Ribbons of sunlight peeked through the blinds. I opened one eye as the brightness of the day signalled me to wake up.  Shortly, soft lips pressed against mine. I smiled warmly at my boyfriend, Lee Hyukjae, who had his muscular arms wrapped around me this whole night. We've been together for more than a year now, and every single day feels like crushing over him for the first time. Whenever I see his beautiful brown eyes and gummy smile, my heart can't stop pounding and my cheeks can't help flustering. I love when the sides of his eyes wrinkle when he laughs with his eyes closed. My mind goes crazy when I see his sharp jawline, just wanting to touch it whenever we make love. I adore him every time he surprises me with cheesy and romantic puns on post-its every morning. I feel better when he rocks me back and forth when I cry and when he comments on how pretty I am in his eyes even when I wear my oversized hoodie and my favourite pair of sweatpants, when my hair gets frizzy after staying in a dry sunny day for too long, or when I come back home super tired after a long day at work. I feel incredibly lucky to have him in my life. To me, well, he's the perfect boyfriend I can ever ask for. 

           "Good morning, beautiful!" he greeted. 

           "Good morning, Oppa." I replied. I reached out my hands to caress his milky skin. Even with a red pimple on his forehead, he still looks handsome. I've told him many times that he shouldn't be so worried about brekouts, because stress is normal. My hands trailed down to his chest, and my heart immediately sank. Yesterday, Hyukkie Oppa went snowboarding with Donghae, his best friend and colleague of an iconic K-Pop group called Super Junior, and a group of other friends. I, on the other hand, was taking photographs of the picturesque snow-capped mountains of Whistler in Vancouver, Canada. As I successfully captured the glittering white with my new camera Hyukkie bought for me last Christmas, my periphera vision caught a glimpse of the two buddies competing each other down what seemed to be a very steep slope. Donghae did a double spin when he took off in the air like a pro. Hyukkie Oppa did one as well, but suddenly, he grasped his chest tightly and collapsed onto a  flat corner. Donghae and his friends rushed over. I fumbled my camera back into my backpack and went to the scene. Luckily, I bumped into a group of paramedics along the way; they followed me with a stretcher and first aid kit. When Hyukkie was brought back to our hotel, a doctor came in to check on him. To our relief, he didn't have torn muscles, broken bones, or serious illness. He was just having chest pain due to stress from his schedules as a K-pop star. It made sense, because we flew to Canada right after Super Junior finished a commercial shoot for Lotte Duty Free. And before that, four of them had filming for a new variety show in Busan. 

              "Are you okay?" Oppa's voice snapped my thought away. 

              "Yeah. I'm just thinking about yesterday." I replied sadly. 

              "My chest is okay now, babe. Don't worry!" he smiled as he cupped my face with his right hand. 

              "But the doctor said no intense physical activites for the next few days, and we're flying back to Seoul tomorrow. Don't even think about snowboarding again today, okay?" 

               "I know, and I won't do that. Today is just gonna be you and me chilling, okay?" he leaned forward to kiss me. My heart skipped as my hands felt his heartbeat pounding from his chest. "No matter what, I can't get over on how beautiful you look every morning and how sincere you are about my health." I blushed and hid my face in his chest. He chuckled and kissed my head. 

               After a few more minutes of cuddling and kissing, we got off the bed and get ready for a romantic date here in the resort. We stuffed ourselves with mini rounds of french toasts, oatmeal with brown sugar and granola, sausage and cheese omelettes, and freshly-cut fruits from the resort's breakfast buffet. We took countless photos of each other behind breathtaking sceneries of Whistler, but my favorite one was the one when Hyukkie Oppa posed with peace signs behind a small Christmas tree in the dining area of the resort. I don't know why, but he just wants to take a picture of it. XD Oh well, he does look cute in it. Like a kid who is excited for presents underneath the tree. 

            Hyukkie Oppa and I pretty much spending the whole afternoon strolling down Whistler village, shopping for souvenirs, and snacking on sweets such as ice cream and Beaver Tail (Canadian style donut-like pastry with various toppings of sweet and salty). Hyukkie Oppa wanted to go tubing, but I reminded him several times that he needed to refrain from doing sports that day. He said that tubing was not as extreme as snowboading, but I still say no. Tubing, for sure, doesn't require jumping or twirling in the air. However, we may have to climb up the hill if we want to slide on those giant red floats from the starting point all the way to the fenced bottom of the tube park. He pouted at me with puppy-dog eyes, which was one of my weaknesses. I tiptoed so that I could reach out my hand to ruffle his soft brownish-blonde hair, "We can come again here next time anyways. Today is just not your day to go tubing. I'm sorry, Oppa, but you know that the doctor has warned you." 

