If you asked Jinyoung what he hated most about working at a big box store the answer was simple- working during the holidays.

The holidays were supposed to be a joyous time of year where everyone got together and celebrated with their significant others and had a great time, but that was never a reality for Jinyoung.  He always had to work double shifts during the holidays since he was off from school and business was booming.

He tried to tell himself he didn’t mind, he even got extra pay for working some particularly nasty hours.  It’s not like he had anyone to spend Christmas with anyway.

The holidays usually consisting of him working like crazy every single day up to Christmas, then on Christmas day he ignored the rest of his single friends who tried to get him to hang out in favor of lying at home on his couch, putting on some ambient music, snuggling under a blanket with a book, and possibly some day drinking to try and get him to forget about the fact that he was, yet again, alone on Christmas.

It was the first week of December now, another day passing by as he mindlessly scanned items and put them into bags.

The store was busy, but it would only get worse as Christmas approached, more people last minute shopping for gifts would soon become a nightmare for him.  He was thankful for every customer that went by without complaining about anything.

“Next in line!”  A lady chatting away on her cell phone walked up with a cart full of delicate ornaments, each made of glass and had to be wrapped in newspaper to prevent them from breaking.  Great, this is going to take forever.

He was proficient at every cashier duty by now, but this would always be a tedious job no matter how much practice he had.  He picked up the first ornament by the string at the top, the mirror-like surface reflecting his surroundings and he spun it around looking for the barcode. 

He saw someone in the reflection, the surface warped and rounded but he could still make out masculine features and warm coffee-colored hair of a person standing behind him… wearing sunglasses?

He looked over his shoulder and sure enough, there was a man trying on sunglasses and looking at himself in the mirror.  Sunglasses were a summer accessory in Jinyoung’s opinion, so he could only find it strange someone was in that section at this time of year.

The lady in front of him cleared loudly and he realized he had been staring for too long, hastily getting back to scanning and wrapping ornaments in newspaper.  Ornament after ornament he saw him in the reflection, trying on different pairs of sunglasses.  He was too intrigued; he had to take another peek over his shoulder to see him.  He was incredibly cute.

He looked like he was on a mission to try on all their sunglasses, putting on pair after pair as Jinyoung kept stealing glances.  Jinyoung wasn’t the type to ogle guys on the job but not only was this guy handsome, he was all alone and making goofy faces in the mirror with different types of sunglasses on, giggling to himself.  Jinyoung couldn’t help but be amused.

He was trying to multitask now, wrapping while keeping his eyes on the cutie behind him, who was only getting progressively funnier to watch.  Jinyoung had to hold back his own giggles when he saw him put on an extra-large pair of sunglasses that swallowed his face whole and made him look ridiculous.  How could someone be having this much fun by themselves?

He was almost finished wrapping all the ornaments when he looked back and saw the cute guy staring right at him, tilting the current pair of sunglasses down and giving him a smirk and a wink.

Jinyoung was so shocked the ornament he was holding slipped right out of his hand, crashing onto the surface in front of him and shattering into a million pieces.   Jinyoung could only stare at the lady in front of him with his mouth open, trying to process what he had just done.

Eventually, he had to go find another ornament, clean up his station, have the cost of both the broken and replacement ornaments come out his paycheque, and lose sight of the cute guy who unintentionally managed to ruin his day.

---

 

“I don’t know why you’re so excited about the employee discount, it’s only ten percent.”  Jinyoung said as he scanned copious amounts of chocolate for his colleague.

“This chocolate is already on sale, so it means I get it for even cheaper!”  Yugyeom only started working there two months ago but it seemed like he already made it his goal in life to annoy Jinyoung every single day.  He was hoping Yugyeom would have mercy for the holidays.

“I’m sure you’re aware your discount doesn’t apply to sale items, right?” 

“This chocolate isn’t on official sale, it’s only on sale because Jackson accidentally ordered too many, so it should go through.”  Yugyeom said proudly, showing off the fact that he thought this through beforehand.

“Accidentally?” Jinyoung scoffed.  Knowing Jackson, he probably did that on purpose to get him some discount Christmas gifts.  “Whatever you say Yugyeom, I hope you’re not planning to eat this all yourself.”

“Sorry mom, it’s the holidays and I’m allowed to splurge!  Rules decided by me!”  Yugyeom said, staring at his pile of chocolate like it was his newborn baby.

