The Christmas holidays are always a time of the year that I look forward to, but this year, it’s been completely different. Gone are the carefree days spent lying around on my bed, watching Korean dramas, listening to music, reading gossip, and ordering pizza for lunch. They’re now replaced with activities – planned activities - that I need to do so that I have something to look forward to when I graduate.

And for the record, planning the activities is hard enough already – doing them is an even taller order.

It’s discouraging to examine the lofty Harvard admission requirements, especially when I’m actually filling out the admission application. My grades aren’t bad, but they’re nowhere near Seohyun’s level. I’ve also searched for alternative schools in the Boston area. Yale and MIT are about as hard to get into as Harvard. Boston University and the University of Massachusetts are safer fallbacks, but these are all back-up plans. The allure of going to these schools is not nearly as strong, and my parents won’t even consider them. Harvard is a brand that is worth the hefty price tag of being an international student - the other schools, not nearly as much. I take a chance with MIT – the only other American school that I plan on applying to.

Thankfully, Seohyun is always encouraging me every night through texts or calls. “Yoona, you can do anything you put your mind to,” or “Think more highly of yourself.” I appreciate it, I really do. I miss her. She’s been too busy to see me, lost in her own rush of planning.

As a result, my past few days have been devoted to studying for my SATs in late January. Thankfully, the winter-break lasts until mid-January, and the national exams in Korea have given me more confidence under pressure. I’m less anxious for this test – at least that’s how it feels right now.

Aside from these activities – and sleep, eating, and the occasional break - the only other thing on my schedule is Christmas shopping.

It’s hard enough to buy one gift on a budget, but I need to buy twenty for the holidays. That’s not even factoring in the gift I’m buying for Seohyun, or my parents. Thankfully, my parents are more than happy to help me out with a loan, which they want me to pay back with interest.

Then there’s the note: the thing that causes me the most anxiety. Innocently tucked away at the bottom of my locker, it was a horrible way to head into the break. It’s like there’s a target on my back, yet nobody has come forward to confront me. I know it has to refer to my relationship with Seohyun. Yes, I have my secrets, but none of them are as big as this one.

“Yoona, what do you want to drink?”

Tiffany tilts her head, snapping her fingers beside my ear to bring me back to the real world; to my two-day trip that actually feels like a holiday vacation.

In a slight daze, I turn my attention to the menu at the café. Jessica is standing beside me, glued to her phone.

“I’ll get what you’re having.”

“The Sakura Frappuccino it is!”

I tilt my head, looking at the picture of the icy pink drink. “It’s winter.”

“It’s also pink!” That’s Tiffany’s favourite colour.

I roll my eyes mockingly.

The cashier calls for the next-in-line, and she goes up to the cash register to order three beverages - one for each of us. Jessica remains glued to her phone, and I can’t help but notice that they’ve been distant for most of the morning drive to Jisan.

I nudge Jessica playfully, and she reacts by putting down her phone and giving me a cat-like gaze. “What’s so interesting?”

Jessica bats her lashes and smiles at me. “I’m just doing some Christmas shopping.”

“Ah, that’s so frustrating isn’t it?”

Jessica gives a light grin. “It’s not so bad. I actually like it.”

I raise my brow in disbelief.

She chuckles. “I’m not that good at expressing myself through words, but I’m good at shopping. I can express how I feel towards someone through a gift pretty well.”

“I’m not the best shopper,” I confess. “You could teach me a thing or two. Plus, I’ve got a limited budget to work with.”

Jessica shakes her head. “Gifts are important things, but a good gift doesn’t have to be something expensive.”

“I know, but it’s infinitely harder to find the right gift rather than just buying everyone new cellphones or something.”

Jessica nods her head. “Well, I don’t have that luxury either.”

Tiffany’s still waiting at the counter for our drinks. “What did you get Tiffany?”

Jessica moves a set of scrunched fingers across her lips, zipping them shut.

“I’m not going to tell her!”

Tiffany stares back, hearing my outburst. I quickly look away out of embarrassment.

“I can’t risk it,” Jessica replies, quietly. “I like surprises.”

