It was the time they were all dreading.  In fact, the only one who wasn’t dreading the moment was Yoona.  Her softly curled hair went down her back as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.  Her boyfriend of three years opened the door for her, and he was nervous.  His eyes were wandering everywhere, his breathing was uneasy, and his heartbeat was wild.  He rubbed his hands together after he closed the car door behind his girlfriend.  He breathed out slowly as saw his own breath due to the cold winter air.

                  It was his first time in South Korea because he was an American born man.  Yoona grabbed his hand and gave an encouraging smile.  He was finally going to meet his family, and she thought it was going to go smoothly.  On the other hand, he was a nervous wreck.  He was intimidated with the fact that Yoona’s family was very protective of her.  She had met his family, and they all loved her, but it was different in his position.   He knew that Yoona was the only woman in the family, and of course, they were going to judge him harshly.

                  “They’ll love you,” Yoona assured him, “I just know it, Seunghyun ah.”

                  “I hope so,” he breathed in.

                  In her eyes, he was the perfect man for her.  Of course, he did have his flaws, but she loved every single aspect about him.  He was caring, sincere, considerate, successful, intelligent, and not to mention extremely attractive.  When she first met him, she thought he was just a pretty face, but he proved her wrong many times.  He turned out to be the man of her dreams.

                  Yoona tiptoed and pulled on his scarf gently causing him to bend down to her level.  With a smile, her lips softly touched his as he grinned back in return.  She sure knew how to ease him whenever he was panicking.  At that moment, they both heard the door open. 

                  His eyes grew wide as he immediately pulled away from the kiss with Yoona.  He blushed a deep shade of red as he tried to compose himself again.  He felt the weight of having all of her brothers and cousins staring him down.

                  “Oppas!  Dongsaengs!” Yoona cheered as they finally cracked smiles.

                  There were too many of them.  Seunghyun had memorized all of their names ahead of time, but he didn’t expect them all to be there at the same time.  There were more than ten of them for crying out loud!

                  Yoona grinned, “Merry Christmas!  It’s great to finally see you guys again.  I’ve missed you all so much!”

                  Everyone seemed to disregard Seunghyun except for one guy.  Seunghyun guessed that he was probably 16 or 17.  His hair was a bit long, and he was fairly thin and pale, but he looked the most hospitable.  Everyone else was so busy hugging Yoona, but this boy wasn’t.  He had his attention on Yoona the whole time.

                  “Hello, my name is Kai,” he said in a soft voice, “I’m the youngest in the family.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

                  He said it all in English, and Seunghyun had to admit that he was fairly impressed.  His English was almost as good as Yoona’s.  Seunghyun knew that it was traditional to bow, but before he could, he felt Kai hug him happily.

                  “My name is Seunghyun,” he said in Korean, “It’s great to finally meet you.”

                  Kai sighed in relief, “Ah, you know Korean?  I was studying so hard to impress you.  Welcome to our home.  It’s great that noona has found a man like you.”

                  “Kai, why are you speaking Korean to him?” Seunghyun heard a distant voice.

                  The man who spoke had a chubby face; he was dressed in a pair of slacks and a white shirt.  His hair wasn’t as long as Kai’s, but it was shaved on one side.  He had a confident smirk on his face as he looked at Seunghyun up and down.

                  “Shindong oppa,” Yoona warned quietly.

                  And now, the judging had begun.  All pairs of eyes were scanning Seunghyun as he stood there uneasily.  Yoona tried to ease the atmosphere for him by holding his hand, but her brothers and cousins immediately shot an even dirtier stare at him for showing a type of skinship.

                  Another one spoke, “He doesn’t understand Korean.  He’s a Yankee for goodness sake!”

                  “Leeteuk oppa, don’t embarrass me,” Yoona sighed, “Seunghyun minored in the Korean language.  He speaks it fluently.”

                  Kai began to laugh to himself as he nudged Leeteuk on his side.  Leeteuk turned red in embarrassment and then let out an obnoxious laugh.  It was fairly obvious that they already didn’t like Seunghyun just because he was Yoona’s boyfriend.  Yoona bit her lip nervously as she tried to look at the whole situation in a positive light.

