Yongsun stops the car in the driveway of her childhood home, stretching her legs in the driver’s seat after the drive. A smile forms on her lips. Her parents have gone overboard with the Christmas decorations, as usual. The huge Santa Claus hanging from the roof looks especially extravagant. Yongsun is usually amused to no end by such sheer tackiness, so she’s about to point it out to her girlfriend sitting in the passenger’s seat. But when she turns, she sees Byulyi staring into nothing.

Yongsun unfastens her seatbelt and lays a hand on Byulyi’s stomach affectionately. “Hey.”, she says when she notices the younger woman breathing a bit faster than normal. “Are you nervous?”

Byulyi gulps laboriously and nods, her eyes still avoiding Yongsun. Her seatbelt gets unfastened too by her girlfriend’s steadier hands.

The older woman’s hand travels up to Byulyi’s sternum, her thumb drawing reassuring circles. “I get it, Byul-ah, I can’t ask you not to be – but it’s going to be fine, I promise.”

The words don’t seem to be having any effect. “They’re gonna fall for your charms just like I did,” Yongsun adds, smiling softly and moving her hand further up to cup her girlfriend’s hot cheek. Byulyi lowers her face to kiss the older woman’s palm.

“What if they don’t?” She murmurs quietly into it.

“Their loss,” Yongsun replies, meaning it.

“What if they don’t like me and that makes you realize you don’t either?”

Yongsun sighs. She knows Byulyi well enough to know when she’s starting to spiral. “Look at me,” her index finger moves to the side of her girlfriend’s chin and flickers there to nudge her. Byulyi’s eyes finally meet Yongsun’s.

“Byul-ah, you and I both know that, since we started dating, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.” A hint of a smile starts to shine in the younger woman’s eyes. “My parents know this too – they see it with their own eyes. I’m not stupid enough to let you go, and they would never dislike someone who makes their daughter this happy.”

Byulyi plants a lingering kiss on Yongsun’s hand, and then leans forward to do the same to her lips. “Unless I was, like, a drug dealer. Or an anti-Christmas decorations activist.”

“Hey! You have no right to judge,” Yongsun complained, laughing in relief at her girlfriend being relaxed enough to once again.

“You have to admit the whole ensemble is just a tad excessive.”

“Well…” Yongsun and Byulyi both glance at the vast array of lights, bells, garlands, reindeers and candy canes decorating the façade of the house. Until their eyes land on a sash window opening from the inside of the Kim’s kitchen. Yongsun’s parents are leaning out of it and wave at them with enthusiasm, big smiles on their faces.

“Uh-oh, they saw us,” the older woman comments, smiling at her girlfriend and taking her hand.

Byulyi squeezes Yongsun’s hand and waves back at the older couple, returning their smiles. “Let’s go, I can’t wait to meet them.”