Many people don’t believe in ghosts, and even fewer believe in a higher power or something called destiny. 

And yet, every human has collectively decided that sometimes, there are things that happen that we simply can’t explain. Like those times when an inanimate object falls on the floor without anyone having touched it, or when a room’s temperature suddenly drops out of nowhere, or when strange coincidences happen that gives one chills. These things happen to everyone, and everyone have that little moment where they scratch their head and think ’huh, that’s weird’ , but then they accept the fact that they can’t explain it with their current knowledge, and move on with their life, knowing there might be something else out there, but still decide to ignore it. 

Oh Serin is one of those people. When she sits on the soft seat of the train, and enjoys the constant flush of air from the air conditioning, she silently thanks humans for having invented what had to be the absolute best invention after the microwave. She doesn’t really believe in demons or ghosts, but she doesn’t ignore the possibility of their existence either. She’s one of those people who likes to over dramatize weird happenings in her life the moment they occur, whispering a small not today satan and then she moves on. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Serin’s gaze falls on the horizon stretching outside the large window she is leaning on, eyes following with excitement the large grass fields that are slowly transitioning into a sea the shade of a vibrant azure. It glistens mesmerizingly and the reflection of light almost blinds her, but she pays little attention to it as her eyes move to the traditional-looking buildings now scattering like small rhombs near the sea. That’s when the small town comes to light. Her childhood town. 

Serin has spent her entire childhood - up until elementary school, in that small hole in the coastline-countryside of Korea, playing and living like she and her friends were the kings and queens of the world, but that’s what every child thinks around that age, after all. When she was supposed to start middle school, her family moved to the city, and Serin had to abandon her dear friends, who she never really lost contact with. She never really understood why they moved - her mother always told her it was for better opportunities and education, but Serin has always smelled something bigger lying underneath the surface, though she has never really bothered commenting on it. 

And now, right after high school graduation, she has returned for the summer, in order to have an inhale of fresh air after all those years in the city.

 Actually, that’s a lie. After what happened to her brother Sehun, her parents get a brilliant idea to ship and sent her to live with her aunt over the summer to get a break from the nauseating smell of the hospital and the overrunning guilt. 

Now, it’s not a bad idea per se. After all, the place is nice, she more or less knows most of the inhabitants—unless all the grandmas and aunties she met as a child are now all six feet under—and she has her friends; Jongin, Jongdae and Seulgi, whom she has grown up with. 

And that’s exactly who’s waiting for her once she climbs out of the long vehicle. 

Serin smiles, glad to forget about the current mess her life is in right now as she pulls her suitcases with her and nears the three teens. 

Seulgi is radiant, though Serin doesn’t miss the faint bags under her eyes. Even so, she doesn’t hesitate twice to throw her arms around her friend and squeeze her tight. The latter replies with a squeal, but hugs her back nonetheless. 

Seulgi lives with her two little brothers Jaehyun and Jaemin, aged four and six and with her uncle after the death of her mother, who more often than not is out of town handling project work. She is thus left to handle two children as if they were her own because her uncle can’t take the right responsibility. 

She smiled at her friend. ”You’ve gotten taller!” 

Seulgi laughs. ”That tends to happen when you go through puberty, dumbo. It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?” 

Serin nods, then turns to Jongdae, who in thirty degrees celsius is wearing a beanie—a ing beanie—and traps him in her embrace too. It’s comforting and warm, though the warm part is not so pleasant given she feels like she is going to melt from the heat at any moment. 

Jongdae could be compared to Jesus in his kindness and selflessness, though he does not miss when he wants to be sarcastic. He was and is a big help for Seulgi, and is often sleeping over at either her house or Jongin’s. Jongdae seems to be one of the few chosen ones who Jaehyun and Jaemin get along with, so he uses that to his advantage and spends most of his time with them and his big sister. To be honest, he’s never really…home. He’s always somewhere else. 

Jongdae cups her face and ruffles her hair, causing a pout to form on her lips. ”What’s that face? Do we give too much farmer vibes for a city girl like you? Are we mere peasants in your presence?” 

”Oh shut it,” she hits his arm jokingly. ”I’m still born here.” 

”I knew you’d save the best for last,” Serin hears Jongin say, and her lips curve automatically before she whips around to meet his small smile and holds her arms open for him to wrap himself around her. 

And he does, leaning on her shoulder due to the height difference while emitting a soft sigh. ”I’ve missed my best friend.” 

Serin bites her lip in order to prevent herself from laughing. ”I haven’t.”

”Of course you haven’t,” Jongin laughs. 

Out of the three, Jongin had been the one closest to her ever since they had been children. They were like clockwork, even if Serin has always been a bit more outgoing, while he has always been a tad bit more reserved. 

