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Jungwon stares at the large flatscreen TV overlooking the bar, feeling his eyebags pull more with every passing commercial. If he has to listen to one more essay of a medicine’s alarmingly fatal side effects, he's going to rip his own hair out and eat it. Maybe that’s a tiny bit of an exaggeration, but he feels justified; this football game won’t start, and his date is thirty minutes late.
He looks down at his watch. Thirty-one.
He folds his arms onto the table and lets his head plummet into them. Right as he's about to let out the loudest sigh of his life, a voice sounds right above him.
“Hey, you're my date, right?”
He snaps his body upright, pushes his shoulders back, and puffs his chest out to mimic confidence he doesn’t have. This man is much, much more handsome in person; he has a long, chiseled face, plump lips, sharp eyes, thick and perfectly manicured eyebrows, and sleek black hair elegantly combed back so that not a single strand is out of place. He’s wearing a suit, which Jungwon finds odd for a bar date, but he doesn’t say anything, especially since it looks like it costs more than he's ever earned in his life.
“Yeah!” Jungwon beams, “You're Ricky, right?”
“That's me,” Ricky states, taking a seat across from him, “Young and rich, tall and handsome. I'm charisma boss, Baby Ricky.”
“Uhh… okay.”
Oh, brother.
He doesn’t really hear anything Ricky says for the next hour. Whenever he does listen, it’s something about his oh-so-impressive list of achievements. Jungwon came here for love, not to listen to an almost overly handsome man boast about becoming a CEO at 21. There’s not much for him to add, but every time he makes some effort to chime in, his words are cut shorter than a newborn elf. And for clarification, not Buddy the Elf—the normal kind. He silently begs the universe for some sort of out, and when the football game finally starts on the TV, he knows his wish has been granted.
Football is practically part of Jungwon's DNA. He lives it, breathes it, wears it (even his boxers are merch), eats it, blah blah blah—you get the point. The only thing he doesn’t do is play it, which he doesn’t mind; watching it is more than enough. The town he's lived in for the entirety of his life, Candy Cane City, is home to the Candy Cane City Cheetahs. They’re notorious for their defense. In Jungwon’s opinion, it's the best in the entire NFL, and he's not alone in thinking that. Even the most diehard Broncos fans admit the Cheetahs have them beat.
The commentator’s voice booms through even the loudest conversation in the bar, “Touchdown by Zhang Hao!”
Jungwon shoots up from his seat and pumps his fists in the air, screaming in victory. In an instant, he’s surrounded by other fans, all yelling and chest bumping each other. One guy leaps onto a table, the beer in his mug sloshing everywhere. Some of it splashes onto Jungwon’s cheek, but he couldn’t care less; it’s like gold rain.
When things finally calm down, he slips back into his seat across from Ricky, who looks anything but pleased. His nose is scrunched in pure disgust, and his eyebrows are furrowed so close together that Jungwon’s scared they’ll get stuck.
“You know, um,” Ricky sucks in through his teeth, “Jungkook, right?”
Jungwon’s smile is violently ripped from his face, replaced by a disappointed frown and a sigh, “Close enough.”
“I’m not really seeing a connection here. Barbarians aren’t my type,” he shrugs, “Oh, and by the way, you were lucky to get a date with me in the first place. I know you're stupid enough not to realize that on your own.”
He slaps a hundred-dollar bill onto the table and strides out of the bar, leaving behind a trail of expensive cologne.
“Barbarians?” Jungwon repeats in a low mumble, “At least I don't have my entire torso shoved up my ass.”
He rolls his eyes and pushes off the table to head toward the bar. Might as well get a drink while he's here to celebrate the Cheetahs’ win (and forget about that disaster of a date).
“Hey, what can I get you?” the bartender asks before Jungwon can get a good look at him.
He raises his head, and his lungs forget how to take in air. His mouth forgets how to close, and his throat forgets how to form words. In front of him is what he can only describe as an ice prince with sleek, black hair and porcelain skin. He has a toothy grin, showcasing his teeth that resemble vampire fangs.
“Oh, uh…” Jungwon starts, mouth still wide open. He clears his throat and aggressively shakes the awkwardness out of himself. He looks up at the bright and colorful holiday menu behind the drool-inducing handsome bartender and orders the first thing he sees, “I’ll have the gingerbread espresso martini, please.”
The bartender raises his eyebrows and gives him a satisfied nod, “Good choice. I’ll have that right out for you.”
He comes back in a few minutes with a coffee brown drink with cinnamon coffee grounds lining the rim and a small gingerbread man floating on top. As Jungwon marvels at its perfection, his eyes wander to the man’s nametag, which reads: “Sunghoon.”
“Here you are,” Sunghoon says, the toothy grin returning. “Oh, and by the way, wherever you found that guy, maybe don’t look there again.”
He adds in a subtle wink, but it's enough to make Jungwon think his heart has stopped. Part of him wishes it did; getting CPR from Sunghoon doesn’t sound too bad. Oh, god, what is he thinking? He just met this dude!
“Oh, my god, it’s so cool how into football you are!” Maki, date #2, giggles, leaning across the table and placing his hand on Jungwon’s, “I love the Cougars.”
“Cheetahs,” Jungwon mumbles.
“You know, I was thinking…” Maki bites his lip, “What if we took this date back to my place?”
Jungwon stares at him wide-eyed. His eyelids blink in disbelief, although he’s not consciously moving them. Maki’s looking at him expectantly, like a dog waiting after its owner said “treat.” It takes him two minutes too long to see Jungwon’s blatant shock, and his expression finally falls.
