-

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go

Jung eun takes in a deep breath before she blows warm air on her hands to keep her cold hands warm. She then cups her face using her warm hand, and she heaves out a contented sigh. She wears her favorite blue pineapple scarf, which she stole from Jinsol’s closet, proudly around her neck as she walks around the school campus. Jinsol helped her wear it today, she’s never going to take it off until Jinsol takes it off for her. 

It’s now winter, and the number of students seen on campus has decreased quite a fair bit. Not enough to make an obvious observation on the lack of student body on campus. Most that have left, have gone back to their hometown to celebrate Christmas. While the rest, those like her, stayed back for extracurricular classes or to spend their Christmas with their schoolmates.

Well..for Jung eun…she stayed for two reasons.

School.

And her very lovable and adorable girlfriend, Jung Jin Sol~

Take a look at the five and ten, it's glistening once again

With candy canes and silver lanes that glow

Though Jung eun wished her classes were online so she can rot in Jinsol’s dorms to have her class. However, she’s not that upset about the lack of online classes because she gets to go to school with her hardworking girlfriend. The two of them are now studying in the same building since there are not many students on campus to take up the other classrooms. Jung eun could go on about her little fantasy about studying in the same classroom as Jinsol, but with her alarm ringing aggressively to signal that she’s going to be late for class snaps her out of it. She quickens up her pace when she realizes she’s going to be late for her violin music theory class. She can’t afford to fail that class.

-

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Toys in every store

A soft yawn escapes Jinsol’s mouth as she tries to stay awake in this boring lecture. She took this economic class on impulse after Jung eun said she’s a better economist than her. She rests her chin on her palm and turns to look out of the big window next to her. She turns to look out the window and see the snow falling from the bright blue sky. 

But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be

On your own front door

She wears a small smile on her face when she remembers making snow angels with Jung eun in their pajamas when it started snowing a week ago. It’s been a while since they last made snow angels, so battling the cold was worth it. She also got to snuggle up close to her girlfriend while they shared an electronic heater to keep warm. 

“Student Jung?”

“Student Jung?” 

“Ms. Jung Jin Sol?!” 

“Y-yes?” Jinsol stammers when she hears her economic lecturer calling her by her birth name. 

“Can you answer this question?” her lecturer asks, pointing at the question on the board with a frown on her face.

“Yeah,” Jinsol murmurs as she stands up to head to the board to answer the question.

“Please pay attention in class next time.”

“Yes…”

-

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go

A quiet sneeze escapes Jiwoo’s mouth when she steps out of her music theory class. She uses the back of her hand to wipe away the snot that has escaped her nose. From the corner of her eyes, she could see her classmate looking at her with judging eyes.

“What,” Jiwoo questions, turning to look at Joo won.

“You’re disgusting,” Joo won snickers while passing Jiwoo some napkins, “I don’t even know how Ha Yves became your friend a few months ago.”

“It’s called fate,” Jiwoo says with a roll of her eyes, “you wouldn’t understand.”

“And I don’t think I wish that on me too,” Joo Won scoffs as she hooks an arm around Jiwoo’s neck to start walking out of the school building.

“Do you want to head out shopping today?” Joo Won asks, and Jiwoo quickly shakes her head.

“I think I want to head back to my dorms to chill and sleep,” Jiwoo says with a yawn, “I had a long day today.” 

“Boo,” Joo won jeers as she unhooks her arm and waves her hand goodbye to Jiwoo, “I’ll enjoy without you then!”

“Yes~ Have fun,” Jiwoo says, waving her hand back at Joo Won to bid goodbye. 

I should get myself a hot chocolate to reward myself after a long semester. 

There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well

It's the sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow

When Jiwoo steps out of her school building, her eyes lit up at the sight of falling snowflakes. She slowly stretches out a hand and watches the snowflakes land on her palm. The warmth radiating off her palm melts the snowflakes immediately, and this makes her pout a little. She wipes the water droplets off her hand by wiping them on her jeans before tucking her hands back into her winter jacket where her heat packs are kept snuggly at. She walks out of the school campus and starts heading to the nearby cafe to get herself a cup of hot chocolate. She needs a hot chocolate to keep herself warm and reward herself for finishing her last class for the semester. She can’t be any happier. 

-

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Soon the bells will start

Sooyoung stands by her big bedroom window with a cup of black coffee in her hand. She sips on her black coffee quietly as she watches the snowfall and slowly covers up the pavement. Living on the highest floor of the apartment building gives Sooyoung the birdseye’s view of the cosmopolitan city that she’s living in. 

