The next day, I woke up around 7 in the morning.  With a big yawn, I stretched out my arms, got up, and prepared myself for the next two days.  I’d be spending Christmas Eve with Woori and her grandmother, and I’d take Woori to meet my family on Christmas day.  Luckily, grandmother offered me a place in her home to sleep, and my parents agreed to letting Woori stay with us for a night.  So, I packed my bag with a bunch of warm clothing, dressed myself, and put on my coat.  

“Bye, Baekhyun.  Have a nice visit with your family,” I called to him as he stirred awake.

“Huh?” He sat up and rubbed his eyes.  “Oh, yeah.  You too.  I love you, man,” he said.  He usually said something like that to pick on me, but I embraced it. 

“Love you, too.  See you.”  I walked out, shut the door and began my all-too familiar walk to Woori’s apartment.  

---

“Welcome, welcome!”  Grandmother greeted.  She gave me a hug and led me to what was usually Woori’s room.  “You’ll be staying in this room tonight.  Woori and I will be sharing my room.”

“Thank you, Grandmother,” I said while bowing.  I placed my luggage on the floor and followed Grandmother into the living room.  She sat on her pillow and poured me some tea after motioning for me to sit across from her.  I did and she smiled with her lips together.

Usually, when Grandmother smiled in such a manner, it meant she was about to interrogate. 

“My granddaughter tells me you gave her a very special gift,” she began.  I swallowed my tea a little too quickly and burned my throat.  As I coughed, Grandmother continued speaking.  “In fact, she showed it to me when she came home last night.  A beautiful ring, might I say.  I see that you have a matching one, as well.”  I nodded.

“Yes.  I bought them matching.”

“Why?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but I sensed that Grandmother wanted a thought-out explanation and not the simple “As a Christmas present.”  I thought for a moment and decided what to tell her. 

“I want people to see that she’s mine.  And I want to be with her all the time, but I can’t, so the ring is a little comforting when we’re apart.”  

Grandmother took a sip of her tea and nodded.  She was intimidating, but I knew that her kind-nature wouldn’t allow her to insult or scold me. 

“I know what the ring says.  ‘Forever.’  Tell me, is that how long you intend to stay with her?”  

I nodded without hesitation, which surprised me.  I was pretty sure I wanted to be by Woori’s side for the rest of my life, but what if she hadn’t been completely honest with me?  What if Woori was actually a big jerk and I just hadn’t gotten to know that side of her yet?

As I silently panicked, Grandmother folded her hands across her lap. 

“I can’t guarantee she’ll stay with you forever.  Even if she loves you,” she murmured.  I frowned.

“Pardon?”

“I have something to tell you, Chanyeol.  I sent Woori out so that I could explain some very important things about her to you.”  

I took my ring and began spinning it around my finger.

“Yes?” I nervously asked.  

“Woori has…  A heavy heart,” Grandmother began.  I furrowed my eyebrows.  “She has this state of mind that causes her to think that she’s a burden to everyone.  Because she feels this way, she often finds it necessary to run away.”

“What do you mean, ‘run away?’” I asked.  

“I mean that she runs away, literally.  She’s always been humble, but one day she showed us her condition is something to worry about.  So, once upon a time, a little girl named Woori was walking home from school.  She came home and walked in on her parents discussing their living expenses and taxes.  Apparently, they didn’t know that Woori was there and it accidentally slipped out of one of their mouths that it would’ve been cheaper not to have a child.  I don’t remember who said it, but they didn’t mean it.  Anyways, Woori ran away from home for a whole week, feeling burdensome to her parents.  She’s always been intelligent, so she knew just where to hide: the tornado shelter underneath a friend’s home.  The friend wasn’t emotionally attached enough to look for her, which was exactly why Woori chose to hide under her house, I suppose.  She packed a bunch of snack food into a bag and nothing more.  After a week, though, she’d failed at finding free food and was running out.  She returned home and told her parents where she’d been and why she ran away.  They wanted to punish her, but they also wanted to punish themselves.  So, after their crying session, they agreed not to ground her as long as she didn’t run away again.” 

