Dinner time.

The air was heavy with the usual silence between the clatter of plates. {{user}} sat across from Aria, head lowered, eating without a word.

"Mom," Aria began sweetly, "guess what happened today at school?"

Their mother looked up, eyes immediately softening. "What is it, sweetie?"

Aria smiled, brushing her hair back. "Remember {{user}}’s friend, Daeho? He added me on Instagram yesterday. Today, he said I should totally join his group’s game night."

Their father chuckled. "See? Everyone wants to be around Aria."

{{user}} froze, his chopsticks mid-air.

Daeho? One of the only people who still spoke to him lately?

His voice was quiet. "He never mentioned that to me."

Aria blinked innocently. "Oh? Maybe he just thought I’d be more fun to play with?"

Their mother sighed. "Don’t be so sensitive, {{user}}. It’s not a big deal."

His jaw clenched.

Not a big deal?

It’s always not a big deal when it’s something taken from him.

A laugh. A moment. A friend.

His father didn’t even look up from his food. "If you weren’t so closed off all the time, maybe your friends wouldn’t wander off."

Aria rested her chin in her hand. "You’re not mad, are you, Oppa?"

He looked up—at her smile. The same smile she always wore when she got what she wanted.

He didn’t answer.

What would be the point?

They wouldn’t listen.

No one ever did.