“So you don’t want to hook up?” he pouts.
“No!”
Maki scoffs, “Then why were you on Tinder? That's literally what it's for.”
“Not really… I just wanted to-”
“Never mind!” he shouts. He grabs his drink and thrusts it toward Jungwon, spilling it all over him. Before anyone in the bar can react, he storms out, leaving Jungwon with a beer-stained shirt and a $80 bill to cover (he ordered a lot of beer).
“Seriously, where are you finding these guys?”
Jungwon whips around to see Sunghoon standing right behind him, holding a rag. He still has that same toothy smile plastered on his impossibly attractive face, and it almost makes Jungwon forget about his horrendous luck with men.
He takes the rag with a nod as a thank you and starts dabbing the beer off his shirt. He sighs, “I don’t know. Hell?”
Sunghoon loudly laughs, “Sounds about right. Want me to bring you anything? Maybe another gingerbread espresso martini? It's on the house.”
“On the house? Are you sure?”
He nods, “It's the least I can do. Take it as a medal for dealing with the Grinch’s henchman.”
“Woah, did you see that?!” Jungwon exclaims. He points at the TV, “Jackson Wang just threw a pick-six! Honestly, I think the Cheetahs could turn this around.”
Silence.
He peels his gaze from the screen to see date #3 nose-deep into his phone. His back is curved in a perfect C, and his shoulders are pushed forward as far as humanly possible. His lips are parted, allowing for heavy and annoyingly loud mouth breathing.
“Keeho?”
“Oh, sorry,” he mumbles, although he makes no effort to look up from his screen, “I'm playing Dress to Impress.”
Jungwon murmurs under his breath, “On a date? Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously!” Keeho snaps. Out of all the words he could’ve chosen to listen to, he had to choose these, “I can’t miss the holiday update, duh.”
“Okay, I don't think this is going to work. I’m going to go to the bar and cover the bill. Have a good day,” Jungwon says bitterly. The only thing keeping him polite is his holiday spirit.
He plops down at the bar, puts his head in his hands, and groans. Third time’s–
“–not the charm, huh?”
Snapping his head up, he locks eyes with the man he really came here to see (sorry, Keeho).
“You took the words right out of my mouth. Or, uh, head, I guess.”
Sunghoon tilts his head in confusion.
“Never mind. Today’s been… a day.”
“I can tell,” Sunghoon chuckles, “Want another gingerbread espresso martini? Or are you feeling straight moonshine?”
Jungwon laughs, “You know, I want to take you up on that moonshine offer, but I think I'll go with…” he cranes his neck to look at the holiday menu, “the spiced cranberry hotty toddy, please.”
“A man with good taste, I see,” Sunghoon nods, “Well, except for when it comes to men.”
“Hey! I have great– actually, no, you're right.”
“Why do you keep going on all these dates, anyway?” he asks as he grabs the bourbon.
Jungwon sighs, “My parents are getting on my ass to get a date for the Holiday on Elf Street.”
“Holiday on Elf Street?” Sunghoon repeats, his lips pressed together in a way that blatantly shows the laugh he's trying to stifle.
“Yeah, it's like Nightmare on Elm Street but like Holiday on Elf Street because we live on Elf Street…” Sunghoon looks up with a way-too-hot eyebrow raise, and Jungwon clears his throat, “Um, anyway, it's a house-decorating competition but on crack, basically?”
Sunghoon slides the very delicious-looking drink over to him and leans over the counter, “Tell me about it.”
“I don't really know when it started; it’s been a tradition since before I was born. But, anyway, every year, the houses on my street compete to have the best house. We’re judged on food, entertainment, decoration, you name it,” Jungwon scrunches his eyebrows together and pouts slightly, “I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. It's one of the city’s biggest events aside from the Cheetahs’ Christmas game.”
“I have heard of it,” Sunghoon shrugs with a smirk, “I just wanted to hear you explain it.”
“I-”
“Anyway, if you need a date for it, I know a pretty cute bartender who wants your number.”
Jungwon involuntarily gasps, and he hopes with everything in him that it's not obvious. Did he just say what he thinks he said? Does he want his number? Probably not, right? He has plenty of coworkers; he was definitely talking about one of them.
Out of all the moments for this to happen, Jungwon’s phone chooses this one to start buzzing. He rapidly picks it up and answers before he can even read the caller ID, but it's not like it matters too much; his mom’s voice booms on the other line.
“Get your ass over here and help clean for our guests!”
Oh, right. His family friends are coming over tonight, one of whom is his childhood friend. He forgot his name long ago, and for the most part, what he looks like. So, basically, he's a total stranger. Why is Jungwon so nervous, then?
“I'll see you later, um,” Jungwon looks down at Sunghoon’s name tag so it's not obvious he's been staring, “Sunghoon.”
He smiles softly back. It's not the usual toothy grin, but it's still just as warm, like a grandmother’s cookies fresh out of the oven, “See you–”
“–Jungwon!”
The man in question is practically half as useful as a Santa statue. His jaw is fully unhinged, perfectly matching his eyes, which might fall out at any moment.
“Sunghoon?!”
“I'm surprised you didn't recognize me,” he chuckles. He walks over to Jungwon’s mother and hands her a small box of cookies, “Here you are, Mrs. Yang. Great to see you again.”