“Did she run away again?”  I asked, knowing the answer.  Grandmother wouldn’t have brought it up if it weren’t a recurring incident. 

“She ran away from camp because she accidentally pushed a girl and broke her arm.  She ran away from home again because she was failing in a class at school and was afraid of disappointing her parents.  For that, she was punished.  And as thankful as I am for her being here with me, I think she’s running away again.”

I gulped.  “Running away…  From what?”

“Her last boyfriend,” she said lowly.  I clenched my fists under the table and frowned. 

“Is she still in love with him?” I fearfully asked.  I wouldn’t accept it.  I wouldn’t let her use me because she was getting over a break-up.  More importantly, I wouldn’t let her keep considering that guy in her heart.  She was going to be mine.  

“Heavens, no!” Grandmother shouted, unshackling my heart from heavy, painful, imagined chains.  “No, no, no.  I didn’t mean to insinuate that.  I’m sorry,” she frantically apologized.  I regained a normal breathing rate and smiled.  She, too, returned to a normal state and continued.  “Her last boyfriend…  He abused her.”

I clenched my fists again.  Sweat formed on my hands, face, and neck.  I imagined steam shooting out of my ears.  Grandmother reached out her hand and motioned for me to grab it.  I did, and she patted my wrist soothingly. 

“You can imagine why she ran away.  He’s loose.”

“Why didn’t she turn him in?!” I half-yelled. 

“She didn’t want to do that to him.  She’s too gentle,” Grandmother hissed.  “I wanted her to… Do bad things to him.  But she didn’t.  Actually, someone else turned him in.  Her best friend, Laurie, did when she saw Woori’s bruises.  Woori didn’t even tell her; she was going to put up with him.”

“Why?!”

“She wanted to change him.  I don’t think she loved him, but for some reason she felt that she meant something to him and that she could make him better.  She stayed with him, but Laurie ended it for her.  She called the police.”  Grandmother frowned and took a deep breath.  “But…  Woori knew that her boyfriend suspected Laurie for calling in.”

“Please don’t tell me-“

“So Woori took the blame.  Time has passed and now, he’s free.  He’ll have to go back to high school, and goodness knows he won’t have many good career offers.  But now, she’s here.  She’s far, far away from him, and I’m happy.  But I’m sad that she can’t take care of herself because she’s so… Innocent. “

I frowned along with Grandmother.

“Why do I need to know this,” I mumble.  My heart was broken.  

“She’s not used to ‘staying,’ Chanyeol.  She’s self-sacrificing.”  She rubbed my forearm and sighed.  “I want you to make her stay.  Make her happy.  Make her stop sacrificing herself.”  

“I will,” I blurted.  Jeez, I went from telling her I love her to saying I’d eternally protect her over the course of two days.   

Just then, Woori came through the door with a load of groceries.  In an instant, I jolted up to help her carry them in.  

“Oh, you’re here already,” she happily said.  I grabbed a few bags from her hands and looked at her.  She seemed happy.  I wanted to know she was happy.  Instinctually, I bent down and softly kissed her.  I pulled back and saw her frantically switching looks between her grandmother and me.

“Welcome back,” I cheered.  hung slightly open and her eyes rounded in astonishment.  

“Thanks,” she said.  I reached up and shut playfully.

“You’re going to catch flies~” I teased and walked off to the kitchen.  I heard her call me weird and laugh, which somehow assured me that she was happy at the moment.  I winked at Grandmother, and she smiled.  

“Something is going on between you two,” Woori monotonously stated.  I shrugged and opened the refrigerator door.  I helped her put up the groceries and walked back into the living room with her.  For once, Grandmother was watching television.  She looked up at us and grinned.