“Oh, is all of this on sale?”  A customer walked up behind Yugyeom and asked.

“Yeah!  All the chocolate is discounted!  Go wild while it’s still here!”  Yugyeom said and Jinyoung looked up at the customer behind him and almost audibly gasped.  Cute sunglasses guy.

The guy grabbed a handful of chocolate himself and added to his cart as he lined up behind Yugyeom.  “Jinyoung, are you going on break soon too?  Let’s get lunch together!”

“Uhh, yeah, just give me a moment.”  Jinyoung grabbed the chocolate and started scanning, contemplating whether he should try and look at the guy.  He probably doesn’t even remember-

“Jinyoung.”  He said and Jinyoung jumped, finally looking up at him and immediately regretting it.  He’s even more stunning up close. The man was staring intensely at his nametag, making sure he had said Jinyoung's name right.

Got to be casual. “That’s me…”  Plan failed. Jinyoung couldn’t hide the distaste on his face from his awkward response, only causing the other to laugh. 

“Oh, these too.”  The man put a pair of sunglasses down on the counter and Jinyoung was sure he remembered him. 

“In the winter?”  Jinyoung hadn’t meant to be rude, the question slipped out before he could stop himself.

The man smiled at him again.  “The sun doesn’t go away in the winter, right?”

“True, but it still doesn’t feel right.”  Jinyoung said as he slowly scanned the sunglasses, realizing he would have to leave now.

“Wait, give those to me,” He motioned to the sunglasses and Jinyoung handed them right to him, so he could put them on.  “I’d better put these on; you’re so hot it feels like I’m staring into the sun.”

“What?!”

“Bye Jinyoung!”  The man picked up his hefty bag of chocolate and speed walked off while Jinyoung was still trying to process what happened.

“What was that?!”  Yugyeom asked.  “He was giving you major heart eyes and- Jinyoung?”  Yugyeom waved his hand in front of Jinyoung’s face.  “Jinyoung!  Earth to Jinyoung!”

“Yugyeom…”  Jinyoung looked up at him, still dazed.

“Jinyoung?”

“I think I’m in love.”

---

 

“We need to be very careful about this,” Jinyoung explained to Jackson after he spotted a certain sunglass wearing cutie wandering through the store.  “I’m still not sure if he’s into me or he was just teasing.”

“So, your solution is stalking him around the store, waiting for him to drop clues as to whether or not he’s into you?”  Jackson replied sarcastically.

“No!  I’m still trying to think of a plan, but I didn’t want to lose sight of him.”

“Here’s a wild idea, how about you, I don’t know…” Jackson gestured dramatically with his hands as he spoke. “Talk to him!”

“What if he really was teasing me, and he actually doesn’t want to see me agai-“

“Do you even know his name?”

“No.”

“Well, I can help you with that one!”  Before Jinyoung could even react, Jackson was confidently approaching the guy. 

Jinyoung was gesturing wildly for him to stop but once Jackson was set on something there was no turning back.  He decided to hide again and brace for impact.

“Why hello there!  Thank you for choosing our store, I’m Jackson and I’m here to help you!”  Jinyoung had to physically restrain himself from facepalming.  There was no way this was going to end well.

Sunglasses cutie kind of stared at him for a moment then smiled, seemingly amused by his enthusiasm.  “I don’t need anything but thank-“

“Don’t need anything?  There must be something I can help you with!  Customer service is our pride and joy here, we try to make it a personalized experience!”  Jackson got even louder and in your face with every word and the guy seemed to recoil in fear.  “What’s your name?”

“Uh… Mark.”  He finally said, after contemplating what the hell was going on for a few seconds.

“Mark!  That’s a great name!  Okay Mark, if you need anything during this visit feel free to call me and I’ll come running!  Really, just yell ‘Jackson!’ across the store and I’ll be here… ready to help!”  Jackson gave him a sturdy pat on the shoulder and a wide grin.  “I’m off to help more customers in need, bye Mark!”

Mark looked like he had experienced at least one of the top ten weirdest moments of his life but eventually, he shrugged it off and got back to browsing.

Jackson snuck back into the corner where Jinyoung was hiding, super proud of himself.  “Mark and Jinyoung eh, so what do I call you guys?  Jinark, Marknyoung, Youngark, Markjin-“Jinyoung slapped Jackson on the shoulder, making him stop mid-sentence and choke on his words.

