Archive of Our Own

It’s a chilly winter night when the members find themselves at their favorite sundubu jjigae spot. The joint is a quaint, comfortable hole in the wall restaurant, where the stew is spicy and the atmosphere is tinted warmly in yellow and orange hues. They order their own bowls of piping hot stew and two plates of sweet and spicy glazed wings to share. Tonight, three days before Christmas, they celebrate the last of the days off that they were given for the glorious holiday.

It feels like a Christmas miracle to even have as many days off as they were given. Christmas in Korea isn’t a holiday of coming together, like how the western countries celebrate it. Most families don’t even put up a tree. It’s more of a romantic holiday, where couples take to the streets on outings and buy small gifts for each other. However, together as a group, the members have created their own way of spending the holiday. It was Matthew’s idea to introduce Christmas time as something worthy of celebrating. This is his second Christmas in a row that he hasn’t flown back to Canada, so the members are more than happy to once again make this time of year special for him.

“Let’s watch a movie when we get back to the dorms!” Matthew pitches around a mouthful of chicken. “Are there any Christmas films that are popular in Korea?”

“There’s a ton actually,” Hanbin says. “I’m sure we can find a good one searching through the channels.”

“I also have a new cookie recipe I want to make tonight,” the Canadian member grins. “I think you guys are going to love this one.”

“We love everything you make, Matthew-hyung,” Gunwook chirps.

Gyuvin picks up a wing with his chopsticks and places it on Ricky’s plate. “For you.”

The older stares down at his plate in disbelief. “I already have two wings on my plate, Gyuvin-ah.”

“Well, now you have three!”

Yujin turns to Jiwoong. “Can you order me another cider, hyung? I think the ahjumma likes you, maybe she’ll give it to us free of charge.”

“You think so?” the oldest raises a brow, amused at the accusation.

“In that case, I want one too,” Taerae says.

Hao raises a hand. “Me three!”

“Guys, settle down,” Hanbin warns, always the voice of reason. “This restaurant is small enough to have our voices bounce off the walls. Do you want that ahjumma to think of us as some rowdy teenagers?”

“You’re always in leader mode,” Ricky shakes his head, but not without amusement on his face. “It’s okay, hyung, it’s the holiday season!”

Gyuvin chuckles, resting his head on the Chinese member’s shoulder. “We’re also the only people that have walked through the door in over an hour. Our service will always be welcome here.”

The table falls mostly quiet after that as the members finish up the last of the food. It’s routine– Hanbin calls for the staff to bring the check and they put it on the company card. They put most things on the company card, unless they have the means to pay for things on their own. Even then, a majority of their pay is sent to their families.

The wind outside is stiff, and it feels even colder after they’ve spent two hours in the toasty shop. It’s cold enough that the air smells of snow, even though there’s no sign of the white flakes as of yet. All of the members are bundled up in ginormous scarves, wool gloves, and their black puffer coats, but it’s still not enough to shield them from the low temperature.

“Everyone get in, quick!” Taerae shouts as soon as their manager’s van pulls up to the curb.

“Me first!” Yujin shrieks, running to the front of the group.

“Look,” Matthew says once they’re all settled in the vehicle. He runs his fingers over the tips of his reddened ears. “In just a few minutes, my ears are frozen solid.”

“Okay, drama queen,” Taerae coos, replacing Matthew’s fingers with his own. He holds his warm hands over his ears and Matthew sighs in relief, body relaxing against his car seat.

Hanbin’s hand finds Hao’s naturally, knowing the older runs colder. When he spares him a glance, he sees the other shaking slightly and clattering his teeth. It prompts him to pull the frozen fingers to his mouth, where he blows hot air on them. Hao whispers a soft thank you before he curls into his side.

They arrive back to the dorms and everyone falls into their own, sprawled around the open area. There’s Matthew in the kitchen making the dough for his promising holiday cookies, Jiwoong brewing up an espresso, Gunwook and Taerae at the television playing video games, Hanbin and Hao unpacking a box of decorations and hanging them all around the living space, Ricky on the couch listening to music with Gyuvin latched onto his arm, and then there’s Yujin washing up in the shower. In shorter words, it’s a typical night for the members.

Inside the decorations box are all sorts of things, like lines of garland, colorful string lights, and ceramic figurines to display on ledges and short tables. It’s tiresome to set everything up, but imagining how festive the dorm will look once they’re done is the motivation that pushes them to keep going.

“What are you listening to?” Gyuvin pokes Ricky’s chest lovingly. When the older doesn’t answer, he lifts one of his headphones and asks louder, “Rik! What song are you listening to?”

Ricky winces at the loud voice next to his ears, but smiles nonetheless. “It’s an old r&b song called Know My Name.”

“Know My Name…” Gyuvin repeats slowly, sounding the words out. He taps Ricky’s phone screen to get a better look, only to notice that the phone battery is drained down to basically nothing. “Ah, Ricky-ah, your battery is low.”

“Oh, shoot–”

“Don’t fret!” Gyuvin grins. He presses a kiss on the other’s cheek and springs to his feet. “I’ll grab my charger for you. I’ll be right back.”

The eldest emerges from the kitchen, holding a piping hot espresso cup. “Taerae-yah, Gunwook-ah, could you lower the television? Not everyone wants to hear the sound of guns shooting.”

Taerae quickly reaches for the remote. “Oh. Sorry, hyung.”

“Let’s play some Christmas music!” Hao comments. “I’ve had Taeyeon sunbae-nim’s songs stuck in my head all day.”

“I’ll connect to the speaker, I can put on her Christmas album,” Ricky says.

“Hey guys,” Gyuvin enters the living room again with a cautious voice. “You’re going to want to see this.”

At his words, everyone stops their conversations and glances in his direction. “What’s wrong, Gyuvin-ah?” Hanbin worries. Instead of answering, the younger places a piece of paper in the leader’s hand.

A beat passes as Hanbin slowly observes the note. “Oh my god."

“What?” Hao asks, voice tinged with anxiousness. “What’s going on?”

“Matthew-ah!” Hanbin calls. “Come out here.”

“Let me wash my hands first,” answers a muffled voice from the kitchen.

Hanbin walks in long strides over to the tea table, where all the members naturally follow and gather around, before he places the paper down in the middle of the table. Everyone wordlessly observes the words written down, only the sound of Taeyeon’s velvety voice can be heard, as well as the running shower from upstairs.

“Santa harabeoji-nim…?” Gunwook says. 

“No way…” That’s Taerae.

“Does this mean–” Jiwoong starts.

“How cute!” Matthew squeals. “Our youngest still believes in Santa Claus!”

A series of shushes are made, quickly shutting the excited member up, but it doesn’t dim everyone’s overall giddiness. Hanbin looks around the table and everyone is a mirror of one another, wide grins and glittering eyes.

“So…” Ricky scratches his head. “What should we do now?”

“Well, we have to fulfill his list,” Hao says immediately, like it’s obvious.

“We can’t just tell him the truth?” Gyuvin sighs. “Christmas morning is in three days.”

Hanbin tsks. “We will be fulfilling his list. There’s only five presents on here, how difficult could it be?”

“I call dibs on the new moisturizer because I need to get another one for myself anyways,” Matthew says, already on his feet again. “What brand does he use?”

“He uses Beauty of Joseon. I’ll go with you, hyung,” beams Taerae.