“What are we going to do today?” She asked Woori.  Woori looked to me for an answer, for some reason.  I jerked my head around in surprise and Grandmother smirked.  “Whatever it is, you have to influence me with your youthfulness.”  

~~~

"You two are boring," Grandmother hummed as she took a bite of her slice of cake. Woori and I couldn't figure out what to do, so, we took her to a café. Neither Woori nor I were in the mood for coffee, though. We got a small mocha frappucino and split it. 

 

"Sorry, grandmother. But every attraction is so busy this time of year, and I don't think being swallowed up in a sea of people is a good idea for any of us." 

 

"You just don't want to get in anyone's way, even if you wait your turn fairly," Grandmother chided. I grabbed Woori's hand under the table and squeezed it. 

 

"I have an idea, but you might not like it," I said. Both of them looked at me with bright eyes. "Let's go see a Christmas play." 

 

We went to a small theater, and, sure enough, "A Christmas Carol" was playing. Feeling like an alpha-male, I paid for all of our tickets and made sure we had good seats. I sat between Woori and Grandmother and had to comfort them both when Tiny Tim started dying. I held Grandmother's hand, unable to do much for her other than remind her it was just a play. Meanwhile, I had wrapped my arm around Woori and let her cry into my shoulder. Although everything around me was depressing, I felt happy. I was being depended on like a family member. 

 

"Thank you for that, Chanyeol. That was wonderful," Grandmother told me. I shyly bowed my head and Woori squeezed my hand. 

 

"Yes! Thank you!" Woori chimed as she grabbed her grandmother's hand and swung our arms around. "Now what do we do?" 

 

"I think it's best that we get home. I don't want you two to freeze over," I suggested. They agreed and we went home. "Grandmother, Woori and I will prepare tea. Go warm yourself up and we'll be in the living room momentarily."

 

Grandmother pinched my arm while Woori wasn't looking and pointed to her. 

 

"Admire her," she mouthed. She walked away and I looked at her in amazement. 

 

"You're grandmother is pretty awesome," I admitted to Woori as Grandmother walked out of the room. I imagined a grin on her face. 

 

"I know," Woori agreed. I followed her into the kitchen and decided I'd do my romancing for the day.

 

She pulled out the tin tea kettle and put the tea and water inside, then, placed it on the stove. I looked around the kitchen and tried to figure out how to make the atmosphere romantic but feared failure. I sighed and leaned against the counter a few feet away from Woori. 

 

"What's wrong?" She asked. She walked over and gently poked my chest. I didn't answer and she kept poking me. I smiled and grabbed her finger. 

 

"What's up with all the poking?" 

 

"It's... A habit?" She frowned and shrugged. "That's the only explanation I have." 

 

I chuckled and looked down at her, taking a step closer. 

 

"You never fail, do you?" 

 

"At what?"

 

"Making me smile." 

 

"Sure I do," she protested. "Remember when I didn't go out to eat with you and Baekhyun?"

 

I nodded and laughed. I reached out and pulled her in for a hug. 

 

"Oh, whatever. You're close enough to perfect."

 

"Are you feeling okay?" She joked. She put her hand on my forehead and faked a frown. "No good, no good. This tea will make you feel better." 

 

She turned away and stepped back to her position in front of the kettle. I stepped towards her, wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, and placed my chin on her shoulder. I didn't say anything. Neither did she. The silence was warm and welcoming. I shut my eyes as I continued leaning on her and she grabbed my hands. After a few minutes, the kettle began to scream and we had to separate ourselves. 

 

I carried the tray back to the living room and gracefully placed it on the table. Woori poured all of us tea and we began to discuss past Christmases, the true meaning of Christmas, and our most memorable Christmas gifts. I gave Grandmother her gift-- a silver pendant with golden birds on it. Thankfully, she loved it.  Then, I prepared dinner with both of them and we ate a hodgepodge of food. Towards the end of the night, we watched a Christmas movie. It was a chick flick, which sort of disgusted me, but I was satisfied with its boring plot because it made Woori fall asleep on my shoulder. Grandmother looked at us and giggled. 

 

"Am I a bad grandmother if I encourage you two to stay like that tonight?" She asked me. I was half asleep with my head on top of Woori's. 

 

"No, no," I unconsciously answered. I heard a slight laugh from Grandmother and soon felt a warm blanket spread over me and Woori. "Thank you" was the last thing I remember saying. I woke up the next morning lying on the ground with Woori on my arm. I smiled then heard a cackle. I looked up and saw Grandmother. 

 

"What do you kids call it? Shipping?" She asked. 

 

"Pardon?"

 

"Yes, yes you do. I almost forgot. I ship you and Woori," she said. I softly laughed so that Woori wouldn't wake up. "So, what's your couple name? WooYeol, ChanRi, or ChanWoo?" 

 

I actually mulled the thought over in my head. "I think I like WooYeol," I responded. She continued walking past and I smiled as I took another glance at Woori before falling back asleep.

 

Woori woke me up and pretended not to know anything about sleeping on my arm. I didn't about it and joined her and Grandmother for breakfast. 

 

"Merry Christmas!" I greeted through a yawn. Grandmother patted me on the shoulder and passed me the breakfast casserole Woori had made. It was cheesy with grits and sausage in it. "Mmm, this is delicious." 

 

"Thank you~" Woori cooed as she took the casserole and placed a hearty amount on her plate. "My mother makes it every Christmas, and I thought I'd make it for you two to enjoy." 

 

"Thank you, sweet child," Grandmother said after swallowing a spoonful. She took a sip of her milk and placed her hands on the table. "Tell me about your plans today, Chanyeol." 

 

I told her how my family was excited to meet Woori. They lived just outside of Gangnam in Seocho in a nicely sized house for the family--- my parents, me, and my two siblings. 

 

"Sounds nice," Grandmother complimented. "How old are your siblings?" 

 

"13 and 15. Daewoong is 15, Inhee is 13." 

 

"Do you think your family will like our Woori?" 

 

"Grandmother!" Woori embarrassedly snapped. I winked at her and turned back to Grandmother. 

 

"She has nothing to worry about," I stated. I wasn't sure, though.  They never really liked my past girlfriends, but Woori was different. If she just flashed them her smile and was the coy and friendly girl she usually was, she'd be fine. 

 

