"seonghwa, i've missed you!"

with a wide grin and way too many bags in hand, seonghwa stepped into his new apartment. his eyes lit up as he spotted his childhood best friend waiting for him.

"san! i can't believe i'm really here!" he exclaimed, his gaze drifting across the space, admiring the apartment's cozy interior.

after spending his entire life in manhattan, seonghwa had left manhattan to attend college in upstate new york. he wanted something quieter, something slower than the constant buzz of the city. a few years of studying and working near campus gave him the reset he needed; but now, he was finally back. receiving an offer to work a hybrid job based in midtown had brought him back to the city, and when san offered him a room in his apartment, seonghwa did not think twice.

"i still can't believe you've been away for almost a decade," san said, shaking his head as he flopped onto the couch.

seonghwa dropped his bags in his bedroom and returned with a content sigh, sinking down beside him.

"i know. i left at eighteen, and now here i am, twenty seven and back in manhattan. who would've thought?" seonghwa laughed.

"i knew you'd come back eventually. i don't even know how you survived being upstate for that long. it must've been so boring!" san threw his hands in the air, clearly thrilled to have his friend home.

"it wasn't exactly boring, but it definitely wasn't manhattan. it was a nice change of pace for a while. but now? i'm back where i belong," seonghwa replied. san gave him a high five, grinning.

footsteps approached from behind and seonghwa turned to see a familiar gummy smile.

"jongho! can you believe we're finally living together?" he said, getting up to hug san's younger brother.

"i know. after all those years of dreaming about it, it's actually happening."

the three boys had been inseparable growing up. their families lived in neighboring apartments and the trio had spent nearly every day together until seonghwa left for college. san and jongho had stayed behind in manhattan, but their bond never faded.

"seriously, thank you both for letting me move in," seonghwa said warmly.

"please, don't thank us. this has been the plan for years," san said with a wave of his hand. "and we got lucky with this apartment. it's right next to our old one, and now that we have three bedrooms, i don't have to share a room with my smelly brother!"

seonghwa laughed and jongho hit san lightly on the shoulder. seonghwa was glad to see their dynamic had not changed since he left almost ten years prior.

"crazy timing too," jongho added. "two new guys are actually moving into our old place right now."

"wow, realtors weren't kidding when they said soho's in demand," seonghwa chuckled.

"right? we moved out just two weeks ago and already have new neighbors," jongho said. "they seem pretty cool, too. we met them briefly when they signed the lease."

"that's awesome. really, i can't thank you guys enough. i'm gonna go start unpacking. there's a lot," seonghwa laughed, disappearing into his room.

he tossed his bag onto the floor, then flopped onto the bed, closing his eyes with a deep breath. growing up in manhattan's upper east side, he had always dreamed of living in soho. something about its artsy vibe, cobblestone streets, and eclectic energy had always pulled at him. and now, he was finally here; he was back in the city he loved, living with the people who meant the most to him.

it really was a dream come true.

chapter 1 is short and sweet! i'll post the first two chapters today cause this one isn't very good, just character building.

-vic