The night was peaceful and slightly chilly.

Two men at the mysterious house sat facing each other with serious expressions written on their faces.

Jongin wiggled his nose.

"Hurry up, Jongin," Xiumin chimed sitting back and crossing his feet.

The two of them, who were advised to stay back by Suho before the rest took off to capture Chanyeol, were killing boredom playing a game of chess. None of them knew the proper rules and they were just going with it.

Jongin finally raised his hand and moved the black queen diagonally across. Xiumin immediately jumped in front and moved his rook taking Jongin's queen in one go.

Xiumin chuckled while Jongin let out a shout in frustration.

It had been four months since Jongin officially moved in with the rest of them. His reason was that he finally wanted to get to know his 'inner Kai', but everyone at Xiumin's place already knew it was only because Taemin kicked him out and he had no place to go. None of them breathed a word about it, however. They were glad he finally came to them, but only at the cost of loosing a long time friend.

 A month later Baekhyun found out that Taemin was in fact terrified to death after the little incident at Seulgi's place. And after hearing that Seulgi moved out, it just so happened that Taemin had a mental breakdown because he thought he was going mad, and eventually asked Jongin to leave. But apparently Taemin had started looking for Jongin the day after but didn't exactly know where to look, hence just let the situation be as it turned out.

Ever since Jongin moved in as Sehun's new roommate, and started sleeping on the same floor as Sehun listening to him snore every night and find themselves entangled together when they wake up in the morning, he had finally let himself get adjusted to his mysterious new supposedly family. He had slowly begun to let his guard down and just go with it.

Xiumin cheered seeing Jongin's queen on his hand.

But the both of them at once fell silent as they heard a loud groan.

"Was that him?" Jonign asked turning around while Xiumin stood up.

"Did you lock the door?" Xiumin asked back looking gloomy compared to few seconds ago.

"Yes, I did...He can't get out, right?"

"As long as you locked the door, then no."

The both of them continued staring at the small door by the edge of the stair case leading down to the basement. The padlock, by the size of one's fist, stayed visible hanging on the door. Jongin went through his mind repeating the moment when he locked it with his own two hands. 

I'm sure it's locked...

He told to himself.

But the both of them startled once more as a loud noise of a car screeching up to their house was heard from outside.

Xiumin at once ran to the door and opened it, meeting Lay and Kris bringing in a drenched body letting it's long legs be dragged on the wooden floor.

Both of them brought the body inside the house and pushed it down onto the couch.

Xiumin followed them to see the bruised face be revealed. Jongin crept up to Xiumin from behind. 

Ever since Jongin came to this house he always stuck to Xiumin, for Xiumin was silent and spoke only when needed.

"Who's that?" Jongin asked in a whisper.

"It's Chanyeol, one of your hyungs... I can't believe they beat him up so much," Xiumin answered right away and stepped back to go to the kitchen to get some supplies to clean up the dirt off the person lying on their couch.

Jongin was left alone standing there awkwardly watching Suho shout at Lay, who ran to his room remembering something, to come and start healing Chanyeol. Kris was trying to make Chanyeol's legs fit in with the rest of the couch. But each time Kris tried making his legs stay on the couch they fell off right away after jutting out. 

"Aish! Why are his legs so long, gosh?!"

Kris gave up letting Chanyeol's body get awkwardly positioned, with him looking like he was about to fall off.

"I'm so sure he's got some sort of a brain damage by now. You punched him way too hard back then!," Jongin heard Baekhyun complaint to D.O, who just walked away after merely glancing at Chanyeol.

"What else did you want me to do when he woke up in the middle of the ride and tried burning us all to death?" D.O murmured in his low subtle voice.

But Baekhyun's complaints just grew more annoying.

Jongin turned back to Chanyeol as Lay came running to the living room. He watched Lay get on his knees and hold onto Chanyeol's temples. Suho immediately put a hand in front of Jongin and asked him to leave with the rest, who were making a noise and were most likely disturbing Lay.

With Suho's nagging, everyone of them were soon sent away to their rooms and the house grew quieter.

Jongin peeked from the wall separating the the living room from the rest. He watched Lay with his eyes closed and concentrating. Xiumin, who was sitting next to Lay, silently cleaned up Chanyeol's face with the soaked hand towel, and Suho watched them, taking in deep long breadths in between.

After a while Jongin walked back to his room. He opened the door and entered in to a Sehun, who was closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall, caressing the area just below his heart with three fingers. Jongin watched him flinch a bit but as soon as Sehun felt like he was being watched he flashed his eyes open to see Jongin eyeing him.

"You know, you should just go to Lay hyung if it still hurts," Jongin spoke.

But Sehun glided down under the sheet and wrapped himself with his blanket.

Ever since the hyungs told that Jongin would be rooming with him, Sehun had become more silent than the usual. At first he was excited that Kai and he were finally rooming together again after ages, but then he remembered that he wasn't Kai anymore. In fact Jongin's presence just strangely reminded him constantly of Seulgi and her mother. He came to keep worrying about what was happening with Ji Yeon and Seulgi; whether they found a good apartment to stay in, whether Ji Yeon found a job, whether Seulgi was going back to a school in the city, were all questions filling up Sehun's mind. But Sehun very well knew that Jongin had the answers to all of his questions. However, Sehun never once spoke freely and intimately with his now four month together roommate.

"Baekhyun hyung came looking for you before," Sehun spoke from under the sheets startling Jongin who thought Sehun was asleep.

"Really?" Jongin automatically retorted and walked back up to the door.

