Hi everyone :) The following chapter isn't really related to the current plot. This chapter's Christmas story is about back when Aemi, Elle and Exo-K studied aboard in Canada. Exo-K wasn't famous yet; they were all just normal people. Anyways, I hope you guys like it! 

Elle

It's that time of the year again. The streets are filled with outdoor decorations creating a very festive Christmas mood. I, however, was never a big fan of Christmas ever since I started studying aboard here. I don't know the exact length of time, but I know that ever since I started attending middle school, I never got to celebrate Christmas with my family anymore. The plane tickets my parents offered me was to come back here to study when summer ended, and one to go back when summer starts. My studying fees are already a heavy burden for them, so I never dared ask for a ticket to go back during the holidays. Plus, they kept telling me that it was not worth it, since the time I would spend back in my home country isn't long compared to the time I would be able to spend during the summer. I would have tried earning my own money to buy it, but I still couldn't get a job because the people who interviewed me kept saying I was too young.

Seeing so many people smiling and excited for tomorrow really annoys me a lot. Couples are hugging each other and begging the other a hint on what their Christmas gift is. Children are pointing to their parents the toys they like when they're window shopping. Man I really hate being out of my house during this time of the year. It just really depresses me.

The only reason why I'm out here right now on Christmas Eve morning is because I still need to find Aemi's Christmas gift. There was a snowstorm for the past two days, so I didn't get the chance to go out. Despite not having much Christmas spirit, I still buy a gift for her because I know she likes Christmas a lot, even though she's living in the same situation as I am. She can't celebrate Christmas with her family either.

Me

Children are holding their parents' hands while strolling in the cheerful streets in the late morning. I smile as I see many smiling children tug their parents' sleeve in order to take them to their favorite toy store. I sure wish I could be in their place right now--to be able to spend Christmas time with your family…

I saw a family of five and it reminded me a lot of my own. A girl around my age was holding the hands of her two younger sisters, while their parents followed behind them… If only I could go back to see my family… I really miss them a lot; especially during this time of the year.

At my apartment, we have no tree, no decorations what so ever. I kinda wanted to put one, but I know it'll annoy Elle. Despite having to be away from my family during the holidays, I still really like Christmas. It's wonderful time for giving. Elle, she completely lost her Christmas spirit and probably all meaning towards this holiday. I can't blame her though. Me, at least, my family gives me a call to wish me a merry Christmas, while she gets none. Since the first Christmas I spent with her, I never heard her saying that her family called. Poor girl.

*VIBRATE VIBRATE*

A message distracted me from my train of thoughts. I unlock my phone's screen and  I see a video my mom sent me. It was a video with my little sisters smiling and yelling merry Christmas to me.

"Mewwy Chwistmas Aemiiiii!" my youngest sister smiled widely. Haha… She still can't pronounce her r's yet. That's so cute! My other sister was showing me the presents she received so far, and she was pouting a lot and complaining how Mum did not allow her to open them yet haha. At the end of the video, I see my parents and my sister waving at me and my mum reminded me to wear enough clothes when I go out into the cold. 

I smile at this video, and squeeze my phone tightly as if it were a precious treasure. The video is though.

At the same time, a wave of loneliness strikes me. Man… I would give anything to be back home right now…

I shake my head to get these lonely and depressing feelings away. Okay Aemi. Be positive! You still have to find Elle's gift. She may not like Christmas, but try to change that again this year! The previous years were a failure, but I will at least make her smile this year! Just us two celebrating is kinda lonely, but it's better than nothing. Though, it would have been awesome if Exo-K was here too. Too bad they're all going back to Korea until the school starts. Oh well, I hope they'll have fun back home!

Kai

"Dude, the girls didn't spot you leave the apartment right?" I said to Sehun on the phone.

"Nope, they were both gone before I came out. I really like your idea of lying to them, saying we were suppose to leave this morning. They're going to be so surprised later!" said Sehun excitedly.

"One of my brightest ideas ever." I said proudly as I played with the spare apartment key Elle and Aemi gave me in case of an emergency. "Do you roughly know how much time we have to decorate their place?"

"I heard them saying that they're buying each others' gifts in different parts of town, so I would say at least a good 3 to 4 hours." said Sehun confidently.

