Chapter Text
She had done this multiple times before.
Byulyi checked the wall clock in front of her. 11:55 PM.
"Alright everyone, let's start our countdown! We have five minutes until midnight. Are you all excited?" She spoke into her microphone.
It was currently December 24, which was Christmas Eve for most people, and Byulyi found herself alone in the recording studio, as always.
While most people her age would probably be drinking with their closest friends in a noraebang or perhaps eating late dinner with their families in a restaurant at a time like this, she was stuck in the same studio she had been working in for the past six years with her cup of half-empty iced americano.
She couldn't say she wasn’t used to it though, since she'd done this multiple times before.
“What’s your favorite thing to do during the holiday season?” She asked her listeners.
Ever since she started working in the radio station, working in the dead hours of the night when most people would most likely be asleep was something she had always been doing. Even when she was promoted from a small-time intern to a permanent radio host and announcer, her slot as the regular nighttime host never changed.
Her senior PDs don’t even bother to ask anymore if she would take a night shift. They just see her sitting in her recording studio, hand her the script and theme of the day, greet her with a smile or a pat in the back, and go home. Byulyi could take it as a blessing since they never ask about why she’s always in the studio more than she’s in her apartment.
She herself wouldn't even know the answer to that question, anyway.
"I think my favorite thing to do during the holidays is to laze around." Byulyi laughed. “I mean, most of us don’t have work on the holidays, right? Then, I can just sleep all day.” She said.
She caught sight of a listener's comment. “Oh, someone said, ‘Byulyi-unnie, maybe you should get yourself a boyfriend!’” Byulyi laughed awkwardly at that.
She read the comments more.
"Yeah, unnie. You need to let loose! Have some fun!"
"It'd be nice to have someone cook for you at the end of the day."
"Or maybe just someone you can be with when you're tired!"
"A boyfriend!"
Byulyi laughed again, scratching her nape. "It's nice that you all care about me, but I don’t know about that, everyone. I'm not exactly the type to talk about myself, and my relationships aren't exactly an interesting topic.” She heard someone laugh. It was known knowledge in the station that Byulyi exclusively liked women.
She looked around the studio. It was just her and a few people; mostly interns, who were tasked to keep the radio show running on one of the busiest holidays in the entire year. She felt bad for them; most of the other staff went home to their families to celebrate the holiday but these young adults were stuck with her instead of going out and having fun.
Obviously, Byulyi had no one to go home to as well, so naturally, she stayed in the radio station to accompany her listeners, who, like her, likely had no one during Christmas too.
However, though she had been doing this for six years now, she couldn't deny that her heart sank every time Christmas would arrive and she had no one to be with for yet another year.
Byulyi has had relationships before, but none of them were serious. Though she can be greasy and flirty with other women and strike up a conversation pretty easily, she never really found herself fully committing to someone.
The thought made Byulyi shake her head in disbelief. She always complained about not having someone during the holidays, yet she never went out of her way to actually find someone to be with.
“You’re such a workaholic, really.” She remembered one of her friends, Wheein, telling her one day.
“Yeah, unnie, that’s why you’re always alone during the holidays.” Hyejin, another one of her friends and also Wheein’s girlfriend, added.
“You don’t have to call me out.” Byulyi rolled her eyes at them.
“But when we tell you that you can always come and hang out with us for Christmas, you never do. You always say that you're busy, but in reality, it's just you and your studio again." Wheein pointed out.
"But it's my work, though?" Byulyi said.
"Unnie, I swear you're married to your microphone.” Hyejin said.
As much as she hated it, Byulyi had to admit that her friends were right.
Whenever her listeners would tell her that they were drinking with friends, eating with family, or finally spending the godforsaken holiday with a lover, Byulyi couldn’t help but feel envious.
Her Christmas only included her graveyard shift in the radio station, going home in the early morning, sleeping until the afternoon, waking up, and ordering her late lunch. It was just like every other workday. No planned hang-outs with friends, dates with lovers, or even hearty meals with family. It was just her in her lonely apartment.
Maybe she should get a dog.
"Everyone, we only have 10 seconds until Christmas! Let’s do the final countdown!” Byulyi spoke enthusiastically into the microphone. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Merry Christmas everyone!" She cheered as she started to play a Christmas song.
"Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to our dear listeners. Spend the days with your family and friends, enjoy your presents from gift-giving, and of course, rest well!" She added.
The radio ended 20 minutes later.
After saying her final goodbyes and announcements, Byulyi took off her headphones, greeted the few interns in the room with "Merry Christmas, you've done well. You can go home now," and checked her phone. She saw that some of her friends messaged her for Christmas—Hyejin, Wheein, Seulgi, and a few other workmates.
She opened Hyejin and Wheein’s messages.
Wheein
Unnieeee! Merry Christmas! We know you’re doing your nighttime routine shift AGAIN. Hehe. Hyejin made this really delicious mooncake, you HAVE to come by and try it! We love you~
Byulyi opened the image attached and saw Hyejin’s masterpiece. It was a small cake decorated with what she assumed was homemade frosting with the words "Merry Christmas!" in Hyejin's attempt of cursive letters.