____________________

                  Yoona’s bedroom had not changed one bit since she last left.  It didn’t surprise him that her room had all kinds of posters of music bands all over the walls.  The most distinct thing hung on the wall was a picture of Yoona and her eight best friends.  They were sorority sisters in their university.  Unfortunately, for them, Yoona left South Korea to go to graduate school to gain her masters in literature.  That was when she met Seunghyun, who was finishing up his doctorates in animal medicine, and they fell in love.

                  “They hate me,” Seunghyun frowned as he began to unpack his things.

                  “They don’t,” Yoona sighed, “They just have a hard time processing that I finally have a boyfriend like you.”

                  He sulked, “Don’t tell me you dated a bunch of losers in the past.”

                  “I did not!” Yoona giggled, “Most of the men who pursued me were either unmotivated, lazy, or ‘not good enough’ for their little sister.  I didn’t date them because I knew they weren’t my type, so they never had to worry much in the past.  You’re successful, kind, and intelligent.  They just don’t know how to react to you.”

                  He sat on her bed and sighed loudly to himself.  He just wanted to impress them, but it seemed as if it was already too difficult.  They were going to be there for a week, and after Christmas, they were going to head back to America for New Years with Seunghyun’s family.

                  Suddenly, the door opened to reveal two men:  Heechul and Siwon.  The list almost seemed endless.  Yoona had two brothers:  Heechul and Minho.  The rest of them were her cousins, but they all treated her as if they were her brothers.  Siwon crossed his arms against his chest as Heechul stared with a brow raised.

                  “Don’t tell me that you two are going to sleep in the same bed,” Siwon cleared his throat.

                  “Oppa!  I am 24 years old!” Yoona reminded him.

                  Heechul scoffed, “You’re still the baby of the family.”

                  “Kai is the baby of the family,” Yoona retorted with attitude.

                  “But you’re the only girl,” Siwon pointed out.

                  Yoona hated being the only girl in the family.  It did have its perks, but it was annoying how they always viewed her as a little girl.  She was older than a third of them, and they never saw her as a woman. 

                  Heechul turned to Seunghyun and smiled, “Please tell me that you’re not going to sleep next to her at night.  It’s scandalous in this household.”

                  “You and Sohee were quite scandalous back in the day,” Yoona corrected him.

                  “What?” Heechul said before he turned to Seunghyun again, “Seunghyun sshi, you’re going to sleep on the floor right?”

                  Seunghyun didn’t know what to say.  He had slept beside Yoona plenty of times, and he found that he was most relaxed and at ease when she was by his side.  Because he was trying to impress them, he knew he had to agree.

                  “Of course,” Seunghyun reluctantly nodded.

_____________________________

                  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Yoona asked as she began to dry her hair with a towel. 

                  She had just gotten out of the shower and was surprised to see that he was grunting out in pain.  She had a white towel wrapped around her thin body, and she had a genuine look of concern on her face.  Seunghyun had just woken up, and even though his eyes were still puffy from his slumber and his hair was disheveled from his uneasy night, Yoona thought he was still handsome.

                  “My back is hurting,” he finally admitted.

                  He was a man who slept on a thousand dollar bed back home, and now he was downgraded to the wooden floor.  Yoona blew out a puff of air and walked up to him.  She hated the fact that her brothers were trying to torture him just because he’s her boyfriend. 

                  “It’s only one week here,” Yoona reminded him.

                  She then kneeled down and laid a gentle kiss on his lips.  A smile finally formed on his mouth after she kissed him.  With that kiss, he was reminded of how much this woman loved him.  It also reminded her of how much he loved her. 

                  “Yoona ah!  It’s time for breakfast and—”

                  Yoona and Seunghyun froze in their position after he quickly pulled away from the kiss.  His heart was beating frantically after realizing that Shindong was watching them with judgmental eyes.  Yoona rolled her eyes right away and stood up from her position while she made her way to the bathroom.

                  “Yah, why are you ?  And why are you kissing him?” Shindong argued.

                  Yoona shouted, “Because I love him, and he’s my boyfriend!”

                  The cousins continued to bicker as Seunghyun sighed to himself.  He knew for sure that Shindong was going to report this whole incident to the others, and the others were going to hate him even more.  All he wanted was their approval, and it seemed impossible to gain.

