It was cold outside. The snow was falling from the dark night sky, creating a smooth white carpet under pedestrians' feet. 
The girl fixed her scarf and exhaled- her breath visible in the freezing air. She looked around smiling lightly at the sight of Christmas decorations settled on both sides of the road she was walking on. With only five days left to the Christmas Eve, the girl has already felt the holiday spirit. She passed through a couple of blocks not really paying attention to where she was heading. Even though she didn't actually like the cold, she found herself in a need for a walk- something to distract her and take her mind off the sadness she was feeling.
-So, when's your family coming?- Her friend J. asked, during their video-conferention earlier that day.
-They're not coming- The girl answered shortly and turned her head to hide the tears forming in her eyes.
-What do you mean they're not coming? D.? What happened?- J. sounded genuinely worried. 
D. sighed and faced the computer screen trying to get a hold of herself.
-My grandma injured her leg on the stairs last night. She's not able to walk, let alone take a plane to Korea- she explained.- My mom and G. are staying with her to help her until she gets better.
J. took a moment to digest the information and think about possible solutions.
-Is it already too late for you to buy a flight ticket to Poland?- She finally asked.
-Well... last-minute flights are really expensive. I'm afraid I can't afford one- answered D..- So... it looks like I'll be spending Christmas alone. For the first time in my life- her voice broke a little, but she managed to put herself together and finish it with a smile.
J. looked at her friend with concern. They didn't see each other in person since D. took a job at Seoul's University four months ago. It was hard for both of them, since they got used to spending a lot of time together. J. was hoping to see her friend on Christmas, so she felt a bit disappointed when she found out D was not coming home and meeting her family in Korea instead. Back then it seemed like a pretty bad scenario from J's point of view, but right now...
-It really - she said not finding any better words to express her anger and disappointment.
-Yeah, it does- answered D.- But what can we do? This is the grown-up life, I guess- she added, attempting to smile.
J. drop her head and sighed.
-I guess.

Time was flying by as D. roamed down the streets trying to find bright sides of the situation she's found herself in. She thought of Christmas Eve's supper eaten in front of a computer and laughed at the idea of traditional polish food made of korean's ingredients. 
-Pierogi with mushrooms and... kimchi? Wow, that's gonna be something.
It was already getting late, but D. had no desire to come back home just yet. She thought of every possibility she had and came with an idea. She turned around in the spot and marched in a chosen direction for the first time that night.
After some time she arrived at her destination. She pushed the door and entered the building. Faces from movie posters looked down on her while she was walking through cinema's well lightened corridor. The girl stopped in front of a box office and cleared before saying:
-I thought there'd be more people. You must be deadly bored here, Minjae-ah. 
The man sitting behind the counter lift his head. His eyes brightened as he looked up and caught girl's gaze.
-D.! What are you doing here?- He asked sounding surprised.
Girl smiled at him and shrug her shoulders. 
-I thought I'd stop by and wish you a merry Christmas before you begin your holiday. You're flight's tomorrow, right?
-Yes. Today's my last shift and tomorrow... Annyeong Jeju's beach!- The boy answered throwing his arms in the air in a gesture of joy.
D. laughed and smiled at her interlocutor. Minjae was one of the assistants in her department- she worked with him at various occasions and had a chance to get to know him better. The boy was really cheerful and pleasant to talk to. They had plenty of interests in common and could spend a lot of time talking freely about almost everything.
-Oh, no. I'm so sorry it turned out like this- Minjae said after hearing what happened to D's grandmother and their Christmas plans. 
D. was leaning over his counter and drinking tea he made her. There was barely anyone at the cinema- clearly people preferred to stay indoors with their families, than watch movies in the middle of the night. 
-So, what are you going to do during Christmas, then?- The boy asked with a concern look on his face. 
-I'm gonna cook myself something that at least approximately looks like the real supper- D. answered. She paused for a moment after hearing footsteps behind her back, but she continued, as they changed direction and headed to the second counter occupied by Minjae's co-worker. - Then I'm gonna eat it in front of a computer while talking to my family through Skype- the girl laughed, finally seeing the comism in this whole situation.- And after we're finished, I'll probably watch EXO's concert to end the night pleasantly- she said with amusement.
Minjae looked at her surprised, as well as the person currently standing by the second counter, but D. didn't notice, being focused at her friends reaction.
-What?- She asked.
-Nothing, I just... I didn't realize you like kpop bands- the boy explained.
D. shrugged.
-You must think everyone who likes them is some crazy fangirl, huh?- She asked cocking her head. Before Minjae could protest, she continued:- The truth is, I would probably never be where I am right now if it wasn't for EXO. Sounds stupid, I know... But without my interest in them, I'd never start learning chinese and korean. And I'd never be as determined to reach my goals as I am right now.
While talking, D. watched her interlocutor's face expression change. She thought it was the impact of her words, but the light tap on the shoulder made her realize the change was caused by the person standing next to her. 
-Excuse me- said the person taking back the hand used to tap D's shoulder and using it to remove sunglasses.
Girl turned and faced the man who interrupted her conversation with Minjae. For a second she thought she's halucinating, that the tea she was drinking must've had some special ingredient making her see things that are not really there. 
