White droplets of heaven were falling down to the mother of gravity, slowly and tenderly touching the ground. They were as cold as the timid souls who feared effort and honesty. They resembled the emptiness and the coldness of those hearts. It was not exactly one year after the last first snow in previous year. But who cared, it was here anyway.

            “Sehun-ah, thank you!” Said a voice in the first winter night that was starting to get colder.

One woman stood at the doorway, safely arriving home. She hugged herself in a thick orange woolen coat, and she could feel the soft cold pulps fell down to her face while she stared at a cluster of stars gregariously sparkling in wanderlust. The snow, she wondered how far it had been before it fell down to earth.

A pale-skinned young man pulled a soft smile, “So... 8 a.m?”

            “Nah, I am okay. Take your time, I’ll just hail a cab.” She talked to that person who—in the past two days—had been constantly taking her home.

While the other attending and fellow doctors had been away for their winter break, she was still completing her additional shift given by her senior supervisor due to her lack in attendance and several misconducts she had done. One day for her inattentive behaviour during one big surgery a few weeks ago. She almost turned the patient to death if only Oh Sehun didn’t pay attention to the pulmoflator that didn’t attached properly to the patient. While the two remaining days were for her irresponsible runaway. That time when she came to Paju with her fiancé.

She coughed.

Big surgery was rare during christmas holiday. Only some caesarean sections upon mothers who could not stand the pain of normal labouring were the big deals. She had no idea why, but it looked like all people were trying their best to stay healthy during Christmas. In spite of it, working in the middle of winter was still frustrating.

It was almost nine when she reached her house after accepting her fellow doctors’ offer to come to a local bowling center in Yongsan-gu area. Unlike her, they had started enjoying the winter break earlier. Well that’s the perk of obeying rules.

            “Imo!” Was the first greeting she received when she got inside. Aunty? Of course it was referred to her. For someone who would soon become twenty nine, the addressing would not be too much.

She bent down, reaching the little boy’s level. “Our Joon is hereee”

Joon, Han Yoon Joon, a four-year-old puppy-like boy, her brother’s son.

           “Hold on,” She said after harboring her gaze at the two people who were sitting comfortably around the coffee table. “What’s with the formal attires?” She lifted a brow. Her brother was wearing a dark gray suit and crisp blue shirt and his wife was in a classic black dress and a pair of high heels

Jihoo chuckled.

            “Huisoo-ya, are you in a habit of doing something these days? What is it? Or are you craving for something? You can tell me.”

Huisoo, having a bad feeling about the situation, narrowed her eyes in the middle of deep thought. This might be something related to bribery and stuff. Because for Pete’s sake, Jihoo had never been so sweet to her.

She sighed when she finally remembered something about this day.

Weakly, she said. “Arraseo. Leave him with me.”

            “Assa!”

            “Huisoo-ya~ ” Her sister in law called out, “Let me hug you once!”

When they let go off the embrace, Sooyeon, her brother’s wife spoke out.

         “When you have a lot of children and you got problem in your anniversary day, do call me!” She winked at her before being dragged by her husband to proceed outside.

            “Don’t worry!” She yelled in the process, “Your brother has called a volunteer!!”

 Rolling her eyes, Huisoo responded, “Just be back soon.”

The house was completely quiet by then. There were only the doctor and the four-year inside the big house as her parents were away in Shanghai for a vacancy and planned to return before christmas.

Huisoo let the boy played with his father’s stuff in his still-in-the-mint-shape bedroom while she was enjoying a pot of vanilla ice cream. Her brother used to collect many sets of robot and toy cars until he completed high school, and their mother neatly preserved them inside a show window until now. Luckily, Joon never asked to move his father’s belongings into their own house in Apgujeong-dong since he came to like all of the toys very much, or else, it would be too burdensome.

The bell was heard to be rang by someone. She faked a gasping voice, meaning to surprise the little one before she pulled a smile.