Hyejin
Byul-unnie! Merry Christmas! Seriously, you should come and spend Christmas with us. It's always fun when you're around. Come by sometime! Wheein and I miss you. We love you!
Byulyi smiled and quickly replied to them with a greeting of her own and checked her Instagram. Of course, her friends from college and even her workmates had their own special way of celebrating Christmas. She saw Wheein and Hyejin's post with the cake, Seulgi drinking with her friends, Naeun with her family, and others.
She set her phone down. The interns already left. She always volunteered to leave last in the studio so she'd have some time for herself. She considered cleaning up her studio as therapeutic. God, she sounded like a grandma already at 28-years-old.
Then came a knock. Byulyi thought it was another intern who was going to ask for permission to leave, until—
"Byulyi?"
She then looked up, shocked to see the girl still in front of her. "Yongsun-ssi?"
Yongsun was another one of the radio station’s interns, though she’s a year older than Byulyi. She had only been working in the station for a good few months, and her credentials were good. She previously worked with a different station until she decided to move to the station where Byulyi worked.
Byulyi suddenly stood up. "Why are you still here? Didn't your shift end an hour ago?"
Indeed, Yongsun was standing in the studio’s doorway, a plastic bag in both of her hands with a sheepish smile.
The older girl looked down in faint shyness. "I know. But I noticed that you're always alone, and it's Christmas today. So, I bought some samgyeopsal, so we can eat together."
Byulyi could only look at the older girl in front of her, mouth agape.
Yongsun didn't necessarily work alongside Byulyi, since the older girl was an intern to the resident announcer of their studio, but they had already interacted outside of Byulyi’s studio and shared a few instances of banter and subtle flirting.
Yongsun was so easy to talk to, and Byulyi particularly found her smile pretty.
She only kept her eyes on the older girl for a while, but never really did anything about it.
So, this small gesture panicked, yet moved Byulyi.
Byulyi put her hand on her chin. "Shouldn't you be home already? It would suck to know that you stayed here and missed Christmas with your friends just because you bought me food."
Yongsun laughed softly and fully entered Byulyi’s studio, setting the plastic bag with the food on the table. "I don't mind." She now sat beside the younger girl. "You don't deserve to be alone during Christmas."
Yongsun's words took Byulyi aback, but she held herself. "So you'll accompany me on every Christmas from now on, then?" She asked with a smirk. Yongsun blushed and slapped the younger girl on the shoulder.
"Don't be like that, or else I'll take the food back." She said jokingly.
Byulyi's eyes widened. “No! Don’t take the food!” She said childishly. Then, the two of them laughed for a good few minutes. Byulyi didn’t remember the last time she laughed with someone she barely knew like this before.
"I'm just kidding, Yongsun-unnie. Thank you for all of this. No one has ever done this for me before." Byulyi said, putting her hand on top of Yongsun's. They locked eyes for a few seconds until they realized what they were doing and looked away with a blush forming on their cheeks.
Embarrassed, Yongsun said, "Uh, yeah, you'll have to pay me back for all this." She focused her attention on taking out the food from the containers.
Byulyi tapped her chin with a finger and pretended to think, but she already had something in mind.
"Then,” She announced. “I'll treat you to dinner sometime."
Yongsun looked at Byulyi and slightly tilted her head. "Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Moon?" She handed the younger girl the container filled with rice and lettuce.
Byulyi took it. "If you look at it that way, then yes, I am asking you out on a date, Miss Kim." She replied with a wink.
Heat slowly rose again into Yongsun's cheeks. She looked at Byulyi for a few moments and replied. "Sure, then."
The two opened the containers and started to eat the savory samgyeopsal together with the various side dishes and kimchi. Byulyi had never felt this content during Christmas.
“Kimchi?” Byulyi offered.
“Of course. A meal is never complete without kimchi.” Yongsun said, taking the serving of kimchi from Byulyi.
Byulyi—rather, the ever-so kimchi loving Byulyi—laughed again. “Slow down, Yong. I might fall for you.” She said and they both laughed.
They continued eating and Byulyi looked at the older girl beside her, who was happily eating and talking about some embarrassing moments during her first months in the radio station.
“And then Chorong was like, ‘How did you misplace it?’ She definitely knew that Miss Jang would be so mad at me, and she really did! I was so scared and embarrassed.” Yongsun recounted her story to Byulyi, putting her hands on her face.
Byulyi laughed. "She's always a terror to the interns, anyway. But she's sort of kind when you get on her good side."
"I guess her good side is still a little cold." Yongsun shrugged with a smile.
Byulyi opened a can of beer—courtesy of the older girl, of course—and clinked it with Yongsun's can of soda, since she mentioned that she couldn’t handle her alcohol.
"Merry Christmas, Yongsun." Byulyi smiled.
"Merry Christmas, Byul." Yongsun returned her smile.
While the two ate in Byulyi’s relatively small recording studio, laughing and sharing stories, Byulyi realized that she’d never felt at peace and home in the place she only considered as her workspace.
Then, she looked at Yongsun. Slowly, a small smile made its way to her lips.
Maybe this could be the start of something new.