2017
 

On Christmas Eve, Dalrae found herself in the kitchen of a house she had never been in before. She had always known that the kitchen at home was large but now she knew it wasn't anything compared to the one she was standing in. The countertops stretched to forever. Heavenly scent of the freshly baked cookies filled the air, mingling with the warmth emanating from the oven. Dalrae's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the perfectly decorated gingerbread house sitting on the island, surrounded by an array of colorful candies and icing tubes. The kitchen felt like a magical wonderland, inviting her to explore. So magical that she had almost forgotten why she was here.

"Dalrae, did you say you couldn't find the washroom?"

"Ah, yes," she turned to the woman at the door of the kitchen. Mrs. Byun, her father had introduced the lady to Dalrae. She was no taller than Dalrae. There was no crease in her impeccable off-white dress that reached her knees with such grace. Dalrae followed her through a corridor in the end of which she finally found the washroom.

She could get lost in this house. Beautiful showpieces lined the corridors. The crimson carpet under her feet were lined with gold. The man of the house, Mr. Byun, was yet to return home from a conference. His face could be found in almost every picture hanging on the walls.

Everyone was aware of the prowess of Yongsang Group, the successful conglomerate that Mr. Byun had expanded following his father's footsteps. Dalrae couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as she walked through the lavish hallways, adorned with elegant artwork and luxurious furnishings, a testament to the family's wealth and influence.

She found herself going back to the kitchen. To just stand there and watch the countless hands at work, as they skillfully prepared the delectable feast. But on her way, she got stuck when her eyes flew past the tall window to the sight of Areum running around in the snow.

"No, Areum," she hissed to herself but her sister wouldn't be able to hear her through this thick glass. So she picked up her pace, trying to find her way back to the door through these confusing hallways. In her rush, she accidentally bumped into a person coming around the corner. But even the man couldn't deter her from her speed.  Finally, when she reached the door, she didn't hesitate to throw it open. "Areum!"

"Rhea! Look, that's my sister!" Areum was shouting to someone. Upon closer inspection, Dalrae spotted a pink thing running around the snow alongside Areum. Without her glasses, she really was a lost case. Dalrae picked up her dress and with an infuriating set of eyes, she dived right into the snow to drag Areum by the ear.

"What. Did. I. Say. About. Wandering. Off. Alone?" Her every word resonated with every chomp of her footstep in the crunchy snow. Areum mumbled something into the ear of the little girl next to her and their faces automatically lit up with mischief. There was something so familiar in the act. Dalrae stopped, motionless. She remembered when her mother would storm at them through yards of snow. She remembered being a twelve-year-old and whispering something along the lines of "Let's have a snowball fight!" into little Areum's eager ears.

But before she could smile, a large snowball hit Dalrae square in the face, knocking her off balance. She stumbled backwards, wiping the snow from her eyes, only to see Areum and the little girl doubled over with laughter. And then she did what her mother would almost always do—jump into the fight herself. "Oh, it's on then!"

Dalrae scooped up a handful of snow and retaliated with a perfectly aimed throw at Areum. The next few moments dissolved into a flurry of snowballs flying back and forth between the three of them. Laughter echoed in the wintry air as a full-fledged snowball fight ensued. Due to the absence of her glasses, Rhea was just a pink dot roaming around and trying to dodge her. Areum's laughter was so loud, Dalrae was worried it would reach their father's ears inside the house. Even as Dalrae tried to maintain her authoritative older sister role, she couldn't help but revel in the youthful delight that enveloped them.

However, all came to a sudden stop when three sleek black cars pulled into the driveway that circled the yard. Even though Rhea was still laughing, Areum walked to Dalrae and stood on her side to inspect the people stepping out of those cars. Men dressed in black and white filled the stairs and the porch. It looked like some sort of royalty had arrived. Before long, their father, Choi Hyunsik, had emerged from inside the house. It seemed like Mr. Byun had finally arrived. 

"He's so fat, like a bear," whispered Areum to Dalrae, causing the older girl to pass her a playful glare. "What? It's the truth. He's the size of the snowman we built last year," Areum continued to giggle, but her amusement quickly faded as their father beckoned them, making them hurry towards him across the white snow.

"Ah, Dalrae!" Mr. Byun quickkly greeted them with a warm smile and a booming voice that filled the air. Despite his size, his presence commanded respect and admiration from everyone around him. He could very easily play the Santa Claus today in Areum's head but all Dalrae could worry about was the reason they were here. Why did Mr. Byun invite them to his Christmas gathering despite never having done so before?

"This is Mr. Byun," Dalrae watched her father introduce the man to her. She could catch the subtle uneasiness in his voice as he did so.

Dalrae shook his chubby hand, returning a tight smile.

"And then we fought with the snow," she could hear Rhea's voice in the background, coming nearer and nearer.

Amidst her giggles, Dalrae heard another voice. "Hm, I can see that," it belonged to a man. "You're all covered in snow, dear."

"I'm so sorry I kept you waiting for so long," Mr. Byun was probably still talking to her, or her father. Perhaps Areum. Dalrae couldn't help but wonder who Rhea was talking to. "Ah, there he is. Hyunsik, this is my son."

The man who emerged from the crowd was the one Rhea was speaking to. The little girl was nestled in the cozy expanse of his chest. If Dalrae was wearing her glasses, she would've been able to tell you how he looked. But as he approached her, his sharp features only became more apparent, the warm lights from inside the house casting the loveliest shadows on his face. She knew this face. His face could be found a hundred times in the photoframes in his home's walls. His name could be found in two hundred trophies inside the showcases scattered all across the living room. His mother had made it her mission to drill his name into her head. Byun Baekhyun.

"I'm assuming you're Dalrae," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. Dalrae nodded. "I'm Baekhyun," this past, he said softly, almost as if he was shy. Dalrae nodded once again, this time, offering her hand for a shake. It seemed to have taken him by surprise because the next second, he was doing his best to tear off the glove of his right hand with his left. Rhea clinging to him made it even more difficult.

Dalrae couldn't help but chuckle at his determined efforts to remove the glove. She was about to say that it was fine when Rhea's eyes met hers. She opened her arms to Dalrae, who was jolly surprised. She wasn't a kid favorite. Kids would usually avoid her and the only kid she had held was Areum. But even so, they were almost the same age. As Baekhyun helped Rhea switch to Dalrae, she couldn't help but notice how flushed his face was. At least he successfully managed to take the glove off and they shook hands.

"Lovely to finally meet you," he told Dalrae. She knew it was all part of the pleasantry. But it didn't fail to put a smile on Dalrae's face. "I'm guessing you were playing in the snow with my niece." Baekhyun remarked, brushing off the snow from Rhea's hair as the little girl laid her head on Dalrae's shoulder.

Dalrae didn't notice how she had been silent all along, with only him speaking to her. She cleared , "Actually, I went there to drag them back inside but ended up getting dragged into their fun instead." Baekhyun looked like he was pleasantly surprised by her voice.

His eyes travelled to her hair. Almost self-consciously, Dalrae reached out to fix it. "May I?" He asked. Dalrae nodded, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Sure, go ahead," she replied softly.

"You had quite a fight with snow. It's all over you both," Baekhyun gently brushed off the flakes of snow from her hair before his hand went back to pat his niece on the head. Dalrae didn't know what to conclude from his actions but Baekhyun wasn't a terrible stranger.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a soft twilight glow over the snow-covered landscape. They noticed, almost in tandem, that the once bustling yard was now deserted, the laughter and chatter from insid