_____________________________

                  “I think I’m going to go check on them,” Yoona bit her lip worriedly.

                  She was in the kitchen, and she had just put a fresh pie in the oven.  In the kitchen were her brothers’ and cousins’ girlfriends or wives.  Sohee, Krystal, Minzy, Sunny, and Sooyoung were there in the kitchen with Yoona as they watched her pat her hands together.

                  Krystal and Minzy were Minho and Taemin’s girlfriends, and Sunny, Sohee, and Sooyoung were Sungmin, Heechul, and Siwon’s wives.  They didn’t have a hard time being accepted to the family because they were women.  The men in the Im family had a soft spot for women, and they could never really be cruel to them.

                  Sooyoung sighed, “Yoona ah, just calm down.  The boys are playing their games.  Let them be.”

                  “I’m just worried.  What if they mistreat him?” Yoona frowned.

                  “They would never do that,” Krystal shook her head, “Minho is the sweetest guy I know.”

                  Minzy nodded in agreement.  “My Taemin is a kind spirit.”

                  “And let’s not get started how kind Sungmin is,” Sunny chimed in, “You’re worrying about nothing, Yoona.  They know you love him, and they’re going to love him, too.”

                  “I bet Seunghyun sshi is enjoying his time with them,” Sohee assured her.

__________________________

                  Seunghyun was in full panic as his eyes bulged out in disbelief.  Siwon and Heechul exchanged a high-five as Minho pumped his fist in the air.  They had just killed a deer.  They had shot a deer right in between its eyes, and Seunghyun felt absolutely awful.  He wasn’t a strong animal activist, but he did believe that hunting for fun was wrong.  He wasn’t a vegetarian, and he did love eating meat, but he believed that killing animals for sport was just cruel and merciless.

                  “Ah, don’t tell me you’re getting queasy, Choi!” Sungmin slapped Seunghyun’s shoulder loudly.

                  At first, he was speechless; Seunghyun didn’t know whether or not he should leave or stay with these beasts.  He nervously swallowed and remembered that he wanted to impress them.  They were Yoona’s family, and he wanted their full acceptance.

                  Taemin grinned, “Here.  It’s your turn.”

                  Taemin roughly shoved a rifle into his arms, and Seunghyun stared at in shock.  He had never fired a gun in his life.  He did play combat video games, but that was the closest thing he ever did to firing a gun. 

                  “What?” Seunghyun asked.

                  “Fire it—at that deer,” Siwon pointed at a large female deer about 300 feet away, “It’s an easy kill.  Just aim and shoot, and that er is dead.”

                  Seunghyun lowered the gun and sighed loudly.  He couldn’t do it.  For goodness sake, he aided animals for a living.  He would feel too guilty to bring harm to an innocent deer.

                  “I can’t,” Seunghyun shook his head, “I help animals; I don’t kill them.”

                  “Stop being such a pansy!” Heechul teased, “Give me the gun, and I’ll do it.”

                  Seunghyun retracted the gun from Heechul’s reach causing Heechul to raise a brow in interest.  Was he actually refusing to give it?  Seunghyun had a firm look on his face, and it was clear that he did not want anyone to harm that innocent animal.

                  “Give it to hyung!” Minho yelled, “You’re being a kill joy.”

                  “If killing animals brings you joy, you need a psychiatric evaluation,” Seunghyun blurted out.

                  Minho, who had lost his temper, grabbed the rifle from Seunghyun harshly and elbowed Seunghyun.  Seunghyun, who wasn’t expecting it, lost his balance and fell down the creek.  The men started to laugh in unison until they noticed that Seunghyun didn’t get up.  He just lied there on his side.  His head was against a rock, and they all figured that he had been knocked out.

                  “What happened to him?” Heechul gasped, “Oh, !  Yoona is going to kill us!  Is he dead?”

                  Siwon rolled his eyes as he beckoned at Minho to help him lift up the unconscious Seunghyun.

                  “He just knocked out,” Siwon stated after checking his pulse, “Let’s get him home before he dies on us or something.”

                  Taemin scoffed, “I can’t believe noona fell for a dweeb like him.”

___________________

                  “What the hell did you guys do to him?” Yoona asked.

