Archive of Our Own

Christmas: the time of year where most are said to be happy, spending time with family. That's the majority. Kim Minji, however, happens to be in the minority.

It's not like she is a person filled with hate and anger - in fact, she's very much the opposite. During the rest of the year, she is the optimistic friend, seeing hope and happiness in every situation, not giving up on anyone around her, but the festivities knock her down a bit.

Her family never really celebrated Christmas. Or anything, for that matter. Not many memories were made together and while her parents did their best with the basics, they just never were close. Minji moved out, age 18 and seemed to only look back during this season. The one where everyone seemed to have something to celebrate, but her.

Maybe that's the reason she persuaded her boss to give her opening up shifts everyday in the run up to Christmas, while her and her girlfriend went on holiday. Today was day five, and a cold one, too. That morning was the worst yet for getting up. The heating in her shared apartment, seemed to be broken, yet again. But here she was, her numb hands struggling to grab the keys to unlock the door.

Once she pries it open, breaking the frost around it, a lump of half-melted snow falls onto her head, soaking through her hat.

The day goes fairly slowly, with Minji people-watching to pass the time. Most customers give her no trouble, with the exception of kids throwing snowballs at the shop windows. If one had a stone in and cracked the window, she feared that she would have to cut her wages to pay for the repair out of guilt. (After the seventh thumping against the window, she had to step outside, gently asking them to stop with a smile on her face and a warning on how good she was at throwing snowballs).

Once the sky dims and the final customers leave, Minji shuts up the shop and walks home on the grass sections to avoid slipping on ice, as that would be an unfortunate end to her day.

She flops on her bed after making and eating a bowl of disappointing pasta, while leaving a note to tell her roommate it was okay to eat the rest.

How long has it been since she started being trapped in this sad cycle? She tells herself it's just seasonal depression, but then again, it still hurts.

She falls asleep, wishing for change.

---

When Minji stirs, she doesn't open her eyes. It's cold. They really need to get the boiler fixed. She pats around for her blanket, but something moves on top of her.

All she can touch is cold and it bites at her fingers.

Once she opens her eyes, she realises that she's outside and covered in a layer of snow. She has no idea where she is.

Her eyes wander. A person who wheels a vendor cart, stares back at her. Awkwardly raising her hand, Minji greets them, but they just walk away. That was embarrassing. It's lucky that there was no one else around to see her like this.

"Having fun laying in the snow there?"

Minji gets up, horrified, and turns around to meet a woman wrapped in a grey hat and scarf, leaning on a shovel. She beams and Minji just knows she's suppressing laughter. The snow probably melts around her with how much her face burns. The woman offers her a hand and she takes it, pulling herself up.

"So," the woman starts, "Want to tell me what happened here?"

No sound comes out of Minji's open mouth. She should really say something, but either the gleam in the woman's eyes or the freezing cold weather makes her struggle.

"I was asleep."
The other woman laughs, "Yeah, and then I woke you up. It's a miracle you didn't get hypothermia or something." She freezes. "Wait. Do you feel okay?"

Minji wriggles her fingers, noting how she doesn't feel that cold now. "Yeah, I think I'm good."
The other woman doesn't look convinced. "I'll buy you a hot chocolate, if you want?"
The last thing Minji wants is to be alone and lost in a place she doesn't know.

She agrees and the two start walking through the streets.

"I'm Siyeon, by the way."
"I'm Minji." There's a pause. "I have no idea how I got here or where I am."

A puzzled look appears on Siyeon's face as she tries to figure things out. She decides to deal with that later and approaches the stand, telling Minji to give her a minute. There's an exchange of words and Minji watches the vendor push away the money Siyeon holds out. They look over. Oh no. It's the first person who saw her buried in the snow. Minji gives a sheepish smile, which they return. Thankfully, Siyeon soon comes back, two drinks in her hands.

"Yubin's an old friend." Siyeon nods back in the cart's direction.

When Minji holds her drink, she feels the stress of finding her way home melt away. Siyeon sips at her own, flinching before quietly chuckling to herself. She definitely burnt her tongue.

Siyeon asks her to wander with her and Minji agrees. It turns out to be a small village, so they get to the edge of it in a short amount of time. Only stone fenced fields and one farmhouse lies ahead. A steady trail of smoke comes from the chimney wrapped in fairy lights. The windows are wrapped in tinsel from the inside. A chalkboard outside signifies that it's a bed and breakfast place.

Siyeon opens the gate, letting Minji walk in first.
This was safe. And it looked warm.