And the thing that'll make 'em ring is the carol that you sing

Right within your heart

She watches the city under her glow in different colors from the Christmas-themed LED lights that are hanging from one lamp post to the other. It’s so colorful and joyous even though there are still a few weeks left till Christmas. The sudden ringing of her phone catches Sooyoung’s attention. She walks towards her bedside table and places her cup of coffee down before answering the call. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Sooyoung greets when she hears Jiwoo’s cheerful ‘hello’ on the other end of the call.

“Nothing much just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Lame,” Sooyoung scoffs out with a roll of her eye. She walks to her bathroom and sees her cheeks turning rosy. She hates the effect Jiwoo has on her, from her smile to her cringy words used on her. 

“Are you done with your class?” Sooyoung asks while walking out of her bathroom to head to the living room.

“Yeah, finally.”

Sooyoung chuckles softly to herself when she hears Jiwoo’s groaning. 

  “ Alright enough of that, why did you call me?” Sooyoung asks. She takes a seat on her sofa before lying down and resting her head on the armrest. 

“Didn’t I just say it?” Jiwoo frowns, “I said I wanted to hear your voice.”

“You thought I was lying?” Jiwoo questions with a smirk. She enters the warm cafe and a soft contented sigh escapes . 

“No,” Sooyoung answers quickly, and she can feel her face turning warmer and redder by the second. 

“Anyways,” Sooyoung says, trying to change the topic, “what’s your plan for the holidays? Are you going to head home to celebrate Christmas?”

“Nope,” Jiwoo answers, “not planning to head back this year.”

“Why not?” Sooyoung asks with a frown on her face.

“I’m lazy,” Jiwoo answers cheekily.

Sooyoung clicks her tongue against the roof of when she hears Jiwoo crackling on the other end of the call, “Then how do you plan on celebrating Christmas?”

“No idea,” Jiwoo shrugs. She pulls her phone away from her ear momentarily to order herself a cup of hot chocolate. Once she’s done ordering and paying, she returns her attention to the call with Sooyoung.

“No seriously Jiwoo, what do you plan to do during the holidays?”

“Like I said Sooyoung, nothing. I’m even prepared to celebrate Christmas alone!” Jiwoo says, turning to look at the decorated Christmas Tree placed at the corner by the entrance of the cafe. 

“It’s not like I have anywhere else to go too,” Jiwoo adds. 

“Boring,” Sooyoung comments while sitting up, “You’re going to regret not going home to celebrate Christmas if you plan to spend the holidays like that.”

“Everyone I know has decided to stay back to celebrate Christmas with one another,” Jiwoo says with a slight pout on her face, “ The friend that I always go back to my hometown with decided to stay back so I decided to stay with her.”

“Are you going to be celebrating Christmas with her then?” Sooyoung asks as she stands up to grab her wallet in her study room. 

“No, she's celebrating with her friends.”

“Did she invite you?” 

“Of course, who wouldn’t invite me to their party? I’m like one of the best person to bring along with to a party!” 

“Then why didn’t you go?”

“I’m not close to them,” Jiwoo explains, “I might not enjoy my time there.”

“Enough about me! What about you? Are you going to be celebrating Christmas?” Jiwoo asks.

“ Don’t think so,” Sooyoung says while going through her closet to find herself a coat to wear.

“That’s what I thought so too.”

“Hey, what do you mean by that? I do celebrate Christmas, okay? Just not this year!”

“Ms. Ha, I have been your fan for the longest time!” Jiwoo scoffs out, “ You don’t believe in Santa so how are you going to celebrate Christmas?” 

“My mom told me they don’t exist! So am I supposed to not listen to my dearest mother’s words?” Sooyoung defends. 

“Whatever.”

“Well, to be honest, I’ve recently started to believe that Santa does exist.”

“How? What made you switch your belief?” Jiwoo questions.

“Not telling you,” Sooyoung snickers. She wears her coat and slips on her winter shoes before heading out. 

“Anyways, I’m going to head to your campus so wait for me.”

“Wait for what?” Jiwoo asks quickly. Before she can say anything more, she hears her name getting called. She quickly rushed to grab her hot chocolate before returning her attention to her call.

“Why not? I decided that I want to spend my day with you today,” Sooyoung says as she walks to her car. She unlocks her car door and gets into the driver's seat. She put her phone on speaker before tossing it onto the passenger seat next to her.

“That’s so sudden!” Jiwoo frowns as she walks out of the cafe.

“I thought you were my fan? You should know I always like to do things suddenly,” Sooyoung scoffs, “ You’re a fake fan!”

“You’re lame!” Jiwoo snickers. 

“Blehhh,” Sooyoung teases, “Why? Do you have plans?”

“No.”

“Then?” Sooyoung asks, “ Hanging out with me is a privilege you know? Many people wish they were you!” 

