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Hyeju hated christmas. The tacky ‘festive spirit’, awkward family getogethers and last but not least, the capitalistic nature of forced gift-giving. She hated all of it. Christmas had historically never been a good time for her, though. Drama was rife in her family, and it only got worse after they found out about Chaewon, the woman she proudly called her girlfriend. It was safe to say that was her last Christmas as a part of the Son household. It was better off this way, she told herself on countless occasions. At least it was all behind her now. She was no longer reprimanded for not having any festive spirit, she wasn’t forced into going to the gatherings that constantly left her feeling alone with her own family and she wasn’t forced into buying anyone a gift they would likely have no use for. Again, it was better off this way.
A sigh escaped Hyeju’s lips as she fell back in her chair. The clock had just struck 5pm on Christmas Eve. She was finally done working for the holiday season. Hyeju had the pleasure of working in marketing. At this time of the year, she was sure it was one of the worst jobs in the world for a certified grinch like herself. That didn’t matter now, though. She was done until the following year.
She stood up out of her chair; a stretch given the moment she did as she lifted her trench coat from behind her chair, draping it over her shoulder. Just as Hyeju was about to quickly escape the premises before her boss could ask her for any sort of favour, she felt a light tap on her arm. She turned to see one of the coworkers actually enjoyed the company of. They were few and far between.
“Make sure not to sulk all day tomorrow, hm?” Yeojin said as she began to pack away all of her personal belongings from her desk. She didn’t trust them to still be here when she got back. It was New York, after all. Stranger things have happened. “I know you hate this time of year more than anyone but… try to have fun? At the very least, you can celebrate that we’re done this shit until next year!”
Always vulgar, Hyeju thought to herself. That was Yeojin, though. It was one of the things that made her seem like a real person, unlike most of the people they worked with. “Yeah, thanks, Yeojin. You too, alright?” Hyeju said as she collected the one thing she kept on her desk; a polaroid photograph of Chaewon and herself in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. That was one of her favourite memories with her girlfriend. “Make sure to get Yerim something nice.”
Yeojin scoffed at her coworker’s comment. “I think I’ve given Yerimmie enough this year no?” She questioned.
Hyeju’s eye fell from Yeojin’s to the ring she wore on her finger. The two got married not too long ago. Chaewon and Hyeju had the delightful experience of being in attendance. “You think so?” Hyeju replied with a smirk as she dodged the incoming punch from her coworker. That was her cue to leave. “Maybe it’s time to give her something else, eh?” Hyeju said as she made her way towards the elevator, insinuating that it was time for the pair to think about something more than marriage. She didn’t stick around to hear Yeojin’s rebuttal, closing the door of the elevator as soon as possible.
Alone in a glass container, Hyeju descended into hell: the streets of New York on Christmas Eve. Due to the dress in her workplace, which was strictly formal at all times, Hyeju currently adorned a two piece suit, a short and tie, put together with the leather trench coat she fastened onto her body. Her boss was nice enough to let them wear boots instead of dress shoes because of the weather. A rarity, she thought to herself as the elevator reached the ground floor, a waft of cold air instantly hitting her as the elevator doors opened. Hyeju couldn’t help but scrunch up her features as she took her first steps, snow crunching beneath her feet as she ventured into the cold front that had been waiting for her.
The hustle and bustle of the city’s streets was something she had gotten used to over the years. However, the Christmas rush would never fail to get on her nerves. Everyone was out in order to buy things that they’ve had months to buy. In her mind, there were very little reasons to leave it this late. Although, that wouldn’t stop everyone from bumping into each other in the middle of Times square and the surrounding areas. Hyeju bit her lip as she stopped herself from roaring at what seemed to be the tenth person to barge into her from all directions. It was a blood bath out there.
For that reason, Hyeju decided to take a detour; a trip down a random street she had never ventured down. It allowed for some much needed time away from the packed street she had just been on. As she meandered down this new set of snow-covered bricks, eyes landing on a couple doing some last minute shopping. They looked young, Hyeju thought to herself, younger than her, and she isn’t that old, either. She was only 25. That didn’t mean that she didn’t feel old, though. She had been in her current position for years now. That didn’t stop her from smiling at the seemingly younger couple as the girlfriend attempted to pull her boyfriend along, nagging that he wasn’t listening to her. He was too busy attempting to sneakily check out the rings in the window they were passing by. She may not have noticed, but Hyeju did. The girlfriend continued complaining even though his attention had turned to her once more, a smile on his face as he did so. Her insistent moaning reminded of somebody else; Chaewon, her own girlfriend. That thought made her want to get home even faster. She missed her girlfriend.
