3rd Person's POV

Chaeyoung woke up early this day. This is the only day where she never fails to wake up at 6 AM in the morning. It's Christmas Eve. 

"Dahyun, Tzuyu, are you guys going to your parents' place again?" she asked the two whilst rubbing her eyes. 

The two girls nodded and smiled. They already got their things packed up already and they were heavily dressed since it's too cold outside. "Oh, I see. Have fun." Chaeyoung smiled as she watched them leave the room.

Christmas Eve means another lonely day for Chaeyoung. Last year all of the girls went to their parents' to celebrate it excluding her. She never really celebrated it with anyone, even with her Mom. She got used to it anyway. Christmas Eve to her is now one of those boring days to be at home.

The sighing Chaeyoung went downstairs to grab a glass of water but she was startled when she descried a familiar figure, "Mina? Why are you here?" she asked confusedly. She should be alone right now so why is that Penguin here?

The older girl stared at her blankly, "Duh, it's my home. Of course I'd be here." she denoted. "My Okasan and Otousan will visit later so you better not act rude." 

Chaeyoung scoffed. "It's you that I hate, not your birth givers. You can be rest assured now." she bluntly remarked, getting herself a glass of lukewarm water.

Mina, for the first time felt curious about Chaeyoung. She always wondered why Chaeyoung is always left behind at the dorm during Christmas Eve. She was alone last year too. Don't get her wrong okay? she still clearly holds a grudge against the little beast.  'Should I just ask?' she thought. 

"Isn't your Mom gonna visit you?" she questioned and plastered a 'not-that-i-care-about-your-answer-anyway' look on her face. 

Chaeyoung knitted her eyebrows and gave her a bewildered look, "I believe that's none of your business." she answered dryly and went to her room, leaving the older girl sigh in frustration. 

"Why did I even bother to ask?" 
 

Mina's POV 

It's 4:00 PM right now and I'm still playing Elsword inside my room. I have to get ready since my parents should be around at this time. I jumped out of the swivel chair after shutting the computer down. 

 *doorbell rings* 

Oh looks like they're here already.

Hurriedly, I rushed to the door and opened it. The both of them smiled, hugging me tightly, "Mina! we missed you!" 

"Me too." I smiled widely and gestured them to come in. "Make yourselves at home." 

I only smile in front of people I'm comfortable with, especially with my parents. Ever since that bratty kid came and ruined everything, I felt bad because I barely smile with the girls. She just literally turned my world upside down.

Weirdly enough, her face would just suddenly pop out of nowhere in my mind. I don't know why. It's been like that after she saved me.

I'm thankful for being saved but she completely ignored my generosity when I saved her life first. Now, I definitely regret my decision. 

"Are you the only one home?" my Okasan queried after putting the two bags of plastics down on the kitchen table. 

I better tell them that I am the only one left here. If they meet Chaeyoung, it'd be a complete disaster.

"Yes, I'm the only one—"

I got cut off when Chaeyoung rushed downstairs, making my parents look at her. Darn it. Perfect timing you got there, brat. 

"Oh! Are you one of Mina's dormmate?" Otousan inquired. Boom I'm doomed.

Chaeyoung glanced at me. Based from the look on her face, she seems confused. I glared at her, trying to send a signal with my eyes. 'You freaking midget! Answer him.' 

I saw her roll her eyes and glared back at me. She better not act rude towards them. Please, don't act rude. 

"Yes, sir. I am Son Chaeyoung by the way. Nice to meet you." she bowed down after giving a polite introduction. Thank goodness. 

It's so rare of her to obey my order though and this is my first time seeing the great Son Chaeyoung acting polite. Normally, she'd just ignore my Mom and Dad just like that and leave them hanging. I wonder if something great happened to her?To be honest, I'm so freaked out to see her being like this.

"What a polite kid you are!" Okasan squealed. Seriously? What a funny joke. "How about you join us for dinner later? I really want to hear how well Minari's doing." she had her elbow on the table, propping up her chin. 