“You think too highly of yourself ma’am,” Jiwoo scoffs as she decides to head back into the cafe to get Sooyouung a cup of hot chocolate.

“I’ll see you outside of your campus?” Sooyoung asks, ignoring Jiwoo’s comment about her. She drives out of her apartment building and onto the busy streets. 

“Yes~”

“Okay bye Jiwoo,” Sooyoung says, turning the corner to head onto the expressway, “by the way can you end the call? I’m on speaker.”

“Urgh ew, so troublesome,” Jiwoo groans as she pulls her phone away from her ear, ready to end the call.

“Bye!” Jiwoo yells before ending the call. 

“Who does she think she is,” Jiwoo scoffs with a roll of her eye. She shoves her phone into her back pocket before heading to the counter to order Sooyouung’s hot chocolate.

-

It doesn’t take long for Sooyoung to reach Jiwoo’s university. She steps out of the driver’s seat and goes to the passenger side to lean against the door while she waits patiently for Jiwoo. She raises an eyebrow at the sheer number of students walking out, she thought many would go back to their hometown for Christmas. She guesses that many of those who stayed back are like Jiwoo’s friends. They all wanted to celebrate Christmas with each other. As she continues waiting, she starts to feel cold. She quickly hugs her body to keep herself warm.

A few minutes have passed and Sooyoung has had enough of waiting. She clicks her tongue against the roof of before pulling out her phone to text Jiwoo. She tells the girl to hurry up with whatever she is doing since she’s starting to get cold while waiting. She’s engrossed in texting Jiwoo that she didn’t notice two familiar students waving their hands enthusiastically at her. She only notices them when she feels a tap on her shoulder. Sooyoung looks up and her eyes widen when she sees her two favorite students from the orchestra that she conducted a few months ago. 

“Sooyoung!”

“Ms. Ha!”

Jinsol and Jung eun greet each other in unison and it cracks Sooyoung up when she notices how the two haven't changed the way they greet her. 

“Hey girls,” Sooyoung greets, “how have you two been?”

“We’ve been well,” Jinsol says, “what about you?”

“I’ve been well too,” Sooyoung answers with a smile. She looks down at Jinsol and Jung eun’s clasped hands. 

Her eyes widened and pointed at their joint hands, “What’s with this? And how long has it been?”

“It’s been three months Sooyoung,” Jung eun says with a big smile, “It took us a while to get together after everything that has happened.”

“Well, I’m glad you two finally sorted your feelings out.” This makes the girls let out a chuckle. 

“This dense cake took a while to finally realize her feelings for me,” Jung eun says, looking at Jinsol with squinted eyes. 

“I thought she’s just being nice and a good friend,” Jinsol defends with a pout. 

“Pfft,” Sooyoung scoffs, “Jung eun calling you a dense cake is not wrong.”

“Hey! I thought you’re on my side!” Jinsol pouts.

“Not until you start working for us,” Sooyoung smirks, and this makes Jinsol roll her eyes.

“Anyways, where are you two headed to?” Sooyoung asks.

“To the mall actually, we want to buy some decorative stuff to decorate Jinsol’s place for a Christmas party!” Jung eun shares, tugging on Jinsol’s hand excitedly. Jinsol flashes Jung eun a smile before leaning down to give Jung eun a quick peck on the cheek. 

“Jinsol is holding a Christmas party?” Sooyoung asks in a surprising tone, “What a first!”

“It’s not a Christmas party,” Jinsol quickly corrects with an awkward laugh, “It’s a small one just for me and Jung eun.”

“You know what Sollie? Why not invite Sooyoung to join us for our Christmas party?” Jung eun suggests, “you can bring an extra friend too! Jinsol’s place has enough room for another pair!”

“I don’t think Ms. Ha wou-”

“Oh, sure! Why not?” Sooyoung agrees immediately, “that will be nice! The more the merrier, right Jinsol?”

“Ha…sure…the more the merrier,” Jinsol goes along with an awkward smile. 

“Anyways!” Jung eun says, changing the topic, “what are you doing here Sooyoung?”

“I”m waiting for someone,” Sooyoung shares.

“Oh who?” Jung eun asks curiously, “Are they a girl or a guy?”

“Are they your friend? Or Are they your ‘best friend’?” Jung eun asks quickly, very interested in Sooyoung’s private life.

“Jungie,” Jinsol calls softly, “I don’t think you should poke your nose into Sooyoung’s life like this,”

Sooyoung lets out a soft chuckle when she sees the girls' interactions with each other. Just as she wants to say something, she spots Jiwoo walking towards her from a distance away. She quickly raises her hand to wave her hand at Jiwoo, showing the girl that she’s waiting for her at the entrance. Jiwoo returns the wave and quickens up her pace. Jung eun and Jinsol see that and turn to look at the person walking over to them quickly. 

