After School || Weeekly

Chapter 7

Home. Such a short, simple word that holds such a deep meaning. One that is different for every person out there, one that defines different things for each person. For some people it's a place, a big, warm, comfortable building that keeps people safe, offers them a bed to sleep and a place to eat as well as many other amenities sometimes. For some other people, home isn't exactly a place, but it holds a deeper meaning. It's when and where you feel safe and sound, you feel that warmth and love you feel inside a house, wherein you feel comfortable or when you get that feeling that you return to something familiar. Home for some people is another building and not the one their families live in, or some other times it's not even a building but a specific person.

For Zoa, home has always meant her parents' house. The one house she's grown up to, that one that's warm and filled with all of her childhood and puberty memories, that one that has her own bedroom and belongings as well her her mom's, dad's and Clara's. Home has always meant the people they live in this house too however. Home for Zoa has meant the house that mom and dad lives in, that Clara lives in. Home meant her parents and her loveable dog.

Lately she has been calling home her dorm, however, which has made her a little confused at times. She's asked Monday before as to why she calls home her apartment with Soeun's and the older girl has explained that since she was living there for so long and has gotten used to the place and has grown to love it a lot, it felt as warm, safe and loving as the one back at her parents. Zoa has then asked her if it was ok to have more than one homes and Monday has laughed at that before she has agreed, assuring Zoa that it was more than ok.

Now Zoa knows that home isn't just the one back in her hometown, but it's also the dorms, just like how she loves calling her unniesas her family too, without them being her actual family —blood related.

She just never expected to return back at her parents' house and miss her home back at the dorms this much as she is doing right now too.

She's not being ungrateful though. No. If anything she's happy to be back. Her parents have welcomed her with tight and long hugs ⏤her mother literally hugged her for almost half an hour and even when her father have finally dragged her away from her mother her mother would keep walking around, hugging her loosely, not wanting to let go fully just yet⏤ while Clara has been hopping and barking happily around her for a long time, her black eyes shining brightly out of happiness while she shook her tail left and right excitedly. Then her mother followed her to her room to help her unpack and settle her things down while her father gave her her first gift just then, saying that he missed her too much and couldn't stop himself from spoiling her and buying her well... a couple of weeks for this Christmas holidays.

Their reactions and warm welcoming are a little too overwhelming but Zoa understands them because she's missed them a lot too. She really did and she really missed the warmth of her bedroom and the comfortableness she would feel there. Once her mother has left her alone to rest a little while she would be cooking lunch in the kitchen Zoa realized that she's missed having her privacy too. The dorm room was nice, big enough to fit two people comfortably enough and living with Soojin unnie has been safe and nice but... Zoa was never really left alone ever in the room.

She hugs Clara as she lays down on her bed, looking around at her room, realizing that she's even missed the colors of her room, her books that she's been reading back in here, her own PlayStation 4 and the many games she's had as well as the couple of clothes she's left back here or other personal belongings like the countless plushies that she couldn't bring with her at the dorms when she's left home back in September.

She caresses Clara's white, soft, slightly curly fur for a while, playing with her and giggling softly as she ends up fully lying down with Clara on top of her licking her face. She's truly missed her dog, the one she's been with for so many years. Clara is a part of their family now and Zoa truly can't live without her.