Jongin did not expect to be pummeled by cushions and plushies when he steps into the apartment, not this early in the morning at least. He came over with the purpose of bringing some lunch since both his sister and her girlfriend are at home.

“Hey! What gives?”

“You big dumbo! Why would you suggest giving an ugly sweater to my baby?” Joohyun whines, faceplanting into the other end of the sofa as she kicks her legs childishly.

Of course, his sister is all over the place again.

Rolling his eyes at this rather unoriginal predicament, Jongin pushes Joohyun’s legs off the sofa and slumps onto it. He has seen Joohyun throw this kind of fits a dozen times now; it no longer surprises him. Anything to do with Seungwan or her business, Joohyun is always flustered and extremely out of control.

“Well, what exactly did I do now?”

Joohyun gives her younger brother the full rundown of what happened and what was discussed – with a little too much detail of some private events, which caused Jongin to nearly throw up while listening – with her girlfriend last night. She knows Seungwan got a huge shock when Joohyun screamed her lungs out, though she’s still very much none the wiser. It’s just like her girlfriend to gift her something so expensive and yet so important to their relationship. Every year, Seungwan never fails to exceed her expectations whatever her gift might be.

It ranged from handwritten letters to extravagant gifts like a new laptop and now with the possible addition of an apartment that Seungwan designed herself with accordance of Joohyun’s likes and dislikes…

“You got yourself a sugar mommy for real? Does she want to adopt – OW! – me too?” Jongin suggests, letting out a boisterous guffaw whilst he shields himself from his sister’s beatings.

Joohyun narrows her eyes and almost seems as if she has devil’s horns growing out of her head with smoke coming out from her ears. If no one holds her back, Jongin might very well end up in a coffin before the night is over.

“Good morning!”

“Oh? Seungwan-ah!” Jongin jumps up from the couch, standing at attention. He felt beads of sweat droplets gather on his forehead and roll down his jaw; something about the woman was just so ethereal. “I didn’t know you were at home already so I didn’t ring before coming…”

Seungwan a brow in amusement; her future brother-in-law still melts into a bundle of nerves whenever he sees her around. They’ve been dating for a couple of years now and she tries her best to get along with Jongin. The memory of her bawling her eyes out into Joohyun’s chest when Jongin ran out of the house on their first meeting still haunts her. Seungwan was affirmative that Jongin hated her and she’d never be accepted into the family but she couldn’t be more wrong. Turns out Joohyun had never explained that Seungwan was a budding interior designer, and definitely did not elaborate on how gorgeous she could be in a dress.

It’s safe to say Jongin got a huge earful from his sister that day; not only for scaring Seungwan to death, and for ogling her girlfriend like that.

“Relax, Jongin. I’m not going to eat you up or anything,” Seungwan giggles, tiptoeing so she can ruffle the dashing lad’s hair. She can already feel a pair of eyes boring holes into the side of her head so she throws herself on the sofa next to her girlfriend.

The three of them engage in some redundant conversation about recent work projects and life, though Joohyun was more focused on the hand massage her girlfriend was giving her. She can’t even bring herself to the kitchen to prepare the food Jongin brought over – Seungwan’s hands are just so soft and big.

“Baby, go get the food out.”

Joohyun turns to Seungwan with an exaggerated look of shock before nuzzling her face into the latter’s neck, “whyyyy…”

Seungwan is no stranger to her girlfriend’s lack of shame when it comes to displaying her affection but she really needs to discuss something with Jongin, and not in Joohyun’s presence. “Go and I’ll make you some desserts later, Hyun.”

Jongin is on the verge of barfing from all the unicorns and rainbows happening right in front of his very eyes. He has seen way too much for his own good for the entirety of their relationship. It might sound a tad bit salty and he’s not afraid to admit that he is envious, not in a terribly mean way but God, Joohyun has no shame.

“Stop looking at your sister like that. She’s just happy I’m home for two days to be with her.” Seungwan stares after Joohyun, heart filled with both a tinge of guilt and sadness.

“Let me guess what you need help with. A Christmas present.”

When Seungwan’s cheeks redden so quickly, Jongin can’t help but chortle at how predictable this pair of ding-dongs are. They are so generous with each other all the time that simple gifts can become an obstacle. He is always the first person they come to for advice – which always becomes a bucket of chaos, without fail – and they still never learn their lesson.

“Hm… what about an ugly Christmas sweater?”

Seungwan sits at her office staring into space, head extremely full of the possibilities Joohyun’s gift could comprise of. She doesn’t know what she was expecting when consulting Jongin for ideas but an ugly Christmas sweater was certainly not anywhere near her list. Well, the concept of making one definitely serves a bigger purpose. Her apartment designs won’t be ready anytime soon and probably will spill into their next anniversary, not Christmas. Seungwan did not consider any of the time lapses, so Jongin was her emergency back-up plan.

“Unnie?” Yeji pokes her head through the gap in the door.

“Yeji!” Seungwan almost squeals, excited at the thought of having someone else input their opinion on her girlfriend’s Christmas present. “Come in quick, I need your help for something.”

Honestly, Yeji might not be as experienced as the latter, she hasn’t worked here for that many years either but she definitely knows how much her boss loves her girlfriend. In many instances, Yeji finds herself hoping for someone to love her as much as they love each other. She’s also a bystander of many events, ranging from Seungwan and Joohyun’s arguments to their celebrations of whatever. Not that she’s complaining about her direct boss’s constant requests for good advice, but Yeji wishes she had the guts to tell Seungwan that they’re wonderful. The couple are just so mindful and thoughtful about the other’s wishes that they overthink.

“Actually, what he said was right. I do agree with the concept of ugly Christmas sweaters,” Yeji giggles, satisfied with the entire explanation. She too, would do it in a heartbeat to her partner. “Plus, it’s not like you aren’t getting her anything. The apartment is already a huge gift.”

“You think so?”

“I think Joohyun-unnie will wear it without a doubt, I’ll tell you that.”

Reassurance goes a long way, even if Seungwan doesn’t doubt her girlfriend for a second. Joohyun might wear the sweater everyday if Seungwan doesn’t keep an eye on her.

Text message from Joohyun ♡

come home for dinner tonight

or we can meet near your office

Just that message from her girlfriend could brighten Seungwan’s day instantly, and a barrage of ideas start to fill her head. She grabs hold of her designing pen and turns on the tablet, ready to add a couple of sketches into the draft.

“I’ll take my leave then.” Yeji shoots a finger gun at her boss, “Don’t forget, Unnie. She’ll love anything you make and give her.”

What else could be better than including their tools for Christmas presents?

Seungwan bids her goodbye and sketches in a few knitting pins, balls of thread in the home office room just as she had foun