                  She was clenching her jaw as she stared at her beloved boyfriend lying on the couch.  He was completely knocked out, and the boys thought that steam was going to come out of Yoona’s ears soon.  She sat by his side and caressed her hand on his cheek as she frowned.  She knew that this had to do with her family.

                  “It’s not our fault you fell for a wussy,” Minho rolled his eyes.

____________________

                  When Seunghyun woke up, he felt enveloped by pure darkness.  The only light that he could see was the dim moonlight from the large window.  His head was throbbing, and his legs were hurting like crazy.  All of the pain that he was feeling suddenly eased out of him as he smelled a familiar scent.  It was Yoona.  She was leaning her head against his chest as she wrapped her arm around his waist. 

                  He was surprised that they were on a bed.  If her brothers and cousins knew that they were on a bed together, they’d probably go berserk, but for that moment, he didn’t care.  All he wanted and needed was Yoona, and he couldn’t resist her anyways.

                  Yoona stirred in her sleep and then her eyes slowly opened.  She gave a gentle smile as she leaned up to kiss him gently on the lips.  He finally smiled; he quickly glanced at the wall to see the time.  It was 3:27 am, so he must have been knocked out for so long.

                  “Are you okay, babe?” Yoona asked.

                  He nodded, “What the hell happened?”

                  “My idiot brothers and cousins went with you on a hunting trip, remember? They told me it was fishing trip,” Yoona revealed, “Sorry that they’re like that.  They won’t tell me what they did, but ugh, they irritate me like hell.”

                  “They weren’t that bad,” Seunghyun said quietly.

                  Yoona tilted her head, “Are you sure?  Just tell me, and I’ll give them hell.  How did you even get hit in the head?  It’s them, huh?”

                  “I slipped, darling,” Seunghyun lied, “It’s nothing more than that.”

                  “I know you’re just covering up for them,” Yoona scoffed, “I’m not stupid, Tabi ah.”

_____________________________

                  “I know what we’ll have to do to break Yoona and Seunghyun up,” Heechul said quietly. 

                  The clock had just struck 5 am, and the boys were huddled up in the kitchen.  Their whispers were quiet and silent.  The men were still dressed in their pajamas as they continued to carry their conversation on in a hushed tone.

                  “They clearly don’t belong together,” Minho whispered, “Yoona noona deserves a masculine man.  This man is too soft.”

                  Siwon added, “He’s too different from her.  Yoona’s used to rough housing, and he’s too gentle.  Yoona’s not going to live a life fulfilled with a man like that.”

                  “What are you knuckleheads up to?” they heard a familiar voice.

                  They all turned around to see Kai scratching the back of his head.  His eyes were still sleepy and he was yawning to himself.  He was still dressed in his pajamas like his hyungs.  He reached for a glass of water and looked at them.  They seemed very suspicious, and Kai wanted to know what they were up to.

                  “What are you guys up to?” Kai asked.

                  “Nothing,” Heechul quickly answered.

                  Kai sighed, “It doesn’t seem like it.  Why does it feel as if you guys are up to something sinister?”
                  “Yah,” Sungmin lectured, “We are your hyungs.  Just shut up and get back to bed.”
                  “I feel as if the holidays are like a curse these days,” Kai murmured to himself.

_____________________

                  “Today, it’s only you and me,” Yoona grinned happily, “My brothers and cousins will not interfere with us today.”

                  Seunghyun and Yoona were in a zoo, which put Seunghyun at ease.  He loved animals, and he felt comfortable around them.  Yoona tugged on his hand as she led him towards the zebras.  Seunghyun could finally breath easily because they were finally out of Yoona’s family’s sight.

                  “Why are you acting all weird and funny?” Yoona suddenly asked.

                  She had noticed it since the morning.  First of all, he was awfully quiet.  The Seunghyun she knew was never quiet, and there was never a dull, silent moment with him.  Then, he started stressing about gifts for Yoona’s brothers and cousins.  That would have been the last thing he would want to do.  Yoona guessed that he had exempted the idea of buying her family members gifts after what they had done to him.

                  “I’m not,” Seunghyun declared, “I am just absolutely blissful that I get to spend some time with you.”

