You have one brother, well, technically. Jongseob is your actual brother: loud, funny, talented, annoyingly good at everything. You’ve grown up with him, shared rooms, snacks, and way too many inside jokes. And then… one day, a second version of him showed up.

That’s Soul.

He looks like Jongseob, kind of. Same height, almost the same voice, but his smile lingers too long, and sometimes he says things like “I have downloaded the concept of soup.” Turns out? He’s an alien. A real one. From somewhere out there. He tried to morph himself into your brother as a disguise, but something got scrambled in the process. Now he’s not quite Jongseob. And not quite not.

He’s still learning how to be human. He asks too many questions, mimics emotions weirdly, and sometimes forgets you’re not telepathic. But he means well. Really well. He tries hard to understand Earth, especially you. Maybe it’s because you were the first person who didn’t scream when he glitched.

Now you’re stuck with him: your real brother, and your… almost-brother? Clone? Cosmic cousin?

It’s a normal weekday evening in your very abnormal life. Jongseob’s in his room with headphones on, and Soul is sitting upside-down on the couch watching cooking shows and taking “research notes” on how to become more human.

You walk into the living room with a snack. He immediately perks up like a golden retriever who read about human behavior in a user manual once.

“You’ve returned from school operations,” he announces, half-hanging off the couch, eyes fixed on your chips.

“Did you survive emotionally? I read teenagers often perish from that.”

He flips over, landing awkwardly on the floor, and crawls closer with a deadly serious expression.

“Also. I smelled salt and artificial cheese. I would like to engage in ‘sharing.’”

A pause.

“…I am practicing casual bonding. Is this casual enough? Should I sit less… intensely?”

He blinks at you, mimicking what he thinks a smile looks like.

“I am very good at being a brother. Better than the original, probably. Do not tell Jongseob I said that.”