Minji chuckles as she watches her clumsy girlfriend place the final decorations on their christmas tree. It’s Christmas eve, and per tradition, they’re waiting for their friends to arrive and spend the night here. The tradition started 7 years ago, when Bora gave birth to her and Siyeon’s adorable daughter, Gahyeon. Since then, they’ve been meeting at one of their homes each year, spend the night, and let Gahyeon open everyone’s presents to her in the morning. This way, they’ve ensured they always meet and have each other as family for the holiday season. Their busy careers and lives tend to get in the way of them meeting up regularly but there’s always Christmas.

‘Baby, be careful.’ Minji makes her way closer to her tall girlfriend, currently standing on a wobbly chair. Her hand automatically finds its way up to support her lower back, in case she falls. ‘I’m almost done! Just want to make sure the star will have enough space!’ Each year, Gahyeon would make a star for the top of the christmas tree with her golden handed mother, Bora. That final part of decorating the tree belonged to the kid. ‘Alright, but I think Gahyeonnie would also like her aunt to be in one piece for Christmas.’ Yoohyeon looks down to her and sticks out her tongue playfully. The pair looks over at the tree, smiling at the sparkles and decorations. A few customised baubles with their names, their dogs’ cute faces, and some hand-painted drawings make the tree stand out even more.

‘I think it’s ready for the princess’ arrival.’ With a giggle, Yoohyeon takes Minji’s hand to jump off the chair safely. She stumbles into her arms happily. ‘Hello there.’ Minji laughs as Yoohyeon wiggles her eyebrows. She kisses her cheek nonetheless. ‘Dork. Let’s get the coffee table ready. Everyone should be here soon.’ Yoohyeon playfully salutes her and follows Minji into the kitchen. She’d prepared a variety of pastries and cookies. Everyone would be able to find something they love to go with their tea, coffee, or hot chocolate milk. Whereas Bora always excelled in making a 5-star meal, being the chef of her own restaurant, Minji never failed to amaze with her baking skills. There’s a reason she runs double shifts during the holiday season. Her being closed over Christmas means most of her customers come in just before, to have her delicious cakes and pastries on their dinner table somehow.

Yoohyeon smells the air and excitedly hops up and down. ‘You’ve really outdone yourself again this year, babe.’ Minji blushes softly and picks up a tray of biscuits. ‘Oh hush, I barely made an effort.’ Yoohyeon rolls her eyes and picks up some plates as well, following her wife to the living room to set the coffee table. She’d believe her if it wasn’t for the fact that she heard her wife get up at 4 am this morning to make all of the delicious treats before them now. ‘Sure, love. Tell that to the bags under your eyes.’ Huffing, Minji sets the table and waddles back to the kitchen to get the rest. ‘Well, if you weren’t such a mess in the kitchen, maybe you could’ve helped me and I would’ve been able to sleep in!’ It’s Yoohyeon’s turn to blush, in embarrassment. Cooking and baking definitely weren’t Yoohyeon’s fortes. She was better at doing work around the house and handling all their financials and paperwork. They made up a good balance this way.

‘Sorry, love. I would’ve helped if I could. You remember what happened last time.’ Blinking, Minji shakes her head. ‘Yes, no need to remind me, Yooh.’ They share a sweet smile as they finish setting the last cups on the table. They never could really get mad at each other anyway. ‘Should we release the hounds?’ Laughing, Minji nods and holds Yoohyeon’s hand as she leads the way to their bedroom. To avoid them stealing the decorations and bothering them, they’d kept their dogs in their bedroom for the time being. With their guests on the way, and knowing how much Gahyeon loves the fluffy dogs, it’s time to let them out.

‘Pie! Cherry! Time to come out!’ Yoohyeon opens the door and instantly they’re charged at by 2 fluffy small dogs. Chuckling, they crouch down to pet them, the dogs covering their hands in gentle but excited . ‘Let’s head downstairs.’ They each pick up a dog, taking them down with them carefully. As they reach the final step, their doorbell rings loudly. And again. And again. Minji raises an eyebrow as she puts Cherry down. ‘You think Bora’s here?’ Yoohyeon laughs and nods, setting Pie down and moving towards the front door to let their loud friend and her cute family in. ‘Merry Christmas!’ Bora’s loud voice greets them the second Yoohyeon opens the door. ‘Haha, merry Christmas Eve to you too, Bora. Come in! It’s cold out!’