"Okay good. Now go pick up the tree!" I ordered him and hung up. I text Chanyeol and Baekhyun who were each following Aemi and Elle in order to confirm that they were really away from here. I wouldn't want the surprise to be spoiled.

Suho called me telling me that he bought the missing decorations we needed, and D.O. called me saying that he bought the food and he's rushing back home to cook the Christmas meal.

Okay. Things seem to be going well so far. Now that I'm sure Aemi and Elle aren't coming back anytime soon, I use the spare key to go into their apartment and started clearing up a spot for the tree.

This idea came to me around mid-December. I noticed that each time Aemi saw a family shopping for Christmas gifts, her face had a mixture of happiness, envy, and loneliness. I asked her if she was going back to her home country during Christmas break, and she just sadly shook her head. I assumed that she was sad because she couldn't spend Christmas with her parents and two younger sisters. Elle on the other hand… Each time she saw Christmas decorations or something, her face turns dark and annoyed. I asked Aemi what was wrong with her, and she said that Elle is not a big fan of Christmas since middle school.

When Exo-K and I went to their apartment, we noticed that there were zero Christmas decorations in there. That's where my idea came from. Exo-K and I decided to not go back to Korea this year. Instead, we're going to stay here to spend Christmas with our two friends. We haven't known each other for a long time, but we're already close friends. As a good friend, I can't stand seeing them this miserable.

I hope they'll like our gift.

Elle

I can't believe we both spent an entire day shopping. I mean, we got out of the house before lunch time. I didn't think I would have needed so many hours in order to find the perfect gift.

I had to fight, but I managed to buy the jacket Aemi kept looking at for the past month. I went to many different stores, but they all said it was sold out. Luckily, I found the last one at the 8th store I tried. The great part is that it’s even on sale! There was this other girl who grabbed the jacket after I had it in my hands for like a minute, and she kept saying that it was hers. I wasn't really in my best mood today, so I just pushed her to the ground and went to pay for the jacket before she could annoy me about it any further. When I was about to leave, she kept yelling names at me. I really don’t care what kind of insults she throws at me, but I was a bit freaked out when she launched herself at me to bite my hand. God… Is this girl crazy?! Luckily for my fast reflexes, I shoved a pair of socks that was nearby me into and just left the shop before she could do anything else. Man… People these days.

I call Aemi to see if she's done with her shopping yet.

"I'm almost done! I'm paying for your gift as we speak!" said Aemi excitedly. She seems quite proud of the gift she picked out.

"Haha… Cool. Meet me at the Starbucks we usually go to." I said.

"Sure thing! Later!"

Me

I spotted a very nice sound system when I passed by an electronics shop on my way to Starbucks.

Should I be slightly more generous this year…? This would be a great gift for Exo-K, I mean Elle and I did break their sound system last month. I bet they were really angry when that happened, but they just didn't show it. We offered to pay for it, but they kept insisting not to.

It's a bit expensive for a gift, but it's for the six of them. I wonder if Elle would want to chip in!

I called her, and surprisingly, she was pretty happy about the idea. Okay then, if we each pay, then it's not THAT expensive, though we will both still have to use up one month's worth of lunch money, but that's okay. It'll be like a diet thing haha. If it's for Exo-K, it's worth it. 

"Would you like this to be wrapped Miss?" the cashier asked me.

"Sure."

After wrapping the big box, I realize I'm going to have to carry this thing all the way home. Paying for delivery isn't really worth it so… Time to use your muscles Aemi! Though… I don't really have any haha.

The box was quite heavy, but I can still manage. Well, as long as I don’t have to carry it for too long, I'm still going to be okay. One thing's for sure, I will make it to Starbucks haha.

"Hey Aemi–– WOAH." Elle's eyes widenned at the box when I joined her at our usual table in Starbucks.

"Awesome isn't it?" I smiled.

"I'll carry it on our way back home." she promised. "Oh and here's your money back and I ordered a Peppermint Mocha for you."

"Cool thanks! The drink is perfect. I was slightly freezing from the cold." I said and took a sip of my hot drink. Yum! My favorite holiday Starbucks drink! 

"Anyways, so when do we give Exo-K their gift?" Elle asked.

"Um… The day they come back I guess." I said. "By the way, I got your gift right here! I can't wait for you to open it!" I wanted to make her curious hehe.

