Wheein woke up on the day of the New Year excited, she had a plan for how she wanted to surprise The Unnies and Hyejin and now she couldn’t wait to get to it. When she sat up, however, her head began spinning and she felt a familiar heaviness in her limbs. 

“Why does the New Year always have to be on a new moon.” She grumbled to herself, scrubbing at her face and trying to fight through the sluggishness all over her body. 

Her mother once explained it to her as: their supernatural strength came from their wolf nature, and the moon called to their wolf nature. So on nights of the new moon, their wolf natures went away with the moon, and they were left at their weakest. As humans.

Still, there were New Year’s festivities to prepare for, and Wheein was determined to get through them, even if she felt like half a migraine away from passing out. 

Her plan was simple enough, first she would treat everyone to lunch and order enough tteokguk and jeon and galbi-jim to cover their tiny dining table downstairs. Then, she would surprise her roommates with the sets of modern hanboks she had pre ordered weeks ago, keeping them hidden under her bed until that day. It was a holiday so she knew Hyejin had the night off. Once it was late enough in the afternoon for Hyejin to be outside without getting sick, they could all go to the New Year street fair by the Han River and play with sparklers and eat until the fireworks that night.

It was fool proof.

When she made her way downstairs to the kitchen, The Unnies were already there, huddled over a boiling pot and arguing between themselves. 

“There’s not enough water.” Byul mumbled, bottle already angled at the pot, but Yong elbowed her away, whining and swatting at the demon with her spoon.

“There is! I’m telling you if we add any more it will taste horrible! Oh Wheein-ah! You’re awake!”

“You’re up late,” Byul remarked, not putting the bottle down but stepping away regardless, eyeing the boiling soup with narrowed eyes. “Come here and tell Yongsun-unnie that this soup is too thick.”

“What are you making?” Wheein asked, already missing her wolf sense of smell. She walked over anyway, dutifully taking a sip at the proffered spoon that Yong held out. Tteokguk. Wheein shrugged, trying not to let her distress show, there were still plenty of other things she could order for lunch. “It tastes fine to me.” 

Yong smiled smugly over at the demon, wiggling her shoulders for emphasis as she stirred. Wheein watched the rice cakes swirling around in the broth as Yong stirred. She would just order jap chae for lunch then. No problem.

“So I was thinking for later-” Wheein began, going for nonchalance as she stirred at the bowl of soup Yong had given her.

“Which reminds me, I’m going to Ikea if you guys want to come along,” Yong said, over a mouthful of rice cake, “I need to get us a new water dispenser after the last one broke down the other day.”

“I can go with you,” Byul said, “We can get lunch after.”

Wheein tried not to let her disappointment show, even though she felt her shoulders slump ever so slightly. “Make sure you get one that actually dispenses hot water this time.” Yong smiles wryly, nodding, but Byul was already staring at her curiously, head tilted. “You okay, Wheein?”

She nodded, “New moon,” she said instead, by way of explanation. It worked out in her favor, the sluggishness of her fully human self masking her overall letdown.

“Do you need us to take care of you?” Yong asked, already clearing their bowls away and gently squeezing Wheein’s shoulder as she passed, “The water dispenser can probably wait.”

“No, no!” Wheein was already feeling embarrassed at herself. She should have just planned New Year’s with her roommates instead of trying to surprise them. “Uhm, Hyejin can look out for me while you’re gone.” Spending New Year’s with Hyejin would work out well too.

“Oh! But didn’t she mention going out to dinner with her friend from the Seocho coven?” Byul said, putting away pots and bowls after Yongsun  washed them. “I can stay with you, Wheein-ah. We know how hard the New Moon is for you!”

More than the embarrassment, Wheein was feeling very frustrated. She shook her head vehemently, ignoring how the motion amplified her sudden lightheadedness. “Please, don’t. It’s fine! I’ll be fine, Unnie, seriously! It’s not like this is my first time being alone during a New Moon.”

The Unnies stared at her for a few beats before looking to each other, having one of those silent conversations that Wheein had grown used to over the years of living together. 

“Okay,” Yong said, dragging out the word into two more syllables. “But call if you need us and we’ll come rushing back.”

