There was a tradition Wendy had told her once, years ago, where you place a candle in your window to let travelers know they were 'welcome'. When she had first explained it, Irene had thought it was cute; an antiquated, but oddly adorable idea in its innocence and hope. She didn't quite understand why you would want to welcome some road-weary traveler into your home, but perhaps things were different back when the tradition was originally practiced. It wasn’t until several years later when Irene found herself walking into a craft store to buy candles that she truly understood the meaning of 'homecoming'.

She was hoping for a Christmas miracle.

+++

“Aren’t you afraid of burning the house down?” Moonbyul asked as she watched Irene pause at each window in the living room, lighting the solitary candlesticks she had placed on the sills, one by one.

Irene smiled out of view as she stooped to light the last of them. “They look nice, though, don’t they?”

“Well yeah, but I never thought I'd see you of all people playing with fire,” Moonbyul muttered quietly. She didn't want to call Irene a scardy cat to her face, but all evidence pointed in that direction. When Irene ignored her taunt, Moonbyul returned her attention to Yongsun, fast asleep on Irene’s couch. They were the last two guests remaining from her Christmas party.

Irene paused to look out the dark window, barely able to see past the pane of glass itself thanks to the reflecting glow of the candle. “Are you two staying the night? I can set up the study, or…” Irene paused as Yongsun’s snoring crescendoed, “...or she can stay out here and I’ll get some blankets…”

Moonbyul sighed. Yongsun had knocked out early after being goaded into trying a single shot of Bailey’s. The rest of the party had continued on without her, into the small hours of the morning, but now a hush had settled over the house as Irene and Moonbyul tried not to disturb her. “I’ll stay out here with her. I can help you get the blankets though,” Moonbyul finally replied, pushing up out of the armchair she was reclined in.

Irene led her upstairs to the closet, stacking blankets in her arms until Moonbyul couldn’t see the small host anymore. “Hey, uh, Irene?” she asked, her voice at a more normal volume now that they were away from the living room.

“What?” Irene was trying to feel which pillow was best for her guest, squeezing the options until she found the perfect one.

“The candles…”

“It’ll be safe, as long as Yongsun doesn’t knock into them when she gets up.”

Moonbyul smiled behind her pile of blankets. “No, I mean… what’s with them? I didn't see you put them up last Christmas.”

Irene hugged the chosen pillow to herself and slowly shut the closet door. “It’s some old tradition, I guess,” she explained after a long pause. “A candle in the window is like a sign to outsiders: 'You’re welcome here! It’s safe.'” And much more quietly, she ended with a: “'Come home.'”

Moonbyul didn’t respond at first. She had never heard of such a tradition, but then again most of her Christmas celebrations growing up had been overshadowed by her birthday. But even if it wasn't true, Moonbyul could readily guess what Irene was trying to do, and who she was trying to welcome home.

“How long has it been?”

“Two years.” Irene wasn't surprised that Moonbyul was able to piece her thoughts together, as she walked around her guest to help guide her back down the stairs.

Moonbyul carefully felt in front of herself one step at a time as she followed Irene down. “That’s a long time to fight. Yongsun and I can’t even go a whole morning without making up.”

Irene was already a little too vulnerable after a night of drinking to put up any defenses against her best friend’s girlfriend. “I don’t even remember what exactly started it.”

Moonbyul, a much closer friend of Seulgi’s than Irene’s, remembered much more clearly. “It was about her internship.”

“Right.” The internship that had taken Seulgi away to graduate school overseas. She should have returned by now. “I was so selfish back then.”

Again, Moonbyul didn’t answer right away. She had heard Seulgi’s side of the argument many times, and was inclined to side with the younger girl. They had both needed some time apart to grow, but Moonbyul had hoped that eventually they would find a way back to each other.

Almost on cue, a knock at the door sent Moonbyul stumbling into Irene, causing them both to fall down the last two steps of the stairs.

“Are you okay?” Moonbyul asked, sifting through the blankets to find her host.

“Where’s my phone? Someone’s trying to break in!” Irene hissed as she scrambled to her feet.

“Irene, why would a burglar knock?”

“Why would anyone knock at 2am?”

Moonbyul left the blankets where they lay and crept towards the front door. “Maybe it’s your 'Christmas traveler'.”

Irene hesitated, then scoffed as she followed after her guest. “If Seulgi waited until two o’clock in the morning to make some dramatic entrance-”

But there she was, as Moonbyul opened the door a crack to peek. She stepped back and let it swing wide to reveal Seulgi and her sheepish grin.

“Hey-”

“HOW DARE YOU-”

“Shh!” Moonbyul admonished.

“How dare you!” Irene repeated in a hiss as she grabbed Seulgi by the collar and tugged her inside.