"That's a pretty big bag…" she said incredulously. "Your gift isn’t as big, but I had to fight to get it." She waved a very nicely wrapped gift bag.

"You're making me even more curious! I can't wait for tomorrow; I'm dying to know what it is."

After finishing our drinks, and sitting a little more to rest our legs, we decided to head home.

"Who's cooking tonight?" Elle asked. We both cook very well, but at the same time, we're both really lazy haha.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" I asked and she agreed.

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!" we said together.

"Damn! I always lose at this game!" she frowned. It's true! She really does!

"I still don't get why you can never win in this game. It doesn't even take any skills!" I . The reason behind why she keeps losing is because she always puts out paper at the first round haha. That's why I always win against her.

"Can I at least choose what to cook?" Elle asked.

"Sure."

"Instant ramen it is then!" she smiled evilly. Darn… She chose the easy way out of cooking!

"Lazy bum." I .

Kai

"The cooking is done." said D.O. proudly. When he entered Aemi and Elle's apartment, he brought along a delicious scent of the food he has been cooking for the past few hours.

"Hyung… Are Aemi and Elle going to be back soon?" Sehun asked Suho.

"I'm not sure, but I think soon? Why do you ask?" Suho asked the kid.

"Because D.O. hyung smells really good, and I feel like eating him." he his lips hungrily like a child, while eyeing D.O. as if he were fried chicken.

"Oh boy…" said D.O. worriedly, slightly distancing himself from the hungry Sehun. 

"Shhhh! Hide! They're at the door now!" Baekhyun whispered and shooed us to go find a hiding place.

"Yes!" Sehun cheered at the lowest volume possible. "We can eat soon~"

I shook my head at what Sehun said. It was a bit hard to find a place to hide in the living room, since it wasn't very big, and the furniture wasn't very tall either. I was about to duck behind the couch, but it turns out Chanyeol was already there. Damn… There are already two people behind the kitchen counter, and Sehun and Baekhyun hid behind the two long curtains. I hear the key being inserted into the keyhole, and I start panicking. I look around me and I spot a blanket. I throw myself on the couch and cover myself with the blanket, hoping Aemi and Elle won't spot me.

"Real original…" Sehun peeked from his hiding spot and stuck out his tongue.

"Oh shut up…" I rolled my eyes and I stopped talking because I heard footsteps entering the apartment.

"Aemi, help me bring this to my bedroom. It's really heavy!" said Elle.

"Alright! Hold on, let me just take off my shoes…" I heard Aemi say. Okay, so they're not coming to the living room yet. Our plan was that once we hear them approaching the living room and hear their reaction towards the tree and decorations, we will all pop out of our hiding place.

After a few minutes, we hear their footsteps approaching. Time to start the plan!

"Oh my god…" Aemi gasped and dropped something on the ground.

"A burglar decorated our apartment!" Elle exclaimed. Not quite the reaction I expected from her, but anyways, she sounds surprised haha.

That's our cue to get out of our hiding spot!

I lift the blanket off of me, and spot the other guys. Aemi and Elle were looking at us with wide opened mouths.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU TWO!" we all cheered as we went to join where they were standing. They were still staring at us with their mouths wide open.

"Hello? Guys? You here?" Chanyeol waved his hand in front of their eyes.

"I thought you guys left for Korea this morning!" said Aemi.

"We were lying, haha. We didn't even buy our tickets to go back. We're spending Christmas here with you guys." Baekhyun smiled.

"We knew you guys would be spending Christmas alone again this year, so we decided to stay so that you'll feel happier." Suho explained to them.

"It was all Kai's idea!" Sehun said, causing me to rub the back of my neck embarrassingly. I'm proud of my idea, but I don't want this much attention.

"You guys stayed behind just for us…?" Aemi said. Her eyes were kinda watery, and tears were on the edge of flowing down her cheeks.

"Yeah… We wanted you guys to have a nice and fun Christmas. This is our gift to you! So, what do you think of your place now?" I gestured their living room. "Do you like it?"

"Oh my god I love it!! It reminds me so much of my house back home! The tree is so well decorated and the living room is so festive now! Thank you guys!" she hugged me tightly causing me to blush and went to hug the others.

"What about you Elle? Do you like it?" I asked her while biting my lip. I was a bit afraid she might not like all this.

