Christmas music filled the bar as Sejeong was downing her drink. Soyee and Sally were with her, acting lovey dovey towards each other, making Sejeong coo at them.

"Haha." Soyee laughed sarcastically as she threw a tater toter at Sejeong. "Shouldn't you be inviting Chungha?"

"Yeah. Then we'd have a double date." Sally added.

"She's in America to visit her family. I'm sure she'll be discussing with them with regards to Christmas." Sejeong answered.

"Sad." Soyee said.

"It's like 27 days till Christmas. There's still more time but why now?" Sally asked.

"It's understandable, Sally. Her family's there." Sejeong answered. "Besides, she also has business there to settle."

Sejeong downed another shot glass and Soyee and Sally would take turns to pour her more, emptying the bottle in a matter of minutes. 

+++

Sejeong walked around Seoul on a winter night as she got to an apartment. She typed the code to a certain room and got in, greeted by a power hug. Sejeong smiled and hugged the person back.

"Sejeongie~" Chungha looked up. "I missed you."

"Hey, baby. I missed you too." Sejeong grinned.

Chungha pulled her inside and led her to the living room. Sejeong wowed of the chicken feet and soju by the table. Chungha sat next to her and poured Sejeong a shot glass of soju.

"What's the ocassion, Chungha? You got these chicken feet and soju?" Sejeong asked.

"Yes, silly." Chungha said as she poured herself her shot glass. "It's my payday and I decided to let you come and that we'd have dinner together."

Sejeong wowed again as Chungha raised her shot glass. Sejeong got hers and they clanked and drank. Chungha got the TV on and they watched UFC, a favorite for the couple. Sejeong and Chungha cheered of their betted fighter as Sejeong spoke. "How have you been, baby? How's America?"

"It's fine, Sejeong." Chungha said. "I've had a wonderful time with my family."

"Say, Chungha..." Sejeong spoke again, almost timidly. "...where are you celebrating Christmas this year?"

"With my family." Chungha said. 

Sejeong nodded. Chungha poured her another shot and Sejeong drank. They took turns pouring each other glasses, eating chicken feet, watching UFC, and enjoyed their time as a couple.

Deep down, Sejeong was a bit sad. She was actually wanting to celebrate with Chungha this Christmas. She had plans of going with Chungha to America to celebrate with her and her family but it would cost much. Sejeong was only a worker at the convenience store who had friends and a girlfriend...but almost sad because she doesn't have a family anymore.

Sejeong could only sigh in her thoughts and focus on her time with Chungha.

+++

It was a few weeks till Christmas. Sejeong continued to work her way in the convenience store, serving customers from dawn till dusk. During the winter evening, Sejeong would walk around Seoul before heading home.

The wind beyond her face was cold yet she loved the feeling. It was utterly perfect although it messed her bangs sometimes. To her, the wonderful dance the wind makes right by her skin was like falling in the arms of her lover, her Chungha.

"Hmm...a few weeks till Chirstmas." Sejeong mumbled. "...and a few weeks before I spend the holidays alone."

Sejeong got to her apartment. She whipped up some ramen and got herself bottles of soju from her stash. She got all of it ready on a table and ate and drank alone. Sejeong finished the ramen quickly. But the soju? She drank...and drank...and drank...

The thought of Chungha celebrating Christmas overseas was killing her heart. First, she was a woman with a family lost from a fire. Second, she doesn't want to look pitiful towards Chungha due to some issues, and third, she had no money to go overseas and celebrate with her and earning the said budget wouldn't just be earned in less than weeks. A major part of herself wanted Chungha to celebrate Christmas with her while one part wasn't stingy and wanted Chungha to celebrate time with her family.

"Why am I so freaked out about this?" Sejeong hissed to herself as she drank. "She's not leaving forever, you idiot."

She wasn't. But with Christmas and her loneliness, she couldn't bear it anymore.

+++

Chungha always loved the wind blowing her face. She was at Namsan Tower as she distributes flyers as her part-time. Her little stature hugged the wind as she sends flyers of Christmas discounts towards a lot of people. One person was approaching her and Chungha greeted her. "Hey, Somi."

Jeon Somi was a close friend with Sejeong and became a great friend towards her too. As much as Chungha loved to talk with Somi, she was still busy. 

"Hey, unnie. Let me help you." Somi said as she got half of the flyers.

Somi got them distributed as Chungha thanked her and they distributed flyers together. Once they were done and Chungha got her pay, Chungha decided to treat Somi some food. They got to a convenience store and they had ramen and soda. As they ate, they shared their talks.

"Unnie, how are you and Sejeong-unnie?" Somi asked.

"We're good, Som. Our relationship is sailing smoothly with the ocean." Chungha said.

"I'm excited for Christmas, unnie. Evelyn and I will come with Mom and Dad to Jeju." Somi shared.

"That's wonderful, Somi. I'm excited too." Chungha said. "I can't wait to fly to America and see my family."