“Have you completely lost it!?  What was that all about?!”

“I’m just trying to help your pathetic love life out, at least now you have a name to the face.”  Jinyoung was unsure how knowing his name was getting him any closer to dating him. 

“Hey, I helped, now you owe me a favor.”  Jinyoung knew there had to be some sort of ulterior motive.

“You didn’t really help me out at all; in fact, you probably made it worse.  What if he never comes back to the store because he’s scared he’ll run into you?”

“Haha, very funny.  Anyway, can you please do one tiny little thing as a favor for your best friend in the entire world, your platonic soul mate?”  Jackson started doing that little pouty face he does when he’s sad.  Jinyoung couldn’t say no to that face.

“This better be a simple task.”  Jinyoung surrendered and Jackson smiled.

“I need you to ask the hot cat boy if he wants to go out with me.”  Jackson said, and Jinyoung was confused.

“Hot cat boy?  Who’s hot cat boy?”

“You know that guy, he always goes to your register, and I see him chatting with you sometimes…”  Jinyoung was still drawing a blank.  “Comes in every Tuesday at exactly 5 PM and buys 21 cans of cat food…”  Oh.

“Weird cat boy,” Jinyoung realized.  “That’s Jaebum.”

“Oh, that’s even a hot name…”  Looks like Jinyoung wasn’t the only one in the store with an infatuation.

Jaebum was the definition of a regular customer, coming in every single week at the same time buying the same thing for a past year.  Jinyoung had talked to him, yes, but barely more than a short conversation.  He was a bit standoffish.

“I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think Jaebum is into guys.” 

Jackson looked at him dumbfounded.  “Um, Jinyoung, really?  Is your gaydar broken?”  Jackson literally tapped on the side of Jinyoung’s head.  “He’s into guys.”

“How would you even know, you haven’t even talked to him!” 

“It’s called gaydar for a reason, it’s like radar.  Jaebum walks into the store and all the bells and whistles start going off in my head, trust me.”

Jinyoung sighed.  “Whatever, if you want me to ask it’s not a big deal.  I’m not responsible for rejection.”

“Thanks, Jinyoung, you’re the best, I love you!”  Jackson hugged him and pressed their cheeks together and Jinyoung tried to get out of his grip until he eventually gave up, letting himself be hugged.

---

 

It was a Tuesday, 5 PM, and like clockwork, Jaebum was lining up at his register with a stack of cat food.

“Hey,” Jinyoung initiated conversation first as he scanned his cat food.  “Do you know that guy over there, would you be willing to go on a date with him?”  Jackson had told him that he would be standing at another register close by so he could point him out easily.

Jackson looked completely normal a few moments earlier, but somehow in the past ten minutes he had stripped off his sweater and was only wearing a tank top, leaning against the register and obviously flexing in some sort of weird mating ritual.

Jaebum only took a quick glance then looked back down at his phone screen.  “No.”  He said bluntly.

“Oh… ok.”  Well, Jinyoung’s job was done.  It wasn’t his fault he said no, although Jackson was his best friend no matter how much he hated him sometimes.  He couldn’t back down without at least trying harder for him.  “Any reason why?”

“No.”  Jaebum said again before grabbing his bag of cat food and speed walking out of the store.

Well, can’t say I didn’t try.

---

 

“No?!  He said no?!  How could anyone reject,” Jackson motioned his hands down his body.  “All of this?!”

“Jackson, stop bugging me, I’m working here.”  He was at the register trying to scan things while Jackson was chatting his ear off.  As soon as he told him the bad news he wasn’t about to wait until Jinyoung was on break to rant. 

“He didn’t even give a reason, just said no?!”  Jackson was still trying to wrap his head around being rejected.

“I told you, he’s probably not into guys.”  Jinyoung tried to refrain from the whole ‘I told you so’ smirk but he couldn’t help it, making Jackson even more upset.

“He didn’t say that though, did he?  He would have said something if that was the case but… what does just a ‘no’ mean?! Does he think I’m ugly or something?!”

“I don’t know Jackson, but I think it’s time for you to move on-“

“I think it’s time for me to try harder!”  Jackson wasn’t a quitter.  Jinyoung was scared for Jaebum’s sake now, Jackson was also known for taking things a bit too far.  “I’m thinking up so many plans… the road to Jaebum’s heart…”

Jinyoung was only half listening at this point as he was trying to find a barcode on this stupid huge inflatable snowman this customer was buying.  He couldn’t even turn it around without knocking someone upside the head.  “Jackson, could you stop talking for a second?”

