Myungsoo was not sure what was bugging him since he landed in Boston. Naeun blew a few pink bubbles of gum, chewing such that it irritated him. He wanted to tell her to stop, but she was not the source of the discomfort -- the strange sensations in his stomach that made him want to throw up whatever unappetising food he had on the plane.

    He was going to see Hongbin again. Yes, it had been over five years now, but that was not what worried him. Something else worried him instead. It was Jongin’s message: that Suzy and Hongbin were in love.

    Jongin made him promise not to tell them, because they were hoping to keep it a secret. “Why are you telling me then?” Myungsoo had asked him, his smile intact, but his emotions threatening to burst through his heart.

    “I just thought I should let you know, yenno?” Jongin had answered. Strange. Unusual. Jongin was never one to be considerate. In fact, Myungsoo wished he was left in the dark, somewhere where he could hide away his soul and contemplate the way his life turned out to be.

“Why’re you so tense, like?”

    He blinked. “What?” Was he that transparent that even his fatuous sister should notice his trembling smile? “I’m not tense, I’m just tired.”

        Naeun gave him a look that said otherwise. She perked a perfectly arched eyebrow, blowing another bubble. Shrugging, she resumed in texting her boyfriend Hanbin, an idiot that Myungsoo never approved of.

In the distance, he recognised Taekwoon, because he was in some of Hongbin’s video calls before. The brute appeared even bigger in real life. A little bit intimidating even. Taekwoon shared a nod, before ushering the pair towards the car.

    Naeun giggled. “Is it just me, or is Hongbin’s friend cute?”

Myungsoo let out a weary sigh. A hunch told him that it would be a long stay. At least Suzy’s mother was arriving over the weekend. He hoped the woman would transfer some of her composedness to the rest of them.

    They stood awkwardly in the room. Myungsoo avoided eye contact with Suzy, especially when all she did was cling to Hongbin. The latter was more healthy than he ever seemed after his accident. He was only using one crutch to guide him. The rest of them laughed, except for Suzy’s friend Sunyoung -- a timid young woman who had a calming presence that reminded him of Matron. He noticed the contemptuous glares that Jongin sent her way.

    Myungsoo was still unsettled. He could not drink the wine that was offered to him. Yes, it was nearing the new year, but he could not focus on new year resolutions or the aftermaths of the Christmas that he missed out on.

        His emotions churned inside him, an indistinguishable mess. It all boiled down to the fact that Hongbin’s presence left him uncomfortable. It was crystal clear as a pellucid stream: Hongbin was the source of it all. It was his best friend, the only boy he could call a brother.

    Hongbin had created a barrier that would separate him from Suzy. The latter had cut her hair. It was barely hanging over her shoulders, and it gave the girl a rather androgynous effect. He liked her with her short hair. It made him muse what it was that caused her to cut her hair short. The last time she had it cut was when she was seven, and she wanted to fit in with their group at the orphanage better.

    “So, like, when would the snow melt away?” said Naeun. She was sitting between Sunyoung and Jongin. It was always like his sister, hogging the attention to herself, unaware of the bubbling fate of the two on either side of her. “I can’t wait to see the city properly.”

    “We’re planning on moving to my apartment in a week’s time,” said Hongbin. “Me and Suzy are leaving in a couple of days to fix it up. Then, we’ll call the rest of you over.”

    “You can’t do that,” Myungsoo interceded. He felt everyone’s eyes on himself. Sweat gather