~~~

 

"Merry Christmas, Grandmother!" Woori and I shouted as we stood in her apartment doorway and were ready to leave. Woori placed her luggage bag down and gave Grandmother a hug. Feeling gentlemanly, I sneakily picked up her bag and decided I'd carry it for her. It was sort of heavy, but I'd stick it through. Grandmother pulled away from Woori and gave me a hug. I placed all the luggage in one hand so I could give her a side hug. Simultaneously, I battled Woori for control of the luggage with my loaded hand. Grandmother kissed me on the cheek and smiled up at me. 

 

"Take care of you both," she said. I nodded with a grin and stumbled back on Woori, who was fiercely trying to pry her luggage out of my hand. Grandmother laughed. "What a wonderful way to start." 

 

I wasn't sure if she was making fun of me or complimenting my desire to carry Woori's luggage, but I blushed in embarrassment and nodded my head in thanks. 

 

"I'll be back tomorrow~ don't stay too late with the neighbors!" Woori advised. Grandmother grabbed the door and began shutting it. 

 

"Yes yes of course of course, I love you both." She smiled and shut the door. Woori's shoulders fell and she sighed. 

 

"What's wrong?" 

 

"I feel bad leaving her. But... She insisted that I go with you... So I feel bad for feeling bad, because I'm doing exactly what she wants me to do." 

 

I began walking off and slipped my hand into Woori's. I pulled her along slightly until she matched my pace.  

