By the time the Chuseok holidays rolled around, Minah and Mingyu had already stayed in Jihoon and Seungcheol's places for a month. Unfortunately, their own apartment's pest problem had yet to resolve - apparently their neighbours had gotten the same problem, and the situation had since elevated. On top of that, the first pest control company had broken some old ornaments in their places, and Mingyu had been running back and forth dealing with these issues. Thankfully, Wonwoo had been there to help his Busan friend with some of the contractual issues, and helping Mingyu engage a company he was more familiar with, being a Seoul native.

Minah figured that as things got more or less settled again, it might be  good time for her brother and her to visit friends and family in Busan over the holidays. After all, she did feel bad that Seungcheol was losing his room, no matter how well they were getting along. She had overhead him telling his friends over the phone that he could not have guests over for the time-being.

What a long way they had come, from love rivals to best roommates.

To nobody's surprise, Mingyu had turned his sister down when she offered to go back to Busan.

"Look, I think this is my only shot...Wonwoo's family had offered to bring me around Seoul for the various events happening this summer. We are going to check out this busker that Wonwoo likes, near Hongdae this weekend! Why don't we stay and hang out with everyone together? It's not like Jihoon is going back either."

Minah could not miss the spark in her brother's eyes.

It was even harder, however, to pretend that she didn't already know that Jihoon was not going back to Busan.

She had bumped into him, two mornings ago, and asked if he would want to go home to visit his parents and grandmother together. With his huge guitar on his back, Jihoon could barely answer a "nah, guitar practice before the recital during the last week of holidays", before rushing out of the house for practice again. She heard him cursing along the corridor, "stupid Joshua Hong, making me wake up this early for practice again-"

Seungcheol had also told her, in passing, that Mina the girlfriend had declared her plans to come over a lot over the holidays. He had almost wanted Minah to bring him along to Busan as well. On the morning she was ready to set off for home, it was Seungcheol who sent her to the station. The college male had told her, sheepishly, that "someone might be coming over to our room but I'll make sure your things remain untouched."

_____

She knew it was still the same country, but the air in Busan just smelled different. A little less adventure in the air, a lot more like home . Minah's heart felt like it was at peace again, after a very long first semester in high school.

Minah skipped up the familiar stone steps to her house. She wasn't sure what to expect - an overgrown and messy yard, or rusty hinges that would require oiling. Her afternoon would be in her humble childhood abode, cleaning the rooms and gardening. She would have exchanged so much for this peace, after a semester of the bustling Seoul centre. Yet a little bit of her wasn't sure if this would be serenity, or just lifelessness without her parents, her brother, and Lee Jihoon. She grew up in this cacophony of noises, or rather the symphony of the sounds of home.

Yet what greeted her was not a lifeless house. She saw the warm lights of the kitchen, lit, and the familiar smell of home-made kimchi stew wafting through the doorway. It wasn't her parents - no gosh, they could not cook at all - but rather Jihoon's mother. The familiar Busan accent greeted her, as Minah stepped through the door of her home.

"Welcome back Minah!"

The teem dashed to hug the older woman, now scooping the ready soup into bowls. Oh if Jihoon and Mingyu w