Summary: Months after losing your father, you keep your promise and attend your town’s annual Christmas Winter Wonderland where you’re paired with an excited Taemin for the snowman making competition.

2013

Freshly fallen snow coats the ground, blanketing every surface with white. The frigid wind blows some snow from the rooftops, sending them to the ground as if they are descending from the sky. You gaze up at them and watch as they gracefully fall to the ground to join the others.

The bright white string lights placed around the park reflect off the snow and give the illusion of diamonds shimmering. You walk towards the brightly lit banner that welcomes everyone to the town’s festivities. Snow softly crunches with each step, building your excitement for the event you’ve been looking forward to all year, though this year will be different.

Fond memories of coming to the annual festival with your father flood your mind, making you slightly smile. Your glove-covered fingers wrap around the ends of the multi-colored knitted scarf around your neck, the last thing your father made before his passing. He always told you, while knitting it with his thin framed glass on the end of his nose, that it was something to keep you warm and remember him by. He made you promise that rather than crying about his absence, to enjoy life and the things you got to do together. To be here without your father for the first time is bittersweet.

It’s impossible to not become a little sad during the holidays, especially when you lose a loved one. But the feeling of joy crashes into you when you step beyond the banner - carolers dressed in red and green attire hold their songbooks and melodiously belt out Christmas songs in the brightly lit gazebo, children’s laughter can be heard from every corner of the park as they race to a small hill with sleds and tubes in their hands, the aroma of baked goods and hot chocolate warms the body as the wind spreads its scents, and the gorgeous sight of bright white lights snaking up trees and festive tents work together to make this place a Winter Wonderland.

“___?” A man with a clipboard asks. You jump a little at his sudden presence and quickly nod. “You’ll be partnered with,” he pauses to look at the clipboard. “Taemin for the snowman making competition.”

You look behind the man to see a young man warmly dressed, huffing into the air to see the steam from his mouth. The sound of the man clearing his throat grabs his attention; his cheeks, already a pinkish hue from the temperature, deepens in color.

“Right,” the man says and hands you a basket. “These are the materials. Just find a spot and wait for the whistle.”

Just as quickly as he arrived, the man quickly vanishes and to the next pair. You and Taemin share a friendly smile, standing still in silence. Taemin lightly kicks the snow in multiple places before he turns to you.

“I already scouted this place out,” he says and tilts his head to an area across from you. “And the best snow to build in is over there.”

“Isn’t that cheating?”

“I like to call it scouting out the competition,” he smiles and reaches out to grab your hand. “Let’s go before someone steals it.”

Before you can say anything, your body is jolted forward as Taemin leads you to the area he’s secretly picked. His hand tightens around yours and pulls you closer as he tells you to not get lost among the crowd. When you reach the spot, a whistle sounds and joyful cheer and chatter begins amongst those in the competition.

“How should we do this?” Taemin asks, letting go of your hand and facing you.

“I’m good at doing the bottom.”

Taemin smiles and nods. “That’s great! I’m good at the middle and head.”

“Let’s get started!”

Immediately, you and Taemin drop to the ground and gather snow to make the snowman. You work busily and quickly to pack snow together for the bottom with Taemin glancing over every now and then to align the shape of the middle and top with the bottom. Around you, people chat away and laugh while some take a bold step to playfully throw snow at each other. Every now and then you feel the urge to make small conversation with Taemin but swallow it back, too shy to talk. Instead, you heavily concentrate on helping the young man place the middle and top of the snowman on top of the bottom.

“I think it looks good,” Taemin says with a smile as you both step back to examine the construction. “Now it just needs decorations.”

The snow makes a soft crunch sound when you and Taemin kneel beside the basket the man with the clipboard had given you. You and Taemin reach in at the same time, your hands brushing against one another before you both pull away quickly. He gives you a soft smile as his cheeks, once again, grow deeper in color before shyly looking away. The longer you gaze at him, the warmer you feel your cheeks become as you can’t find it in you to turn away from him.

“You go first,” you softly say and motion to the basket.

Taemin takes a moment and looks at you with gentle eyes that have a sparkle in them from the bright lights. A small smile spreads across his face as he doesn’t protest and reaches in to grab a snowflake patterned scarf. You reach in next and hold up a crooked carrot.

“Aha!” Taemin exclaims with a wide smile. “You got a crooked carrot!”

Your eyebrows furrow as you look from the carrot to him. “What’s so special about it?”

“My grandmother always told me that if you find a crooked carrot, it means that you will find true love.”

You look back to the carrot and examine it while Taemin watches on with wide eyes of excitement. A soft smile appears on your face as you turn back towards him.

“My father hated making snowmen with the perfect carrot nose. He said it doesn’t give them character.”

