Chapter 16

            A week went by, and the members of Dal Shabet continued to receive angry, disapproving comments from ignorant people all across the world.  Anti-fans sprung up out of nowhere, suddenly devoted to voicing their opinions.  News crews became interested in their lives as if they had abruptly risen to the same level of fame as Girls’ Generation.  Commercial deals and casting offers were put on hold, and Serri felt the weight of her members’ loss.

            But, even as life around her crumbled, Serri didn’t push Hakyeon away.  Instead she spent as much time with him as possible.  Since the meeting with Yoohwan, the media had insisted she and Hakyeon were dating.  Though Hakyeon never confirmed their claims, he risked his reputation by defending Serri with an official statement.

            “As a good friend of Serri, I see no reason to believe the lies Jung Yoohwan is throwing out there,” he had written on Vixx’s official Twitter account.  “Don’t be fooled by his words.  He is a liar and a monster.”

            By now it was the night before Christmas Eve, and Serri had picked out a small gift for Hakyeon while she spent a couple of days in the countryside with her parents.  The countryside people were slow to recognize her, even with her face plastered all over news stations.  It was a truly calming vacation, but she now missed Hakyeon and wanted to see him.

            Just before she called him, she was surprised by an ecstatic Jiyul and Subin.  They hugged her tightly and shoved their phones in her face.  Breaking News: Jung Yoohwan retracts his claims about Dal Shabet’s leader Serri.  A relieved smile made its way onto her face, and she laughed quietly only to keep herself from crying. 

            “Unnie, this is the most amazing news!” Subin exclaimed.

            Serri put her hand up to and finally broke down into tears.  Subin’s and Jiyul’s bright grins remained; they knew these were tears of joy.  They embraced their leader and promised to never let her go.

            A few minutes later, after Serri had calmed down, she called Hakyeon to tell him the news.  “Hakyeon-ah!  Did you hear?  Yoohwan retracted his statement!” 

            Hakyeon remained silent on the other side of the call.  She could almost feel his sadness oozing through the phone.  After waiting a few moments, she cleared quietly and spoke again.

            “Hakyeon-ah?”

            “That’s really great, Serri-yah,” Hakyeon replied cheerlessly.

            “What’s wrong, Hakyeon-ah?” she asked, her voice much softer.

            “Serri-yah…There are still people who believe his lies.  So much damage has been done already.”

            She forced a laugh and put a smile into her voice.  “Hakyeon-ah, don’t worry about all that.  Why don’t you come over tonight?  I want to give you your Christmas present, and maybe we can watch a Christmas movie.  Only Jiyul and Subin are here, and we’ll all be leaving tomorrow morning to be with our families.  I might not see you for a few days.”

            “Okay.”

            Hakyeon arrived about fifteen minutes later with two bottles of apple cider and a small bag filled with purple tissue paper.  Jiyul had baked her famous cookies earlier in the night, and they were still very fresh and warm.  Subin and Jiyul joined Hakyeon and Serri in the living room as they ate cookies and opened presents.

            “Hakyeon oppa, we got you a present,” Subin told happily, handing Hakyeon a small bag.

            Serri quickly sat down next to Hakyeon on the couch and tried to peek inside the bag.  Hakyeon only held it in surprise, looking at Subin and Jiyul curiously.

            “Wow…I’m sorry, I didn’t get you two anything.”

            “It’s from Dal Shabet, collectively,” Jiyul explained eagerly.  “It’s actually for both of you.  Please open it!”

            Hakyeon took the pieces of tissue paper out of the bag and reached inside.  He slowly pulled out a small, pastel purple photo book.  On the cover was a large, bright star with a crescent moon inside it.  Serri ran her fingers over the symbols in awe.

            “Open the book!” Subin demanded suddenly.

            Hakyeon chuckled at Subin’s enthusiasm and finally opened the book.  Both he and Serri gasped at the first picture.  They began to quickly flip through the pages, amazed at what they saw.

