Chaeyoung tried not to stare at Jungkook’s unfairly well sculpted face as he rested his arm on the back of the seat she was sitting on, twisting his torso as he reversed his car out of its parking spot. When they were dating, she had always appreciated these moments since it allowed her to observe his features closely and engrave the image into her mind. But now that he was no longer hers, the sight just provoked a painful stab of longing.

They were paired up to go gift shopping together, while Mr. and Mrs. Jeon went in another car, and Junghyun and Chanmi rode together in their own vehicle. Chaeyoung had tried to go in another car, but the Jeon family had come up with a hundred excuses to practically force her into accompanying Jungkook. Feeling guilty for all the time she was unwillingly spending with a taken man, Chaeyoung wondered if Jungkook had told his family about Eunha yet.

“So, have you bought all your Christmas gifts?” Chaeyoung asked, partly to keep herself distracted from Jungkook’s sharp jawline, and partly to break up the tense silence.

After what felt like an excruciatingly long time, Jungkook removed his arm from her seat, and pulled out of the parking spot, “mostly. I just have to pick something up for my mom and Chanmi, because I didn’t know she’d be here.”

Chaeyoung laughed incredulously, “she’s your brother’s wife and you didn’t think she’d be here?”

Jungkook smiled in response, his eyes focused on the road as he drove, “I thought she’d want to spend Christmas with her family in Seoul, since she came to Busan last year.”

“Ohh, I see,” Chaeyoung nodded, understanding dawning on her features, “have you thought about what to get them?”

“I was thinking I’d get my mom knitting yarn and some hair scrunchies for Chanmi.”

Chaeyoung whipped her head to stare at Jungkook with wide, astounded eyes, “are you serious?”

“100%,” he replied, breaking out into a wide grin, and causing Chaeyoung to smack his arm in disapproval.

“Look, I know Christmas isn’t about expensive gifts, but you can do better than yarn and hair scrunchies.”

“No, every Christmas, we’re only allowed to spend a maximum of $20 on each gift, and the person who spends the least doesn’t have to help prepare or clean up after Christmas dinner. It’s a family tradition,” Jungkook explained with a light chuckle.

“Oh,” Chaeyoung nodded in understanding, “jeez, how many family traditions do you guys have?”

“Lots,” Jungkook replied, glancing at her with a small, proud smile.

“But, wouldn’t it be more gentlemanly of you to buy them nice gifts anyway and then put up with the consequences?” Chaeyoung asked, turning towards him with intrigue.

Jungkook laughed at that, and Chaeyoung couldn’t help smiling at the nostalgic sound, “trust me, I’ve tried. But, my mom almost kicked me out of the house for ‘disobeying house rules’. We used to buy each other really nice gifts years ago, but once my fansites started to bombard me with thousands of expensive gifts, my family just couldn’t compete. So, we came up with that tradition as a way to remind ourselves that Christmas isn’t about what’s under the tree, but about who’s around it.”

Chaeyoung studied him with a proud smile, “aw, that was so deep.”

Jungkook’s lips twitched as he tried to supress a smile, his dimple peeking through and causing Chaeyoung to smile even wider. He was really making it difficult to hate him, and Chaeyoung could feel her anger melting in small increments with every minute she spent with him.

When they reached the mall, it suddenly occurred to Chaeyoung that she should probably buy his family some gifts too – it was the least she could do to repay their kindness. As they walked side by side with the brisk wind whipping their bodies, Chaeyoung turned towards him with a loud gasp.

“What am I going to get your family?” she asked, her eyes wide with panic, as Jungkook raised his brows at her in surprise.

“All I know is you’re not stealing my gift ideas,” Jungkook joked, causing Chaeyoung to laugh lightly and shake her head.   

The first store they walked into was an arts and crafts store where Jungkook easily found a ball of champagne-coloured yarn for his mother. Chaeyoung, deciding to respect the Jeon family tradition, picked up a small sketchpad for Junghyun and a journal for Chanmi. Next, they found an accessory shop where Jungkook unleashed his craziness by trying on a variety of wigs and accessories, making Chaeyoung laugh so hard that her cheeks were beginning to ache. She couldn’t help but take a couple pictures of him, purely for blackmail purposes of course. Eventually, though, they bought what they came in for: hair scrunchies. Chaeyoung bought a variety of teabags in unique flavours for Mrs. Jeon and a razor for Mr. Jeon. It still felt odd to buy such small things as Christmas gifts, but as Jungkook had said, ‘Christmas isn’t about what’s under the tree, but who’s around it’.

As they were walking back to the car, Jungkook placed a hundred-dollar bill in the dusty guitar case of a homeless man as he sang Christmas carols by the mall entrance, his fingers appearing purple in the brisk winter weather. Unknowingly, a small, affectionate smile began to form on her face as she waited for him, her heart feeling warm and tingly as she was reminded of one of the reasons she fell in love with Jungkook.  

Apparently, she was too absorbed in these thoughts to notice she was standing on a thin expanse of ice. As they resumed walking towards the car, she suddenly felt her feet slip. With a slight scream, she fought to regain her balance, flailing her arms to the sides and glancing down at the ice like it had betrayed her. Before she could fall though, Jungkook’s arm instinctively wrapped around her waist, pulling the side of her body against his to steady her. It was insane that the feeling of his arm around her hadn’t changed in all these months, feeling as sturdy and safe as always. Her hand clutched the thick padding of his jacket and she lifted her gaze gratefully while trying to control her racing heart.

“Careful,” he murmured, his almond-eyes sparkling with humour as he peered down at her.

“Thanks,” she nodded slightly as she stepped away and tried to breathe again.

<><><>

By the time Jungkook and Chaeyoung reached the orphanage, the rest of the Jeons had already arrived and were playing board games with the children. Junghyun and Chanmi were leading a game of charades on one side of the room, while Mr. and Mrs. Jeon were se