Jungwon sucks in a deep inhale, mouth still open in shock, “You're saying you knew who I was the entire time? And you didn't say anything?”
“I wanted to see how long it’d take you to remember,” he shrugs.
“Wait, then how’d you get a job at the bar? Have you been in town all this time without telling me?”
Sunghoon puts his hands up reassuringly, “No, no! Nothing like that. I wanted a part-time job to get some more Christmas money, and the owner generously agreed to let me work there for the winter.”
“Oh, okay… God, this is so embarrassing.”
“Hm? How so?”
Goddamn it. Jungwon needs to learn to keep his inside thoughts what they are: inside thoughts. He can't exactly confess to the fact that he was ogling over his childhood friend.
“Just, uh, embarrassed I didn't recognize you! We were best friends before, so I feel bad.”
At least that's a half-truth.
“Don’t feel bad!” Sunghoon says with a sympathetic smile. He puts a hand on Jungwon's shoulder as an act of kindness, but all it really does is make him more nervous than he already was.
He clears his throat, “Anyway, let's go inside? I'm sure the rest of my family is really ecstatic to see you.”
For the next few hours, Sunghoon’s family joins Jungwon’s in a long-awaited reunion dinner. There are three different types of steaks, enough salad to feed an entire horse stable, and so many appetizers that the plates don't all fit on the dining table. Jungwon’s mom went above and beyond for this, but not only because of Sunghoon’s family’s return.
Tonight is the game that determines if the Cheetahs make the playoffs. In a normal season, they’d be in—easy. However, the quarterback, Niki Nishimura (aka Jungwon’s celebrity crush of the last five years), got a concussion a few months back, and it took him out until today. While everyone likes the backup quarterback, Zhang Hao, Niki’s just that guy, plain and simple.
“Come on, come on, come on,” Jungwon mumbles.
His eyes are glued to the screen, nailed down, and sealed with concrete. His lungs are starting to burn with the record-breaking time he's been holding his breath for, but he can't let it go, not when this two-point conversion determines everything.
“That’s the game!” the announcer booms, “They get the two!”
Their small living room erupts into strained screams and yells, loud enough to outdo a small concert hall. Every single person in both families is jumping up and down with joy. Jungwon’s uncle climbs on top of the couch. Aaaand… there goes the table.
“Jay!!!” Jungwon’s mom shrieks, but it's lost in all the noise.
Jungwon suddenly feels firm hands on either of his shoulders. He whips his head to the side, and there's Sunghoon.
“We won!” he yells, the toothy grin coming back.
Jungwon brings his hands up to his shoulders as well and shakes him vigorously. He repeats in a deafening shout, “We won!” A brief moment passes, then he abruptly stops, “Wait, you're a Cheetahs fan? I thought you moved to Denver.”
“You can take the man out of Candy City, but you can't take the Candy City Cheetahs out of the man,” Sunghoon beams.
Jungwon gasps. His face lights up like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, “Hang on, want to go on a walk?”
“Okay, I think we're far enough from the house now,” Sunghoon chuckles, “What’s this about?”
They're halfway down a long trail just a block away from Jungwon’s house that stretches far into the woods. It's covered in crisp snow that crunches with their every footstep. The sun went to bed hours ago, coating the sky in a canvas of dark blue with splatters of bright white stars.
“I just got wrapped up in all this,” Jungwon happily sighs, his eyes darting everywhere to catch every inch of scenery, “Reminds me of when we were kids.”
“Oh, for sure. Remember that one time we made mud shoes and your mom grounded you for a week?”
Jungwon playfully slaps his shoulder, “Hey! I forgot about that. No need to bring it up.” He laughs softly, not angry in the slightest, “Anyway, you know how the Holiday on Elf Street is coming up?”
“Mhm. That's why we came to visit.”
“And you still made me explain it to you at the bar…” Jungwon snaps faux-bitterly. He clears his throat when Sunghoon turns to him with a smirk, “So, uh, I don't know if Uncle Jay told you about it, but we're doing a Cheetahs theme this year. We think it's the perfect thing to finally beat our neighbor.”
“Beat your neighbor?” Sunghoon echoes.
“Yeah, ugh,” he scoffs, “This guy has won the Holiday on Elf Street for more years in a row than either of us has been alive. And that's fine, I guess, but he's a giant prick about it!”
“Who is he?”
“Kim Sunoo,” he spits bitterly, “He always finds some dirty way to win. Last year, he cut off our power so we couldn't get our inflatable castle up in time. Then he uses that to get Heeseung’s attention.” He pauses to look over at Sunghoon, who seems nothing but confused, and continues, “He's our other neighbor. Uncle Jay’s had a crush on him for years. In my opinion, he should find a less materialistic hoe to fall in love with, but what do I know?”
Sunghoon laughs loudly, the corners of his eyebrows creasing. It echoes through the solitary woods, coming back to them like a warm hug, “Wow. So, why are you telling me all this? What's the point?”
“Well, I have a plan. I wanted to spice up our house myself as a surprise for Uncle Jay. I would ask my family for help, but they're all blabbermouths, and my other friends are out of town. So…” he looks at Sunghoon pleadingly.
“So, you want my help?”
“Yes! I mean, um,” Jungwon clears his throat, “Yes, please. It’d be a lot to do on my own. And I don't even know where to start.”
Sunghoon abruptly stops, the ceasing of his footsteps making the static-like buzz of the snow-kissed woods completely apparent. He turns to him with a goofy grin, just like the usual one, but with a bit more Christmas cheer, “Let's start with a Christmas tree.”
