December rolls in like a storm. The overhaul of deadlines, the despairing crams for finals, sprinkled in with the silver linings of a winter break just around the corner yet refusing to arrive any sooner.

Excitement stirs around campus at the first sight of snowfall, coating the scenery in glistening white. Jieun finds herself in awe with the city once more, filled with anticipation as the festive season gradually came to life. Her tensions finally dissipate with the conclusion of her last exam, a wrap up to a semester that somehow slipped by in the blink of an eye.

It was a little unfortunate, when she learned she wouldn’t get to spend her first winter with Sehun. Jieun had envisioned them exploring Christmas markets, shopping together for Chanyeol’s upcoming Secret Santa, if not wandering through the streets hand in hand, admiring colorful lights strung up all around the city. But Sehun had vacation plans with his family, something he didn’t need to but nevertheless apologized for. 

“I’ll make it up to you next year, and the next one, however many you want. You get to call dibs on me, maybe we can even travel together.”

He showers her with endless promises of more to come; he’s in it for the long run, that much he never fails to mention.

“So when are you telling me who you got for Secret Santa?”

“Isn’t the point of Secret Santa the fact that it’s a secret?” 

“But I already told you mine! This ain’t a fair trade.” Baekhyun grumbles loudly. To Jieun’s chagrin, it startles a few customers in the cafe lineup to look their way. 

He’d been pestering her for days ever since Chanyeol proposed the idea to everyone who remained in Seoul for Christmas. Given his obnoxious trajectory, Baekhyun fully believes she would eventually relent if he pushed hard enough. It wouldn’t have been a big deal had Jieun gotten anyone else, except—the name on her slip of paper was none other than Byun Baekhyun himself. 

“I’m simply sticking to the rules, as I should be.” Although, Jieun wishes she had an inkling what to gift her neighbor. He doesn’t seem short of anything; his favorite snacks would be disingenuous on her part and if she were to buy him new glasses…wouldn’t that be too much?  

“Maybe some rules are meant to be broken,” Baekhyun retorts with a nonchalant shrug, “The more I think about it, the more I’m starting to believe you got me. That’s why you’re keeping your mouth shut.”

Took him long enough. “Hypothetically, and only hypothetically, wouldn’t that be even less a reason for you to interrogate me?” 

“Shame, then I suppose I won’t be telling you what I want for Christmas.” He quips, flashing his lopsided grin in the face of Jieun’s dire dismay. She misses her chance to protest when her turn arrives at the register.

“Say, you’re not going home for winter break?” Baekhyun speaks up again as they move to the pickup counter.

“I wanted to stay back a bit and enjoy the Christmas festivities. I’ll be leaving for New Years.” 

Jieun could barely contain her inner excitement. She already made plans to go ornament shopping with Sooyoung and visit light shows alongside Seulgi and Seungwan next week. Baekhyun ought to thank her as Sooyoung’s Secret Santa; she’ll be doing him a huge favor prodding her friend’s wishlist, giving him an advantageous head start. 

“What about you, Baek? Are you heading home after Christmas?”

It takes the background buzz of an espresso machine and a thick inhale for Baekhyun to deliver his single worded answer. 

“No.”

Jieun hums. The weight of his silence warns her not to pry. A barista calls for her name at the pickup counter, offering a sliver of distraction.

“I do miss Mongryongie though,” He finally adds, watching Jieun slide a sleeve over her festive paper cup, “It’s the longest I’ve gone without seeing him. The little guy might go feral on me at our next reunion.”

His grin is wistful, the longing of a boy who misses his family but can’t bring himself to admit it. Another unticked box on Jieun’s growing list of unsolved mysteries.

“Then…how about before Christmas? Do you have any plans?” 

Baekhyun shakes his head, “I dunno. Unless the boys have something in mind, I might just marinate and recharge for a while. Or you can come over and we marathon some classics, if you want.”

Jieun has an empty schedule leading up to Chanyeol’s Christmas party. She’d be content strolling through the city by herself, taking in the holiday atmosphere by stride. But perhaps, if he’ll settle for her company, those plans could include Baekhyun too.

She doesn’t want to leave him alone. 

“Would you like to spend Christmas Eve together?”

The silence stretches with unexpected suspense. 

