If you had never encountered with a twoshot with word count 20K+, then welcome to my story. ^^

“Oh.my.god!” Sungkyung, one of my best friends, squeals once she reads the announcement displayed on the screen of her laptop. “Kim So Eun, you come here this instant! You’ll never believe this!”

She keeps on yelling for me, making me battle with gravity as my feet almost slip on the arctic floor. “Okay, one sec! I’m coming!” I yell back to her, grabbing a white towel from the rack before wrapping the cotton around my figure and dash out of the bathroom.

“Jesus, Sungkyung ah! Can’t you tone down a bit? I’m not deaf!” she’s still in hectic combination of squealing and giggling when I reach her side and narrow my eyes, trying to search for the source of her mindless chaos.

“Seriously, So Eun ah!” She grabs my elbow, bending me closer to the screen of her laptop. “I never thought we’d make it but now you see, we made it! We got accepted to the second round!”

“Second round? What – what second round?” I try my best to finish reading the screen in robotic speed, just to grasp her meaning but Sungkyung loses her patience.

“Urgh! What a slow poke! Here! Second round of the Christmas Writing Contest of course!”

At last, she shoves her sharp fingernail to one certain line in a list of contestant names before I widen my eyes and drop my jaw.

The Winter Tale (by Kim So Eun & Seo Sungkyung)

“Ah!” Now it’s my turn to join her furious excitement. My body fully spins to face Sungkyung as she stands up and opens her arms welcoming for me. “We made it, team!”

“Oh my, Sungkyung ah! Yes! We got into the second round! Oh, it’s unbelievable!” Cheering on top of our lungs, I throw my body against her and settling into a fit of giggles inside our joyful embrace.

This is the best feeling ever since I started becoming a writer in a small publishing company named Peace. Yes, even when I got a Biology degree and have always be good with natural ecosystem but secretly, I have another bigger passion in me – which is writing.

My parents know about this. Of course, as per usual, they disagreed for me to be an official writer but if there’s one thing I couldn’t get over with, then it will be writing. Writing is in my blood. Becoming a writer is the only plan that I have set in my life in which it has nothing to do with my parents.

It’s final, I’m living my dream despite the disapproval from them.

I’m still a beginner though. I’m obviously not a popular writer and I haven’t even yet published any book officially with my author name but here I am, having a great improvement when I join a writing contest organized in my company – the Christmas Writing Contest – for the season upcoming celebration and guess what? The entry I wrote with Sungkyung has finally selected to the second round!

My gosh! I’m over the moon now!

We already pull apart from the hug but still fail in controlling our mood. As Sungkyung and I continue jumping in circle with our entwined hands, someone comes to give the door of my room a soft knock before the door is swung open.

“Geez, you two. Don’t you girls know how to shut it up? I’m trying to catch up for my sleep, okay?”

“Yah, Suho ah!” Sungkyung and I storm towards that petite man. “I told you both – what the?!”

Jovially, we both attack him for a massive group hug with Sungkyung by the right and me by the left, leaving Suho to be frozen in between us. His body stiffen when we swirl him around and yet, he miserably doesn’t know where to put his arms now. Sungkyung and I laugh in unison while Suho rolls his eyes.

“Excuse me, girls. I know you both love me but I can’t breathe so can you – ”

“Thank you so much, Suho ah! We’re dead happy that you chose our story to the second round!” says Sungkyung through her laughter.

Introduction everyone, this is Kim Suho – one of the head managers in Peace. He has been a good mentor to a newbie writer like Sungkyung and me and of course, a thoughtful friend since he’s the one who brought us both into the publishing company.

And if you guys are wondering why on Earth that he’s in our house, let me tell you this is actually a share house. There are five of us – three girls and two boys. Sungkyung, me and another one of my old high school friends, Hee Jin – which I don’t know where she is right now, are the girls while Suho and the youngest among us namely Oh Sehun, are the two boys.

This thing about sharing house with unrelated people is also another matter disliked by my parents but hey, I’m 24 already. I’m free to choose with whom I wanna live so I settle with them and surprisingly, it’s been fun living here.