“Who is that Sooyoung?” Jung eun asks nosily.

“My friend,” Sooyoung replies without looking at Jung eun, the smile on her face grows when Jiwoo gets closer to them.

“Jiwoo!” Jinsol beams when she sees Jiwoo walking towards them. Jung eun’s eyes widen when she sees Jinsol waving her hand at the stranger.

“You know her?!” Jung eun asks in a whisper, and Jinsol nods her head.

“Yeah, I met her during the practices for the orchestra,” Jinsol says and this makes Jung eun nod her head in an understanding manner. 

“She seems to come around during my piano practice,” Jinsol shares. Jung eun wants to nod her head when she hears Jinsol’s words. 

Jinsol sees the change in Jung eun’s expression and quickly explains herself, “She’s there for Ms. Ha.”

“How do you know?” Jung eun questions with squinted eyes.

“Because I’ve talked to her?” Jinsol says with a slight frown. 

“I see…I see…” Jung eun trails off, her eyes still squinting at Jinsol.

Sooyoung ignores the couple behind her and makes her way towards Jiwoo, meeting the girl in the middle. Before Jiwoo can say a word, she watches Sooyoung take off her scarf and wrap it around her neck. Her face turns bright red at that action. She could smell the perfume that she got for Sooyoung a month ago on the scarf. Her face turns redder at the fact that Sooyoung is using her gift well.

“What took you so long?” Sooyoung grumbles under her breath as she helps adjust her scarf around Jiwoo’s neck. 

“I went back to get a hot chocolate for you,” Jiwoo says shyly, holding the brown paper bag out for Sooyoung. 

“I don’t know if you like hot chocolate but I figured you’ll like one since you’re waiting for me in the cold.” 

Sooyoung takes the brown paper bag from Jiwoo and takes out the hot cup of hot chocolate with a happy grin on her face. She quickly takes a sip and immediately regrets her decision for doing that when she burnt her tongue. She pushes the cup back into JIwoo’s hand and fans on her tongue to cool it down. Jiwoo sees that and laughs out loud at Sooyoung’s behavior.

“I told you it’s hot already! Why would you drink it so quickly?!” Jiwoo chides as she helps fan Sooyoung’s tongue.

“Because you got it for me! I couldn’t wait to drink it,” Sooyoung pouts, and this makes Jiwoo let out a sigh.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re the older one in this friendship,” Jiwoo comments, and this makes Sooyoung roll her eyes. 

“You enjoy taking care of me sometimes, don’t complain about it! Plus, it’s a side only for you to see~”

“Whatever,” Jiwoo says dismissively as she starts walking towards Sooyoung’s car. Sooyoung lets out a soft chuckle and walks with Jiwoo back to her car. 

“Hey, Jinsol!” Jiwoo greets when she sees Jinsol. She turns to look at the girl next to Jinsol and she wears a small frown as she tries to figure out the name of the person next to Jinsol. It takes her a while before a name pops up in her mind. 

“And you must be Jung eun!” Jiwoo beams and holds a hand out for Jung eun to shake.

“That’s me,” Jung eun says with a small smile and shakes Jiwoo’s hand.

“I heard a lot about you from Jinsol,” Jiwoo shares, and this makes Jinsol look away with a red face.

“She tells me how much she likes you and how cute you are,” Jiwoo adds, and this makes Jinsol choke on her saliva. Jung eun’s eyes widened at the newfound information. 

“Oh really?” Jung eun questions, looking at Jinsol with a red face. Jiwoo lets out a chuckle when she sees Jinsol nod her head quickly with a red face. She looks down and sees their clasped hands. She wears a smile when she sees that Jinsol has finally mustered the courage to confess to Jung eun. She still can remember Jinsol asking her for advice on her feelings towards Jung eun a few months back.

“Well…since Jiwoo is here already, I shall take my leave first!” Sooyoung says as she steps away from the couple to open the passenger door for Jiwoo. 

“You two head to the mall safely okay? Text me again to let me know where the party is held.”

“Okay!” 

Sooyoung smiles when she sees a thumbs up from the two. She quickly waves her hands goodbye at the couple before rushing over to the driver’s seat to drive off to somewhere with Jiwoo. Jiwoo pops her head out from the car and waves a hand goodbye before shutting the passenger’s side door. She reaches forward to turn on the radio and she hears Christmas tunes being played on the radio. She turns to Sooyoung and sees the girl getting into the car hurriedly.

I wanna hold you while the bells are all ringing

Want you to be here while the angel's singing

“I’m cold,” Sooyoung says through chattering teeth. Jiwoo bursts out laughing at that sight and wants to take off Sooyoung’s scarf when Sooyoung stops her.

