On Saturday, Kyungsoo spent an hour stressing over an outfit for his first rehearsal with Suho, before deciding on his usual all-black ensemble. In the hall, Nara intercepted him with a box of cookies.

“Hey!  They’re for Suho oppa!” she cried, when Kyungsoo tried to eat one.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, but he put the box in his bag.

“Remember to tell him about me!  And tell him I said I hope he’s happing a good day, and that he's amazing at the piano, and he…oppa, are you listening?  Hey!”

“Ah, I know that look,” Yoona teased, as she spied Kyungsoo anxiously checking his reflection in the mirror.  “Big date?”

“W-what? No!”

“Don’t be nervous,” Yoona said cheerfully.  “Just be yourself!”

“What…what do you mean…I’m not…I didn’t ask for your advice!” Kyungsoo yelled after her retreating figure. 

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder, did she actually like his dad when he was being “himself”?

Suho was wearing another sweater today—brown this time, with the blue collar of his shirt peeking out from underneath.  Not for the first time, Kyungsoo wondered whether Suho’s closet was made up of just solid-colored sweaters and black pants.

“Of course not! I have patterned sweaters, too.”  Oops, had he said that out loud?  Suho took Nara’s box of cookies with a smile that practically lit up the entire church.  He motioned for Kyungsoo to sit on the piano bench beside him. 

Kyungsoo sat stiff as a board, trying not to stare at Suho’s mouth as he explained the song selections.  He glanced guiltily at the painting of Jesus on the wall, sending a mental apology to God.  Bad, Do Kyungsoo.  Very bad.

“...and next week’s sermon is on God’s glory, so I thought these would fit the theme quite well.”  Suho took out his hymn book and flipped to the bookmarked pages. “Do you know this one?”

Kyungsoo scanned the lyrics and nodded, and Suho began playing. Kyungsoo mumble-sang cautiously, hyperaware of Suho beside him. He could feel Suho’s sweater brushing against his arm as he played. With Suho’s encouraging nods and smiles, Kyungsoo slowly gained confidence, and his voice expanded to fill the corners of the church.  Singing had always been his escape, even if the words felt a little strange in his mouth. 

“Wow,” Suho praised, when they finished. “Your voice is wonderful.”

“Thanks." Kyungsoo tried not to die under the force of Suho's smile.

“I’m not surprised, though.  Baek told me you were in a band together at school.”

Kyungsoo hoped that was all Baekhyun had told him. He’d made the mistake of lending his friend his phone earlier that week, and that snoop had found out that Kyungsoo saved Suho’s contact as Church Angel Hyung.  Baekhyun had not stopped mocking him about it since.  “Yeah, we do some Exxo covers.  It’s just for fun, though.”

“You’ve never wanted to be a singer someday?”

Kyungsoo thought of the time he went to audition for SM with Baekhyun, back in middle school.  He’d chickened out and fled the building right before it was his turn.  “My father wouldn’t approve.” 

“Ah…” Suho nodded. Nothing more needed to be said, between teenagers who understood the burden of parents’ expectations. “What about your mother?”

“Um.” This was always the awkward part. “Well, she’s dead.”

Suho’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh, I’m...” 

“It’s fine, so um, what about you?” Kyungsoo interrupted.  “What do you want to be?”

“A teacher, like my…” Suho blinked hesitantly at him. “Like my parents.” 

If Kyungsoo ever had a teacher like Suho, he would never be able to pay attention in class.  “You already look the part.”

“Really?” Suho sighed.  “Everyone says that! Do I look that old?”

“N-no! Of course not!” Kyungsoo reassured the other boy. “You’re perf—um, I mean, you look fine.  Just, you kinda dress like my teacher… no offense! You’re just missing the glasses.”

“Oh, I wear them sometimes!” Suho reached into his bag and Kyungsoo heard a muffled snapping noise. When he turned back around, he had on pair of black-framed glasses.  “Thanks for reminding me.”

Kyungsoo and his brain spluttered. Suho patted his back, which just made things worse.

“Are you all right?” Suho asked in worry, peering at Kyungsoo’s reddening face. “There’s a cold going around these days; you should be careful! Would you like some warm water…?”