But maybe all of this was a mistake, especially as she got about ten questions thrown at her as soon as she opens the door by a short woman wearing a very fitting elf costume. Siyeon went around the back, telling Minji to walk in by herself and now here she is. She has no idea what to say.

"I don't even know if we have room. God, it's Christmas Eve, I'm sorry but booking earlier would have been a better option."

Minji stutters, unsure if she's overwhelmed, cold or intimidated by the woman's beauty.

That's when Siyeon catches up. She removes her hat, revealing bob-length blonde hair. It's slightly messy, and adorable. She presses a kiss to Bora's cheek.

"Bora, slow down, she's with me."

The woman pauses, rubbing her cheek as if Siyeon left a lipstick mark. "Was I talking too fast? Sorry."

Minji rushes to stop her, "No, no! It's fine I should've said something."

The conversation freezes and Siyeon breaks it by introducing them properly. Minji greets her properly and the other woman holds out her hand.

"I own this place." She pauses. "Let's start over! What brings you here?"

Pausing, Minji rubs her forehead. "I'm not sure, but I'm here now and I was wondering where 'here' is."

There's a low hum, before Bora walks past her and to a leaflet stand. She picks one out and holds it towards Minji. It's a map. She unfolds it and Siyeon hovers behind her shoulder.
"We are here."

Siyeon points and Minji's eyes follow. She sees her town and there's a mixed feeling of relief of her not being too far and also frustration that she probably has to get back by the end of the day. She would've had work tomorrow, but her boss planned to shut the shop, so no workers would have to work this close to Christmas Day.

Work. Work. It had completely slipped her mind, but she was meant to be there today too.
But, it's fine, right? She needed this. Her co-workers would be fine on their own for once. They had to be. Minji was a great teacher.

For the first time in a while, she realises that she wants to spend more time here, in the quiet and the snow and away from the angry traffic jams and noisy neighbours.
By this point, Siyeon and Bora have made their way to the desk and look through a book. Minji holds onto the map and walks towards them.

"Do you need somewhere to stay?"
She nods.
"We'll fit you in, I'm sure." Bora squeezes her arm. "It will give you time to rest and figure out what to do."
"There's a room where the guests have just left, but you have to leave that one early in the morning."

Minji smiles and lets herself be lead to the room by the couple. The door opens and Minji steps inside.

There's Christmas decorations everywhere.

By the fire, there's a chair in the corner and its filled with reindeer cushions.

Through the window, she can see snow settled on pine trees, and the pleasant scent of cinnamon floats through the air.

On the wall hangs a mirror. Minji walks up to it, eyes wide. Her hair was not bright blonde yesterday. She stays quiet about it, pulling her fingers through her hair. It's real.

Bora opens the window, before starting to strip the bed. "We'll build a fire after everything is clean, so you can warm up for a bit."

Automatically, Minji moves to help, taking off the pillowcases. With Siyeon leaving and re-entering the room with an armful of clean sheets, it makes quick work between the three of them. It soon gets warm again when Bora wraps a blanket around her and they both watch as Siyeon lights the fire.

"We'll be downstairs if you need anything."
The room feels colder now that they've left.

Minji sits on the bed and sighs. Even the bedframe has tinsel wrapped around it. She runs her hands along it and is shocked at how it feels. It's different to what she expected. A nice different. It triggers a memory of her running through a shop aisle, hands out towards the Christmas decorations.

She shuts her eyes, desperately trying to block out the next part. It doesn't work.

Seven-year old Minji was having the time of her life. Being in a huge shop on her own? The fun she could have!
She made it to the back corner of the supermarket. The bright lights and colours drew her in and there she was running, feeling the harsh glitter and softer tinsel brush against her hands. A hand grabbed hers when she got to the end of the aisle.
"Minji! Why did you run off like that? Are you trying to make us look like bad parents?"
Minji points to the decorations. "But the-" She was cut off.
"How many times have we told you we don't need stuff like that? We can spend money on better things."
"It's all rubbish anyway."
They start walking ahead, Minji falling behind with tears welling up. She hated being shouted at. It's not her fault they never give her a good reason for not celebrating what everyone else in the neighbourhood does. It was just another way of saving extra money that they could comfortably use and as Minji got older she saw this.

She rests her head on the headboard. Her parents just weren't up for this stuff. Because of that, she never even knew where to start with it all, so she just didn't.