Wheein had already stood up, Turning past the bookshelf as she headed toward the stairs, “I’m going to be fine,” she said with an absentminded wave of her hand. When she made it back inside her room, she fell back into a disgruntled heap unto the bed. Before she knew it, she fell back asleep.

She really hated new moons. 

When she woke up again, she was sure the Unnies had left already, and a peek at the clock on her phone told her it was just a little after lunch. She spent a few minutes scrolling through her instagram, the pictures of her other friends enjoying their New Year only souring her mood even further.

Finally, Wheein rolled out of bed again, annoyed at herself. “I’ll just have fun by myself,” she muttered, if a bit petulantly. She crouched at the foot of her bed, pulling out the boxes that had the modern hanboks she’d ordered for herself and her roommates. 

Leaving the other three on her bed, she took hers to the bathroom. After a hot shower she wore the hanbok, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn’t lying when she told her Unnies that it wouldn’t be her first new moon alone. But it would be her first New Year alone, and now Wheein was determined to make the best of it.

Seoul during the Lunar New Year was lively and exciting. Families and friend groups all in multicolored hanboks were out in the street and even without her wolf-sense of hearing, Wheein could pick up the sound of drums on the wind. She was sure there was some form of dragon dance happening in the temple nearest their apartment.

Their apartment building was a good thirty minute walk away from the Han River, but she had all the time in the world anyway. Wheein had the camera Byul had gifted her for her last birthday and every now and then she would pause to snap a few candid photos of other passers by in their hanboks. She still felt bone-tired, but it was a little more bearable now that she was outside. 

When she finally reached the riverbank, she couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped her lips. The street fair was in full swing,  and there were traditional dancers performing in the wide space while people picnicked to the side. Wheein snapped a photo.

She stopped by a stall selling jeon and found herself a blessedly unoccupied bench. Still snapping photos every chance she got. She had a few good ones in the bunch and she could already picture using them for an exhibit in the future. The thought excited her.

Wheein felt a strange warmth through her. After her few years living in Seoul, and after making friends with other mortals, Wheein had grown to appreciate mortals a bit more. In the here and now, as a mortal temporarily sitting amongst them, she felt a strange sort of connection with these stranges celebrating the new year. The thought had her smiling.

Amidst all the excitement and the noise, she almost missed the sound of her phone ring. When she glanced at the screen, she grinned and her camera for the video call.

“Happy Lunar Year!” Wheein laughed, grinning at the smiling face of one of her best friends from her old pack back in Jeon-ju. Jimin was a grey wolf, and they two had grown up together as puppies back in Jeon-ju. 

“Wheeinie! Happy Lunar Year!” Jimin’s voice was crackly through the static and the phone in her hand was shaky, almost like she was running. Wheein tried to squint to see where her friend was, but it wasn’t anywhere she recognized.

“Why are you running?” Wheein asked, giggling. There was already a slight flush along Jimin’s cheekbones. 

“I’m beginning to ask myself the same question.” Her friend replied, already out of breath. “I don’t know how humans can live like this, they must be exhausted all the time.”

“Tell me about it.” 

“I’m here!” Jimin called out, panting heavily, A flash from the corner of Jimin’s screen caught Wheein’s eye and she gasped. Even though the camera was angled awkwardly, and looking up at Jimin’s chin and up into her nose, Wheein could feel herself tear up. “You ready for your New Year surprise?” Jimin asked.

Wheein nodded, forgetting that Jimin couldn’t hear her. She watched as her friend approached a woman from behind, tapped on her shoulder, then ed the phone in her face.

“Jimin-ah what-- Oh!” Her mother’s face took up the whole screen. By that point Wheein could feel her tears trickling a hot trail down her her cheeks. She was smiling though.

“Mom!”

“Hello baby!” Her mom crooned, adjusting the camera angle so that Jimin could squeeze in beside her. Her friend was smiling cheekily, face still flushed from having run all the way to Wheein’s childhood home. “Happy Lunar Year!”

“Happy Lunar New Year Mom,” Wheein hiccuped, desperately wiping at her face with her free hand. She didn’t even care that some of her makeup was probably smudging on the sleeves of her new hanbok.

“Are you well?” Her mom asked, face approaching the screen as if to inspect her, “It’s the New Moon, you shouldn’t be out and about so much.”