Damn it Mom. You just asked the wrong person. 

"I don't think that's necessary." I abruptly blurted out. 

Chaeyoung chuckled. I have a feeling that she has a conspiracy against me. Her chuckled sounded so evil just now. "I'd be glad to." she then gave me a mocking look. 

"I have to talk to her for a bit." I forced a smile, making them nod. I immediately dragged her upstairs and locked the both of us in the maknae room. "Are you crazy?" 

"I think you're the crazy one here. Why did you have to lock the room?" she covered her chest with those slender arms of hers and acted like she was shy. "I'm not yet ready for this Minari~" she teased. 

I registered a facepalm at this ridiculous talking point. "I'm straight af." I said with simple directness.

"My bad." she laughed, crossing her arms. "So? What do you want?" 

"Don't tell any bullcrap to them. Understood?" 

"I can't promise you that."

"Why not?" I raised an eyebrow. 

She took a step closer, leaning her face near my ear, "Because it's fun to tease you." she pulled away and grinned at me. She intentionally bumped her shoulder at mine, then finally left the room. 

That hopeless brat! 

 

 

Chaeyoung and my Otousan were chatting all day long at the kitchen table. I keep hearing their giggles all the way here in the living room. How are they even getting along?  She hates me but not my parents. Isn't that odd? People tell me that I'm a mixture of both of their faces so shouldn't she be irritated by now?

My phone beeped and I looked who it was from.

Unknown Number:

Annyeong! This is Park Jimin. I got your number from Jihyo. Merry Christmas!

  P.S: Save my number beautiful ;)

This guy again. I'm seriously gonna murder Jihyo later.

Myoui Mina:

K.

 I turned my phone off and annoyingly focused my attention on the TV. "I should've just left that brat all alone here. If only Jihyo weren't that good at persuading..." I mumbled and cursed under my breath. 

[ FLASHBACK ]

"Mina, I have a favor."  Jihyo looked at me in puppy-eyes mode. I groaned and rolled my eyes, facing her, "What?" 

"Please just invite your parents here inside the dorm. I don't really want Chaeyoung to be left all alone again." she pleaded after cramming her clothes into one carrier bag. They got a bit squashed but she didn't care. 

"No thanks. I prefer to have a happy Christmas Eve celebration." I coldly said without even looking at her. I was too busy reading a novel. "Plus, I heard her Mom came last year. So don't tell me that crap."

She slapped my arm real hard, it made me wince in pain. "Idiot! It was a letter from her Mom that came! Can you believe it? What kind of Mother is she?" she sighed and crossed her arms, looking vexed.

So.. she was really all alone last year? 

"It's okay if you don't want to though. I know that you won't agree anyway." she fiddles with her fingers, looking a bit sad. Damn this Jihyo.

"Okay. I will agree just this once since it's Christmas Eve." I nodded agreeably. Of course I'm still uncertain about this but something also tells me that I should stay.

"Heol! Are you really Mina? becaues the Mina I know hates Chaeyoung a lot." 

"So you want me to take my answer back?"

"Of course I'm just kidding! Gomawo chingu-yah!" she hugged me real tight with a wide smile plastered on her face.

"Whatever."

[ END OF FLASHBACK ]

I always regret my decision whenever Jihyo's involved. Sometimes it feels like she's the one altering my fate. 

I heard the doorbell rang again. Now what is it this time?

Grumpily, I opened the door and a guy in a mailman uniform smiled and bowed before me. "Annyeong, here's a letter for Ms. Son Chaeyoung." he handed the letter to me then took off happily. I never knew that mailmen were that cheerful even though their job is such a hassle.

Once again, I looked at the letter to see who it was from. It says 'Mrs. Son'

"Oi, is that letter for me?" I spun around, surprised from this sudden voice."Who is it from?" she asked.

