The Spark Of Christmas

The seven best friends—brothers—squish themselves together on the sofa. They’re all at Dongwoo’s house, getting ready for their yearly Christmas movie night. Dongwoo’s parents are as always, staying at one of their business friend’s houses partying their asses off. He gathers all the holiday movies and reality shows they’re going to watch and plops himself down between Sungyeol and Hoya.

Sunggyu’s on the farthest left side, a bit weary, but more than glad to be with his brothers on such a special day. It turned out that he and the café girl was really just a one-time thing after all, but the fact that there’s somebody out there that understands what he’s going through, is more than enough to take him from the pain. Sungjong’s sat between Myungsoo and Sunggyu, and with an obvious reason, is smiling his off as if there’s no tomorrow. Although he’s young, it’s as if he had hit the jackpot earning a kiss from Soomi, and there’s nothing else an innocent kid can feel better about other than scoring one with his first crush.

Woohyun, cocky and conceited beside Hoya, is still a tad mesmerized by what had happened with him and his girlfriend. Plus the dude had some great makeup , which in his book, makes a big difference. Hoya amongst everyone, is day dreaming about how he’s going to move out of the house, and get ready for his first move in his big adventure. The excitement and freedom to chase his dreams makes him tingly inside and a large smile’s left glued to his face.

Myungsoo’s seated on the farther right, smiles at the warmth of the house and doesn’t say anything for the moment. It takes time to move on, but he’s willing to take the next step and that’s all that really matters. A cheeky Sungyeol is playing with the television remote as he flicks through the channels in foolishness. He wonders how Christmas could get any better than spending quality time with his girlfriend and now being with his pals in this cold night.

And during all this pondering and recent events, the only one left is Dongwoo. He glances at all his friends and smirks in wonderment. After hearing every one of their stories, all unique and heart clenching, there’s this undeniable feeling of being left out. There’s a silence that controls the air as the seven of them wait for the movie to start and oddly, Dongwoo exhales a chuckle. The sound is puzzling and unlike his nature, and so now all six of his friends stare at him in bewilderment.

He chuckles at the attention and shakes his head. "Everybody’s so caught up with the tangles of life, it makes me wonder what I’m doing wrong." Dongwoo bites his lips in hesitation on whether he should go on or not. However the look on everyone’s faces makes him continue.

"I mean, you guys all have something to be so happy for. And I don’t have anything to tell you guys about. I feel…" The boy tries to find the right word to describe it all. "Boring." He considers his choice of vocabulary before nodding his head at his own words. "I’m not feeling the magic yet. The Magic of Christmas. I don’t feel it. Listening to all you guys, it just, I don’t know."

Hoya places a firm hand on Dongwoo’s shoulder in reassurance. "You don’t need anything to happen to you to feel the Christmas spirits. Actually, I think you should be glad you didn’t after hearing all our crap." Laughters of agreement spread through the atmosphere.

"That’s right! Christmas is about looking at the bright side." Sunggyu adds on, grinning at his new life lesson.

"Yeah, and making sure that you make everything count, so you don’t regret it in the future." The youngest nods his head.

"As long as you say the things you need to say." Woohyun points out. "And having a great time doing so." He winks at his joke and everyone groans at his greasiness.

"And make sure that who you are is really you." Hoya smirks.

"I agree. It’s about staying who you are and nobody else just to suit others." Sungyeol smiles.

With all this advice, Dongwoo nods his head in laughter. "Looks like you guys all learned something today huh." He closes his eyes for a brief moment. "Christmas is about spending time with the ones you love. And I think I’m doing a pretty good job." Dongwoo looks at his brothers in content and sighs. "I really do have so much to be happy for."

And in that same moment, everyone cheers. "Merry Christmas!"