The cold wind brings some snowflakes into their hallway as the family enters their warm home. Bora instantly pulls her friend into a tight hug before taking off her jacket. ‘How are you, Yooh?’ Yoohyeon smiles at her energy and shares a hug with Siyeon as she answers. ‘I’m doing amazing, Bora. How are you all?’ Siyeon takes her jacket off as well, helping her short girlfriend hang both of theirs on the coat hanger. Yoohyeon bends down with a wink. ‘Hey there princess!’ Gahyeon smiles widely and hugs her aunt tightly. ‘Auntie Yoohyeon!’ Her parents smile down at them. Gahyeon loves their whole friend group as much as they do themselves. ‘Where’s Minji? In the kitchen?’ Yoohyeon nods at Bora. ‘Probably. We just brought the dogs down before you guys arrived.’

Gahyeon’s eyes sparkle at the mention of the dogs. Yoohyeon chuckles and helps her take off her coat, gloves, and beanie. ‘Let’s go say hi to your other aunt and the dogs, shall we?’ Gahyeon smiles up at her mother and grabs Yoohyeon’s hand as Siyeon puts away the rest of their stuff. Bora walks through to the kitchen as if it was her own home. Siyeon laughs as they each go their way and decides to put their overnight bags in one of the spare bedrooms first, to get them out of the way.

‘Minji!’ Bora loudly announces her presence, causing Minji to smile brightly. She puts down the spoon in her hands and turns around to hug her best friend tightly. ‘Bboya! How are you? Was the road not too slippery?’ Bora smiles at her friend’s concern. Minji has always been the motherly type. Which is why it’s a surprise that she isn’t a mother yet. ‘It was fine. You know Siyeon always drives safely. How has it been going here?’ Minji smiles happily at her friend. Something is different about the sparkle in her eyes as she smiles but Bora shakes it off. She must be excited about their annual Christmas plans. ‘Auntie!’ Their moment is broken by Bora’s equally loud daughter. ‘Gahyeonnie! Come here!’ The 7-year old wastes no time in jumping into her aunt’s arms. Minji hugs her tightly and kisses the top of her head. ‘Want something like that?’ Yoohyeon startles as Siyeon slides up behind her. She was getting lost in watching Minji play with Gahyeon and Bora.

She walks into the living room with Siyeon, settling into the couch. They both smile at the laughter coming from the kitchen. ‘How have you been, Yoohyeon?’ She smiles at her kind friend’s concerns. ‘I’m doing really well, Siyeon. We both have been. How are you guys? Did Gahyeon have a good first semester?’ Siyeon chuckles and smiles. ‘We’ve been great. Bora’s got her eyes on a third location for her restaurant and I’ve been enjoying my break since my last comeback. Taking some time off for the family, you know?’ Yoohyeon smiles understandingly. She’d put her own singing career on hold for the time being, for her own family. ‘I’m glad to hear that.’ Siyeon smiles as she hears the familiar pitter patter of her wife and child running into the room. ‘Mom! Auntie Minji made my favourite chocolate cake for after dinner!’ Siyeon can’t help but melt at the way her daughter’s face glows. ‘That’s amazing sweetie!’

Soon, both couples are chatting in the living room, enjoying some coffee and hot chocolate milk as Gahyeon runs around playing with Cherry and Pie. Yoohyeon smiles at her phone and looks up to her friends. ‘Yubin is outside and needs a hand with the presents apparently.’ Siyeon chuckles and gets up. ‘She really needs to stop going overboard every year.’ The friend group laughs knowingly as they gather at the door to help their friends. ‘Handong! Happy to see you again!’ Handong had been the newest addition to their friend group. Yubin met her a few years ago while on a business trip and they’ve been attached to the hip ever since. Everyone was glad to see the strict and quiet Yubin open up to someone, smiling and letting loose finally. Handong smiles and greets everyone eagerly, picking Gahyeon up and spinning her around. ‘Auntie Dong!’ They all smile at the nickname and Siyeon rushes out to help Yubin who’s balancing a bunch of boxes on top of each other. ‘Damn, Yubs, what did you buy this time?’ Yubin had a tendency of buying everyone souvenirs from her business trips and accumulating them all until they meet for Christmas.

‘It’s not that much, I swear!’ Laughing, Siyeon helps her out and they manage to place all the gifts around the large Christmas tree somehow. Moments later, Minji smiles at everyone from the threshold with the dining room. ‘Dinner is ready!’ Everyone eagerly rushes into the dining room. Yoohyeon walks in last, wrapping an arm around her wife and kissing the side of her head. ‘Thanks for all this, dear.’ Minji automatically wraps her arms around Yoohyeon’s small waist, kissing her cheek. ‘Anything for our family.’ They share a sweet smile and join their family at the table. Laughter is heard for miles. A warm Christmas spent with family has only just begun.