“Ricky and I can get the Adidas slides,” Gyuvin says. “Gunwook-ah, do you want to get him that new Pokémon game for the Switch?”

“Sure.”

“Hao and I will get the navy hoodie,” Hanbin relays. “Jiwoong-hyung, that leaves you with a pair of fuzzy socks. Is everyone satisfied with their gifts?”

A chorus of affirmations fill the room, cementing the plan into place. “We can’t let him find out,” Hao warns. “Everyone has to be cautious. There are no schedules until then, so start thinking of good excuses to leave the dorm now.”

Hanbin hands the list back to Gyuvin so that it could be put back where he found it. And just when everything is set in place and everyone falls back into their previous activities, like they were never disturbed, the sound of the shower turns off.

“Everyone act natural,” Jiwoong calls, staring blankly at the television and holding his espresso cup with both hands.

Yujin enters the room a few minutes later with cotton pajamas and damp hair. He takes a seat on the couch beside the eldest. He takes a glance around at everyone immersed in their activities. “Is no one else going to wash up?”

“That’s a great idea!” Gyuvin jumps, reacting more startled than what would be considered normal. “I’ll be right back.” Ricky turns his head towards the window to roll his eyes.

“Hao and I are almost finished with the decorations,” Hanbin says, looping garland around the cylinder pole of the kitchen island. “I’ll shower soon too.”

Hao gives Hanbin a reassuring smile. “I can finish up what’s left inside the box if you want to go now.”

The leader gives him a warm smile, much too tired to insist on staying until the end.

“Can I play with you guys?” Yujin asks the two members at the front of the television. “Counter Strike is my favorite.”

“Of course, Yujin-ah,” beams Taerae.

Slowly and then all at once, the dorm starts to smell of brown sugar and vanilla. To Matthew, it’s the kind of scent that signifies Christmas time and celebrates loved ones coming together. The smell still means the same to him, but instead of his family back in Canada, it’s with a different kind of family. The kind of family that he wants to give baked goods to and sit alongside in their cozy, decorated shared dorm.

“The cookies are done!” Matthew walks into the living room with a large plate lined with chocolate chip cookies in his hand. “They’re still hot so be careful.”

All of the members ignore his warning and snatch a treat from the plate. “I love chocolate,” Gunwook mumbles around a full mouth. “You really taste the cinnamon!” Hanbin blinks in amazement.

Now that he’s gotten satisfactory remarks from his members, he leans back further into the couch. “So are we going to search for a movie or what?”

At his words, Yujin gets up and switches off the lights, leaving only the strings of white Christmas lights left to illuminate the room. With all of the nine members huddled together on the couch, the small space truly feels magical.

❅.⊹₊ ⋆❆‧⋆

A bit later in the season than they should have waited, the members all go shopping for a Christmas tree the next morning. There aren’t many stores in Korea that sell trees, just like there aren’t many places to obtain a real tree, but they find their luck on the second store. Their tree of choice stands at one meter tall, the perfect size for their shared living space.

“It’s perfect!” Ricky cheers. Gyuvin turns to reach for his hand. “What do you guys think?”

“I think it’s lovely,” Hanbin swoons. “Surely the company won’t mind if we put this on the card, right?”

“Absolutely not,” Hao says, already unzipping his wallet.

Once the tree is paid for, they walk around in search of lights and decorations. It’s Gunwook’s idea to hunt for blue and white ornaments; something about representing their group colors. Taerae thinks that having silver and gold ornaments could also be lovely, so he starts his hunt for those. Gyuvin is the one who requests that they make a personalized family-style ornament with all of their names written on it. Little by little, their tree will become decadent, a true representation of who they are and what they love.

“What kind of lights should we get?” questions Matthew. “I like the idea of white lights.”

“But, Matthew-ah,” Jiwoong starts. “Don’t you think that would clash with the white lights on the walls?”

The younger frowns. “But I’ve always had white lights on my Christmas Tree.”

“I like colored lights,” says Yujin. “That seems like a lot of fun.”

Hanbin snaps his fingers like he’s thought up the perfect solution. “We can get a set of those lights that flicker between white and colored lights! I saw an ad for them on Bunjang a few days ago. They supposedly change from white to colored lights every thirty seconds or so.”

“I think I saw the same ad,” Taerae pipes up. “I think that’s a great idea, hyung.”

“Works for me!” Matthew grins. “Do you think they sell them here?”

The leader gives a shrug of his shoulders. “Come with me, let's ask the woman at the counter.”

Yujin looks around and observes the members scattered around the shop, as well as the lone members closeby, scrolling through their phones. “So, um…” he says. “What should we do?”

Ricky looks up, slightly startled. “You can go help Taerae and Gunwook find ornaments. I was actually about to grab Gyuvin. He told me he was craving kimchi bokkeum from the food court downstairs so I was going to accompany him.”

“That sounds good…” Yujin says softly. “I’ll go with you guys.”

Jiwoong looks up from his phone, instantly aware of the situation, as well as Ricky’s panicked eyes. “Actually Yujin-ah, it looks like they need help deciding which ornaments to get. Come on, we can help them together.”

“Okay,” Yujin frowns. “Can you guys at least save me some?”

Ricky nods, his eyes looking somewhat calmer. “We’ll try our best.” Just then, Gyuvin rejoins the group with a white craft bag and a wide grin on his face. He reaches inside and pulls out a colorful, ceramic ornament on a red string.

“I got it!” Gyuvin cheers. “Isn’t it cute?”

“It’s perfect, Gyuvin-ah,” Ricky says. “How much was it?”

“Who cares? I put it on the company card.”

Ricky looks around and watches the eldest and the youngest walk to the back of the store to where Gunwook and Taerae have an assortment of ornament boxes in their arms. He whispers anyways, “I was thinking since we’re out shopping that we can run to Adidas and get Yujin’s slides.”

Gyuvin perks up. “That’s a great idea, jagi, but how are we going to hide the box from him?”

“Screw the box, I can just put the shoes in my backpack.”

Gyuvin groans, tugging on the other’s arm. “But Rik, we need the box! What if he needs to return them?”

Ricky rolls his eyes, intertwining his fingers with the younger. “We’ll figure it out along the way.”

With everyone now preoccupied, it leaves Gunwook and Hao standing in the middle of the shop by themselves. The younger stares up from his phone, dumbfounded, only just now realizing the majority of the group has gone their separate ways. He takes it upon himself to leave the store and go scout out his gift for the youngest, only whispering his plans to Hao, disappearing further into the mall.

Eventually the members come to a decision with the ornaments. They settle for boxes of shiny silver and gold oblong ornaments with glittery tops, as well as one box of pale blue ornament balls and a matching white box of the same. Hao helps Taerae carry the three boxes to Hanbin and Matthew, who match their excitement with crescent eyes and a clap of their hands.

“Do they have the lights here?” Hao asks.

Matthew frowns. “Unfortunately not. They did some research for us though and told us that Daiso has them!”

“Where did Gunwook go?” Yujin questions suddenly, with a confused crease in his eyebrow.

Hao looks at him, and without a sliver of doubt says, “I think he went to the restroom.”

All of the members, aside from the youngest, nod together in sync like they’re in on some inside joke. Well, it may not be a joke, but they’re in on something. Fortunately Yujin remains unphased, looking around the store with curious eyes.

“Should we wait for him to come back before we go to Daiso?” Yujin ponders. “We should wait for Gyuvin and Ricky too.”