Minji lays back in bed, on top of the covers, but under the blanket. Her shoes had long ago been kicked onto the floor. If she raises her head, she catches her reflection in the mirror. Her hair is still blonde. It makes her head hurt. Eyes close slowly, causing the ceiling to go blurry.

Hours or minutes could be passing and she would have no idea. After a while, she opens her eyes again and she is still there. Of course there's no magical teleportation this time. She shuffles into the slippers they provided and makes her way downstairs.

Hushed voices talk and Minji accidentally overhears.

"Did she miss her stop on the bus?"

Theres a pause.

"What do you mean you found her in the snow?"
"I did, she was there, well away, ever since I got there."

The stairs creak and Bora's cheeks lightly flush. She seems to have given up on the elf costume, only keeping the hat on while wearing a normal sweatshirt and jeans. She greets Minji, who joins them at the table, like she didn't just hear their conversation about her.

"Everything okay up there?"
Minji smiles, nodding and thanking the two for their help. She takes the opportunity to introduce herself more.

"If you were wondering, I'm 27, work in this corner shop type thing and I make coffees and teas there, if that will be of any use for me helping out around here."

Bora suddenly coos, squishing Siyeon's cheek between her thumb and finger, "Aw, Singnie, you're still the baby!"

Minji laughs, unsure of how else to react to the exchange or the way Siyeon looks at her.
"What's the best type of coffee?"

Hesitating, Minji says, "Anything iced."

Siyeon hums. "An okay choice."

"Anyway, we'd like to show you around." Bora starts.
With her eyes lighting up, Siyeon reveals their plans for the afternoon.
"We were planning on Christmas shopping. If you're not wanting to do anything else, you could join us?"
It sounds like a pleasant way to pass time. "Sure!"

They get ready and Siyeon pulls Minji aside as Bora heads upstairs.
"Would you mind distracting Bora when we're shopping? I just have something I need to grab quickly, but I'll be back with you in no time."
"That's fine." It gives Minji an opportunity to start getting to know the other woman more. With the friendly atmosphere that the pair gave off, Minji could tell she would really love to stay friends with them, even after she leaves.

So, it turns out Bora is also annoyingly easy to spend time with. Sending a wink to Minji, Siyeon had parted ways ten minutes before and that left Minji and Bora wandering through the streets together. The sun had started to set, casting an orange haze over the village, making the snow glitter. The shorter woman rushes ahead to swing around a lamppost, Minji laughing as she winces from the cold on her hands. When she lets go and begins walking back to Minji, she suddenly slides on ice, crashing into the older woman. 

Minji catches her, arms wrapped around her shoulders. Bora's cheeks flush again before she cracks a smile, and gently hits Minji's arm while laughing. Turning to walk on, down the street, she feels arms link with her own.
Bora leads her to the next shop.

In the window, there's a small moving scene. A carousel spins, with figures of children who have huge grins on their faces sat on the horses. Other children lift their arms up to the branches of a christmas tree, with a glowing star on top. The rest of the display is other carnival stalls, ones that sell candyfloss and popcorn and Bora watches as Minji's face is lit up with happiness.

"I've always loved these," Bora begins, "It reminds me of when Siyeon and I met."
"Oh really?" Minji tears her eyes away from the window. She squeezes the arm Bora is wrapped around, prompting her to continue.
Bora beams. "We were watching these with our parents. They became friends when they were laughing at us being so excited for Christmas, and then that meant we were spending most of our weekends together since we were 11."

It's a very cute story, but one that Minji had never gotten to experience, until now. She hoped that they would let her be part of their lives.

Wait. Not like that, she means..
She hides her face in her hands, flustered by her own thoughts. It's probably just dizziness caused by whatever happened to her.

Thankfully, Bora is too busy pulling her into the shop to notice the look of embarrassment on Minji. She looks through the card section, opening a few of them and bursting into laughter before shoving them at Minji.
They're a mixture of awfully sappy love cards and dad jokes, some that Minji finds herself snickering at.

"You can't find these genuinely funny, are you serious?" Bora's eyebrows raise. "Your sense of humour is terrible."

Minji continues laughing, holding another one she picks out. It's another Christmas poem one. It ends in-
" 'Are you Christmas? I want to merry you.' Imagine proposing with this card." Bora laughs over her shoulder.

This continues for a while; the two trying to find a worse one.

While laughing, Bora picks one more out. "This is the one!"
Minji goes to look, but the other woman shuts it.
There's a hesitant voice of a smiling shopkeeper. "Hi, it's almost closing time, can I ring anything up for you?"