The next day, Kyungsoo felt a little nervous as he faced the rows of people, microphone in hand. Church attendance was especially high during the Christmas season, and he could see clusters of family units filling the pews. Adults smiled appreciatively at the new adorable wide-eyed singer, while little kids fidgeted in their Sunday best.  Kyungsoo spotted Yoona sitting next to Nara, who was unsurprisingly staring at Suho with a look of complete adoration in her eyes. For a second, Kyungsoo wondered what it would be like if his father were there to round out their group...

but no, they weren’t a family.

In the second row, Baekhyun was stealing looks at Kim Taeyeon, a college girl who had come home for the holidays.  He caught Kyungsoo looking at him and smirked, raising an eyebrow toward Suho. Kyungsoo quickly turned his gaze back to the lyrics sheet in front of him.  

For Kyungsoo’s musical debut at Hope Church, Suho bought a cake that said “Welcome Kyungsoo!” on it, with balloons.  After service, several people stopped by to praise Kyungsoo's lovely singing.  Kyungsoo nodded and bowed, flustered.  Meanwhile, Suho stood beside him like a proud manager, introducing Kyungsoo to Hope Church’s regular attendees.

“Kyungsoo Do?” The Sunday School teacher, Mr. Siwon Choi, shook his hand.  “We’re very happy that Nara joined our class today.  She has quite a few interesting ideas.”

“I’m sorry,” said Kyungsoo automatically.  Siwon laughed.

“Nothing to be sorry about! A good discussion is always welcome.  I hope to see you both more often. I didn’t know the Prime Minister’s son had such a beautiful voice...”

Kyungsoo stuttered thank you, as Suho froze next to him.

“Your… father…?” he whispered disbelievingly as Siwon walked away.

“Um, yeah. It’s not a big deal though-” but Suho wasn’t listening.

 “I, oh, I, wow.” Suho muttered to himself.  “I eat the same cheese as the Prime Minister…”

Kyungsoo's eyes widened in horror as Suho suddenly began shaking his hand and bowing. "Stop it!"

“Kyungsoo, I’m a big fan of your father’s policies on educational reform.”  Suho said earnestly.  “My family and I wholeheartedly support his refreshing honesty and dedication to the country’s future. If he ever runs for president in the future, he has my vote!”

Kyungsoo sighed.  This always happened.

But then Suho noticed Kyunsoo’s petulant expression and smiled, his own starstruck expression fading.  “Oh, don’t worry, Kyungsoo! Of course I like you better.” Suho pinched his cheek.  “You’re cuter.”

“Don’t do that!” Kyungsoo whined.

Of course, Baekhyun chose that moment to walk over.

“Heeeey Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said, smirking.  Embarrassed, Kyungsoo quickly stepped away from Suho, rubbing his cheeks and shooting Baekhyun his coldest glare. “Hey, Michelangelo.”

“Baekhyun, I told you not to call me that,” Suho chided.

“Ah, sorry. I can’t help it. It’s just that you always look so…angelic.”

Kyungsoo doubled the intensity of his glare.

“Oh!  I, well.” Suho blushed, looking both confused and flattered.  “Thank you?”

“You know, some might even call you Church Angel Bo—“

“Hey, is that Taeyeon I see, standing all alone and in desperate need of a conversation?” Kyungsoo interrupted loudly.

“Huh? Where?” Baekhyun ran off in pursuit.

---

The Prime Minister and his fiancé were married on the first day of December.  Ten minutes before they walked down the aisle, the first flakes of snow touched the city. By the time the ceremony was over, the outside world was dusted in white. It was like something out of a fairytale story.  Delicate tears were shed amongst the audience.

Too bad it was all pretend.

“Yoona, Mr. Im,” the Prime Minister greeted, joining his new bride and father-in-law by the window. The ceremony and banquet had ended. Only the Prime Minister’s family, a few close friends and the waiters were left in the room as they cleared the tables.

“Son-in-law.”  Mr. Im’s face broke into a wide though wobbly smile as he held back tears.  “You look so handsome.  A bit old, but much better than all your previous boyfriends,” he remarked to Yoona.

“Dad,” Yoona hissed as the Prime Minister hid an amused smile.

“Take care of my little girl, all right?  She’s all I have.  She’s still my little baby deer…”

“Dad.”

“…and remember, I may be old, but I can still pack a punch…”

“Dad!”

“I promise, Mr. Im,” the Prime Minister said sincerely. “I won’t ever do anything that would cause her to cry.”

