December 26th, 1999

The cool weather of winter has already claimed the tree of its vibrant leaves, but young Seungwan was already leaning her head back just to see the top. 

“... And then mother cooked a delicious roast. We also played Christmas music throughout the house and everyone was singing loudly! Seungwan here being the loudest. A lot of unforgettable family memories were created; I could not have asked for a better Christmas.”

A thin sheet of snow layered the ground mostly untouched, only two sets of footprints marred the otherwise pristine crystals. The man held his daughter’s hand firmly as they stood side by side in front of the growing tree that was already eclipsing Seungwan, but was still overshadowed by the man.

“Daddy, why are you talking to it? It’s dead.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s not dead, it’s just in winter mode, like how you bundle up for winter. This is how the tree deals with the winter cold."

He had crouched down and moved Seungwan to the front of him and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight embrace. He hovered his chin over her shoulder so their cheeks were touching creating some warmth from the sub-freezing temperatures.

“It’s nice to talk out your thoughts and what better place than to the tree we are raising together. Why don’t you share what you got for Christmas?”

Seungwan’s eyes weren’t as comically la