Slowly, you woke up from a peaceful sleep. You didn't really want to move, or even open your eyes, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you should. Instead, you ignored that feeling, snuggling closer to the warmth beside you.

“Good morning.”

Your eyes flew open to see Heechul's chest in front of your face.

“Did you sleep well?”

You tried to push yourself away from him, stumbling over the blankets beneath your hands, and fell off of the bed.

“What... What happened? Why am I here?” The fog slowly began to roll out of your mind.

“We must have fallen asleep during your lesson last night.” He yawned and stretched.

You nodded slowly, attempting to remember when you realized that Heechul wasn't wearing a shirt.

Wait. When did that happen? You remembered him wearing a shirt during the lesson, so when had he taken it off? Also, your books were on the bed with you. You looked around at the floor, finding nothing there. Where did the books go?

Embarrassed by the sight of his chest, you quickly covered your face. “Why aren't you wearing a shirt?”

He glanced down at his chest, then back to you. “This is my room, I'm allowed to be shirtless if I want to be.” He chuckled. “Are you going to remain on the floor?”

You began to get up when you remembered that you were supposed to go to your parents' house today. “I need to go. I have to meet my parents in...” You quickly check the time on your phone. “An hour ago. Oh, no!”

You began rushing around his room to find your books. As you went, you started to mutter about being late, and having to ride the bus now because your parents probably went home already.

Heechul watched you run around in amusement. “I'll take you.”

That made you stop in your tracks. “What?”

“I said I'll take you to your parents' house. I'm the reason you're late anyways. It's the least I can do.”

“Really?”

“Neh. Just let me get ready first.” He rolled off of the bed to head to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, you were back in your dorm room. You asked him to wait while you got a quick shower and grabbed your overnight bag. He was sitting on your bed when you came out of the bathroom.

“Are you ready to leave now?”

“Neh. Thank you for doing this, oppa.”

He smiled at you as he led you from the room.

On the ride to your parents' house, you asked Heechul about his Christmas plans. Reluctantly, he had told you that he was going to stay on campus. His parents had decided to leave the country for two weeks starting the week before Christmas, and they would not be back until the new year. You also asked about the friend that he had stayed in Seoul for, and he simply responded that his friend was spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with their parents so he was going to spend it alone.

“Are you really going to spend Christmas alone?”

“Neh. This isn't the first time, it's okay.”

You became angry on his behalf. “No one should ever be alone on Christmas. It is definitely NOT okay.”

He chuckled at your indignation. “I don't have anywhere else to go. What else would I do?”

You became quiet for a few moments, pondering his situation. You were about to give up when an idea popped into your head. Pulling out your phone, you called your father.

“Dad.” You spoke in Italian. It had always been his favorite language. “Would it be alright if I brought a friend along for Christmas? He doesn't have anywhere else to go, and he'll be alone on campus otherwise.”

Hold on, let me ask your mother. There was silence from the other end of the line. After a moment, he spoke again. She said it's alright and she's excited to meet one of your new friends. The last one we met was Henry, back in Australia.

You smiled, even though your father couldn't see you. “Thank you! We're actually already on our way. He may have to go back to campus to get some clothing though. We'll be there soon.”

Alright, knock on the door when you get here. See you soon!”

You hung up the phone, and turned back to Heechul who glanced at you suspiciously.

“That was definitely not Korean. What are you up to?” Even his voice was filled with suspicion.

“Uh.” You giggle out of nervousness. “Would you like to spend Christmas with my parents and me?”

A moment passed in nerve-wracking silence. You were beginning to wonder if he was going to answer you at all.

“I think I might like that.”

You released a breath that you hadn't realized you were holding, and grinned at him. “That's great! Do you need to go back to campus for your clothes? I can let dad know that we're going to be later.”

“It's alright.” He assured you. “I keep an overnight bag in my car just in case. I should already have everything I need.”

Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of a quaint little house situated on the outskirts of Seoul. Suddenly, he seemed nervous.

“What if your parents don't like me? I don't want this to be awkward for you.”

You placed your hand gently on his arm in reassurance. “They like everyone, I'm sure they'll like you, too. Come on, they're waiting for us.” You slid out of the car and walked around to the trunk to retrieve your bag. Heechul met you there, and grabbed his own bag.

The two of you walked up to the door together, knocked, then waited for your parents to open it. Heechul looked extremely nervous, the worst you had ever seen him when the door finally swung inward.

“Mom, Dad, this is Heechul. Heechul, these are my parents.”