"From your Mom." I replied without looking at her. "Take it or I will throw it away." 

"It's fine. You can just throw it away." Huh? What?

I knitted my eyebrows and looked at her ridiculously, "But it's from your Mother you moron." 

She obviously faked a smile, "So? I don't care. You can just read it and throw it away. I'm not gonna waste my time for that piece of nonsense." she sounded slightly brittle then walked back inside.

What the hell is her problem?

I know that I was told not to poke my nose into other people's business but... I sure am kinda curious about this letter.

I opened the letter impatiently. Whatever, she gave me permission to read it anyways.

Dear Chaeyoung-ah, 

      Eomma already sent some money in your account. Hope you use it well. Your step-brother, Jeonghun got amazing awards from his school. I'm doing fine with my new family as always. How about you? I sent you to that dorm to create a new family right?  Oh, Christmas Eve is already near. Use your money to treat your friends arasseo? 

Sincerely,

Eomma

Subconsciously, I crumpled the paper and rip it to shreds, mercilessly throwing it in the trash bin. The content inside was way too horrible. I don't even know if I should call it a letter or what. So all this time... that brat is left all alone? 

As soon as I got back inside, the food was already settled down on table. They were already in their seats too. "Mina come sit down already!" my Mom excitedly gestured me to sit next to Chaeyoung.

I took a glimpse of her before sitting down, she was eating in silence already. "So, Chaeyoung.. how is Minari doing these days?" Okasan asked, making Chaeyoung look at her. 
 

If she starts spouting nonsense then I will drag her to hell with me.

We exchanged looks first and she definitely looks clueless about it. How could she even know how I'm doing if we don't even give a damn with each other? 

Surprisingly, she cleared which got our attention. "How can I say this? Uhm... Mina unnie is famous at our school. Even though she's cold, I believe that she's a kind person inside. She's also very smart and that's why she has loads of academic awards. She loves to read books in the library too and I find that one of her strong points." she meant the words more seriously than they sounded which got me taken aback. She sheepishly smiled at them and went back to eating her food.

She called me Unnie. Again.

But, wait a minute... how does she know that I read books in the library? I never told that to anyone though? Usually, I go all alone to the library since I don't want anyone bothering me. So how come my worst enemy knows?

"You two must be really close!" -Otousan.

"Not rea—" I covered before she completes her statement. "Yes! We're really close! right, Chaeyoungie?" I simply glared at her, hoping that she will go along with this act. 

She faked a smile and gave them a thumbs up, "See? I told you guys." I took my hand off of .

"That's great. How about you come with Chaeyoung at our house in Japan sometimes? We'll pay for the fee." Okasan smiled. Darn it. She looks determined. How dare they to be friendly with someone they just met. "Are you okay with it Chaeyoungie-chan? I will inform your parents about it too."

"No. It's okay. I will do the talking." I answered swiftly which startled them.

Jenjang! I'm starting to become sensitive about the word 'parent'. Don't ask me why. It was all that letter's fault!

I felt her nudged my elbow so I raised an eyebrow at her, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she whispered.

Even I, don't know what I'm doing. I should've said 'No, she's just a bother.'  but they just can't come out of my mouth.

"Don't you even know how to shut up? just for a while? " I whispered back. 

I didn't received some violent replies from her anymore but I bet she's irritated by now.

"It's nice to see the both of you sweeties getting along." If you only knew Mom. If you only knew. "Oops, Minari~ I'm sad to say that we won't be able to spend some time with you two until 12 midnight. We still have to pack early for our flight to Japan tomorrow."

I nodded agreeably, "It's okay Okasan. I also have things to do just like cleaning the house with Chaeyoungie." yuck, as if.

They smiled as their response, telling me that I'm all grown up now. For pete's sake, I even clean our house back in Japan. They finished their food and after that, they hugged the both of us, leaving me with this midget.

