“What are you doing here?” you asked your mom.

“Visiting you of course! What else? And I’m just in time for Christmas!” your mom said and gave you a hug. “You don’t seem happy to see me.”

“No, of course I’m happy to see you”, you said faking a smile. “I just cooked dinner why don’t you eat with us?”

“Us?” your mother asked, confused. You pointed to Yoseob. Yoseob gave your mother a weak smile and bowed.  “Oh, the guy who opened the door. Who is he by the way?”

“I’ll explain to you later”, you said. You led your mother to the kitchen while Yoseob helped you carry your mother’s suitcase. You and Yoseob ate dinner with your mom while you introduced them to each other. You told her Yoseob was a classmate who’s going to sleep over because you two have to finish a school project. The atmosphere went awkward and Yoseob looks nervous. Your mom was looking at him, inspecting him from head to toe.

“Are you sure he’s just a classmate? Not your boyfriend?” your mom asked.

You and Yoseob both looked at your mom surprised with what she just said. “M-mom? I told you, he’s my classmate”, you said annoyed. ‘Why do people always mistake as a couple anyway?’ you thought.

“Eh? Is that so? Too bad he’s cute. I like him. He’s so adorable,” your mom said pinching Yoseob’s cheek. Yoseob blushed and didn’t say anything but “thank you”.

‘Mom’s really annoying. But I’m glad she liked Yoseob. At least I don’t have to worry about him’, you thought. The three of you continued eating your dinner while your mother asks you questions about school, friends, etc. After eating your dinner, you washed the dishes and told your mom that you and Yoseob will now do your project. The two of you went upstairs to your bedroom and the two of you sat down on your bed.

“Ne, ______. What are we going to do now? We can’t tell your mom that I live here with you”, Yoseob said.

“I don’t know really. *Sigh*”, you said staring blankly at the ceiling. You and Yoseob almost jump from your bed when you heard the doorbell ring again.

“Now, who could it be this time?” you asked yourself. “Stay here Yoseob and pretend like you’re doing homework or project.”

“Ne~!” Yoseob said.

You were about to go down to see who it was when you’re mom told you to just continue doing project and she will go check it out.

“But, you just arrived home. Aren’t you tired? Why don’t you rest?” you said to your mom.

“No sweetie, it’s okay. Just go do your project with Yoseob”, your mom said.

“Okay.” You went back to your room. Yoseob was surprise that you came back faster than he expected.

“That was fast. Who is it?” Yoseob asked.

“Mom told me she’ll check it out herself”, you said. You then decided to do your homeworks for that day and asked help from Yoseob. The two of you were about to do your homework when you heard your mom shouting downstairs.

“YOU?!” you heard your mom scream at the same time a guy’s voice. You told Yoseob to wait on your bedroom for you will go downstairs and see for yourself who the visitor was. As you go downstairs you hear your mom and the guy arguing.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come here anymore?” your mom said sternly.

“I know. Anyway, I’m not here to see you. I’m here to see my daughter”, the guy said.

‘Daughter? Don’t tell me it’s…’ You thought. Even before you were able to finish your sentence, you saw who it was and exclaimed, “DAD?!” ‘I knew it. There’s no other guy mom with argue with like that’, you thought. Your mom and dad stop shouting at each other and your dad gave you a big hug.

“____! You’re a young lady now. Last time I saw you, you were just a little girl who would ride on my shoulders”, your dad said.

“What are you doing here?” you asked.

“Visiting you what else? Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Of course I am”, you said giving him a fake smile. You were about to say something when your mother interrupted you.

“Pft. Why don’t you just leave? You’re daughter doesn’t look like she wants to see you. Besides, we’ve cut ties with you a long time ago. And our arguments would just disturb ____ and Yoseob”, your mom said. You were surprised that your mom mentioned Yoseob and as you expected, your dad got angry with the mention of a guy’s name.

‘Why did mom mention Yoseob? Oh my God! We’re in big trouble’, you thought as you bit your lips.

“Yoseob? Who is that?” your dad asked angrily. “And, disturb ____ and Yoseob. What do you mean by that? He is here right now?!”

“Yes, he is. You got problem with that?” your mom answered. You can’t do anything but put your palms on your face. Your dad didn’t say anything but stormed upstairs to your bedroom. You weren’t able to stop him so you and your mom just followed him. He entered your room and there he saw Yoseob sitting in a chair doing your homework. Yoseob jumped in his chair when he saw who entered. He bowed slightly and gave your dad a weak smile.

