(LISTEN TO THE SONG AS YOU READ) (PAY ATTENTION TO THE LYRICS) 

The time slowly eases its way into December and suddenly, I’m putting Christmas decorations in front of our house. The inexhaustible fast-paced life in our city is obvious this time of year. Christmas parties, cocktail parties, country club christmas specials, our high school annual christmas fashion show. It quickly became boring to me year after year, but this year I’m planning on leaving with Jiyong. We’re going to the beach again. Our escapades have become dangerous and I really don’t need him to be on the front cover of our newspaper for a restriction order against the daughter of the biggest surgeon in town. I rid my thoughts of his face in a newspaper and focus on decorating but the cold whips of air hit my face until I can’t bear it any longer so I go inside the house. Just as I’m about to go in, I hear someone pick up the ringing home phone. 

“Marie? Yes, do you have the contact name?” It’s my mom. Who is she talking to?

“What’s his name? Oh, oh my God. That’s perfect.”

“Mom? What are you doing?” Her eyes widen when she hears my voice and she drops the phone. 

“Nothing, nothing. I was talking to Marie.” Her eyes avoid mine.

“You haven’t talked to her in a long time.”

“We wanted to catch up, okay?” Her response is strained and edgy. Worry runs through me as I try to put pieces together trying to figure out what they were talking about. They haven’t talked since…. I need to know.

“Chaerin, we’re good friends, you know that right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

She lightly pushes me out of the kitchen as she walks out of the kitchen and out into the yard. I’m left standing under the doorway trying to figure out what they were talking about, but it’s useless. I walk up the stairs and when I open the door to my bedroom, I’m surprised to find Jiyong sitting on my bed.

“What are you doing here?” Frantically, I shut the door.

“I wanted to take you out.” He replies simply. As if it were that easy! I sigh and sit next to him on my bed and take his hand. 

“You know I can’t do that, yet.”

He looks at me and squeezes my hand. 

“Yes, you can.”

“But you can’t.”

“Did you forget how much fun we had at the beach?”

“We can have fun here.”

He rolls his eyes and rests his head on my pillow. A soft whisper comes from him, “Why don’t your parents like me?”

“I don’t know. You’re too good for them.” I tease.

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