“Goddamn, these are expensive!” Jungwon exclaims. He grabs the price tag of a ginormous tree and squints at it with utter disgust.
“They are real trees,” Sunghoon shrugs, though his mouth pressed into a fine line gives away his inner displeasure, “What’s the budget?”
“Are you kidding me?” Jungwon stands up straight. A boyish smile is plastered on his face, spreading from cheek to cheek, “It's Christmas! Infinite!”
Sunghoon raises his eyebrow. He points at the price tag, “Five thousand dollars infinite?”
Jungwon looks up at the tree. His neck is fully extended, yet he still can't see the top. The earthy, crisp scent of pine fills his nostrils. He runs his finger along one of the bundles, and it's what he can only describe as real. Sap residue makes his finger drag in fragments, and he can already feel the stickiness coating his fingertip. The pines are thick and rough, yet with a faint softness he's never felt on his own in nature. He imagines this tree’s every inch covered in beautiful, warm lights, ribbon, tinsel, ornaments, and candy canes. This must have been how the Grinch felt. He could almost feel his heart growing in size and pushing against his chest. It's not painful, just warm.
“Yeah, this is the one,” he says softly, “It’ll hurt my wallet for sure, but I worked my butt off all year for this. I started planning it in January. I am not letting Uncle Jay down!” he proclaims, puffing out his chest.
Giving him a soft smile, Sunghoon just happily sighs and nods.
“Jungwon, if you put another box of ornaments in this cart, it’s tipping over, and I’m coming with it,” Sunghoon says uneasily, his knuckles turning snow-white from how firmly he’s gripping the cart.
“We don’t have nearly enough, though! We got a twenty-foot tree, remember! Besides, if we want to beat Sunoo, we need every last ornament in this store,” Jungwon declares. He turns down another aisle and exclaims, “Sunghoon, look!”
He rolls the cart as quickly as he can (about the speed of a sick snail). Once the aisle comes into view, his heart swells with warmth and awe. It’s covered from head to toe in cobalt blue, the Candy City Cheetahs’ signature color. There’s Christmas merch of every kind: ornaments, wreaths, wrapping paper, and even some… other items (is lingerie really necessary?). He’s still only about a quarter through looking at everything before Jungwon starts tossing ornament after ornament into the cart.
“Wait, hang on, I’ll be right back, Jungwon!”
He comes back with another cart, and they both start basically tearing down the shelves, putting anything remotely possible to put on a tree in there.
“Oh, my god, Sunghoon, look at this!” Jungwon gasps.
He’s pointing at a large box about five feet tall. On the front is a graphic of a fifteen-foot inflatable cartoon Niki holding a football. He’s enclosed in a snowglobe, and the bold writing on the box reads: “actual falling snow!”
Sunghoon exhales in a disbelieving laugh, “You’re not thinking of buying this, are you?”
“You’re joking, right?” Jungwon raises his eyebrow, “Of course, I’m buying it. Go big or go home!”
He starts reaching toward the bottom to grab it. Sunghoon’s eyes dart toward the bottom of the shelf where the price tag is, and his jaw drops.
“A thousand dollars?! For that?”
Jungwon shrugs. He grunts slightly as he lifts it, but he doesn’t ask for help, “Well, NFL merch can be pretty pricey.”
“Pretty pricey? That’s a whole grand for a single decoration. Besides, you already got a twenty-foot tree. Isn’t that enough?”
“You haven’t seen Sunoo’s houses,” Jungwon sighs, “Last year, he had an entire ice palace. Literally an ice palace. Made of ice. Like, real ice. It was like Elsa’s castle, but better. We’re just getting started.”
“Are you sure? I just feel bad letting you pay for all of this.”
He steps forward and places his hand on Sunghoon’s shoulder reassuringly. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he flashes a warm smile.
“It’s okay, really. I was planning to do this on my own in the first place, anyway.”
When he realizes he can clearly smell Sunghoon’s musky yet fresh cologne, he removes his hand and steps back slightly. “Besides, I’ve been saving literally all year, and I have a secure job.”
Sunghoon’s eyes light up, “Did you become an astronaut?”
“What?” Jungwon snorts, “I didn’t think you’d remember that.”
“How could I not? You wouldn’t shut up about wanting to be one when we were kids.”
He laughs, “Sorry for annoying you.”
“No, no, it was cute.”
Jungwon’s breath hitches, and he subconsciously bites his bottom lip. He opens his mouth to respond, but there’s a suffocating dryness that holds back any words. He pretends to cough, but it’s really a cover-up so he can both hide his face and violently clear his throat.
“Anyway, um,” he swallows, “I’m a pediatric oncologist.”
“You’re what?” Sunghoon almost whispers, his voice softer than the most delicate frost, “Was it because of me?”
“I mean, in a way, yeah,” he admits. He looks down at the store’s pale flooring, “Seeing you with leukemia when we were kids was really hard. I wanted to become a pediatric oncologist so no kid would have to move away from here for better care like you had to.”
He slowly raises his head and gulps, but it does nothing to help the remaining dryness. He meets Sunghoon’s eyes, which are glistening with tears. They’re like a clear yet snowy sky, with pure black sprinkled with intricate snowflakes. His mouth opens as his lips slightly quiver, then they close into a fine line.
“Jungwon, that’s,” he chokes. He brings up his arm and coughs into his elbow, “really sweet.”