I let out a disgruntled sigh. In response, Jessica wraps her arm around me in apology. I give her attitude, and she pouts ever so slightly, and I can’t help but grin at her crumpled lips. Even now, I can see why Tiffany is so fond of her. She has her own feminine charm, best described as a cold city girl – who isn’t actually so cold once you get to know her. In a way, she’s pretty eccentric.

Tiffany comes over with a tray of drinks and gives the two of us a questioning stare. “You guys are getting awfully friendly. Should I be worried?”

Jessica gives an exaggerated nod.

“I’m taken,” I grin. It sounds weird coming out of my mouth, but in a good triumphant way. My heart warms at the very thought of Seohyun and I together – I know that it’s waited long enough.

Tiffany gives me a grin. To my knowledge, she’s the only one that knows about my relationship with Seohyun – aside from that red envelope creeper.

Jessica releases me from her grip and goes up to examine the cardboard tray. “What’d you get me?”

Tiffany hands her a cup with her nickname ‘Sica’ scribbled onto it. “It’s a half-sweet hazelnut macchiato. No foam.”

Tiffany hands me a hot beverage as well, this one labeled "Yoong". It’s not a pink monstrosity, but a piping hot beverage in a tall paper cup.

“I figured you would want something hot so I got you a mocha.” She hands it to me, reminding the both of us that they’re too hot to drink right away.

The two of us nod, thanking her for the lovely winter treat. As always, Tiffany takes good care of the people she cares about.

We head out of the coffee shop and make our way into Tiffany’s VW that matches the snowy streets of Seoul. She heats up the engine before she continues the early morning drive to Jisan Ski resort – roughly an hour away from the city center.

Sooyoung, Min Kyung, and Seohyun arrived yesterday with Mr. Choi and Mrs. Choi – Sooyoung’s father and mother. I couldn’t join them because of my pre-planned schedule, which I promised myself and Seohyun that I would follow to a tee. Luckily, Sooyoung was keen on the idea of Jessica and Tiffany tagging along to give me a ride. She insisted that there was enough room at her uncle’s condo.

As we merge onto the highway, the car fills with the sounds of Americana. Tiffany explains that she purposely put an English playlist on her iPod so that I could familiarize myself with English on the drive over - her clever way of helping me learn. Jessica isn’t nearly as vocal as Tiffany, who sings along on occasion. She doesn’t even bop her head with the music; she just looks out the window as if she was daydreaming.

Stuck in traffic, I try to loosen up the tense atmosphere and give everyone a break from the music. I ask Jessica and Tiffany – two American girls – to converse in English with me. Both of them smile at my attempts to string sentences together. I’m fine with reading, but speaking it is much more difficult.

“It’s so amazing that you’re trying to work on your English, Yoona,” Tiffany says. “You can understand us, right?”

“Yes,” I reply, giggling childishly. “What do you think of. Uhhh. My accent?”

Jessica answers, “You sound French.”

“What?” I squeal.

“She does, doesn’t she?” Tiffany replies.

“Totally.”

The two of them share a moment, and it makes me warm inside. I continue to converse with them, and though I can’t help but burst into embarrassed laughter, they encourage me with smiles.

After spending an extra half-hour in traffic, we arrive at Jisan village, which sits at the base of the resort. I can immediately see the hustle and bustle the place exudes during the winter. There are people in winter jackets all over the streets, heading to restaurants and shops, and only a couple of condos sit in the sky along the mountains that serve as the hills.

I call Sooyoung to tell her that we’re close. Tiffany had already punched in the GPS coordinates for the condo, so she follows the instructions to the tee. The ETA states that we are only a few minutes away.

“Alright, I’ll be downstairs,” Sooyoung says. “See you soon.”

After a short drive, we arrive to see Sooyoung and Mr. Choi waiting for us at the front entrance. Mr. Choi’s tall and lanky like his daughter, and even exudes the same youthful exuberance. Tiffany rolls down Jessica’s window to listen to Mr. Choi’s instructions for the tenant parking. He hands us a garage fob to open the door, and Tiffany drives off into an underground garage. She finds the parking spot that Mr. Choi mentioned earlier, and parks the car with one swift turn, shutting off the engine.

