The Tree
A Magical Christmas Collection 2022
There was no miracle tree anywhere in this world. It was only in legend and in myth, Eunjoo reminded herself. But she knew it was foolish, she was the foolish one looking for the miracle tree on Christmas evening. A miracle, something that would be amazing if it’d chosen her. When she thought about her troubles, and there was no one to share it with, she felt small and invisible. It couldn’t be that difficult to ask for a pair of listening ears that would make her comfortable enough to tell it everything.
The miracle tree. She heard from the group of young adults she passed the other day when she was job hunting out in the streets. Maybe her eavesdropping skills wasn’t the sharpest because she couldn’t find anything close to that miracle tree they bragged highly of. She visited four famous shopping squares, but none had that miracle tree. Just a normal Christmas tree in the middle of the shopping center, closed off, only for photo-taking purposely.
No miracles, she knew. Deep down she held onto that last hope, maybe that was why she spent her whole Christmas searching. But now, reality checked her. She should head home. Home, resume, bills, and job-hunting were her reality. She turned toward the way home and a gust of wind kissed her face and shoveled her hair around. She turned to face the wind to keep her hair out of her face.
Whistling. The sound of mouth whistling traveled with the wind. A soft gentle melody. The sound led her body.
Her feet stopped at the shopping square. A hidden square. A small place but the red and gold Christmas tree was bigger than the larger square she’d been to. Golden stanchions with red velvety ropes lined toward a small stage. People lined neatly along it. Eunjoo took slow measured steps toward the stage.
She asked the staff at the beginning of the line, “What is this line for?”
“The Miracle Tree.”
That moment, everything in Eunjoo’s body escaped. Heart, mind, and soul. Body and spirit. If that many people came to make a wish, could it all possibly be granted? What was the chance of her tiny wish amongst thousands of others?
Yet, she remained in line and patiently moved along, inching closer to the stage.
The two male staffs behind the table each handed her an item. A strip of paper and a red ornament. One told her to write her wish, rolled it up, put it inside the ornament, and hung it on the tree for a miracle to happen.
She even prayed each night, but nothing was granted. This was a childish activity for Christmas spirit. So Eunjoo wrote on the strip:
Someone cute and handsome who would listen to me.
Eunjoo rolled it up and asked the staff, “Do you have a ribbon?”
He searched quickly behind their boxes of inventory and turned to her with a string in his hand. “We only have a red string.”
Eunjoo snatched it from his hand, “Thank you.” She left the stage to complete her ornament. She was excited at her silliness to participate in the Christmas spirit and missed the concerned look on his face.
“I’m in trouble,” he mouthed, watching Eunjoo’s back with pleading eyes.
The male next to him leaned in, “How dare you give Jooheon’s red string away?”
He trembled as he watched Eunjoo circled the tree a few times, tip-toped and hung it on the tree. Snow started to fall. “I’m doomed.”
Eunjoo left the square. Aside from the miracle tree, there wasn’t any other activities or shop opened. Eunjoo looked up into the sky as the snow fell more and more. Shall I take this as a good sign? Eunjoo didn’t understand why, the day was cleared of snow, but it snowed after she hung her ornament.
Tap. Tap.
Eunjoo swung back at the touch on her shoulder.
“Merry Christmas to you.”
Eunjoo watched the gentleman’s eyes disappeared with a smile he forced. Then his face went straight, “thank you for giving me, Lee Jooheon, a memorable Christmas.”
Eunjoo searched around then looked back at him, pointing to her. “Me? Have I offended you?”
Eunjoo forced a smile, she knew she had the tendency to tick people’s nerve, but she never saw him before.
“Thank you for noticing that you did,” Jooheon said.
“What did I do?” Eunjoo was utterly confused.
“I came from the miracle tree too. I saw you making a wish. Take it as…I guess…things are going tough for both of us.”
A light clicked in Eunjoo’s head. Ah…he must have a hard time and came from making a wish too. He must be lonely and wished for company. Should she entertain him? Because it looked like he wanted to entertain her. His gaze never left her.
“Just let me hang around. I’ll disappear quietly after.”
“What are you? A Christmas spirit?” Eunjoo didn’t know if any sane person would hang around a stranger, then quietly disappeared. She shook her head. He must have been so lonely that he’d gone insane. Lonely enough to approach stranger. At least she was still sane.
He grinned and leaned in. “Would you be scared then?”
Eunjoo scoffed. Nothing scared her. She was the queen of horror.
“It’ll be cool if you are, but I know you’re not,” she said, “if you wanted to hang out you could have asked nicely. You didn’t have to go all creepy on me.”
“Before we hang out, I have two questions,” he stuck out two fingers as if he was posing with a peace sign, “no, three questions,” he switched to an ok sign.
Eunjoo smiled, she had answers. “Ask away.”
“Am I cute?”
Eunjoo’s eyes widened, and she jerked her head back. She blinked a few times and walked away. What kind of foolish question was that? Was she supposed to stare at him then answer? She blew out some air and stretched her neck for air to enter her body.
“How am I supposed to know?” she said and picked up her pace.
He ran in front of her and stopped her. “I know. That’s why you have to look at me.”
Eunjoo keep her eyes on the ground. She wasn’t going to look at him, no matter what. But he wouldn’t move. She stuttered, “Y-yes. You are!”
“How do you know? You’re not even looking at me?”
“I-I saw you.”