The two walk out of the shop, a few minutes after, a paper bag in Bora's hand and Minji's hand in the other.
"You didn't see anything did you?" Bora leaves Minji's hand to poke at Siyeon.
Siyeon holds her hands up in surrender, "I didn't, I promise!"
Bora links arms with Minji, leaning in to speak in her ear, but loud enough for Siyeon to hear anyway. "Do we believe her?"
Minji hums, pretending to think. "Maybe..."
"Not you too!" Siyeon groans. "One was worse enough."
They laugh and head towards a bakery. Or was it a café? It seems like a fun mixture of both.

Later that evening, the three were cleaning up dishes. Bora almost caused chaos when she flicked soap suds across the room from a fresh bowl of washing-up water. Siyeon caught a particularly large cloud of it and placed it on Bora's head. But, then the pair caught Minji's laughter as she watched on and they fell quiet. The suds were placed back into the bowl and the two carry on in a sudden silence.

"Should I head upstairs?" Minji feels she's outstayed her welcome for the pair. Maybe she's overthinking. But then again, she didn't want to take advantage of their kindness.
Siyeon looks at her. "If you want. I'm sure it's been a long day for you."
Minji turns to leave.
"Goodnight Minji." Bora calls. Siyeon echoes it. It puts a smile on her face as she walks upstairs.

It's close to midday when Minji awakes, warm and comfy. The sight of the small Christmas tree on her bedside table isn't an unwelcome sight. She pulls on her slippers and makes her way downstairs.
There's more people there than yesterday. Bora looks comfortable, in her element. She opens the fridge and offers orange juice to those around her, while talking to a group sat up to the table.

"Hey!" Bora calls to her. "Help yourself to anything."

Pairs of eyes turn towards her so Minji steps fully into the room, introducing herself to other guests. She grabs a slice of toast and starts being involved in conversations. She learns that a lot of these people are here as an escape from the busy big cities and Minji understands that all too well, even if this holiday was not one she took herself on.

Once Siyeon swings around the door, walking up to Bora and leaning to whisper something to her, Minji takes that as her cue to head up to the room to strip the sheets once again.
She's not alone for long, though.
"Need any help?" Siyeon asks, making Minji jump.
"If you want." She replies. There's not that much to do. She was barely in here.
Siyeon leaves, coming back with bedding and clean slippers.

"Are you planning on sticking around a little longer? It's nice having you here." Siyeon asks, while helping Minji make the bed.
"I can do. Do you not want to get rid of me?"
Siyeon turns away, looking at the floor. "I like all my guests to have a good time."
"Especially the ones you helped out of the morning snow?"

As soon as she makes that comment, Minji recoils, raising her hand to her head.

"Sorry if that came off weird." She has a look at Siyeon who laughs and shakes her head, but avoids eye contact. Minji is reassured. It can't have been that bad, then.

The tension in the room thaws and Siyeon asks Minji to help out in the now empty rooms. She obliges, especially as the couple haven't even asked Minji to pay anything for staying there yet. Soon she is sent up and down the stairs with piles of laundry.
It doesn't feel like a chore. Siyeon somehow makes it fun, sharing a quick story of one time when they were snowed in the house or when Bora pushed her so hard down a snowy hill that she fell off the sled and rolled into a snowman. As well as that, every time she walked through the kitchen, she would catch Bora smiling at her - or, at least, glancing and trying to hide her smile.


Siyeon and Minji head downstairs to an empty dining area, minus Bora sitting in a chair and holding a steaming mug.

"All done?"
The two nod.
Minji glances out of the window. The clouds are grey and with the freezing temperature she felt in the laundry room, away from any heaters, she really hoped it would snow.

"Should we go on a walk?"
Her words seem to have no filter today.
"If you have nothing else to do, that is."

Bora stands up, walking to the guest book. Her eyes scan the pages.
"Our next guest is checking in at four, so we have some time."
"Minji, aren't you going to be cold?"

She hadn't thought of that. Another thing she needed to grab on this walk was another set of clothes. Apparently magical teleportation things didn't provide you with basics.
A hat, pair of gloves and a scarf was thrown at her. Bora laughs from by the coat hooks. It was settled.

The first use of the gloves (after she had pulled on her coat and made sure her phone was still resting in her pockets) was to scoop up snow from the fence. Bora didn't see the flying snowball aimed at her back when she turned around to lock the door. Siyeon cracks up, pointing at the snow-covered woman.

"That's it!" Bora shouts, scooping up her own snowball and throwing it at Siyeon.