We pull our luggage from her trunk, and walk through the smelly garage to greet Mr. Choi and Sooyoung at the underground entrance. We exchange pleasantries and Sooyoung warms up to Jessica and Tiffany immediately.

“You guys go to Dongguk University?”

The two of them nod.

“I applied there! I have so many questions.”

Jessica and Tiffany stare at each other in surprise. “Sure, ask away.”

I listen attentively as Sooyoung bombards them. Tiffany gives the same answers she gave me when I asked her a month ago.

In the elevator, Mr. Choi presses the button for the Penthouse – and I instantly know why Sooyoung was so sure there would be enough room. We make it to the top without any interruptions, and Mr. Choi opens the first door on the right, revealing a spacious living room with an open kitchen and a beautiful view of Jisan.

Min Kyung and Seohyun are sitting at the kitchen table, chatting. Mrs. Choi is in the kitchen preparing something that smells delicious. She’s got curly hair, and is slightly shorter than her daughter.

They wave at us, and I can’t help but notice Seohyun looking slightly uncomfortable. I know she doesn’t know Min Kyung nearly as well as she does Sooyoung. At least the two of them had debate club together, but Min Kyung and Seohyun had little in common. How could the two of them ever get along?

Sooyoung explains that there are three rooms, and two of them are reserved for the six of us. She leads Jessica, Tiffany and myself into the one closest to the door. The first thing I notice is the balcony – apparently all the rooms have one – and the massive king-sized bed.

“If someone wants to sleep on the leather couch outside we’ve got some extra sheets too. It’s actually really comfortable.”

We put our stuff in the corner of the room, and continue onto the tour of the rest of the condo with Mr. Choi tagging along. He explains that his brother rents this place out to guests during the winter holidays to get some secondary income. We head back to the living room and Min Kyung and Seohyun come up to greet us.

Seohyun seems happy to see me. She gives me a friendly hug, but even that is enough to tug at my heart strings. Min Kyung knows that we’re close, but the smile she’s giving me as she watches us – despite how friendly it looks – agitates me. It dawns on me that I feel threatened by her, and she hasn’t even done anything wrong.

Am I going crazy?

It’s the note, and the strange possibility that Min Kyung could be the author.

It didn’t add up. Why would the school’s most popular girl do it? Did she have some use for me? Was she going to blackmail me for something?

Seohyun breaks my worries as she releases me from her hug. She grabs my arm affectionately, looking into my eyes. She has an expression of worry. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.”

Jessica and Tiffany introduce themselves to Min Kyung, and then we all head over to chat with Mrs. Choi. She instantly questions us about our academic lives, excited to hear that Jessica and Tiffany are both college freshmen.

Eventually, Mrs. Choi shoos us out of the kitchen, but we all help to set the table for lunch. She’s prepared a spicy chicken stew with grilled fish and rice. Sooyoung’s older sister is missing out because of a recital for college. As I take my first taste of the stew, I know she probably regrets it.

The lunch passes by pretty quickly, with everyone familiarizing themselves. Mr. and Mrs. Choi drive the conversation about school and graduation. They tell us that this weekend is their personal gift to us in celebration. Seohyun always communicates well with parents, so it’s no wonder that they adore her. She confesses to them that she did get accepted into Harvard, and that brought out more conversation that I didn’t particularly want to listen to.

Eventually we all break from the table, and head to our rooms to change for some skiing. It dawns on me as I put on some snow pants that Seohyun, Sooyoung, and Min Kyung had all slept in the same bedroom last night. It crosses my mind that they had to have talked.

It’s also disappointing that I’d be the third wheel for Jessica and Tiffany, while the fourth wheel would only be a room away.

Everyone meets up in the living room, including Mr. and Mrs. Choi. We leave the condo after double-and-triple-checking that no one has left anything important behind. We make our way out to the village and take a short shuttle bus ride to the ski resort. It’s packed on the bus, and the slopes and the ski center are absolutely filled with people when we arrive.

