“Yes, Uncle, I’ll be there soon,” the frost crackled beneath Myungsoo’s feet as he walked on the pavement, one hand shoved in his coat’s pocket. “I’ll just have to wait for Sungyeol in the terminal.”

  “Do you want me to pick you up?”

  The young man smiled. “We’re okay; thank you for your concern.”

  “Then, you should hurry over, hm? We missed you very much, Myungsoo-yah.”

  He couldn’t help but smile upon hearing that. “Yes.”

  They talked for a bit more, before finally hanging up. He checked the time on his phone, and walked on faster. The neon lights blinked relentlessly, casting their translucent glow on the ground, blanketed with white snow. Myungsoo walked slowly, his eyes fixed on the dancing colors, flickering with life. He looked to his side, and wondered how the situation would be if Daehyun was still around. With a yearning smile, he caressed the air—ever so slightly—and thought of his younger brother.

  “I miss you, even today,” he whispered. “But I’m glad I was able to spend one Christmas with you, Daehyun-ah.”

<:>

  Woohyun quickly buttoned his coat before dashing around the room, making sure that everything was in order before he left.

  “I already sent the gifts to your house’s address,” he informed Sunggyu over the laptop. “And Jieun’s, too. I’ll just go to Busan personally.”

  “It’s freezing cold in there,” his friend pointed out. “Will you be okay?”

  “I will be,” Woohyun assured him. “And the roads are still open, so I’ll survive.”

  Sunggyu smirked. “What are your plans for the holidays, then?”

  “I’ll return to Seoul afterwards; I already promised Hoya to spend some time with him.”

  “You do that.”

  Woohyun glanced at his silver wristwatch, and nodded. “I should be going now. I’ll contact you once I arrive in Busan.”

  “You still have their address, right?”

  “Right,” he waved at Sunggyu. “You can hang up now.”

  With that, he turned his laptop off and placed it in its bag. He stuffed the gadget into his rucksack, which also contained several spare clothes. The rest of his luggage, he decided to send it to Hoya’s place, instead. He already contacted the staff, so they would know what they’d do. He checked out of the hotel and breathed in the crisp air of Daegu. He looked around him, and he couldn’t help but notice the couples walking around.

  “What do you expect?” he murmured. “It’s Korea.”

  He tightened his grip on his strap, and ambled onto the nearest station.

<:>

  Sungyeol sat on one of the plastic benches inside the waiting area, eyes vacant and thoughts revolving around the toy car he bought several days ago. He stared at the wrapped box on his lap, reprimanding himself for being so naive.

  “It’s not like this toy can make things okay,” he whispered. Sighing, he took out his wallet to get some paper bills. He was about to stand up and pay for a ticket going to Seoul when he noticed the piece of paper Jin Gook gave him. Carefully, he took it out, and read the address carefully.

  Before he could even have cold feet, he impulsively ran to the other terminal and slammed his cash against the counter. Slightly panting, he breathed out, “One ticket to Busan, please.”

<:>

  Myungsoo was already waiting in the terminal when he received a call from Sungyeol. He was looking at the bleak sky, with a smile playing on his lips. The droning frequency was present as he listened to his friend’s explanation.

  “I’ll see you sometime, then,” he finally said.

  “I’m sorry,” Sungyeol replied.

  “Don’t be,” Myungsoo walked over to the vending machine, and inserted some loose change into the slot. He chose a can of warm coffee. “This is better, than realizing that it’s already too late.”

  Both friends stayed quiet; Sungyeol knew what his friend had meant. They dropped the call, and as Myungsoo headed for the subway station, he couldn’t help but notice the changes, no matter how subtle or obvious they were. And he learned, that despite the pain, they all flourished in one way or another. And they would keep on thriving, so long as they were alive.

  The train sent in a draft before coming to a complete halt. The door hissed open in front of Myungsoo, and along with the sea of faces, he rushed into the vehicle.

<:>

  “He went to Busan,” was Myungsoo’s brief explanation when the Bae family asked about Sungyeol’s whereabouts. Sungjong was already out of the house by that time, considering that he needed to be home to celebrate with his family.

  While waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Bae, Sang Moon and Myungsoo stayed in the living room. Suzy was upstairs, saying she had to get something. Myungsoo’s eyes were set on the pieced-together action figure, standing tall in the glass case.

  “It’s your second Christmas with us,” Sang Moon began, his voice warm. “I’m happy, hyung.”

  He tousled the younger one’s hair, eyes sparkling with fondness. “I’m happy, too.”

  “Are you going to graduate soon?”

  “There’s only one module left, and if I get through that, then I’m done.”

  Sang Moon nodded. “You’re officially an adult, once you step out of university. I still have a long way to go.”

  “Enjoy the ride,” Myungsoo advised. “Don’t stress yourself out too much.”

  “Then, hyung, what’ll you do once you graduate?”

  “I’m going to compose songs for music agencies,” he answered. “Or maybe even become a music teacher. There are many possibilities, Sang Moon-ah.”

  Sang Moon chuckled. “You and noona have similar responses. She says she just wants to write stories or lyrics, though. Or maybe become a literature teacher.”

  “Then what about you, Sang Moon? Do you have anything in mind?”

  The teenager looked up thoughtfully, and said, “I want to keep my options open.”

  Myungsoo laughed out of amusement. “But of course.”

  At that moment, Suzy came running down the stairs, a huge, black paper bag in hand. “Myungsoo, have this.”

  She set the bag on the table. Myungsoo looked at it. “What’s this?”