            “This is our BNT photo shoot!” Serri exclaimed, taking the book from Hakyeon.  “This publication was delayed because of the scandal.  How did you get these pictures?”

            “They were very nice about letting us print them out,” Jiyul grinned.  “I don’t know if the photos will ever be published now…But they understood our situation.  Apparently the director really liked your chemistry in the studio, and she couldn’t stand to see the photos wasted.”

            Serri and Hakyeon were the most adorable, joyful couple in every single photo.  Every seemingly insignificant moment of that photo shoot now appeared to be a special, unforgettable time.  Even the moment when Serri pretended to be hurt was captured, and the overwhelming anxiety on Hakyeon’s face made Serri laugh out loud.

            Hakyeon’s eyes scanned over the “y Leader” concept photos, noticing Serri’s serene, carefree expression as she rested on his chest.  He looked up at the real Serri, then at Jiyul and Subin.  “I’m…I’m so grateful for this.  I really am.”

            “You two were so cute in that shoot,” Jiyul replied.  “We thought it was important that you have it regardless of whether or not the pictures would be released.”

            Hakyeon sat mesmerized by the photos.  Serri laughed merrily and finally got up to put It’s A Wonderful Life into the DVD player.  Jiyul and Subin stayed with them for the first half of the movie, eating cookies and discussing the interesting qualities of classic Western actors.  Eventually they announced that they ought to get some sleep.

            “Ah, Jiyul-ah, I forgot,” Hakyeon said suddenly before Jiyul could leave the room.  He reached into his pocket and took out a small, velvety pendant box.  “This is from Hongbin.  He meant to give it to you earlier, but he left very suddenly to spend the holidays with his family.”

            Jiyul hesitated, and then swiftly took the box from Hakyeon’s hands.  She held it delicately and close to her body, as if it were a precious, newborn child.  Looking down at the ground, she quickly ran down the hall into her room.

            “Unnie!” Subin called, running after her.  “What is it?  What did he get you?  I knew there was something going on!”

            Staring after them, Serri gave a tiny laugh.  “I knew it.”

            As Hakyeon chuckled at her comment, Serri got up from the couch.  She reached under the tiny, artificial Christmas tree in the corner of the room and picked up a rectangular box.  It was wrapped in glittery, bright pink wrapping paper.  She handed it to Hakyeon and watched as he marveled at its sparkle.

            “Wow,” he smiled.  “Hey, I already opened a gift.  Open yours first.”

            He took her gift from the coffee table and handed it to her.  She held the bag and gave him a curious look.

            “Hmm, what could this be?” 

            After taking the tissue paper out, she felt a soft, fluffy thing at the bottom of the bag.  She excitedly took out a cozy, red sweatshirt and pushed it up to her face. 

            “Hakyeon-ah!  This is so wonderful and soft!  Thank you so much!”

            “It should keep you warm for the rest of the winter,” he insisted shyly.  “There’s one more thing.”

            She eagerly reached into the bag and pulled out a furry, grey hat with pointy cat ears on the top.  The ear flaps had feathery pom poms at the end of them.  Serri felt them with the tips of her fingers and gasped.

            “It’s so smooth and warm!”  She placed it on her head immediately, and her tiny face looked even smaller.  “How does it look?”

            He patted her barely exposed cheeks and grinned.  “It looks great!”

            “Ah, this is perfect!” Serri cried happily.  “Open your present, Hakyeon-ah!”

            She watched him eagerly as he began to anxiously open his gift.  Noticing her excitement, he tore at the wrapping paper slowly, taking long pauses.  When he stopped to check his phone, she couldn’t endure it any longer and tore the rest of the wrapping paper off to reveal a box.

            “Just open it, oppa!”

            “Oppa?”  He smirked and gave a wink.  “If you call me oppa, I have to comply.”

            He opened the box and found a giant, furry hat inside.  The fur was soft and light grey, almost like Serri’s.  He marveled at it for a moment, then put it on his head.