Everyone is pretty familiar with skiing besides Seohyun, who admits that she only started yesterday. Sooyoung and Min Kyung did their best to teach her, but she still felt more comfortable practicing on the bunny hill. Not being too shabby on the slopes, I offer to teach her for the day – letting Sooyoung and Min Kyung have the day off, and giving me some time to talk to her.

Jessica and Tiffany, who are skiing for the first time in the season, decide to join us until they’re warmed up.

The rentals take quite a while to process since it’s the busy season, and all the guests need rentals – the Chois are well equipped.

Instead of us forking over the cash though, Mr. Choi happily pays for the rentals along with the ski passes. After we get the rentals, he tells us to be safe on the slopes and to have fun. We agree to meet in front of the ski resort café at 7 PM. He tells us all to keep an eye on the clock, and then heads off with Mrs. Choi.

Sooyoung and Min Kyung head off to the more advanced slopes, while we head to the bunny hills at the west end of the resort. Having been here before, I know that the bunny hills here are pretty smooth runs, and nowhere near as steep as the other trails. When we get there, there are three small trails, with two of the bunny hills requiring a short chair lift to the top of the hill, while another uses a rope pulley system to help skiers to go up and down. Seohyun heads off to the chair lift with me, Jessica and Tiffany following behind. We stand in line, waiting our turn.

“Did you fall a lot yesterday?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she replies. “I’m getting the hang of it though.”

“I hope your cute isn’t bruised.”

“Yah!”

I giggle with glee. “Hey, it’s okay. Falling is a part of learning how to ski. It’s like riding a bike. You have to fall to learn how to stay balanced.”

Just like how you need to hurt to know that you’re in love.

Seohyun nods her head in affirmation. “How’s studying going?”

I give her a smile. “Let’s not talk about that today.”

“Did you follow your schedule?”

“Yes.”

“Did you talk to Joseph?”

“Yes.”

“What’d he say?”

“He said he didn’t know my grades were that bad.”

Seohyun gives a cute look of irritation. “He didn’t say that.”

I smile. “He said I have a chance. I have to do well on my SATs though: Logical reasoning and two of the subject tests. After talking it through, he said I should focus heavily on the application part when I’m done.” I stop to give my best Joseph impersonation. “Tell a good story. Sell yourself.”

Seohyun replies, “You’re still horrible at impersonations.”

“What?”

After a short exchange of playful banter, we get onto the chair lift and arrive at the top of the bunny hill in less than a minute. Seohyun wants to go on the middle slope, so Jessica and Tiffany leave us alone as they go to the most advanced bunny hill trail. I give her some tips before we go down.

I half-expect Seohyun to be a natural, but as I carve my way down the slope, I can see her being timid in her approach. It’s a bunny hill, but she’s zigging and zagging too often, afraid to let the hill carry her. She’s afraid to go fast.

I wait for her at the bottom, and though I’m glad she didn’t fall, I want her to enjoy the thrill of skiing.

“Try not to zigzag too much, okay? As skiers we should carve into the snow to slow down, but we want to go fast too.”

Seohyun explains herself as we wait in line. Apparently she didn’t zigzag at all yesterday, and she ended up going down the hill at an uncontrollable speed, falling on her bottom pretty hard. “It was scary!” she insists.

I laugh at her. “Come on. Downhill skiing is only fun if you get some speed. If you want to be safe, go cross-country skiing!”

We arrive at the top of the hill; this time I encourage Seohyun to zigzag less. She naturally likes to turn her skis inward when she feels herself going too fast. Again on our run, she’s too timid and trying to brake – she falls.

We go back up for another try. A plan crosses my mind as we reach the top.

“Seohyun, do you trust me?” I ask.

She nods her head, but seems hesitant. “What are you going to do?”

“I want you to follow me down the hill. Forget going at your own pace. Your job is to be my shadow okay? Turn when I turn and you’ll be fine.”

Seohyun nods her head.

“Ready?”

“Yup.”

Without another word, I go down the hill on an angle, and let myself gather speed before I zag to the left, and then zag to the right. I look back ever so often, and Seohyun’s doing a good job keeping up with me.