You cautiously stand to your feet and hold your hand out to Taemin, who takes it and pulls himself to his feet with your help. Together, you decorate the snowman and give him as much personality as you can with the materials gives. After Taemin wraps the scarf on the head, you step back and proudly look over your creation - a pirate snowman equipped with an eyepatch, a hook-like arm, scarf around the head, small sticks as a beard, and angry eyebrows.

“I think ours is the best,” Taemin leans over and whispers. His voice pulls your body towards him as you lean in closer while shivers go down your back.

“I think so too,” you smile and watch the judges begin to make their rounds.

Some time passes as the judges look around and intently examine each snowman. You and Taemin plop to the ground beside each other and find yourselves making an army of smaller snowmen. You’re concentrating on forming a perfect ball when a blast of cold smacks against your face. Your body freezes at the frigid temperature when you slowly turn to Taemin who can’t hide his laugh as he goes back to making his snowmen. A mischievous smile slowly spreads on your face as you crumple the ball you were forming in your hands and reach in front of him and press the snow against his face. You laugh at his small squeal and wailing limbs.

“You think it’s funny?” He asks while placing more snow in his hands. Unable to speak, you nod while uncontrollably laughing.

Taemin’s laughter joins yours as you playfully throw snow on each other, your bodies tense whenever the snow touches your skin. The sound of someone clearing their throat halts you and Taemin’s mini-competition as you look and see the man with the clipboard hovering over the two of you. Immediately, Taemin helps you to your feet and helps each other brush off the remnants of the snow.

“If you two weren’t lollygagging, you would’ve heard us announce you as the winners.”

The man’s statement takes a while to set in before you and Taemin erupt with joy, tightly hugging each other while doing little hops. The warmth of his body makes you tighten your hold on him as he whispers “I told you we would win” in your ear.

“As the winners, enjoy two free hot chocolates free of charge,” the man said, handing you and Taemin each a free voucher. “Merry Christmas.”

“Wait,” Taemin calls out to the man before he has a chance to walk away. “Could you take a picture of us and our snowman?”

The man, who sported a hard exterior, smiles at Taemin and takes his phone. You and Taemin stand on each side of the snowman and smile for the picture and make a funny face at the request of the man. Before Taemin has time to review the photos, you lock your arm with his and pull him towards the hot chocolate stand.

“Someone’s in a hurry for hot chocolate,” he smiles and finds his footing to walk beside you.

“Yup,” you nod with a proud expression. “Lola makes the best hot chocolate and I want to get there before all of the candy canes are gone.”

“Candy canes?”

“You don’t know about the trick, do you?” You ask and watch Taemin shake his head. “Well then, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.”

“So,” you say as you sit next to Taemin on a bench, watching as he takes a sip from his red holiday cup. “How’s it taste?”

He pauses for a second, his eyes looking upwards as if he’s in deep concentration, and playfully smacks his lips. You playfully nudge him with your shoulder and take a sip from your cup.

“It’s good,” he smiles. “I never thought about putting a candy cane in hot chocolate.”

“Yeah, my father and I used to do it all the time. It’s become a tradition of ours, just like coming here every year and entering the snowman competition.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, I noticed that you talk about your father in the past tense, has he…?”

You slowly nod and give Taemin a soft smile. “Earlier this year. He made me promise to keep our traditions alive and remember our time together rather than spend all my days crying.”

You and Taemin sit in silence for a moment and watch the crowd begin to grow smaller and smaller. Your fingers clutch your warm cup tighter and allow its steam to warm your nose.

“My grandmother died a couple of years ago,” Taemin softly said, breaking the silence. “She was my best friend and I still find myself talking like her and doing the things we did together, like coming here.”

“We’ve both been through some tough times, huh?”

Taemin gives you a soft nod before finishing his drink. Without looking at him, you hand him a napkin and stand to your feet. For a moment, you and Taemin look at each other with warm eyes and a gentle smile.

“I’m afraid I have to go,” you say while looking towards the ground. “Can you send me the pictures we took whenever you get the chance?”

“Of course,” Taemin smiles.

You give him one last smile before turning and walking away, holding your coat tighter against your body as the night grows later. Taemin finds himself watching as you walk away until a thought pops into his mind.

“___?” He yells, causing you to stop and turn towards him. His heart skips a beat when the snow softly falls around you and the bright lights give you an ethereal glow. He finds himself lost in your warm eyes. “How will I send you the pictures?”

You smile at him and point towards the napkin in his hand before turning and walking away. When you disappear from his sight, Taemin curiously opens the napkin to see your handwriting saying: “000-111-2222. To my snowman and hot chocolate partner, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” Unable to control his happiness, he smiles at the napkin and looks back to where he last saw you. For the first time in a while, you and he can feel the joy of the season, all because of a snowman competition and hot chocolate.