             Hyukkie Oppa sighed, "You're right, babe. Let's come here again next year!" 

             "It's a promise!" I smiled. 

             We managed to find a wide field where snow reached to the top of our snow boots. I was about to take a shot of the mountains with my camera when suddenly an icy white ball smashed onto my right arm. I looked back to see Hyukkie Oppa flashing a gummy smile while sculpting another snowball. 

             "Oh it's on!" I chuckled. I put my camera into my backpack and started shaping a snowball. He threw his second snowball at my other arm just as I was about to hit back. 

              "You're too slow!" he snickered, "You can't catch me! Na na na na na!" I rolled my eyes and aimed mine right towards his chest. We carried on making snowballs without caring about our numb fingers even though we were wearing gloves. Hyukkie Oppa and I laughed for the umpteenth time as we bullseyed each other. This made me feel like we're becoming six-years-old again. We were just having fun. Just the two of us.

                We finally stopped to catch our breath. Hyukkie Oppa shortly lunged towards me and lifted me up bridal style. I squeaked in surprise as I wrapped my arms round his scarved neck. "Oppa! Put me down! You'll get chest pain again!" 

                "If you say so!" Hyukkie Oppa smirked. He walked a few more steps with me in his arms before falling onto his back with the snow pillowing both of us. My body landed against his. We laughed in unison while staring lovingly into each other. He mindlessly swept my bangs away from my eyes and kissed my forehead, cheeks, and lips. His familiar, soft lips onto mine was enough for my heart to burst and my cheeks to burn. 

               As night approached, we had a candlelight dinner reserved by Hyukkie Oppa at Old Spaghetti Factory in Whistler Village. After that, we walked around some more. I know it sounds boring, but we loved each other's company while just walking hand in hand down the cobble streets. 

              "_______, you know I love you right?" Hyukkie Oppa suddenly blurted. 

              I looked at him weirdly. "Of course, Oppa! I know that! And I love you too!" 

              "Then...what if I want to create a future with you?" 

               "Huh?" 

               He stopped and rubbed my hand with his thumb. "What if I say I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you say yes?" 

               "Of course I would say yes! No matter what, I will still love you and care for you the best way possible. And I know you feel the same way." 

               "Even if we have commitments aside from our relationship and even fans don't like me dating?" 

               "Oppa, it doesn't matter what other people think about us. I'm happy when I'm with you, and I will not regret of loving you. Those people who don't support us have their own reasons, but they don't know the happiness we've found in each other."

               Hyukkie Oppa smiled softly in return. "Then...what if I am about to do this?" Before I could ask some more, he kneeled down on one knee. My mind went blank, and my heart pounded so madly I couldn't hear the winter wind roaring through the earth. He fixed his gaze on him the whole time, even when he fished out his windbreaker pocket for a dark blue box. 

                   A wedding ring nested inside the box. Its middle was neither a fancy nor typical single gemstone. It was composed of four little Sapphire stones that stood out amongst a couple of silver curved metal. Simple but unique, which I loved. I've joked before on not wanting a wedding ring, because it's a common tradition every married couple have. However, the blue and silver details were something that I thought only Hyukkie Oppa would think of, because he knows that I want something that symbolizes our love. 

                 "I know what you're thinking." he said, "and I know that you'll love this kind of ring. My love for you is like an ocean. Overlapping and everlasting. And I want this love to go on forever. So _____, will you marry me?" 

               Tears trickled down my face as I nodded furiously. "Yes! Yes, Oppa, a million zillion times yes!" He grinned as he slipped the accessory of our fate onto my finger. 

            Just as the clock on a nearby tower struck 12, snow fell as if the heavens are celebrating their happiness and looking forward to a new chapter of life. I wrapped my arms round my-now-entitled-fiance and kissed him with all the joy that was swirling all over me. "Merry Christmas, Oppa, and I love you. So very much." I whispered in his ear. 

             "Merry Christmas, _______! And I love you so much that no one else can describe." 

             I giggled and snuggled in his frame. The cold that surrounded us was replaced by the warmth of love that radiated from our hearts that beated in sync. This, is indeed, my best Christmas gift ever.