“Let’s just send a message in the groupchat,” Jiwoong declares. “They can just meet us there.”

After they pay for the ornaments, Hanbin leads the way to Daiso. It’s on a different floor and also on the other side of the mall. It should give the three of them ample time to finish buying their gifts, fingers crossed.

However, just their luck, the Adidas store is directly next to Daiso. Hanbin is the first one to notice, stepping next to the youngest on the side opposite of the shoe store, occupying him in conversation. The two sneaky members hide anyway, Gyuvin kneeling between racks of shoes and Ricky close behind him with his hood pulled up.

All six members walk to the counter together and acquire the lights. The workers at the store test them on one of the display trees, to which they all ooh and aah about, before they’re put back in their box and packaged back up. The lights end up being a bit pricey because they must be purchased in bulk, but all of the members mutually agree that it's worth it, and not just because they’re swiping the company’s card.

Gunwook rejoins them just as they finish checking out. He’s red in the face and breathless, panting softly to himself. “Sorry for the wait. I, uh, got lost finding this store. Big mall.”

“That’s okay, Gunwook-ah,” Taerae grins.

“I want to take a break!” Matthew says, jogging to the line of benches. He’ll do anything as an excuse to kill time. “My feet hurt.”

Hao tsks. “Maybe it’s those worn out sneakers of yours.” He throws a thumb over his shoulder. “The Adidas store is right there. Why don’t we go get you a new pair–”

Matthew looks in the direction of the store and sees their two remaining members stepping out. In a moment of panic, Matthew bursts into a fit of obnoxious, loud laughter that catches the attention of all of the members, as well as some judgemental stares of passerbyers. It’s ridiculous, but it successfully draws the attention to him so that Gyuvin and Ricky could successfully rejoin the group. And all at once, Hao’s eyes fill with understanding. 

“Here, Yujin-ah,” Ricky grins. “Your kimchi bokkeum.”

“No way!” the youngest squeals. He opens the to-go box and raises an eyebrow at the full container of food. “A full order?”

“We felt bad about leaving you behind so we got you your own,” Gyuvin explains.

The youngest looks touched, happily pulling chopsticks from the bottom of the bag and taking a bite.

“Does anyone else want to stop at the food court before we head back to the dorm?” Hanbin asks. “We can also stop at stalls along the way.”

“Wait,” Taerae frowns. “I forgot we didn’t take the van here. Are we going to have to carry all of these boxes back to the dorm?”

“I already messaged our manager to come pick everything up,” Hanbin reassures.

“Why don’t we just take the van back to the hotel?” Hao humphs. “It’s freezing outside.”

Hanbin shoves his shoulder, giggling. “It’s only a ten minute walk back to the dorms! I wanted to stop at a bungeoppang stall anyway.”

Hao lovingly rolls his eyes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You’re lucky I love you.”

They wait until their manager sends them an arrival message before they make their way outside. The biting cold outside could freeze you from the inside, but the promise of warm bungeoppang is the drive that keeps them going.

“Bungeoppang is a staple in Korea during Christmas time,” Jiwoong says proudly as they make their way down the street. “It’s eaten by Koreans all over the country.”

“Not just for Christmas,” Gunwook chimes in. “In the colder months in general.”

“I like the red bean one,” Hao says.

Matthew runs his gloved hands together, blowing hot air onto them. “The matcha one is pretty good, too, but I think the chocolate hazelnut one is my favorite.”

“I’m also craving spicy fish cakes,” Taerae says. “Maybe we can find a stall.”

“Why do Koreans crave spicy food when it’s cold?” Matthew questions. “I never understood that.”

Jiwoong looks at the younger with fondness. “It’s like… a mutual understanding. Spicy food warms you up, right? There’s a lot of spicy food in Korea.”

“It’s a cultural thing,” Ricky says in English. “Like in America, everyone loves those stupid Hallmark Christmas movies for some reason.”

Matthew nods, also switching to English. “I get what you mean, but it’s not like Americans crave movies. I guess it’s like when you crave ice cream when it’s hot.”

“In Korea, it’s cold noodles,” Gyuvin chimes in, speaking Korean so that the rest of the members can understand. At the use of Korean, the members look alive to the conversation.

“Cold noodles?” Hanbin asks with a tilt of his head. Gyuvin translates the premise of the conversation for the others and everyone laughs.

“It’s true,” Taerae says with a jut of his chest.

“Does anyone want any of my food?” offers Yujin. “I would love to share.”

Ricky grips Gyuvin’s hand tightly, smiling to himself as they relish in their empty stomachs, that the youngest isn’t aware of. The two felt bad about leaving Yujin behind, even for good reason, so they made a trip to the food court for him. They didn’t have enough time to stop and eat themselves, and it would be too hectic to try while running around the mall. It also helps that they provided the younger with some form of evidence that they went there in the first place.

“I’ll have some,” Gunwook opens his mouth wide.

“What flavor bungeoppang does everyone want?” Hanbin asks. “Raise your hand for red bean.” Hanbin raises his own hand, as well as Hao, Yujin, and Gyuvin. Jiwoong and Ricky’s hands go up for custard cream, Matthew raises his hand for chocolate hazelnut, and Taerae and Gunwook choose matcha filling.

“I would share with you if we weren’t getting the same flavor,” Hanbin pouts at Hao.

Hao brushes a piece of hair behind Hanbin’s ear. “I can get a different flavor. Maybe custard?”

The tips of Hanbin’s ears heat up, even in the unforgiving cold. He squeezes their interlocked hands and leans more into Hao, resting his head on his shoulder. “Okay, hyung-ah,” he swoons.

Jiwoong orders for the group when they arrive at the stall. The ahjumma takes a certain liking in his charm, dropping an extra chocolate hazelnut-filled fish dessert in the bag for no extra charge.

“Hey guys,” Taerae says, pointing at the sky. “It’s snowing!”

“The first snow of the year!” Yujin cheers.

“Let’s hurry up and get the fish cakes before it starts to really come down,” warns Hanbin.

❅.⊹₊ ⋆❆‧⋆

The inside of their dorm is toasty warm and illuminated beautifully in the orange light of their table side lamps. They would keep just the string lights on if they didn’t need the extra light to set up the Christmas tree.

Gunwook puts together the metal stand and circles the red skirt around the bottom. Inside the box are branches of six different colors, as well as a list that indicates the order in which they are assembled on the stand. Taerae and Hao open up their ornament boxes and put them on hooks while the rest of the members work on dividing the branches into piles.

Long branches go on the bottom, so that’s where they all start. With artificial trees, you have to spread the branches open before placing them into the holes. It doesn’t take the members long to figure it out.

“Back in Canada, we would cut down a tree for Christmas every year,” Matthew explains. “I’ve never had a tree like this before.”

“I like this kind of tree,” says Gunwook. “It feels consistent. If it looks great this year, I know it will look great next year too, and so on.”

“Artificial trees don’t have that sweet pine smell though,” Matthew says. “I’d say that’s the best part about having a real tree.”

“Why didn’t we buy a tree last year?” asks Hao.

A beat passes before Hanbin says, “Maybe because time? We were really busy last winter with promotions.”

Gyuvin groans low in his throat, frustrated. “Why are the branches scratching my hands so much?”

Ricky takes the half-opened branch from his hands. “You can unbox and detangle the lights for us, Gyuvin-ah. We can handle the branches.”