Minji never knew how competitive she could get, and didn't expect Siyeon to have tactics for a snowball fight or anything. She did, and when the others got hit, she would cheer. Revenge snowballs were sent back in her direction. Bora goes for a high-five, unaware of the snow in Minji's hand that scatters over their heads when their hands collide.

Eventually, Minji has to sit down, calling a time out. The two sit either side of her, breathing heavily. Minji's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The most the city's snow could have provided was three snowballs worth, before the rest was trodden down into slush.

This joy was unlike any other she had felt in a long time. The time spent with the couple made her truly happy, something that never happened in previous Decembers. Maybe it was time for a change.
But how would she change like this? She was placed here somehow, out of nowhere. Siyeon and Bora have their own lives, their own relationship to look after and then Minji.. she's still practically a stranger to them. She hasn't known them since she was 12, she's known them for a day and now it hurts. It hurts that these two people have made her feel so, so welcome in a place where she felt lost. Even though it's the last thing she wants, she has to go back to the city. Other villages exist, maybe she should go there instead, to avoid her roommate's questions.

The whole time the couple have been joking and laughing, until they notice the silence between them and the welling up of tears in the older woman's eyes.
"Minji... what's wrong?" Bora's voice is ridiculously soft and it makes tears roll down her cheeks.
It takes a few tries, but Minji manages to say, "I have to go back home at some point. It's only right."
Siyeon's eyes soften, "We can help you."
But they already have. The day before, she was given a map. It showed her how far away she was and that means she has a way back.
Minji's voice is small. "Thank you."

She wipes away the stray tears and stands up.
"Can we go and get some other clothes for me?"
It's obvious that it's a distraction from how she was crying a minute before, but the others take it and they start walking.

Snow falls as they walk back home in dim light, thanks to the little daylight hours they have. There's still some time before the next guest is due to arrive and Bora waits at the front room for them, while Siyeon suggests Minji should visit their room to get warmed up.

Siyeon and Bora's room is downstairs, down a corridor and into an extension. It's spacious and they've spared no trouble with the decorations. Lights hang all around the top of the walls and lamps are covered in tinsel. Floor length windows are covered by drawn curtains. The room is split into two, with their bed on a raised floor section, hidden by a half wall. The other half is very much like a living room. It makes sense. Even the friendliest of people need their own space sometimes.

A fire sits opposite the sofa.
"We wanted the extension to tie into the rest of the building, so we used similar woods and had this fireplace built."
It's a nice touch, one that Minji can see had a lot of effort put into it.

Siyeon sits on the sofa and pats it. Minji sits next to her.
"If you're not leaving today, Bora and I were saying you could sleep here. There's no rooms free, but it would be nice to have time to help you back home."

It's a sweet offer and she appreciates it.
"That's fine, thank you." Minji shakes the bag in her hand. "Is there anywhere I can get changed?"
Siyeon points towards a door. Minji returns a few minutes later.

"Do you have scissors?"
Siyeon looks up. "Yes, do you have labels?"
The other woman nods and watches her open a drawer.
"Turn around then." Her finger waves in a circle.

Oh, so this was happening. She lifted up her hair and Siyeon cut the tags.

"You look nice."
"Thank you."

There's a pause, and Minji feels her heart jump. She turns to sit back on the sofa and Siyeon clears up.

"Bora will be in at some point, I'm sure. We have a full house tonight, so she will be settling people in."
"Do you do that too, or is that more Bora's thing?"
"Settle people in?"
Minji nods.
"We take in turns a lot of times, but she does a better job of it and she knows it. This place makes her happy. Plus, I'm busy with looking after you."

Minji laughs, "You make me sound like I'm a baby."
"You're not?" Siyeon teases. Minji fakes anger.

Siyeon turns on the TV. It plays a kids cartoon, of course. The other woman quickly switches channels and it lands on a cooking show. Minji sinks into the sofa more, scrolling mindlessly on her phone while Siyeon does the same. It's calm.

Her message to Handong and her boss didn't get any replies back, though. That's a little unlike them. They're probably just busy. She puts her phone down and rests her head on the arm of the chair. From here, she can see Siyeon gazing intently at the TV, making notes on a notepad while someone cooks a noodle dish. Her eyes start to shut while watching and Minji is well away.

She awakes to whispers and a soft red blanket over her. Bora has entered and has sat on a chair. Siyeon holds her hand, while stood next to each other. They eventually look over and fall silent when they see Minji looking at them. Waving at the pair, she rubs her eyes with her other hand and sits up.

