The Christmas tree in Amber's living room shined brightly in the dimly lit apartment. It was four days past Christmas, the first chance that Krystal and Amber could find to celebrate the holidays together. The days leading up to Christmas had been busy for both of them. Krystal was in China earlier in the month to promote her movie with EXO's Lay, returning from Hong Kong with Jessica just before Christmas. And then Amber's calendar was completely booked from the time Krystal returned from China up until the day they were scheduled to leave for China as a group at the end of the month for a New Year's performance.

But with a bit of effort, even though it was late, the two lovers had found time to enjoy the holidays with each other. Earlier in the evening Krystal and Amber had exchanged gifts by the tree, unwrapping the remaining presents that sat under the decorated boughs. And then afterwards, driven by love and a sense of loneliness after spending weeks apart, the two lovers had unwrapped each other under the glow of the Christmas tree lights.

The intense longing in Amber's heart was quickly forgotten as Krystal laid her out on their treasured red blanket and Krystal's fingers drove her beyond any insecurity she felt about their relationship while they had been apart. The warmth of Krystal's heart beating against her skin was a luxury after many nights of sleeping with only her cold pillow for company. Amber smiled and met Krystal's lips with a kiss, grateful for the younger girl's existence.

Their roles reversed and then it was Amber's turn to remind Krystal what love felt like when there was no distance separating their bodies, no distance separating their hearts. Krystal came while clutching handfuls of their blanket between her fingers, her body taut before the release, gasping for breath as she called out Amber's name only to hear Amber lovingly murmur the perfect response as she reached the stars and back.

"I'm right here with you, Soojung-ah."

Tired and spent, the two lovers lay side by side with their fingertips intertwined. They gazed up at the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, enjoying their perfect bubble of happiness that enveloped them inside the walls of Amber's apartment. They caught their breaths while whispering sweet phases into each others' ears like they so often did after making love to each other.

Krystal sat up first and began to reach for her clothing only to find that every article had been thrown a great distance from their current position in the middle of the living room. The only piece of clothing within reach was a single sock belonging to Amber, and Krystal gazed at the older girl with an annoyed look on her face.

"Hey, I wasn't the only one flinging clothes around," Amber pointed out. She gestured at her underwear, which was hanging on the end of the sofa on the other side of the room. "I believe that was your handiwork."

The irrefutable evidence softened Krystal's expression, melting it into a sheepish smile. She helped Amber to her feet and then picked up the red blanket, wrapping it around both of them as their strewn clothing lay forgotten around the room. Amber hugged her from behind to keep their bodies close while Krystal held the blanket shut around them. Their bodies radiated heat into each other, making the lack of clothing tolerable in the cooler weather.

The two girls made their way toward the living room window of Amber's darkened apartment and looked outside. Krystal was taken aback by how beautiful Seoul looked blanketed in snow and illuminated by thousands of glittering Christmas lights lining the streets. The world looked peaceful, but Krystal knew that the world outside these walls was a scary place. It was safe with Amber inside her apartment, but she was afraid to think about what the world would do if it ever learned about her relationship with Amber. Krystal quietly relayed these concerns to her girlfriend, finding comfort in the reassuring words that Amber spoke.

"Thanks, Am. You take really good care of me," Krystal murmured as Amber held her more tightly after hearing Krystal's fears. The younger girl felt a bit guilty about accepting Amber's help and support so often lately, the bandage on her arm acting as a reminder of Dr. Llama's recent care. "I feel like I take you for granted a lot."

"You do not," Amber insisted with a kind nudge of her lips against the side of Krystal's neck. "I've never felt like I do more for you than you do for me, or that you don't do enough for me. We take care of each other, which is how a relationship should be. And being in a relationship with you makes me really happy, Soojung-ah."

"Being in a relationship with you makes me really happy too, Am. I just feel like you could be... happier, you know?"

"Happier? Like with someone else?" Amber wondered, appearing a bit confused and concerned about Krystal's observation.

The young girl shook her head and smiled at Amber's misunderstanding. "No, I meant I could be doing more to make you happier... like if we moved in together..."

"Soojung," Amber sighed, shaking her head wearily. They had discussed this topic a few weeks ago and had come to the conclusion that Krystal was not ready for a commitment as big as living together yet. And although Amber had been reluctant to accept Krystal's uncertainty at first, she now fully understood Krystal's feelings and didn't want to push Krystal into doing anything that made her feel uncomfortable. "We're not going to have this discussion again. We're not ready to move in with each other yet and I don't think two months has really changed that."

"If by 'we' you mean 'me', then I guess you're right," Krystal agreed wryly. "But that's what I mean when I say that you could be happier."

Amber sighed again and turned Krystal around in her arms so that they were facing each other. "I do get what you mean and you're right; I would be happier if we moved in together. But that doesn't mean I'm unhappy that we're not living together now. You need to trust me when I say that I'm happy, Jung Soojung. And trust in yourself that you're the one who makes me happy," Amber said, smiling at last after seeing that her words were getting through to the younger girl.

"Fine, you're right. I know you're right, Am. I just wish I could do something more for you. Like I wish I could at least tell my parents about us so that we could have one less group of people we need to hide from."

Amber laughed gently at Krystal's wish, surprising the younger girl who hadn'