Red. Practically the whole room was red. 

She heaved a deep breath as she looked around the room. It didn't feel good, seeing too much of the color of blood. It felt as though the decorators had decided to warn her from everything between the chimney and tables, to the shoes and dresses worn by attendees. Not even the punch had been left alone. 

A living fire burned in the furnace and spread a lovely, cozy light across the fur mat on the floor. Someone had brought in and placed a large tree in the middle of the room, which carried plenty of balls and sparkling tinsels. Underneath laid presents, most likely faux. On top was a proud star in transparent plastic.

At the sight of it, she tried to swallow the lump in . Not to lose her calmness, she turned away and left to have another glass of punch. The smell of cinnamon was lovely, and the warmth relaxing. However, she feared that a bit of alcohol was in the mix. Because, after her first zip, she had already felt something kick in and have ways with her legs. They shook as though crazy. 

"Nervous?" a familiar voice spoke at the buffet of goods and snacks. Looking up from the task of refilling her glass, she found her best friend Yuri munching away cookies next to her. They looked tasty and she felt tempted to have a few herself. 

"Yes, quite," she muttered and let her trembling hands be proof.

Given her state, she figured eating wasn't such a good idea. Spilling out her stomach on the floor, in front of everybody, wasn't exactly a very nice gift. 

"Sweetie, the star's up on the tree and you've practiced for days on end. Everything will be alright," Yuri tried to assure her. 

Although her head physically nodded, images of humiliation and shame filled her mind. Failure was still a possibility. As a matter of fact, the whole evening had a chance of being ruined if he didn't come. Since she hadn't spotted anyone of his friends, the risk of him not showing up increased every minute. 

"Yoona, he will come. I promise you," her best friend said, which caught her in the act of staring towards the door. Feeling that tears had gathered at the corner of her eyes, she quickly put down her mug and dried her hands on her dress. 

"I'll be right back," she mumbled and left Yuri with another cookie in .

Heading towards the bathroom, she felt herself becoming a bigger mess the more time passed. On the way, she avoided other guests and pressed her way forward. She only wanted to reach the point of the evening where her plans began, which would give her a chance to make things right again. All the waiting, the anticipation, bundled up her nerves and made her emotionally fragile. 

When she reached the bathroom, she shut the door and faced the mirror. It was not a pretty view, but it was the truth. What she saw was a reflection of her inner state. With a sob, she the faucet and started to clean herself up. Smudged eyeliner and glitter, runny mascara, dark circles, a red nose… this was not how she wanted to meet Taecyeon for the first time since their breakup. 

After a few minutes, she looked better. Only slightly, though, but she figured it had to do. The man might've arrived and she didn't know. She left the bathroom and headed back to the buffet. It was quite crammed, which made the search for her friend difficult. The brunette had disappeared somewhere among the other guests. Most likely into another room, as well. 

Of course, it was then she spotted the man she had been waiting for all night. She gasped. 

He stood in the hallway, near the entrance to the living room, happily greeting and chatting with a couple. Nichkhun and a few other friends stood behind him and took off their coats. Judging by the snow in their hair and on their shoulders, it was snowing outside. 

She couldn't look away from him. Having removed his outerwear, she saw him wear a large, thick cardigan in dark wool. U