“Let me help you with that,” Hanbin says, hooking his branch to the metal stand. “It seems like a two person job.”

“Do the lights go before the ornaments or after?” Jiwoong questions.

“Before,” Taerae and Matthew say in unison.

“You guys really did choose lovely ornaments for the tree,” Ricky muses. “Everything is going to look so perfect together.”

Hanbin walks to the back of the tree with an armful of lights in hand. “Okay, Gyuvin-ah, I’m going to stand back here and you stand at the front. Starting from the top, I’m going to pass the lights to you and then you pass it back to me, and we’ll make our way down. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, hyung!” Gyuvin says excitedly.

“It’s too quiet in here,” Hao mutters. “We should turn on Taeyeon-sunbaenim’s Christmas album again.”

“Already on it,” says Ricky.

“Taerae-yah, help me unbox and hook the ornaments,” Jiwoong instructs.

“I can help you both,” says the youngest, joining the two on the floor.

“There’s a much easier way to hook them,” Matthew whines. “Let me help too.”

Gunwook joins the members on the floor, sitting criss-crossed. “The more people helping the faster it will get done. We have to wait for them to finish putting the lights on anyway.”

“Good idea,” says Hao, but instead takes a seat at the couch and scrolls through his phone.

“Do the lights look even so far?” Hanbin bites at his lip. “It’s hard to tell when you’re so close to it.”

“They look great so far, hyung!” Matthew gives him a thumbs up.

Everyone continues their tasks like clockwork, everything slowly coming together. When the lights almost completely wrap the tree, Gyuvin approaches Hanbin and giggles.

“Look at our boyfriends,” he whispers in a not-so-quiet voice. He nods towards the two Chinese members on the couch, who are too engrossed in their phones to even realize they’re a topic of discussion. “Not much help are they, hyung?”

“Hao gets tired towards the end of a long day,” Hanbin defends. “I’d imagine it’s the same for Ricky, who is also introverted.”

Gyuvin makes a face, like he’s deep in thought. “I guess you’re right.”

“Love is all about patience, Gyuvin-ah,” Hanbin says with a knowing smile.

“But it’s Christmas time…” the younger frowns. “I wish Ricky was helping more.”

“Remember that that’s what you want,” Hanbin reminds. “Love is also about understanding. We’re going to spend the rest of the night together. There’s still plenty of things he can help with.”

Then, unbeknownst to the deer-eyed member, a certain someone comes up from behind and wraps his arms around his waist. He says nothing as he rests his head on Gyuvin’s back, breathing in deeply, comfortably.

“Hanbin-hyung,” Ricky calls. “If I may, I would like to help put up the lights.” Gyuvin’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink and look like they’re about to burst from how wide he’s smiling. He places a hand on the back of the older’s neck, ruffling his fingers through the shorter hairs there.

Hanbin happily hands over the small handful of lights to the other. “By all means.” Hanbin catches Gyuvin turn around, still in Ricky’s arms, and press a tender kiss on his lips, right before he joins his own lover on the couch.

“The ornaments are all hooked,” Matthew says. “Can we start putting them on the tree?”

Gyuvin passes the lights around one last time, officially emptying his hands. He whips an arm over his forehead, exhaling dramatically. “Yeah, sure, go ahead.”

Just like Hanbin promised, all nine members are on their feet as they carefully place the glass ornaments on the faux branches. There’s never too many ornaments on a tree, the more the merrier Matthew had said with a smile.

Gyuvin removes the special ornament he bought from the paper bag and places it front and center on the tree, grinning to himself as he does. In no time, the rest of the ornaments are off the floor and covering the branches.

“I love it, but I feel like it’s missing something…” Yujin scratches his head. Then his eyes go wide. “The star! We forgot to buy a star for the top of the tree!”

Matthew frowns before his face brightens. “Wait, I have an idea. I had picked something up from the first store we went to.”

“When did this happen?” Taerae raises a brow, amused. “You didn’t steal it, did you jagi?”

The older makes a stink, huffing and throwing his arms over his chest. “No, I did not steal it!” He rolls his eyes before continuing in a calmer voice, “I had bought this to use for a present or something of the sort, but I think it would look lovely on our tree.”

He reaches for the bag that was carrying the lights and pulls out a large ribbon shoved into the bottom of the bag. He had snuck it into the line of things when they were checking out. Looking back on it now, he’s grateful for his decision.

Matthew takes a chair from the dining room and pulls it up beside the tree. With the help of Jiwoong and Gunwook to keep the tree steady, Matthew ties the thick, red ribbon onto the top of the tree.

Once their makeshift topper is secured, the eldest plugs the lights into the wall. They all watch their illuminated tree change between colors with agape mouths. It’s another magical moment– in the middle of their living room stands a beautiful and festive tree, a product of all of their hard work. 

No words need to be uttered, but a voice speaks up anyway.

“I love you guys so much,” Gunwook gushes. “I’ve never been the festive type, but right now, I feel like the happiest man alive staring at this thing.”

“That’s true Christmas spirit,” says Matthew. “It seems to have captured all of our hearts this year.”

“Just two more nights,” Ricky grins. “This time tomorrow will be the night before Christmas.”

*

Once the living room is tidied up and the boxes are disposed of, the members head off to their respective rooms to wash up and get ready for bed. Except for Hao, who, like most nights, crawls into Hanbin’s bed with damp hair.

“Hi hyung,” Hanbin says in a gentle voice. “You know. I was thinking about something earlier.”

Hao wraps an arm around Hanbin, snuggling his face into the crook of his neck. “Oh yeah? And what would that be?”

Hanbin types hastily into his phone before he locks it and settles it on his bedside table. In turn, Hao’s phone vibrates from where he’s placed it on the table close to him.

“Check your phone,” the younger says.

A beat passes and then, “New group chat?! What is this...?”

Hanbin chuckles, pulling his lover closer to him. “I made a group chat without Yujin so that we have a place to talk freely about the surprise plan.”

The older humphs, tossing his phone on the table. “Is this about my close call at the mall today?”

“Yup!” Hanbin grins, pulling the duvet up to their chins. “Don’t feel bad, hyung. It’s a good place for all of us to discuss things anyway. Now that I think about it, I wonder why none of us thought to make it sooner.”

“I’m’ot upset, Hanbin-ah. It’ssalright,” Hao says, eyelids already closed and words tying together.

Hanbin laughs heartily, reaching to switch off the bedside lamp. “Whatever you say, baobei. Good night and sleep well. I love you.”

❅.⊹₊ ⋆❆‧⋆

The next morning, most of the members rise early with the same idea: get to the shops early before they are overcrowded with people who are last minute gift shopping. Gyuvin, Ricky, and Gunwook are the members who stay back at the dorm with Yujin, who’s still asleep by the time the other members are out the door.

“I didn’t realize how much it snowed yesterday,” Taerae complains, tucking his jeans into his snow boots. “It’s a good thing I put these on.”

“It’s just a light dusting,” Jiwoong says. “If it wasn’t so damn cold it would have easily melted.”

“Would it kill the sun to come out every now and then?” Hao groans. “I can feel the cold through my gloves. That shouldn’t be possible.”

Hanbin reaches for Hao’s hand, wrapping both of his hands around Hao’s gloved fingers. “Yeah, yeah,” he lifts their hands and places a kiss there. “My ice cold boyfriend.”

Hao furrows his brow. “You're not insulting me, are you?”

The younger laughs, waving a hand. “Your temperature, hyung.”

