Baekhyun’s POV~ 

Today was Christmas! The day where I get to spend all day with Mina! I couldn’t contain my excitement as I had a few plans for us. 

I dressed up a little more today and headed out of the room to get Mina, but she was already walking my way. I smiled upon seeing her dressed up too and she smiled shyly.

“You look beautiful today,” I said and held her hand, making our way to the elevator. 

“Uh, thank you,” she sheepishly said. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Heh, thanks.”

We reached the lobby and you could feel the holiday spirit. It was decorated with lots of color and Christmas related decor. People greeted each other happily and the atmosphere was good. 

“So, what are we doing today?” Mina asked as we made our way around people towards the exit. I took a quick look at her, then smiled. 

“Well, there’s a Christmas play happening in a few minutes, so we’ll see that first,” I said and we managed to get out of the building. “The rest is a secret.”

She looked at me suspiciously, then lightly laughed and we made our way to the main lodge where the play was showing. She’s not into plays, but there really wasn’t much to do here, so to waste time, I dragged her to the play. She didn’t fight though and went along with my plan. 

We took a seat towards the front and minutes later, the play started. Throughout the play, children and adults sang carols; there were interactive moments between characters and audience members; there were even games. 

I paid careful attention to Mina’s reaction and she seemed to be enjoying it. She laughed and smiled the whole time. 

How could one be so beautiful?

“Look at the little boy dancing, isn’t he cute?” Mina squealed, but I could only see her right now. Thinking of my conversation with Jinyoung last night, I would have never imagined the old Mina being the same person in front of me right now. Someone who actually enjoyed Christmas plays and adored young children, she looked like an innocent child herself. 

“Are you enjoying this?” I whispered to her and she nodded. “I’m glad.”

Once the play was over, elves were handing out candy and Mina gladly took some. She ate a few as we made our way out of the lodge. Our hands never left each other; our fingers were still locked tightly together. 

My next plan was to take her to the sleigh ride with real reindeers; they only came on this one day of the year, so I couldn’t miss this chance with her. I gently pulled her with me to the sleigh ride and she noticed the reindeers and gasped. She really was like a child. 

“Oh my gosh! Are those real?!” she asked with excitement. Her eyes were sparkling. 

“I guess we’ll find out,” I chuckled and she was the one to pull me. She was amazed at all the reindeers and couldn’t keep shut. 

“This is my first time seeing one,” she grinned widely. “I want to touch them.”

“You’re welcome to,” a staff member said, overhearing her, and Mina slowly reached her arm out to pet the reindeer. 

The reindeer jerked its head back a little, which startled us, but she laughed it off and touched its back. Why was she so cute?

“Here, let me take a picture,” I said and pulled out my phone. I stood in front of the reindeer and her, getting a good angle. “Smile!”

And she did. The biggest smile I’ve seen yet!

“Let me see,” she excitedly said and I showed her the picture. “Let’s take one together.”

Before I could say a word, she asked a staff to take a photo and they gladly agreed. She hooked her arm with mine and we stood besides the reindeer and our photo was taken. Her energy was amazing; surely, she was full of surprises. 

“Come on, let’s ride the sleigh ride,” I laughed, seeing her expressions and held her hand, leading her to the next empty sleigh. She was all giddy as we boarded and the sleigh went off slowly. 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said and looked at her surrounding. “I never thought I would experience this, ever in my life. This is so much fun.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” I smiled and kissed the back of her hand. She blushed and nudged me with her elbow. 

“It feels weird,” she quietly said and stared on ahead. “It’s like I’m living a childhood I wasn’t meant to live.”

I furrowed my brows and tightened my hand around hers. 

“Don’t say that,” I softly said and she smiled at me. 

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” she assured. “I’m just saying this doesn’t feel real. But, I do feel like a kid again. I feel...free.”

I sighed into a smile and this time kissed her cheek. She pulled away and covered her cheek with her free hand. 

“Yah, don’t do that around others,” she whispered and I shrugged. 

“It’s just you and me. Besides, the coachman is facing away from us,” I whispered back and she bumped my forehead with hers. 

“Still, don’t do that,” she said and turned away, blushing. 

Ahh, I really love her, I thought to myself. 

Once the ride was over, she got the chance to feed the reindeers carrots. She was having the time of her life. I’m sure she would have more fun here than at an actual amusement park.

I watched her in awe. Why was she so innocent looking. If I about this, she would probably deny it and say she never acted childishly. I pulled out my phone to record her as evidence, but it was more for me to keep. 

After spending hours with the reindeers, we continued on with our day with the little activity booths that were held all around the resort. Lots of them were targeted for children, but the adults were enjoying it just as much as the kids were. 

We decorated sugar cookies, made our own Christmas ornaments, had a light lunch, then proceeded with more activities. I recognized lots of these activities as I come every year with the family. I never cared much for them and I would spend my day inside the hotel room, but today was different. I had someone special to spend it with and these old activities somehow appeared new and fun. 

I can’t even count the number of times I smiled or laughed today. All I know was, this year was no ordinary trip to the ski resort. It was a memory I was going to hold dear to my heart. 