"I wasn't asleep for long, was I?"
She doesn't recognise the look in Siyeon's eyes as she walks towards her. A hand strokes Minji's hair, probably flattening the stray blonde strands.
"Not really. Don't go back to sleep though, you'll miss movie night." 

Bora approaches and falls onto the sofa, accidentally sitting on Minji's feet. She screams and it hurts Minji's ears, but she finds herself laughing.
"You have too much leg." Bora huffs, shuffling next to her.
Minji scoffs. "Not even a sorry?"
The shorter woman pats her shoulder. "Sorry."

It's definitely not a meaningful one but it matches Minji's playful comment.

"What movie are you watching?"
"Siyeon's ordering food and then we'll watch Elf or something."
"I can go for a walk, if you guys want to spend time together. It's almost Christmas."
Siyeon and Bora share a look.

"We'd love it, if you were able to spend tonight with us." Bora says.

Siyeon immediately adds after, "To watch the movie and eat."
It earns her a punch in the arm from Bora.

Minji holds out her phone, a takeaway app open.
"Use mine. It's the least I can do for you."

Bora strokes Minji's head. "You don't owe us anything. Your company is all we need."

Minji drops her phone on Bora's legs when it's pushed towards her to take back.

Ordering food with Siyeon and Bora turns out to be absolute chaos. There's no order, just a shouting mess of how much they want to get each dish, before deciding if they would get said dish by battling it out with countless rock-paper-scissors games.

It all worked out in the end, though. They were respectful enough to not get Minji's card declined, and then they settled with their food and, as promised, Elf begins. She thinks she's heard some of this movie on a previous Christmas when Dongie played it as she walked through to get to the kitchen, before returning to her room to spend another day of the season by herself. Now she's experiencing this with the help of the two wonderful women sat with her.

As it turns out, Elf is incredibly hard to understand when you've never properly celebrated Christmas. This is brought up at the end of the film, when Bora's legs are stretched across Siyeon's and Minji is tucked up in the blanket.

"How were people meant to believe that Santa's workshop is real and yet normal people have never found it, when it would have to be huge to provide all those presents?"
Bora covers Siyeon's ears, "Shush, Minji, you'll ruin the magic for the kid."
"I'm 26." Siyeon deadpans, removing the hands from her head.

Bora snorts, "With the amount of questions, I'd have thought you'd never seen Elf before."

"I haven't."

"But it's a Christmas classic."

Minji rubs the back of her neck. "I've never celebrated Christmas before."

"Is it to do with religion?"

Minji shakes her head. "My parents just never wanted to. They thought it was a waste of time, something that should be escaped from. I rarely see them now, but the memories aren't great from those times so I tend to avoid it."

There's a hush that falls over the room, gentle Christmas music playing in the background that Siyeon rushes to pause.

The room is now silent. Minji can gather her thoughts now.

"But, being here with you, spending time with you and doing all the things that are normal for you celebrating, it makes me happy. I've not been uncomfortable with anything, so, thank you."

Siyeon opens her arms and Minji falls into them. Bora strokes Minji's back.

"Thank you for being with us."

It's whispered into Minji's hair and she feels her eyes welling up with tears. She refuses to cry two days in a row in front of them, so she sits up, turning away to dab at her eyes.

"We wanted to give you this, but if it would make you unhappy, we can hold onto it."

Minji turns around to see an envelope held out towards her. She takes it, slowly opening it and pulling out the card.

" 'What's an elf's favourite genre of music?' " She flips open the card. " 'Wrap music.'"

She snorts. "That is absolutely awful."

"But it's funny how awful it is, right?" Siyeon laughs.

Minji nods, smiling. "Thank you."

The card is signed with little drawings of a bird, wolf and rabbit underneath, that she runs her finger over. She places it on the table.

"Your turn, Singnie!" A card is held out.
"You do yours at the same time!" Another card is held out.

Envelopes are opened.

They both burst into laughter, the type where you struggle to breathe, and Minji sits there in confused silence.
"No way!" 
"We're just too alike."

Minji is shown that they have bought each other the exact same card: a really over the top design with the phrase 'Are you Rudolph’s red nose? Because I would say you glow' printed on the bottom. She joins in the laughter.

It's a funny situation. They place the cards, as well as Minji's up on the fireplace and that almost sets them off again when they put the cards next to each other.

That day had been a busy one and the sun had set long ago. Minji snuggles into the sofa, using a cushion as a pillow and shuts her eyes. They continue talking, but it's the sleepy talk that makes little sense and small hums of agreement. Unknowingly, she drifts off to sleep.