“It’s a good thing we’re not walking,” says Taerae. “The manager should be here soon with the van.”

“Let’s go back to AK Plaza Hongdae,” Matthew suggests. “It’s a huge mall, we’re guaranteed to find the last three gifts there. Yujin isn’t here so we can take our time.”

“But not too much time. We don’t want to be gone long enough that he starts asking the others questions,” reminds Jiwoong.

Despite them leaving at a reasonable time, the mall is packed upon their arrival. It’s filled with students who are on winter break, couples hand in hand that line the walkways, and hardworking ahjummas that draw lengthy lines with their savory on-the-go snacks. The members are on a mission: the skin care store is on the first floor, the apparel store is on the third floor, and they will meet for instant ramen on the second floor once they’re done shopping.

“Can you believe Christmas is so soon, hyung?” Taerae asks, interlocking his arm with Matthew’s. “This year has gone by so fast.”

The older nods. “Especially because we’ve been working nonstop. I feel like we haven’t had a second to breathe, and now it’s already the end of the year.”

“You know,” the younger starts. “You’re largely why the members and I feel so festive this year.”

Matthew boops the tip of the other’s nose, still a tad bit cold to the touch from the frosty winds outside. “I do know that. So I take it that you guys have been enjoying my festivities, huh?”

“It’s fun experiencing a different culture,” Taerae swoons. “Changing up traditions, making new memories. I quite enjoy the Canadian christmas.”

“Well,” the older says, looking reminiscent. “If you want to celebrate a real Canadian Christmas, then you’ll have to come to Canada with me one day.”

“Is that a promise?”

When Matthew turns his head, he observes the younger looking at him with wide, glistening eyes. “I would love to take all of the members, but, yes, one day. I promise I’ll take you to Vancouver.”

Taerae hums happily to himself. “Vancouver…”

“We could take a gondola tour of the city,” the older beams, rubbing a hand over Taerae’s arm. “We could also go sightseeing at the Capilano Suspension Bridge. I would take you to my favorite coffee shops, pizza places, and Korean restaurants . . .”

“Stop,” the younger pleads. He places a hand over Matthew’s mouth, resting his head on his shoulder. “I long for this, but it feels so far away. It makes me sad to think about.”

Matthew kissing the inside of Taerae’s palm, and then his soft lips. “I love you, Kim Taerae. Zerobaseone is not our end, and I will wait a lifetime for our future endeavors.”

*

“What size is Yujin by the way?”

Hao pokes his head out from behind the rack of pullovers. “He’s a medium. I say we get a large size, though. For maximum comfort.”

“Good idea,” says Hanbin. “Do you think he wants the one with the hood or no hood? Or what about a pullover with a zipper? How does he feel about pockets?”

“Jagi, slow down,” Hao laughs. A moment passes as the older thinks about what their youngest member would like. “He has a lot of hooded pullovers, so let’s get one without a hood. That means no zip-up. I like the idea of pockets though.”

“Okay,” Hanbin nods, soaking in the insight. “How do high schoolers feel about visible logos on their clothes?”

The older walks over to where the navy pullovers are and pulls one off the rack. He points a finger at the small Champion logo at the top left corner of the front, “As long as it’s not too big, then it’s fine. Like this for example.”

“Hyung is so smart,” Hanbin swoons. “I’m relieved to have been paired with you.”

“Do you want anything while we’re here?” Hao asks. “Did you want a pullover? A new pair of shoes?”

Hanbin tsks. “Have you secretly come into some money that I don’t know about? The company pays us all the same, don’t they?”

“I would put it on the company card, Bin-ah. Just like I’m doing with Yujin’s gift.”

There’s a pause. “You are?”

Hao looks at him like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Well… yeah. That’s what all of the other members are doing too. You didn’t know that?”

The younger shakes his head. “You don’t think we’ll get in trouble doing this, hyung-ah?”

Hao has the nerve to laugh out loud. “This damn company makes so much off of us. They would have a lot of nerve to say anything to us.”

“Well, I’m fine anyways. I don’t need anything.”

Jiwoong arrives just as they finish checking out. He digs out two pairs of socks from a brown bag, holding them up on display. “Hey guys, what do you think?”

“Why’d you get him two pairs, hyung?” questions Hao.

The eldest scoffs. “The blue striped ones are for me, the purple polkadot are for Yujin. Do you guys like them, are they cute?”

“They’re so cute, hyung!” Hanbin gushes. “Let us just pay and then we’ll head over to the second floor now.”

*

“What do you mean Gyuvin and Ricky left the dorm? Where did they go?”

“Uh…” they hear Gunwook say through the other end of the phone. “Something about going to stop at Gyuvin’s home to pick up Eumppappa.”

Matthew narrows a brow. “You guys are on Yujin duty! We’ve only been gone for an hour. They couldn’t have waited until we got back?”

“Well, fortunately, despite it being almost noon, Yujin’s not awake yet.”

“And it better stay that way!” Taerae chimes in from the sideline, anxious as ever.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Alright, I have to go.”

“Thank you for all you’re doing, Gunwook-ah,” says Matthew.

“Please hurry back, ” the younger pleads. It’s the last spoken words before the call ends.

Matthew shoves his phone back into his pocket. “Alright. We have Yujin’s moisturizer– let me go grab one for myself. Did you need one too, while we’re here?”

“I mean, we are already here…”

“Exactly. Go grab it, I’ll charge it.”

Taerae looks touched, hand thrown over his heart. “Oh, jagi, you shouldn’t have.”

“Oh, I’m not. Wakeone’s paying for this.”

The younger bursts into laughter. They grab their moisturizers off the shelf and they both speed walk to the register.

“Do you think we’ll have time to get ramen or should we just hurry home?” asks Taerae.

“We’ll have time for ramen,” Matthew says with certainty. “Afterwards, you four make your way back. I was actually going to stay a bit longer to buy gifts for my family.”

Taerae bumps his shoulder against the other’s. “Is your family coming for Christmas?”

Matthew shakes his head. “Not this year. I’ll just give it to them the next time I see them.”

*

The three eldest walk out of Champion with their bags of goodies, and the leader nearing the end of a phone call.

“Okay, so Taerae and Matthew are headed to the food court now. They also said that Gyuvin and Ricky left the dorm so we have to hurry back when we’re done eating,” the leader explains.

“What do you mean they left the dorm?” questions Jiwoong.

Hanbin waves a hand. “It’s a long story. Let’s just hurry up and check out.”

*

“Surprise!” Gyuvin shouts as he walks through the dorm, Ricky trailing not far behind him. Eumppappa is on a leash, giddily skidding about. “My parents let me bring her over until the early evening!”

“Could you be any louder?” Gunwook scolds. “Yujin’s still in bed. I’ve been trying so hard to be quiet and let him sleep.”

“Is that Eumppappa?” a groggy voice says from the hallway.

Everybody freezes. Like a scene from a movie, they turn around at the same time to face their youngest member. They maintain smiles on their faces, even though it feels as if the air has been sucked out of the room.

“Good morning, Yujin-ah,” grins Ricky. “Did you sleep well?”

Yujin rubs his eyes. “Yeah,” he yawns. “Why is Eumppappa here? Where are the other members?”

They all look at each other, nobody uttering a word. Until, “You’re dreaming,” Gyuvin says in a haste. “You’re having a strange dream– uh, Eumppappa is in your dream. Say hello Eumppappa!” Like she’s on queue, the dog lets out a hearty bark.

