Aejin was not a good liar. She’d never been and would never be. So it was no point denying the crush she’d formed on a certain male. He was older. A university student to be exact. And he lived under the same roof as her. He was not the most outspoken person. He’d never been one to speak a lot actually, not even when they were younger did he say much.

Several months. That’s how long she’d kept her little secret to herself. She didn’t dare tell anyone. Not even her friends back in her hometown knew anything about Taekwoon. Aejin wasn’t sure why she refused to say a word. Was it because he was the son of her mother’s best friend? Or because they were living in the same house? Or maybe because he was a University student? Or perhaps because he was way out of her league? Whatever it was, her heart continued to beat for him. And she could still remember that special feeling she’d felt the first time he looked at her, the first time their eyes met. It was still there. Every single time their gazes locked.

Aejin’s thoughts were interrupted all too suddenly and she looked up, startled by a presence in the room. Taekwoon was standing in the doorway, his piercing gaze penetrating hers. The frown on his face was evident, like always, and he spoke with that quiet voice of his.

“My mom wants you to come downstairs.” she nodded, closed her textbook, and stood up. The several hours of sitting still was an obvious reason to stretch her back and body, something she also did. What Aejin hadn’t expected and what caused her cheeks to flare, was Taekwoon and the fact that he’d been watching her the whole time. Not exactly what she imagined since he usually left the moment he was done speaking. But not today.

Embarrassed by the ordeal, Aejin hurried past him, not even daring to look at him as she did, before she headed down the staircase.

His mother and father sat by the fireplace in the living room, cuddling and sipping on a glass of wine. It was cute. But Aejin felt a bit out of place and decided pretty quickly to make herself known. A feat that should’ve been fairly easy. At least if it wasn’t for Taekwoon, who stepped inside the room just as she was about to speak. His appearance made her nervous. Just like it always did. The words clogged in and she felt her pulse skyrocket. Aejin was no longer baffled by the effects he had on her though. How her brain malfunctioned every time he was near, how self-conscious she became. And not to mention. How her heart would skip a beat every time she met his eyes.

“We’re here.” Taekwoon whispered oh so quietly. His voice was like music to her ears.

“Good. We’ve prepared something for you two.” both adults smiled and Taekwoon understood right away that something was wrong. Aejin didn’t. She couldn’t possibly know what they had in mind and instead stood there, waiting for a further explanation. Taekwoon wanted to know as well and therefore urged his parents to tell them.

“We’ve put your gifts around the house and in the garden.” Taekwoon groaned for he realized what the two were trying to do. Scavenger hunt. The said activity was one he’d taken part in when he was younger. It’d been a recurring event on Christmas Eve until he was fourteen, when he begged his parents to stop. He was too old to be running around the house and still thought so. Aejin showed more enthusiasm though. Not only because they’d bought gifts for her, which was totally unexpected. But also because she had a vague memory of when her family visited theirs when she was younger, and she participated in the so-called search for Christmas gifts. Plus. It was a great way to distract her from her studies for a while.

“Now, now. Don’t give me that look.” his mother scolded in a playful manner. A statement that didn’t help much for Taekwoon, whose frown only deepened. It was just ridiculous and he wished his parents could act normal for once.

“Is it so weird that your father and I wanted to give Aejin a memorable Christmas?” his mother argued and Aejin noticed that he looked annoyed even though he said nothing. Taekwoon’s reaction made her feel uneasy though, because he was obviously upset by the fact that his parents were doing their best to please her. Maybe that’s why he always looked so irritated and barely spoke to her. Because his parents were paying so much attention to her. What if he was acting like that in hope that he’d get her to move out. The thought of that saddened her more than anything.

Taekwoon sighed all of a sudden and Aejin held her breath when he looked at her. Mesmerizing eyes dark like the night sky met hers. They were so beautiful it hurt. He was so beautiful it hurt.

And it definitely hurt when when he his heel and walked out of there.

“Don’t mind him. He’ll come around.” Aejin nodded, if not a bit hesitant, before she averted her gaze and stared at the Christmas tree standing in the corner. It looked lovely as it stood there with its twinkling lights and eye catching ornaments. But it wasn’t just happy-go-lucky thoughts that filled her head. Sad ones did as well for she missed her own parents. She really missed her mother and father, whom she hadn’t seen in several months due to school and the immense workload. Money played a part, too. More so after her father got sick and needed to cut down the work hours. It was hard but Aejin knew they were doing their best. They always did.

“You can start looking if you want, Aejin. There’s five presents with your name on it and if you happen to find one of Taekwoon’s, leave them be. He can get them himself.” Aejin made it known that she understood the instructions before she exited and, with an uneasy feeling lingering in the pit of her stomach, began to search for the gifts. Aejin realized pretty soon that it’d been a lot more fun when she was younger. And not to mention easier. Now she needed to bend and move her body in every way possible to look behind or under furnitures. It wasn’t all bad though. At least Taekwoon didn’t have to see her as she mopped the floor with her clothes.

It wasn’t just her feelings that’d changed for the scavenger hunt. But also the level of difficulty. The most obvious places, such as the kitchen cabinets and the space under the staircase, were empty and Aejin knew it would be hard to locate the presents. Half an hour later, and after only having found four gifts, one of which were Taekwoon’s, she truly understood how hard it actually was.