“Whatever, my break is over anyways.  I’ll lay down my next plan of action and text your role in it.”  Jackson walked off before Jinyoung could even protest.

The customer was getting impatient and this stupid barcode was nowhere to be seen.  If he had to look up the item number and manually enter it in, he was going to scream.

“It’s on the hat, right on top.”  He heard a voice from down the line that made his heart beat a little faster.  “You’re looking for the barcode, right?”

Jinyoung flipped the snowman carefully and sure enough, right on top was the barcode.  “Oh, thank you.”  He scanned it and handed it off to the customer like he was getting rid of trash.

Mark walked up to him with another handful of chocolate.  “They’re still on sale, so I thought I should get some more.  That’s all.”  Mark said as if he read Jinyoung’s mind.

“Ah, yes.  One of the staff members seemed to have mixed up the orders again so we got even more.”  Jackson needed more gifts, so he purposefully overstocked again.

“I’m thankful.” Mark smiled and Jinyoung was melting faster than the chocolates Mark were holding.  This can’t be a coincidence; he’s coming to my register for a reason.

Jinyoung was upset chocolate was so easy to scan because that meant less time with the gorgeous man in front of him.  He should try to ask him out… he just had to…

“It was nice seeing you again, Jinyoung.”  There it was again, he said his name once and Jinyoung couldn’t do it, his mouth dry and his nerves taking over. 

“O-okay, bye Mark.”  Jinyoung managed to squeak out as he was walking away, but he turned back around when he heard him.

“How did you know my name?” Jinyoung noticed a second too late that he made a mistake, redness creeping up his face as he tried to think of a normal explanation.

“Uh, you look like a Mark.”  Smooth Jinyoung, real smooth.

This only caused Mark to burst out in high pitched giggles.  “Whatever you say,” Mark waved at him.  “See you tomorrow?”

“I’m here every day.”  Jinyoung replied- since it sounded like he was asking if he was going to be there the next day.  Wait, did that mean he wanted to see him again?

“Every day?  Good to know.”  With that Mark left leaving Jinyoung anticipating the next day.

---

 

You would think getting a break from the cash register to help customers on the floor would be less stressful, but sometimes it was even worse.  Jinyoung was so scared of angry customers that even when they asked for something he knew they were sold out of, he said he would go to the back and check for it to try and appease them.

As he wandered through the store trying to avoid anyone who’s looking particularly stressed he found himself in his favorite section, the toy aisle. He didn’t like toys himself, he was much too old to get any enjoyment out of them anymore, but he loved kids and there was always an abundance of children there.  He couldn’t describe the amount of joy he got waving to babies in strollers or helping toddlers pick out which stuffed animal they liked the best.  It made him feel bubbly inside.

“Psst, hey you.”  A man tried to get his attention discreetly and Jinyoung walked over to him and put his head close so he could hear his whispers.  “My daughter is over there, and I need a Christmas gift for her.  This doll is perfect, but this is the last one you have, can you put it in the back for me so I can buy it later without her seeing?”

“I’m sorry, we can’t do that.”  Jinyoung felt bad for the dad but he couldn’t break rules.

“I really need this, is there any way you can distract my daughter while I go buy this?  I won’t be long, ten minutes max.  Please?”  The man pleaded and Jinyoung agreed easily, taking care of a cute kid for a while was right up his alley.

“Sure, no problem, it’s that girl over there?”  Jinyoung agreed and the man was so relieved.

“Yes, that’s her!  Thank you so much, I’ll be right back!”  The man hurried off with the doll tucked under his arm.

“Hey, what are you looking at?”  Jinyoung crouched down to talk to the tiny girl, looking up at a row of dolls.

“I have these ones already,” She said simply, moving down the rows of toys clearly unimpressed with the selection and unaware her dad was even gone. 

“Wow, you must have a lot of toys.  Have you looked at the stuffed animals yet?”  He followed her around wherever she wandered.  She still managed to be cute in her apathy.

“No!  Where?”  Jinyoung couldn’t help himself, he scooped her up in his arms and she didn’t protest.

“I’ll take you there, what kinds of animals do you like?”