                  “I have to be completely honest with you,” Yoona sighed, “I thought you were going to break up with me after meeting my brothers.  Most guys deterred from me because of them.  They only accepted one and—”

                  “Yoona!” the two turned around immediately.

                  Running towards them was a very handsome man.  With a tall frame and gorgeous eyes, he looked at Yoona and only at Yoona.  His hair was light brown, his skin was light and perfect, and even his appearance intimidated the Adonis Seunghyun.

                  Yoona seemed extremely flustered by running into this man.  Her eyes grew wide as her stare began to dart from the stranger to Seunghyun.  Seunghyun was trying to figure her out, and he knew that this man had to be a part of her past to bother Yoona like that.

                  “Err…It’s nice to see you again, Nichkhun sshi,” Yoona said quietly.

                  The man let out a loud laugh and hung his arm around her shoulders causing Yoona to gasp out in shock.  Seunghyun just stood there and watched.  At first, he was going to say something, but he didn’t want to embarrass Yoona in front of everyone with a lover’s quarrel.

                  “This is my boyfriend, Choi Seunghyun,” Yoona declared immediately, “We’re back from the states together for Christmas and then we’re going to leave soon.”

                  Nichkhun nodded, “Hello, my name is Nichkhun.  I’m Yoona’s first love.”

_______________________

                  “Yoona, you don’t need to explain,” Seunghyun assured her, “I understand.  He’s your first love.  It’s okay with me.”

                  Yoona had been trying to explain to him why Seunghyun had not known about Nichkhun to begin with.  Yoona was about to tell him until Nichkhun made his appearance, and it was just bad luck.  Yoona frowned and leaned her head against his shoulder as she pouted to herself.

                  “I thought he was back in Thailand,” Yoona mumbled to herself.

                  “Maybe he visited Korea for the holidays like us,” Seunghyun guessed.

                  The two were walking in a dimly lit garden.  Seunghyun had told her that he had planned this before they landed in Korea, and he was excited for their date.  It was already Christmas Eve, and the cold still didn’t subside.

                  Yoona promised, “I swear I was going to tell you about him, but he came before I could finish.”

                  “I know you were.  I trust you,” Seunghyun nodded.

                  Other people were lingering in the garden as they enjoyed the sights of the plants, flowers, and lake.  Yoona was trying hard to remember why this place looked so familiar.  She had been away from Korea for so many years that her memory was getting a bit hazy. 

                  “Okay, freeze,” Seunghyun grinned.

                  Yoona followed his order and tilted her head in confusion.  A few other people stopped and watched what the couple was up to.  A smile then appeared on Yoona’s face as she saw Seunghyun walk over to a bushel of primroses to pick one.

                  “What brings you here?” she heard a familiar voice.

                  Yoona turned around to see Nichkhun with a curious look on his face.  Yoona immediately glanced over at Seunghyun who was still trying to pick a flower. 

                  “Oh, look!” someone shouted, “They’re standing under a mistletoe!”

                  “Kiss her, man!” someone else yelled.

                  Before Yoona could protest, Nichkhun grabbed her by the waist and kissed her on the lips.  It felt foreign—and awkward.  She immediately pulled away from the kiss and turned to Seunghyun instantly.  It was already too late.  The night was tainted because of the kiss that happened in front of him.  He had seen it, and he dropped the flowers on the floor.  Without a single word, he turned around causing Yoona to gasp out in desperation.

                  She quickly grabbed his arm, but he remained still as a rock. 

                  “Yoona, please let go before I become even angrier,” he warned quietly.

                  She knew him the best, and she knew that if he was enraged like he was at the moment, she had to give him his space.  She knew that smothering him would only make it worse.  She reluctantly let go as she watched him walk out with his hands in his pockets.  Tears began to spill from her eyes as she glared at Nichkhun before walking the opposite direction.

___________________________

                  “Why is she crying so much?” Siwon asked silently.

                  For the past hour, Yoona had locked herself in her room as she cried on her bed.  Seunghyun had not texted or called her for the past three hours, and Yoona tried contacting him, but he turned off his phone.  Tears were staining her pillow as she ignored her cousins and brothers. 

                  “Seunghyun is angry with her,” Heechul whispered.