Funny, Yoona thought, because right now she had never felt more like crying. An hour ago, her father had just walked her down the aisle.  She never thought she’d be able to make his dream come true.

“Haha, Prim—uh, I mean, darling, you’re so sweet.” Yoona tried to laugh it off.

“It’s the truth.”  The Prime Minister looked down at her, and Yoona gulped at the seeming sincerity in his eyes.  There was a reason the Prime Minister was so beloved in the country—he was always honest. Some might call him too blunt, but he never went back on a promise.

 “Oh, and I expect grandkids, as soon as possible—”

“Dad!”

“Ah, w-well.”  The Prime Minister blinked nervously. “I, I’ll leave you two alone, for now.”

“Wait!” Yoona chased after him, grabbing his arm.  Checking that her father wasn’t in earshot, she said in a low voice,

“Prime Minister, thank you for doing this. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Well, my party benefits too,” the Prime Minister replied.  “My ratings have gone up, and the press can’t threaten me with those pictures anymore. Marriage was only the logical step...” He glanced at Yoona’s exasperated expression.  “Oh.  But, ah, you’re welcome.”

Yoona smiled at him, and they gazed at each other with new understanding.  If this were a primetime drama, it would be the moment when the hero and heroine felt their hearts stir with the first hints of feelings for each other…

Then, the Prime Minister coughed. “So, ah, we should draw up a contract once we return to the residence.”

Married life did not change the Prime Minister one bit.  He still came home late, he was still painfully blunt, and he was still better at dealing with bills and speeches than with children and food.  But other things changed.  Now, all four sides of the dining table were occupied during breakfast.  The Prime Minister’s PR manager hired a stylist, and Yoona traded her curly hair and baggy clothes for a glossy perm and designer dresses.

Nara was still suspicious of her new stepmother, but she was not the type to let a golden opportunity go to waste. Over the next few weeks, she guilt-tripped Yoona into taking her to the mall, to Exxo fansigns, to toy stores, etc. 

"Ahjumma, can we go to the aquarium today?"

“Ah...I’m sorry, Nara. I have to visit my father. How about tomorrow?”

"I have tutoring tomorrow.  And the aquarium is closed on the weekend.  Please?  I’ve been waiting forever to see this exhibit!” 

Yoona hesitated.

Nara heaved a sad sigh.  “Sulli’s mom took her to see the aquarium last week, too bad I don’t have a mom that can do that...”

There was a reason Nara was a politician’s daughter.

Yoona looked torn with guilt. “Tao can take you…?” Yoona glanced at the bodyguard. Mr. Huang did not look excited at the idea.

“I know! Why don’t you invite your dad to come with us?” Nara suggested. "Don't worry, he won't feel left out!  I can talk about old people topics too! I know how to knit."

“No you don’t,” Kyungsoo snorted. Nara poked him.

“I said ‘know,’ not ‘can’”

“I’m sorry guys, maybe another day. My father’s not feeling very well, right now.”

“Oh, is he sick? Lots of my classmates are sick too. You should tell him to sleep with more blankets.”

“Thank you, I will.”

“Dad?”

Mr. Im looked up from his book with a wide smile.  “Yoona!  My little girl!”

“Hi Dad.”  Yoona leaned down to hug him, before pulling his blankets up higher. “What are you reading?”

“Oh, one of those airport books you always have lying around.  But, what are you doing so early back from school?”

“School…?” The smile on Yoona’s face faltered. “School—oh, right.  Ah, class ended early.”

“Not skipping, I hope?” Mr. Im gave his daughter a suspicious look.  “I know that look on your face, when something’s up.”

“No! Nothing, nothing’s wrong.”

“All right, then.  Don't slack off, not if you want to get into university and be a famous writer.”

“I will.”  Ten years ago, Yoona had indeed enrolled in the writing department at her dream university, only to drop out a few months short of graduation when her father’s medical bills began piling up.  She had always meant to go back and finish her degree, but what was the point? It wasn’t like a degree in writing meant anything in getting a publisher’s attention.

“And find a nice man, of course.  He must be tall, all right?  I don’t want the grandkids to inherit my genes.”

“I will.”

“Good, good.  Remember, I want to walk my girl down the aisle when she gets married. Then, I’ll have done my duty as a father.”

“You’ve already done more than enough,” Yoona sniffled, hugging him.  “I know it’s not easy, raising kids all on your own.”