“They said outside, too, right?” she questioned to no one in particular before she moved over to put on her jacket and shoes. Snow, snow and more snow greeted the girl as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the winter landscape. It wasn’t just a lot of snow. It was cold as well, and Aejin ran back inside to retrieve her gloves before she continued to look.

Finding any gifts there was a task close to impossible and Aejin came to understand why Taekwoon disliked the scavenger hunt so much. It would’ve been fine if they’d limited the area to the house just like last time. But they hadn’t and Aejin was sure going to have to work for the Christmas presents. There was nothing wrong with that. Definitely not. It was just that she wished it could have been a little easier.

“What are you complaining for?” Aejin scolded herself as she looked up at the sky above. She had no reason to act like that when Taekwoon’s family were doing their absolute best to take care of her. They’d taken her in without demanding anything in return, something Aejin would forever feel grateful for.

“Look in the bike shed.” the voice startled Aejin and she spun around to face Taekwoon.

“What?” she asked, unsure whether she’d heard right or not.

“Bike shed. They always hide something in there.” Aejin nodded and did her best to avoid eye contact. She didn’t want to embarrass herself twice in the same day and therefore hurried towards the bike shed, which stood in the corner of the garden. There was no path in the snow so Aejin had to make one herself. It wasn’t the easiest. But she remained upright and succeeded in making her way over without falling. And just like Taekwoon said, there was a present in there. Just not one with her name on it though.

“It’s yours.” Aejin knew it was against the ‘rules’ to reveal the locations of the gifts. But knowing how Taekwoon reacted to the scavenger hunt, it was probably for the best if it ended as quickly as possible. The weather was also a good enough reason to hurry up so Aejin exited the bike shed and had just managed to take one step before she felt how she slipped on a patch of ice. The following sequence was inevitable and she fell, face first, into the snow. It was so indescribably cold and she felt her whole body turn rigid as the snow melted against her skin.

Taekwoon had seen the whole ordeal and was by her side in a second, latching onto Aejin’s arm and helping her up.

“Cold, cold, cold.” her eyes flew open and she found herself a bit taken aback by the sight of Taekwoon standing right in front of her. He was closer than ever and Aejin forgot all about her snowcovered self for a second. She was completely spellbound by him. He was, as her mother would have explained it, the apple of her eye.

“Stand still.” she didn’t say anything, didn’t even question his instructions and instead waited. Aejin waited for whatever Taekwoon had in mind. And that’s about when her thoughts raced. She began to imagine scenarios where he leaned in and cupped her cheeks, where he took her breath away with a kiss, and last but not least. Where he proclaimed his undying love for her. Aejin’s heart thumped faster by just imagining it.

And as if her thoughts weren’t enough to cause chaos for her heart, the sudden touch of warm skin against her cheek did. The ordeal surprised her to such an extent that she jerked her head to the side. An action that broke their skin contact and made Aejin upset with herself.

“Stay still.” Taekwoon extended his hand, took a gentle hold of her chin, and began to brush off the snow that was stuck to her face. She was so flustered by what he was doing that she avoided his gaze, afraid that she’d give her feelings away if she did. It was hard to act like it didn’t affect her though, like it didn’t send tingles down her spine, like it didn’t cause her to nearly stop breathing. It was, for better words, overwhelming. It was more than Aejin could ever have hoped for, and she decided to just enjoy the short moment, because when he was done, it was over. She would never get an opportunity like that again.  

“You are not hurt anywhere?”

“No.” Aejin whispered, her voice so quiet she could barely hear it herself. She found his caring side admirable and she tried to steal a glance of him. She did her best to make it quick so that he wouldn’t notice. What she hadn’t expected was that he would meet her gaze. Flustered about being caught, she looked over his shoulder and at the Christmas gift laying on the shelf inside the bike shed. The sight of the present reminded Aejin of why they were there, why they were standing out in the freezing weather and why Taekwoon was brushing snow off of her face.

“Close your eyes.” her gaze flickered back to meet his. She was a bit confused as to why he wanted her to do that, and was right about to ask him when he interrupted.

“I have your present. But you can’t see it yet.” Aejin’s heart skipped a beat, and it was with a nervous feeling that she did as he requested and closed her eyes. To say she was impatient would be an understatement and she could her the beats of her heart thump in her ears as she tried to figure out what the gift might be. Seconds ticked by though, and there was no movement from Taekwoon’s side. No rustling of gift wrap or anything. It was silence and nothing but silence from the older male, who took the time to admire Aejin.

The brush off skin. A featherlight touch. Lips connecting.

It was oh so sweet and overwhelming.

Aejin could even go as far as to say it was better than she ever could have imagined it. He was everything she wanted, everything she’d dreamt of for the past months. And being in the arms of the boy she’d grown to love so much, was a feeling so indescribable no word could explain. It was absolutely mesmerizing and at the same time unbelievable. It was a moment she’d played over and over again in her head. It was a thought that’d occupied her mind for so long and she had to grip onto his jacket for support when he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

Aejin melted against him, she let him ravish her like he wanted. And it would’ve continued if it hadn’t been for the fact that they both heard how someone was at the front door, pushing it open. The lip lock ended all too abruptly because of that, for Taekwoon stepped back just before his father’s voice called out for them. The older man wanted to know if everything was okay and if they’d found all the Christmas gifts. The two teenagers looked at each other, a blush forming on Aejin’s cheeks when Taekwoon sent her a shy smile. This simple action was enough to convince her that he’d never been upset or angry with her.

“Yeah.” he met Aejin’s gaze as he answered.