  “A present,” she answered, smiling. “Open it.”

  With careful hands the young man took out the first box. He carefully pulled one end of the bow and unraveled the string completely. He lifted the box, and his eyes widened upon seeing a sleek, black suit.

  “It’s from Sunggyu,” Suzy explained. “He said he wants his brother to look his best during job interviews. And the next one is from Sang Moon and I.”

  Myungsoo fought the lump in his throat. Brother.

  Regaining his composure, he took the velvet, rectangular box from the bag. He removed the top, and what greeted him was a skinny tie which perfectly matched the suit.

  “It’s not that much,” Sang Moon filled in. “But I hope you like it.”

  “It means a lot to me,” Myungsoo choked out. “Thank you. My presents for you are under the tree—”

  “We’ll open it together, once we return home later,” Suzy cut in, smiling. “Mom and Dad said we can wait in the car. We’ll eat out and play.”

<:>

  Woohyun stopped dead on his tracks upon seeing Sungyeol, standing outside the frozen gate. Tiny puffs of mist appeared in front of his mouth in rapid succession, and from the man’s posture alone, he knew just how tense he was.

  He looked at his smartphone to check that he got the right address. Woohyun stood in silence, and he tried to put the pieces together. His eyes widened with the sudden realization. And so, with careful steps, he approached the young man.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” Woohyun greeted casually.

  Sungyeol turned his head, and his shoulders did not relax, even if he was already familiar with Woohyun. The two stood in awkward silence. Sungyeol moved first; he clenched the bag he was holding.

  “Miss Hara?” Woohyun finally began. “You’re looking for her?”

  Sungyeol didn’t respond. He was too taken aback to say anything.

  He smiled. “It’s a small world. I didn’t know she’s living here, too. I’m here to deliver a gift—it’s from a friend.”

  “Sunggyu?” Sungyeol suggested.

  Woohyun’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

  The other managed to choke out a smile. “It really is a small world. My friend is close with the Bae family.”

  The older one cocked his head. “Myungsoo. I met him a few times, whenever Sunggyu would chat with his siblings.”

  Sungyeol slowly nodded. It was a pleasant surprise, but his nervousness got the better of him. He couldn’t even mull over their fascinating meeting. He was cold, but his heart was racing. At a distance, Christmas jingles played. Several people would walk through the street every now and again, exchanging cheerful chatters in an accent both needed some time adjusting to.

  “Did you press the doorbell yet?” Woohyun questioned.

  Sungyeol shook his head.

  “How long have you been standing here?” he looked at the young man’s gloveless hands. They were already red. Sighing, Woohyun checked his phone. “I actually have to catch my bus, so I can’t exchange formalities with this family for long.”

  “What are—”

  Woohyun quickly handed him the parcel he was supposed to deliver, together with a note. “Everything you need to know is in there. Have a Merry Christmas.”

  He winked at him, rang the doorbell, and stormed off into a run.

  “Woohyun!” Sungyeol yelled, but he had to compose himself because someone started asking for him from the house. Stuttering, he managed to say, “I-I’m here to deliver a parcel from Kim Sunggyu.”

  “Come in.”

<:>

  “Sang Moon!” Suzy shrieked, but it was too late. With a dull thud, she fell on her bottom. The laughter of his younger brother echoed within the skating rink. With a mischievous grin, he skated farther away from her, the blades of his shoes shaving tiny bits of ice from the porcelain surface.

  Myungsoo smoothly glided over Suzy and stood in front of her. He outstretched his right hand. “Get up.”

  She looked up at the figure towering over her, and smiled sheepishly. “Thanks.”

  “I never expected this to be your weakness,” he remarked, as she took his waiting hand. He pulled to help her with her weight.

  “That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” she grunted. Her grip tightened, and Myungsoo guided her by placing his free hand on her shoulder.

  “You okay?”

  Suzy shook her head. “I’m really bad at skating. I’ll just go to the bench over there and watch.”

  “We paid for this, though,” Myungsoo reasoned out. “And Aunt and Uncle’s still somewhere. I can’t let you out of my sight.”

  She scoffed. “Myungsoo, I’ll only stay several feet away from the rink.”

  Myungsoo bit his lower lip, and smiled. “I’ll just teach you, then.”

  “I’m a slow learner,” she reasoned out.

  “I’ll endure,” he returned. “I won’t let go of you, I promise.”

  The both of them suddenly paused. Realizing the weight of the words he just let go of, he looked the other way, cheeks burning. Suzy did the same, and coughed to brush the awkwardness away.

  They were doing nothing aside from standing in the middle of a frozen floor, holding hands and exchanging warmth from there. To others, it may mean nothing. But to Myungsoo, he somehow wanted that moment to last. All of a sudden, a sharp zip of air flew between them. Suzy gasped, and she fell once again. She glowered at the culprit.

  “Hold my hand, too.” Sang Moon snapped.

<:>

  “You’re home earlier than expected,” Hoya said, the moment he saw Woohyun standing in front of his apartment’s door. “How’s the man you were interviewing?”

  “He’s spending his holidays with his distant relatives,” Woohyun ed his coat and hung it near the radiator. “Are we going somewhere?”

  “Yeah, a little later,” Hoya went to the kitchen and turned the kettle on. He took out two mugs from the cupboard above him. “It’s a class reunion.”

  “It’ll be a noisy night, then.”

  “It should be,” Hoya smirked. “She’s coming, as well.”

  Woohyun looked at his friend, who was already giving him a knowing smile. He carried on, “Jung Nicole.”