Jungwon almost replies with a thank you, but that feels too light. It feels like a dismissal of the weight of their history. He wants to say that he took this path just because of his passion for helping others, but that’s barely even grazing the truth.
Thankfully, Sunghoon breaks their peaceful moment of quietness before he has to, “You know, that reminds me, I have an idea.”
“I didn’t know you guys still had this place,” Jungwon marvels, looking around at the attic of Sunghoon’s childhood home.
It’s covered in various trinkets, receipts, toys, just things Sunghoon’s mom was always too stubborn to throw away. She always held onto the past, but Jungwon never saw it as a bad thing. Their house was like a museum for him to explore as a kid, and now, a place filled to the brim with nostalgia. Although they’re not related, in a way, he thinks he got that quality from her. He doesn’t outwardly show it, but if anyone ever looks in his closet, they’d see every single toy he’s gotten from his first birthday to his last, every letter ever written to him, every shirt he’s ever worn, and the list goes on. There are even wrapping paper scraps in there that he felt too guilty throwing away.
“Well, my parents finished paying it off long before I was born, and you know my mom; she’d never accept us selling it. So, we just hire a cleaner now and then to make sure it doesn’t rot.”
“Why haven’t you ever visited, then?”
Sunghoon sighs, “I, um, I have.”
Jungwon’s heart pangs.
“I’ve only come back a couple of times and not for very long. I wanted to wait until I had a proper amount of time to see you.”
“I wouldn’t have cared even if it was only for a couple of seconds. I really missed you.”
“The truth is,” Sunghoon sucks in through his teeth, “I felt guilty about how I left. I threw that cancer diagnosis on you, then I left to go almost the entire country away. I couldn’t muster the courage to talk to you again.”
“Sunghoon, what?” he mutters.
He walks over to him and pulls him into a tight hug. His hands spread across Sunghoon’s impressively toned back muscles, and while he (obviously) finds that attractive, what’s in his mind right now is the sheer difference between the boy he knew and the man he’s hugging. When they last saw each other, Sunghoon was frail, like every muscle in his body had given up. His eyes were sunken in, and the paleness to him had no light, unlike the glistening snow-like skin he has now.
Jungwon pulls away, though his hands remain on his shoulders, “You don’t have to feel guilty. Nothing that happened was your fault. I’m just happy to see you again, no matter what happened before.”
“I should have reached out sooner,” Sunghoon sadly whispers. He pouts and brings one hand to Jungwon’s wrist, softly running his thumb along the bone.
“We’re here now, though. That’s all that matters to me.”
Maybe it’s Jungwon’s imagination, but he could almost swear Sunghoon leans in. His eyes are looking down, and it’s like they’re focused on his lips, but he abruptly pulls away before he can do anything about it. Do anything about it?! What is he thinking? Does he seriously think he’d ever have the courage to kiss his childhood best friend? He has a greater chance of meeting Niki.
“Anyway, here’s what I wanted to show you,” Sunghoon says, bringing him back into the present.
He walks over to a shelf in one of the darkest corners of the attic and pulls out an extremely large box. It could fit five people in it with some leg room. He rips the packaging tape from the top to reveal a golden spiral, miraculously shiny like new.
“Woah, what is that?” Jungwon gasps.
Sunghoon pulls it out with a grunt, his shoulder muscles popping out even through his sweater. Jungwon almost starts drooling, but his attention is quickly drawn to the beautiful thing in Sunghoon’s arms. It’s a ginormous tree topper on top of which is a giant football with the Cheetahs logo on it, a cheetah with a candy cane hanging from one of its teeth.
“Hang on, it gets better,” Sunghoon says.
He gently sets it down on the floor, bends down, and presses something with a click. Instantly, the entire thing lights up, and the attic is suddenly bathed in bright, warm light. The football starts rotating, shifting the light around like a Christmas disco. Jungwon’s jaw is so wide it’s at risk of falling off, and no words can describe his sheer awe.
“My mom bought this so long ago that I don’t even know if I was born yet. She was going to use it for the Holiday on Elf Street, but that was, um,” Sunghoon swallows, “that was the year I moved away.”
“I’ve always believed in second chances,” Jungwon beams, “This is perfect!”
“We need a wow factor,” Jungwon frowns. He puts his hands on his lower back and bends backwards, the resounding crack making a twinge of anxiety flow through his body. He reaches down to grab his probably five-hundredth ornament of the day and sighs, “I feel like something’s missing.”
Sunghoon walks around from the other side of the tree toward him, “What do you mean? We’ve got a giant tree, enough ornaments to fill a room, and a fifteen-foot inflatable snow globe Niki. We’re bound to win.”
“You don’t know Sunoo,” Jungwon pouts, “He’s always, always one step ahead, and it pisses me off.”
“Well, we still have the food to make.”
“I guess so, but even if we make something gourmet, it’s not going to be the winning factor. We need something that screams, ‘Christmas!’ Something fun that people love around the holidays but is unique enough that Sunoo won’t think of it.”
“Hang on…”
Jungwon gasps, “You have an idea?!”
“Remember how I almost became an Olympic figure skater?”
“Of course, I do! How could I forget the millions of times you lapped me after I fell on my ass?”
Sunghoon throws his head back and laughs, “That’s my bad. But, anyway, I was thinking… What if we get synthetic ice and make an ice skating rink in your yard? You have plenty of space for it, and I doubt Sunoo would think of it.”
“Oh, my god, I could kiss you right now.”