 

"Don't feel bad for feeling bad. That's over-analytical," I gently criticized. I wanted to help her, and the first thing I had to do was make her know that she shouldn't feel bad for feeling bad. 

 

"That's just me~," she sadly chimed. "Oh well. I'll get over it." 

 

I squeezed her hand and looked at her with a soft gaze. 

 

"Feeling bad is illegal today. I want you to be happy all day, okay?" 

 

She smirked and began walking on her toes. 

 

"Hmm... Then I think..." She leaned in on my face and looked at my lips. I gulped. "No PDA." She rocked back on her heels and began skipping. I laughed and took wide steps to keep up with her. 

 

"That's not fair. You want me to be sad all day?" 

 

"That'd make me very happy," she teased. "Just kidding. Whatever you want, just ask, and I'll try to accommodate you," she chirped. "It's to make up for my present for you, because I don't think you'll like it." 

 

"Ah, first thing I want. Don't criticize yourself today." 

 

"But-"

 

"No buts. Second thing I want. When we make the Gangnam stop on the train, you have to dance 'Gangnam Style.'" 

 

"I'll do it in my seat. I won't get up," she argued. I pinched her cheek and sighed. 

 

"I'll do it with you." I laughed and kissed the top of her head. 

 

"No PDA!" She shouted. 

 

"But I want it!" 

 

"And I don't!" 

 

"I guess we'll have to have a competition to determine a winner," I suggested. 

 

"Kaibaibo?" 

 

Just like that, we had a tournament of Kaibaibo. She won the first round and screamed in excitement. People around us stared at her like she was crazy and I laughed at her as she turned red. I won the second round. To make her feel better, I also screamed in excitement to make a fool of myself. She smiled sweetly and lightly slapped my face.  The third round...

 

She won. 

 

"Asa! No PDA for the day!" She shouted. I let her pull me to the train station and hung my head in a bit of gloom. I got over it and bought our tickets. We stood and waited in a large crowd of people and counted all the hipster glasses we could find. "I bet you'd look good with hipster glasses, Chanyeol." 

 

"What?" I scrunched up my nose. "You really think so?" 

 

"Yes!" She confirmed. She made circles out of her hands and held them in front of my eyes.  "Yep, they'd definitely suit you." 

 

"You should wear the 'Hello Kitty' kind," I told her. She reached in her coat pocket and pulled some out. 

 

"Like these?" She stuck out her tongue. "I don't think I look as adorable as my grandmother does. She's the one that gave them to me." 

 

"You're so adorable it hurts," I laughed out. "To know that people like you exist is heart lifting. But... You're so breakable. Toughen up." I lightly punched her arm and she raised an eyebrow at me. In response, she pinched my ear. I held back a scream of pain and begged her to stop. 

 

"I'm not breakable. I'm invincible!" She confidently pronounced. She let go of my ear and I grabbed it to rub it and make it feel better. I saw her face turn sad and pulled her into a side hug. 

 

"I was kidding. You're invincible, Woori," I quietly spoke. She hugged my waist and we watched the train pull into the station. When it stopped, I pulled my arm off of her and grabbed her hand. "Let's get on." 

  

As promised, Woori did the "Gangnam Style" dance in her seat as we neared the Gangnam stop. I joined her and sang the words to Psy's version while she sang Hyuna's version. 

 

When we arrived in Seocho, it didn't take long to find my family. My tall mother waved to me and my even taller father opened his arms to me. My siblings stood awkwardly, not sure whether or not to wave to Woori. I put Woori's arm through mine and pulled her over to meet my family. As I hugged my father, I watched my mother bring Woori into an embrace. 

 

"It's nice to meet you," Woori wheezed. My mother was crushing her unintentionally. 

 

"It's nice to meet you, too," my mother replied. "My name is Inhee, and this is my husband, Daewoong." 

 

Woori smiled and greeted my father. He patted her shoulder and pointed to my siblings. 