“You need it more than I do,” Sooyoung says, stopping Jiwoo from taking off the scarf she helped Jiwoo wear.

“But you’re cold!”

Days are perfect when I got you near

My only wish is you here

“I have this!” Sooyoung says while holding up the cup of hot Chocolate Jiwoo got for her, “I won’t be cold after drinking this!” 

“You’re so lame Sooyoung,” Jiwoo says while rolling her eyes.

“I know,” Sooyoung grins, “but you like me being lame so I couldn’t help it.”

“Don’t say that to comfort yourself Sooyoung,” Jiwoo chuckles out and lightly shoves Sooyoung in the shoulder.

“Anyways where are we headed to?” Jiwoo asks.

Wherever you go, you light up the room

I hope that you'll make it back home soon

'Cause it won't feel like Christmas without you

Sooyoung shrugs her shoulders while she slowly drinks her hot chocolate, “I don’t know. Do you have a place in mind?”

“Can we go to the mall?” Jiwoo asks.

“Of course we can.”

“What do you want to do at the mall though?” Sooyoung asks, putting her hot chocolate in the cup holder before she starts driving them to the nearest mall. 

“No clue…maybe we can shop for Christmas stuff?”

“Sure, I can get some stuff for my place too because it doesn’t look super festive for Christmas,” Sooyoung says. 

Wherever you are, you brighten the moon

I hope that you'll make it back home soon

'Cause it won't feel like Christmas without you (without you)

“We will spend a long time in the mall to get all the Christmas stuff, are you okay with that?” Jiwoo says.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be okay with that?” Sooyoung chuckles out.

“Because you’re a busy woman?”

“If I’m busy, I wouldn’t have come and brought you out on such short notice.”

“True..but-”

We could be outside dancing on the moonlight

Watching the sky roll over our heads

“No buts Wooming,” Sooyoung interrupts with a frown on her face, “I may be busy but I will never pass up on any free time I have to spend with you.”

“Oh…” Jiwoo trails off with a red face.

“Yeah so don’t think about how busy I am now, just think about how you’re gonna spend this time with me alright?”

We could be inside trying to sing the lines right

Laughing until we fall out of bed

“Okay,” Jiwoo says while hanging her head low. She covers her face using her hands as she gushes to herself silently. She can’t believe Sooyoung just said those words to her.

“Jiwoo,” Sooyoung calls for the girl, and this makes Jiwoo turn to look at her.

“Yes?”

So when I wake up on Christmas Day

I hope the first thing I see is your face

“Come celebrate Christmas with me,” Sooyoung suggests, and this makes Jiwoo turn to look at her with wide eyes. 

“What?!”

Wherever you go, you light up the room

I hope that you'll make it back home soon

'Cause it won't feel like Christmas without you

“I said come celebrate Christmas with me,” Sooyoung repeats herself and turns to look at Jiwoo when they stop at a red light. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah!” Sooyoung says as she turns to focus on the road. She drums her fingers on her steering wheel to the beat of the Christmas song playing on the radio.

Wherever you are, you brighten the moon

I hope that you'll make it back home soon

'Cause it won't feel like Christmas without you

“You can even stay over as we celebrate the twelve days of Christmas together. You and I wouldn’t have to celebrate Christmas alone and it’ll make this year’s Christmas more memorable for us!”

“Well if you say so! You’ll be taking care of all three meals throughout the twelve days right?” Jiwoo asks, and this makes Sooyoung let out a loud chuckle.

It won't feel like Christmas without you

“I can feed you four meals a day if you want,” Sooyoung says with a smile on her face and steps on the accelerator when the light turns green. 

Jiwoo’s face breaks into a big smile, and she does a little celebratory dance in her seat. Sooyoung sees that and lets out a soft scoff. She reaches over and ruffles Jiwoo’s hair before she turns onto the expressway to head to a different department store that sells a lot more Christmas goodies.

-

Everybody's starting to feel it

Starting to feel it in the air

All of the sidewalks

All of the streetlights

Holiday magic everywhere

“Sooyoung look!” Jiwoo gasps when she steps into the mall. Her eyes widened at the sight of the big decorated Christmas Tree right in front of her. The Christmas tree is decorated with LED lights, and there is a big bow tie right below the star on the top of the tree. There are many presents along with snowman decorations placed around the tree. 

“Be careful!” Sooyoung says loudly when she sees Jiwoo nearly tripping over her feet while she rushes to the big Christmas Tree.

“Yes!”

