It was December 24th, when little Seungwan asked her mom the trickiest question a five-year-old can make: is Santa real?

 

They had been on their way back home from an unprompted visit to the nearest supermarket, when suddenly Seungwan decided to question her mother about everything. She was definitely on the “why” and “what if” phase and her mom sighed a little every time yet another question was made and the little girl wouldn’t give her a break.

 

Seungwan was discreetly staring at their rooftop, searching for a chimney that an old man could actually use to enter their house and leave gifs for her and her entire family, but she couldn’t find it.

 

Was Santa going to forget about her? Couldn’t he just use their front door like she had specifically told him to do in her letter?

 

Her teacher had told her at school: Santa used chimneys, not the the front door like normal people. After all, Santa was a magical creature, a magic man just like a fairy but if fairies were big and fat and delivered presents instead of flowers and money.

 

At first, the idea of Santa Claus seemed to be strange to Seungwan but, after a little convincing, some pictures and drawings and two Christmas movies later, she just accepted it as the truth.

 

That was... until she overheard some teenagers talking about how silly and weird the idea of Santa being real on the supermarket that afternoon, while she was trying to decide which cereal was the best one to have.

 

That conversation had changed Seungwan’s entire perspective and little did her mother know how much it bothered the little girl the entire walk back home as that thought disturbed her quite a lot.

 

Was Seungwan a silly girl? Probably not. Her parents always complimented her, always told her how she was an intelligent and smart girl. The only possibility would be if her teacher had told her a lie and made her believe it.

 

Seungwan was only five but she knew better, she knew that lying was wrong but the grown-ups did it all the time.

 

So she let go of her mom’s hand and tried to jump a little while stomping from side to side in the snow to take a better look at their house and frowned when, in fact, she realized there was no chimney.

 

Seungwan pouted and her watery eyes showed her disappointment. No chimney, no gifts, no Christmas. Santa probably didn’t even read her letter because he wouldn’t be able to enter her house.

 

That was, if he was real on the first place.

 

So Seungwan blinked fast and ran back to her mother, but before they reached the front door, she tugged at her mother’s sleeve and dropped the bomb: is Santa real?

 

Her mother tried to form an answer but simply couldn’t. She thought of all the hard work she had put in that year’s decorations, of how many hours she had spent working and then of how unbelievably annoyed Seungwan’s sister would be if she just ruined Christmas magic with a simple no.

 

On the other hand, little Seungwan was very impatient and puffed her cheeks as stared straight at her mom, who was still carrying all the groceries at that very moment, waiting for an answer.

 

“Let’s go inside first, ok?”

 

That was it, a safe escape route to their conversation. Seungwan nodded and headed inside their house, took off her snow boots and helped her mother with the groceries.

 

Once they were done and her father appeared in the living room, Seungwan decided to ask it again, this time including her father in her interrogation.

 

“Is Santa real?”

 

Her dad seemed to be rather uneasy and nervously looked at her mother, who started to believe she was doomed and would eventually become the Grinch or something.

 

Christmas would never be the same anymore.

 

They all went silent, not saying a word but visually debating whether they should tell the little girl the truth or not. Maybe they could wait until she turned seven, just like sister, or actually allow her to know it was just a little play-pretending thing from grown-ups fantasyland and

not a lie.

 

Seungwan crossed her little arms, demanding for an answer.

 

“It’s ok if he’s not real. That’s why we don’t have a chimney, right?”

 

“It’s a secret-”

 

“Yes!”

 

Seungwan uncrossed her arms. She looked at her parents and nodded slowly. It suddenly all made sense and her teacher did lie to her that day at school.

 

Of course, she felt like crying a little, because it was incredibly sad to have her expectation broken like that, but the grown-ups looked like they needed a hug more than she did, so she rushed to them and held them closely.

 

“If you want me to, I can pretend I still believe Santa is real to my sister.” Seungwan whispered in a serious tone. “It’s ok.”

 

Her parents laughed for a reason little Seungwan couldn’t understand yet. Her father broke the hug and jokingly ruffled Seungwan’s hair before he exchanged a look with her mother.

 

“Seungwan-ah, the real Christmas magic is to be thankful for having someone you love around you.” Her father said. “One day, when you get older, you’ll find your special someone too and you’ll understand that.”

 

“Now go have fun!” Her mom said and Seungwan smiled at them, rushing to her room.

 

“That was stressful.” Her mother commented once Seungwan disappeared from their view. “She’s still only five!”

 

“Soju?”