                  Shindong mumbled, “I thought she’d be happier without him.  It’s not even a day and she’s completely miserable.”

                  “She’ll get over it,” Minho guessed as they watched Kai and Taemin try to comfort her.

                  She was rejecting their efforts at comforting her, and they were all getting so worried.  They had never seen her act like this; she was usually so strong with all the hardships that she had faced, but they didn’t know that without Seunghyun, she felt completely lost.

                  “I’ll try calling him one more time,” Yoona whimpered.

                  Heechul shook his head and walked over to her.  He hated to see his little sister so desperate like this.  Heechul noticed that her eyes were swollen from the excess crying, and her nose was red.  Dry tears stuck onto her face as a frown remained on her face.

                  “Don’t call him anymore,” Heechul lectured, “Have some dignity, Yoona.”

                  Kai rolled his eyes and grabbed Heechul by the elbow and led him to the hallway.  After closing the door to Yoona’s room, their conversation began.  The others continued to comfort Yoona as the maknae of the family began to speak to the oldest brother.

                  “Hyung, I cannot believe you can stoop this low,” Kai hissed, “I tried to keep out of it because I never would have guessed that you would sabotage noona’s relationship like this!”

                  Heechul scoffed, “Yah, maknae!  What are you talking about?”
                  “Everyone knows that apart from me, no one in his household likes Seunghyun hyung,” Kai claimed, “I heard you guys talking about that ring you guys found in his coat pocket.  You knew that he was going to propose to noona, and all of you guys lied to Nichkhun that noona was with a man who could not make her happy to convince him to try to win her back.”

                  “She’s not going to live a life fulfilled with him.  I just want her to be happy,” Heechul explained.

                  Kai sighed loudly and stared at Heechul in disbelief.

                  “Have you seen how she smiles when she’s with him?  Have you ever seen her smile like that with another man?” Kai asked dumbfounded, “What in the world makes you think she wasn’t happy with him to begin with?”

                  Heechul fell silent as he tried his best to think of a reason why Yoona wasn’t happy.  It was very true; she was smiling like a fool but loving him to no end since she met him. They had never seen her so committed and serious about a person.

                  “Oh no,” Heechul sighed, “I screwed up.  We did.  I need to make this right.”

______________________

                  Her eyes were still swollen as she began to walk down the street.  Sunny, Sooyoung, Minzy, Krystal, and Sohee were walking side by side with Yoona.  They practically had to force her out of the bed and get up to have some fun.  It was Christmas, and Yoona had still not seen Seunghyun nor heard from him.  She had automatically guessed that he had broken up with her and was on the first flight back to the states.  She frowned at the thought of the break up.  It was the worst kind because he didn’t even want to respond to her whatsoever.

                  The place they were walking in was hardly lit by the post lamps, and Yoona could hardly see anything.  She looked at her friends and raised an eyebrow at them.  They should be at home opening presents, but they insisted on enjoying the frosty Christmas weather instead.

                  “Ah, don’t you girls just love Christmas?” Krystal asked with a grin on her face.

                  From now on, Yoona was going to view Christmas as the holiday in which she lost the love of her life because of her first love.  She sighed; he wasn’t even really her first love.  Nichkhun was the first man who she liked for a long period of time, but she never really loved him.  She felt as if he was so absorbed with showing a perfect image that she could never be comfortable around him.

                  “I hate Christmas now,” Yoona muttered.

                  Sunny frowned, “Yoona, don’t be like that.  Santa Claus is going to give you coal if you continue to mope like that.”

                  “I don’t care,” Yoona brooded.

                  “Your boyfriend told me that it was your favorite holiday together,” Sohee reasoned, “You have to love it, too.”

                  It used to be her favorite holiday.  It was never about the presents or materials.  The reason was because it was the first time she had ever laid eyes on Seunghyun.  Christmas was the first night her heart fluttered but slowed down at the same time.  It was a feeling she could never explain, but she knew from that moment on that no one else was going to compare to him.

                  “I miss him,” Yoona’s voice broke.

                  Suddenly, all the lights turned off one by one.  Yoona heard giggles from the girls as they scurried away.  She immediately turned around, but she couldn’t see anything.  She was completely surrounded by darkness, and she was afraid.  She had always hated being in the dark alone.