Hyeju opted to put insert her headphones before venturing back into the madness, hands stuffed into her pockets before the cold chill of winter could get to them. Just as she was about to cross the street, she was stopped along with a horde of people as some sort of Christmas show drove by. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, a scoff following shortly after. At this point, she really just wanted to be home. Even the sound of Nirvana’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ couldn’t drown out the annoying chimes of the metallic reindeer in front of her. If that wasn’t enough, she was nearly sure she almost watched a kid get run over by the giant float. Great, she thought to herself as she was finally granted access to the subway, descending into a place she never really felt safe’ a place where trouble always brewed.
For once in her life, the ride home was relatively normal. A few minor annoyances, people being louder than they should’ve, a group of carolers attempting to get regular people in on their festivities. The usual, really. However, that changed the moment that Hyeju felt a tug on her suit pants. Her eyes moved away from her phone, only to find a child looking back at her. Odd, she thought to herself. Children normally avoided her. Something about being scary. She pulled her headphones out of her ears, holding them in her hand as she brought her music to a close.
“You lost?” Hyeju questioned as she made herself smaller, hoping she would be a tad more approachable now. Contrary to popular belief, she doesn’t hate children. She likes them a lot, actually. She’s just not very good with them. She tends to treat them like miniature adults.
Instead of replying to her question, the child had another thought on her mind. “Pretty!” She said with a smile wider than Hyeju had ever smiled in her entire life.
“You?” The elder replied, her own head tilting in confusion.
The child shook her head. “No, you!” She was adamant about it, too.
Hyeju screwed up her face in retort. “But I think you’re prettier!” At this point, it felt like she was having an argument with said child. It was things like this that lead her to believe that she wouldn’t be great at raising one. She always thought that she would be more likely to be a cool aunt than a mother figure.
Before the child could reply, she was swooped up into the arms of who Hyeju assumed to be one of her parents. “Sorry about that!” Her mother said as the child nestled herself into her arms.
Kahei, Hyeju thought to herself. She was wearing a nametag that said Kahei. From the clothing she wore, she was able to discern that this woman was a nurse. “Oh! It’s nothing, really,” Hyeju said as she rubbed the back of her neck, unsure of how to hold herself in a conversation like this. She wasn’t much of a people person. It definitely showed.
“Mama!” The child chirped up. “Isn’t she pretty?”
Kahei didn’t take long on answering her kid’s question. “Mhm! Very pretty,” she replied as she bounced her child in her arms.
Hyeju instinctively shook her head, a tad embarrassed. She wasn’t used to conversations with strangers, let alone somebody complimenting her unprompted. This wasn’t on her bingo card for the day, that was for sure. “Aha, thank you.”
Sensing the younger girl’s concoction of awkwardness and embarrassment, Kahei opted to exit the conversation there. The last thing she wanted was to cause somebody discomfort. “C’mon now, Mini-Me,” the nurse said as she felt her child slump against her shoulder. “Mama Hyunnie will think we’ve disappeared,” she added before she began to walk away from Hyeju. “Happy Holidays, miss!”
The corners of Hyeju’s lips tugged into the semblance of a smile. “You too,” she replied as she waved off the kid that continued to stare at her over her mother’s shoulder until they disappeared into the crowd of bodies once more.
Due to that unexpected encounter, Hyeju found herself surprised with the fact that she had already reached her stop. Thank god, she thought to herself as she ascended from the subway once more. Unlucky for her, it was still mighty cold, snowing more now, if that was even possible. She was eternally grateful for the fact that she lived only a few minutes away from this stop.
Once she reached her apartment building, she sighed with relief, dusting the snow that had gotten all over herself as she began to climb the stairs to her humble abode. She stood outside their door for a moment, shaky hands fiddling with the keys in her hands, fingers still chilled from the elements outdoors. Eventually, she got it unlocked, opening the door to find their apartment neatly decorated from top to bottom with Christmas themed things. Chaewon was a maximalist; she took pride in being able to make a lot of things fit into one space and have it look coherent and not a visual mess. Perhaps that was why she chose to be an interior designer. It definitely showed, anyway. Cute, Hyeju thought to herself as she stepped into her home. Even though she hated Christmas and everything that it stood for, she was always able to see a different side of it with Chaewon’s help.
Unlike Hyeju, Chaewon loved Christmas. It was arguably her favourite time of the year, aside from their birthdays, which was around the time of their anniversary, too. Surprisingly, Hyeju loved that Chaewon loved Christmas. She loved to see her girlfriend happy, and she would do anything to make her girlfriend happy.