“Hey, what’s with this weepiness all of a sudden?” Mr. Im patted his daughter on the head.  “Am I worrying you with the wedding talk?  You’re so pretty, a man will come and snatch you up in a few years, I just know it!”

“And you’ll be there to walk me down the aisle.”  Yoona replied.  “I promise.”

“I wish ahjumma could come…” Nara pouted as they wandered through the aquarium.  Behind them, Mr. Huang followed, still wearing his sunglasses indoors and muttering into his headset.  Nara had insisted on trying out every single interactive exhibit. Right now, she was sticking her hand into the open stingray tank under the watchful eye of the aquarium employee.  Kyungsoo stood to the side, half-terrified that his sister would get stung to death.

“Woah! It’s so soft!” he heard Nara exclaiming.

“That’s Yuna, our newest ray.”

“Our mom’s name is Yoona too!” Kyungsoo frowned.

“Our mom?” he asked Nara once they had left the exhibit.

“Oh, oops…I mean, ahjumma.”  Kyungsoo stared after her, suddenly wondering how much he’d missed in the past few weeks.

They rounded the corner to a dimly lit hallway of glowing jellyfish tanks.  There were jellyfish that looked like lightbulbs, some that looked like bundles of wire, and others that looked like satiny bags.  There were even ones whose bodies were as tiny as Kyungsoo’s pinky. 

“They’re like Christmas lights!” Kyungsoo heard a boy yell, and he rolled his eyes.  Why was everyone so obsessed with Christmas?

 “Oppa…” Nara spoke up timidly as Kyungsoo held his finger up against the glass. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call her our mom.”

“It’s okay.” Kyungsoo swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat.  He couldn’t help but feel like the only one in the family who hadn’t moved on yet.  Their father had a new wife, Nara had a new mom, and he…could he consider Yoona his new mother? No, that was ridiculous.  She was only twelve years older than him. He was too old for a mom, now.

“Oppa?”

“What?”

“Don’t tell her I called her mom.”

When they got home, they found Yoona in the dining room frowning pensively at her laptop screen. Nara slid into the seat next to hers. Kyungsoo pretended he wasn’t listening to their conversation.

“Ahjumma! You should’ve come with us!  They had a stingray named after you!”

“Really!” Yoona sat up and smiled widely at the girl.  “I wish I could’ve joined you.”

“Oh, I remember this!” Nara looked at the picture on Yoona’s laptop. It was a close-up of Yoona in her wedding dress, holding onto the arm of a beaming elderly man.  “That’s your dad, right?  He looks happy.”

“Yes, he was…” Yoona smiled at the photo.  “His dream was always to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.”

“Woah, and he did!  That's nice... Our dad’s dream is to lead our country to a better tomorrow,” Nara said, recalling her father’s campaign speech.

“I know.  He’s a great leader.”

“But a y dad,” Nara muttered.  “I bet he’ll forget to show up to my wedding, when I marry Suho oppa.”

“Nara…”  Yoona patted the girl’s head.  “I know your dad is hard to get along with sometimes, but he loves you.  Treasure all your time with him, because it’ll go by sooner than you think.” 

And then one day, you’ll be running out of time.

 “Okay,” Nara sighed.  “But, ahjumma, if appa does forget to show up, you’ll be there instead, right?”

Yoona looked surprised. “I…all right.”

“N-not as my mom, or anything!  DEFINITELY not! Because I don’t think you’re my mom! At all!”

“Ah, of course not,” Yoona said gently.  “You don’t have to.”

“Y-yeah!  I definitely don’t!”

---

Church Angel Hyung: Hello Kyungsoo! ^^ How are you doing?  Baekhyun was supposed to help me with Hope Church’s gift event, but he had a math test to study for. He said that you would be interested in helping me instead? No pressure, though!

Math test? Kyungsoo frowned. Wasn’t tomorrow their last day of school?

Baekhyun: You’re welcome. Don’t drool too much.

Kyungsoo met Suho at the mall entrance, after managing to sneak out the house. Suho had a long list of gift requests, which he showed Kyungsoo as they took the escalator up. 

“They’re from children whose families can’t afford gifts,” he explained.  “Our goal is to give everyone the present they want, this Christmas.  Most of the items have already been donated by church members, but there are still a few missing. So I thought I’d go find the rest, myself.”

Kyungsoo read the first entry on the list and could see why it would be hard to find: a sparkly purple dress like the one CobrA unnie wore in her 12/01 Inkigayo performance.