“Pikachu!”  Jinyoung giggled, Pikachu was not an animal, but he knew where to find the Pikachu toys.

“Pikachu?  I think we have some of those,” Jinyoung carried her to the proper aisle as he got a bit too comfortable in his arms, lying down fully and hugging him gently.  He’d have to mention to her father that she’s a bit too trusting of strangers.

“What could these be?”  Jinyoung pointed up to a bunch of Pikachu toys and her eyes lit up. 

“Pikachu!”  She reached her hands up, but they were too high for her to reach, even in Jinyoung’s arms. 

“Hey, be careful!”  Jinyoung had to hold on to her for dear life so she didn’t topple right out of his arms. 

“Pika~pi!”  Someone said in a cute high-pitched voice and they waved a Pikachu plush in front of the girl’s face.

“Pikachu!”  The girl grabbed it from the man and held it in her arms.

“She’s cute, I didn’t realize…”  It took Jinyoung a moment to realize who exactly was standing in front of him.

“Oh! No!  I’m just watching her for a customer, no relation.”  Jinyoung clarified. 

“Oh, I didn’t assume anything… I just…”  Mark looked flustered.

“I’m as single as can be, no need to worry.”

“Why would I be worried?”  Mark quirked an eyebrow at him and Jinyoung wondered exactly how many more times he would manage to embarrass himself in front of this guy.

“No reason,” Jinyoung jumped subjects quickly.  “What are you doing in the kid’s aisle?” 

“Am I not allowed to like Pikachu too?”  He asked; no shame in his interests.

“That’s fine, I’m more so wondering about the pink pony and the doll you’re holding.”  Jinyoung adjusted the little girl in his arms so she didn’t whack him in the face with her Pikachu plush as she flew it around in the air.

“Oh, I was buying gifts for my nieces, I swear.  Nothing weird.”  Mark couldn’t help but hold up one of the dolls to the girl’s face.  “Do you like this one too?”

“No!  Pikachu is better!”  The girl yelled and Mark and Jinyoung laughed.

“Alright, alright,” Mark put the doll back into his basket.  “She has good taste.”

“So, you’re buying gifts for your whole family?”  Jinyoung continued.

“I’m from America originally, back home Christmas time is really important, we have huge parties with the entire family and everyone buys gifts.   Here in Korea, it’s really downplayed, you guys treat it more like a holiday for couples.” 

“I see, so, you’ll be flying back home?”

“Ah, I usually do but…. plans fell through this year.  I’m still going to be mailing all these gifts out though.”  Mark said with a sad look in his eyes.  Jinyoung knew not to question any further.

“Don’t worry; Christmas in Korea isn’t that bad.  We have a lot of decorations and stuff, although I’ve never really been out to see them.  Maybe I should go this year…” 

“Oh!  She’s so cute, what’s her name?”  A lady approached them, ogling the girl in Jinyoung’s arms.

“Oh, I’m sorry I don’t know-“

“You guys look good together, is she yours?” 

Jinyoung blushed.  “Oh! No-“

“Yup!  She’s ours, we adopted her last year.  We’re so happy to have her.”  Mark cut in, a sly grin on his face.  “Her name is…”  Mark thought for a second.  “Celeste!”

“Wow, what a handsome couple!  So brave as well, I’m sure you two are wonderful parents.”  She said sincerely.  “You’re so cute, do you know that?  Your parents take care of you well.”

“Pika~pi!!”  She said as he shoved the Pikachu plush in the lady’s face, Jinyoung held in his laughter but Mark tried to muffle his giggles and failed.

The lady finally walked away, realizing she wasn’t going to get a proper response out of the kid.  Jinyoung was smiling but he tried to act upset.  “What was that all about?”

“What, are you against us being together?” 

“No! Of course not, but-“

“Thank you for watching her!”  A man came and grabbed the girl out of his arms.  “Come on sweetheart, put that down and let’s go home.”

“No!  My Pikachu!”  She held on to the plush for dear life and Mark crouched down to talk to her.

“Don’t worry; I’ll buy that for you if you really want it.”  Mark offered, and the girl looked overjoyed.

“Yay!  Thank you, mister!”  She looped her arms around him in a huge and Mark hugged her back.

“Bye Jinyoung, see you tomorrow!”  Mark yelled back before he held the girl’s hand and walked with her to the register.