We reach the bottom right behind one another, unscathed; Seohyun tells me that it was fun to go down the hill with some velocity. We do it again, but this time I gradually make less turns, and focus on picking up more speed. Seohyun doesn’t complain.

We lose track of Jessica and Tiffany when we get to the big bunny hill. I assume that they had already gone to the intermediate trails, so I repeat this process with Seohyun. She follows me well, though I try my best to make it easy for her.

By now, she’s grown accustomed to turning when I turn, and moving as I move. She doesn’t stumble or fall nearly as often as she did when she was so timid. I feel confident doing something different. I start going down the hill, but this time I take bigger turns. We reach the bottom quickly, and Seohyun is out of breath when we reach the bottom.

“Fun?”

Seohyun nods her head.

“See, it’s not so bad to go fast.”

We go back for one more run, this time with Seohyun leading. She understands the technique to pick up speed, to slow down, and she trusts herself. She’s learned well.

We head to the intermediate trails after reaching the bottom of the hill.

“I’m a good teacher, right?”

“Yeah, you are, Yoona.”

“That’s Ms. Im to you.”

Seohyun sticks out her tongue mockingly.

We proceed to the intermediate slopes, which are the busiest at the park, so we have time to chat as we wait for the chair lift – a ride that takes much longer.

“Did you have fun last night with Sooyoung and Min Kyung?”

“Yeah, they’re both really nice.”

“What’d you guys talk about?”

“The debate team, school, and stuff like that.”

“Did you guys talk about me?”

“Not everything is about you, Yoona.”

It crosses my mind that I should tell her about the note, but it isn’t her problem. The note was given to me, this person wanted to deal with me and me alone. She didn’t need to know – at least not until I know who it is.

“What do you think of Min Kyung?”

“She’s nice.”

“And?”

“And she likes to talk about people.”

“Gossip.”

“I learned a lot about people from school yesterday.”

I roll my eyes. As always, Min Kyung can’t help but talk about other people’s business.

“She thinks really highly of you, by the way.”

“She does?”

Seohyun smiles. “She said you’re the most confusing girl ever. More like a boy than a girl, yet so pretty she’s jealous.”

“Are you supposed to be telling me this?”

“Probably not.”

I grin.

“She asked about us, by the way.”

My eyes fly open. “And what’d you say?”

“You’re my best friend and that we’ve known each other since we were kids. I also told her about Tiffany too. We can’t forget her.”

“And?”

“That’s about it.”

“Did she ask you a lot of personal questions?”

“The three of us got to know each other well.”

Seohyun doesn’t warm to people quickly, so I’m happy to hear it.

After all, it wasn’t easy for her to open up to people about her past, specifically the passing of her father. In my heart, I believe that’s a part of the reason why Seohyun is so focused on looking forward rather than back. I always want to protect her when I can, but these memories – her life story – they aren’t her enemies. They’re a part of who she is.

I’m beginning to see that too. That one’s life isn’t only defined by happiness, but also sorrow. Failures lead to success, and that one must experience sorrow to enjoy happiness.

We finally get to the top of the intermediate ski hills and head to the mildest looking trail. Seohyun looks at me hesitantly before the run.

“It is supposed to be this steep?”

“It gets steeper. We’ll be fine. Just follow me, okay?”

The first run goes well without a hitch. After another run with her leading, we take on a more difficult hill. As I lead, I stumble on this one, skidding on some ice and falling on my .

Seohyun helps me up by offering her hand. “I’m rusty,” I insist.

“Yeah, right.”

“I am!”

She smiles. “Sure.”

As the afternoon goes on, we slowly get more and more daring with our runs, though we never head to the expert trails. Seohyun’s getting down the slopes with speed, and on our way back to meet everyone else, she confesses: “You’re right. Skiing is a lot better when you get some speed. I really had fun today.”

“I’m glad.”

We get to the café a few minutes early, and head inside to see Tiffany and Jessica drinking coffee and chatting. The two of them have warm looks on their faces, and I stop Seohyun from going to greet them.

“We should leave them alone.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just get drinks to go.”