"Is Sejeong-unnie coming with you?" Somi asked.

"I'd love to let her come but she'll celebrate with her mom here in Seoul, she said." Chungha said.

"Unnie, you didn't know? Didn't Sejeong-unnie tell you?" Somi asked that made Chungha freeze.

Somi had a sad look. Chungha puts her chopsticks down and asked her what's wrong. 

"Unnie." Somi began. "Sejeong-unnie had been lying to you. Her mother died years ago."

Chungha was shocked, almost frozen as the winter outside. Her hands shook a bit as she asked again. "I don't understand...what do you mean, Somi?"

"Unnie. She lost her family in a fire years ago...on Christmas Day." Somi shared. "Sejeong-unnie may appear as your bright girlfriend but during Christmas, she's a lost girl. She'd end up celebrating Christmas alone, drinking until she couldn't take it anymore."

"How..." Chungha could cry. "...how can she not tell me?"

"She couldn't. She's afraid of what you might think and she doesn't want to be reminded of the sadness she feels on Christmas." Somi said. "I'm telling you this now because Christmas is around the corner. She'll get lonely again. And it's about time she'd lose it because she had been onto it for the last six years. Sorry to know from me, unnie. Sejeong-unnie would be sorry too."

Chungha was silent but her tears were visible. Somi comforts her and they resumed eating.

+++

Christmas Eve came. An apartment was filled with silence, a table was stacked on with a lot of soju and one shotglass. Sejeong was like a dead mannequin, sprawled by her sofa as she looked at the clock with the minutes ticking by. On her hand was her bankbooks filled with money that she could go overseas whenever she wanted to.

Finances were lame excuses and saying that she will celebrate with her mother became a lie she got used to. She made that visible to Chungha's sense of reason and it stayed that way throughout their relationship. She would've told the truth but she was afraid and she couldn't be selfish to let Chungha spend Christmas with her rather than with her family.

Seconds would feel like hours but it was the opposite to Sejeong. She had been staring onto space then drinking her first bottle for two hours. Suddenly, a ring made its way around the apartment as Sejeong grabbed, only to gasp as Chungha called. 

"Hello?"

Sejeongie, are you at your apartment?

"Uhh...no." Sejeong answered. "I'm with my mom."

Technically, she visited the graves of her parents a while ago. But the lies got the best of her. "Anyways, why did you call?"

You have your car, right? Can you pick me up here and send me to the airport?

"Yes, I do." Sejeong answered but her heart was breaking. "Okay. I'll be there."

Sejeong hung up and grabbed her keys. She looks at the mirror and slapped herself to get the effect of the alcohol off. As soon as she finished fixing herself, she got to the parking lot and to her car and rode to Chungha's apartment.

+++

"Chungha?" Sejeong rang her doorbell.

The door opened and there she was, wearing Christmas-themed pajamas. Sejeong was confused. "Why aren't you dressed? Where's your luggage?"

Chungha didn't say anything and pulled her inside, leading her towards a veranda. Sejeong wondered more of the Christmas ambiance, the matresses sprawled on the floor, and the soju and shot glasses on a cute table. 

"Sejeong." Chungha spoke, facing her. "How can you not tell me of your hidden truth...that you have been so lonely every Christmas because you're family isn't here anymore?"

It hit Sejeong. She reckoned Somi told her. But she couldn't say another lie. It wasn't nice anymore. She could only lower her head and nod.

"Babo." Chungha pouted, almost crying. "It pains me to feel that I didn't do anything for you for the past two years every Christmas."

"You didn't know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Sejeong spoke.

"Well, you're in luck." Chungha shoved another set of Christmas pajamas. "You're celebrating Christmas with me."

"But...what about your family?"

"They know too. They came to celebrate with me a while ago so that I can have my time with you." Chungha cupped Sejeong's cheek. "I can't see my baby Ahjusshi so lonely. She needs to be with the one she loves on the holidays."

Sejeong cried lightly and Chungha hugged her. Sejeong hugged back, wiping her own tears as she welcomes a first holiday with happiness plastered onto her whole being.

+++

After that, Sejeong changed onto those pajamas and joined Chungha by the veranda. They sprawled close to each other, with Chungha pouring soju onto their shot glasses and Sejeong giving her a back hug. They clunk their glasses together and drank.

They cuddled and drank the whole time as the cold wind blew around them. It was freezing but with each other's hugs and kisses, they found warmth of temperature and love.

"You prepared all this, baby?" Sejeong asked.

"Mostly yes. But I got help from Somi." Chungha answered. "Can we not talk about that and just celebrate?"

Sejeong nodded and poured soju onto their glasses, clunking them and the drank, talked, cuddled, and enjoyed Christmas throughout the time.

Sejeong was ecstatic as her favorites were onto that wonderful surprise.

Wind, alcohol, and most importantly, her Chungha.