People's computers are not getting more secure. They're getting more infected with viruses. They're getting more under the control of malware.

The windows held just the right amount of frost on them that the image beyond was completely scrambled. The sight of the Christmas tree - lights sparkling with five different colors, paired with ornaments of glass, plastic, wood, and a multitude of glitter - was one to make her feel both warm inside, and anxious. Christmas was spent only with family, and family hasn't come over since...

No. She wasn't going to think of that. Yoora did a lot for today, much to Seung's surprise. She was going to try to live through it for her sister's amusement. Chanyeol offered to invite their father down, which Seung had to regretfully agree to, since he had no means of being watched. Yoora said they'd be gone for a while. He couldn't be trusted on his own for that much time, especially since it was during his usual waking hours.

She kept telling herself that it'd be easy. Find him a spot, sit him down, give him some food, let him drink away, and he'll be out in no time. It seemed like his liver never died or grew any higher of a tolerance, despite his daily consumption of alcohol. He didn't even throw up what already went down. Maybe it was just part of the delirium.

The wrapped packages under the tree grew in numbers once they arrived. Their clumsy father had to be held as he walked inside, only to be greeted by the entire group at once. He seemed a bit surprised, but Kyungsoo soon started leading him away with Suho to talk politics, much to Seung's concern. She was pretty sure he didn't know what year it was, much less the current news on anything.

Chanyeol appeared behind her and his arm was suddenly around her shoulder. She flinches in surprise first, then softens unconsciously when she understands it was him. She looks up to see him smile in assurance and she faintly smiles back, looking away quickly when her heart starts beating faster, and she becomes stiffer. She clears and walks to the tree, slipping out of Chanyeol's hold. He watches her with concern.

He saw that - the realization, the smile, the second realization, the panic. Was there something wrong with him? He quickly lifts up his arm slightly and smells himself. No. He was good.

With one last glance in her direction, he moves to help Yoora with the cookie tins she brought. Seung makes her way into the kitchen to see Sehun and Luhan trying to have their last moments alone, the older boy cornered against the counter. She internally rolls her eyes and spins on her heel to leave them alone. There's the thick laughter of her father and she goes back into the living room to see what was going on. He was smiling with Suho, having a good time with their conversation. Maybe she was a little overly concerned, but the night had only begun.

"Seung! What on earth are you wearing?" Yunjin asks. She appears with Kyungsoo, her arm around her boyfriend. Seung gives herself a quick look over and shrugs indifferently. Chanyeol looks over from the tree, openly looking her over. She wore a red sweater and jeans, her tennis shoes at the door. Her hair was up as always, but he could still feel the sensation of it in his fingers if he thought about it. He knew the length was deceiving from what you expected it to be.

"Clothes." Seung replies. Maybe it didn't bother her, or maybe she just didn't know what to expect, but it was only then she looked at the others. They had formal wear on, casual and Christmas themed dresses and button down shirts that would do poorly outside in the current weather. Seung approves of her choice despite her singled-out appearance, completely ignoring the fact that she wasn't wearing what everyone else thought was appropriate.

She shouldn't care.

He was actually...eating? Seung watched as her dad merrily takes sweet potato noodles up with his chopsticks and place them in his mouth, smiling warmly. Yoora looked content as she chatted with Yunjin about some new movie in theaters that they read the book of, bringing up their favorite parts and fawning over the characters in unison. Kai had a slightly pouty look when he tried to join the conversation, but didn't understand the topic enough and they cut him out. A new title is named and soon Kyungsoo joins in with a heart-shaped smile.

Sehun and Luhan sat next to each other, one boy letting the other taste his food, a hand underneath the chopsticks to catch anything that might fall. Sehun chews thoughtfully and smiles at his boyfriend, their hands clasping gently above the table.

Seung's frozen heart clenches as it thaws, a sudden desire for family and friends to come together again. Seeing her family like this - happy and back to what they once were - made her feel a warmth that had been missing for years. A true smile slowly forms on her face as she presses her hands between her thighs to warm them up. The air was filled with the scents of spices and the peppermint candles that burned in the living room, their tall, flickering flames sending trails of black smoke towards the ceiling.

It was as if nothing was wrong - like they did this yearly. There was no hesitation - no awkward glances or somber expressions from an empty chair at the dinner table. There was no Yoora with sharp, painful horizontal scars on her inner arms. There was no depleted stash of Finian's and Zyr, or bottles strewn on the counter and hidden in the bathroom. It was just smiles, food, friends, and the cold weather outside that made the company want to sing a few notes of Baby It's Cold Outside until they finally bundle back up to get home once more.

It made Seung feel like her father wouldn't go back to a fantasy world when they get back home, like Yoora's job wasn't dancing on a colorful stage in her underwear, and she didn't have to sub when her health was down.

She suddenly makes eye contact with Chanyeol, who was to her right, and he smiles back with twinkling eyes. The tugging sensation in her heart increases and she ignores it for once, letting it get swept away with the rest of her happiness from this single moment. She felt like crying, felt like laughing. Her hands go on the table and Chanyeol reaches for one of them, squeezing it tightly. When he lets go, Seung's lungs were starting to threaten her air intake with the sudden desire to grab his hand again.

Instead, she picks up her chopsticks and picks up her noodles, tasting their flavor on her tongue, appreciating Kyungsoo's hard work for this glorious meal. This was a Christmas she could never dream of making herself, but she didn't have to. She didn't even help with any of it. It was a take situation - one she didn't have too many of. She had no time to feel guilty, and it wasn't even a thought to cross her mind.

"Well, it's obvious she didn't get her traits from me." She hears her father joke to Suho. Yoora looks over from her conversation and smiles at him.

"Gloating about me, dad?" She asks, like one day ago he wasn't rambling to the toaster about how corrupted the government was.

"Actually, I was talking about your sister." He explains. Seung stops chewing to look up, Chanyeol doing the same. The noodle hanging from his mouth is in and he finishes chewing to listen and contribute.

"Me?" Seung asks. Her dad nods and the table focuses on him suddenly, wanting to know what he had to say.

"Of course. Look at you. You look so much like your mother." He looks at her - really looks at her - and smiles. Seung closes and Yoora swallows, blinking at each other when their father starts to look around slightly.

"Where is she, by the way? I don't think she would've wanted to miss this moment." he states. The sister's pale and the table looks at them, even Sehun and Luhan pausing to understand the reason why.

Yoora gives a forced smile and Seung follows her.

"She had a business meeting to attend. You know, accounting..." Yoora explains, waving her hand. Thankfully, their father takes it and nods his head, making a small face at his food.

"It's a shame she had to miss it." He mumbles. The warm sensation in Seung's stomach turns sour and her noodles taste bitter in the back of . Instead of having a friendly atmosphere, the room caught a chill that was felt down the sister's spines.When he looks over again, Chanyeol notices the way Seung's face had dropped to stare at her own food, pok