It all started in December, as some of the best things did.

    Choi Hansol was going about his business as per usual, no change in his typical routine as he wandered the school hallways, his best friend, Chan, chattering mindlessly by his side. He nodded along, prompting him to continue with “mhm”s at the appropriate times. In truth, however, he wasn’t listening to a word of it. Not that he meant any harm to Chan; that was simply how he was, just the nature of Choi Hansol. Head in the cloud, mind full of stars… he was a dreamer, never quite one to be caught in the current moment.

    Without even realizing it, he had arrived at his locker, Chan still speaking of one thing or another as Hansol reached out, inputting his combination

What he hadn’t been anticipating, however, was for something to come tumbling out when he opened the door.

“What’s that?” inquired Chan, the oddity enough to stop him in his rambling.

    “I don’t know,” muttered Hansol in response, though admittedly more to himself than to Chan. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he crouched down, picking up the mysterious item. Flipping it over, it seemed to be some sort of a note, miniature candy cane attached to the front.

    “‘To Choi Hansol’,” he read aloud, Chan trying his best to peek over his shoulder and catch a glimpse of the mysterious note himself.

    “‘I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, but… you’re really cute ♥

- Your Secret Santa ;)’.”

    Hansol was still left staring at the note in his hands as Chan gasped in awe beside him. “Hansol, do you know what this means?” He asked, eyes shining as he looked up at the elder with what appeared to be a newfound admiration.

    “No,” admitted Hansol, still examining the paper he held. It was, to be quite honest, gaudy. It was coated in doodles of hearts and stars, glitter and clashing colors wherever he looked. It was a bit of an eyesore, and he honestly couldn’t even begin to deduce what it was that he was looking at.

    “It means you have a secret admirer!” Chan exclaimed, apparently distressed by how dense his friend was. “It’s a love note, Hansol! Someone has a crush on you!”

    Hansol blinked, reading over the note once more. How Chan had pulled that out from that mess, he wasn’t quite sure, but he supposed that it was possible. “Oh,” he said dumbly, at a loss for words.

    Chan decided to take matters into his own hands - quite literally - as he pried the note from Hansol, analyzing it closely. “That’s weird…” he mumbled, holding it near his face. “I don’t know anyone with handwriting like that…”

    “Why does it matter?”

    Chan looked utterly appalled at Hansol’s words. “‘Why does it matter’?”, he echoed, disbelief dripping from his voice. “Don’t you want to know who’s into you?”

    Noncommittal as ever, Hansol simply shrugged. “If they wanted me to know who they were, they would’ve told me,” he reasoned. “They said ‘secret’ for a reason.”

    Chan rolled his eyes, deciding that it would be best to head to class rather than to try to explain the joys of a secret admirer to his clueless friend. “You’re crazy, Hansol,” were his parting words, leaving Hansol alone with his note. With a shrug, he tucked the note into his backpack and popped the candy cane into his mouth, heading off towards his own class.

    He didn’t pay another thought to the note for the rest of the day… or the night… or the next morning. It didn’t so much as cross his mind until the next day at the same time after the same class and in the same situation, he opened his locker again. And, just like the day before, a note dropped down to the ground.

    “It’s your secret admirer again!” Gushed Chan, bouncing where he stood, obviously more excited than Hansol. Even Hansol, however, couldn’t deny that his interest had been piqued this time. The first note could be forgotten; by the second, however, he had to give this person props for their persistence. Opening it up, he found it to be just as flashy and over the top as the precious letter. This time, however, something about it made him smile.

    “Choi Hansol:

    You haven’t fled the school yet, so I guess that means you weren’t too creeped out by my note yesterday o(≧∇≦o) Yay!

• Your Secret Santa”

    Hansol failed to stifle a small laugh. Well, whoever it was, at least they had a sense of humor.

    “You’re positive that you don’t want to know who this is?” Chan prompted after peering over the note himself.

    Again, though, Hansol could only shrug. “They’ll tell me if they want me to know,” he repeated, folding up the letter again - though, this time opting to tuck it into his pocket as opposed to his backpack.

    That resolve of his, however, weakened quickly. Day after day, all throughout December, he continued to receive notes - it soon came to be the highlight of his day. They were never particularly important notes - just little mentions that he looked nice the precious day, or how the writer wished they were brave enough to talk to him in person. Still, however, they brightened his day.

    It was two days before winter break that he finally received something different from the others.

    “Choi Hansol:

    The day has finally come… the day that we meet (ノ ゜゜)ノ I’m nervous, but I told myself I would do it before Christmas, so I will! Let’s meet by the front doors after class tomorrow… and try not to be too surprised (o;TωT)o

• Your Secret (but not for long…!) Santa”

    Chan seemed about ready to pee his pants in excitement, eyes wide at the note. “You’re finally going to meet them!” He gushed. He may have continued speaking - but again, Hansol had entered his own world. He didn’t have a clue why, but his heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest. He knew this person was interested in him, so why did he feel so afraid to meet them? Hell, why did it even matter to him that they were interested in him?

    He couldn’t shake the anxiety that he felt for the rest of the day. The next day couldn’t come soon enough.

~

    Finally, finally, the end of the next school day came, and Hansol was sure that he’d never run out of that building so fast in his life. By the time he reached the front door, his breaths were shallow and his heart was beating so loudly that he was sure the entire school could hear it. He tried to play it cool, leaning against the wall and scrolling through his phone on one hand, attempting to nonchalantly wipe the sweaty palm of his other hand against the side of his jeans. Minutes passed, and he began to wonder if they were a no show - that was, until he heard it.

    “Ch-Choi Hansol.”

    The voice was soft, quaking slightly, and Hansol almost thought that he had been imagining it until the person in question spoke again.

    “Ya, Choi Hansol!”

    Hansol was taken aback by the sudden assertiveness in the voice. He started, eyes frantically scanning around before finally coming to rest on… Boo Seungkwan.

    Boo Seungkwan? Straight A student, choir boy extraordinaire, sass of the class of 2016 Boo Seungkwan? Regarded for years by Hansol as the cutest boy in the school Boo Seungkwan? Hansol had to be dreaming; there was no way this could be true. And, yet, there Seungkwan stood before Hansol, cheeks bright red and puffed out in embarrassment.

    “Boo Seungkwan,” Hansol breathed, the only coherent thought on his mind.

    “...Yeah,” answered Seungkwan, moment of confidence from before gone as he averted his eyes, gaze falling somewhere far to the side of Hansol.

    “You… you were the one who-”

    “Yesyesyesyesyes, that was me!” Seungkwan spoke quickly, cutting Hansol off. “Don’t… don’t say it. It’s embarrassing.”

    Hansol looked at him for a moment, surprised by the outburst, but he then began laughing.

    Stunned, Seungkwan looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time. “Are you laughing at me right now?” He asked in complete and utter disbelief.

    Hansol shook his head, taking a deep breath to calm himself once he stopped laughing. “No, no… It’s just… you’re so cute.”

    If Seungkwan’s face wasn’t red before, it definitely was now. He was stunned into silence, staring at Hansol with eyes as wide as a deer caught in headlights. “C-cute…” he breathed, repeating Hansol’s words to himself.

    “So, Seungkwan…” Hansol began, shoving his hands into his pockets and balling them into fists to alleviate the nerves that were overcoming him. “Do you… want to go out sometime?”

    Seungkwan, it seemed, had died and gone to heaven.

    Incapable of forming a sentence, he simply nodded frantically, still in complete and utter disbelief as he looked at Hansol.

    Hansol didn’t see what the big deal was, though. After all, he had to pay his ‘secret santa’ back somehow.