 

"Those two are Sungyeol and Hanbyul," I said for my father. Hanbyul made a peace sign and Sungyeol waved shyly. I placed my arm around Woori's shoulders and grinned. "Everyone, this is Woori."

 

"Hi, Woori," they all said simultaneously. Woori smiled in relief and shrugged my arm off of her. It made my father and Sungyeol laugh. 

 

As we walked with them to the bus stop, I felt my brother tug on my jacket.  I turned and bent down a little. I didn't have to bend down as much as the last time I'd seen him; he'd grown much taller in the past few months.

 

"What's up?" I asked him. He peered at Woori to make sure she wasn't listening. She was starting a conversation with my sister and he turned back to me. 

 

"Hyung, Somin called."

 

I froze. 

 

"What?"

 

"I guess it goes without saying that she wants you back but... I told her you were taken." 

 

A breath of relief found me and I sighed in content. 

 

"Thank you, Sungyeol." 

 

"And hyung," Sungyeol said, his hand beside his mouth to hide his lips from Woori, "I like this one. She's really pretty." 

 

"You kid," I jokingly chided. I lightly hit the back of his head. "She is really pretty. But just wait. She's a sweetheart, too." 

 

Sungyeol rubbed the back of his head and was about to interrupt Hanbyul's conversation. I pulled him back and peered in behind her shoulders to listen to what was being said. 

 

"My brother really likes you, Unnie," Hanbyul said. I was surprised that she'd already began informal talk with her. "He was having a hard time picking out a Christmas present for you. He sent me an email asking me what to get you, and I told him to describe you to me. He sent me-"

 

"Enough, Hanbyul," I interrupted. Hanbyul smiled brightly and stuck her tongue out at me. 

 

"Oppa is creepy. He has a bunch of pictures of you and sent them to me with descriptions of the settings and your moods." 

 

"What?!" Woori coughed. She bashfully hid her face in her hands and turned away from me. Hanbyul patted her. 

 

"It's a good thing he likes you so much. Oppa likes to dote, even if he seems stingy with his money," Hanbyul claimed. I face palmed and my brother kept me from stumbling back too far.  Woori peeked through her fingers. 

 

"He's never been stingy around me," she admitted. At that moment, I sensed my family was going to break me down. 

 

"What?!" Sungyeol cried out. "He always makes it seem like everything is too expensive. Wah, Noona, you must've changed him."

 

"I don't think so; he's never been stingy around me, even on our first date." 

 

"Love at first sight," my mother joined in. She rubbed my shoulder and my dad looked down at me, grinning. 

 

"Finding a perfect woman is good, son.  But watching how much money you spend is a very good thing. Balance the two out," he joked. 

 

"Dad!" I shouted. He ruffled my hair and pointed at the oncoming bus.

 

"We'll continue this later." 

 

*** 

The house hadn't changed much since the last time I'd seen it. The red and brown hues of paint splashed the walls of the first floor while the second floor kept with a blue and brown color theme (with the exception of the bedrooms.) What was new, however, was the crisp smell of Frasier fir from the Christmas tree in the living room. 

 

"Isn't that such an inviting scent," my mother sang as she wrapped an arm around Woori. Woori grinned and put her thumbs up in approval. I guess my mom thought it was as cute as I did, because she patted her on the head. While arranging the bangs on Woori's forehead, my mother instructed me to take my girlfriend's luggage to Hanbyul's room. I skipped up the steps and placed her luggage on the ground. Upon turning to exit the room, my little sister stopped me. 

 

"Sit," she ordered. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. "We have to work out our deal." 

 

"Oh yeah, I guess we do, since you're too chicken to e-mail stuff like that," I teased. 

 

"Be quiet! It's better not to use the Internet for things you intend to keep secret, idiot!" She whisper-yelled. I grinned in amusement and sat back, using my hands as support behind me. "What do you propose we do?"

 

"Anything, as long as it gets her with me." 