The sound of an abrupt phone stirs Minji and she opens her eyes in time to watch Bora stub her toe on the table. She swears under her breath and limps over to the noise.

"Hello?" Bora yawns, covering the microphone on the phone. "Of course, I'll be right up. Room 2? Got it."
And then to Minji and a sleeping Siyeon, she says that she will be back soon.

Yawning also, she turns to look at Siyeon. She brushes her fringe over her forehead more. Siyeon hums and shuffles to lean into Minji, linking arms and settling to sleep again.

This is definitely overstepping a boundary, isn't it?

She tries to pull her arm away, but Siyeon grabs hold tighter. With her not being fully awake, Minji's surrenders to the pull of sleep and shuts her eyes again.

When Bora enters the room again, she freezes, looking at the two. She smiles as she takes a photo of them in the dim light of the lamp they forgot to turn off earlier and curls into Siyeon, letting sleep take her away.

Minji was the first to awake the next morning, with a crick in her neck and Siyeon resting on her shoulder. Bora's legs fall over Siyeon's as she hugs closely. She decides to leave the pair and heads to the bathroom. A spare shower gel and towel sits on the side, one that Bora had informed her of the day before. She takes advantage of an early start and steps into the shower.

Bora and Siyeon have left the sofa when she returns and she frowns. She walks into the dining area. No guests are up yet.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I did. Did you?"

Siyeon nods.

"Today, we get you home Minji!" Bora calls from the kitchen. The Bed and Breakfast is closed for Christmas, so it means that they have time to help her.

The bus comes in less than an hour, so they get ready and pack the little amount of things Minji has.

She takes a picture of the room on her phone, wanting to remember how this looked when she first met them. Minji places her bag on the floor, Siyeon slipping the card that she left on the fireplace in it.

"So, how much do I owe you?"
Bora looks offended, to say the least. "I really meant it, when I said you don't owe us anything. Don't even try."
Minji hugs her as temporary payment, but she will definitely find ways to spend on them when she's back home.

It's when they're all shivering at the bus stop that Minji realises she's going to have to show them around the city.

"It's a lot busier than here. A lot of queues, a lot of angry traffic and a lot going on at once."
"We can be tourists, and you're our tour guide."
Minji smiles, linking arms with them. "Got it!"


The bus ride flies by with a very competitive game of I-Spy. Minji feels carefree and it's a light feeling, one that drifts through the air. 

First on the list, is taking them to the best pancake place. The combination of maple syrup and other ingredients has always been Minji's favourite and she enjoys the look on Siyeon's face as she has her first mouthful. She and Bora laugh at her puffed cheeks.

"I don't know how I've survived until now." Bora says, leaning back in her chair and putting her cutlery together on the plate.

They end up spending a lot of the day browsing in shops. Siyeon insists on buying fairy lights and Bora shakes her head, while saying about how they already have way too many.
Siyeon insists that you can never have too many.

In a fancy dress shop, they find a stand with hats on. They take photos in a mirror of them wearing them and laugh at the faces they pulled.

Bora points at another stand. "I can imagine you in a princess dress, Si."
"I'm not sure about that."

Later on, they walk around the park. The paths are gritted and there aren't that many plants to see, but strings of lights hang from the trees, scattering light across their faces. Siyeon wraps her arms around the others and squeezes.

"I want to attempt this at home."
"Maybe one day." Bora replies.

Minji smiles, almost fooling herself that she will be there with them for that. She shakes her head. There's one more surprise.

"This way!" Minji pulls the two forwards by their hands and once they round the corner-

"Are you serious?" Bora laughs, clapping her hands together. "This is going to be funny."

Siyeon almost falls when standing up for the first time in skates, so that alone should've been a hint to what Minji had to deal with for the rest of their ice skating session.

At first, the two stayed holding onto the wall as Minji effortlessly glided next to them. Siyeon gave up with this and tried to brave the ice, but a few pushes in, she flailed her arms wildly and Minji had to steady her, almost getting dragged down herself. Bora just points, finding this hilarious until she slips and has to pull herself back to standing. 

The second lap around the rink goes slightly better. Siyeon and Bora begin skating properly while holding onto the side lightly and Minji encourages them, giving a joking pep-talk that almost causes Siyeon to fall over.

In the middle, Minji holds onto them and they manage to slowly make their way around.
"You can go ahead if you want, I'm sure you'll catch up to us, even with our speed." Bora jokes.