Jiwoo stands in front of the Christmas Tree and looks up at it in awe. She turns back and quickly waves her hand at Sooyoung to get the girl to come towards her. Sooyoung raises an eyebrow at that and walks towards the girl. Once she’s near the girl, she feels a hand on her coat, and she gets tugged forward roughly. This makes her fall into Jiwoo’s arms and her face flushes red when the side of her face is pressing against Jiwoo’s chest.

Then it hits me

“Now you should be the one that should be careful,” Jiwoo teases, and this makes Sooyoung glare at her.

“You were the one who pulled me so roughly that I lost my balance!” Sooyoung frowns and stands up straight to adjust her clothing.

“Whatever~,” Jiwoo says in a sing-song manner.

“Let’s take a picture together!”

It's officially Christmas

Before Sooyoung can object, Jiwoo pulls out a polaroid camera from her backpack. She holds up her camera and pulls Sooyoung closer to her. 

And I'm officially yours

“MERRY CHRISTMAS~” Jiwoo sings and breaks out into a big smile before snapping the photo. Sooyoung wore a small smile on her face when the photo was being taken. She watches Jiwoo take the polaroid film from the camera and starts waving it around in the air for it to get developed. Once the photo gets developed, a disappointed look can be seen on Jiwoo’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Sooyoung asks, nudging Jiwoo in the arms.

“You don’t look happy,” Jiwoo comments while showing the developed film to Sooyoung.

“I’m smiling,” Sooyoung defends, pointing at the small smile that she’s wearing.

“No, let’s take it again!” 

I'm officially wishing

For something not in a store

It's already December

The snow's falling too

Then all of a sudden, it's true

Sooyoung lets out a sigh and decides to bend down a little to match Jiwoo’s height. Jiwoo sees that and seizes the chance to give Sooyoung a quick peck on the cheek while she snaps another photo of them in that position. Sooyoung cups her cheeks shyly and sees Jiwoo turning away from her with a red face. Jiwoo smiles at the result shown in the developed film. She wants to keep it when Sooyoung suddenly snatches it away from her. 

It's officially Christmas

Now that I'm with you

“Hey! I want that!”

“No~” Sooyoung teases while sticking her tongue out. She holds the polaroid up in the air which prohibits Jiwoo from taking it away from her. She lets out a scoff when she sees her reaction in the polaroid. The film comes out a little blurry since Jiwoo takes it while she leans in to give Sooyoung a quick peck. 

“I’m keeping this,” Sooyoung says while taking out her wallet. She slots it in the first sleeve of her wallet before keeping her wallet back into her coat.

Waiting for Santa

Here by the fire

Listen for footsteps on the roof

"Jingle Bell" rocking

Over the speakers

Singing along just like we do

“What about me?!” Jiwoo asks with a pout.

“Well we can always take another one,” Sooyoung says while taking away Jiwoo’s polaroid camera from the girl’s hands.

“Smile for the camera!” Sooyoung says as she holds the camera up. Jiwoo rolls her eyes at Sooyoung before wearing a big smile on her face. Sooyoung side-eyes Jiwoo and sees the girl distracted by the camera. She wears a cheeky grin on her face before she leans forward to give Jiwoo a peck on the cheek and quickly snaps a photo of them.

It's officially Christmas

And I'm officially yours

Sooyoung stands away with a satisfied look on her face. She waves the developing film in her hands and passes Jiwoo back her camera. Once she sees the result of the developed film, she takes a snapshot of it using her phone before passing it to Jiwoo.

“That’s your copy, enjoy it.”

“I will,” Jiwoo whispers shyly as she keeps the photo on the back of her phone. 

I'm officially wishing

For something not in a store

“So where do we go first?” Sooyoung asks, shoving her hands into her coat’s pocket.

Jiwoo sees that and raises an eyebrow, “Are you cold?”

“Yeah kinda..” Sooyoung trails off as she rubs her hands together. Jiwoo holds a heat pack in her hand and uses the same hand to hold Sooyoung's hand. Sooyoung’s eyes widen at that and see Jiwoo put their clasped hands into her coat’s pocket.

It's already December

The snow's falling too

Then all of a sudden, it's true

“Maybe we can go Christmas stocking shopping first? Then…we can get some LED lights and maybe ingredients to make log cakes or cookies?” Jiwoo suggests as she starts walking away from the Christmas tree. 

“Sure,” Sooyoung says with a smile on her face, “Let’s get anything and everything you want today.”

“Be prepared because you might turn broke!” Jiwoo says, and this makes Sooyoung laugh.

“Anything that makes you happy,” Sooyoung says while interlocking their fingers together.

