Taehyung rang the doorbell as he stepped onto the platform of his house, waiting for someone to open the door.

"Ah, Tae! Come in, come in!", his mother said.

Taehyung smiled and walked in, taking in the warm atmosphere inside.

"You're cold, your hands are cold! Your cheeks are cold! Your nose is red, you Rudolph!" His mother ran around the kitchen as she prepared her son a mug of hot chocolate.

Taehyung took a seat at the couch while taking his first sip of the hot drink, shivering and letting out shallow breaths near the fireplace.

"You didn't say a single word since you came in! What's wrong? Shouldn't you be blabbering about your day with your friends?" Mrs. Kim laughed away.

Taehyung simply smiled and continued drinking, poking his tongue at the little marshmallow sitting on top.

"Say something, please... You're making me worried...", his mother seemed unsure, wondering what her son could have done.

Taehyung his lips, wiping off the milk staining his mouth. He kept the mug on the coffee table and said, "I'm not gonna talk for a while, Mama."

"Ah! What happened to you?!?" Mrs. Kim flinched as Taehyung spoke. The boy's voice was deep, scratchy and raspy - he had a sore throat.

"I'm sick.", he said with a timid smile.

His mother sighed and took her son's hand, "Dear... Oh, my wonderful son... How are you going to go carolling?!?"

"That was back when I was four, Mama! I won't go carolling this-" He coughed, as he strained his voice.

The other stopped him right away, "Okay, okay. Enough of that, just go and rest. Don't talk at all. Don't push your voice, honey. At least you're not having any fractures or injuries this time..." She whispered the last part.

Taehyung silently laughed, mouthing a 'yeah' before going upstairs with his mug of hot chocolate. He dropped himself onto the bed and began to listen to music and dance around. What stopped him was a sudden call coming from the living room. He recognised the voice to be his mother's, to which he ran downstairs and wanted to ask what was going on, but he knew he couldn't speak for a while. He shouldn't speak for a while.

His mother turned towards him with a frown. "Oh, Taehyungie... I have some bad news... You know what, I'll just say it straight away, okay?" She paused. "I just talked to your father and he said that we have to go to Canada for an important meeting. I-I know it's Christmas tomorrow, and I should be here with you, taking care of you, but I'm afraid I can't stay with you tomorrow... I-I'll be gone for three days... I-I'm so sorry, honey..." She hugged her son, trying her best not to cry, for he knew how much the holidays meant for the other.

Taehyung sighed and nodded. "I-It's alright, Mama... Y-Your meeting is more important, I understand that." He managed to say.

"No! You are much more important to me, dear. B-But this meeting discusses many topics for the next few months, so I have no choice but to go. They're paying for the flight tickets, hotel rooms, food, I can't just disagree and disappoint my boss!" She explained.

Taehyung smiled and hugged her one more time, before letting go. "I'll start packing tonight. But before I do... Let's cook dinner together, okay?" Mrs. Kim ruffled Taehyung's hair.

And so, they began to cook dinner. Every once in a while, his mother would go to her bedroom and pack for the flight. She ran up and down, packing and cooking, she was in a hurry.

"What will you do for Christmas, sweetie? All by yourself? I wish I could send you to your grandma's house, but you know she is sick and in the hospital, right? And your uncle, he isn't even in town! Oh dear, I wish I could make your day better..." She said during dinner.

Taehyung swallowed his slice of meat, "It's fine... I'll be okay-" He continued coughing again, his mother comforting him. 

The next day, Taehyung woke up to the sound of the alarm, pulling himself up and rubbing his eyes, stretching his arms, yawning in response. The birds were awfully quiet that morning, as he could see the snow and frost covering the ground. He smiled, knowing that it's finally Christmas, but as he recalled the previous night, his smile faded away.

"This is going to be the worst Christmas ever!", he yelled, widening his eyes at how his voice healed overnight.

He got out of bed and sprinted to the washroom, his movements fast and rushed, his mood angry and upset. He splashed a handful of water onto his face. "It's the first time I'm not injured or sick, my throat is fine, too. But- But I still can't have a proper Christmas, cause Mama and Papa are not here! Ah, why is my life so horrible?!? I just want a perfect Christmas with my family!", he complained to himself.

After a while, he went downstairs and frowned at the sight of the empty rooms. He glanced at the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, "Well, at least I got you, buddy!"

He whined by the next second, "But you're so small! You were bigger last year! I can't even have a large tree?!?" He jumped around the room. 

Once he was tired, he stumbled into the kitchen and found a note that said: 'Hey sweetie-pie, Merry Christmas! I'm sorry about, well, everything! I'm sorry that I'm not going to be there with you today and the next two days. I hope you like the tree though! At least we got to decorate the tree together! But, really. I'm sorry. So, to make it up to you, I made you your favourite breakfast: Pancakes! Oh, there are a few gingerbread cookies in the fridge. And please remember to drink your hot chocolate, is your throat okay? We can talk later. As for now, Merry Christmas! Bye!'

Taehyung smiled. He kept the note aside and nibbled onto his delicious breakfast. An hour later, he was staring out the window like a lost boy. He turned around to receive a sudden phone call. He didn't even check the caller ID.

"Mama! Merry Christmas!" He exclaimed, and heard a round of giggles comi