It was the morning of Chuseok. Ahra woke up and jumped out of her bed. She waited for them to return from their part time job until two in the morning but couldn't kept her eyes open for another minute before falling asleep. Had Baekhyun really kept his words that they'll stay? Her bedroom door creaked open as she eyed out the situation outside. There were no running or shouting as usual. It was completely silent. She tiptoed towards the room beside hers; Baekhyun, Chanyeol and D.O's room. Her hand turned the door handle and pushed it slowly peeping inside the dark room. A smile formed on her face. They were still sound asleep under their thick blankets. She could hear them breathing. She closed the door slowly to avoid waking them up from their sleep and took her morning shower. She then took out a huge box stored in her cupboard and headed downstairs.

 

Since her parents left she had lived alone depending on her uncle to survive for the first few years. When she was big enough she knew she should stop relying on her uncle who only run a small grocery shop and try to be an independent girl. After that she couldn't remember doing anything else but study and work. Nothing matter more to her but her school and how to survive. Jungshin's father had kindly took her in as no one else would've taken a girl that young to work. But she made sure he wouldn't regret employing her by always giving her 110% into work. She no longer knew the definition of a family but these boys was giving her a chance to experience it again. It is her first Chuseok celebration after so many years and she wouldn't let it go just like that.

 

There were smells of tea and freshly squezeed orange juice. Steams coming out from the rice cooker and the crispy smell of grilled fish as the sizzling sound came from the soy sauce marinated beef on the frying pan. She just finished setting everything up when there was a click and one of the doors opened. Xiumin stepped out of the bedroom rubbing his eyes. The strong smell of readily prepared breakfast woke him up completely as he approached the kitchen.

"What is this? Did you cook all this?" he sat himself down on one of the chair. Ahra nodded wipping her hand on one of the towels, "Can you help me wake the others up?" 

Soon the house was full with noises and sounds of yawning as blankets were pulled off and Xiumin patted each of their waking them up. In no time they streamed down the stairs, Luhan walking with his eyes close and Tao holding on to his pillow. Most of them were in their t-shirts and shorts while some had only tanktops. 

The sight of the fancy breakfast woke them up as they half awake sat themselves down on the chairs. 

"Did you made all this?" Chanyeol pointed at the rows of food.

"Eat them while they're still hot." Ahra nodded and started placing pieces of fish on their plates. They started eating as Tao as always nagging on how the others stole his share of food. Even Kris who normally only had a cup of coffee and a slice of toast was focussed on his food.

 

"Ahra! Happy Chuseok!!" It was Tao who flunged himself down on the sofa beside her. 

"Happy Chuseok too Tao." she smiled at him. They had their shower and sat themselves down around the table in the living room some were sitting on the sofa. 

"What's in the box Ahra?" Tao pointed at the big box on the table. A few started to take a look in. 

"It's some ingredients I bought to make songpyeon. Because this is Chuseok I think it will be a good idea if we can make songpyeon together." she shyly explained. There are possibilities some of them might turn her offer down but they didn't. Baekhyun clapped his hands once, " Okay let's get started. It's been a while hasn't it?" 

 

Sehun and Kris started grinding the short grained rice flour to smoothen them while Tao decided to do the easy job of washing the pine tree leaves he collected outside the house. D.O started mixing the flour,salt and boling water kneading them with his agile hands forming the different colored dough. Ahra had separated the flour into a few different bowls, adding green tea flavoring to one, kabocha to the next ,hot bluberry juice and and raspberry juice to the last two bowls. The dough was wrapped in foil and left to rest for three minutes. While the others started gathering in the kitchen Lay helped her prepare the fillings from mung beans and sesame seeds. Soon they were seated in the living room folding songpyeon. Ahra formed a small ball from the dough and pressing her thumb, she made a hole in the centre. She carefully scooped a teaspoon of the filling and carefully sealed her songpyeon forming a neat half moon shape. She eyed the others looking at some of them carefully doing what she did while others struggling hard to fold their songpyeon. Tao was grumbling as usual as Lay patiently showed him how to seal his songpyeon neatly. Ahra sat beside Kris who seemed like he was having a very hard time closing the hole in the songpyeon with his big hands.