“G-good evening”, Yoseob greeted your father. Before your father could say anything, you decided to introduce Yoseob to him so he won’t mistake him as your boyfriend.

“U-um, Yoseob, this is my dad. Dad, this is Yoseob, a classmate. We are doing a project due to tomorrow so he will be sleeping over tonight”, you explained to your dad.

“Sleeping over? And where will he be sleeping?” your dad asked.

“Actually, he will be sleeping in your room but since you unexpectedly arrived, I’ve got no choice but to let him sleep in my room”, you answered. Yoseob looked at you surprise. “But don’t worry he won’t sleep beside me. I’ll just lay a futon on the floor.”

“Hmmm. Okay, I understand since it’s for school”, your father said to you. He then turned to face Yoseob, gave him an austere look and said “And you boy, don’t you ever do something to my daughter.”

Yoseob just shook his head and didn’t say anything. Your mother rolled her eyes as your father go outside your room. She apologized to Yoseob in behalf of your father and told you to continue doing your project. She left the two of you and went back to her room. You and Yoseob breathe a sigh of relief when both of your parents were gone.

“You’re dad’s scary!” Yoseob said as he slumped back on the chair. “I thought I’m going to die. But we’ve got bigger problems now, your dad’s here. If we tell him I live with you, he’s definitely going to kill me.”

“*Sigh* I don’t know. I really don’t know what I am going to do”, you said. You just decided to finish your homework. After finishing it you laid the futon where Yoseob will sleep, on the floor next to your bed. You turned off the lights and said goodnight to Yoseob.

‘*Sigh* I hope things will be better in the next days.’

The next morning, you decided to wake up earlier than usual. You also wake up Yoseob. He was complaining but you told him that you had to do this because you already have an idea on how you will keep him from your parents. When he heard that, he decided to wake up and get ready for work. You both prepare for work and for school and when you finished, you left the house silently leaving a note for your parents that you have gone to school already.

“Brr! It’s so cold. So what is it that you’ve got in your mind?” Yoseob asked rubbing both of his arms to keep him warm.

“I’ll tell you when we arrived there”, you said. Yoseob was still confused but did not dare ask. You walked on your way to Mrs. Park’s eatery and waited on a snow-covered bench until the store opens. When the store finally opened, you went inside.

“Aah~ warm place at last!” Yoseob exclaimed. “Good morning, Park-ahjumma.”

“Yoseob! Aren’t you too early? Good morning too”, Mrs. Park said. “Oh, and ____’s here too.”

“Good morning, Park-ahjumma. I’m sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning. But can I ask for a favor?” You asked.

You told Mrs. Park that you have a problem in your house right now and Yoseob, your cousin can’t stay there. Finally, you asked if Yoseob can stay with them for a while until the problem in your house is solved. Mrs. Park told you to wait for she will ask her husband about it. She came back with a smile and said that her husband agreed.  You bowed and thanked Mrs. Park for their kindness.

“So that’s what you had in mind huh?” Yoseob said.

“Well it’s the only solution I could think of. Anyways, be a good boy and don’t eat too much”, you said and both you and Yoseob laughed. “I’ll be going to school now. Take care.”

“Ne. Take care and promise I’ll be a good boy”, Yoseob said. You bid goodbye to Mrs. Park and went to school.

The rest of the week went normal except for your mom and dad’s occasional arguments. You were so irritated by it that you would just sometimes lock yourself in your room put on your headset and turn on its maximum volume so that you will not hear your mom and dad’s shouting. You are so bored and wished at times that Yoseob was there with you to cheer you up. So, sometimes you would just visit him at Mrs. Park’s place and told him to come over for Christmas.  You can’t even go to school since there were no classes because of Christmas break so you were just stuck with your pesky mom and dad for a week.

At last it was time for Christmas.  You and your family was busy preparing for Christmas Eve. You helped your dad put on the decorations while your mom cook the food. When everything was done you changed into the clothes your mom brought home for you. You went downstairs to the living room and saw you dad waiting for you while you mom brought in a Christmas cake.

“Wow! You look really good in that dress sweetie! I knew that it would really look great in you”, your mom said.

“Thanks mom”, you said.

“Pft. That’s nothing compared to my gift”, your dad said as he handed you a present. “Here ____. This is my gift for you.”

You accepted your dad’s gift but decided not to open it until Christmas came. You were about to thank your dad for the present he gave you when your mom suddenly started talking.

“So are you saying that my gift for our daughter is nonsense?!” your mom asked angrily.

“And if I say yes?” your dad said.