Jinyoung’s face was still red from the whole scenario, but now he knew for sure that his feelings were reciprocated.

---

 

“What do you mean these coupons are fakes?!”  A customer yelled in his face.

“I’ve seen this barcode before and these are not official coupons and I’m not scanning them for you.”  Jinyoung had seen this trick a million times before, but to have the audacity to try it a few days before Christmas on three carts full of laundry detergent was the most bizarre thing he had witnessed yet.  There were customers behind him and he was praying that he wouldn’t leave him to-

“Forget it then!  I’m not taking any of this!”  The customer stormed out, leaving his carts for Jinyoung to put back himself, exactly what he didn’t want.

“Sorry, I’ll be closed for a bit, please find another cash.”  He put up his closed sign and ignored the angry groans and yells from customers who had to find another register.

“Need any help?”  Mark was at the back of the line, waiting for his chance to talk with Jinyoung with his handful of chocolate. 

Jinyoung smiled when he saw him.  “You don’t have to help.”

“I insist.”  He said as he put the chocolate down and grabbed one of the carts.

“You know,” Jinyoung said as he wheeled over to the cleaning products aisle.  “I’m starting to think you only come here to see me, nobody is here every day if they don’t work here.” 

“You don’t know me; I could really need to buy stuff every day.”

They both reached the aisle and started restocking the bottles of detergent.  “You’ve been buying an awful lot of chocolate; you do realize they’re not on sale anymore, right?”

“Is that so?  I really like the chocolate, I’d buy them whether they were on sale or not.”

“That’s some sweet tooth you have,” Jinyoung looked over at Mark who was grinning to himself.  “You always come to my register too, other people work here you know.”

“You said it yourself; I like sweet things; that’s why I always go to you.”  Jinyoung giggled at how blatantly they were flirting with each other.  It was so obvious now that Jinyoung wanted to even longer.  It was like a game as to who’s going to break and ask the other out first.

“Oh, I see.  What’s so sweet about me?” 

“What’s not sweet about you?  Your eyes, your smile, your a-“Mark stopped himself abruptly and revaluated his words.  “Amazing personality.” 

Jinyoung elbowed him in the arm, knowing very well what he was going to say.  “We’ve hardly talked.”

“You’re right, we should talk more.”  Mark was about to say something more, but his phone cut him off, ringing loudly in his pocket.  He picked it up and stared at the screen.  Jinyoung could barely read the English word ‘dad’ off the caller id. 

Mark huffed and put his phone back into his pocket.

“Aren’t you going to pick that up?”  Jinyoung said, not wanting to pry but genuinely concerned as to why he would ignore a call from his dad.

“No…”  Mark said, and even he looked upset with his own answer.

“Is something wrong?”  Jinyoung felt his caring instincts kicking in, automatically trying to comfort Mark.

“I’m not speaking to my dad right now.  It’s my fault.  We had a fight, and I got upset.  In hindsight, I realized it was over nothing, but I’m too stubborn to apologize.”  Mark realized he might’ve over shared but Jinyoung didn’t care.  He wanted to help.

“Was it that bad?”

“I was really upset, I always fly home during the holidays, but I canceled my entire trip because of this.  It’s so stupid, but when I realized what an awful decision I made it was too late.  You can’t book flights this late during the holidays.  This is my first-time spending Christmas without them.”

Jinyoung couldn’t stop the protective arm wrapping itself around Mark’s shoulder.  He leaned into his touch.  “I’m really sorry; I think you should talk to your dad.  There’s no other way to fix this.”

“It’s one of those things that you know you have to do, but you can’t bring yourself to do it.  I keep putting it off.”

Jinyoung related on far too many levels.  “I know it’s hard but we all have to find a way to push through somehow.” 

“I really wish I could see them.”  Mark said and Jinyoung got an idea.

“Wait here.”  Jinyoung ran over to the Christmas decorations aisle and picked up the nicest tree topper he could find, a large star ornament bedazzled in glitter and sequins.  He went back to Mark and held it up to him.  “They say if you wish upon a star it’s supposed to come true, right?”

Mark stared at him unsure if he was being serious or not.  “This isn’t funny.”

“I’m being serious; we can’t see stars very well in the city, so I’m sure this thing is close enough.”