-Excuse me- repeated the man.- I was buying the ticket at the second cashier's and I overheard your conversation. I... I just wanted to say it's nice to hear things like that. It's nice knowing that  work I've been doing actually means something to people- he said. The corners of his mouth curled up a bit as he smiled warmly.
D. took a deep breath and tried to come to her senses, which wasn't easy in the surrealistic situation she's found herself in. 
-This is not happening, this is not happening. This can't be happening. Bumping onto your favourite artist in almost empty movie theater? What kind of cliche is that?- She thought. But the more she tried to convince herself that what she's seeing is not real, the more it was becoming obvious, that even impossible can happen- especially if it's Christmas. 
-It really means a lot- She said, finally finding courage to speak. She lift her gaze and laid her eyes down on the handsome face of the man who's voice got her through plenty of rough but also happy times.- And it also means a lot that I can tell you that in person. Thank you for everything- She said with a light bow, hoping that he would understand her words the way they were- genuine and full of gratitude. 
The man smiled wider, causing his sharp cheekbones to go even higher. D. was fighting the urge to just look at him shamelessly, because his face was absolutely stunning, hypnotizing with the natural beauty.
-He doesn't need any photoshop. He's really perfect- she thought, looking away not wanting him to feel uncomfortable. She knew that he and his whole band were more than accustomed to the curious and even lustful stares, but she didn't want to add hers to the equasion. 
-Um... I have to go, my movie is about to start- the guy said with an apologetic look, showing D. the ticket he held in his palm.- I hope that your Christmas will turn out not so bad after all. Merry Christmas...- he paused and looked at the girl with a question mark in his eyes.
-D.- she said, filling in his blanks.
-Merry Christmas, D. It was nice meeting you- he said waving with a smile, almost causing the girl to swoon. 
-What was that- asked Minjae, who stood still behind his counter trying to understand the dialogue that took place in front of his eyes. - Was that... 
-Yes. It was Kim Jongdae. And that... that was the best gift I could get for Christmas- answered D. with a blissful smile. 
-Maybe it won't be that bad after all...

D. cleared the table and put the dishes to the sink. She poured herself a glass of wine and leaned over the countertop. It was almost midnight, which meant that the Chrismtas Eve was slowly coming to an end. 
-It was surprisingly nice, considering all the circumstances- she thought and smiled at herself. Everything went according to the plan: she made herself a supper, she talked to her family and even managed to talk to J., before she went to sleep, exhausted after dealing with her big family. D. took a sip from her glass and went to the living room, preparing for the last thing she planned for the evening- a concert. She took her laptop and placed it on the table in front of the big and comfortable chair in the corner of the room. But before she could turn the power on, her telephone rang. D. stood up and took the ringing advice in her hand. 
Unknown caller- it said on the screen.
-Damn. What should I do?- she asked herself. She didn't like answering calls from unknown numbers- she didn't feel comfortable with her korean and was always worried about not understanding the person at the other end of a telephone line. But as the phone still rang, she decided to answer it.
-Hallo...?
For a moment there was silence. D. almost panicked and put the phone down, but then she heard the voice:
-Hallo? It's Kim Jongdae, I mean Chen, um... We met at the movie theater the other day...?
D. froze with her eyes wide opened. She almost drop her phone, but she managed to clench the grip. It sounded like a joke. A very bad joke that some highschool bully could pull on someone to have a laugh with his group of friends. But the thing was... it wasn't a joke at all and she was sure of it. Firstly becuase she wasn't in highschool anymore. Secondly, because no one in Korea knew her well enough to prank her like that. And thirdly- she rocognised his voice. His voice was something she'd never confuse with anything. 
-Yes, it's D. Hi...?- She managed to say, trying not to freak out.
-Hi. I... I asked your friend from the movies for your number, um... I hope you're not mad?- He asked. 
D. exhaled the air from her lungs. He did what? But what was even more surprising, was the fact, that he sounded insecure. He was really worried that she'd be upset at him for calling her.
-I'm not- she answered truthfully.- But... why...?- The not fully articulated question left . But Chen didn't have any problems reading into it.
-No one should be alone on Christmas- he stated simply. D. could've heard he was smiling. - So... how was your day?- Chen asked, sounding a little more confident. 
-Well...- The girl hesitated. She still wasn't sure what was going on, and what kind of situation she found herself in. Is she having a conversation with her favourite celebrity? Is he really calling her, asking how her day was? Him? The one who's been her biggest dream for years now?
-I've just finished a concert in Japan and I have all the time in the world- Jongdae said, hearing hesitation on the other end of the line.- So really, tell me, how was your day? I hope it wasn't bad after all, hm?- He said and D. heard him chuckle, which suddenly made her relax.
-No, turns out you can do pierogi with kimchi- she said with a giggle.
-Pierogi? What are pierogi?
The way he said it, made her laugh out loud and lose all the tension. And here they were- talking by the phone about everything and nothing, like they were some old friends who happened to loose touch for a while. Minutes, hours were passing, but the conversation wasn't stopping, continuing long after the sun showed up on the horizon. 
Of course it eventually ended. But then there was another, and another. And then... Well, new year means a new story.