Baekhyun cycles through a jumbled range of emotions; ultimately the wheel lands on confusion as he points a finger at himself. “With me?”

“No, the ghost of Christmas past behind your back,” Jieun rolls her eyes, ”Of course you. I’m not doing anything for Christmas Eve so, maybe we can hang out and celebrate—only if you’d like to, that is.”

There’s a hopeful spark in Baekhyun’s eyes juxtaposing his scrunched expression. Finally he nods, returning a smile more genuine than the last. “Sure. That would be nice.”

Come Christmas Eve morning and Baekhyun knocks on her door earlier than anticipated.

“Hey Baek—“

Jieun stumbles on her words. It was, indeed, Baekhyun at her doorstep. Just not in the way she imagined.

His appearance is unusually polished. A press collared shirt, light gray sweater and black jeans, neatly concealed under his cozy wool overcoat. He shifts on his leather boots, both hands in his coat pockets as he greets her with an awkward smile. 

“Morning Jieun.”

She mentally reminds herself to blink; Jieun was fully expecting him in some bundled variation of hoodies and sweats and a puffy jacket as he’d been donning lately. If anything, she’s banking on the strange intuition he’d woken too early from restlessness and used the extra time to craft a presentable look.

“Unbelievable, for once you beat me on the fashion spectrum.” Jieun didn’t put nearly as much thought into her outfit; her favorite belted coat over a simple turtleneck, thick winter tights and a long burgundy skirt that reached her ankles. Subjectively speaking, it wasn’t her best look. Would it be too late to go back and change?

“It’s Christmas Eve, you shouldn’t be accompanied by a man in a potato sack.” Baekhyun fluffs out his hair hastily; the hue had faded to a lighter chestnut despite him dying it darker not long ago. “This is the least I could do.”

She’s not asking him to substitute for her absent boyfriend, although he certainly fits the part. Nevertheless, Baekhyun notices the upward curl of her lips before Jieun could sense it pushing her own cheeks. He doesn’t comment, simply turning his heel to signal he was ready to go.

Luck was on Jieun’s side as they’re greeted by clear skies above the apartment complex. Remnants of heavy snowfall days prior linger upon unplowed roadsides, rendering the temperature chilly despite bountiful rays of sunlight. 

“Should we have planned something beforehand?” 

“When have we ever planned for anything?” Baekhyun chuckles; because they’ve gotten too used to doing things on a whim. Two nights preoccupied binging every edition of Home Alone that they forgot their day needed an itinerary. At least, the destination was set to Gangnam, that much they agreed on. 

“I mean, I’m fine with window shopping. I just wanted to be out today.” 

“Maybe you can help a guy out and pick Sooyoung’s gift for me?” 

Jieun stops dead in her tracks, gaping back at Baekhyun’s airheaded grin.

“Baek,” She reproaches with shock, “Baek are you serious, the party’s tomorrow.”

He blinks innocently, “I still have more than twenty-four hours. A certain someone promised to give me a handicap and fumbled.”

Sooyoung had kept her lips tightly sealed when Jieun casually inquired what she’d want for her present, relaying only a simple response and a knowing smirk.

“It’s Baekhyun, isn’t it? Too bad, I’ll let him fend for himself.”

“In my defense, the girls all know her well and I wouldn’t be asking on behalf of Chanyeol or any of the guys. It’s not my fault her deduction skills are sharp.” 

“Which is why you should help me, since you know her so well.” 

“But I’m not her Secret Santa, you are. I’d be doing the work for you.”

Baekhyun purses his lips ever so slightly, arms crossed in a scheming stance. “If you help me, I’ll clue you in on what I want for Christmas.”

How unfair. He pulled his trump card. 

“I never said it was me!” Jieun’s flustered denial does little to convince him otherwise. “Okay, fine. But I’m only doing this because I’m a good friend.”

“If you say so.” Oh, how Jieun wishes she could wipe the smugness off of Baekhyun’s face.

They make their first stop at the Starfield COEX mall, courtesy of Jieun’s desire to see the glittering floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree occupying the vacant center of the library. Her expression sparkles so vibrantly Baekhyun pretends to shield his eyes, earning himself a dirty look as Jieun catches him in the act.

“It’s just a tree, Jieun.” He jokingly scoffs.