Seohyun doesn’t argue. We line up and buy an apple cider to share as we wait outside. Mr. and Mrs. Choi arrive on time, and they help us return our rentals while we wait for Sooyoung and Min Kyung. Though they’re slightly late, they apologize. We end up bothering Tiffany and Jessica when Mr. and Mrs. Choi ask us where they are. We head to the rental shop to take care of any unfinished business, and take another shuttle bus back to the village.

Mr. and Mrs. Choi order some take-out from a chicken shop for convenience, and we head back to the condo together with plenty of food. Everyone immediately heads for the bedrooms or bathrooms to get out of their ski gear.

Once changed into more comfortable clothes, we all sit down in front of a hearty dinner of potato wedges, chicken, soup, and salad. It turns out that Mr. and Mrs. Choi had taken Min Kyung and Sooyoung along with them on expert trails, while Jessica and Tiffany were off on their own. We converse about our days, and Seohyun shares her runs with pride. After supper, Mr. and Mrs. Choi leave us to enjoy ourselves, and resign to their rooms early.

After cleaning up, we head to the sofas to watch a movie. Like me, Sooyoung isn’t particularly fond of romantic movies. We end up coming to a consensus and watch a thriller. The story revolves around a serial killer who faces off against a corrupt cop. The cop in question works as a pimp on the side, and the serial killer kills one of his girls. Popcorn is the perfect companion, so we microwave a bowl before we watch.

As the movie goes on, Seohyun jumps every time the director decides to throw in a sudden scare, and I realize that she’s leaning towards me as the movie progresses. I can’t believe that whole scary movie tactic actually works.

I glance over at Jessica and Tiffany and smile seeing the blonde resting her head on my friend’s shoulder. Min Kyung and Sooyoung are glued to the screen, barely even noticing the skin ship going on beside them.

We take a short break in the middle to get some drinks from the fridge, and we watch the tale until its ultimate conclusion. The killer gets killed by the cop, who does it out of vengeance rather than justice. The final scene has him standing over his e’s child, telling him that everything will be okay, when it really isn’t.

I clap my hands at the bittersweet ending. Stretching, I loosen up and the rest of the girls follow.

“What are our plans for tomorrow?” I ask.

“Skiing,” Sooyoung answers. “We’ll do some cross-country skiing in the morning. Slopes if you guys are up for it after, and then we’ll go to a really good Korean BBQ just down the street.”

The two of us share a grin. If there was one person that I would want to go to Korean BBQ with, it was Sooyoung.

Min Kyung looks over at Jessica and Tiffany. “Hey, you guys are college students right?”

“Right,” Tiffany answers.

Min Kyung quietly adds, “That means you’re of-age, right?”

Tiffany can see where this is going. “You want us to buy alcohol?”

Sooyoung also seems excited at the idea. “Could you?”

Jessica answers for Tiffany. “It’s just alcohol guys. It’s a beverage. You’re not missing out on much.”

“I’ve had alcohol before,” Min Kyung replies. “Yogurt-flavoured soju is my favourite. There’s a shop downstairs that sells it. It’d be nice if we all had some.”

Tiffany stares at Seohyun and I, bringing back memories of Andong. “Not tonight. How about we do something else?”

“Like?” Sooyoung asks.

“Play a game – a really simple game that’ll be a good ice breaker: Truth or dare.”

I can see Min Kyung’s eyes light up at the idea. Sooyoung also agrees.

Tiffany heads into her room and comes back with a deck of playing cards. She shuffles the deck swiftly in her hands, like a card shark, and explains: “If you draw an ace, you can pick someone to do truth or dare. If you draw a King, you keep it in your hand, and it’s your get out of free-jail card. You can use it to block a truth or dare. A queen means you can automatically do truth or dare back at the person that does it to you. Jacks allow you to skip a turn of picking up. You can choose when you use it. Any number card that is not a heart is a truth or dare card. If you pick it up, the group decides what to ask you.”

She lays the cards on the floor, and we all gather around. Shuffling them into a pile, Tiffany explains: “Youngest goes first.”

Seohyun nods her head.