“Hello?” Hyeju called as she took her first step into their apartment, locking the door behind her. She didn’t get a reply. Odd, she thought. Chaewon worked from home, and when Hyeju got home, she usually resembled a little puppy, running to the front door to greet her as she did. This time, there was nothing.
The warmth Hyeju felt as she stepped deeper into the apartment was enough for her to undo the ties of her trench coat and suit jacket, leaving both on the hanger on the back of the door. Her boots were quickly removed too, joining the pile of footwear she had right beside the exit. That was probably the least organised part of their household. It was entirely Hyeju’s fault.
“Hello, santa’s lttle helper?” Hyeju followed up as she made her way further into their apartment, entering the living room to a crackling, roaring fire and her girlfriend lying asleep on their couch. It was safe to say, she must’ve had an eventful day, enough to tucker herself out already. “What do we have here?” Hyeju said as she approached Chaewon, inevitably finding herself resting comfortably atop of her girlfriend’s body. She was toasty warm; somehow warmer than the heat she felt from the open fire. The perks of living on the outskirts of the city, she supposed.
While Hyeju was definitely fit and in good shape, she was still a noticeable weight on top of Chaewon’s smaller body. “Mm…” She sounded as she begun to stir awake.
“What’s that, sleepy head?” Hyeju teased as she began to twirl a strand of Chaewon’s hair around her index finger, her head nuzzling the other’s shoulders as she did so. If Heaven existed, Hyeju was sure that this was it.
“Parents…” Chaewon mumbled as she turned her head to face Hyeju, barely able to open her eyes, retina still too sensitive for that. “What time is it?”
Oh, that was right. They were supposed to visit Chaewon’s parents tonight. Unlike her own parents, she got along quite well with Chaewon’s. They were accepting of them, and that was all she needed, really. They quickly stepped up and became the parental figures she needed in her life after her own had practically abandoned her. It worked out better that way, she told herself again. Though, she wouldn’t ever stop thinking about it. Hyeju snuggled closer into her girlfriend’s hold; one that now involved her hand wrapping around Hyeju’s waist, dainty fingers holding her still. “It’s six now. What time did we say we’d be over at again?”
“Around eight,” Chaewon replied as she brought her free hand to cover her mouth as she let out a fierce yawn that told Hyeju she wasn’t ready to wake up just yet.
Sadly, with how crowded the city would be later that night, she wasn’t sure if they could afford to put it off for too long. “Maybe we should start getting ready now, then?” Hyeju proposed as she lifted her head just a little, enough to see her girlfriend looking back at her. “It’s only going to get busier as the night goes on.”
Chaewon huffed at Hyeju’s answer, lifting her legs in order to trap Hyeju’s own. She wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “Half an hour?,” Chaewon asked.
Hyeju’s eyes squinted at her partner. “Ten minutes,” she offered.
“Twenty minutes?” Chaewon bargained with a pout that she knew Hyeju could never refuse. It was like her ultimate ability, or something like that. She didn’t know much about games. She got all of her knowledge from watching Hyeju play them.
Hyeju shook her head, conceding defeat. “Twenty minutes it is, but I’m setting an alarm, alright?” No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t conceal the grin upon her lips. Hyeju adored Chaewon and she knew it. Everyone knew it.
“Mm, sure, love,” Chaewon said as she closed her eyes once more.
Hyeju knew that Chaewon didn’t mind if they were a tad late. At this moment in time, she didn’t either. However, the last thing she needed to do was disappoint Chaewon’s parents. She’d already done that enough with her own. After the alarm was set, Hyeju sneaked a kiss against Chaewon’s cheek before she dipped her head once more, allowing it to rest in the crook of her girlfriend’s neck.
Yeojin always told her that it wasn’t the massive, planned and thought out event that would let Hyeju know when it was time. She preached that it was the small, ordinary or mundane moments in life that would let her know. Every time, Hyeju thought that she was wrong. Just this once, Hyeju would silently admit defeat to Yeojin, for this moment was the first time that the thought had properly sprung into Hyeju’s mind. Of course, she had thought about it passively before, and they had joked about it whenever the ring found itself on Yerim’s finger a year or so ago. However, not was the first time that Hyeju had the thought and absolutely meant it, wouldn’t be able to live without it and wouldn’t go another day without thinking it.
That was the moment that Hyeju decided that she wanted to marry Chaewon and spend the rest of her life with her.
Perhaps she had a question to ask her parents, after all.