Min Ho was just watching the girl. He really has become Kim Tan. Just staring at this person is enough to keep him warm while lurking outside this gas station, even in freezing temperature. He smiled at that realization, giddy that he's having these kind of feelings at this age.  

And then she hugged the stranger ahjussis.  

Damn. The warmth stopped and a vein popped on his forehead, he really is becoming Kim Tan. He closed his eyes at this and prayed for strength again, more strength and a whole truck of patience. Then his phone rings.  

"Ah hyung. Sorry. Yes, I found her. Yes. Okay. I'll tell her. Yes, I'll take her. No! To her home, I mean. Yes. Thanks hyung."  

After the call, he finally sees the girl coming out of the store. She looked happy, and his heart skipped with that smile of hers. That bright, bright smile of hers. Damn heart. Will you behave? As she draws nearer, he had this sudden urge to go to her and just hug it out. What's wrong with friends hugging, right? He needs to feel her warmth. Needs to what? Her warmth what? He feels lightheaded with that thought so he leaned on her car. Needing it's frame for support as he thinks he might faint with the extreme joy of just seeing and finally talking with her. Or some hugging, maybe?  

Anxious and quite desperate for her to close their three-more-steps-and-she's-here gap, he waited with that bedimpled smile of his. Like a puppy patiently waiting for it's owner-- minus the wagging of the tail.  

"How did it go again? Hmm.. In your eyes.. In your mind.. Sarangi geuryeojo.. Hmm.." Shin Hye hums while fumbling for keys and brushing some snow off her face. She's literally in front of her car now and just an arm's length from the human popsicle called Lee Min Ho.  

And she didn't notice him. Not even a glance.

She walked by him. Ignoring the half-frozen hallyu star, entombed just beside her.  

Min Ho was stunned. Then embarassed. And now, just a tad furious. Giddiness all gone. "What the--.. She didn't even notice ME?? How am I unnoticeable?" he hissed. He knew how oblivious this girl can be, but this just took it to a whole new other level. "You stupid brat, you'll pay for this.." he grumbles like some cheated gangster.    

"Where was I?.. Oh.. Loooove is the momeeeent..."  

"Hello Shin Hye..." Min Ho whisper-slurred the words for full effect.  Which really takes no effort now, as he's already shivering from all the cold, both from the weather and Shin Hye's blindness to him.  

".....GAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" High-pitched and piercing. She screamed like some banshee caught in the wilds, disorienting and half-scaring the guy TRYING to scare her.  

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!!" and she screamed some more while her hands started looking for something to hit the perpetrator.

"YAH!!!! STOP IT! It's just me!" Ears hurt from those wailing, he tried calming the banshee aka Shin Hye before she seriously impaired his hearing.  

The girl stopped and looked at him, really looked at him with those huge eyes that can melt you from the inside. He feels drowning in them. He's woozy again.  

PAK! Min Ho felt something sting near his shoulders. PAK! PAK! "Oh, she's hitting me." he thought while grinning stupidly. She finally recognized him and this made him all smiley. "I miss you too, Park Shin Hye ssi." he just said, rubbing his shoulders.

PAK! PAK! PAK!  "YAAAH! Have you gone crazy now??? What are you doing scaring people!" PAK! Shin Hye screamed again. Her heart almost stopped thinking she's about to be mugged on Christmas eve. But now, knowing who just came for her, at this time, she actually felt dying on the spot.  

"First, I'm not crazy. You're crazy for being stranded here. Second, you're stupid. Very. How can you not notice me? ME. Standing. Here. Third. Stop scream-hitting me, it hurts." he quipped, extremely happy that this felt like the old times. Those times when they were prank-trolling each other.  

Shin Hye stopped at the word 'stupid'. She lets out a long sigh and just say, "What are you doing here Lee Min Ho ssi?"  

The switch to formal talk stung. "Lee Min Ho ssi? Wow, that's cold Shin-Hye-yah.. Hm. Let's see. I was just casually strolling over and saw your car. And knowing Park Shin Hye, I guessed that you'd be stucked. Here. And, I'm sooo right."  