“You could what?!”
“Uh…” Jungwon shifts on his feet and awkwardly chuckles, “It’s just, um, something my friends and I say to each other. As a joke, though! Very jokingly, y’know. Like, if we’re really grateful for each other, we’ll say that because, uh, yeah. Emphasis.”
He did mean it as a joke, but the fact that there’s a sprinkle of truth in what he said makes him feel like he just confessed. He obviously didn’t, but with the rambling and stammering, he might as well just outright say he’s in love right this second. God, what a loser.
Sunghoon laughs, “I won’t question it. Thanks, I guess? I’ll order the synthetic ice when we’re done decorating for the day.”
“How about now? We’ve been out here for a few hours. I can whip up some hot chocolate while you figure it out?”
“Perfect.”
Phew. He didn’t screw up. At least not completely.
Jungwon stares at the stove, almost pleading for it to start cooking something itself.
“What do we even make?” he mutters, “I feel like nothing we could do would top Sunoo. I hate that man, but I’ll still admit he’s a hell of a baker.”
Sunghoon mildly slaps him on the back, “Come on! If we want to win, we need a winner mindset. Thinking like that only makes us lose before the fight’s even begun.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” Jungwon sighs. He rolls his eyes in fake annoyance, then goes over to the ingredients cabinet, “We don’t have too much in here. Just the basic stuff.”
Walking over and stopping right next to him, Sunghoon hums in thought, “What if that’s it? The basic stuff? I doubt Sunoo’s going to do something traditional; what if we make sugar cookies and decorate them just like when we were kids?”
Four hours later, and they have trays upon trays of sugar cookies laid out in front of them. They’re bent over the flour-covered table with piping bags in hand, backs arched worse than the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sprinkles are scattered everywhere: on the counters, on the floor, in their hair, and one even managed to stick on the ceiling.
Jungwon leans back with a groan. He tilts his head to each side, feeling like his neck is made of stone. With an exhausted sigh, he stands up and looks at the seemingly endless rows of beautifully decorated cookies in front of him. They’re not perfect—not in the slightest. But they’re covered in Christmas spirit and nostalgia, his favorite flavor! He can imagine the warm smiles on everyone’s faces when they lay eyes on these, just like when he and Sunghoon surprised their families with similar cookies many years ago.
He looks over at the man who’s intently staring down at a sugar cookie like it’s a painting and he’s Leonardo da Vinci. His eyebrows are firmly pressed together, and his lips are scrunched up in near frustration. Jungwon softly exhales through his nose and smiles; Sunghoon looks just like he did when they were young. He always took things like this extremely seriously; it’s a relief to see he hasn’t changed.
“Why are you staring at me?” Sunghoon says with a raised eyebrow, “Is it that bad?”
Jungwon nearly chokes on his spit, “No, no! I was admiring.” He gasps loudly, “It. I was admiring it. The cookie.”
“Mhm…”
“It looks good.”
“I know,” Sunghoon boasts. He flips long, luscious hair he doesn’t have and sassily rolls his eyes.
Jungwon laughs, the sound echoing throughout the kitchen. He then lets out a satisfied sigh, “You know, I think we did some pretty good work here today.”
“I think so, too,” Sunghoon smiles and pushes off from the table to stand up, “What about drinks, though? We’ve got to have something to go with the cookies.”
“Oh, right! That reminds me,” Jungwon pulls out his phone from his back pocket, “I found this eggnog recipe a few weeks back.” He hums to fill the silence as he searches for it. “Okay! It’s about the same as usual with eggs, milk, sugar, nutmeg, blah blah blah, but it has four cups of bourbon, one cup of rum, and two cups of brandy.”
He’s met with silence, so he looks up to see Sunghoon blankly staring at him.
“Are you trying to make this a Christmas no one will remember?!”
“Hang on, hang on,” Jungwon laughs, waving his hands frantically in defense, “Everyone will just get a little bit. And people fly into Candy City for the Holiday on Elf Street, so no one will be able to have more than a small glass.”
“Okay, whatever you-”
Sunghoon’s phone starts buzzing, and he pulls it out to check the caller ID. He freezes momentarily, his eyes sticking to the screen.
“It’s my, uh, mom. I’ve got to take this.”
He scurries out of the room, leaving Jungwon alone for only about a minute before coming back.
“Everything okay?” Jungwon asks.
“I guess so,” he sighs, “I have to go, though. How about we meet tomorrow to make the eggnog?”
“Sounds good! Tell your mom I say hi for me, please.”
Sunghoon opens the front door, then looks back with a warm, wide smile, “Will do.”
“Jake, what the hell do you want?” Sunghoon spits. He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the man across from him, who’s unfortunately not as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside.
“You’re talking to me as if we weren’t engaged for a year,” Jake retaliates, “I’ll keep this quick. I overheard you’re helping Jungkook or whatever his name is with the Holiday on Elf Street.”
“What?” Sunghoon gasps. He squints in confusion, blinks a few times, then furrows his brows in anger, “First of all, it’s Jungwon. Second of all, have you been spying on me?!”
Junwon would never, ever share their plans with anyone. He’s never met anyone so dedicated to Christmas, let alone to surprises for his family. Besides, even if he wanted to, he definitely wouldn’t tell the son of the neighbor he despises so intensely.