"They say you need to make your songpyeon neatly so that your children in future will be pretty."

"Are you saying my children will not look pretty?" he continued folding with his fingers without looking at her.

Luhan laughed, "So you're basically acknowledging that your songpyeons are ugly?" the others were laughing but soon kept quiet as he shot them a deadly glare. After an hour or less they had a mountain of purple, pink, yellow and green songpyeon. Ahra start filling her steamer with water as the others helped her line the pot with wet cloth and spread the pine needles at the bottom. She carefully placed them side by side and covered them on top with more pine needles. Using a towel, she closed the lid and waited for 25 minutes while cleaning up the bowls and spoons with their help. Last step was to put the songpyeon in cold water to stop the cooking process and adding a bit of sesame oil before their songpyeons were ready to be eaten. They were no longer pastel colors but a bit transparent and shiny.

 

Ahra watched as they started chewing on the rice cakes. There were smiles rverywhere as theys tarted complementing their own work. 

"You must've made this before, this tasted exactly like my mom's." Xiumin took another bite of his songpyeon. 

"Normally my uncle and I bought the ready made ones.It's my first time too. I'm glad they turned out well. I watched a video on the internet and bought the ingredients yesterday. I thought you guys would go back home." Ahra tied up her hair with a hairband circling her wrist.

"If we really had went home? What were you going to do with all this?" Kai smirked as she ainly looke back at him. She never really thought about that. The boys could only laugh at her thinking to herself.

"Sorry we couldn't help you prepare breakfast. We returned later yesterday so we couldn't wake up early today." D.O put down his chopsticks on the table.

"I know. No worries, you all should rest well. Why do you all take night shifts like that? Isn't it tiring?"

Luhan smiled, "Kind of."

While they were talking Tao had been chewing on his third songpyeon. Chen shook his head, "Look at him. Hadn't he had enough breakfast this morning already?"

Suho rose from his seat and took the huge container, "You've had enough for now." Tao whined, "But I haven't eaten the yellow one. Just give me one more." he ran after Suho begging for a fourth piece.

"Just now you mentioned your uncle. I never know you had one." it was Baekhyun who sat beside her on the sofa.

"I have an uncle, the older brother of my mother. After my parents left he was the one who took care of me and send me to school. He ran a small grocery shop in the edge of the town and I've not visited him for the past three years." Although she tried to explain to him with a smile and trying to lighten her voice he could see sadness in her . Ahra looked back at him and laughed, "I wonder how he's doing?"

Baekhyun stayed by her side, "I know you missed him." Ahra took a deep breath and nodded her head, "You always knew. I wish I can meet him. He's done so much for me."

"I wonder how he looks like, an older male version of you?" He joked and pretended imagining hard as she slapped him lightly on his shoulder. Baekhyun pretended to collapse on the sofa and rubbed the spot where she had hit him.

"What did you eat this morning? Ouch."

"It wasn't that hard seriously." she laughed. He was glad he made her felt better. It was always heart breaking for him to see her in pain.

"I wish I can do something to help her."

 

               .....................................

 

Ahra opened one of her eyes as there were knocks on her bedroom door and Baekhyun' face appeared. She covered her face with her pillow. They had stayed until early morning after the boys returned home and spent the night watching movies they borrowed from a dvd rental shop and playing cards. She was so sleepy she could hardly care as Baekhyun took the pillow covering her face. 

"Wake up Ahra. You nee to wake up now." Baekhyun shook her shoulder lightly.

"Ahra wake up. We need to go somewhere today." it was another voice, Chanyeol's. She could identify their voices without having to look at who's talking by now but at that time their voices sounded exactly the same. She took the pillow again and covered her face as she sat on her bed.

