” And he shakes his head, “I was going to do this the other day, but I didn’t get time to.” The five of you laugh, and underneath the table, Hui holds your hand, rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand, and you can’t help but smile as you eat.