Mina’s POV~

The day was already drawing near an end and I didn’t want it to end at all. I was having so much fun, more fun than I could ever imagine. I didn’t want this feeling of happiness to end. 

Baekhyun and I had just finished our fancy dinner and he ran off somewhere; probably to the restroom. I, on the other hand, made sure he was gone and I pulled out his gift from inside my jacket. 

I wondered, when would be the right time to give him the gift? Would he like it? I suddenly started feeling anxious and bit my lower lip. How would he react?

“Hey, sorry I made you wait,” I heard Baekhyun’s voice from behind and I was quick to shove the gift down my jacket. He looked at me as I stiffened and asked, “Everything alright?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” I said, playing it cool and stood up. “So, where to next?”

He grinned and grabbed my hand, leading me out the dining hall. We made our way around the resort towards the woods. I looked up at him, confused. 

“Why are we heading into the woods?” I asked and he just smiled. “You’re not luring me to my death, are you?”

“Come on,” he snorted in disbelief. “It’d be the other way around.”

“Yah,” I retorted and lightly punched his arm. He laughed and we went deeper into the woods. We eventually came to the spot we were at the other night and stared out at the resort. 

You could people laughing down there. You could see the holiday lights and the bonfire going on. The Christmas tree was lit up beautifully too; it looked even better from afar, but were we here?

I looked up to Baekhyun with a questioning look. He snickered and stood behind me, grabbing my shoulders to make me turn to look back out at the view. 

“You’ll see,” he said and soon enough, there was a loud boom and flashes of colors blinded me. 

I squinted and saw the fireworks from the distance. It was fascinating and so pretty that I smiled upon hearing another boom.

I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind and he pulled me in close. 

“Merry Christmas,” he whisper tickled my ear and I looked up at him. 

“Merry Christmas,” I said back and I figured, maybe this was the right time to give him the gift. “I got a gift for you.”

He looked at me surprised and released me as I reached into my jacket. I pulled out a small rectangular gift and handed it to him. 

“This is my first time picking out a gift for someone so don’t be too disappointed,” I sheepishly said and he looked touched. 

“I would never be disappointed,” he smiled, sweetly, and he began to open the gift as my heart race. I really hoped he liked it. 

He continued to open it and revealed a white box. He looked at it, then to me, still smiling. He then opened the box and there was a black wallet with fancy detailing. He smiled brightly and chuckled. 

“Did you see my old wallet?” he asked and I nodded, relieved at the positive reaction. 

“I saw your wallet torn apart because of Bacon, so this was the first thing I saw at the store and thought it would be perfect,” I said and he pulled me into a hug. 

“Thank you so much,” he said as we swayed in the hug. “I love it.”

“I’m glad,” I sighed out and felt my heart calm down. But, it didn’t last long when he reached into his jacket with a gift of his own. 

“I got you something too,” he said and handed me the beautifully wrapped rectangular box; it was thin, but long. It was so pretty that I didn’t want to open it, but he was anticipating me to open it, so I did. 

Inside was a pair of baby pink gloves and I smiled. I may have been a little disappointed, but this was my first gift from someone, so I was thankful. 

“Thank you,” I said and removed the gloves I was wearing. I put the new gloves on and admired them as I stretched my arms out. “How does it look?”

“Really good,” he said and he chewed on his lip. Something was wrong, I could see it in his face. Did he think I hated it?

“I really like the gift,” I assured him with another smile, but he grabbed both my hands and sighed. I could see his breath. 

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he lowered his head. 

“Baekhyun?” I whispered and he finally looked up at me. “What’s wrong?”

“I have another gift for you,” he said, slowly. I was taken aback and wondered why he looked so nervous. 

“Okay...?” I replied and he reached into his jacket, but stopped midway. 

“If it’s too much for you, you can return it,” he said and I knitted my brows. “I’m not necessarily asking you accept it either, but I’ve prepared myself too.”

“What are you talking about?” I softly asked and he let out another sigh before sliding his hand out of his jacket with a smaller gift. This one wasn’t wrapped, but the box itself was pretty. 

He placed both his hands over it and my heart raced in curiosity and anxiously. Why was he so reluctant to show it to me?

“You know I love you, right?” he wanted affirmation and I nodded. He lowered his gaze and slowly opened the box. 

I in a breath and my heart stopped as I widened my eyes. I covered my mouth and my heart began to race rapidly again. The last firework rang loudly in my ears and my body shook. 

“You don’t have to accept it,” he said with a shaky voice as I stared at the diamond ring in front of me. “This isn’t me proposing to you or anything. I just...I thought...since I love you and all, I should...ah, I don’t know.”

I felt a lump grow in my throat as my vision blurred with hot tears. He was taken aback, but I could see that he had expected this reaction. But...what did my reaction mean to me? Did I hate it? Or was I overjoyed? I didn’t understand what I was feeling and so I just let my tears fall. 

“What do your tears mean?” he softly asked with his gaze lowered. I couldn’t answer him. “Do you...hate it?”

No, I don’t think I hated it. 