 

"You're no help," she sighed. "If I tell Sungyeol, he'll tease you. Forever." 

 

"Do you think he'd help if he knew?" 

 

"Yeah, but you're risking your reputation!" She blurted loudly. I flicked her knee cap and groaned. 

 

"I'll risk it!  So if we tell him, what would we have him do? A switcharoo?" 

 

Hanbyul blinked and cocked her head. After of few seconds, she smiled widely. 

 

"Ah, you must really like this girl," she chimed. I shrugged my shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, the switcharoo is all we can do. Sorry it isn't more ninja-like." 

 

"I expected more from you," I joked and grabbed her hands to hoist myself up. "Let's go back downstairs with everyone. They're probably wondering where we are." 

 

Before we got to the steps, Hanbyul stopped me. 

 

"Oppa, when I get a boyfriend will you do this switcharoo thing with him so that I can fall asleep in his arms?" 

 

"Doubtful." 

 

"But that's what we're doing now!" She whined. "Selfish Oppa. I don't wanna help." 

 

I turned to her and grabbed her shoulders while peering down at her. 

 

"Hanbyul, Oppa has a problem. He can't survive without cuddling." 

 

"Do you cuddle with Baekhyun?" 

 

"Let me rephrase: Oppa can't survive without cuddling with Woori." 

 

"Sure you can, you're just in the crazy first part of a relationship where you feel like things need to be physical as much as possible," she said point blank. I stared at her in disbelief. "What? Mom got me a book on teenage stuff.  Hate to break it to ya, Oppa, but teenage stuff applies to you, too." She smirked and hopped down the stairs while I followed gloomily. 

 

We found everyone in the kitchen discussing dinner. 

 

"Miss Woori~ Can you cook?" My dad asked. I felt a chill go up my spine and froze in my steps.  Woori grinned proudly and rocked up on her toes with her hands clasped together while swinging side-to-side. 

 

"Sure can! I cook for Chanyeol as much as possible when he comes home~" she sweetly stated. I watched my father smile, my brother stare in jealousy, my mother blush from the cuteness and my sister clasp her hand over her heart to keep her stable. I guess I should've reacted in a more... Lovesick way... Everyone turned to me to see what I had to say. Of course, I couldn't ruin the moment, so I did a goofy smile and spazzed a little to cover up for my lack of feeling flattered. 

 

"Yep, she always keeps me full. But don't let her near spices," I teased. She jabbed me with her fist on my shoulder. My jaw fell slightly and I grabbed her fist and pulled her into a hug. 

 

"Hey! No PD-"

 

"There's a condition. Each time you're violent, I get to respond by hugging you." 

 

"Would you cook for us?" My mother interrupted. I made sure to bury Woori's face in my chest and shake my head fervently. 

 

"No, I've gotta show her around the house! Let's go, Woori!" I spoke loudly. I picked Woori up in our hug and carried her over to the stairs. 

 

"What was that for?" She asked agitatedly. I rubbed the back of my neck in awkwardness. 

 

"It's just... My mom prides herself in her cooking and I know she would judge yours and..." I paused to flinch from Woori's fingers flicking my forehead. "And I don't want her to judge you on Christmas, okay? You've got a bit of practicing to do." 

 

Woori looked at me and I felt lasers penetrating my brain. In a few seconds, though, she began to laugh almost hysterically. 

 

"You're so goofy, you know that?" She managed to say. As she covered her face with her hands and continued laughing, I wrapped my arms around her waist and lightly kissed the top of her head. She was still laughing as she pushed me away and began up the stairs. "I'm guessing you're going to show me the second floor?" 

 

"Right you are." 

~~

After that eventful Christmas (my siblings ratted me out!), I showed Woori my life.  

I was in love.

I am in love.

I can't imagine a day without hearing her voice.  

She went back to America to attend University for a semester, but guess what?

She's transferring here, and I'll be able to spend the rest of my days with her.