 

“It’s four in the afternoon.”

 

“Is that a no?”

 

“Oh, honey, that’s a solid yes!”

 

 

---

It was December 24th again but this time, Seungwan was in Ontario, Canada where she would spend Christmas once again.

 

Seungwan, now called Wendy, as she had chosen an English name that best matched her, had finally graduated high school and had been auditioning to become a trainee in several music companies.

 

Becoming a professional singer had turned out to be her main objective and she had no plans to rest until she accomplished that goal, even if that meant not spending time with her family and not celebrating Christmas again.

 

She had moved to Canada at a very young age, with her sister. It all started as an exchange program that then became her lifetime decision which resulted in them living on their own in two different countries throughout the years.

 

She wasn’t complaining, though.

 

Being a foreigner had its perks and it was definitely a challenge, but after a few months she mastered the language and after a few years, it actually started to feel more like home than it was back in Korea.

 

Her parents had moved to Canada as soon as they managed to gather enough money to do so. She definitely loved the idea and it was nice to have her family all together in one household again.

 

However, that specific year, her parents decided to spend Christmas in Korea and they both traveled back to their home country without their daughters as they were a little short on money.

 

Despite being with her in Ontario, Wendy’s sister had decided to spend Christmas time with a few friends and, although she had invited Wendy, the girl chose to stay home and practice some songs.

 

After all, it would be just another snowy night just like many others and she wouldn’t risk the chance of uninterrupted practice for anything at all.

 

So Wendy sang. A lot. She poured her heart out in every note, hoping that her neighbors didn’t mind her singing session lasting a little longer than usual.

 

She sang sorrowful song for her parents that were unfortunately very far from her and hoped that she could one day spent Christmas with them as a successful singer.

 

She sang melodious songs for her sister, who was just as bright and funny as she had always been and had proven to be the best company she could ever have, despite their differences.

 

And finally she hummed some Christmas songs for herself, to try to cheer up a little before she became too miserably lost in her own self pity Christmas party.

 

At midnight, when it was finally Christmas Day, her sister called to check on her and to wish her a Merry Christmas. She reminded Wendy of her favorite cupcakes that were strategically placed on their cupboards and ended the call on a hopeful note.

 

“Wendy-ah, next year will be your year, you’ll see! By Christmas time next year, you’ll be definitely a trainee.”

 

“I’m the unluckiest person ever, how could you ever say that?” Wendy half joked. “Thanks for that, though. It’s been hard...”

 

“Don’t worry that much about it. Gosh, I knew that I should’ve dragged you here, it’s been so fun!”

 

“No, you shouldn’t. I’m glad I stayed home, I was practicing up until now.” Wendy said and stopped mid sentence to take a bite of her cupcake. “Plus I didn’t want to bother you when you’re spending time with your boyfriend.”

 

“Well, I told you a million times: you never bother me! Well, maybe sometimes.” Her sister laughed. “One day you’ll find your special someone too and you’ll understand.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll focus on my career first.”

 

“Alright, lady. Call me if you need anything then.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Wendy ended the call and proceeded to eat the rest of the cupcakes as she the TV to watch a movie and due to the big irony that life is, it was obviously Home Alone that was on for the hundredth time.

 

When Wendy’s sister arrived home much later, the TV was still on as well as the Christmas lights and Wendy was fast asleep on the couch, with a dozen cupcake wrappings all around her.

 

---

It was December 24th again and Wendy was a part of SMRookies.

 

She had made it. She auditioned, got selected and joined one of the biggest, most influential Korean Music Companies: SM Entertainment.

 

That Christmas Eve the trainees were all throwing a Christmas party, thanks to their CEO that allowed and organized the celebration, since most of the rookies wouldn’t be able to go back home to celebrate the holidays with their families.

 

The party was amazing or so Wendy thought. There were interesting people, good music, a nice karaoke, free drinks and free tasty food, all she needed that night.

 

Wendy had been dancing with a guy she didn’t know much until she spotted Seulgi, a girl her age that was one of the good dancers, who was talking excitedly to one pretty girl Wendy didn’t normally see talking much: Irene.

 

Seulgi noticed Wendy’s hesitation to approach them once she realized Irene was there too. So she waved at her, signaling for the Canadian to go join them.

 

“Unnie, this is Wendy, remember? She came from Canada.”

 

“Hi. It’s nice to see you again.” Irene said almost monotonously but Wendy smiled nonetheless. “Merry Christmas.”

 

“Merry Christmas, girls! How do you like our Christmas party?” Wendy asked Seulgi who just shrugged.