“It’ll be fun!” Suho promised, looking excited. “Like a scavenger hunt!”  Not that Kyungsoo needed convincing. Honestly, Suho could’ve told Kyungsoo that they would be walking through a crowd of reporters and Kyungsoo wouldn’t even mind. 

Apparently, Baekhyun had told Suho that Kyungsoo was a delicate national treasure who was helpless without a bodyguard, or something to that effect.  Suho took Baekhyun’s words very seriously.

“Hyung you don’t have to…” Kyungsoo tried to wriggle his hand out of Suho’s grip.

“Of course I do,” said Suho calmly, pulling Kyungsoo along.  “What would I tell your father if I lost you? I might get banished from the country.”

“… that’s ridiculous.” Still, Kyungsoo willed his palm not to sweat as they walked through the lanes of decorated stores. Lights and ornaments sparkled from the ceiling.  Reindeers and elves smiled at them from behind display windows. Holiday music played in the background. Even though he wasn’t a fan of Christmas, Kyungsoo couldn’t help daydreaming that this was like a date. 

(Well, not that he’d ever been on a date before, because his father said he wasn’t allowed to until college…most of the girls that approached Kyungsoo were more interested in his father, anyway.)

An hour later, they had found a CobrA lookalike dress, a “cool backpack,” and several of Exxo's latest Miracle in December albums.  All the salesladies were more than happy to help, cooing at what kind older brothers they were. It was cute how Suho lit up whenever they successfully found another item. 

“You’re like Santa Claus,” Kyungsoo said.  “Checking off all the kids on your list.”

“I should put you on my list,” Suho replied, grinning. Kyungsoo barely refrained from rolling his eyes at the cheesiness. “Is there anything you want for Christmas, Mr. Prime Minster’s son?”

The only thing Kyungsoo wanted for Christmas, he would never get.  “Um, just, being with my family I guess.”

The final item on their list was an extremely specific Exxo-endorsed skincare product from Nature Democratic. They followed the map to the nearest store, where Kyungsoo saw a giant cardboard figure of Exxo’s Joonmo by the entry.  A small girl pointed excitedly at it, tugging on her mother’s hand. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but be reminded of Nara. 

 “Hey, isn’t that your sister?”

Kyungsoo froze in his tracks. Now that they were closer, he could see that yes, the little girl and her “mother” were indeed his sister and Yoona. 

 “Cute,” Suho laughed as Nara motioned for Yoona to take a picture of her hugging cardboard -Joonmo.  “Let’s go say hello…“

Kyungsoo pulled on Suho’s hand and began marching in the opposite direction.

“Kyungsoo, what—“

“I’m, um, actually supposed to be home doing homework right now,” Kyungsoo whispered. 

“What?” Suho’s eyes widened.  “And you came instead? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have distracted you from your studies.”

“You didn’t.” Suho did not look reassured.

“Kyungsoo, school is very important…”

“It’s okay, tomorrow’s my last day, so I can stay up. Besides, I get to hang out with you—“

Wait, no.  Kyungsoo forced his jaw shut but it was too late. Suho beamed.

“Well, that’s okay then! What should we do while we wait for them to leave?”

They went to a café across the street, sitting at a booth by the window so that they could keep an eye on the store.  Suho asked Kyungsoo whether he was okay with the couple’s hot chocolate set.  “It’s cheaper that way,” he explained to a flustered Kyungsoo. 

As Suho went to order, Kyungsoo turned to stare out the window at his sister and Yoona.  He could see her giggling as Yoona patted some of the sample cream on her face.  They looked like a young mother-child pair, more so than Kyungsoo would ever look next to Yoona.  They both looked so carefree.  Kyungsoo hadn’t seen Nara laughing like that in a long time. 

It wasn’t fair. Why did everyone have to move on except for him?

“I really love Christmas holiday,” Suho announced as he slid into the seat beside Kyungsoo with two hot chocolates.  “Celebrating Jesus was born, seeing the happy children, and spending time with people I…care about.”

Kyungsoo nodded absently.  Suho pouted and nudged him.

“What do you like about it, Kyungsoo?”

“Nothing.”

Suho’s eyes widened at Kyungsoo’s flat tone. “O-oh…”

“Um. I mean…yeah. It’s great, Jesus was born,” Kyungsoo stuttered lamely, turning his attention to Suho.