“Doesn’t matter,” Jake shrugs, “What matters is that I know.” He steps forward until the two are only a few inches apart. This used to make Sunghoon’s heart race, but now, it just makes him want to vomit. “You’re going to tell me what you’re planning, or else I’ll tell Heeseung the most vile things I can come up with about Jay.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, I would. You know I would,” Jake sneers, “You know it’d work, too. It’d be my word against Jay’s, and whose would he believe more? The pathetic loser he doesn’t know who has been pining over him for decades, or the beloved son of his dear neighbor?”
Sunghoon scoffs in disbelief, “Why are you even doing this? This competition isn’t a big deal to you, but it is to Jay, and it is to Jungwon.”
“You forgot one person. It matters to you,” Jake points at him, digging his finger into his chest painfully, “I’m not going to let myself see you happy. Not after you broke my heart.”
“Broke your heart?!” Sunghoon exclaims, “You cheated on me!”
“Let’s not worry about the details. We’re not here to argue about whether I cheated or not, which, in my opinion, a one-night stand isn’t that big of a deal, and you should get over it. But, anyway, you’re going to tell me your plans, or else.”
Sunghoon bites his lip until the metallic taste of blood spills onto his tongue. He frustratedly exhales through his nose, looks to the side, then back at the despicable man in front of him.
“Fine.”
“Jungwon, come downstairs!” his mom yells.
He hurriedly throws his covers off himself, hops out of bed, then sprints to the top of the staircase, “What is it?”
“The Kims are up to something. You need to see.”
He practically flies down the stairs and slams into the front door. He barely reacts, bouncing back and throwing it open. He sprints down the driveway, his bare feet stinging with the frigidness of the concrete. When it comes into view, his jaw slams to the ground. There’s an entire construction crew in the Kims’ yard digging a wide yet shallow hole. It looks suspiciously like his own yard where they’re planning to put the synthetic ice, but it’s concealed under a pest control tent, so there’s no way they could’ve seen it. There’s no way, right?
“Oh, Jungwon!” Jake exclaims with a smile more fake than someone with hundreds of Botox injections. He skips down his yard and across the street, “Like what you see? We’re planning something big for the Holiday on Elf Street this year.”
“What?” he snaps.
“Woah, feisty one!” Jake giggles, “Just an ice skating rink, nothing too grandeur. A little friend of yours gave me the idea.”
Jungwon’s heart implodes. The pieces fly everywhere, sinking through the frigid winter air and dissolving into the snow. His chest has been ripped in two. Cold seeps into every inch of his body, pushing out any trace of Christmas warmth that has ever existed. His lips start quivering, and he’s uncertain whether it’s because he’s freezing or because he’s about to cry.
“You’re saying…”
“Yep!” Jake beams, smiling like he just won the lottery, “Sunghoon told me everything. It’s a shame you won’t win this year, but you’re used to it, so no hard feelings, right?”
He doesn’t wait a millisecond before aggressively patting him on the back and strolling back to his house. Sunoo’s on the doorstep waiting for him, and he smiles so brightly at Jungwon it almost conceals the viciousness behind it—almost.
Later that day, after hours of moping, Jungwon hears loud knocking downstairs. Uh oh. He tries not to stomp down the stairs, but it’s not much use; he’s too angry not to. He throws the door open, and he almost calms down at the sight of Sunghoon’s toothy grin, but one thought back to Jake’s stupid ass grin, and his infuriation is back.
“Hey, Jungwon! Ready to make the eggnog?”
“No. No, I’m not, Sunghoon,” he snaps, “Why don’t you go make it with Jake? I bet you already told him the recipe, anyway.”
Sunghoon’s face turns a ghostly white, and his eyes widen until they’re almost completely round, “Wait, I can explain.”
“Explain? What more is there to explain? Jake told me everything I needed to know. I can’t believe you right now.”
He slams the door before Sunghoon can come up with some bullshit excuse. His blurry figure is still visible through the glass door, and he can see him crumbling in on himself, his usual perfect posture disappearing. He’s good at this whole victim act, but it’s not going to work on Jungwon—not ever.
“Where’s Sunghoon?!” his mom panics, “The competition’s starting in thirty minutes, and we need to take this tent down!”
Jungwon doesn’t respond. He sits at the drink station, swirling around the alarmingly strong eggnog for the billionth time today. His hand is numb, while the rest of his body is heated with rage. He glares at their ice rink; it’s beautifully lit, the classic Christmas C9 bulbs radiating light that bounces off the synthetic ice. It glistens like it’s actually real. But despite how much Jungwon consciously thinks it looks gorgeous, he can’t feel it. He knows that once this tent is down and he sees the Kims’ yard, he’s going to see something hundreds upon hundreds of times better. Sunghoon will probably be there, too, mingling with the family he cruelly decided to betray him for.
He hears the low rumbling of a truck right outside, then the click when it parks. He thinks nothing of it at first, but then, he sees Sunghoon appear inside the tent. He’s dressed in a sleek cobalt blue suit that has the Cheetahs logo on the right breast pocket. It suits him perfectly, highlighting every part of him Jungwon doesn’t want to see, like the muscles he’s too angry to admit look good. He has a matching blue Santa hat with a comedically large puffball at the end. He’s waving someone into the tent, and Jungwon starts to crane his neck to look, but he quickly turns his attention back to the eggnog.
“Jungwon!” Sunghoon calls.
Why would he respond to a traitor?
“Jungwon! Come on, please!”
No amount of begging is going to work.
“Jungwon! Ugh, one sec, guys. Stay here, and stay hidden. I’m going to talk to him.”