 

“I just came here because of the food.” Seulgi said and Irene rolled her eyes. “C’mon, unnie, it’s delicious. I’ve seen you eating lots of Christmas cake!”

 

Even though the room was a bit dark, Wendy saw how red Irene became due to Seulgi’s comment and couldn’t help but laugh at it.

 

“Don’t worry, unnie, I ate lots of Christmas cake too.” Wendy sympathetically said and Irene shyly smiled at her, with her head down a little. “It’s so good!”

 

Shy. Irene was extremely shy and as soon as she flashed another smile at Wendy, her heart skipped a beat. Irene was breathtakingly beautiful too.

 

A bit later on the party, the girls realized many mistletoes were secretly hung in strategic places, probably by one of the boys to, as Seulgi proudly stated, “spicy the party up a little”.

 

Irene seemed to be consciously avoiding all the mistletoes when Seulgi, one the other hand, distractingly stood under one and a guy accidentally bumped into her and a small crowd started to cheer them up until they actually kissed.

 

Seulgi seemed to be having fun but Irene was definitely not having a good time.

 

Wendy didn’t seem to mind the idea, she was just a bit worried that one of the staff members would find out about the silly game and then punish them for it, but Seulgi assured the staff was probably just having as much fun as they were.

 

“Christmas spirit, you know, it justifies everything.”

 

They wandered around the place for a while, drinking and talking as if they had been friends for decades and Wendy secretly hoped they got to be in the same group when they eventually debuted.

 

When Seulgi saw one of her friends, Sooyoung, she decided to go met her on the dance floor, leaving Wendy and Irene, who were still excitedly chatting about weird fashion trends.

 

The duo talked for a while until a guy pointed out they were standing exactly under one mistletoe and suggested that they should respect the tradition and kiss each other.

 

“We’re not some private reality show for you to watch. Leave.” Irene coldly said to the boy when he wouldn’t leave them alone. “Now.”

 

“Whoa, okay, okay. Geez, I’m sorry.” The tall boy said, just another rookie like them. “I’m not pushing you, it’s just a game.”

 

The boy finally left them alone, huffing and not looking back as an awkward silence filled the little space between them. Wendy opened to fill that weird void, but Irene just touched her lips with her index finger, silently demanding her to be quiet.

 

It was only a few minutes later, when no one seemed to be looking at them anymore, that Irene firmly held Wendy’s left arm and quickly stood almost on her tippy toes, softly pecking Wendy’s lips.

 

“You didn’t have to do this.” Wendy said, giggling a little, a bit embarrassed and unsure of how she should react. “It’s just a silly idea.”

 

“I wanted to.” Irene said and gave no further explanation, grabbing Wendy by her hand and pulling her to the dance floor. “Let’s get a drink.”

 

---

It was December 24th and Wendy had already debuted in a k-pop girl group, Red Velvet, just like she had imagined and dreamed so many times before.

 

She had been lucky and everyone she loved was in the group with her. A miracle almost. Definitely a blessing.

 

It had been a few years ever since she finally debuted and Christmas always made her feel nostalgic, specially since she usually spent it alone, on her dorm, away from her parents and most times away from her group members too.

 

Leaving her family behind and moving back to Korea was a tough decision she had to make, but it had definitely proven to be a good one as she finally felt the joy of having a financially stable life.

 

But, even with all the fame and fortune, she couldn’t help but feel lonely at times and it made her question if it was all really worth her sacrifice.

 

She had left her family, had left her friends and her had left her previous somewhat comfortable lifestyle behind.

 

It was a weird thought to have.

 

It was still early in the morning and Wendy had barely woken up and her empty stomach definitely made her feel a little too bitter than usual. So she got up and decided to head downstairs, to grab a cup of tea to start the day.

 

It was the first actual holiday time in which the group would have an extended break which, to Wendy, meant she would be spending extra time alone with her own bad and confusing thoughts flooding her mind.

 

It was only the first day of their little vacation and Wendy already felt inevitably lonely.

 

The dorms were already empty, including their staff ones and seeing that much space actually suffocated her a little.

 

Seulgi had packed two days prior to their break and literally just stopped by to wish them happy holidays before she headed off to her parents house.

 

Joy had done pretty much the exact same thing, except that she had stayed until the last minute possible in the dorm, keeping Wendy company, before she had to leave for her flight to her parents’ place.

 

Yeri had also waited as much as she could before her mother came to pick her up, but before she left, in true Yeri’s fashion, she surprised Wendy with a pre-Christmas gift, an one thousand-pieces puzzle of a photo of Toronto.

