Dawn hovered just beyond the horizon. The faint crow of a rooster drifted through the stillness as Egemed lay motionless, half awake. Slowly he opened his eyes and rubbed them, staring at the ceiling. The room remained dim, lit only by a pale glow slipping through the skylight beneath the window.
He rose and tidied his bed. After that, he went to the washroom to clean himself up. Once he finished, he stepped out of his room and began cooking and preparing food while his family was still in somber sleep.
Quietly, he walked to his brother Rada's room. With gentle care he opened the door, careful not to wake him with a sudden sound.
"Brother, wake up," he whispered, gently tapping Rada's shoulder.
Again he tried. "Brother, we need to go to work," his voice barely audible.
Rada groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.
Egemed thought he would come back later to wake him again, but just as he turned to leave, the blanket shifted. Rada's head appeared, his sleepy eyes glancing at Egemed as if he feared he had overslept.
"Egemed… what time is it now?" he asked, forcing his eyes open and blinking rapidly.
"It's 6:11 a.m. Good morning," Egemed said with a slight smile.
"When did you wake up?" Rada asked in amazement.
"Five. Get ready—we'll leave by seven," Egemed replied, nodding before leaving the room.
"Good morning to you too," Rada muttered as he climbed out of bed, washed up, and began getting dressed.
When Rada entered the kitchen, he saw Egemed already dressed. Two tiffins sat on the table as he carefully packed food from the pot. The room was filled with the warm aroma of cooking.
"Where is Mother?" Rada asked.
"She's still sleeping," Egemed answered, his hands continuing to arrange the meat in the tiffins.
"Huh? I thought Mother would be up already. So you're packing our lunch? We can just eat outside," Rada said as he pulled out a chair and sat.
"It's fine," Egemed smiled. "I just want to cook something good for you."
Rada said nothing. He simply watched Egemed finish packing the food. Then his eyes caught the brooch on Egemed's coat—the one he had given him four days ago. Seeing it there, he couldn't help but smile.
Egemed noticed him staring.
"Why?" he chuckled.
"Nothing."
After a moment, Rada stood up, took the kettle from the heater, and poured tea into a cup.
"Here," he said, sliding the cup across the table toward Egemed's side.
"Thank you." Egemed's face lit up with a smile.
Together they drank their morning tea before setting out for work.
"Should we wake Mother to close the door?" Rada asked before leaving.
"It's fine, brother. She'll be up in no time."
They stepped outside and closed the gate latch behind them. Just then they saw their mother standing on the veranda, smiling at them.
"Bye-bye, Mother. We'll be back by evening," Egemed waved.
"That was fast," Rada mumbled.
Egemed nodded. "Mother always wakes up before seven."
They caught a cab and traveled to the city, leaving their father at home to rest. Sitting quietly in the small cab, Egemed felt a quiet happiness growing inside him. Now that his brother worked with him, he would no longer travel alone.
As the car swayed along the road, he noticed Rada nodding forward, his eyes closing again with sleep.
Gently, Egemed moved his brother's head and allowed him to rest on his shoulder. Rada slept there peacefully until they reached the company.
Before entering the building, Leon spotted them from afar and smiled while sweeping.
As they approached, Egemed stopped and let his brother go in first.
"Good morning, sir," Leon greeted with a smile.
"Good morning too, Leon," Egemed replied warmly.
They exchanged a few words before Egemed went inside. A moment later, he returned with a cup of tea and handed it to Leon.
From his office window, Rada watched the scene quietly. The two of them were laughing together as if they had known each other for years.
After a while, Egemed entered the office again and found the secretary standing at the door as usual.
"Good morning," the man greeted.
"Good morning, Uncle Jim," Egemed replied, bowing slightly.
"How was work yesterday?" Egemed asked.
"I hope I handled things well while you were away," Jim chuckled softly.
"Have you eaten?" Egemed asked.
"I have. I'm full now."
"Then come and sit for a while," Egemed offered.
Jim hesitated. "It's fine."
