His company annual Christmas event is “Secret Santa” and each year they will ballot for the person they want to be their “Secret Santa”. He entered his choice again, as always, he had chosen Seong-Im. His friendship towards had developed into a crush recently. He liked her, she was strong and funny, she was caring and respectful, she was pretty and friendly, she was so many things he liked. But he also knew they were a lot of men around her, men that like her too. He looked at himself, he was not very sure that he could be the one she finally liked. He sighed, he wished he had more confident and started the courtship. They were great colleagues, but then that’s all they were.

He enjoyed working in projects with her, they were great partners and more often than not, complete the projects with more than satisfactory results. In fact, their supervisor had placed them together as a taskforce “Commander and Ace” that was what they were called. Maybe, their relationship should remain status duo, but he couldn’t get rid of the longing in his heart.

The person who is assigned for him finally announced, his heart leaped with joy when he saw her name, he was her secret santa again this year. He knew what to get for her, even if he was not her secret santa, he would still give her the gift but as her secret santa, he could do it officially. Actually, he had been her secret santa since she joined the company. From their conversation, he knew she was curious about her santa and had guessed it was the same person. He didn’t know how she knew, but he knew she felt the secret santa knew her every well and he was happy.

They were rushing on a last minute project, they were so busy that he couldn’t even find a chance to pass his present to the collection area. Finally, the project was done before Christmas’s eve. He decided to come to work especially early on Christmas eve to put the present at the collection area.

The next morning, he crept into their office, he stood in front of his desk and opened his bag to take out her present. The door suddenly opened and she walked in with a present on her hand. They stood frozen, both of them having a present in their hands. “Ee.. Morning” he greeted her unnaturally.

“Morning.” She greeted him too, unsure what to do next.

He couldn’t be less obvious with the present, he tried to strike a causal conversation, hopefully she would not remember how his present looked like. “We are so busy recently, I haven’t placed the present for my assignee. Haha”

“Me too, I was just on the way to put it in the present area.” She murmured and she left the room. She sneaked back into the present area a while later, when she saw the coast was cleared to place her present.

She was his secret santa like always. He was not a popular choice, since he was known for his meticulous, his nagging and his wish for perfection. He liked to analyse a situation to its death. She guessed to some people, he was a fussed. But she liked the fuss, she like his nagging, his meticulous, his perfection, she had learnt so much, those were his way to take care of them. She liked to be able to bounce ideas off him and he would inspire her for better ones. She liked to receive a warm cup of Americano and dinner when they worked late at night. She liked the warm jacket that often appeared on her shoulders when she felt asleep on her table. She liked the gentle smile that he would give her, she liked the strong shoulder who was always there for her. She was happy that he was hers during Christmas. She grinned at the thought, out of impulse, she kissed his name on the present and put it with the other presents.

The time had come, every one stood around the present area, the MC was busy giving out the present, they stood side by side waiting for their name to be called. There presents were the last to be given out, one after another. They saw the presents and they smiled. They were each other secret santa. “How about we opened our presents together?” she suggested, she wanted to see his face when he saw her presents.

“Ok, why not we go to the café for lunch after we knocked off?” he asked. She agreed. Their heart were filled with anxiety and happiness, how would they reacted to their present, could they know they are not the first time as their secret santa. Finally the time had reached for them to knock off. They left office together while heading to the café, both of them didn’t converse, just holding the presents they received.

The ordered the usual, while waiting for the food to arrive, they opened up the presents. He got a new wallet with a new schedule book. That was what he needed, he opened up the book, she had wrote an inspiration quote inside. “A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't. “ He smiled, then his smile froze, he looked up at her, their eyes met. “Could it be her all these years,” he thought.

In the meanwhile, she opened up hers. She got a watch, one that she needed, her old watch had given up on her. The watch had a white face but the strap had been designed to be a part of bracelet, one could go off with anything. There was an sentence “Take risks: If you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise“ engraved behind her watch. She smiled, then her smile froze, she looked up at him and their eye met.  “Is he her secret santa all these years?” she wondered.

 “Is now or never” he said in his head, he took a deep breathe.

“I love both wallet and schedule book, how you knew I need a change?” he asked.

“Come on, I sit in meeting everyday with you, I saw how you torture them. I am glad you love them. How you knew I need a watch?”

“Oh come on, I sit in meeting everyday with you, I saw you looked for time on your phone rather than the watch.” Both of them smiled. He swallowed some water before he spoke again. “Have you been my secret santa all these years?”

She nodded shyly. “And you too?”

He nodded shyly too. “I liked been your secret Santa. This year you were so popular, I afraid I didn’t had the chance but thank goodness you picked me.”

“I knew from the style it was my usual secret Santa that’s why I chose you,”

“I am glad you did. Seong-Im, we had been working together for 5 years, these 5 years I couldn’t find a better partner to work with, but my heart desired more with you, more than a working partner, more than a colleague, I wanted us to be a girlfriend and boyfriend, a couple. I had given it a hard thought, maybe we could no longer be working partner if we are a pair, but we will be partner all our life, I like that so much better, I hope you too. Do you want to be my girlfriend” He asked directly.

“Just like that? No flowers, no cards, no gifts, nothing?” she although her heart was jumping around happily.

“That was just one thing, my sincere heart that loved you, couldn’t you see” he declared, his heart beating wildly from her teasing, what if she said no.

“Oh, so cheesy, but because it came from you, and its you, I agreed. I wanted you to be my boyfriend, If you find someone else, I knew my heart will break. I am so glad that you asked me” she consented, her face all smile.

“Wah, really? Are you sure?” he was beaming and he couldn’t believe her answer.

“of course I am, I been waiting all this while, but you just treated me like another colleague.” She gave him a pouted look. He couldn’t stand it anymore and sild beside her. He gave her a small peek on her pouted lips.

They quickly had their lunch and they walked down the street holding hands. The street was festively decorated. They stopped at a choir singing carols, she leaned against him listening to the carolers, he was humming around, his singing sounded so good. They left and continued their walk, they had decided to go for a walk in the park to enjoy some fresh air and afternoon sun. He took them to a cozy restaurant for dinner, somehow he had also magic out a rose. “For my girlfriend who is prettier than the rose”

“How could you keep saying those cheesy things!” she exclaimed.

“I had them all stored up” he chuckled. “I wanted to say those to you because those could express how much I love you. I wouldn’t say it to another woman that I don’t love.”

He sent her back home, at her doorstep, he hugged her for the first time as a couple, she felt so good in his arms, he couldn’t want another.  They drew slightly apart and he gazed into her eyes, he bended down and give a peck on her lips before giving her a proper kiss. He could felt her responding and they kissed till they are breathless. “I love you, Seong-Im,  I love you, you are the best woman for me” he announced.

“I love you too.”