He started stomping and shrugged his shoulders. She refused. She won’t. Two strong hands smacked her cheeks and turned her face up, “look at me. Am I cute?”
Eunjoo nodded and nodded. His eyes were gone again. His smile bright and blinding. He held her face tight when she attempted to turn away. To his amusement, he squeezed her cheek and turned her lips into a duck’s. “You need to look at me for the next question too. Am I handsome?”
Eunjoo saw his smile changed into the most charismatic gaze she witnessed in a male. She nodded like crazy. He removed his hand and said with joy, “you have a great taste.”
Eunjoo warmed her cheeks with her palms.
“Will you let me be with you until Christmas is over?” he asked.
Her heart pounded, once, twice, and erratically.
“You sound even more creepy now,” Eunjoo forced herself awake and speed away.
He followed and she picked up her pace even more. “Well you don’t have to let me be with you. I’ll just be with you. At least let me follow you. Like I said, I’ll disappear quietly afterward.”
Eunjoo stopped and he contemplated over the emotions in her eyes. “If you’re going to disappear, why not just do it now.”
He softened his gaze and took a step closer to her. “Let me rephrase it. Don’t get mad. I’ll listen to you tonight. Afterall, we’re both alone for Christmas. It wouldn’t hurt right?”
He was alone for Christmas. “You’ll listen to me?”
She wasn’t an easy woman, if that was what he thought. But if he was going to disappear like he said he would, it wouldn’t hurt for her to share with him. Right?
Eunjoo was distracted from her thoughts, when he held her hand and pulled her along the sidewalk. “Sometimes it’s not good to think things through. You just do it.”
He stopped and brought their link hands upward. “I’ll make you warm on Christmas. Consider it my gift to you.” He smiled and his eyes disappeared. He continued, “Let’s say I have a small heart. It hurts to see you alone, so even if it’s only for a few hours, I’ll make it right. Hm?”
Eunjoo smiled when he moved his eyebrows to . In her most desperate moment, even a few hours were too much. She’d take anything. She won’t think about it. She’d just do it. She tightened his hands around his. He started walking and mouthed, Yes!
Eunjoo thought about her life, from A to Z and from Z to A. She still didn’t know where to begin. From graduating college? From job hunting? From interviews? From her desire to not interact with anyone but still want someone? From her personal issues?
Maybe she didn’t need to say anything to him. Maybe having him offer his ears was enough to make her happy. Eunjoo looked at Jooheon quietly leading her down the side walk. The snow fell, but it couldn’t cover the joy she felt with him there. It couldn’t cover the beauty the man exuded. As if everything was just that simple. Someone approached her, she willed to speak with him, they got to know each other, and everything just fell into place. Was everything really just that simple? Had she been making everything harder than it was?
Jooheon stopped walking and she crashed into his chest.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
He moved his chin to his right and her eyes followed. Her house. She was home? Eunjoo looked back at him with surprised in her eyes. Who’s he?
“I heard you,” he said.
As long as she didn’t let go of his hand, he heard her thoughts. Every time she changed her thoughts, she would squeeze his hand. He smiled at the small habit he picked up from being with her.
He removed his hand. Her eyes still in confusion. Her eyebrows demanded explanation. Instead, he smiled and ruffled her hair. “Good luck.”
Just like that the stranger who walked her home left.
Eunjoo woke up early the day after Christmas. She had another dream about the stranger, which made her experience on Christmas unrealistic. As if Jooheon was just mere dream, an imaged she envision. A figure drew to life from her desperation. Her interaction with Jooheon was spookier than any horror movie she watched. She realized how much she was distracted that she didn’t realize he was cute, handsome, and offered a listening ear. Exactly what she wrote. She came to conclude before she slept: either he was a staff member and peeked into her ornament or he was really a Christmas spirit that granted a miracle.
Unable to get her mind off the mystery, Eunjoo returned to the square. She would probably find some clues or at least anything about him. But, of course, everything was too good to be true. The square was empty. She asked a few passersby and even the shop owners. They all looked at her like she was someone crazy out of the hospital. No one heard of the miracle tree. There was no such tree on the square. It had been an empty square every Christmas. Too small and hidden for anything.
Eunjoo propped onto the bench to support her body, energy leaking in every way. How did something so real turn into nothing at all? Did her blood flow backward too? She panicked for a second, what if she couldn’t get herself home?
Chocolate. She needed some fuel to keep her sugar level from dropping. Eunjoo dragged her feet from the square to the convenience near her place. Choco pie would make her feel better. She pushed through the door and went to aisle 7. The choco pie was on the top shelf.
“Someone just bought the last choco pie,” the owner called.
Eunjoo sighed at the empty box. How could her luck be so bad? Just yesterday, miracle seemed to exist. She exited the convenience store with her shoulders slouched. She let out another sighed at the sight of snow falling. It reminded her of yesterday when she placed the ornament on the tree. If that memory was real at all.
Just then a shadow lurked beside her. To her left a gentleman dressed like criminal stood next to her. Black cap, black mask, black hoodie, black pant, and black shoe. Eunjoo held her breath as if with no breath, she was invisible. She flinched when he grabbed her hand and placed something with a plastic wrapper in it. When he removed his hand, her hand held a choco pie. Eunjoo immediately looked at him. She only saw his pair of eyes, but before she could observe further, he stepped into the street and sound of mouth whistling echoed in the empty air. She watched his figure quietly disappeared. The whistling became inaudible.
Just like he said he would quietly disappear.
Comments