                  “Yah!” Yoona yelled.

                  Just like magic, she saw white Christmas lights lighting up one by one quickly.  Her eyes began to fill with wonder as she saw her family and friends standing by the side.  They had excitement plastered in their faces as she looked at them in confusion. 

                  Then it all made sense to him when she saw him.  She saw the love of her life walk through an arch that was covered in flowers and lights.  She nervously swallowed as she felt her stomach twist into a knot.  Even after these years, he still had the power to do that to her.

                  He was handsome in a pair of black pants, a white long sleeve, and a gray coat.  Yoona felt underdressed compared to everyone else.  She had only worn a jacket and jeans because she thought she was only going to for a walk.

                  Seunghyun reached his hand out to her, and she took it with a big smile on her face.  She was 90% sure that her family had scared him away and that he was trying to get on a plane to get away from her, but it was refreshing and relieving to know that he had not.  He wanted to stick by her side.

                  When they were under the lit arch, Seunghyun looked into her eyes, and she felt lost.  She felt her own knees tremble as her heart beat like crazy.  He felt the same way, and he knew that their love was a sure thing.  He cleared his throat as everyone watched them.

                  “Yesterday, I had a plan,” Seunghyun told her, “I had a plan of asking you to marry me under a mistletoe in front of a bunch of strangers.”

                  Yoona’s eyes were filled with shock as her eyes darted towards her family.  Did they know about this?  Did they sabotage his plans?  She had to figure because it seemed more than a coincidence that Nichkhun showed up out of nowhere in the right place and time.

                  “I’m not going to do that today,” Seunghyun finally told her.

                  Of course, Yoona was disappointed, but she had to hide it.  It was Christmas, and she had to be at least thankful that he was standing before her.

                  “I’m going to do it properly this time,” he said with an excited tone, “I’m going to do it in front of the important people in your life.  I’m going to do it in the place your father proposed to your mother.  Most importantly, I’m going to propose to you without caring about anyone else’s opinion except yours.”

                  Yoona already had tears forming in her eyes as she looked around.  It was true; this was the place where her father had proposed to their mother.  She used to play in this garden as a child, and her parents always spent time in here before they passed.

                  He got down on one knee and fished out a velvet box from his coat pocket.  He opened it and presented it to her.  She was completely taken aback, and she didn’t know how to react.

                  “I love you to no end, Yoona,” Seunghyun promised her, “I have never loved another woman like the way I love you, and I never will love another in my life.  You’re the woman I want to wake up to every morning.  You’re the one I want to bear my children.  You’re the one I want to marry.  Yoona, will you please marry me?  I promise to be at your debt forever if you agree.  You’re worth more than every single hardship I had faced in the states and…here.”

                  Yoona immediately nodded, “Yes, of course, Tabi!”

                  Relief washed over him as Yoona jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly after he put the ring on her finger.  As she pulled away from the embrace, he pointed up causing her to look at what he was pointing up.  It was a mistletoe carefully hung in the center of the top of the arch.  Yoona grinned and raised an eyebrow at him.

                  She knew that her family had now approved of him, and even though they were still protective of her, they were going to loosen the reigns a bit.  They watched with appreciation that Yoona had found a man who would even face her family so boldly.

                  Yoona tiptoed as she cupped his face with both hands and kissed him on the lips.  He deepened the kiss as he leaned in causing some of the audience to hoot at their mistletoe kiss. 

                  “Yah, that’s enough kissing for one night!” Minho yelled from the side.

                  Shindong agreed, “Yeah, that’s enough!”

                  Seunghyun was about to pull away until Yoona leaned in closer to the kiss and waved off her family’s objection to her first kiss with him as an engaged couple.

Hello, and thank you for reading this!  It may not be my best work, but I wanted to get something out there for Christmas since I didn't get to make a one-shot for Tabi or Yoona's bday.  I know that it may not be Christmas anymore in some of your time zones, but it's still Christmas in mine! ^^  

And I apologize for the lack of updates on HIMYM and MAMC.  I've had a few personal problems, and it feels like there's not enough time in a day anymore.  

I hope you guys had a very happy Christmas!  I hope to update soon and see you there! :)