It's officially Christmas

 

Now that I'm with you

 

The two of them walk around the mall for a little while before they pass by a shop that sells Christmas Stockings. Sooyoung and Jiwoo stop in front of the shop and step into the store. They split up in the store as they look for the stocking that they like. Sooyoung looks at the burgundy stocking and she quickly takes one of it since she likes the color. She continues looking for more stockings for herself and the couple that she’ll be visiting soon for the Christmas party. Jiwoo is at the other side of the store looking for the stockings that scream for her to bring them home. She has been looking around and hasn’t been successful. Just as she thinks she’s about to leave the shop empty-handed, a hand holding a penguin stocking appears in front of her. 

“I figured you’ll like this,” Sooyoung says as she drops the stocking onto Jiwoo’s hands.

Jiwoo looks at the penguin-themed peach stockings and brings them close to her chest, “I love it!”

“Then let’s get it,” Sooyoung says as she takes it from Jiwoo so she can pay for the Christmas stocking. 

The two of them walk out with a big bag containing four Christmas stockings, two for them and two for the couple. As they continue walking around aimlessly, a sudden thought pops up in Jiwoo’s mind.

“What should we fill these stockings with?” Jiwoo asks, and this makes Sooyoung drum her finger against her chin as she thinks of what to get. 

“Ah,” Sooyoung snapped her finger when she thought of what to fill the stockings up with.

“You see that?” Sooyoung asks, pointing at the candy shop not far from them.

“You want to fill them up with candy?” Jiwoo asks, and Sooyoung nods her head. Jiwoo waddles her finger at Sooyoung to agree with Sooyoung’s choice of filling. Sooyoung wears a smug smile and shrugs her shoulders proudly to show off her good decision-making skills. 

“First one to the candy shop gets free candies!” Jiwoo exclaims suddenly and starts running towards the candy shop. Sooyoung, who just processed everything, starts running after Jiwoo to avoid paying for the candies. The pair let out a loud laugh as they ran to the candy shop. Sooyoung never knew she’ll enjoy making a fool out of herself in public that much with Jiwoo. With no nosy paparazzi constantly hanging around her shadows, she feels relieved to spend such an intimate moment with Jiwoo so happily. 

“I WIN!” Jiwoo cheers and pumps both her fists into the air, “You have to get me the candies now!” 

Sooyoung places a hand over her chest as she bends over to catch her breath. It’s been a while since Sooyoung has run this fast in her life. She nods her head and waves a hand dismissively at Jiwoo to let the girl know she is free to get whatever candies she wants. The longer they spend their time in the candy shop, Sooyoung starts thinking about the familiar feelings she has recently started experiencing when she spends more time with Jiwoo. It’s a scary feeling for her, but knowing these feelings come around because of Jiwoo makes her feel a little more relieved.

Sooyoung wonders if she should listen to those feelings and take a brave step forward to pursue something with Jiwoo. She has never felt so much happiness bubble inside of her until she met Jiwoo five months back. She’s glad she decided to ask Jiwoo out for coffee after the orchestra that night. She wouldn’t have so much fun now if she didn’t ask to be the girl’s friend. Before Sooyoung can drift further away in her thoughts, a wave from Jiwoo snaps her out of her thoughts. She makes her way to Jiwoo and her eyes widen at the basket filled with candies. She shakes her head in a disapproving manner at the sheer number of candies in the basket. 

“You’re gonna get diabetes from this,” Sooyoung comments.

“It’s okay~ I know you’ll stop me from overeating,” Jiwoo says cheekily, and this makes Sooyoung roll her eyes with a smile on her face.

“What would you do without me,” Sooyoung sighs out as she drapes an arm around Jiwoo’s shoulder. She rests her head on Jiwoo’s head while they queue up to pay for the basket of candies. Jiwoo lets out a scoff and playful nudge Sooyoung in the ribs. Sooyoung’s face breaks out into a big smile and ruffles Jiwoo’s hair playfully.

 

“What do you think we should bake Sooyoung?” Jiwoo asks as she pushes the trolley around in the supermarket. Sooyoung purses her lips together as she chooses between baking a log cake or cookies for sharing. 

“Maybe…we can bake cookies? We can bake more and give it out?” Sooyoung suggests, and this makes Jiwoo’s eyes lit up.

“That’s a great idea,” Jiwoo says as she stops pushing the trolley to look through her phone for a Christmas cookie recipe.

“Gingerbread Man or Sugar cookies?”

“Gingerbread man please.”

“Alright, these are the things that we need to get.” Sooyoung peers over Jiwoo’s shoulders and sees the list of ingredients shown on Jiwoo’s phone. She looks up and sees the signboard at the other end of the section. They are now in the noodles section, they have to go to the flour section to get the flour needed to make gingerbread men. She takes over the pushing of the trolley and starts making her way to the different sections to get the ingredients needed. 