            “Are we twins?” he asked playfully.

            Serri took out her phone, and they took a few photos together.  They appeared exceptionally warm with their fluffy hats.  After examining the photos, Serri pointed at a pack of red ginseng tea in Hakyeon’s box.

            “I also got you this tea,” Serri explained.  “I know how much you love it.”

            “Ah, Serri, this is wonderful.  Thank you.”  He took the tea out of the box and held it out to her.  “You should drink some of this tonight so you can travel comfortably tomorrow morning.”

            “It’s for you, Hakyeon-ah!” she laughed.  “But…shall I make some for the both of us?”

            “I’ll make some,” he insisted, leaping up from the couch. 

            He hurried to the kitchen and began boiling some water.  Serri wandered over to him and munched on a cookie.  When the hot stove heated up the kitchen, Serri carefully removed Hakyeon’s fluffy hat from his head.  She wouldn’t take her own hat off, though, and Hakyeon loved to peek over at her adorable face within the soft fur.

            Once they got their tea, they went back to the couch and continued watching It’s A Wonderful Life.  Jimmy Stewart’s silly voice filled the room, and Serri carefully read the Korean subtitles at the bottom of the screen.  Hakyeon only picked up their BNT photo book and scanned through the photos.  Serri snuggled up next to him, and he grinned merrily at her.  As he looked at her, his smile faded, and he finally gave a long sigh.

            “Is something wrong, Hakyeon-ah?” Serri asked after taking a sip of her tea.

            “I wish…”  He looked down at the photo book and closed it.  “I wish you had never met Yoohwan.  You would have never had to go through all this pain.”

            “Well…I don’t regret meeting him,” she admitted slowly.  When Hakyeon gave her a surprised look, she smiled reassuringly.  “If I’d never met Yoohwan and gone through everything I did with him, I would have never seen you at Tatsu that night.  We would have never had the chance to know each other like this.”

            “Maybe that’s true…but if it meant Yoohwan would have never hurt you…”  His mind seemed conflicted with his words, and he gave a cheerless frown.  “Besides…If Yoohwan had never hurt you, I don’t think…I don’t think you would need me.”

            “What did you say?”  Serri put her tea on the coffee table and turned towards him.  “Hakyeon-ah…I don’t just love you or need you because of Yoohwan.  At first, I thought the same way.  I wondered if I was clinging to you just because Yoohwan had hurt me.”  A dazzling, joyful smile formed on her face.  “But, Hakyeon-ah, you’re one of the most beautiful human beings I’ve ever met.  Even if my life had been so bright when we met, you still would have made it brighter.  My pain doesn’t make me love you; you do.  And…I want to love you for as long as you love me…and hopefully that’s for a long time.”

            He looked at her with relief in his eyes, relief she had never seen before.  His hands wrapped around her fluffy hat, and he moved so close to her that their noses touched. 

            “Is forever too long?” he asked with a corny smirk.

            “Not at all,” she beamed, her eyes twinkling in the low lamplight. 

            She finally closed the distance by giving him a swift kiss on his lips.  They both smiled brightly, contentedly.  Hakyeon wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into him as they continued to watch the movie.

            “I’m worried about my members, though,” Serri whispered.  “And Minx as well.  They just debuted…I hope this won’t hurt them.”

            Hakyeon nodded his head and opened their photo book again.  “I know.  We’ll just have to see how it will play out.”

            “You’re right.  I think…I think it will be okay.”  She yawned and looked at the television screen.  The main character was reunited with his family after sadly wandering through a sorrowful separate reality.  He kissed his wife tenderly and hugged his children.  “Hakyeon-ah…isn’t it beautiful?”

            He peered down at the pictures in the photo book and smiled.  “So beautiful.”

*          *          *

            “Subin-ah!  Don’t forget to pack your phone charger!”