"Please stop calling me Chaeyoungie. I choked on my food for 10 times this day." she crossed her arms and walked away.

What the—?

"Punk, you think I wasn't grossed out? Dream on!"

 

3rd Person's POV

Chaeyoung was back inside the maknae room again. She was kinda struggling going up on the bunk bed after eating a mouthful earlier. 

Come to think of it, this Christmas Eve was a first for her to celebrate with someone. It made her feel lots of mixed emotions deep inside that she cannot explain through words but it's a given that she's happy about it. She enjoyed their dinner a lot. 

Spending the Christmas Eve with someone was one of her wishes since she was young. She still has one last wish that's not yet granted. That is to receive a present. A special one.

"If I receive a present from someone today...  I will give that person a peck on the cheeks. Left and right." she chuckled at the thought. But, she was serious about it. She'd really give that person a kiss.

She rolled over her bed but not too much since she might fall off. She only stopped when something caught her attention. It was the Moon. It was so bright which made it look stunning.

The Moon... yes, the Moon. She loves the Moon a lot. It somehow gives off a cold and dark vibe but you can still see its beauty. For Chaeyoung, the Moon makes her feel calm. It was always there whenever she's alone at night, weeping without her Mother's embrace. The Moon was always there for her.

"Meeting someone like the Moon... I wonder how great could that be?" she glumly muttered. 

She heard someone clearing its throat so she turned towards the door, the cold-hearted unnie was leaning there. "Be an astronaut. Fly to the Moon and marry it." she bluntly remarked.

"Funny." Chaeyoung sarcastically rolled her eyes and lied down on her bed respectively. "Go away. You're ruining my night." It got quite all of a sudden so she took a peek down. The straight face unnie was still there. "Ugh, can you please just—"

She got cut off when Mina shoved a plushy to Chaeyoung's face. "Here, a present."

The baby cub immediately withdrew her face to take a look at the toy. It's a tiger plushy!

.

.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

.

.

The baby cub's heart started to thump fast. There are three reasons. First, the tiger plushy is way too cute. Second, the tiger plushy is.. yeah cute. Third, Mina looks very pretty. 

'Was she this beautiful to look at before?'  she thought as she continue staring at the person she ultimately hates.

Mina on the other hand was at loss for words too. The Moon's light shone on Chaeyoung's face and that gave her a chance to examine the younger one's features. She noticed her mole near the lips which is... adorable as hell. 

'Was she this adorable to look at before?'  Mina thought as the both of them stare at each other. 

The both of them snapped out of their thoughts, averting their gazes away and coughing awkwardly at the same time. 

"Thanks for this plushy by the way." Chaeyoung made the effort to sound reassuring but still not looking at Mina's direction. 

The older one seems to notice this because it made her chuckled mentally. "You're welcome, kid." she smiled comfortably, making Chaeyoung's breath hitch. 

'So she knows how to smile after all huh?' Chaeyoung thought.

An awkward silence started to invade their surroundings and because of this, Mina concluded that she has to go. "I'll go back to my room now. Bye." but before she turn her back towards the cub she froze on her spot after hearing the word 'unnie' again.

"Mina unnie!" Chaeyoung gestured the older one to come closer so she did but not close enough. "I have something to whisper, lean your face closer dummy."

"You're the dummy one here. It's just the two of us in this house and yet you still feel the urge to whisper something to me?"

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. She'll just do it the hard way then. 

She shot out her hands behind Mina's neck, leaning her face closer to hers. Chaeyoung's lips touched her fluffy cheeks, left and right. The Baby Cub successfully planted a peck on the Penguin's cheeks!

"Thanks again." Chaeyoung gave Mina a sweet smile before tucking herself to bed.

Well, Chaeyoung was fast asleep already. Meanwhile, Mina was still in a daze. She has yet to move on her place. All she can hear was her heart beat which is beating so abnormally fast. She also felt hear face heating up.

"What.... just happened?"