“When’s your birthday?” Min Kyung asks.

“June 28^th,” she replies.

“So, you’re the youngest?”

“She skipped a grade,” I explain.

Seohyun draws the first card. It’s a 4 of clubs.

“Truth or dare?” Tiffany asks.

“Truth.”

All of us start throwing out suggestions. We finally arrive at one that the girls like: “What was your first impression of the each of us?”

Seohyun starts with Min Kyung. “You’re really pretty, and also really intimidating. I think people are intimidated because you’re always talking to someone or with a group of students. Still, I felt like you were a good person. Now that I’ve gotten to know you more, I feel very comfortable around you. You’re nice.”

The girl puts her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment. “Ah, I can see why you guys hang out with her. She’s so sweet.”

“Me! Me!” Sooyoung yells.

“Sharp-witted, naturally pretty, and smart. Yoona’s told me that you’re a joker, but I remember thinking you were super smart and confident.”

“And now that you know me better?”

“You’re a joker.”

Everyone laughs except Sooyoung.

“I’m just kidding, Sooyoung. You really are smart, confident, and pretty. I think the most important thing is that you know how to have fun. I think that’s a sign of intelligence.”

“I agree,” she answers, giving a cocky grin.

She moves onto Jessica, who perks up when it’s her turn.

“Cool.”

“That’s it?”

“You really do have a cool vibe. You’re really pretty too. All of you guys are pretty.”

She turns to Tiffany and me. “Tiffany, I’ve known you for so long; I don’t think I remember my first impression of you.”

“I remember mine: 'This girl is going to be my little sister. She's so damn cute'.”

Everyone lets out a collective ‘awww.’

“Do you remember your first impression of Yoona?” Tiffany asks.

Seohyun stares at me, and I can tell she does from her expression. Everyone’s egging her on, except me.

Please don’t say anything embarrassing. Please!

“I can’t sum it up in a single word,” Seohyun says. “We were so young when we first met. I don’t think I even knew what pretty or cool was.” She pauses.

“I know how I felt though. It was the first day of school, and I remember playing with a box of blocks. You came over, and you started helping me build a castle, but it didn’t look anything like it.” She smiles, reminiscing.

“You were so sure you knew how to do it, so you just kept telling me where to put the blocks. I didn’t say much back then; my mom said that I was going through a phase. Every other kid thought I was weird for being so quiet, but you were the only one willing to talk to me. You didn’t leave when I didn’t talk back; you stayed by my side, determined to build this castle with me. All the other kids felt like strangers to me, but you weren’t like them. I didn’t feel so alone with you around.”

Most of the room looks moved by her words. Tiffany has tears in her eyes, and I’m smirking as my heart chirps away happily.

“I’m still mad that she only called me cool though,” Jessica adds, causing the room to break out in laughter.

“Thanks, Seohyun. That’s really sweet.”

Sooyoung draws next, but she picks up an eight of hearts – keeping her safe. Then it’s Min Kyung’s turn, and she draws an Ace of Spades.

Everyone in the room gets excited, and Min Kyung looks around at all of us, stopping at me.

“Truth or dare?”

It’s Min Kyung, and she’s as crafty as Seohyun is smart.

“Dare.”

“Dare, huh? Only people with secrets pick that option.”

I couldn’t help but notice her word choice, and I’m in absolute disbelief. Is it really her? Was she going to tell me to kiss Seohyun?

“I dare you to do a kkab dance for us.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

I start doing my best kkab Gangnam Style dance, over exaggerating all my moves, and the pelvic s. The girls laugh their butts off. Sooyoung naturally starts joining me, even though she doesn’t have to.

Finally, it’s my turn. I draw a King, and let out a sigh of relief. A form of protection.

Tiffany draws next, and everyone agrees to ask her what her first kiss was like.

She explains, “Horrible. The guy literally just tried to shove his tongue down my mouth. It was gross.”

All the girls make various icky sounds, expressing their displeasure at the very thought.

“Most guys are terrible kissers,” Tiffany adds.

After a few more rounds, it’s clear that everyone is being cordial and avoiding any sensitive questions. Everyone’s tired, so we decide to continue the game another time.