Suho chuckles as we at last freed him from our tight embrace. His head shaken lightly as he says, “No problem. Me and the rest of the judges thought that The Winter Tale has got potential in it. So we decided to give it a chance. Do your best in second round, ‘kay?”

Standing side by side with our shoulders straighten, Sungkyung and I salute towards the grinning Suho. “Aye, aye, captain!”

We earn ourselves another roll of eyes from him. He turns around, shoving his hands in his pockets as he wants to take his steps away but then, Suho stops and tilts his head back. I’m still daydreaming in my happiness when I notice his playful eyes staring on me and I blink, “What?”

“I’m glad you’re happy, So Eun ah...but mind putting on some clothes first? I’m still a man with hormones despite being your friend,” and my widening eyes drop down to my body, finally regaining memory that I’m indeed, still in my white towel – only.

“Em, haha!” I’m turning into crimson red now, so red that I could even defeat the tomatoes. Sungkyung hides her mischievous laughter under the back of her palm while I reverse my way slowly into my room. Suho remains there to mock me with his devilish smile.

“Oh, well! Stop looking at me like that, Suho ah. I’m – I’m going to – ”

Much gratefulness to God when this embarrassing moment is interrupted by a sudden ringing from the bell of our house. Suho and Sungkyung turns their heads to the staircase that will lead downstairs while I seize the chance to snap close my bedroom’s door but then, we all hear Sehun’s voice screaming from down there.

“So Eun noona! Madam’s here!” Madam?

Oh please, I’m just about to celebrate my little success as a writer and here is my mother, one of the ultimate people who will ruin everything just because of her huge disinterest in my passion about writing! Then I see Sungkyung turns to my doorway with her furrowed brows.

“Did your mom inform you anything about coming here today?” I stare at her uncertain face apologetically.

“You know her, she’d never inform me regarding anything. She always got the plan, remember?”

Sungkyung snorts with her eyes half-closed,  “That . Well, whatever. You better get dressed first, I’m going to delay her.”

“Okay, thanks.” As Sungkyung disappears behind the door that I shut, I think, it must be about the wedding.

Yes, according to my parents’ plan, my wedding has been decided to take place in full swing exactly on Christmas Eve – 25th December which from the calculation of my mind is just about a week away from today.

After getting dressed in simple oversized t-shirt which covered my body down till my thighs, I wrap my legs into a pair of yellow legging and pace down to the living room. Stopping for a low sigh in the middle of the staircase, I see nothing has changed about my mother.

She’s still the same glamorous 48 year-old lady with black shades arrogantly covered her eyes, an elegant evening dress hugged her slim curve and she sits crossing legs on the couch – having Suho and Sehun standing behind her as if they were her personal bodyguards.

I wince a bit, don’t like it even a bit when mother always puts everyone under a distressful pressure whenever she visits our share house. She looks up, noticing the gloomy facial of mine and takes off her shades.

“Ah, my darling. Come here, So Eun ah.”

“I told you that we’ll meet outside if you wanna discuss about the wedding. It’s Saturday, respect the privacy of my friends!” I stamp my feet against the tiles as I continue gliding to her and bump my body down across from where she’s glaring sideway to Suho and Sehun.

“I’m sorry, did my presence give both of you any sign of intruding your privacy here?” sarcastically, she asks with Sehun and Suho exchanging glances among them but then,

“Ye...yes – ” Sehun stutters but Suho cuts him off, “No! Of course not, madam.”

Dammit, just say YES already! At least that way, she would leave earlier.

I throw my dissatisfied gaze each on Sehun and Suho but from behind of my mother, they are making expressions like ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I just wanna stay alive, your mother is scary’. I grunt, looking away with my hands come to fold together and I ask, “So, what’s the matter now?”

Mother focuses back to me, straightening her body as she’s ready to command me with her nonstop oh-so-perfect plans for my life but then Sungkyung approaches us from the kitchen to put down a tray of drinks facing us on a small coffee table.

“Here’s your tea, madam.”

“Thank you, Sungkyung ah. That’s very generous of you,” she says as she smiles, looking so fake that I wanna puke. Then her eyes eagle back to me.