“Are you okay?” Suho looked worried.  “Do you want to pray about it?”

“Here?" Kyungsoo glanced around the shop. "It's okay..."

“Or you can tell me about it!”  Suho suggested, looking way too excited at the prospect of advising a poor lost soul.  “I’ll go get some refreshments!  Stay right there!”

He left and returned with two giant boxes of donuts, muffins, pastries and cookies. At Kyungsoo’s alarmed look, he explained, “I didn’t know what you liked, so I got one of everything!” 

“Um, Thanks…”

“No problem!” Suho handed him a plate and fork.  “Now, tell me everything.”

“It’s nothing…”

 “You don’t want to talk about it?”  Suho deflated. “But I’m really good at giving advice…”

Kyungsoo laughed. Maybe it was Suho’s earnest expression, or the fact that he had bought an entire box of pastries for Kyungsoo, or that Kyungsoo was already embarrassingly infatuated with him… but Kyungsoo felt his defenses fall away.

“I guess it’s just kind of pointless,” he said.  Suho nodded eagerly, urging him to continue.  “Dad’s always busy even during Christmas, and all our staff are on holiday. Plus my mom died a week before Christmas, so that kind of ruins the mood.”

 “Oh,” said Suho quietly.

“But anyway, it’s not a big deal. At least this year, she—uh, Yoona is around.” Kyungsoo glanced out the window at Yoona and Nara.  “I know Nara likes her, even though she pretends not to.” 

Suho followed his gaze.  “What about you?”

“She’s okay.”  Kyungsoo looked back down at his donut and stabbed it a little too hard.  “But I already have a mom. Nara doesn’t remember her much anymore so it’s okay, but I do, so, I shouldn’t...um…"   Damn Suho for looking at him so gently and the sentimental holiday music.  Kyungsoo put down his fork and rubbed at his eyes.  

"You know,” said Suho softly, “there's always room in our hearts for more people.”

"I guess." Kyungsoo muttered, not looking up.

“Really.”  Suho put a hand on his arm. "God loves us. He didn’t make our hearts so that we’d be lonely and heartbroken.”

“Then he shouldn’t have taken my mom away.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand it, either,” Suho said.  “Sometimes, God does things that seem impossible to understand, but he has a plan for all of us…Trust him.”

“I can’t.”

“I know, it’s okay.” Suho took either end of Kyungsoo’s scarf in his hands and scooted closer.  He gazed fondly at him, and Kyungsoo felt his eyes get annoyingly watery again.  “But if you ever feel like talking to him, he’s always there, ready to listen.”

 Kyungsoo thought of all the times he’d tried talking to God, asking for answers and never getting them.

“And even if you don’t say anything, he always knows what’s on your mind.  You can also talk to me, anytime. So don’t feel lonely.”  Suho lifted his hands so that he could wipe Kyungsoo’s cheeks with his scarf, before hugging him.

 “Um hyung, we’re kind of in the middle of a mall…” Kyungsoo muttered, wriggling in embarrassment.

“Then don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying! T-the drink was too hot!”

“Okay, okay.”  Suho laughed and drew back, not before giving Kyungsoo's cheeks a final pat. “Wow, I can really see the family resemblance.  You and Nara both have the same big eyes and cheeks. It's cute.”

Kyungsoo wanted to cry again.  Being compared to a ten-year-old girl was not exactly what you wanted to hear from your crush. Why couldn’t Suho say Kyungsoo resembled his father, the Public’s Voted iest Bachelor (well, bachelor until three weeks ago) of the Year?

The next day, preparing dessert for Hope Church’s Christmas party, Kyungsoo tried to follow Suho’s advice.

“um, hello God! Do you think I should use the pink frosting, for Nara? I think the red one is more holiday appropriate…”

No halo of light appeared around either tube, no voice spoke in Kyungsoo’s mind. The other end felt as cold and silent as it always did. In the end, Kyungsoo used both colors.  Maybe he was just a lost cause, maybe God only touched the lives of perfect angels like Suho. 

---

“Don’t they come in black?”

“Nope!”

“I don’t believe you.  Everything comes in black.”

“Come on, oppa!  You need to be more adventurous.” Nara held up a yellow/green and a red/blue coat. “Pick one?”

“Neither.”

