Winter had settled comfortably over Seoul.
The dorm windows fogged over every morning, and the kitchen always smelled faintly of toast and coffee before sunrise.
"I wasn't made for winter," Bella mumbled from beneath her blanket.
"You said that yesterday," Joanne replied while tying her hair.
"And I was right yesterday too."
Susu giggled quietly as she set bowls on the table.
From the room at the end of the hallway, Leah stepped out already dressed for practice, her black hoodie neatly folded over one arm.
She had been awake for almost half an hour.
She always woke up before everyone else.
The quiet reminded her of Germany.
The Room They Shared
Leah and Mili's room had changed over the past few weeks.
When they first moved in together, the room had been almost silent.
Leah hardly spoke.
Mili was afraid every sound she made would bother her roommate.
Now...
Silence wasn't awkward anymore.
It was peaceful.
Mili sat on her bed carefully cleaning the lens of her camera.
Leah looked over from her desk.
"You clean that every day."
Mili smiled.
"I know."
"...Why?"
"It keeps memories alive."
Leah nodded slowly.
"I like that."
A moment later, Mili looked toward the sketchbook resting beside Leah.
"You've been drawing every night."
"I have."
"You've never shown me."
Leah hesitated.
Then quietly reached over and handed her the sketchbook.
Mili's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Leah shrugged.
"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't."
Mili slowly turned the pages.
Sketches of flowers.
Buildings in Germany.
Their practice room.
Joanne studying choreography.
Bella asleep in the van.
Susu laughing over dinner.
Even a beautiful drawing of her grandmother sitting beside a window with a cup of tea.
"They're beautiful."
Leah scratched the back of her neck.
"...Thanks."
An Evening Video Call
That evening, after another long day of dance and vocal practice, Leah's phone buzzed.
The screen lit up with a familiar name.
Liam.
Leah smiled immediately.
Mili noticed.
"Your brother?"
Leah nodded.
"My oldest."
"You should answer."
Leah tapped the screen.
Almost immediately, Liam's cheerful face appeared.
"There she is!"
Before Leah could answer, another face squeezed into the camera.
"Move over," Luther laughed. "She wants to see her favorite brother."
"I am seeing my favorite brother," Leah replied.
Luther gasped dramatically.
"You've changed."
Liam laughed.
"I told you she'd choose me eventually."
"You two are impossible."
Mili smiled quietly from her bed as the conversation switched naturally between English and German.
She couldn't understand most of the German.
But she understood the laughter.
"You've gotten thinner," Liam observed.
"I'm fine."
"Are you eating properly?"
Leah sighed.
"My grandmother asked me the same thing this morning."
"Good," Luther grinned.
"That means she's doing her job."
Liam smiled warmly.
"Mom worries too, you know."
Leah nodded.
"I know."
"And Dad..." Luther started laughing before he could finish.
Leah immediately covered her face.
"Oh no."
Liam could barely hold back his laughter.
"He made us watch your Music Bank stage four times."
"It was only three," Leah argued.
"It became four after dinner," Luther corrected.
"He kept pausing the video every few seconds."
Liam lowered his voice, perfectly imitating their father.
"'That's my daughter.'"
"'Look at her posture.'"
"'She definitely got that from me.'"
Leah laughed so hard she had to look away from the screen.
"Dad says that about everything."
"He really does," Liam replied.
"If you got good grades..."
"'Definitely my intelligence.'"
"If you spoke German well..."
"'My genes.'"
"If you danced beautifully..."
"'Obviously inherited from me.'"
All three siblings burst into laughter.
A familiar voice suddenly echoed from somewhere behind them.
"Are you making fun of me again?"
"Dad!" Leah laughed.
"I told them not to call you."
"They ignored you," her father replied as he leaned into view.
He had warm blue eyes and a smile that looked remarkably like Leah's whenever she genuinely laughed.
"I just wanted to see my superstar."
"Dad..."
"I'm serious."
"We're all proud of you."
Leah's smile softened.
"Thank you."
A moment later, another face appeared beside him.
Her mother.
Elegant.
Calm.
Her long dark hair tucked neatly behind one ear.
Unlike Leah's father and brothers, she spoke softly.
"You look tired."
"I'm okay."
"Don't forget to rest."
"I won't."
Mili watched quietly from across the room.
The resemblance between Leah and her mother was impossible to miss.
The same calm expression.
The same gentle eyes.
The same quiet way of speaking.
After chatting for nearly half an hour, the call finally ended.
Leah stared at the blank screen for a moment before placing her phone on the bedside table.
A Quiet Conversation
Mili waited until Leah settled onto her bed.
"Can I ask you something?"
Leah looked over.
"Of course."
"Your family..."
"You mean my brothers?"
Mili nodded.
"They have a different mother."
Leah folded one leg beneath her.
"Our dad was married before."
"They separated years before he met my mom."
"When they got married, Liam and Luther were still young."
She smiled to herself.
"They never made my mom feel like she didn't belong."
"And they never made me feel like I was only half their sister."
"How much older are they?"
"Liam is eight years older than me."
"Luther is seven."
"They spoiled me growing up."
Mili laughed.
"They still do."
"...They do."
Leah smiled.
"My dad is the loud one in the family."
"You probably noticed."
Mili giggled.
"I did."
"My brothers take after him."
"They're outgoing."
"They make friends everywhere."
"And your mom?"
Leah's expression softened.
"My mom is... quiet."
"She's always been gentle."
"People sometimes think she's distant when they first meet her."
Mili tilted her head."...Just like you."
Leah smiled.
"I inherited that from her."
"My grandmother says we're both terrible at starting conversations."
The two of them laughed.
More Than Roommates
The room fell comfortably silent again.
Snow drifted gently past the window.
Mili looked toward Leah.
"You know..."
"What?"
"When we first moved in together..."
"I thought you didn't like me."
Leah looked genuinely surprised.
"What?"
"You hardly talked."
"I was nervous."
"You looked confident."
"I wasn't."
Mili smiled.
"I know that now."
Leah laughed softly.
A real laugh.
The kind that had become more frequent since debut.
Mili hesitated before speaking again.
"I'm glad we share this room."
Leah looked at her for a moment.
"So am I."
No hesitation.
No awkwardness.
Just honesty.
Outside, snow continued falling over Seoul.
Inside the dorm, two young women talked long after the lights were supposed to be out.
Some friendships happened quickly.
Others grew quietly—
through shared mornings, whispered conversations, late-night laughter, and the simple comfort of knowing someone was always just across the room.
Leah and Mili hadn't become sisters overnight.
But somewhere between trainee days, debut stages, and winter nights...
they had found a friendship that felt like home.