It was twelve midnight. Taeyeon was rolling and turning on her bed - she couldn’t sleep and for god’s sake, she has a 9 am lecture the next morning. She finally sat up, having had enough of her brain still actively thinking at this godly hour. It was chilly in her room although her windows were shut and her radiator on. Bored, she checked her phone. She had a new message from her girlfriend, saying good night and that she loved her so much. It made Taeyeon smile at least. She noticed the green circle next to her girlfriend’s name, meaning she’s still online. She hit the call button. 

It only rang for a few seconds when she picked up. “Tae?” Her voice was groggy, her hair dishevelled and it’s obvious she had been in bed for a long time.  

 “Babe? I can’t sleep.” Taeyeon whined. 

 “Aww baby, want me to sing for you?”  

 Taeyeon’s ears perked up. “Of course!” She chimed like a child who got offered a bag of sweets. 

 Her girlfriend giggled and started singing “You Were Born to be Loved”, Taeyeon’s favourite.  

 Taeyeon closed her eyes as she listened and savoured the angelic sound of her girlfriend. When she’s finished, Taeyeon wanted more. However, she knew her girlfriend was already tired as it was past their bedtime already. “Thanks, babe. I think I will have the best sleep of my life tonight.” She grinned, winking.  

 Her girlfriend kissed the camera, and Taeyeon hated that she couldn’t feel those lips on her in reality. “I love you.”  

 “I love you too.”  

 The call ended.  

 Taeyeon stared out of her window. This made her think that Hyoyeon was right. That she had to think twice again before making a decision. She suddenly realised that her life would be a hundred times more atrocious without her girlfriend. She looked around; her eyes fell upon the coloured papers sitting on her desk.  

 It’s ridiculous, she thought. She tried to get rid of the thought… but she ended up getting up to get the coloured papers, searching on google how to make paper cranes. 

-- 

 It was thirty-two minutes past three in the morning. There were twenty different coloured paper cranes on top of Taeyeon’s bed, while a pile of crumpled papers were scattered on her floor. Her eyes were barely open, and for once that night she felt the need to sleep. She laid down and she immediately passed out.  

 
A loud sound blast in the whole room, especially near Taeyeon’s left ear as the alarm on her phone went off. It was eight in the morning. Taeyeon struggled to turn the alarm off with her eyes closed. She was awake but in her mind, she was weighing the pros and cons of actually bothering to get up. When the thought of resitting the year again if she failed this semester, she quickly rose up. The paper cranes were the first ones that she saw. However, a yellow, loose paper crane was what attracted her attention. Every other paper crane was done properly, except the yellow one which looked like it had been opened and folded again.  

Taeyeon got curious. She took the origami in her hand and started unfolding it. Her eyes widened when she saw a note inside. The hairs on her body stood up as she looked around searching for someone that could’ve written the note. But she realised that only her and Hyoyeon were living in that house and Hyoyeon never mentioned about bringing someone over.  

It got her puzzled.  

She read the note. It was almost like a diary entry with very little handwriting. 

It’s two weeks ‘til Christmas. Strange enough I still can’t feel the Christmas vibe. Usually, at this time of the year, my wife would already be running around, panicking about what to get everyone for Christmas, especially for me. This year, she’s been drinking... All night, every night. I tried to ask her what’s wrong. But she would always say it’s nothing. Nothing’s wrong. But I’m her wife and I know that something is definitely wrong. What should I do, paper crane? I know this is ridiculous, and I won’t ever tell anyone about me doing this. But this is my last resort. I want to help my wife. 

 Taeyeon swallowed hard. Her heart was beating so fast against her chest. Her brain’s a mess and while reading the note she’s been trying to convince herself that that was just a dream. She pinched herself, slapped herself twice, and even reenact