Only one word popped into the girls' minds:

Beautiful

Starlight resort was a sight to behold. The whole area was filled with stores and cottages made of wood. Naeun thought the place should be named a town instead of a resort. Fairly lights illuminated the roofs - some hung over the buildings, while others were wrapped around the trees’ branches and barks. In the center of the resort, an enormous Christmas tree was placed, decorated with shimmering orbs of green, red, and yellow. It was the largest and most beautiful Christmas tree Naeun had ever seen.

"I could get used to this place", Eunji mumbled in awe. The other two girls giggled as they ran ahead to catch up with the rest of the students. Naeun saw Taemin and his friends in front of them. They too were awed by the beauty that stood before them as she heard one of them whistle. Despite the cold weather, Naeun's heart warmed at the sight of children playing in snow creating angels and snowmen. A small group of them were having a snowball fight too. A couple walked together in matching hats and sweaters and a smile appeared on Naeun's face. Dating had never been on Naeun's mind for more than a day. She's had her fair share of crushes and admirers but never had she dive deep into wondering when she'd meet her prince charming. She turned to her two friends who were still awing at the Christmas decorations.

I wonder if they feel the same way too...

~~~

The hotel room was small, but spacious enough for two people to roam around without getting claustrophobic. Eunji and Naeun stayed in one room while Krystal stayed with her sister a few rooms down the hall. In about thirty minutes, Jessica and her colleagues would be giving the four classes a tour of the resort before they're allowed to freely roam and explore. Krystal once mentioned how affordable and adorable the clothes were at Starlight. She talked so much about Starlight like it was her own home that it took all of Eunji's willpower to stop herself from muzzling her. Naeun loved Krystal but sometimes, she could be a bit of a chatterbox when it came to topics that interested her.

"We should give Headmaster Han a wicked surprise party before we graduate," Eunji suggested.

Naeun nodded in agreement. Everyone appreciated his Christmas gift to the seniors. He was a kind, fair, and generous man. Not once had she seen him yell at a student or punish one so severely (not even to L). Everyone respected him (even L!). He may only be in his mid-sixties, but Naeun saw him as more of a loving grandfather than a Headmaster.

There was a knock on the door; it was Krystal.

"Whoooo's ready to go shoppingggggggg???????" she squealed. Eunji groaned.

"I'm serious you guys," Krystal continued as they walked out of the room, "This resort has everything you'd want to do in the winter. It has carriage rides, an ice skating rink, free hot cocoa at every corner, and there's a nearby amusement park near the hotel where everything would light on the of midnight, and..."

"This is going to be one loud tour," Eunji grumbled, and Naeun giggled in reply.

It sure was.

Nevertheless, the tour that Jessica - and Krystal, in Eunji and Naeun's case - was informative. They saw all the exciting activities they could do besides going up the mountains. Initially, Naeun thought a whole week at the resort would be too long but now, she wished she had another week at Starlight. She spotted a couple of stores that she took note of to return to with the girls once the tour was over. A man dressed as Santa Clause came into view. Beside him was a donation box that read, "For the Starlight Orphanage".

An orphanage? Now she was even more certain that this place should be renamed as Starlight Town. Just then, L walked up towards the man. Naeun froze from where she stood.

Oh no, what’s he going to do? Panic rose to her body like wildfire.

He better not hurt that poor man, or so help me I will...Clang!

Huh?

L threw a few coins into the box and gave a salute to the old man, smiling at him.

That...was not what I expected...

Her eyes didn’t leave the boy until he was lost in the crowd of students. Perhaps there was good in everyone, even the meanest of the mean. Still, Naeun had not completely forgiven L for what he did to Daniel. She looked behind her and saw him and Jihyo embracing each other warmly as they started pointing at the stores and game stalls they wanted to try later. She smiled at the sight of the two but felt an unfamiliar tug in her heart. Was it jealousy? She immediately shook it off and continued listening to Jessica's (and Krystal's) tour.

~~~

It was already pretty late by the time the tour was over, so the girls decided to visit the nearest store from the hotel before calling it a night. She looked to see if there was anything she might want to give her mom and sister and spotted a large, white snow globe. In it was a reindeer on its hind legs, its nose shining bright.

"Rudolph," she giggled. It would have been a wonderful present for her sister if she hadn't had three other globes given to her by her friends. Her mother wouldn't like it either - she hated the winter. As Naeun roamed deeper into the store, two mannequins caught her attention.

"Matchmakers," the label said and she noticed how the two mannequins wore matching socks, sweaters, and earmuffs.

Must be a couples' thing, she thought, and there it was again - the tugging feeling in her heart. She heaved a heavy sigh.

"Missing somebody?" a familiar voice said behind her which made her jump.

"Easy there, kitty, no one's gonna hurt you," he smirked. It was Taemin. Like L, she hadn't forgotten his remark earlier in the cafeteria either. She rolled her eyes and was about to walk away when he grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said, "I..came here to apologize".

Did she hear him right? She turned to him, "What for?"

Taemin looked hesitant at first then said, "Back at the cafeteria, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you stupid. Reckless would’ve been a more appropriate word, but not...stupid. Also, it was rude of me to not have asked if you were alright. You did look pretty pale.”

Reckless and stupid were the same thing in Naeun's mind, but she could feel the sincerity in his apology. Her eyes softened and replied, "I'm sorry too. You saved me back there and I didn't thank you for it. So...sorry, and thank you.”

She heard him chuckle.

"Truce, then?" he raised a hand to her. She smiled back and shook it.

"Truce.”

They stayed like that for a while before lowering both their arms. Taemin bid her goodbye before joining Kai and Key out the store as Naeun heard Eunji calling for her. She thought back to what had happened in the shop and didn't notice the small smile forming on her lips.

Perhaps there is good in everyone...