Minji laps them in less than a minute. Bora is shocked.

The session finishes after a lot more playing around and they remove the boots when back on normal floor.

Bora jumps.
"Wait, this feels so weird."
She jumps again.
"My feet feel light."

The two others laugh at her (but also jump with her when she asks them to).

It's when Minji's at home that she realises she will have to say goodbye in the next few days. She's not ready.

"I know I said this yesterday, but you've really made me happy. I... appreciate you. Both of you."
"I'm happy."
"Sweet dreams, Minji. See you tomorrow." The two smile from where they're laying on the sofa bed in Minji's living room.

Minji shuts the door. She wants to hug them. Really badly. But that's a little childish and awkward. She has all the time in the world though, if they'd want her in their lives in any form.
She lays in her own bed, truly truly happy. Christmas Eve was tomorrow and for the first time in her life, she welcomes it.

The next morning comes and Minji takes her time getting dressed. One of the first things she notices is her hair being dark again. Today is a great day. She can spend more time with the couple and then make sure they get home safe, if that's what they wanted. Minji is ready to hug them, and show off her usual hair colour.

She walks into the living room to find Handong sitting on the sofa.

"So she turns up, huh?" The woman says with a smile. "How come the sofa bed was all set up this morning, blankets and everything?"
Minji tilts her head. "What do you mean? Did you not see them?"
"Who?"
"Bora and Siyeon? Two women about my age? Slept here last night?"
"Bora and Siyeon, you say? Two women? Damn, Minji, I leave for one night and you spend the night with two women?"
Minji is horrified. "No, no. Not like that. I've been spending time with them after I ended up in the snow in this village that I texted you about."

"Village? How far did you go? I saw you yesterday afternoon."

The more Minji says, the worse things get. She pulls out her phone. The last hope. She must have the photos of when they went ice skating yesterday. 

Nothing comes up. Not even the messages she sent to Dongie and her boss telling them that she would be away for a few days. 

"Yesterday" apparently hasn't even happened. It's four days to Christmas.

She feels arms wrap around her shoulders and she's led to the sofa. Her head falls into her hands.
"I just don't understand. Everything felt so, so real."
"The brain is a wonderful thing."
Her shoulders shake with sobs. "I'm so confused."
Handong comforts her as much as she can, holding her as she cries.
"Want me to call in sick?"
Her crying slows and she shakes her head. "The last thing I need is more time to get upset while thinking about a- a dream."
A tissue box is held out to her. She tries to compose herself, feeling awful.

Walking to work is a dreary affair. She's an hour late and the weather is absolutely miserable. The time spent with Bora and Siyeon was too good to be true and yet she can't get them out of her mind. Every memory with them is so vivid and it hurts her head. 

For Minji, it seems that Christmas will never be able to bring her joy. Even the universe seems to be messing with her. Her feet drag along the ground, she can't face getting into work early. 

Her co-workers greet her in the same normal way. She tidies up the counter and arranges the stationery. Doing tasks like these means she doesn't find herself thinking back to the others. It's hopeless and something still doesn't feel right. There's no way she's this upset for it to be just a dream. The bell rings every now and again, signalling a new customer entered, but no one really came to talk to her.

She stopped looking up after the sixth time.

Maybe she'll just try and find the village and go back to see if they are there. What if they end up not knowing her?

Voices cut through her panic.

"Hey, can we get an americano and a hot chocolate?"

Minji looks up.

"Sure. It's takeaway only at the moment. If that's okay."

She stands up, making her way around the counter and towards the customers who just entered. One has long dark hair that moves when she nods and the other is shorter and has light brown hair. 

"And can I take a name?"

The lighter haired woman speaks. "Bora."

Her co-worker turns around, preparing the drinks. As Minji gets closer to the pair, she hears their bickering.

"Siyeon. It's my name, because I'm the one paying."
"But it's a gift for me."

The hairstyles do not match what she thought, but the names do.

But, there's no way, right? There's a pull Minji feels and the two turn around. 

There clearly is a way, though.

The glance at Minji's face and down to her nametag, and then the jaws dropping and arms opening and the tight hug she receives tell it all. She's home. She hasn't lost them and they're somehow here.
Minji cries, again, but so do the other two. Kisses are placed on her head and they pull away, arms wrapped around her back and using their free hands to wipe away tears.

"Please tell me you're real."

The two nod their heads, huge smiles on their faces.

"We have so much to talk about."

All Minji can do is laugh and pull them close again. Something she never thought she'd be able to do again.