“It has been decided that the theme of your wedding is going to be the Chinese cultural.” Wait, what? Chinese cultural? Is such theme even exist?

“Excuse me?” I ask with my eyes narrowed but mother calmly sips on her hot tea.

“Yes, right after your wedding, Jongin will begin managing his family’s newest branch of Sapphire Hotel as the CEO. He’s planning to launch the opening of it on your wedding day and because the aim of building this branch is to accommodate Chinese people who come here to Korea, that’s why the theme of your wedding should be anything portraying the Chinese culture,” I hiss, clearly not a fan of this ridiculous idea.

“But I’m not wearing anything red for my wedding or worse, Cheongsam!” I exclaim, ignoring the way those three of my friends are trying their best to suppress their laughter but mother exhales. She rubs her temples as if she’s the one having headache when in fact, I’m the one whose being hammered by a giant stone atop my head now!

“Look, no one ever says that you’re going to walk down the aisle with Cheongsam, okay?”

“But Chinese culture in my wedding is already a bad idea! I thought my wedding is on the Eve! Let’s just go for Christmas trees and presents and Santa instead, if you love red that much!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Kim So Eun!” warns the one who informed me all the ridicules a few minutes before. I bit my lip, yeah mom, please refer the mirror if you wanna know whose being ridiculous now!

Both of us refuse to stare on each other, looking away for a minute just to calm ourselves. Then only she continues, “Meaning by Chinese culture is not in your attires or else. Jongin also wouldn’t wish to see his bride in something as traditional as that but, I have agreed to their idea that we’re going to introduce the hotel through the feast.”

“As if in the food?”

“Yes,” and mother bends her body close further to me which I know something bad she’s going to say. I frown, “...and you will be the one who prepare for the cuisine.”

“What?!” Oh God, please tell me this matter couldn’t get any weirder!

Then there’s nothing. She explains no more as mother leans back to the couch to pick up her cup and takes her sweet time enjoying the tea – and I’m literally in hot soup here!

“Mom,” I prompt when she stays silent. “You must be joking me now! You know I can’t even cook Korean dishes that well and now you’re promising to them that I’m going to be the one who prepare the cuisine? Mind you, it’s Chinese cuisine! That’s too much! I can’t do this mom!”

She slams the cup down to the table when my opposition grows louder, clearly displaying my rising rage towards her. I see how Sungkyung shivers while Sehun and Suho control their troubled looks but I snap glaring again on mother once she replies.

“So Eun ah, what did I tell you on the very first day you agreed to marry Jongin? He and his family is a whole bunch of perfectionists. His family owns the most successful and established hotel franchise ever in Korea. All of us know about the five star Sapphire Hotel! Jongin is about to take over his father’s position as the CEO and you, are the lucky girl whose going to stand behind him for the rest of your life...as his wife. You can’t expect to embarrass him in front of the crowd, can you?”

“But I’m growing tired on this,” I insert, peering straight to mother with a surprise once I feel my eyes has gone warmer, “...since the beginning, I’ve been forced to do everything that I do not want to do. I know, Jongin is the best I could have for my future husband but trying to be perfect for him is tiring mom. Up until this last moment, you still want to set things up for me? Can’t I even have a single right on my own life, mom?”

A low sigh escapes as she eyes me crumpling down in my despair. She’s right. Jongin is a total piece of perfection I have ever seen in my life. The burden deepens than ever once I know, I’m his future wife which means, I have no other choice than to be an equal perfectionist as him but there’s always limit to anything.

I’m tired, truly tired to live in this mask – to be perfect for somebody else when I’m actually just as ordinary as a normal human.

I have nothing to brag about, really.

Suddenly she stands up and hangs her handbag onto her shoulder, ready to leave after pushing me into this misery she created from her perfect plan. I look up to her face, disappointed.

“One day, you will understand why I’m doing all this to you. Again like I said just now, you have this whole week before the wedding to prepare for the Chinese cuisine, and I will know if you try to book for catering from any of the Chinese restaurants ever exist here in South Korea. You’re smart, So Eun ah. That’s why I believe, one week learning to cook Chinese delicacies isn’t really a problem to you.”

