san²

your brother was only eight when he quietly decided that nothing in this world would ever happen to his little sister. your parents were gone before either of you could remember them. your grandmother raised you with everything she had, and after she passed away, twenty-one-year-old san suddenly became more than just your older brother. he became your guardian.

he worked impossible hours, built his company from the ground up, and spent years sacrificing sleep, friendships, and his own twenties just to make sure you never had to worry about tuition, rent, or whether there would be food on the table. now, at twenty-seven, he was one of the youngest ceos in seoul. to everyone else, he was intimidating, successful, and impossible to read.

to you – he was still the brother who texted every morning asking if you'd eaten, showed up at your university with your favorite coffee during exam week, and refused to let you leave the house without a jacket whenever it rained. one evening you found him asleep on the couch, his laptop still open after another fourteen-hour workday. you quietly draped a blanket over his shoulders. when he woke up, he smiled sleepily.

"...you're supposed to let your older brother take care of you."

you laughed.

"you've been doing that for nineteen years."

san looked at you for a moment before shaking his head with a soft smile.

"and i'll keep doing it for the rest of my life."

because no matter how successful he became – being your big brother would always be the title he was proudest of.