“Yujin unnie, I swear to God, your family already knows me and how we’ve met by the park swing when we were in 2nd grade. Even your dog Azzo knows that! We won’t need much convincing to make them believe we’re actually dating. It would be flawless. Heck, even Azzo knows!!”

Wonyoung sighs for the upteenth time after she’s done with her litany of berating Yujin. Poor girl has been moping for two good weeks before Wonyoung finally agreed to fake date her bestfriend for the bi-annual An Family Christmas reunion.

“I’m sorry Wonnie, I really didn’t expect Aeri to break things with me a month ago,” Yujin said through her glassy teary eyes “besides, they would be surprised if you suddenly show up as my now girlfriend. Mom hasn’t seen you since you changed towns for high school!”

Wonyoung finally resigned, she’s right. The least thing she wants is for the world to take pity on Yujin for her failed relationship. Not on her watch, not during the most wonderful time of the year. Of course. Anything for Yujin, alright. As she clapped, “okay so for us to have our story straight, here’s how we started dating. Yeobo, listen carefully, araseo?” then she winked at Yujin.

Hearing Wonyoung be this sickening sweet,calling her Yeobo, sent Yujin’s hair at the back of her neck to stand up. They would totally tank their pretend relationship, she thought to herself. Plainly wrong. And there goes the longest 2 hours of Yujin’s life while driving at the expressway to their hometown in Cheongju.

-

“Are you excited?” 

“No. More like nervous, Wonyoung! Gaeul unnie and Leeseo has been nagging me nonstop about being single for a quite some time and now you show up to be my new girlfriend”

“Except I’m not, unnie. It will be okay unnie, I’ve been tagging to your family’s Christmas parties when we were children!”

“Yeah, as my bestfriend”

“Then what makes today any different?” Wonyoung says while flashing her mega-watt smile

-

The entirety of the An family’s holiday gathering was definitely eventful, if anyone would ask Wonyoung.

From stuffing your cheeks due to the endless food landing on your plate all thanks to Yujin’s eomma, “No honey! I haven’t seen you for a long time! What would your mom think of me if I don’t feed you well here in my abode!!”; 

dodging soju bomb shots courtesy of Yujin’s cousins; 

playing with Yujin’s equally energetic nieces and nephews hauling them like sacks of potatoes thrown towards the bean bag chairs; 

playing fetch with Yujin's dog azzo for which you decided you would kidnap after the whole holiday fiasco is done;

chatting with her aunties and unnie about effective skin care routine secrets you picked up from your modeling side gigs;

throwing bananas at the trackway sending Leeseo’s Goomba reeling off from the Mario Kart race you guys were playing

— you were reminded why Yujin is a handful yet a warm person. She takes it after her family. 

-

The holiday euphoria somehow managed to tone down as you’re all cramped up at the living room by their fireplace waiting the clock to strike 12 before the kids can start unwrapping their presents. Forecasts say that tomorrow will be the first snowfall for 2021.

“Honestly I didn’t expect she would be bringing you for this Christmas as her girlfriend, Wonyoung unnie. No offense but all along I thought Yujin unnie here is stuck in friendzone limbo for the longest time ever. Well at least finally my ship is sailing,” Leeseo said in a sing song manner

“I do find it difficult to wrap around my head you two are dating. I mean, you’re out of her league, Yujin,” one of her drunk cousin chimed in. Curse that soju bomb.

“Now now don’t be too hard on Yujinnie here! They look good together don’t you agree?” Gaeul said before chaos ensues. Ah, bless Gaeul unnie’s kind heart. Truly an angel. “So how did IT start?”

Yujin was about to say the rehearsed storyline when you interjected. “I liked — no. I loved Yujin for a long time. She was my puppy knight for the longest time. From our after school mintcho ice cream escapades, to her sneaking into my cheer practice to bring me energy drink even if she’s just finished with their baseball practice, Yujin fighting for her life in the cafeteria queue when they have that tasty strawberry bread that I loved so much. I just— I didn’t know how long I have been harboring it until I saw her reeling in tears after her ex broke up with her,” you paused. You can feel Yujin looking at you with her comically wide eyes. Except that you’re not joking and this is not how you two rehearsed it to be.

You continued, “I was relieved when Yujin and I somehow ended up in the same university for college. I thought to myself maybe I’d muster my courage up and confess. However time had beaten me and lost my chance when her ex came into the picture. When they broke up I had to pickup Yujin at the downtown pub for three nights in a row, hauling your drunk unnie’s and tear stricken face back to our apartment. That’s when it dawned upon me I’d never let her tears fall again for undeserving reasons anymore”

You can still feel Yujin’s heavy stare beside you as you suddenly stood up, “sorry I think I have to go to the toilet ” leaving the hushed living room.

-

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you” you hear Yujin say as she perches herself beside you at their house’s porch.

“Is it true? What you said back there, were they all true—”

“They are. I never lied for a single bit,”  Here comes the difficult long pause of silence. Nobody was speaking until one of you managed to break the silence.

“I liked you too, Wonnie. You never knew how much I was thanking the person Up there that made the same sun, stars, and moon, took time to look at you and said that the world needs you too. That somehow threads of fate has lead me to you. I was ready to be your best friend forever until tonight, Wonyoung. Not until tonight” 

Great. Here comes the heart breaking part where the bestfriend and love of your life, Yujin, will let you down slowly and tell you you’re better off as friends. You braced youself for your impending doom. Oh the sweet rejection. Except that the opposite of it happened. And here you are basking in your surprised glory shivering under December’s first snowfall while Yujin kisses you so tenderly.

Oh. Oh. Sweet baby Jesus. 

It was short. It was sweet. But it was all you could have wished for. With your forehead against her, you open your eyes to be welcomed by her big brown ones. “I love you so much but Im scared of risking to lose you. But let me take this risk, take the risk with me, Wonyoung. Let me be lucky this one time and have my bestfriend and love of my life be rolled into one person.”

So you kissed her. You kissed her once again in hopes she understands your response. Yes, Yujin. Yes in all possible ways.

Now you tell yourself ah, catching a cold in this winter December night is definitely worth it.