Wheein laughed, “I’m fine Mom. The fresh air and the walk did me better than staying in bed all day.” Her mom still looked concerned but there was a warm smile on her face. Beside her, Jimin was making faces and Wheein burst out laughing. 

“We miss you, baby!” Her mother said, “I hope you’re taking care of yourself in Seoul!”

“I am,” Wheein said, voice still a bit thick, but her tears had stopped now. “I think.” She hesitated, trying to find the right words, “I think I belong here.”

Her mother nodded, smiling, “I’m glad.”

“Just make sure you still call every month!” Jimin in, her grin cheeky. “And keep your calendar free on Children’s Day! I’m coming over there to meet these crazy roommates of yours I’ve heard so much about.”

Wheein bounced in her seat, if her tail could manifest, she knew that it would be wagging. “As long as you don’t tell them about the time I fell in that river.”

“No promises!” Jimin said. Wheein and her mother laughed.

They spoke for several more minutes, eventually her mother had to leave to attend to other pack matters, so she and Jimin ended up talking. Wheein still on the bench by the Han River while Jimin walked to their old haunts, them reminiscing fun memories from the past.

“Call me when you get on the bus to Seoul,” Wheein said, after telling Jimin she had to end the call, “I’ll pick you up at the station.”

“Okay! Goodbye Wheeinie, we’ll talk again!” Jimin waved and made silly faces at the screen for several more seconds before the call finally ended. Wheein’s phone was hot to the touch but her heart felt light, and she didn’t feel so lonely anymore.

 It was already a little later in the afternoon. She walked back to the stall selling jeon and ordered some for her roommates before beginning the long trek back to their apartment. Home. 

Wheein was absentmindedly wondering how she could subtly gift the other hanboks still in her room to Yong, Byul, and Hyejin when she opened the door to their apartment and was greeted with the sight of her roommates in their hanboks she bought. Byul let off a party popper, and Wheein yelped in surprise, eyes widening. 

“Surprise!” Yong exclaimed, her wings spreading out and knocking into Hyejin, who was busy transferring take out food from their containers into nicer bowls. “Yah, Unnie!” Hyejin swatted one of the wings away, “You’re going to cause an accident!”

“Oh! What’s this?” Wheein said, looking around at their apartment. The dining table was filled with food plus the tteokguk from that morning, there was a bag of party poppers to one corner, and someone’s phone was playing music. 

“I was looking for you in your room,” Hyejin explained, tossing out the last of the food containers, “and I saw the hanboks. They had our names on them and, well.” The vampire shrugged her smile turning playful.

“You picked them well!” Byul said, stretching out her arms and admiring the design. Hers had one black sleeve peeking out from a mostly red robe, with black satin pants.

“When we got home, Hyejin showed us the hanboks,” Yong explained, approaching Wheein to get the bag of jeon from her arm. The angel smiled at her, almost motherly, “You were trying to surprise us this morning, weren’t you? I’m sorry we ruined it. I thought this would make up for it.”

Wheein smiled at her roommates in the hanboks she picked out for them, at the effort they went to for her. That same warm feeling was back, but deeper and more special than before. 

“Just tell me you bought a working water dispenser and we’ll call it square,” Wheein teased.

Yong laughed, nodding and pulling her into the dining area to join the rest of them. After their early dinner, they opened the glass windows that led to the unit’s small balcony, letting in the cool night air. 

“I thought you were meeting up with Soo-jung, for the New Year,” Wheein asked, bumping shoulders with Hyejin as the vampire adjusted the pants of her own hanbok, Hyejin put an arm around her, hugging her close.

“Soo-jung unnie understands,” She said,  in a low voice, “I have many more New Years I can spend with her just as I have countless I can spend with you and the Unnies.”

Wheein ducked her head, trying to hide her smile. She elbowed Hyejin in the side instead, “You’re gross.” she muttered, even though there was a smile on her face and laughter threatening to bubble out from her lips.  Hyejin just hugged her closer.

When the sun set and the first of the fireworks began shooting into the sky, all four of them marveled at the sight together, clapping or setting off party poppers. By the end of it, Wheein was glad that at least her words to her mother earlier rang true.

She belonged here.