Missed Christmases

Perks of having a filthy rich uncle: Once in a while he invites you to his ski resort for the winter holidays.

And you get to stay with his family in his palace-like home for about two weeks, and be treated like a princess at least during that time.

The last time you visited them, you had been barely fourteen years old, so that’s the last time you skied. It had been terrible, and your younger brother still teases you about it whenever skiing is mentioned.

Who cares? You think. Uncle will provide me handsome ski coaches to teach me skiing… You stifle a giggle at the thought of it and get off the cab in front of the large porch.

The large European style house is still the same, the garden is still lined up with white hydrangea bushes, the walls are white and so

Is every piece of furniture arranged along the porch. You straighten your back pack and run inside, to find your aunt waiting for you in the very fancy living room.

“Look how much you have grown sweetheart!” the middle aged lady squeals as you run into her arms, and pulls you into a tight embrace. “Was the trip here exhausting darling?” she’s super worried as always, because her children are both boys, and she adores you like anything.

“Not at all auntie.” You grin in reply. “I travel in public transport all the time in Seoul. So a cab ride is not tiring at all.”

“Let’s have lunch first sweetheart.” She urges you to take off your backpack. “You must be starving. After that you can wash up, unpack and rest.”

You spend the first day of your vacation roaming around the house, with your younger cousin Haechan at your heels all along. While you were in Seoul, the boy had grown into a fine young man, and now had more important things to talk with you than anime heroes, like he did when you visited last time. It’s nearly ten at night when your uncle comes home, and you’re again pulled into another bone-crushing hug before he examines you and declare that you’re in perfect shape for skiing. And you go to bed fantasizing about the next day, and fall asleep while watching snowflakes pile up on you window pane.

* * *

“YOU?”

“Yeah, me.” Your uncle grins at you, and adjusts his helmet.

“You’re teaching me skiing?” you ask him in disbelief. “No way uncle.”

“Why?” he puts on his gloves and raises his eyebrows at you. “I was the provincial ski champion back in the 80’s you know!”

“But-”

This is too early for your dreams to come shattering down, yet now you have got no choice, but to let him teach you skiing. Sighing, you flop down on the snow.

“Get up girl! By this evening, you’ve got to master the art of skiing!”

One hour of barely balancing yourself on the skis, another hour of sighing and watching other people jovially ski and have the time of their lives, and uncle declares that he’s starving and you take a break for lunch. After lunch, determined to actually learn the sport and enjoy yourself, you give keen attention to your uncle and start a somewhat long distance downhill skiing.

It takes a few seconds for your fear to subside and the excitement of the slide start getting to you, and you hear the distant shout of your uncle screaming something about boots. Yet you are too excited to pay attention, and to feel the slight loosening on your boot buckle.

The next second, your left boot buckle snaps open, and before you know it, you slide in a wrong and land on your slide, with your left ankle bent in a horribly wrong angle.

A whimper is all you can manage to let out, and as you hear your uncle shout and run towards you in thick snow, your vision goes blur with the searing pain in your ankle.

* * *

“Are you sure Yixing?” you wake up hearing your aunt’s anxious voice. “If the ankle is the only problem…why isn’t she waking up?”

“It’s probably just the shock of facing an unexpected accident, Mrs. Lee.” You hear an unfamiliar male voice with a slight foreign accent. “Seeing her ankle bent in an odd angle must have made her realize the severity of her injury, and it must have terrified her. And the pain is adding to it, that’s why she’s not waking up.”

Why is this dude talking about me as such a weakling?

Annoyed, you open your eyes, to show that you’re perfectly alive and are well, and see the face of the foreign-like voice.

An idol???

“Ooohhh…you’re finally awake darling!!!” your aunt starts fussing over you from head to toe, not giving you a break to ask why an idol is standing beside your bed, clad in such a professional looking suit and staring at you so intently. “I was terrified when your uncle brought you home from the emergency room, with a cast on your ankle and unconscious…”

“She nearly strangled abhuji.” Haechan giggles standing next to the idol-like-guy.”

“What’s wrong with my leg?” you ask, trying to sit up on the bed.

Mr. Foreign Idol reaches for your pillow and straightens it, and helps you lean comfortably on the headboard. “A small fracture on your left talus. It’s been casted, so you only have to get rest until it heals.” He gives you a small smile.

“My left…what?”

“Talus. Your ankle bone.” He explains.

“Oh…” you mutter, feeling stupid.

“This is Doctor Zhang. He treats Haechan’s back injury since two years.” You uncle walks closer to your bed and assures you. “Trust me. He’s the best. You won’t find a better physiotherapist even in Seoul.”

“Doctor Zhang?” you ask, curiously looking at him. “Doctor, are you Chinese?”

“Chinese. Yep.” He smiles. “Zhang Yixing. I won’t say ‘nice to meet you’ because people don’t meet me if they’re in a nice condition.”

You smile at his little joke. “So will you make sure that I can walk again without a limp?”

“A limp?” he raises his eyebrows. “Oh my gosh…your injury is not that serious for you to get a limp! Just get plenty of rest, so we can start your therapy soon.” He turns to your uncle. “I’ll get going now Mr. Lee.” He says. “Have an appointment at seven.”

“When can we start physiotherapy Yixing?” Your uncle asks.

“Probably in two weeks. I’ll come and check her reports in about ten days, and if her condition is good, we can start the therapy right away.”

* * *

Without realizing, you count the ten days until you see the Idol Therapist once again.

“He’s handsome isn’t he?” Haechan asks with a smirk, when Yixing’s Sedan enters through the gates and you peek through the window. “I saw you shooting hearts with y