As Seulgi stumbled into the dark entryway, she winced at Irene’s expression as it cycled between indignation, disbelief, and most painfully, happiness. “I-I’m sorry! I know I’m late…”

“Very late. You told me you weren’t coming at all,” Moonbyul said. Irene stared at her in shock.

“Wait, you knew she was back?”

“I’ve only been back for a month,” Seulgi admitted, thinking that would save them both.

“Then-?” Irene couldn’t find the words. Then why didn’t you call? Then why didn’t you come visit right away? Did you just not want to see me?

“I was scared,” Seulgi said with a self-conscious shrug. “I didn’t know if it’d be okay to come after… everything.” The fight, the way Seulgi had taken off a couple months later without a word. “I didn’t know if you’d even want to see me.”

Hearing her own unspoken fears echoed back to her, Irene could only stare in shock. Seulgi really was standing there, in front of her, in the entryway of her own house. “Didn't know if I'd want to-? Of course I wanted to see you.”

“I uh… was kind of sitting out in my car down the street a ways. I wasn't sure whether I’d be brave enough to knock,” Seulgi said, “but I felt like the neighbors might call the cops if I stayed out there for much longer.”

Irene narrowed her eyes. “How long were you out there?”

“Well, I was invited to the party,” Seulgi hinted sheepishly.

“You’ve been sitting out there since the party?” Irene asked, the volume of her incredulity drawing another shush from Moonbyul.

Seulgi shrugged again, a small smile on her lips at Irene’s mild annoyance. She took it as a sign that maybe she had been missed. “Well, I didn’t know if I was welcome-“ a scoff, “-and if I wasn’t, I didn’t want to ruin the party.”

“You’re so dumb,” Moonbyul agonized. “I told you she missed you.” Irene blushed in the gloom.

“I know, but… the more I thought about it, the more I wasn’t sure, so I sat there and waited… and waited, and waited…”

“Until everyone left?” Moonbyul asked wryly. “Thought you could get out of it if the party was over?”

Seulgi paused. She didn’t have a defense against that. “I saw the lights go out, but I didn’t want to just drive away.” That would have felt too much like giving up. “But then I saw these little lights come on in the windows, one by one, and… I thought of you, in this dark house, all by yourself, after everyone already left...” She didn’t mean to stop, but the inexplicable feeling of sitting out there on the side of the road, watching those lights come on - Seulgi had felt like a ship on a black sea being guided back to shore. Before she knew it she had left her car and started walking up the drive to Irene’s quaint country house, hoping its owner wouldn’t mind a latecomer.

The way Seulgi was looking at Irene drew a faint, “Gay,” from Moonbyul as she excused herself to pick up the blankets, leaving them alone in the entryway.

“You should have told me you were back,” Irene said quietly.

“I know.”

“I was waiting.”

“I’m sorry.”

Irene reached for her hand in the dark and Seulgi let her take it. “No, Seul. I’m the one who’s sorry. I had a lot of time to think on my own.”

“You’re not mad at me?” Seulgi asked, relieved.

Irene smiled to herself. “Oh, I was. I definitely was. I couldn’t believe you would just leave, without a single word. But Seulgi,” she hesitated, looking for the right words; she felt silly thinking about how she had acted back then. “I'm the one who was wrong. I wasn't thinking of your happiness. All I could think was that you were leaving me, but you know? After a while, I realized it made me happy knowing that you were doing something for yourself. And knowing you were chasing your dreams inspired me to follow some of my own.”

Seulgi was humbled, hearing how she had inspired someone like Irene, who had always seemed to know exactly what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to try and get it. “Your dreams? What do you mean?”

“Do you think this house paid for itself?” Irene jeered through the gloom, and Seulgi smiled widely, her eyes disappearing into little half-circles.

“I guess I missed a lot. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too, Seulgi. We have a lot to catch each other up on.”

“Could we start over a late night snack? I haven’t eaten anything since lunch…”

Irene pursed her lips and pulled Seulgi into the kitchen. “Well, whose fault was that,” she muttered irately.

Over a rather later supper, or perhaps an early breakfast, Seulgi and Irene decided that one year ending and another beginning was a perfect time for them to start over as well, and as Moonbyul listened to the faint din of their conversation lilting into the living room, she sighed.

“Dumb and Dumber finally patched things up,” she whispered to a snoring Yongsun. “Glad you and I have more sense than that,” she continued, as if they hadn’t just argued this morning over an empty box of cereal. She watched the dim form of Yongsun on the couch, barely illuminated by the glow of the candles, dead to the world and all tucked in. “Merry Christmas, babe,” she muttered as she felt herself drift off as well.

fin