“She likes you!” Gunwook says.

The youngest crosses his arms over his chest. “Why are you guys acting so weird? Where is everyone else?”

“They went to the convenience store. They’ll be back soon,” Ricky says with ease, before pulling out his phone and making his way into the kitchen.

Secret Yujin Groupchat

[Ricky]

GUYS

STOP AT GS25 ON THE WAY HOME AND GET A BUNCH OF FOOD

I TOLD YUJIN YOU GUYS WERE THERE

[Hao]

HE’S AWAKE??

[Ricky]

YES

HURRY BACK

[Hanbin]

okay!~

[Jiwoong]

we’re leaving the mall now

“I haven’t seen Eumppappa in so long,” Yujin grins, plopping down on the wooden floor. He opens his arms wide, prompting the dog forward and into his lap. He scratches behind her ear and she melts against him, tail wagging happily. “She’s just as sweet as I remember.”

“She’s missed everyone a ton,” Gyuvin says, joining the youngest on the floor. “When my parents proposed the idea I just had to take it. How often do we have time off and can stay home with her?”

Far off to the side, Gunwook boots up the PlayStation and Ricky starts the Espresso machine. Gyuvin plugs in the tree and flicks on the wall lights, and suddenly, it’s a Christmas Wonderland in their dorm yet again. If only it would snow again– then it would feel like a real snow globe. 

There’s a beautiful flow to how the members fall into their own activities, like a perfect harmony. Time flies by quickly like this, and sooner or later the members roll in. All except one.

“Where’s Matthew-hyung?” Gunwook asks, hardly tearing his eyes from the television screen.

“He came to GS25 with us but he said he wanted to stop at the mall for gifts for his family,” Taerae explains in a steady voice. It is the truth after all. Well, kind of.

“Is that Eumppappa!” Hanbin shrieks happily, dropping his bags on the floor and kneeling. “Who’s a good girl?!”

“My parents are going to come pick her up later,” says Gyuvin.

Jiwoong picks up Hanbin’s bags and places them on the tea table. He takes out to-go containers of fried chicken, cups of spicy rice cakes, and several packs of samgak kimbap, as well as a liter of cider. “I hope you guys are hungry because we bought a lot of food.”

“We haven’t eaten yet,” Ricky walks out of the kitchen with an Iced Americano.

Gunwook saves his game and powers off the television, wanting to give his members his undivided attention. “Thanks, hyungs! This was very kind.”

“What were you guys up to when we were gone?” asks Hao.

“Nothing special,” Yujin yawns.

Once everyone is seated, the chaos begins.

“Can somebody get cups for the cider?”

“Is there an extra pair of chopsticks somewhere?”

“Why don’t you just get a pair from the kitchen, hyung? You can get the cups while you’re up.”

“Get napkins, too!”

“Someone should make a plate for Matthew!”

“Don’t touch the food yet, I want to take a picture for Mnet Plus.” That was Hao.

Matthew eventually regroups with the others, just as they’re finishing up lunch and turning on Happy Ero Christmas. No one can remember the Netflix password, which causes multiple headaches, until eventually Hanbin remembers he had written it down in the notes on his phone.

“Our leader…” Gyuvin wipes an artificial tear from his eye. “What would we do without you?”

“We’d be a lot less coordinated, I can assure you that,” Hao says with certainty, sitting down and getting comfortable in Hanbin’s lap. The younger welcomes the company, instinctively wrapping an arm around his waist.

Everyone else gets comfortable on the couch together, some members taking to the floor with cushions, while others occupy the arm chairs. More or less, the members are all snuggled up and close to one another, because it just feels right.

“Is everyone settled in before I hit play?” Gunwook asks. A series of yeses sound around the room, and then the first movie of the evening begins.

*

Yujin makes it about halfway through the second movie before he falls into a deep sleep. His head is rested on Gyuvin’s shoulder and his arms are still held firmly around Eumppappa. It feels bad to do so, but Ricky is the one who shakes him awake.

“Yujin-ah, why don’t you go to bed?” he asks. “It’s getting late anyway.” Everyone casts a cautious eye to one another.

The youngest mumbles something unintelligible, leaning back on Gyuvin’s shoulder and almost dozes off again, before Gyuvin pulls away and wraps him in a hug.

“It’s past your curfew, Yujin-ah,” Gyuvin whispers. “Come on, I’ll take you to bed.”

Yujin nods, letting himself be guided by the hand upstairs. They wait a few minutes for the youngest to wash up and don’t move an inch until they hear the shut of his bedroom door.

“Okay. Does everyone have their gifts?” Hanbin asks.

“Let me get mine from my room,” Ricky announces, stepping out of the room.

Gunwook’s also on his feet. “Mine’s in my room too.”

“Ours is right over here,” says Matthew.

“Did anyone buy wrapping paper or gift bags?” Jiwoong asks.

“I did,” Matthew yawns. “Let’s do this quickly so we can all go to bed. We have to make sure we all wake up before he does.”

Everyone nods in agreement, getting to work.

❅.⊹₊ ⋆❆‧⋆

The next morning consists of maple pancakes and some good ol’ holiday cheer. Matthew wanted to get an earlier start to the day, throwing on another Christmas movie for background noise. A Charlie Brown Christmas, with Korean subtitles of course. He set the volume low, as to not wake up the rest of the members.

“What time did you wake up, Seokmae-yah?” Hanbin wonders, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looks around the kitchen at the line of plates on the counter, each plated with two pancakes. “I hope this wasn’t too much trouble…”

“Nonsense, hyung! This is what Christmas is all about to me.” Then he peers towards the fridge. “Actually, there is something you can help me with. Could you peel some oranges and cut up some pears?”

“Sure!”

From the kitchen, another pair of footsteps can be heard creeping down the hall. The voice speaks up before an entrance is even made. “What can I help with, jagiya?” asks Taerae, voice groggy.

Matthew rolls his eyes, but not even he can hide the genuine joy from his face. “I was going to do this, but if you insist…” he starts. “You can grab another pan and start grilling the bulgogi. It’s in the fridge on the top shelf.”

Taerae walks to his lover and places a kiss on his cheek, turning the older’s cheeks bright red. “Merry Christmas, hyung. I love you.”

“Is anyone on Yujin watch?” Hanbin asks. “To ensure he doesn’t come out here?”

“Gyuvin’s awake. But he’s still in his room,” Taerae says. “I’ll write in our group chat to keep an eye out.”

As things progress in the kitchen and a short while passes, Gunwook and Ricky come out from their rooms and plop down on the couch. One by one, everyone comes together.

“I’ve never seen this movie,” the younger says. “Is it any good?”

“It’s really cute. You should watch it from the beginning though.”

“Well, then just start it over from the beginning, hyung!”

“Fruit is done, I’m going to go wake up Hao.”

“Sure.”

Hanbin makes his way down the hall, passing by and waving to Jiwoong, who’s washing his face at the sink, as he goes.

The eldest isn’t even in the kitchen for a whole minute before he’s put to work.

“Jiwoon-hyung, can you put silverware and cups on the table?” Matthew instructs.

“On it.”

“I smelled breakfast all the way from my room with the door closed,” Gyuvin yawns, entering the room. “Yujin is sound asleep. I just checked– we’re going to have to wake him up, he’s snoring in there.”