“Was it too much?” he asked, giving me a quick glance before turning away. I wanted to say something, anything, but my cry wouldn’t let me. I covered my face with my hands and that’s all I did. 

Then, I was gently pulled into an embrace and I cried a little harder as I clutched onto the fabric of his coat. He rubbed my back and said with a shaky voice, “Do you hate me now?”

I shook my head immediately.

“But...you don’t...love me either, do you?” he asked. His tone was low and unstable like he was holding back a cry. My heart dropped. 

“It’s okay if you don’t love me...I’ll continue to wait,” he assured and hugged me tighter. “Just know that I love you.”

Why was I like this? Why couldn’t I just be honest with him and tell him how much I’ve come to love him? All I ever do is hurt him....

I swallowed hard and slowly pulled away from the hug to look up at him. His eyes were red along with his nose. I could see the tears that were held back and my heart clenched at the sight of him being hurt. I opened my mouth to speak when suddenly....

‘He doesn’t love you...you’re nothing but a ...you don’t know what love is...he’s only using you to satisfy his own personal needs...you don’t deserve love...’

My mother’s voice filled my ears and thoughts. I in a breath as those words rang in my head and I looked into his eyes as my eyes shook. Was this why I couldn’t move on? Was she the reason I couldn’t love? ...of course...who was I kidding? It was all her fault. 

But, this isn’t the time to be thinking about her! Those words mean nothing! She doesn’t know what she’s talking about!

“Mina?” his soft, sweet voice could barely break through my thoughts. I lowered my head and cried in his chest. 

“B-Baekhyun...,” I cried and clutched onto his sleeves. 

‘I love you so much...love yourself like I love you...love others and be happy...’

That’s right...my father’s love is no match to my mother’s hatred. He would’ve been heartbroken if he saw me now; how pathetic I’ve become. But, I don’t to disappoint him. I don’t want to disappoint myself. I don’t want to disappoint Baekhyun. 

“...love...,” I whispered into his chest as I felt my anxious heart beat fast. 

“What did you say?” he asked. He couldn’t hear me and so, I mustered up all my courage to look up at him. I sniffled and wiped my tears with the back of my hand. 

“Baekhyun,” I sighed out his name, holding back my tears. He looked at me with worried eyes and cupped my face with his warm hands. 

I leaned my cheek against his hand and stared into his eyes, “I...I....”

‘Come on, Mina! You can do this!’ I shouted to myself. 

I sighed and held his hands that were still holding my face. I rubbed my thumbs against the back of his hand and said, “I...I love..you.”

He widened his eyes and I quickly turned my head away. It was a little embarrassing, but I was overcome with emotions after telling him my feelings. 

“W-What did you just say?” he asked, still in shock. He gently pulled me face him again and I could feel my face heat up. “Did you just...just say-“

“Yes, I said that,” I interrupted and I pressed my lips tightly together. “I love you.”

His face brightened up and his smile was as big as ever. But, what caught me off guard was his tear filled eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, but he stopped me with a kiss. It was brief and he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine. 

“I’m not dreaming, right? You really love me?” he asked with a grin, but his voice was still unsure, like this was all really just a dream. “You’re just not saying it, right?”

His tone was anxious and nervous, but I wanted this to be as real as possible. Even I felt like I was dreaming. 

I looked directly into his eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. 

“If you’re dreaming then so am I,” I softly said and pecked his lips. “And I hope not to wake up from it.”

His smile grew and he lifted me up to twirl. He was so happy as I was too. I never imagined a day like this would come. Happiness. Love. Who would have thought I’d get to experience this?

He finally put me down and kissed me all over my face. It was ticklish and my heart tickled a little too, so I laughed. 

“I can’t believe it,” he sighed. “Mina loves me.”

I giggled and sniffled, having forgotten that I had cried not long ago. 

“I didn’t think I’d come to love you, but...it was a feeling I couldn’t run away from anymore,” I said and he smiled sweetly, then he frowned a little. 

“Then, why did you cry when I pulled out the ring?” he asked and I had forgotten about that too. But, thinking about it now, I think it was because I never expected to see a ring. 

“I didn’t hate it; I was...touched?” I said, trying to process my thoughts and feelings. “Or more like, was it really meant for me? I never imagined a ring.”

“There’s only one woman I would present a ring to,” he said and kissed my cheek. “But, if it burdens you, you don’t have to wear it. Again, it wasn’t a proposal, I only bought it because, you know, we are to be married and what not.”

He was making excuses now and I lightly laughed. Even if he got on one knee and proposed, I don’t think my reaction would have been any different. I would have hurt him even more. 

I held his hands and played with them as I admitted, “The ring is a bit too much for me, but I’ll come to accept it one day.”

He chuckled and raised my hands up to kiss them. 

“By then, I’ll prepare a proper proposal,” he said and I blushed. We just stared into each other’s eyes and I’ve never seen his eyes so clear before. 

“I love you,” I said without much thought, it came out so naturally like I’ve been telling him those three words my whole life.

“I love you too,” he said in a low voice and leaned down, kissing me; I returned the kiss.

I hope this happiness never ends.