“How dare you say that?!” your mom said. You can’t do anything but watch the two of them fight over petty stuff. You clenched your fist and told yourself not to get angry. But if you don’t who knows what will happen? You can’t take their fighting anymore so you shouted at them.

“MOM, DAD, CAN YOU PLEASE STOP?!” You exclaimed. Your mom and dad stop arguing and looked at you. “You two are so childish arguing over a small thing! I don’t care if mom’s present is more beautiful or dad’s is. What I care about is that you gave me presents and that the two of you are here with me! It’s going to be Christmas soon. Can’t you stop fighting? You know what? It’s much better without the two of you here”, you said crying. You stormed out of your house and ran. You bumped into Yoseob when you turned a corner but did not notice him.

“_____?!” Yoseob said confused.

You ran and ran until your feet got tired. You sat on a bench in the park near your school and cried there. You cry as you watch a family eating their dinner and celebrating Christmas happily.

‘Why can’t my family be like that? I have my mom and dad here with me but I still feel lonely. They don’t do anything but fight and fight. It’s much better if they didn’t come home. I wish I was born in another family’, you thought to yourself as you cry. You held your legs and cried to yourself when you saw a person’s shadow. You looked up and saw that it was Yoseob. He handed you a handkerchief and you used it to wipe your tears. He sat beside you and waited for you to talk.

“How did you find me here?” you asked him.

“I don’t know myself either. I just felt that you would be here”, Yoseob said “Let’s go home. It’ll be Christmas in a few minutes. Plus it’s cold outside.”

“I don’t want to go home. There’s no one waiting for me there but mom and dad who are always fighting with each other”, you said.

Yoseob sighed. “But they’re worried about you already. They’re both looking for you.”

“They’re being like that because I’m nowhere to be found. If they find me already they’ll be back to what they are always doing”, you said and started crying again. Yoseob didn’t say anything. “Why can’t I be happy just this once? I wish I was born in another family.”

“_____, God has a purpose why he gave you to your mom and dad. He will not give you something you wouldn’t be able to survive. Who knows? You just might be the one your mom and dad need in order for them to stop fighting with one another”, Yoseob said smiling. You looked at him but you are still hesitating whether you will go home.

“So what? Let’s go home”, Yoseob said as he offer his hand for you to stand up.

“Are you sure they’re not going to fight anymore?” you asked.

“Yup! Trust me!”

You grabbed Yoseob’s hand and walked with him to your house. You arrived just in time for Christmas Eve. You saw your mom and dad sitting in the living room looking worried. You entered the house and when they saw you, they immediately hugged you and you hugged them back.

“Sweetie!” Your mom said. “I’m glad you’re back. We were so worried about you.”

“We’re so sorry about what happened a while ago”, your dad said “We promise we won’t fight again.”

“Really?” You asked and hugged your mom and dad. “I love you mom. I love you dad.”

“We love you too”, your mom said.

“Thank also your classmate. He was the one who made us realize everything”, your dad said and looked at Yoseob.

Yoseob told them it was nothing and bowed. He winked at you. You were so happy for what he did so you whispered “thank you”. You together with your family ate the food and celebrated Christmas. You asked Yoseob to take a picture of you and your family since it was the Christmas that you were completer ever since you remembered. After that, Yoseob went outside. You saw him and followed him outside.

“Ne, father, I just helped ____. Two more to go! I’m great wasn’t I? I’m glad I was able to make _____ happy”, Yoseob said looking into the sky.

“*Cough* Is it okay if I disturb you for a while?” you said. Yoseob was surprise that you were there with him.

“_____! Of course, why not?” Yoseob said. “What is it?”

“Well, I just want to thank you. If you didn’t talk to mom and dad, maybe they’d still be fighting until now.”

“It’s nothing. I’m here with you for that anyway, right?”

“Still, thank you so much”, you said and gave Yoseob a hug. Yoseob blushed when you hugged him. “Oh and one more thing, here’s a present for you.” You took out a handmade scarf from a paper bag and wrapped it around Yoseob’s neck.

“T-thank you”, Yoseob said. ‘Actually your hug is a good present already. If only I could say that.’ Yoseob thought to himself. “Sorry I don’t have a gift for you”, Yoseob said.

“What are you talking about? Having my parents reconcile is a present for me already”, you said as you teasingly flicked Yoseob’s forehead. Yoseob laughed and you joined him.You two sat down on the stairs and you rest your head on Yoseob’s shoulder as you watch the snow fall.

‘This is the best Christmas ever. Thank you Yoseob, for your present. The best present I’ve ever receive.’