Jiwoong runs a hand through the younger’s hair. “Good work, detective. Now help me set the table.”

The weather is overcast today, so there’s no light casted through the shaded window. Instead, the room shines bright from the blinking tree and the line of string lights on the wall. It’s predicted to stay cloudy all day into the evening. It’s just above freezing outside, but with the wind picking up, it might as well be below zero.

Although the holiday lights are nice, Matthew turns on the headlights and dims them considerably; just enough light for breakfast at the dining table.

Once the table is entirely set, it’s time to begin the much anticipated plan.

“Someone go wake up Yujin,” Taerae says. “Gyuvin, Gunwook?”

“I’ll go with Gyuvin,” Ricky says. “I’ve seen this movie before.”

“Why don’t we all go in there?” Hanbin asks, walking into the living room with a puffy-faced Hao trailing behind him, both of their hands held together loosely.

Gunwook pouts, but doesn’t hesitate to get to his feet.

So they all start their journey down the hall, one behind another, tip-toeing on the hardwood floor so as to not make a sound. Gyuvin can’t contain his giggles, so he’s sent to the back of the line for safety measure.

“One, two… three!”

“Yujin-ah!”

“It’s a Christmas miracle!” Hanbin cries.

“Santa harabeoji-nim left a treat downstairs!” adds Matthew.

“Come look!” Gyuvin flops down, stomach first, on Yujin’s bed, splaying on top of the younger’s blanketed body. He gives the youngest a good shake, making the once sleeping member groan, displeased.

“Give me five minutes,” Yujin pulls his blanket over his head and grabs his phone from his night stand. He then pokes his head out from his blanket, looking around the room at his smiling members. “Merry Christmas, hyungs.”

“Merry Christmas, Yujin-ah!”

All of the members assemble themselves in the living room, both on the couch and standing around the tree. They raise the volume on the television, finally able to do so now that everyone is awake. Everything is in position and set up the way it should be. And in due time, their youngest comes out.

“Wow,” says Yujin with a shocked grin. “What is all of this?”

“Someone must have made a list this year,” Jiwoong winks. He points to the unnamed presents on the floor. “Did you send a letter to Santa harabeoji-nim this year?”

Their youngest looks more shocked than anything. “I wrote one, but I never got the chance to send it . . . can Santa harabeoji-nim read my mind?”

“He sure can!”

“It really is a Christmas miracle!”

“Let’s eat breakfast first, before it gets cold,” Matthew warns. “Then we can open presents.”

Secret Yujin Groupchat

[Taerae]

well that went better than expected…

[Hao]

tell me about it

[Hanbin]

we’re doing well, everyone! let’s keep it up

*

In true Christmas fashion, the dishes from breakfast are piled into the sink. They will be worried about later– for now, it’s time to celebrate.

“I don’t think any of us made lists this year,” Hao scratches his head. “So these gifts should all be for you, Yujin-ah.”

“Well,” Matthew grins. “Surely you guys asked for something.” He gets a whole lot of blank expressions in return.

See, it would have been suspicious to have Yujin be the only one to open up gifts on Christmas morning. That’s why Matthew had a plan. He schemed this plan ever since he went shopping for the youngest’s gift. He had wanted to get gifts for everyone anyways, but with their secret agenda, it made more sense to do so now than ever.

Knowing which presents he wrapped belong to whom, he pulls an armful of presents out that he hid underneath Yujin’s small pile of gifts. Once he’s distributed all seven additional gifts, he even slips one into his own lap.

“Looks like Santa harabeoji-nim thought about all of us this year!”

All of the members, aside from Yujin who’s excitedly gathering the gifts into his lap, look at Matthew like he has ten heads, because of course they do. They had no word about Matthew’s secret plan ahead of time, but then again– if it’s a secret plan, why would they?

Yujin takes his time ripping the paper on each gift.

“Detective Pikachu Returns! No way!”

“It’s a wonder you don’t already own a game that was released last year,” Gunwook comments.

“Why would I have bought my own copy when I’ve been borrowing yours, hyung?”

Gunwook lovingly rolls his eyes before tearing through the tissue paper of his own gift. “A bulbasaur plushie! Another one for my collection. Santa harabeoji-nim sure does know me well.” He says, all the while locking eyes with a certain someone.

“Concealer?” Hao gasps, then turns to Hanbin to say more quietly, “How did he know?”

“New Adidas slides!” the youngest cheers. He checks the bottom, raising an eyebrow. “He even got my size right.”

“I got a new set of pens!” Matthew grins. He even has the audacity to laugh. “Just what I needed.”

“A new moisturizer,” Taerae smirks. He winks at Matthew, knowingly. “No surprise there.”

“Is this favoritism I’m sensing?” Ricky pegs in a quiet voice.

“Just wait until you open yours, Ricky-yah," Matthew whispers back.

A beat passes. “A sketchbook?” he says, bewildered. “I just filled my old one up . . . that’s so . . . convenient.”

“Timberland boots!” Hanbin shouts. “How thoughtful! My other pair were getting a bit worn out.”

Yujin giddily tears through his third gift. “Fuzzy socks, my favorite,” he sings. He holds the pair up to his cheeks, rubbing his skin against the soft texture. “The pattern is also really nice.”

Jiwoong silently celebrates his victory from his end of the couch. He then picks at the tape of the envelope Matthew handed him.

“Five non-expiring gift certificates for Hanndul Chicken? What is this…” the eldest sneaks a peak at the Canadian member who is already looking at him with fond eyes. He mouths thank you, sending him a finger heart.

“A new pullover! I love this brand,” beams Yujin. “Today really is my lucky day.”

“Why don’t you open yours, Gyuvin-ah?” Matthew asks, with a slight nudge of his elbow. “Aren’t you curious?”

“I actually snuck a quick peak while you were opening yours,” he admits. He pulls out a knitted gift from the small red bag. “Beanies are my favorite. Thank you so much, hy–”

“Look, Taerae-hyung! I also got a new moisturizer!” Yujin cheers, holding out his last gift towards the other.  It effectively cuts off the words that nearly spilled from Gyuvin’s lips, almost ruining the plan that they’ve worked so hard to keep quiet about. Gyuvin slaps a hand over his mouth when he realizes his almost-mistake. Ricky turns towards Gyuvin with tickling hands, capturing his lover against the back of the couch, the younger quickly caving and begging for mercy.

“What a wonderful start to the day,” grins Hanbin. “How about we finish the rest of this movie, huh?”

❅.⊹₊ ⋆❆‧⋆

Evening rolls around and the members get tired of lounging around the dorm. Although it’s relaxing and provides them with much needed rest on their final day off, they’re on a tight schedule of Han River festivities.

Once all bundled up, the members take a bus to get to Banpo Park– home to the infamous outdoor ramen station.

“Let’s go to the annual holiday markets after,” Gyuvin relays. “I saw online that they’re selling a lot of different goods this year.”

“Like what?”

The knowledgeable member reaches for his phone. He opens Instagram and clicks a few buttons before he gets to a series of photos. “They’re selling traditional yakgwa cookies in the shape of snowflakes! There’s going to be lots of handmade knitted winter accessories, like hats and mittens. Oh, and they’re holding a lantern festival!”

“I just hope that wherever we go, there’s food,” voices Matthew.

“Hyung, you’re in Korea. Have you ever not seen street food at markets?” Gyuvin nudges an elbow at the other. “Besides, this is an annual market. The food at these kinds of events is usually always promising.”

