December 31st - Daegu
 
"Minju, lunch is ready."
 
"In a while, Mom."
 
Minju is lying on her cousin's bed, staring at the ceiling. It's weird. She never hated holidays before. But now it feels like a great sacrifice to do nothing and wait for two more days before she'd be busy again.
 
"Minju?"
 
Minju turned her attention to the voice and saw her cousin standing beside the door. "Hey, Yujin."
 
"What's up?" Yujin climbed on the bed and lay prone beside her.
 
"Nothing. I'm just bored."
 
"We do this every year, why are you so bored today?"
 
"I don't know." Minju played her fingers on her tummy. "I just wish that there's no holiday."
 
Yujin laughed. "Hey, frog, tell me where my real cousin is."
 
Minju laughed. "Seriously. I wish I had work today."
 
"What?" Yujin looked at her cousin. "Do you hear what you're saying?"
 
"I just feel bored. That's all."
 
"Is there something different in your office this year that wasn't there last year?"
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"Did you get a new crush or something?"
 
Minju had to laugh it out. She can't understand why the first person that came to her mind with what Yujin asked is Sakura.
 
"No, it's not crush..."
 
"Not crush. But there is someone, right?" asked Yujin.
 
"It's not like what you're thinking."
 
Yujin playfully hit her. "Hey! Are you keeping secrets from me now? Are you in love, Minju?"
 
The question made Minju cringe even more. "I'm not, you silly."
 
"Fine! But I don't believe you."
 
Minju rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
 
"Well... speaking of crush." Yujin leaned in closer. "I heard someone just got back here."
 
Minju's mind was still lingering on the word crush and why Sakura was on her mind when she heard that. She didn't understand what Yujin said.
 
"Do you remember your all-time-biggest-crush when you used to live here?" asked Yujin.
 
Minju had to recollect thoughts first from her childhood memories. "What do you mean?"
 
"Gosh. Don't tell me you've forgotten Hangyul?"
 
"Hangyul?" Minju looked away as flashes of memories of her childhood flooded her brain, recalling how she did really develop a crush on one of her playmates.
 
"Yeah. Hangyul and his brother Dohyon. You remember them?" asked Yujin.
 
"Yeah. When did they get back here?"
 
"Just last week. I heard their dad wants to retire and is planning on putting up a business. Both their sons are now working so they've got nothing much to worry about finances."
 
Minju is not sure about what she's feeling. A while ago she was thinking about Sakura and now hearing Hangyul's name gave her the same feeling of what she's having before.
 
"Wait." Minju remembered something. "Don't tell me they're joining us for lunch like how they do before?"
 
Yujin smirked. "Yes. They are waiting for us downstairs. I came here because your mom asked me to drag you down."
 
---
 
It when she's by the staircase when Minju felt nervous.
 
She is now hearing murmurs from men whose voices she hasn't heard in a long time.
 
She took a deep breath and a few more steps down until she showed herself to everyone.
 
"Oh, there you are." Her mom approached her and lead her to the couch where the members of the old family friend are sitting. "Look who's back."
 
Minju glanced at the entire family but focused her eyes on the parents. She's seeing the brothers from her peripheral vision.
 
"Good morning everyone." She bowed.
 
"Wow, is that really you, Minju? You've grown so beautiful, darling," the mother said. "You used to be pretty when you're little but now you're just more beautiful."
 
Minju forced a smile. "Thank you."
 
"Do you have a boyfriend, Minju?" the father asked this time.
 
"None. Minju has always been choosy in dating men," said her mom. "How about you, are your sons still singles?"
 
Minju wanted to exit the scene right away. She knew where the conversation is heading. Her mom completely knows of her crush on Hangyul before.
 
"Dohyon is always not available. He's never been single the moment I allowed him to date," the father answered.
 
Dohyon threw a pillow at his dad. "C'mon, Pops. That's embarrassing!"
 
The father's laugh was too loud that it echoed in the whole house. "Hangyul is single. He just recently broke up with his longtime girlfriend."
 
"This is awkward," muttered Hangyul.
 
Minju smiled a little, remembering the reasons she liked Hangyul before: the handsome with that snobbish aura, his poker-faced expression, his introverted personality, and whatever he does is everything for her before. Same old reasons but enough reasons for her to like him again.
 
Dohyon stood up to approach her. "Look at you. Still beautiful! I remember having a crush on you when we were children."
 
Dohyon's cheerful approach brought back the feeling of when they were still little. Minju smacked him in the stomach. "I knew it, that's why you keep on teasing me, huh?"
 
Dohyon laughed, turning to his family quickly and going back to Minju after. "Yeah, but that went away immediately because you're so ill-tempered."
 
Minju hit him on the arm this time. "Hmph!"
 
Hangyul stood up as well to join the conversation. "Don't listen to him, Minju. He never had a steady crush. Until now he always changes girlfriends from time to time."
 
"Man, you're ruining my moment here," Dohyon complained.
 
Minju was giggling while looking at the brothers. "You guys just got taller but everything's just the same."
 
"Yeah, you're still the same Minju even in terms of height," said Dohyon.
 
Everyone laughed except for Minju.
 
---
 
January 1st - Daegu
 
It's already one o'clock in the morning and the ear-popping noise of firecrackers had subsided. Minju was alone again in the room while her mom, aunt, and Yujin ar