"Oh. How smart of you Lee Min Ho ssi. So why wait for stupid me? Just go on your merry way. Go and thanks for scaring my fragile soul out of me." she mumbled, wanting to get rid of this troublesome guy as soon as she can. He's making her nervous, in a disconcerting way.  

"Aish! Stop it with the formal talk. Where's the girl who's all-- Min Ho oppaaaah! Min Ho oppaaaah! Oppaaaah! You're so uncute now. Ha! Anyway, um.. can we get in your car already? Please? I'm really freezing here. Seriously." he begged her as he can barely feel his feet now. He was checking and stomping his feet that he didn't notice the panic and concern running on the girl's face.  

"AH! Here, keys! Get in, hurry! Use my blanket in there and turn on the heater. Close the door. Let me just go grab something from the store, okay? Come on hurry!" Shin Hye barked those words to the seemingly helpless oppa and run towards the store again.

Min Ho was stunned. Again. Then embarassed. And now, he's blushing furiously. He feels warm and gooey inside. She was so cold to him earlier that with her doing a 180 turn and showing such concern for him is like going to heaven and back. Giddiness is back.  

At the store, "Ahjussi, sorry but do you have some ramyun here? Like the super hot stuff? Also, some hot packs and bread? And some.."  

The gas ahjussis interrupted her listing off stuffs she needs. "Are you okay agasshi? We heard you screaming earlier and was about to come out.."  

"Ah, I'm okay, don't worry. I know that choding. By the way, I need some ramyun? Hot packs? Bread? Ahjussi?" she smiled and explained to them while conveying she's in a hurry.  

"Okay, okay. Here. Take these, the hot water's over there. And remember what I told you about the ramyun intake. Okay? Haha!" they again.  

Shin Hye laughs with them, she paid at the counter then bid them farewell. She have all the stuffs she needs and so, runs towards the car again. All this time, the not-so-frozen guy in the car is just watching her, in awe.  

Min Ho gets out of her car to help her with the stuffs she's carrying. "Yah! Get in the car! NOW!" He stopped at that, shocked by the tone used, so he just followed her curt command. 

"Here, drink this. Eat this. And placed this inside your shirt. Hot packs." Shin Hye wrestled with the things she bought while making sure the guy's properly warmed.  

"Um.. Okay.. Komawo.." he bashfully said to the girl taking care of his not-so-frozen-body. He can't seem to meet her eyes now. Damn heart.  

Shin Hye notices this so she peered at his face, moving even closer just to make sure he's okay. He looked a bit pale for her so she did something she knows will make the cold go away.

She blew warm air on her hands, rubbed them and reached for his face. The warmth shocked him and his heart stopped.  

Her hands slowly felt for his arms and rubbed them gently. Kneading them. She found his shoulders as well and gently massaged them. Then she took his hands, held them and blew warm air on both then rubbed them softly, infusing warmth. Min Ho knows she's just being clinical with all her touches, but his body is reacting in a very otherworldly way. He can hardly breath with her so near like this. He can smell her. He can feel her. She's so near. And she's touching him. It's taking a lot of his control just to not pounce on her. He closed his eyes for more mind control. And when he opened them, he fixed his gaze on this pure girl.

Then she looked at him. And smiled. That slayed him dead, on the spot. Brain-melter.

He lets out a long, agonizing sigh. Confusing the girl in front of him.  

He removed the hot packs on him, took away all the things between them and placed all of those in the back seat. "Yah! What are you doing? I bought those just to keep you warm. Wanna die frozen?" Shin Hye rambles on, unknowing of the turmoil she's about to face.  

"Shin Hye yah.. Do you really want to keep me warm?" he gently asked her. He can barely speak coherently now, words are just a nuisance for what he's feeling right now.  

"Is that a trick question? Of course! I don't want you cold and dead on Christmas." she touched and rubbed his face again. And tattled on, not noticing the guy's darkened gaze at her action.  

"Fine. I don't want me cold and dead on Christmas as well. So brat, mark this time and remember it. Merry christmas, Shin Hye yah.." he whispered the last words.

Before she can even react, he took both her arms, swooped in and claimed her lips.

Her lips. Her soft and full, red lips. His now.

His.

And the clock struck twelve. It's finally christmas.