“What are you doing for Christmas this year, Hyukjae?” Heechul’s voice blares through the phone as Hyukjae continues to string decorations over his Christmas tree.

“The usual, sit and wallow in my loneliness while being surrounded by fairy lights and wrapping paper. Though I think I might bother going to sleep early tonight for once so I can get drunk and watch movies tomorrow night for as long as I want.”

Heechul scoffs at the dreary plan, instantly replying with, “No way. You’re going to put up with me tomorrow and we’ll get drunk together and watch all those boring movies on TV.”

“Thanks, Heechul, though I don’t want to ruin plans if you’ve already organised something.”

“Nonsense, you’re my best friend and you come first. Now hurry up and wrap my presents or I’ll kick your .”

“Will do. Bye, Heechul,” Hyukjae laughs into the phone, Heechul joining in before the call is disconnected and Hyukjae is on his merry way decorating his apartment further.  Even though Christmas isn’t widely celebrated in South Korea as it is in other countries, Hyukjae likes to get into the festive spirit, he always has.

He decided to take a week off work a month ago from the twenty-fourth till the second day of the new year, and even though he could be spending this time visiting his parents, he can’t be bothered making the five hour commute to their new residence out by the sea. This means that Hyukjae gets to mope around in his brightly lit apartment, keeping warm and out of the way of the snowy weather for the week, and he’s incredibly relieved that he’s not a student who still has to go to school on Christmas day tomorrow of all days.

Sighing as he grabs a couple of bright red baubles from his box of Christmas decorations, he starts to hang them on the tree, thoughts spinning in his head about how he should try to get out in the world and date people. Though he highly doubts anyone would want to have someone with his ugly face for a boyfriend, nor his anti-social tendencies.

Oh well, I’m perfectly content how I am, Hyukjae inwardly reassures himself, pouting when he realises that he has just blatantly lied in his mind, I’m never going to be happy.

Continuing with his yearly routine, Hyukjae makes sure that his deep green tree is perfectly covered in decorations, angels, tinsel, lights, and that the gleaming star is positioned correctly on top. Nodding in approval at his own arrangement, he casts his eyes to the small stack of presents he has collected for Heechul over the year.

Hyukjae, being the absolutely amazing friend that he is, has been accumulating presents for Heechul over the year, buying anything he thinks Heechul would really like as soon as he sees it. So far, he has sixteen items, ranging from clothes to figurines, even a pillow with one of Heechul’s favourite Anime characters on it. One would even say that Hyukjae is one of the best friends a person could ever find.

But the real truth is, Heechul is the only person in his life, the only friend he has and the only person he’s willing to have a conversation with except for his family.

Hyukjae is lonely.

But Hyukjae hasn’t known anything different to being lonely; his whole life has been one of solitude and minimal social interaction. He isn’t completely cut off from the world, he has tried to find more friends but no one seems to want to stay around him long enough to form the emotional attachment that comes with being in a platonic relationship.

Though Hyukjae has always wanted more from his life, he has always been unable to attain what he desires. Hopefully Christmas will bring a nice surprise for me this year, Hyukjae smiles to himself, his spirits raised and desperation lowering just a tad, enough for him to feel slightly less burdened by his own incapability to socially interact.

Rummaging around in the drawers of his living room cabinet, Hyukjae successfully finds the Christmas themed wrapping paper he has been hoarding since last year when a sale was on, thankful that he bought so much because of the large amount of presents he’ll have to wrap now. The first item to be trapped in the creamy paper with cute reindeer and Santa on it is the snow globe Hyukjae found when he travelled to Paris on a business trip a couple months back. The tiny globe has the scene of the Eiffel Tower at night in it, with snow falling and coating the precious landscape when the globe is shaken.

It’s already ten o’clock when Hyukjae has finished wrapping all sixteen presents and left his last finishing touches on the festive theme throughout his apartment. He’s had his dinner and showered, and now is ready to immerse himself in the welcoming realm of blissful sleep, the day of decorating having drained his energy completely.

This is one of those times where he wishes there is someone to take care of him and put him to bed with warm cuddles and tender kisses. However, he is faced with sliding between the sheets and blankets by himself, the large bed cold and making him wish he’d put a shirt on as well instead of just his usual pyjama pants.

Resting his head against the soft pillow, Hyukjae forcefully shuts his eyes, feeling the cold seep into his bones before he shuffles about on the bed in an attempt to create some warmth. The initial bite is gone, only his toes remaining like ice as he wishes for sleep to numb him from the cold.

Though his mind has something else in mind, a childlike thought forces excitement into him as if there were bubbles in his stomach.

Ask Santa for someone to love.

So Hyukjae does, he wishes for the jolly man to bring him someone to spend cold winter nights with, someone to be his best friend, his lover, his everything. He wants someone to come home to after a long day at work, someone to cook meals for, someone that he can spoil and shower with affection.

He asks for someone he doesn’t have.

So Hyukjae finally falls asleep, unknowingly causing a lot of stress for a man dressed in red who now has to make his ideal present in less than two hours when he already has to tend to the rest of the world.

Waking up has always been a challenge for Hyukjae. He has never been a morning person, and doubts he ever will be while sleep can still possess him for all those blissful hours. However, today is Christmas day, the day that Hyukjae will spend getting drunk with Heechul while watching movies and sulking over the lack of love in his life.

Due to this day being some sort of a special day for Hyukjae, he makes an effort to open his eyes as soon as he feels the pull of consciousness instead of ignoring it as usual. He expects to see his empty room, the sun peeking through the cracks in his curtains, the warmth of his apartment’s heating comforting his bare skin.

However what he is greeted with is an entirely different scenario all together.

A brunet mop of hair is what alerts him first, before the milky yet tann