“This blue one has some black on it,” Yoona suggested, holding up another option.  Kyungsoo sighed, already regretting his decision to come along on this excursion, even though he’d promised himself to be more involved.  This was why he hated shopping with girls. Why couldn’t they just leave him to his monochromatic palette? 

After much agonizing debate, he finally decided on a dark brown jacket.

“Do you guys want to pick one out for your father, too?”

Nara nodded and dove back into the racks.  Kyungsoo could tell Nara’s heart wasn’t really in it, though. She was probably thinking of how the Prime Minister had, once again, missed out on half their winter break already.  Nara would be performing in her Christmas play in three days.  Meanwhile, their father was three hours away in some fancy hotel, discussing next year’s budget allocations for public works or something. Who knew when he’d be back?

Their final stop of the day was Chanyeol Park.  Every year, there was a weeklong Holiday Wonderland special held at the park, once the pond had frozen up enough to be converted to a skating rink.  It involved hot chocolate, Christmas carolers, and idol performances.  Tickets were expensive and hard to come by, unless you were rich or the Prime Minister’s children. 

“Where’s Exxo?” Nara pouted. She was wearing her newly-bought white puffy coat and white earmuffs, and she looked like a marshmallow.  Beside her, in his equally puffy coat and pants, Kyungsoo looked like a piece of burnt marshmallow.  Leading the two of them, Yoona looked like a fashionable stick.

“The show doesn’t start for another two hours.  Hey, why don’t you try ice skating?” Yoona suggested.  “I’ll take pictures for your father.”

It sounded like a good idea, until Kyungsoo found himself tripping every second while Nara skated gracefully by.  After hobbling around the rink for a few laps and trying to avoid bumping into people, Kyungsoo got the feeling that he was being watched. He scanned his surroundings nervously for signs of a camera, until his eyes fell on a man standing beside Yoona, wearing a bright yellow coat.  The same color Nara had picked out for their father an hour ago at the mall.

Wait…                                                                    

“Appa?!” Kyungsoo yelled in surprise, running toward the bank.  He slipped on the ice and fell on his .  But he was too excited to care.

“Kyungsoo! Slow down,” his father scolded as Kyungsoo ran up to him.  He was wearing a mask over his mouth.  Beside him, Yoona was grinning widely.

 “APPPPAA!” Nara screamed as she skated to a stop in front of him.

“Nara, volume control,” the Prime Minister said, but he seemed to be smiling slightly behind his mask. 

“But what about your meeting?”

“Ah, it… ended early.”

(“Next, we’d like to propose the following public transportation plan for decongesting traffic flow.  I realize the budget required is a bit steep, so I’ve drawn up some alternatives we can discuss—”

“No, that looks reasonable.  Email me the proposal. Next?”

“We’d also like increased spending for—“

“Yes, consider it done.”

“What about—“

“Yes, good idea.”

“…”

“Any more questions?  No? Good.  Tao, call my jet.  Everyone, enjoy your holidays.”)

“How long are you going to be here for? Until Christmas?”

“Of course.”  The Prime Minister patted his beaming daughter awkwardly on her earmuffed head.  “Now, I thought I trained you two to have better posture?  Go back to the rink and skate properly.”

Kyungsoo smiled.  “Yes, sir.”

“Let’s take a family picture first.”  Yoona held up her camera and motioned for the Dos to stand closer.

“With you, too!”  Yoona had barely a second to mask her surprise before Nara asked a nearby girl to take their photo. Thankfully, the girl seemed too distracted by the upcoming Exxo performance to realize their identity.

“Say Exxo Let’s Love!”  Nara and Kyungsoo, standing on either side of the adults, not-so-subtly pushed them toward one another.  Mr. Do put his arm around Yoona and pulled his mask down to smile presidentially at the camera.  With a click of the shutter, their first holiday together was immortalized, four matching puffy coats and all.

“That was…interesting,” said Mr. Do as they drove back home.  “Although I don’t see why those Exxo youths need to move around so much. Remember, children, it’s better to deliver your message in a straightforward manner.”

“It’s called dancing!” Nara defended.

“I thought they were singers? Can’t they develop one skill set before adding more?”

Yoona patted his arm. “It’s the trend these days, Prime Minister.”

“What are you saying? I understand the trends quite well. As my job, I keep up with the news and popular culture…”

Kyungsoo and Nara rolled their eyes as they listened to the adults bicker.  Kyungsoo looked out the window, feeling his heart lighten with each brightly-lit tree. He thought of how different Christmas season had been last year.  It might just be his new winter coat, but right now he didn’t feel so cold inside.