"I'll drag this chair for you. You can rest here when you're tired," Egemed insisted.
"No, no," Jim shook his head.
But Egemed had already pulled the chair beside him.
"There," he said, smiling, before heading to his father's office.
Inside, he found Rada sitting in their father's chair, watching him with a faint smile.
As Egemed began sorting documents, Rada spoke calmly.
"You've made quite a lot of friends here."
Egemed paused at the unexpected compliment and smiled.
The room fell silent for a moment. Only the sound of turning pages and the click of the clipper echoed softly.
"Egemed," Rada said at last, placing the documents on the desk and clasping his hands.
Egemed looked up.
"The first thing you did this morning was serve tea to the cleaner?"
Egemed nodded with a smile.
"And what were you doing with Secretary Jim outside?"
Egemed chuckled softly, knowing speaking too much might only worsen the mood.
"I'm asking you, Egemed," Rada said, clearing his throat.
"I'm just… doing what I feel is right, brother," Egemed replied gently, lowering his head.
"Look at me."
Egemed lifted his eyes again.
"What if they climb into your chair because you're too polite?" Rada asked.
Egemed hesitated. "They're human too."
"Tell me what you see in them that makes you act like this."
"I… I just love them. I want to be friends with them," Egemed said quietly.
"In what way? I don't see them giving you anything," Rada's voice grew firmer.
Egemed's eyes widened. His chest tightened, and for a moment he could not speak.
"Brother," he said softly, clipping the documents together. "Didn't you see the place is clean because of the cleaner? Didn't you notice Uncle Jim standing there even when he's tired, listening as though his duty defines his worth?"
Rada remained silent for a moment.
Then suddenly he grabbed another stack of documents and slammed them onto the desk.
"What are you trying to say?" he muttered.
Egemed gave a faint smile. "I really don't want to provoke you, brother."
"You asked if they might climb my chair. If it were me, I wouldn't. I know my place. I'm polite to them not because I want them above me, but because they are human. Behind every role is someone who deserves to be treated as human."
He paused.
"To be treated like nothing… that hurts."
Rada said nothing more. He simply picked up another stack of documents and continued his work as if he had not heard the words Egemed said.
"I'm sorry," Egemed whispered. "I didn't want to quarrel with you."
"It's okay," Rada replied shortly.
After a brief moment, he quietly picked up another set of documents—even though he had just slammed them moments ago—and began working again, as if trying to hide the embarrassment creeping across his face.
When afternoon came, Egemed pulled his chair closer and unpacked the lunch. He opened the tiffin and handed a spoon to his brother with a smile.
Rada froze for a moment before taking a bite.
"This is my favorite," he said after chewing thoughtfully. "How did you know?"
Egemed only smiled.
"Did you really make this?" Rada asked in disbelief.
"It's delicious."
"Do you want to eat outside now?" Egemed teased.
"No," Rada laughed. "Now I'll wait for your cooking every day."
"Why did you wake up so early?" Rada asked.
"You know, brother," Egemed chuckled, "it used to be a race between me and Mother."
"Why?"
"I tried to wake up before her so she could rest while I cooked."
Rada laughed. "Your wife will be very lucky someday."
"Even if I'm a man, isn't it my duty to help my family?" Egemed said with a soft smile.
"That's very womanly," Rada joked.
"Yet you eat my cooking every time," Egemed laughed.
"What?" Rada frowned playfully.
To Egemed, cooking and helping with household work was never a burden. He would rather be teased for being "womanly" than allow his mother to struggle alone. Whenever he had time, he helped her without hesitation. To him, being a man did not mean abandoning responsibilities within the family.
And so the day passed.
By the time they returned home around nine that evening, both brothers were exhausted. After spending a quiet moment with their family, they went to bed early.
Rada stood quietly outside Egemed's door before going to bed.
"Egemed… wake me up early tomorrow," he said softly.
After a short pause, he added, "Good night."
Egemed turned toward the door from his bed.
"You don't need to worry, brother."
Outside, Rada nodded quietly before returning to his room.