I sigh in disbelief, “But mom – ” my sentence is cut short when we all listen to the sound of the front door being pushed open, someone stumbling inside and there is the last member of this share house making her appearance through the doorway, running with all her delightful glory.

“Yah, So Eun ah!” I frown over to her once she calls out to me, still skipping her way without noticing how mother is rising her eyebrow with a sign of loathe upon her arrival here.

“Guess what? I have a very good – ” Hee Jin stops dead on her track, her hands that are holding something that looks like a card by the right and her handbag by the left also hang frozen mid-air when finally, she set her eyes upon my mother.

I close my eyes, gathering my patience while Hee Jin flashes a grin too broad for a first greeting for my mother and she straightens her composure, clearing . “Em...” her eyes dart slowly to me.

“I mean, good... good – good morning, yeah! Well good morning, Mrs. Kim! How do you do?”

“I’m doing great, Hee Jin ah. Nice meeting you again and do you mind if I’m correcting your mistake because right now it’s almost noon,” Hee Jin bites her lower lip, realizing her silly error as her eyes twitch up to check the wall clock. It’s 1 p.m. on the dot, great!

“...so isn’t it a little bit inappropriate to call it as ‘good morning’?” my mother continues with her sarcasm while Hee Jin nods and laughs through all uncertainty.

“Yes, yes. You’re right, madam. It’s good afternoon, actually. Anyway, I’m just feeling too excited to see So Eun so...”

“Funny. I thought you see her everyday in this house and excited would already be overused, don’t you think?”

“Mom!” I stand up, clearly don’t want mother to have mandatory words on everyone in this house. She turns slightly to me while Hee Jin hides her face down, not to join our argument. “Just leave already. I got you, I’ll do my best with the feast so please leave for now.”

She smirks, readjusting her shining shades to the bridge of her nose. “Of course, So Eun ah. Since you promise me now, you better do not mess up with this ending plan before your real wedding. I’m so looking forward for you to get married so that you can leave all the insanity in this share house,” and she sweeps her eyes to all four of my friends, adding spicily, “...all of it.”

Only when we all hear the sound of mother’s car zooming away from the house that the tense reducing in the air.

“Wow. What a rough command, isn’t it?” Sehun teases me, grinning over from where he’s still standing earlier but I chuckle, closing my eyes to try relaxing a bit.

There’s so much going on in my mind. I still need to keep up with my writing contest, the wedding and now the Chinese cuisine? How on Earth can I master cooking all the feast in less than 7 days?! My mother is crazy and I’m definitely a pyscho!

“Chill, So Eun ah. There must be a way to settle this,” I feel Sungkyung drop her body beside me to pat me assuringly on my shoulder. My eyes reopen to reply her a thin smile but then Hee Jin appears and sits at the other empty side next to me.

“So what’s happening? So Eun looks miserable as always while her mother, well yeah, ajumma never failed to look creepy.” Sungkyung and I break into our laughter simultaneously as Sungkyung shakes her head.

“As per usual, So Eun received another order from her mom but this time, it’s even more complicated since it is a real-time pressure because she asked So Eun to cook Chinese dishes for her wedding,” reports Sungkyung while Hee Jin carelessly nods.

“Oh? Easy then, just ask for catering from any – ”

“That’s the most cliché idea ever in my brain now but you heard mother just now. She said she’d know if I ever seek help from those Chinese restaurants so I have no other choice. I need to cook them myself and I don’t even know how and my contest is approaching deadline and I have big wedding waiting ahead this Eve! Urgh! Life’s for me!” dropping my head in between my knees, I gulp down the urge to scream out loud.

I could tell Sungkyung is in the middle of giving me her sympathetic gaze but being the most carefree one among us, Hee Jin simply exhales a short breath before she taps me on my shoulder, asking me to rise looking at her once more.

“What?”

“Now, ladies. Forget all the miseries behind because right now, I’m going to invite you to attend a lively reunion! Yeah!” my eyes narrow even smaller upon her sight. “Reunion?”

“Yes, So Eun ah! It’s the batch from our senior year in high school! Remember yet?” Hee Jin tells me with all her exci