Dear God, in case you do exist…

I hope my mother is happy with you.

Please help my father not scare Yoona off.

He’s kind of awkward…

Oh god-I mean, gosh I really hope I’m not this awkward with front of Suho.

Oh, and if you could make Suho fall in love with me that would be nice.

Amen.

Unknown to Kyungsoo, his little sister was making a similar prayer.

Dear God, Thank you for bringing appa to us!  I hope you don’t think I’ll keep going to church for nothing.  Please help oppa be best friends with Suho, so then he can tell Suho ALL about me!  Thank you! Amen.

God had answered Nara’s prayers about her brother and Suho becoming best friends.  During dress rehearsal, she could see them sitting together on the piano bench, shoulders touching.  Suho whispered something into her brother’s ear, and he rolled his eyes and smiled.  Nara wanted to scold him; how could he dismiss something Suho oppa said?!  But it was nice. Nara hadn’t seen him smile this much in a long time.  He was usually always so grumpy. Yoona said it was a teenager thing, but Nara was pretty sure Mr. Huang wasn’t a teenager.

On the other hand, rehearsal wasn’t going very well.  Nara had practiced her angel lines countless times. Ever since Suho oppa had agreed that she looked like a beautiful angel, she was determined to live up to his praise.  But tensions were running high amongst the rest of the cast.  Krystal was mad at Sulli because Minho liked Sulli and Taemin was mad at Minho because he liked Sulli, and Sulli was mad at Krystal because she said her sparkly pink dress was historically inaccurate. Key was mad because he had been chosen to play a sheep with no lines, and Onew still couldn’t get his lines straight.  

 “You got a girl doll?  Jesus is a boy!”

 “It is a boy doll!”

“Boys don’t have long hair, only girls do!”

“Jesus has long hair,” Nara tried to add, pointing to the painting of Jesus with flowing hair and robes on the wall.  But her peers had moved on to the next point of contention.

“Why is Jonghyun Joseph?  Sulli is taller than him.”

“You just want to be Joseph, so you can marry Sulli…OW! TEACHER SIWON, TAEMIN IS HITTING ME!”

“Taemin!”

“Whatever!  If Joseph isn’t Jesus’ real dad, he can’t be Mary’s real husband!”

“Hey!” Nara cried.  “That’s not true!”

“Is too!”

 “TEACHER, Key pushed me!”

“Kids, kids…” Poor Siwon looked about ready to have a burst vessel. “Let’s calm down…”

“I’ll take care of this, hyung.” Suho looked up from his whispering session with Kyungsoo.  He stood up and walked over, patting Siwon on the back.  “You should get something to eat; you’ve been running yourself ragged this week.”

Siwon gave Suho a grateful smile. “I could use some coffee…”

After Siwon left, Suho turned to the stage of upset children.  “Why don’t we all have a time out for a minute?” Instantly, they quieted.  Suho always had a calming effect on the Sunday School class, though part of it might be due to the fact that half of them were in love with him.

"First," said Suho.  "Taemin has long hair and Amber has short hair.  Is Taemin a girl? Is Amber a boy?"

Heads shook.

“See, who says a boy can’t have long hair?  Second, does the Bible ever say Joseph is taller than Mary?"

“No, it doesn’t!” Seohyun, who had memorized the entire Abridged Children’s Bible, called expertly.

“That’s right. Besides, that’s what shoe lifts are for.  I can lend you some later, Jjong.  

Finally...Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ biological father, but he loved Jesus like his own son.  Just as God loves us like his own children. Do you love God?” Nods. “Do you love your dad and mom?” More nods. 

“There are many types of love in our lives. It doesn't make one less real than the other.”

Nara nodded to herself, thinking about ahjumma.  She looked over at her brother to see what he thought. But she couldn’t make out his expression, for he was staring down at the floor.

After rehearsals, Sulli told Taemin and Minho that she had room in her heart for both of them…even though she loved Suho oppa more.  Krystal told Sulli that maybe she’d make room in her heart and wardrobe for pink, and promised to play dress-up with her next week. Suho beamed at them all like a proud parent, and ended the time-out session with a group prayer and a plate of cookies and crackers.

suho x d.o. love in the Miracles in December MV (I can dream...)