He opened the door carefully and walked to Baekhyun's room just opposite to their's and slightly knocked on the door.

Baekhyun answered it and as soon as he saw Jongin's face he pushed Jongin away making room for him to step out of the room. Baekhyun looked back to check whether D.O was in his usual place at the corner of the room, and closed the door behind him.

"Sehun said you came to see me?" Jongin spit out the reason why he even bothered to knock on Baekhyun's door.

"Yes, well..." Baekhyun looked around to check whether anyone was coming their way, "...How are they doing? Did she find another job? Or how about the ahjumma? Are they doing well?"

Jongin narrowed his eyes a bit confused but smirked right away.

"I don't kno-"

"Oh please, I know you've been keeping an eye on them. You disappear during the evening and appear just in time for dinner. You thought I won't notice?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Jongin turned right away to go back but stopped immediately as Baekhyun said,

"Do you want me to go tell Suho hyung? Everyone's already noticed that you've been going over to Seulgi's. I'm the one who saved your the night they were all ready to confront you and lock you up."

"You can't lock me up. I can literally teleport out,"

"That's what you think...Remember, we know more about you than you do," Baekhyun smirked replying and watched Jongin lower his gaze.

They both stayed silent for a few minutes before Jongin looked up and answered,

"Ahjumma has got a job at some clinic and Seulgi's going to school. The place they are at is damp and broken down but I've seen worse. They are doing fine, I guess."

Baekhyun listened carefully for he was sure that Jongin wasn't going to say it twice. He smiled as a reply to Jongin following, "Now that wasn't so hard, eh?"

But Jongin just walked away looking disgusted before Baekhyun could hold him down and possibly ask him to teleport him to Seoul.

He watched Jongin go to his room and close the door behind him.

"So stubborn--"

Baekhyun was about to go on to a rant about Jongin's behavior, instead, jumped in surprise as the door behind him opened up in a flash and a voice addressed him.

"That was a lie. You literally cannot lock down Kai by all means," D.O spoke back.

"Well, he doesn't know that, now does he?"

"You are lying and gaining control over him," D.O bluntly stated.

But Baekhyun turned around and pushed D.O in to the room saying,

"No, I was just merely bending the truth."

***

Seulgi looked up at the clock. It was just half past seven and her mother was still cooking.

"Are you sure you'd have enough time to be done?" Seulgi asked nervously.

"Yeah, if I'm not done you can keep them company," Ji Yeon replied happily but Seulgi's face turned sour.

Keeping their soon-to-arrive guests, or anyone for that matter, company was such a horrifying idea to Seulgi she was thinking of excuses to just disappear from the house for the time being. 

Her mother's good friend along with her daughter will be visiting them tonight.

At first, Seulgi was excited to meet her long time best friend, who was the little bright light during her life when she was younger. But after a while she was beginning to feel afraid whether the both of them have changed too much to reconnect back like the old days, not that Seulgi talked with her that much back then though. Now she was thinking of ways on how to just run away from home without anyone noticing and come back at the break of dawn. She was wanting to avoid any conversation with any human at this point. She was terrified. She was an introvert after all.

Thankfully though, Ji Yeon was done just in time when the door bell rang and she went to answer it leaving Seulgi behind in the kitchen.

Seulgi listened attentively.

"Anyong!" a loud voice of a woman greeted right away after Ji Yeon opened the door.

It was like a balloon of loud happy voices burst out. The entire apartment was filled with them in just a matter of seconds.

Soon, Seulgi was sitting next to her friend with her knees knocking against each other, for her friend has become far more beautiful, and loud at the same time.

"What's up, Seulgi?!" 

Seulgi startled for a bit and turned her head to see her friend adjust herself facing her with a bright smile. 

"You remember me, right? Oh come on! I haven't forgotten you, so how can you forget me, right?" she said in a cheery voice trying to lift the mood and get a conversation going. However, it made Seulgi feel more nervous.

"Of..of course not. I remember..." Seulgi mumbled to which her friend retorted, "Did you say something?"

"Son Seung Wan--"

"Aai, Umma! Stop calling me that!" Seulgi's friend burst out immediately to her mother, to which the lady rolled her eyes and retorted right away,

"That's your name, child."

"No, that's the name you gave me and I don't like it! I hate it!"

"This kid! Stop shouting at someone else's place!"

Ji Yeon and Seulgi exchanged looks watching the two guests have a little bit of a battle with words.

After which seemed like ages, Seulgi magically found herself in her room with Seung Wan going through some of the books on her table.

"Don't mind us, Seulgi-ah. We are a family who gets a bit too loud. We didn't scare you, did we?" Seung Wan asked turning to Seulgi sitting next to her on the bed.

Seulgi smiled and spoke out clearly for the very first time saying, "I remember you guys being loud. It didn't surprise me. It's just that it's been a while since we met."

"That's right... The city changed a lot since you left. It isn't the same since I left to Canada either. Things change too fast, eh? ...Since the time Umma said that we were going to visit you, I was wondering whether you'd remember us."

"What are you talking about? It wasn't that long ago, was it?"

"Haha it wasn't, my friend. You haven't changed at all, you know. Just the same sweet silent Seulgi I knew of..."

Seung Wan's comment made Seulgi a bit uncomfortable. She was trying to get rid of her oldself but seeing her friend saw the same old Seulgi in her made her a bit sad. Nevertheless she smiled.

"...We should go ice skating sometime," Seung Wan suggested.

Seulgi gave a nod as an answer but Seung Wan's phone started ringing loudly distracting the both of