 

She obviously ugly cried and Yeri made a disgusted face as she took “pictures for posterity” and promised not to post anything on Instagram.

 

“Why are you documenting my sadness?” Wendy asked and Yeri shrugged. “I’ll miss you guys so much!”

 

“Don’t be so dramatic, unnie! We’ll just be away for a few days, plus I’m sure this puzzle will keep you distracted.”

 

“Yerim-ah! I love you.”

 

“Please don’t touch me, you have snot all over your face.”

 

Irene had been the last one to leave. She would be staying in Seoul, which meant she only had to deal with local traffic as most people actually left the city to visit their families on other regions of the country.

 

The leader had packed only a few items and had hanged around the entirety of the previous day, until they both felt too tired. She had hugged Wendy goodbye and had left just after the Canadian announced she was going to sleep.

 

As she was going down the stairs still in her thick Christmas themed pajamas, Wendy heard the front door’s soft click, which probably meant someone had just arrived.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Wannie, I thought you would be still asleep.”

 

It was Irene’s voice.

 

Wendy rushed to the living room, where Irene was already standing, in a not-all-Christmassy outfit but in a thick black overall coat, with a soft wool sweater underneath and equally soft thick jeans.

 

Irene had no makeup but was still as breathtakingly beautiful as always.

 

“I just woke up, I was going to prepare some green tea. Would you like some?” Wendy offered and Irene nodded. “Good, I’ll be right back.”

 

When Wendy came back with two mugs, Irene had already taken her coat off and was sitting comfortably on the couch. She gave Wendy a warm look and took one of the mugs, slightly bowing in gratitude and motioning for Wendy to seat beside her.

 

“What happened, unnie?” Wendy asked and Irene smiled at her. “What?”

 

“I forgot my phone here yesterday, I came here to get it.” Irene explained. “It’s cute how you pout when you say unnie.”

 

“It’s not.” Wendy said and unknowingly pouted even more. “Stop looking at me like that!”

 

“Okay, okay.” Irene laughed but then made a very serious expression. “Well, since you’re still in a bad mood, I think I need to go.”

 

“What!? No, don’t go!” Wendy desperately said. “Yah! Why are you still laughing? It’s not funny, unnie!”

 

“You’re doing it again, you’re pouting.” Irene cheered and clapped. “You’re so cuteee!”

 

“Urgh. I swear you’re the worst.” Wendy mumbled and took a sip of the tea. “Did you get your phone already?”

 

“Yes. Are you kicking me out now?” Irene joked. “I thought you wanted me to stay.”

 

“As tempting as it is to wipe that smirk off of your face and kick you out, I actually enjoy your company.”

 

“Of course you do, I’m your favorite person ever.” Irene said and stared into Wendy’s eyes. “And, as you told me yesterday, I’m also so pretty and perfect for you, aren’t I?”

 

“Oh my god! I was drunk, okay?” Wendy defensively said, almost spilling her tea as she blushed. “I mean, you’re pretty but-”

 

“Do you wanna spend Christmas with me?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I’ll take that as yes. Hurry up, I’ll wait here for you.”

 

“Are you serious?” Wendy asked. “Aren’t you spending with your family and your boyfriend?”

 

“Girlfriend.”

 

“Oh.” Wendy gasped. “Right, sorry. I’m sorry I assumed you had a boyfriend. I thought you and Bogun had-”

 

“Baby, why are you so slow, huh?” Irene rhetorically asked. “It’s you, you’re my girlfriend and you’ll be spending Christmas with me.”

 

Wendy shook her head in disbelief. Had her and Irene been in a relationship? Sort of. Did Wendy want them to be more than friends? Yes. But Irene actually asking her to be her girlfriend on Christmas Eve? No, too far-fetched.

 

“Wannie? Don’t you wanna spend Christmas with me?”

 

“I do but-“

 

Irene cut her off with a slow kiss.

 

“Then it’s decided. Go get dressed, I’ll be waiting for you here.”

 

---

It was December 24th one more time and it had been a few years since Red Velvet’s disband.

 

As people say, nothing lasts forever and one day, sooner or later, the group had to end so each of the girls could pursue their individual careers.

 

That didn’t mean the members weren’t still friends, though.

 

Actually, each and every opportunity they had to gather round and tell each other stories about their lives, they would take and make the most out of it.

 

Wendy finally could go back to Canada and spend Christmas with all of her loved ones, including not only her family but also her girlfriend and former girl group leader, Irene.