            Serri’s eyes remained closed as she slowly stirred awake.  When she felt Hakyeon’s warm body beside her, she immediately shot up and opened her eyes.  She and Hakyeon had fallen asleep last night as the movie played, and now they were lazily lingering on the couch as Jiyul and Subin scurried about the dorm.

            “I’m sorry, unnie.  But the two of us are leaving really soon,” Jiyul told apologetically.  She wore her pajamas still and eyed Hakyeon nervously.  “We didn’t mean to wake you.”

            As Serri looked over at the sleeping Hakyeon, she wondered when they had fallen asleep last night.  Their cold tea remained on the table, and the television was still on.  Her fluffy hat lay on her lap; it must have fallen off while she was sleeping.  Hakyeon slowly opened his eyes, and Serri patted his cheek.

            “Hakyeon-ah, we fell asleep,” she informed with a laugh.  “We’d better get out while Jiyul and Subin are getting ready.”

            Hakyeon nodded sleepily and rose from the couch.  His right arm fell at his side, and he looked at it curiously.  “I think my arm is asleep.”

            “Ah, I think I was leaning back on it all night,” she sighed.  She grabbed his arm and began to massage it.  “I hate to do this, Hakyeon-ah, but I think I have to kick you out.  Jiyul and Subin are still in their pajamas.”

            “That seems reasonable,” he chuckled.

            They collected his hat, tea, and photo book and stepped out the front door.  Stopping on the porch, Serri continued to massage his arm.  She smiled up at him and giggled bashfully.

            “You spent the night at my dorm,” she said quietly.  “What will your members think?”

            “Unfortunately, they’re not the one’s I need to answer to,” Hakyeon replied, taking her hands and rubbing them gently.  “I was supposed to go back to my parents’ house last night.”

            “Ah!  You’re going to get a lecture!” Serri cried in amusement.  “Well, assure them we only watched a movie and drank red ginseng tea.”

            “I will,” he smiled.

            Serri’s eyes looked out into the streets and noticed a collection of items just outside the driveway gate.  She peered at them curiously, as their pink and purple colors seemed so bright against the white snow. 

            “Hakyeon-ah…what are all those things?”

            He looked at them for a moment, then led her down to the driveway.  They both looked through the gate at the items on the sidewalk.  Serri’s hand began to tremble in Hakyeon’s as she looked at what was there.

            Just outside the gate were six piles of wrapped gifts.  They surrounded six tall rice wreaths, each addressed to a different member of Dal Shabet.  Serri’s eyes filled with tears as she read the messages on the wreaths.

            “Subin-ah, our precious maknae, merry Christmas,” she read from one of them.

            Hakyeon looked at the next one.  “Gaeun-ah, our glowing angel, merry Christmas.”

            “Woohee-ah, our cute and clumsy member, merry Christmas.”

            “Jiyul-ah, the mother and pretty visual of Dal Shabet, merry Christmas.

            “Ahyoung-ah, our adorable Squirtle, merry Christmas.  Our beloved Serri-”  Serri’s voice broke as she began to read her own rice wreath’s long message.  She helplessly clung to Hakyeon as she started to cry.  He wrapped his arms around her and read the message for her.

            “Our beloved Serri-ah.  Our leader and special big sister.  We will always know the truth.  Darling will always love and support you.  Don’t worry during the holidays, or any other time in your life.  Merry Christmas, Park Miyeon.”

            Hakyeon couldn’t help but smile, even as Serri sobbed.  He hugged her tightly, and then pointed at the wreaths.  “Do you see, Serri-yah?  Do you see them?”

            “I…I see them,” she said, a comforted smile erupted on her face.  “I definitely see them.”

            “Serri-yah…”  He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her again.  “I think everything is going to be okay.”

*          *          *

Author's Note: Wow!! It's over!! ㅠㅠ ㅠㅠ ㅠㅠ I'm actually really sad...This was one of my favorite fics to write. I hope you all enjoyed it!  Please let me know what you thought! I don't think this fic really calls for a sequel, but if you can think of a reason why there might be one, please let me know! Thank you all for reading! <3