“A pretty tree! I’ve been meaning to see this one for ages.” She whips out her phone anyway to snap a picture, ignoring Baekhyun’s judgemental stare. “Bear with me, I’m the one saving your behind tomorrow.” 

His expression neutralizes in an instant.

They circle through the underground stores, marking potential candidates to serve as Sooyoung’s gift—from accessories (too intimate), fragrances (too niche), even dog toys at a novelty gift shop (Haetnim would be the real judge), though nothing held the “it” factor under Jieun’s evaluation.  

“What if I just got her a gift card? She could buy something herself and save us both the hassle.”

“Don’t be lazy! That defeats the whole purpose.” Jieun exclaims, appalled at Baekhyun’s lack of enthusiasm. She was not about to disclose how much time she spent finding him a proper gift; she’d appreciate it if he exerted even a quarter of her effort for someone else. 

“Look at you getting all serious,” He chuckles, shaking his head, “I should’ve asked you sooner—”

Something pulls away Baekhyun’s attention. His gaze travels to a grand entrance they’d incidentally stumbled upon, its broad rainbow header sitting above an interior of luminescent blue.

COEX Aquarium.

“Jieun, do you wanna go?” He points to the entrance with surprising eagerness. “Tourist activity of the day.”

“You’re not asking to make fun of me.” Jieun frowns; Baekhyun doesn’t catch the hesitation underneath her skeptical remark. 

“I’m serious. We’re already here so why not? Let me rephrase myself: I want to go.” He half-pleads, throwing puppy eyes in her direction. Fortunately for him Jieun falls victim in an instant.

“I guess we could.” Jieun swallows her apprehension and follows Baekhyun to the ticketing booth. He doesn’t realize he’s roped the poor girl into her own circle of hell and she’s too swayed by his excitement to protest. Aquarium fishes are supposed to be pleasing to the eye, right?

“After you.” 

Baekhyun waves her forward along the ambient tiled corridor, past cylindrical tanks of clownfish and blue tangs still within Jieun’s threshold of cuteness. She immediately shuffles away in the next exhibit room, taking interest in an unexpectedly placed squirrel jogging in its tiny wheel.

“Jieun! Over here! They have buttons for eyes.” Baekhyun exuberantly gestures at a tank half filled with spectacularly yellow fish. Jieun approaches begrudgingly to appease him, gritting her teeth behind a tight-lipped smile. 

The next section offers equally minimal comfort; while Baekhyun bends down to greet a swarm of koi fish migrating to his presence near the glass, Jieun maintains ample distance and fixates on the botanical decorations hanging above water. Nevertheless, she can’t help but occasionally glance at her neighbor from her peripheral vision. His childlike grin makes her heart go weak. Who gave him permission to act so adorably inside an aquarium?    

Eventually Jieun’s nerves calm the further they navigate. She doesn’t mind watching Baekhyun from the sidelines, suppressing a giggle as he plunges a slender hand down a miniature tank in the children’s play area. They continue treading through exhibits of various themes until they reach the amazonian forest—what starts off as a fascinating replica of a jungle quickly spirals into unwarranted purgatory. 

“Check out these grumpy boys!” Jieun gets dragged deeper into the exhibit, headed straight towards walls of gigantic tanks barricading ashen silhouettes in the looming forthfront.

“This big guy looks like he wants to fight me. Think I could take on an army of them and win? Hey, hey, Jieun—?”

Too close, too hasty. She’s surrounded. Caged. Nothing but large and scaly creatures with rigid faces and lumpy bodies, staring at her with their soulless eyes. Jieun’s heart drops and slams the panic button.

“Holy .” 

A series of profanities escape in what could only be described as genuine, sheer terror, almost crude enough to make a sailor blush. Jieun shrieks loud enough for unsuspecting visitors to think she’s screaming bloody murder. She ducks behind the safety of Baekhyun’s back, clinging tightly onto his sweater, eyes shut for dear life.

Silence fills the air. Baekhyun falls speechless, momentarily astounded by her aggressive outburst. And when the initial shock fades his body starts shaking with laughter.

“Good lord, what did they ever do to you, Jieun?”

She could feel him move forward, just slow enough for her to follow his footsteps. “Y-you’re leading me out of here right?”

“For the sake o