His family can’t be one to be described with the world normal. It’s not to be mean or anything, but despite having been there for generations, the Kim family has always been the black sheep of town. From her childhood, Serin can remember getting weird occasional glances from the elders of his family, and there were too many rooms she couldn’t step in while playing or visiting Jongin to be considered even slightly normal. 

Jongin obviously knows all of this, and he is always the first one to apologise about his family’s strange behavior, which Serin brushes off because to be frank she has grown quite used to it. He too, has moments where he spaces out for a weirdly long time or says things out of place but hey, who was she to judge? 

They part, and Jongdae helps her bring the suitcases to Seulgi’s car, later on proceeding to load them inside the trunk. 

Serin finally has the chance to properly breathe once she climbs in the backseat of the car, slumping her head backwards and closing her eyes. 

She has been on the island for little over ten minutes and her skin already feels clammy from the heat, which is disgustingly humid. That type of humidity that makes your legs stick everywhere, until you have to practically rip them off in order to stand up. The sun is strong, so strong she can feel it on her skin, and the air smells like bark and sea, a weird combination, but one that doesn’t fail to send her into a heaven of classical conditioning - the good type. She admired the buildings and houses outside - the small, worn out convenience stores, and the elders of the town walking around with a parasol in order to cover themselves from the sun.

 It feels familiar. It feels like home. 

Serin has stretched her hand out of the car window to feel the stream of wind that came with the speed, when Seulgi speaks up.

”How is Sehun doing?” 

She hasn’t expected the question, which causes the girl to retract her hand and stare blankly at the seat in front of her before she clears and speaks. 

”His vitals were steady when I checked on him this morning before leaving, I don’t think much has changed since then.” 

Jongdae nods thoughtfully, while Jongin looks down at his feet. 

”Hey,” Seulgi suddenly says. ”You know that what happened is not your fault, right?” 

But it is. ”Thank you,” she replies instead, forcing a smile. ”Have they opened new restaurants ever since I left that we can try here?” Serin switches the topic. 

”Oh!” Jongdae chimes in, clapping his hands enthusiastically together. ”They opened a café! The very first here, can you believe that?!” 

”Wow, in this hole? That’s impressive.” 

”It’s really good, they have this, like, very creatively decorated shortcakes with gelatin spirals and they even serve boba tea which I’ve heard a lot of,” Jongin says excitedly. 

”Yeah! And they also serve a lot of cool different drinks in these weird glasses and—” Jongdae commences, but gets cut off by Serin’s laughter. 

”You guys get a café and you act like God has descended from heaven to save humanity or something. You all are really a bunch of farmers, oh God.” 

”Let us rejoice in peace! At least we don’t inhale polluted air everyday and our lungs are much healthier,” Seulgi countered. 

”Yes, but in exchange, I get to go to at least five different cafés a week, so on that!” 

”Liar, you don’t even have the money for that,” Jongin scoffs.

”We’re here!” Seulgi exclaims as the car bumps its way through an old path with roots sticking out from the soil and pulls up in front of her aunt’s house. 

It’s a relatively big house for one person, but it doesn’t fail to stand out, just like its owner. It’s painted a bright red to spread powerful and positive energy (words of her aunt), though part of it is chipped and plants have grown all over the wood it’s made out of. To be honest? It has its charm. 

And no less does her aunt have charm, who Serin sees walking out from behind the house, holding a big stack of firewood over her shoulder like it’s a bag of apples. 

The woman instantly approaches her with a big smile and Serin steps out of the car. ”You’re finally here, sweetheart, Look at how much you’ve grown! Last time I saw you, you must’ve been like what, this tall?” she says, and lowers her free hand to picture what her length must’ve been like.

”Auntie! Do you need help with that?!” 

Eunjung looks at the stack of firewood in her arm questioningly, before she waves a hand and laughs. ”Oh, it’s okay, I can handle this, don’t you worry. This dry wood is good to store for the winter anyways,” her gaze then falls on the other teenagers behind her, and the woman smiles warmly. ”Why don’t you all come in for a cup of tea?” 

”Tea?” Jongdae asks. ”Isn’t it a bit, you know, hot for tea?” 

”Oh no, dear,” her aunt counters. ”A hot tea is crucial to cool you down in the summer, you’ll see.”

Eunjung is right, despite the tea being scalding, it does cool her down quite a lot once they’re all seated in the wooden table of the dining room. 

Serin does remember a portion of it from her childhood, but the house does a great job at exceeding her expectations anyway. 

To say that the house is crowded with plants is an understatement, the place is a whole jungle. Green vines stretch on the natural colored walls and ceiling like a mint river, an old and extremely overgrown aloe vera practically hanging from its vase on a counter currently risking to puncture poor Jongdae who wa