The month passed quickly, and the brief Korean autumn soon gave way to a cold, drawn-out winter. winter trees lined the streets, and there was a bitter chill in the air. Yet, there was a warmth in my heart as Ji Hyo, and I settled into a sort of pseudo-relationship. We weren’t in an official relationship, and I tried to keep the actress at an arm’s length, wary of giving her the wrong impression, careful of hurting her. But as we made our way back to my apartment after grocery shopping, I glanced at the actress next to me as she snuggled into me for warmth and I couldn't help the warm, tender feelings that gripped my heart.

It would be Christmas the next day, and Ji Hyo had been adamant about roasting a turkey for me. So, braving the cold Korean winter, we made our way to the Costco located in Ilsan in order to buy the bird. As we walked back, the ground bejewelled with frost, made crunching noises underfoot. Rosy-cheeked, we walked briskly to keep warm, pulling woollen hats over our reddened ears and tightening the scarves around our necks. Our teeth chattered as a blast of icy wind hit us, the cold permeating our bodies despite the thick coats we had on. Sparing a sideways glance at Ji Hyo, I noticed how red the tip of her nose had become. Taking her hand, I gently pulled her behind me, using my body to shield her from the frigid wind that was blowing. She smiled up gratefully at me, and I made a grumbling sound low in my throat.

Entering my apartment, I pulled off my gloves. Clenching and unclenching my fist, I willed the blood to flow into my frozen digits as Ji Hyo did the same. The cold had seeped into our gloves, numbing our fingers until they cease to bend properly, stiffened and frigid. “Why do your winters have to be so cold?” I grumbled as I placed the bag containing the turkey on the kitchen counter. For that tiny complaint, I received a light smack to the back of my head as Ji Hyo, now with familiarity, busied herself in my tiny kitchen.

“Ya! Don’t grumble so much.” She chided playfully as she put the kettle on. Reaching into my cupboard where I kept my drinks, she took out the tin of hot chocolate and settled back, waiting for the water to boil.

Troubles hopped onto the kitchen counter and sniffed about the bag containing the turkey. “Hey! Food thief! Off! Troubles off! Bad cat!” I scolded, as I chased the tabby off the counter. Jumping down, the feline stared lazily back at me, unperturbed, her yellow eyes narrowed to slits.

“Like owner, like the pet.” Ji Hyo drawled, as she walked over with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, complete with tiny marshmallows.

Cupping my hands around the mug for warmth, I counted the marshmallows. “One, two, three, four. Ahh! This is the life. The perfect marshmallow to cocoa ratio.” I said, breathing in the scent of its heavenly chocolatey goodness before taking a sip from the cup.

Ji Hyo smirked as I savoured the hot drink. “See what I mean?” She asked while raising an eyebrow, smiling smugly at me, appearing pleased with herself.

I narrowed my eyes at the actress. “I am not like Troubles!” I whined, before turning my attention to the bag still on my kitchen counter. “And this turkey is still frozen. It’s not going to thaw till tomorrow morning.” I complained.

“It’s fine. I anticipated this, so I brought along a change of clothes.” Ji Hyo quipped.

Turning my attention from the cup of hot chocolate I was nursing to the actress, I stared disbelievingly at her. “You wanna run that by me again?” I muttered grumpily.

Staring at me, Ji Hyo affected an innocent wide-eyed expression. “Well, you said before that I was welcomed here anytime. So I thought I’d stay the night and get cracking on the turkey first thing tomorrow.” She simpered, smiling coyly at me.

I growled. “No! Oh no, Missy! You have your own place to go home to! There is no way you are staying over. You hear me? No way!”

I lay in bed, my hands folded behind my head, sighing resignedly as Ji Hyo rested her head on my shoulder, her hair tickling my cheeks. Despite my earlier bluster, the actress had managed to convince me into letting her stay the night. At my audible sigh, she turned to face me. “By this time tomorrow, you’ll be burping turkey.” She chirped, beaming happily up at me.

Her cheer was infectious and I felt the beginnings of a grin tugging at the left side of my lip. Finally giving into it, I smiled a small crooked smile. “You didn't have to do this, you know? Roast a turkey and celebrate Christmas with me? You didn't have to.”

Reaching up with her left hand, Ji Hyo tenderly caressed my face. “I wanted to. I love you. And I know that Christmas is a special holiday for you. Kinda like Chuseok for me. And I know you've been spending it alone for a while.”

I was at once touched, but saddened by her feelings for me. “Ji Hyo... Even if you do love me... It'll be really tough on you. Korea's not big on the whole gay/lesbian thing. Have you considered the implications? How will your parents react? Will they accept this? What about kids? You want kids. I CANNOT give you that.” I told her, stressing on how improbable it would be, that she would ever experience motherhood if she were with me. I sighed tiredly. “I cannot give you a normal married life. You talk like it's all fine now, but you really don't know what the repercussions are. And I don't want to get screwed over when you finally do.” I whispered, admitting my fears.

“I know you're scared of that, but I've given it a lot of thought. More than you think I do. I know what your father did to you has left a scar. You are afraid of getting too close to people. But I'm not going anywhere. So long as I have these feelings for you, I'm not leaving. I'm going to fight for this.” She assured. “Your soulmate isn't someone that comes into your life peacefully. It is who comes to make you question things, who changes your reality, somebody that marks a before and after in your life. It is not the human being everyone has idealised, but an ordinary person. One who manages to revolutionise your world in a second. You're my soulmate.” She continued, smiling softly .

I blinked in surprise, taken aback by her declaration, that she thought of me as her soulmate. Her impassioned tone and the quiet conviction behind her words left me flabbergasted. I stared at her, fighting against the urge to kiss her. She grinned coquettishly under my intense gaze. “As for kids... If and when we come to that, we can decide then. With all this IVF technology around, I'm sure we can find a way. Or we can adopt. I've a