“We’re still getting ramen though, right?” wonders Yujin.

“Yes, Yujin-ah. Don’t fret.”

Like some kind of freaky fate, as soon as they step off the bus and announce their arrival at the park, it starts to snow. It’s a gentle snow – one with soft flakes that fall straight down without the presence of wind. In these frosty temperature times, it’s a good thing the members layered up with as many layers of clothing as possible.

Undeterred by the cold, their first stop is galbi skewers and soondae, to give them back some energy they lost since breakfast. Their next stop is a stall that sells a variety of handcrafted things, like knitted hats and gloves. It’s on the pricier side, but absolutely nothing beats warm clothing made with love.

They make sure to stop at the stall selling yakgwa cookies, and even spend time at a stall that is testing beauty products. Hao volunteers to be the test subject, letting himself get dolled up in red lip tint and shimmering lip gloss. Half of the members stop at the popcorn stall for a midday snack, while others stop at the games and toys stall for some incredible deals.

And of course, they stop for dinner at the self-serve ramen machines. Once they all pick their ramen flavors, the members make their way over to the outdoor hot water stream with joy and laughter.

But the good mood can only last so long. It’s when they’re done eating and things are wrapping up that a ringing phone cuts through the evening air.

“Oh,” Hanbin pardons himself from his conversation with Hao. One look at his screen shows that it’s their company calling, so he answers with a weary heart. “Hello?”

“Hello, Hanbin. Are you together with the members?”

The leader casts a nervous look around the table at his members, who have at this point stopped their own conversations and stare back at him, matching his anxious stare. “Yes I am. Is something wrong?” Hanbin – who naturally thinks brightly of every situation - dims under scrutiny of the company. The company rarely ever calls their phones with good news.

A beat passes, and it’s chilling. “Could you put me on speaker, please?”

Hanbin casts frantic eyes on Hao, who runs a soothing hand down his arm. Without another word, he puts his phone down on the table and presses the speaker button.

“Okay, sajang-nim.”

Their manager clears his throat. “Hello all. I wanted to ask about some recent charges you have all been making.”

“We bought a Christmas tree for the dorm and some decorations for it. It wasn’t that expensive,” Hao says in a clear, leveled voice.

“Yes. I could tell that much,” the manager says dryly. "But what about all of the other charges? There was a charge for​​ ₩177,000 at Olive Young. Who in their right mind would spend that much money at Olive Young?”

Quiet and hidden, Matthew crosses his arms over his chest across the table.

“There’s also charges for a video game and expensive apparel… what is all of this?”

Gunwook lunges across the table and grabs the phone but there’s no use. It’s too late.

One by one, everyone turns and looks at Yujin, whose chopsticks fall from his grip onto the table.

No one speaks up– not even Hanbin. Or Hao for that matter, who was bold and brave when he was out shopping with Hanbin for gifts.

“It seems like you’ve all been doing a bit of shopping with the company card. There’s a limit to these things, you know?” he continues. “The least you can do is make me or another manager aware of it. Be happy the CEO hasn’t noticed yet. There will be no more free spending on the company card until the new year starts, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes,” Jiwoong manages. “Loud and clear, sajang-nim.”

“Good,” he says. “Enjoy the rest of your night. If you guys need a ride back, let me know.” And just like that, the line goes dead.

Everyone, even Yujin, who has nothing to do with the extra charges, has their eyes glued to the table in shame. Then, a sob sounds through the group and everyone turns to the youngest with concern.

“Yujin-ah, are you okay?” Taerae panics.

“We’re so sorry, Yujin-ah…” Ricky frowns.

“Sorry?” the youngest says. “Why are you sorry? You’ve given me the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

Visible relief emulates from the members, but a number of them are still a bit cautious.

“You mean, you’re not upset with us?” questions Gyuvin.

Matthew reaches for Yujin’s hand, interlocking their fingers together. “Now that you know it was us who bought those presents, that also means . . . that Santa harabeoji-nim isn’t real.”

“That’s okay,” Yujin reassures with a smile. He wipes at his wet eyes with the back of his sleeve. “None of that matters to me right now. I’m just – so touched. I can’t believe it. I’m so lucky to have wonderful hyungs who take such good care of me.”

Hanbin clenches his heart, eyes glazing over with his own tears. “Oh, what a relief,” he says, mostly to himself and his end of the table.

“You guys could have just told me the truth. Did you guys go through a hard time because of me?” Yujin twiddles his thumbs with anxiety.

“Come on !” Taerae shouts from his end of the table.

“Don’t be silly!” another member pipes up.

Hao places a hand over Yujin’s hand that sits on the table. “For you, Yujin. It will always be worth it.”

That’s all it takes for the youngest to burst into tears. It has all of the members on their feet, surrounding him. They enclose their arms around him, and each other, in a group hug.

“I love you guys,” Yujin cries, eventually meeting their affection and hugging back.

—

Despite the surprise phone call they received, Hanbin uses the company card to pay for their bus fare back to the dorm​​. It’s late evening now and the sun has long since set.

It stopped snowing hours ago. The fallen snow is like a blissful sheet, protecting the grass and trees from harm. Just looking at it makes you feel calm and comforted, for the snow is a pure thing, glistening proudly under the light of the moon.

“Did everyone have a fun time today?” the eldest asks. He stomps his feet to shake off the snow that clings to his boots.

A chorus of yeses fill the bus, along with several yawns and contentful sighs. The cold takes a lot out of you after spending all day in it without hardly any warmth. The members count the minutes until they’re arrival back at the dorm.

*

“Rik! Rik, Rik, Rik! Come make snow angels with me!” Gyuvin excitedly shoves Ricky’s shoulder as soon as the dorm is in line of vision. The older can roll his eyes all he wants, but that adoring grin doesn’t leave his lips. That, and also the honey dripping from his eyes.

“Can I join too?” Jiwoong grins.

“I wanna make snow angels too!” Matthew cheers. Taerae looks at his lover like he’s betrayed him, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck and blowing hot air into his cupped hands.

“I suppose I can join for one snow angel as well,” murmurs Taerae.

Hao taps Hanbin’s shoulder before whispering, “Do you also want to make snow angels?”

The older shakes his head. “I wanted to jumpstart the cleanup from breakfast. You have fun though, baobei . Maybe I’ll join you guys later if you’re still playing.”

“I’ll help you clean up, hyung,” says a voice from behind. The two turn around to the source and see Yujin looking back at them with a grin.

Hanbin looks at the youngest with wide eyes. “You don’t have to stay behind, Yujin-ah. Go play with the others!”

Yujin tsks, picking up his pace to walk ahead of the group. He makes a beeline for the front door. “It’s the least I can do after all you guys did for me today.”

❅.⊹₊ ⋆❆‧⋆

It turns out that spending half an hour outside in a snowball fight without the proper gloves makes your fingers dark red and numb at the tips. The members learned that the hard way, but that doesn’t mean that Hanbin didn’t welcome them with piping hot barley tea. The members came inside near tears because of their freezing temperatures, but full of laughter after their fun time outside. So, really, it wasn’t all that bad.

After taking hot showers and changing into dry clothes, the members pile up in front of the television and check off the last activity on their Christmas to-do list: watching Woojoo’s Christmas. It’s a staple film for all Koreans during the holiday season.

And even though they all doze off before the end, it’s still a special ending to their wondrous Christmas day.