Once Mark realized he was serious he wasn’t sure what to do.  “This is weird Jinyoung…”

“Hey!  Don’t give me that look, don’t you believe in Christmas miracles?  It’s worth a shot.”  Jinyoung held Mark’s hand and gently places it on the star.  “Close your eyes and make a wish.”

Mark finally humored him, closing his eyes and wishing in his mind.  “Alright, I told you its impossible though.”

“You should learn to have more faith, Mark.”  Jinyoung was about to put the star back but Mark held him back.

“Wait, you should make a wish too, you must have something you want.  If you really think this is going to work, we might as well both try.”

Jinyoung thought deeply for a moment about what he wanted this Christmas and closed his eyes and wished.

“What did you wish for?”

“It’s a secret,” Jinyoung said, putting a finger to his lips.  “Maybe, you’ll find out soon enough.”

---

 

“This plan is foolproof.”  Jackson boasted on a Tuesday at 4:55 PM.

“This is ridiculous; he’s not going to fall for that.”  Jinyoung pointed at the tacky mistletoe headband Jackson was wearing.

“The rules of the mistletoe are absolute my friend, I just need to trap him here and he has to kiss me.”

“Even if he were to kiss you- which he won’t- that doesn’t mean he’s going to fall madly in love with you.” 

“These plush lips aren’t only good for talking y’know,” Jackson gave him a kissy face to demonstrate and Jinyoung leaned back in disgust.  “One kiss and he’ll be begging for more.”

“Isn’t that what you thought last time?  It didn’t work out so well.”

“The past is the past Jinyoung, my last plan was imperfect but this one is flawless.” Jinyoung knew it was no use trying to convince him, so he decided to wait around and witness the train wreck that was about to happen.

At exactly five Jaebum walked up to the register cat food in tow, only to be ambushed by Jackson.  “Hey!”  Jackson tried to stick his face up close to Jaebum’s but with some real ninja skills, Jaebum managed to dodge out of the way. “Huh?”

Jaebum’s face was still expressionless as he dodged another attempt from Jackson to get close to him effortlessly.  Soon after countless dodges Jackson gave up, completely baffled, Jinyoung was trying not to laugh.

“Why won’t you stay still!?”  Jackson accused, to which Jaebum calmly answered.

“I know the rules of the mistletoe and I won’t-“  Jackson tried launching out in a surprise attack but Jaebum still managed to get out of the way.

“Jinyoung!”  Jackson leaped behind the counter and attached himself to Jinyoung. “This isn’t fair!  Did you tell him?”

Jinyoung had never seen Jaebum laugh, or even smile, but right then he decided to burst out in loud laughter. 

“Why are you…”  Jinyoung started but then he saw Jaebum pointing at Jackson’s head.

“The rules of the mistletoe are absolute.”  Jaebum said through his laughter.

Jackson looked up at the mistletoe dangling off his head than at Jinyoung’s face.  “He’s right.”

“Jackson don’t you dare-“   It was too late, Jackson’s lips were forcefully pressed on Jinyoung’s before he could properly protest.  “Jacksoonmphff no!”

Jackson didn’t linger for too long, pulling away and pouting.  “Don’t you think my lips are plush?”

“Your lips are fine, I just don’t want them on me!”  Jinyoung said wiping his lips.

“I can’t believe this, are you wiping off my kiss?  You should be thankful!”  Jackson turned back around.  “Anyway, Jaebum, did you see that?  What did you think of my technique- wait a second…” 

“Am I… interrupting something?”  Jinyoung turned around then to see that Jaebum was no longer in front of the register.

“Mark this- this- this is NOT what you think?  This guy and his silly mistletoe and- and I didn’t agree to this!”  Jinyoung was trying the best to try and explain the situation.

Jackson hopped back over the counter.  “Where did the guy that was just here go?!”

“He left the store laughing so hard he was crying a minute ago-“

“I can still catch up!”  Jackson didn’t think twice before he ran out of the store.  “I’m taking my third break!”

“Jackson!  You don’t even have three breaks- ah, what’s the use.”  Jinyoung was about to slam his head on his register when Mark decided to lean over the counter and towards Jinyoung’s ear.

“Next time, it’ll be my turn to catch you under the mistletoe.”  Mark whispered, gave Jinyoung a wink, and suavely walked out of the store leaving Jinyoung an embarrassed mess.

“Sorry, t-this cashier is closed.”  Jinyoung said as he slammed his ‘closed’ sign down.