 

That year it was no different than the previous ones: they were flying to Canada, Irene’s most recent favorite place in the world, to spend Christmas time with Wendy’s relatives.

 

They were on the departures lounge when Irene decided to pull Wendy to Starbucks, where they both ordered hot chocolate and waited for their flight.

 

Irene was terrified of flying but that day she was unusually anxious, so much so, Wendy asked if she was alright every five minutes.

 

One hour before their flight, Irene decided she couldn’t wait anymore and she pulled Wendy again by her hand, until she found a spot seemly empty, with just chairs and a tv monitor announcing the flights.

 

“Sit down.” Irene imposed and Wendy didn’t hesitate to do what she was told. “Good.”

 

Irene was definitely in a mission and it seemed that she was on the verge of having a heart attack.

 

“Look, you know how scared I am of flying and I know everything will be fine and that we won’t die soon or anything.”

 

Wendy nodded.

 

“But there’s still a minor chance that the plane crashes or something and that we die and I thought that I don’t wanna die without telling you what I am about to say...”

 

“Joohyun-ssi, breathe, okay?” Wendy said and took Irene’s hands on her own. “You look so pale, don’t you want to-”

 

“Will you marry me?”

 

Wendy just stared blankly at her, unable to move.

 

“I’ve been thinking. I am in love with you ever since we first talked in that Christmas rookie party and we’ve been dating for so many years now and I literally can’t think of anything that I wanted to do more in my life than have you as my wife and...” Irene said and completely froze once Wendy started crying. “OMG, did I do something wrong?”

 

“It’s just that I feel the same.” Wendy said, wiping away her happy tears as she reached for her coat pocket and pulled out an engagement ring. “I was going to wait until we arrived at Toronto but...”

 

“Oh, no way you’ll propose too!” Irene squealed in pure happiness. “I love you so much, it’s unreal.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

Passersby looked endearingly at the emotionally charged scene and even a few recognized them as the former k-pop stars but decided to let them be, on their special little love bubble as they looked at each other as if there was no one around.

 

They exchanged engagement rings and shared one last passionate kiss before they boarded on the plane, heading out to Canada and Wendy couldn’t contain her happiness and wait to tell her family about the exciting news: she would get married to the woman of her dreams.

 

---

It was December 24th and the twins were already five.

 

Wendy still remembered when Irene made the decision of getting pregnant, six years prior to that moment and she still remembered the indescribable happiness she felt when the twins were born, how she felt so protective over those little babies, her babies, that she loved unconditionally.

 

Having two five-year-olds wasn’t easy, though.

 

Both were running all around their house, in their matching pajamas, messing up the Christmas’ decorations Irene had so proudly put up as Wendy chased her kids, trying to get them to finally go to sleep so that they could wait for Santa to arrive.

 

“How does Santa know where we live?”

 

Wendy finally caught up with both of her daughters and frowned a little. That was a very good question and she couldn’t help but feel like a proud parent every single time one of the kids surprised her with such intelligent questions.

 

“Ugh, he has very good GPS.”

 

“Why is Santa a man?”

 

“Yeah and will I have the same beard when I get old?”

 

“I- It’s time to go to the bed! Otherwise the gifs won’t magically appear under the Christmas tree.” Wendy firmly said. “Who wants me to read a bedtime story?”

 

The two little girls raised their hands and Wendy picked up both of them, carefully taking them to bed as Irene was still taking a shower, getting ready to have dinner just the two of them while the kids slept.

 

“Can you tell that princess story, the one she fights bad people?”

 

“Actually, I thought about telling you two my favorite story ever…”

 

“Which one is that? Rapunzel?”

 

“No.”

 

“Frozen?”

 

“Ugh… no…”

 

“Mom, you told us Frozen is your favorite story!”

 

“No, I didn’t.” Wendy defensively said and sighed. Maybe she did but that was beside the point. “I want to tell you the tale of two princesses that fell in love and got married.”

 

“Just like you and mommy!”

 

“Exactly.” Wendy said and smiled fondly at her kids. “You know, a wise man once told me that when you find a special someone, you’ll understand the real magic of Christmas and the joy of having a family… this story is about that.”

 

“And about love.”

 

“Yeah, and about love.”

 

“And Santa.”

 

Wendy laughed at the children’s antics and nodded. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Irene had been secretly watching them and Wendy gestured for her to sit next to her because it was going to take a long time to tell them the story, but Santa could wait, couldn’t he?