“Hey wooming,” Sooyoung calls, and this makes Jiwoo turn to look at her.

“Yes?”

“Do you want to have dinner outside or at my place today?” Sooyoung asks.

“Whichever is more convenient for you Sooyoung,” Jiwoo says before turning back to look for the flour needed to bake the gingerbread man. 

“Ok, give me a minute.”

Jiwoo nods her head and sees Sooyoung running off to somewhere that she doesn’t know. She shrugs her shoulders and continues pushing the trolley around. She stops by the baking section of the supermarket. Her hand reaches forward to grab cookie cutters and the unsweetened Hershey chocolate for decorating the cookies. 

Sooyoung rushes to the meat section and gets two sirloin steaks. She later dashes the poultry section to get a turkey so she can roast one for the party with the girls. She holds onto two big bags of meat and walks around the supermarket aimlessly as she looks for Jiwoo. She later finds the girl at the fruits section, looking at the strawberries and peaches on display. 

“You want to get fruits?” Sooyoung asks while placing the two bags of meat in the trolley.

“Yeah, I just don’t know which to get…” Jiwoo trails off as she looks between the two fruits.

“Let’s get the strawberries, I like it more.” Jiwoo nods her head and grabs the box of strawberries for Sooyoung. 

The two of them walk around the supermarket for a little more before they stop at the plants' section. Jiwoo’s eyes spot a few small Christmas Trees being put on display to be sold. She turns to Sooyoung and sees the girl shaking her head immediately. Jiwoo pouts and tugs on Sooyoung’s coat sleeve.

“We are not getting a Christmas Tree,” Sooyoung insists, looking away from Jiwoo’s puppy eyes.

“Please,” Jiwoo pouts and leans closer to Sooyoung’s face to show the girl her puppy eyes.

“Urgh get away from me Jiwoo,” Sooyoung groans, holding a hand out to stop Jiwoo from coming closer to her.

“No!” Jiwoo says as she leans even closer to Sooyoung and blinks her eyes quickly at the girl.

“Can I please have a Christmas Tree?” Jiwoo begs with a pout on her face, “I wouldn’t mind ending our shopping trip early if we get this Christmas Tree.”

Sooyoung looks down and sees the girl pouting at her. She heaves out a sigh and slaps a hand over her forehead. She never gets a Christmas tree whenever she celebrates Christmas with her ex-partners. However, seeing how much Jiwoo wants a Christmas Tree and how happy the girl is whenever she sees a Christmas Tree, she couldn’t help but want to get the Christmas Tree for the girl.

“Fine…we can get a Christmas Tree,” Sooyoung sighs and this makes Jiwoo jump for joy.

“Thank you!” Jiwoo beams and pulls Sooyoung into her hug. Sooyoung tries to fight back the urge to wear a smile on her face when Jiwoo hugs her. However, she fails when Jiwoo gives her a peck on the cheek. Now, she finds herself hugging a Christmas Tree as she queues at the checkout counter with Jiwoo.

“This year’s Christmas is gonna be lit!” Jiwoo cheers and Sooyoung lets out a scoff.

“You better make sure it’s gonna be lit,” Sooyoung says, and Jiwoo nods her head in determination. 

“You betcha!”

-

Discarded plastic wraps and bags are seen covering Sooyoung's living room as she busies herself with decorating the Christmas tree with Jiwoo. Sooyoung is placing the snow carpet on the floor while Jiwoo is busy wrapping up presents that will be placed under the Christmas tree. Once Sooyoung is done, she gets up onto her feet and rushes to her storeroom to get something for the tree. She remembers having a box of Christmas ornaments in her apartment. She has no idea where she has kept it, so it will take her some time to find it. When she does find the dusty cardboard box labeled with 'Christmas Ornaments', she calls for Jiwoo.

Jiwoo turns away from the tree and sees Sooyoung walking into the living room with a dusty box in her hands. She squats down beside Sooyoung and sees the girl taking off the tape on the box. Her eyes widen when Sooyoung opens the box. The many sparkling ornaments greet Jiwoo, and Jiwoo lets out a happy squeal. 

"How did you get so many Christmas ornaments?" Jiwoo questions Sooyoung while eyeing the girl suspiciously.

"I thought you don't celebrate Christmas?"

"Well I didn't say they belong to me," Sooyoung defends as she picks up a snowman ornament to pass it to Jiwoo.

"They belong to a friend who moved out years ago. I took it from them because they couldn't bear to throw them out," Sooyoung shares as she rummages through the ornaments to look for her favorite Santa ornament.

"Sounds like they really love Christmas to collect this much of ornaments," Jiwoo comments while she hangs up the ornaments onto the tree.

"They really do, and they never tone down on their Christmas celebration," Sooyoung s