We all decide to hit the showers to become marginally less greasy after a day of skiing. We draw cards to determine the order, and Seohyun is the last to go.

After my turn, I wait in the living room with Seohyun on the leather couch. I’m in my PJs, with wet hair, while Seohyun is still in her street clothes.

“Do you guys have enough room on your mattress for the three of you?” All three of them were pretty lanky.

Seohyun shrugs. “To be honest, Sooyoung slept on your bed last night by herself.”

“You were just with Min Kyung?”

“Yup.”

“Did she do anything weird?”

“Of course not. We just slept.”

I look around to make sure there aren’t any eavesdroppers, and whisper, “When are we going out on our first date by the way?”

“Didn’t we just have it today?”

“Seohyun, that’s not a date.”

She tilts her head. “It felt like one.”

“Still, we should go on a more official one during the holidays.”

“You need to study! Are you crazy?”

“You let me come to Jisan.”

“We promised Sooyoung.”

“Look, we’re going on our first date over the holidays. In fact, we’re going on lots of dates. And by the way, you need to help me study.”

Seohyun nods her head. “Fine, but it needs to happen before the 12^th.”

“Why?”

“My mom’s flying with me to Boston to look at places for us to live.”

I nod my head, feeling much more threatened by the prospect of her family picking up and moving to Boston than any silly little note. I’m happy she’s here with me, but the reality is that it’s getting closer.

Taking another quick look around, I sneak a kiss onto her cheek. I giggle a bit, feeling surprisingly childish at my sudden affection towards her. She’s slightly surprised.

We both jump in our seats as the bathroom door opens and Min Kyung comes out in her pyjamas with a towel around her hair. “Seohyun, it’s your turn!”

She nods. Min Kyung heads into their room and closes the door behind her.

Seohyun turns back to me, and gives me a quick peck back before she leaves. I smile from ear to ear.

“Good night,” she says.

“Good night.”

I get up, make my way to my bedroom, and open the door. I’m startled when I see Tiffany and Jessica sharing an intimate kiss. The two of them must have heard me enter, because they stop in surprise.

“Knock!” Tiffany shouts.

I know my face is flushed. I can see it in the mirror of the dresser by the bed. “You two! Wow! Really, right now? You know I’m supposed to sleep in that bed, right?”

Tiffany throws a pillow at me in rage. They’re both totally red with embarrassment. “I’ll give you guys a few more minutes,” I joke.

“Yoona! Just knock next time. Seohyun knocks, why don’t you?”

“I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Yoona, you don’t need to do that.”

I come in with a grin. “Oh, I do.” I grab the pillow from the floor and turn to head outside.

“Yoona! There’s room for you here!”

“Have a good night!” I tease.

Tiffany chases after me, but I assure her that I would prefer to sleep on a big comfy couch than squish onto a bed with two girls. Out of concern, she bothers Sooyoung for some sheets, and our host steps out of her bedroom with a clay facemask that causes me to burst out in laughter.

She mumbles a few words, but they’re not that audible, and places the flowery sheets and blankets onto the couch.

Everyone heads to bed without another word, and I turn off the lights in the living room to sleep. There’s a lot of space, and the cold winter air lingering in the living room is a nice contrast to the blankets that help keep the rest of my body toasty.

My eyes close and I drift into sleep.

Then, something bumps into me repeatedly. “Yoona.”  I’m groggy and slow to react.

“Yoona.”

I open my eyes and squint in the dark.

“Yoona.”

The voice is too familiar not to recognize. “Seohyun? What are you doing out here?”

“Can you move over and give me some space?”

I glance at the digital clock by the television set. 2:12. I move aside and let Seohyun snuggle into my sheets – though it’s a tighter fit on the couch than it would be on a bed. She wiggles her body beside mine - and though I’m really happy to see her – I’m also exhausted. I feel her wrap her fingers around mine under the sheets, and she gives me a gentle squeeze.

“By the way.”

My eyes are closed because I’m tired, but I manage to hear two words before I doze off:

“Sooyoung snores.”