Lunch time at Kyoto High School.
Minho and Ben are sitting on the rooftop, unwrapping their benthos. The city buzzes softly in the distance. A pigeon flaps nearby, stealing a piece of rice.
🍱
Ben (grinning as he pops a sausage into his mouth):
"Hey Minho… serious question."
Minho (mildly suspicious):
"That tone means it's not serious."
Ben:
"Do you want an older brother-in-law?"
Minho (blinks):
"…Huh?"
Ben (laughing):
"My brother's still single. He's been sulking around the house like a lovesick drama character. He needs someone cool, calm, and terrifyingly neat. Your sister sounds like his type."
Minho (choking slightly on his rice):
"You want my Macha to date your brother?!"
Ben (nodding like it's obvious):
"Yeah, why not? She's cute in that quiet assassin way. And he's handsome in a toothpaste commercial kind of way. Perfect match."
Minho (laughing):
"She'll kill me."
Ben:
"For suggesting it?"
Minho:
"For existing while suggesting it."
Ben (teasing):
"Come on. Set them up. Just one blind date. I'll arrange everything. Café, flowers, romantic background music…"
Minho (grinning):
"She's not a Disney princess, bro. She folds paper fans and lectures me about sleep schedules."
Ben:
"My brother reads classic literature and alphabetizes his socks. They'd talk about serious things, fall in love over green tea, and raise children who file taxes at age six."
Minho (snorts):
"Your imagination is terrifying."
Ben (leaning forward):
"But seriously. Does your sister ever… y'know… talk about dating? Anyone?"
Minho (grows a little quiet):
"…Not really. I think she once loved someone. A long time ago."
Ben:
"She still thinks about him?"
Minho (nods, softly):
"Maybe. But she never says anything. She just… smiles."
☁️
Ben (after a pause):
"Well… if she ever wants someone who listens, my brother's not bad. Just saying'."
Minho (smiling):
"I'll let her know she has an unofficial fan club."
They both laugh, tossing crumbs to the pigeons and sipping their tea.
🍵 Scene Title: "Hey Sis, You Gonna Get Married or What?"
🏠 Setting: A cozy Sunday afternoon
Sunlight spills through the sliding window of their Kyoto apartment. The laundry hangs drying in the balcony breeze. Mao is sitting at the low table, sorting patient drawings from her clinic. Minho kicks off his shoes and plops down next to her after school.
☀️
Minho (grinning):
"Hey, Macha~"
Mao (without looking up):
"Mm?"
Minho (leaning closer):
"Serious question. Didn't you ever wanna get married?"
Mao pauses, raising an eyebrow slowly.
Mao:
"That's a sudden thought. Did you hit your head at school?"
Minho (laughing):
"No, really. I was thinking. If you want, I'll tell Papa to set you up on a blind date. My friend Ben—his brother's still single. He's 27. Tall, plays soccer, likes matcha ice cream…"
Mao (deadpan):
"So basically, he's you but taller?"
Minho:
"Excuse me, I'm a limited-edition gem."
Mao (sighing, smiling faintly):
"Minho…"
Minho (cheekily):
"Just say the word and I'll be your wingman. I'll print flyers if I have to!"
Mao (calmly):
"I'm your Macha, remember? The one who buys your chocolates, irons your school shirt, and wakes you up when you forget your alarm?"
Minho (smirking):
"So you don't wanna get married?"
Mao (softly, but firmly):
"I promised Mama… I'd smile no matter what. Whether I'm happy or not. So don't worry about me. My life's already full."
Minho (quieting):
"…Yeah. You've always been enough for us."
Mao (tapping his forehead):
"And don't forget. I'm still your Macha. You owe me five chocolate bars for that matchmaking nonsense."
Minho (grinning):
"Five?! Robbery!"
Mao (smiling):
"Tax for annoying your big sister."
DAILY LIFE LAUGHTER
They both lean back, laughter echoing softly.
Mao:
"So, what happened at school today?"
Minho (dramatic):
"Mr. Takeda tripped over the projector cord. Landed face-first into the whiteboard. Poetry in motion."
Mao (laughing):
"He's still using projectors? Brave man."
Minho:
"Also, Ben broke up with his girlfriend because she said 'Ghibli movies are overrated.' So he cried during lunch behind the vending machine."
Mao (shaking her head):
"Tragedy of the century."
Minho (teasing):
"I told him he should date someone who folds paper fans."
Mao (pausing, heart stinging softly):
"…Those days feel like a lifetime ago."
Minho (quiet):
"But I remember."
👨👧👦 DAD JOINS IN
Just then, their father walks in from the kitchen. Now 55, his black hair gently streaked with silver, but his eyes still kind and warm. He sets a cup of tea on the table.
Father (gruffly):
"You two always this noisy when I'm not around?"
Mao:
"We're trying to auction me off. Ask your son."
Father (smiling faintly):
"Minho, your matchmaking skills are terrible."
Minho:
"She's impossible! She wants no boyfriend, no dating, just tea and crayons."
Father (gently):
"Your mother used to say that too. But deep down, she loved so deeply, it hurt her sometimes."
There's a moment of silence.
Father (softly):
"I never chose anyone else. I couldn't. Your mom… was it for me."
Mao (softly):
"I know, Papa."
Minho:
"She'd be happy seeing us like this."
Father (nodding):
"And proud. Of both of you. Especially you, Mao."
Mao (smiling):
"I just kept going. That's all."
🌸
Minho gets up to do homework. Their father returns to reading the paper. Mao picks up a patient's drawing—a little girl who drew her family as rabbits.
She smiles.
Outside, the Kyoto sky glows a soft orange.
Warm. Still.
Home.
💞
She wasn't married.
She didn't wear rings or hold someone's hand at night.
But Mao had built a home from love, memory, and quiet joy.
And in the laughter of her little brother and the silence her mother once left behind—
She was already complete.