Jinyoung needed to take his third break of the day as well.

---

 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S SOLD OUT?!” 

“I’m sorry sir, that specific toy has been sold out for days, it was very popular-“

“CAN’T YOU CHECK IN THE BACK?”

Jinyoung was closer than ever to leaping over the counter and punching this guy in the face.  It was finally Christmas Eve and the store was set to close in five minutes.  Freedom was so close he could taste it, but of course, what was one more meltdown to ruin his evening?

“I can check in the back, but I already know there are no more toys back there.”  Jinyoung didn’t even care how rude that sounded.

“You... YOU RUINED MY KID’S CHRISTMAS!  I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY!”  The man yelled at him before storming out of the store.

“Hello, Mr. Grinch.”  Jackson said as he walked up to Jinyoung’s register.

“I prefer Scrooge myself,” Jinyoung laughed.  “You have some last-minute purchases too?”

“Kinda.”  Jackson said as he dumped a Santa hat and a box of candy cane flavored condoms in front of Jinyoung.

Jinyoung side-eyed him.  “Exciting Christmas Eve planned?”

“Well, I might’ve scored a date with a certain hot guy who likes cats…”  Jackson couldn’t hold back his grin.

“You got Jaebum to agree to go out with you?!  How?!”

“I told you Jinyoung- nobody can resist the charm of Jackson Wang.” 

“Unbelievable…”  Jinyoung checked out Jackson’s items and put them in a bag.

“Should I get this?”  Jackson held a collar up to Jinyoung.

“Is that for his cat?”

“No, I was just wondering since Jaebum loves cats if he’s into pet play.”

Jinyoung should be used to the wild things Jackson casually says to him by now, but he would never be.  “Jackson, please don’t ever ask me anything like that ever again.  I don’t think I’ll be able to get the image out of my head- I- ugh.”  Jinyoung rubbed his face with both of his hands trying to come to terms with the fact he’ll never be able to reverse the past 30 seconds of his life.

“Don’t worry!  I was kidding!  Ha.”  Jackson stared at the collar for another moment before putting it on the counter.  “I’ll buy it just in case.”

Jinyoung reluctantly checked it out and put it in the bag with the rest of Jackson’s things.  “Are you leaving?”

“Yup!  Can’t be late for my date!  You can close up the store, right?”

“No problem, all the customers have left, right?”

“Well, they’re all gone, except for one, check the holiday decorations aisle!” Jackson patted Jinyoung on the shoulder before he picked up his things and turned to leave.  “Good luck, and Merry Christmas!”

Jackson zoomed out of his sight before he had a chance to ask him what he meant. 

Jinyoung walked out from behind the cashier, he couldn’t see anyone in his immediate sight.  It had been so long since he’d seen the store after closing, completely empty.  The only sound was the hum of ‘Silent Night’ playing quietly over the store speakers.

Jinyoung walked into the holiday aisle to find Mark standing in front of one of their fully decorated discounted Christmas trees, staring intently at the star on top.  Jinyoung quietly walked over and stood next to him.  “Hey…”

“Hey.”  Mark responded just as quietly.

“I guess… the wish didn’t work.” 

“Don’t look so sad,” Jinyoung looked over at Mark who was smiling at him.  “It was impossible for me to get a flight back home, I knew that already.”

“I was still hopeful.” 

“I don’t get to go home for Christmas, but I was able to get a flight back home in time for New Year’s, and I think that is a small miracle in itself, so it’s not a total bust.” 

“That’s great!”  Jinyoung was genuinely excited.

“I’ll be spending my Christmas in Korea alone, unfortunately,” Mark turned to face Jinyoung, and Jinyoung did the same.  “Unless there’s someone out there would hanging out with me…”

“I think I know someone who wouldn’t mind…”  Jinyoung took a step closer to Mark.  “We sold out of mistletoe, but this fifty percent off sign will have to do.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  Mark stood on his tiptoes and took Jinyoung’s face in his hands, pulling him close as their lips touched.

It was a soft kiss, nothing extravagant but at the same time so perfect.

They pulled apart and Mark held Jinyoung into his arms.  “You know, you never told me what you wished for.”

“Don’t worry about that,”

Jinyoung would always hate working during the holidays, but from now on he wouldn’t have to spend his Christmas alone.

Jinyoung smiled into Mark’s shoulder.

“My wish already came true.”