Morning sunlight slowly slipped through the curtains while Mira remained buried deep inside her blanket.
For the first time in weeks— she had slept peacefully.
No alarms.
No office stress.
No rushing.
Just comfort.
Then suddenly— her phone started vibrating nonstop beside her.
Mira groaned dramatically before blindly grabbing it.
The moment she saw Ria’s name flashing repeatedly, she immediately knew chaos was coming.
“Hellooo?” she answered sleepily.
“MIRA YOU SHOULD’VE COME HERE.”
That instantly made Mira pull the phone slightly away from her ear.
“Good morning to you too.”
“I’m serious!” Ria complained dramatically.
“This place is BEAUTIFUL.”
Before Mira could reply, another ten videos arrived instantly.
Beach videos.
Food videos.
Random screaming videos.
Mira laughed softly while watching one of them.
Honestly—
Ria looked genuinely happy.
And that alone made her smile.
“You would’ve enjoyed a lot.”
“Hmm maybe,” Mira replied softly while stretching lazily beneath the blanket.
Then honestly—
“But I really needed this break.”
Ria immediately understood.
The past few weeks had exhausted Mira completely.
Office pressure.
Late nights.
Constant work.
Sometimes even simple socializing felt draining afterward.
So staying alone at home this weekend somehow felt more peaceful.
“Fine,” Ria sighed dramatically.
“But next trip you’re coming.”
“We’ll see.” – Mira
“No.
No ‘we’ll see.'” – Ria
That instantly made Mira laugh again.
After talking a little longer, the call finally ended.
The apartment became quiet once more.
But today— the silence didn’t feel heavy.
It felt calm.
Nearly an hour later— after freshening up and lazily cleaning the apartment a little—
Mira finally sat comfortably on the couch with her phone again.
Maybe she should call home.
The moment her father answered the video call, familiar warmth instantly filled her chest.
“Haan papa.” – Mira
“Aaj madam ko family yaad aa gayi?” – Papa
Mira smiled immediately.
“Always.”
“Papa ji, mujhe bhi Mira se baat karni hai.”
That instantly made Mira smile wider.
“Bhabhi!”
Her father laughed softly before handing over the phone.
“Theek hai beta, lo baat karo apni bhabhi se.”
A few seconds later, her sister-in-law appeared on screen from the kitchen while holding a spoon.
“Aaj maine tera favorite banaya.”
Mira narrowed her eyes suspiciously immediately.
“My favorite?” – Mira
“Hmm.” – Bhabhi
For two seconds she genuinely thought seriously.
Then suddenly—
“Aate ka halwa?”
That instantly made both her bhabhi and father laugh softly.
“Haan.”
“Oh god…” Mira groaned dramatically while falling back against the couch.
“Now I miss home even more.”
Her bhabhi smiled warmly.
“Papaji ne bhi aaj do baar extra khaaya.”
From behind, her father immediately replied softly—
“Halwa acha bana tha beta… isliye thoda extra kha liya.”
That instantly made Mira laugh softly.
“Please send me some.”
“If we send it now,” her father replied calmly, “tab tak kharab ho jayega.”
Mira paused for one second.
Then suddenly sat up straighter.
“Wait… actually I can make it.”
“I have all the ingredients here.”
A small excitement suddenly filled her mood unexpectedly.
Maybe homemade halwa would actually make this lonely weekend better.
After ending the call, Mira immediately walked toward the kitchen with surprising motivation.
And for the first time in days— the apartment slowly began filling with warmth again.
The smell of roasted flour.
Soft music playing nearby.
Tiny kitchen sounds.
Comfort.
Home.
For a while—
Mira forgot about loneliness completely.
Until suddenly— voices drifted faintly through the neighboring wall.
She paused unconsciously.
Voices?
For one second she stood completely still.
Then slowly— realization hit her.
The neighbor was finally back.
Strangely— that thought made her smile faintly.
After weeks of complete silence, the familiar sounds suddenly made the floor feel alive again.
Without realizing it properly, Mira glanced toward the wall thoughtfully while stirring the halwa slowly.
Then suddenly— a random thought appeared inside her mind.
Maybe…
I should give some to the neighbor.
But honestly— wasn’t it a little awkward already?
They had been neighbors for months now.
Had misunderstandings.
Never properly spoke.
And since she barely knew anyone on the seventh floor anyway— maybe this could finally make things normal.
Maybe they could even become friends.
At least peaceful neighbors.
Mira looked down at the halwa thoughtfully before laughing softly at herself.
“What if I finally see who this mysterious neighbor actually is…”
And strangely— for the first time— the thought made her curious instead of annoyed.
Meanwhile— inside apartment 506— three exhausted men sat comfortably around the table while food containers and snacks covered almost every surface nearby.
Hoseok was speaking nonstop again.
Yejun looked half awake while eating quietly.
And Junho absentmindedly scrolled through his phone.
For the first time in weeks— everything felt peaceful.
Then suddenly—
Hoseok paused mid-sentence dramatically.
“Wait.”
Yejun looked up lazily.
“Hmm?”
Hoseok sniffed the air suspiciously.
“Why does it smell so good suddenly?”
That instantly caught Junho’s attention too.
A soft sweet smell slowly drifted through the apartment.
Warm.
Fresh.
Homemade.
The kind of smell that instantly made exhausted people notice it.
Junho glanced briefly toward the neighboring wall before speaking softly—
“Maybe the neighbor is cooking something.”
Yejun quietly noticed the smell too now.
Different.
Sweet.
And strangely comforting after weeks of hotel food and rushed meals between schedules.
Meanwhile Hoseok dramatically leaned back against the couch.
“Now I’m craving homemade food.”
That instantly made Junho laugh softly.
“You crave food every twenty minutes.”
“Because food understands me emotionally.”
“Fair point.”
Yejun quietly listened to their conversation while the sweet smell continued drifting softly through the apartment.
And somehow— after weeks of airports, hotels, and exhausting schedules— the warmth from the neighboring apartment made the entire floor feel strangely peaceful again.
Completely unaware— that next door, someone was seriously considering knocking on their door for the very first time.
Sometimes they begin with ordinary things— a familiar voice, a peaceful presence, or the warmth of homemade food drifting quietly through a wall.
And slowly… strangers stop feeling so distant anymore.