"I don't like it…" she said causing all of our shoulders to deflate. "I LOVE it. Thank you." she gave us one of her rare small smiles. What a relief…

"Hyung! Look! Elle's so happy she's on the verge of crying!" Sehun pointed at Elle's face. He was right; her eyes are watery.

"No I'm not! I don't cry! So shut up!" she mumbled, and tried to have a composed face. Haha, this is so funny! She may not say much, but by the reaction she showed us, we all know that she's really thankful for what we did.

"We're both really thankful for what you guys did. This is the best Christmas we've ever had since we started studying here!" Aemi said and Elle nodded in agreement.

"Should we give it to them now?" Elle asked Aemi and she nodded with a wide smile. What are they talking about?

"What are you guys talking about?" Chanyeol asked curiously.

"We'll be right back!" Aemi said and Elle followed her as they left the living room.

Me

"I never guessed they would do something like this." Elle said.

"I know right. I'm so glad we bought this gift. It's such a perfect time to give them their gift after all they did today." I smiled as I lifted one side of the box while Elle lifted the other side.

"Let's hope they'll like this." Elle said.

As we arrive to the living room, the boys were look at us and the box curiously.

"It looks like a treasure chest!" Sehun said.

"I know it’s just Christmas Eve, but you guys can open it now." I said. "It's from Elle and me."

They sat down in circle with the box in the middle. Sehun was the one who unwrapped the gift and their curious faces turned into super happy ones.

"No way. You got us a sound system?! That's so awesome!" said Chanyeol.

"We felt bad for breaking your old one, so… Ta-dah!" I smiled and gestured their gift.

"Merry Christmas guys. " Elle said. They were giving us endless thankyou's as they admire the gift we bought.

"I'm so glad you guys like it." I said. Since we're all opening gifts now… "Hey Elle, you want to open yours right now?"

"Sure, why not?" She went to grab my gift while I got hers.

I open my gift, and it's the jacket I've been debating whether or not I should buy it. I thought it was sold out! 

"So this is the gift you had to fight for?" I asked her.

"Yeah, the girl tried to bite me. So barbaric of her…."

"Girls can be quite scary when it comes to shopping…" Kai commented and I totally agree with him.

"I love it, thank you!" I gave her a hug. "Now open yours!"

She started laughing when she saw what I got her.

"Oh my god, they are so cute!" she hugged the Ikea plushies I got her. I got her a broccoli and a carrot plush haha.  

"HAHAHA." Baekhyun laughed as he saw my gift. "Aemi's encouraging you to eat more veggies. It'll help you grow more!"

"Hey! I'm not that short!" she said and hit Baekhyun's head with the broccoli causing all of us to laugh.

"I'm hungry…" I heard Sehun mumbled to himself as he rubbed his tummy.

Elle

"You guys must be hungry. I'll go cook something up for you." I said. I actually heard Sehun's stomach make noise. He must be starving. I wonder if they'll mind if I make them all instant ramen haha. Don't get me wrong, I am genuinely happy for all they did for us. I feel forever indebted to them, but I'm just too lazy to cook haha. I got up and I was prepared to go to the kitchen, but D.O. grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"No need. Your Christmas gift isn't just the tree and the decorations. There's still a meal." he smiled.

"What…?" I looked at him confusingly.

"Come on guys! If you want to eat sooner, then help me get the plates of food from my kitchen!" D.O. said and everybody got up.

When he opened the door to Exo-K's apartment,  a wonderful scent of various dishes hit my face. Oh my god… It's heaven on earth! I can't wait to taste everything.

When we set the plates at our dinner table back at my place, it practically looked like a buffet.

"Fooooood." Sehun looked at the food like a food zombie. Haha, he's so funny!

"Dig in everyone!" said D.O. and everyone practically threw themselves at the table.

Laughter and smiles filled up our apartment. I never thought I would be this happy during Christmas. I really thought I lost all of my Christmas spirit since middle school. Exo-K and Aemi really helped me find it again.

I didn't think I would be saying this anytime soon, but I think I'm starting to like this holiday again thanks to these guys. 

It may not be Christmas anymore in certain parts of the world, but it still is here XD I wish all of you a merry Christmas and happy holidays! I am so happy to have readers like you guys! Thank you, and I hope you liked my Christmas gift ^^ 

Elle's plushies