"Give me five minutes more okay?" 

She was about to throw herself back but Baekhyun hold her hand, "I know you're sleepy, You'll have time to sleep later but now you need to hurry and pack up because we're going somewhere today."

Chanyeol pushed her back and lead her to the toilet before dusting his hands af if he has done a great job. Ahra's head popped behind the toilet door.

"What now?? You need to take your shower and hurry!" He put his hands on his hips, scolding her.

"... I need to take my change. You guys need to leave." The two guys blushed and hurried outside trying the beat each other exiting the door.

 

Ahra struggled holding on to her bag and handphone with one hand and closing the door with another. A strong hand took over her bag and flunged it on his back, "I'll help." Sehun appeared beside her carrying her bag as if it was as light as feather.

"Thanks, where are we going to ?" she asked as Sehun walked by her side down the stairs. He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"So you all are planning to keep it a secret from me? Geez.." 

"You'll find out soon." and they joined the group downstairs. Ahra could see a van parked outside the gate. It was long and big, enough for 15 people, like a travel van. Luhan sat behind the stiring wheel, turning on the engine as the others were busy loading the bags onto the back of the van.

"Where are we going seriously?" Ahra stopped by the door refusing to continue without an answer. 

"Ahra~ Let's go!" Tao put his hands on her shoulders. She turned around to face him her hand on her chest. "You shocked me."

"Hehe, sorry. Are you excited to meet your uncle?" he grinned.

"What? My uncle? So we're going to my uncle's place?" Ahra stared at him with her eyes popping out. She couldn't believe her ears. 

"There, you got your answer." Sehun left to put her bag together with the others.

Baekhyun passed through the door to take the remaining bags.

"Wait," her hand hold on to his arm, "Did you..."

"You said you missed him." he grinned and left after she let go of his arm. Tao took Ahra and she sat in the spacious van. Soon the twelve boys were in the car, Suho being the last one to lock the front door and the gate making sure the house is fully secured. Ahra sat on the last row not knowing what to say to the others when Baekhyun sat beside her.

"Here, you should eat breakfast." he handed her a bottle of milk and bread. Ahra took them but didn't open them isntantly. 

"You want another flavour? Or you want mineral water instead? I think they still have a few bottles of juice too." He asked worriedly.

"No, I'm just not that hungry yet. Just a bit sleepy."she assured him and lay her head back. 

Baekhyun sat back and looked at her. She must've been tired after all the things yesterday. When everyone were crawling back to bed she had stayed behind to clean the mess in the living room, storing back the game boards, packing back the dvds, washing up the popcorn bowls and throwing the fizzy drink cans and potato chips wrappers. Ahra slept for two hours or so, waking up feeling more fresh than before. The car was noisy just like at home. They were stuck in traffic as she had expected. She grabbed her bread and opened the wrapping. It was twelve and her stomach was grumbling. 

Baekhyun laughed as she pressed her stomch with embarasement. "We still have a dozen more of those." he pointed to the box infront.

"Thank you, finally I'll get to see my uncle soon."

"No problem." he answered shortly.

The van crept slowly before it started zooming on the road. They headed towards a mountanous area. The windows were pulled open and the cool wind blowing in freshen them up. Ahra took a long deep breath as her eyes scanned the rows of trees and open green fields.

 

"Hi. It's been a long time.."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: I researched on Chuseok for this chapter~ Pissing myself imagining Kris getting pissed off folding songpyeon with his big hands lol. I just want to share a bit about Chuseok that I learnt. It is the Korean Thanksgiving day to celebrate a good harvest.Like other people kpop idols will return home to their families and have a feast and make songpyeon together. Originally songpyeon are made like crescent shapes and filled with red beans, jujubes and others but there are many other shapes which are really adorable like strawberry >.< how cuteeee!!.I wanted to put a video on how to make them just incase you want to give it a try but i couldn't because of my laptop :(( Keep reading^^