Footsteps approach, then a shadow falls upon his face. He doesn’t have to look up to know it’s Sunghoon standing right in front of him.
“What do you want?” he spits.
“Please give me one minute to explain myself,” Sunghoon pleads. He inhales like he’s about to start talking, but he patiently waits for Jungwon to give a response.
“Fine. A single minute.”
“Jake is my ex,” Sunghoon says bluntly, “We started dating when he was on a business trip in Denver, then went long distance until he cheated on me. He called me yesterday to threaten me that if I didn’t tell him our plans for the Holiday on Elf Street, he’d spread rumors about Jay to Heeseung.”
Jungwon stares up at him blankly, “I know I said a minute, but wow, that was a lot at once.”
“Well? Do you believe me now?”
“I believe you, but what does that change? Sunoo has our plans now, so everything we did is for nothing. They’re going to beat us—again.”
Sunghoon’s lips slowly curve into a sly smile, “You’re wrong. Firstly, I only told them about the ice skating rink. Not the Cheetahs theme, not the tree, not the inflatable Niki, not the cookies or the eggnog—nothing. And, as an apology, I pulled some favors through some mutual friends, and…”
He waves his hand, then a group of men come rushing to the tent. They’re absolutely huge, all six foot or taller and so buff an entire football could fit in their biceps. Jungwon’s eyes bounce from man to man in such a flurry he can’t recognize any of them until they land on one in particular. He has defined cheekbones, a slit in his eyebrow, big lips, and combed back black hair with a streak of blonde. And, to top it off, he’s smiling at him. He, the Niki Nishimura, is smiling at Jungwon.
“Oh, my god, is that-”
“You’re Jungwon, right?” Niki says with a big grin, “Sunghoon’s told me a lot about you.”
“He has?”
“Yeah, he has. I think what you’re doing for your uncle is really cool. I’m happy to be a part of it,” he extends his hand out for a handshake, and Jungwon almost trips over himself six separate times before he can shakily return it.
Thirty minutes pass, and Christmas music blasting throughout the street’s many speakers signals the beginning of the Holiday on Elf Street. With the help of an entire football team, Jungwon, Sunghoon, and their families tear down the tent to reveal their Christmas wonderland of a yard. People instantly flock to their house, mostly for the meet and greet with the Candy City Cheetahs, but also for their impressive ice skating rink, nostalgic cookies, and dangerous eggnog (Jungwon may have put one extra cup of bourbon in there—just maybe).
Across the street is what he expected to be Sunoo’s impressively magnificent yard, but it’s nothing but a pathetic hole and a single, standard Christmas tree. There aren’t even presents underneath it.
“Sunghoon, did you have something to do with this?” Jungwon asks skeptically.
He shrugs, “Maybe. There’s a chance I changed the units when I sent the link for the synthetic ice to Jake to be inches instead of feet. I knew he’d be too dumb to check.”
“I’m sorry I ever doubted you, Sunghoon,” Jungwon sighs, “I should’ve trusted you.”
“If I were you, I would’ve done the exact same thing. I don’t blame you. I should’ve told you what happened right after Jake and I talked, so it’s my fault.”
Jungwon smiles warmly, his frost-kissed cheeks pushing up the corners of his eyes, “I don’t think it matters whose fault it is. What matters is that this house looks amazing, and,” he points across the street to Heeseung’s house, “look.”
His uncle, Jay, is standing at Heeseung’s doorstep, and the two are locked in a warm embrace, and although the view isn’t clear from here, it’s painfully obvious they’re kissing.
“Okay, um, that’s enough of that. I don’t want to watch my uncle making out with someone any longer. Ew.”
Sunghoon laughs, “I don’t blame you. I’m happy this worked, though. I mean, of course, it did. You were in charge of it.”
“And you helped.”
Jungwon bites his bottom lip to suppress his goofy grin, but it’s about as effective as a dam made out of a single twig. He laughs, not because anything is funny, but because he’s overfilled with pure joy. Sunghoon starts laughing with him, and he looks around at the scenery with a beautiful sparkle in his eye. His lips are slightly parted in awe, and the faint brush of lights on his face changes with every angle he moves.
“Remember how you were searching for a date for this?” he asks softly, turning his attention back to Jungwon. He cocks his head to the side, “I think that’s your guy.”
Jungwon whips around to see who he gestured to and meets Niki’s eye, who’s looking back at him with a flirtatious smirk. He’s smart enough to know it’s just fan service, though.
“Are you kidding?” he chuckles.
“No! Look at how he’s looking at you. Besides, he’s been your celebrity crush for years, right?”
“Celebrity crush,” Jungwon emphasizes, “Not my real crush.”
Sunghoon raises his eyebrow, “Who’s your real crush, then?”
“A pretty cute bartender that I’ve known for a while.”
“Wait, are you saying it’s me?”
Jungwon shrugs, “Not sure. All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t mind if that bartender kissed me.”
Sunghoon folds his lips in on each other in a pathetic attempt to hide his smile. He brings his hand up to Jungwon’s cheek and looks at him for a moment, his sparkly eyes somehow shining even more. He slowly leans in and presses a soft kiss to his lips. Jungwon instantly kisses him back and wraps his arms around the back of his neck. He snakes his fingers under his Santa hat and tangles them in his hair.
“You know, I can really taste the bourbon,” Sunghoon chuckles as he pulls away.
“Is it a bad thing, though?”
“Not at all,” he mutters before kissing him gently once again.