“The person receiving the gift is going to love it. This item is the most popular product from our brand these days.”
The employee, who had swiftly finished wrapping the gift with practiced hands, handed Kang-woo the shopping bag. Kang-woo fumbled through the cash in his pocket and passed it to her.
“Thank you, customer. Enjoy your shopping.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
By the time he finished paying and stepped out of the department store, an hour and a half had already flown by. Kang-woo only realized how much time had passed after checking his phone—he had been so absorbed in carefully choosing the gift.
At first, he’d felt timid, like someone sneaking out in secret, but the longer he stayed outside, the more confidence he gained.
Today would probably end without any trouble. He was sure of it. And since he was already out, he decided he might as well stop by the mart and buy some groceries. With that thought, Kang-woo immediately turned his steps toward the mart.
After exiting the subway station, he arrived at the mart about five minutes away. He picked out a few daily necessities and dropped them into his basket, but then his steps stopped in front of a display shelf. There was a large pack of hot packs.
He fiddled with the bundle containing ten packs before placing it in his basket. After that, he added some food ingredients to his items, paid for everything, and on his way home stopped by a café to reserve a Christmas cake.
In truth, deciding to reserve the cake had taken a lot of deliberation.
Would he really be able to eat it with Seok-ho on Christmas Day? His hyung might have personal plans. What if he made arrangements on his own and ended up spending the holiday feeling lonely instead? Thoughts like that made him hesitate.
But after thinking it over for a while, Kang-woo ultimately went ahead and reserved the cake. Whether he would spend Christmas together with Seok-ho was uncertain—but even if Seok-ho went out because of other plans, Kang-woo decided he could just eat it by himself.
With noticeably lighter steps, Kang-woo headed home. Just then, a short vibration buzzed from inside his pocket. When he pulled out his phone to check, he saw a text message from Jung-yeon.
[I sent you a gift by delivery, so please make sure Kang-woo-ssi opens it.]
What kind of gift all of a sudden? Curious, Kang-woo quickened his pace.
When he arrived at the officetel, just as she had said, a large delivery box sat in front of the door. The sender was “Kwon Jung-yeon,” and the recipient was “Kim Kang-woo.”
Grunting with effort, Kang-woo dragged the heavy box inside and opened it. Inside was none other than a Christmas tree.
Kang-woo settled down in a suitable spot and began assembling the tree step by step. The branches, bundled together for easier transport, were spread out one by one with his hands. Following the instruction manual, he somehow managed to piece together the main body of the tree, and even that alone already looked quite impressive.
“It’s huge.”
As if reflecting Jung-yeon’s generous personality, the tree was about as tall as Kang-woo himself. Letting out a loose chuckle, Kang-woo moved around it, hanging ornaments and decorations here and there.
It had been a really long time since he last decorated a tree. The last memory he had was from a year before his mother passed away, and back then Kang-woo had been so small he couldn’t even reach halfway up the tree. Whenever it was time to place the star on top, he had always needed his mom’s help.
But many years had passed since then, and now Kang-woo had grown enough to place the star at the very top all by himself.
After wrapping the entire tree in strings of tiny lights and finishing with the crowning star ornament, the tree looked even more complete. Kang-woo turned off the living room lights, plugged the cord into the outlet, and switched it on.
“Wow…”
An exclamation slipped out of his mouth. Dozens of small bulbs flickered in colorful lights, shining beautifully.
He stared at the sight quietly for a long while before pulling out his phone. He planned to take a photo and send it to Jung-yeon before he forgot—along with a message thanking her.
Kang-woo settled onto the sofa and sat there. He watched the brilliantly sparkling tree, losing track of time. As the sun set and the darkness deepened, the tree’s lights shone even more dazzlingly.
“I’m back.”
Late at night, Seok-ho returned from work. As he passed through the living room, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. His gaze lingered for quite some time on the tree occupying one corner of the room.
“Jung-yeon noona sent it as a gift.”
Kang-woo quickly explained, stepping in front of it. Given Seok-ho’s personality, he didn’t seem like the type who would like bringing bulky things like this into the house.
“It’d be a waste not to use it when she went through the trouble of sending it.”
What if he told him to get rid of it right away? Feeling nervous, Kang-woo watched him anxiously, but Seok-ho unexpectedly didn’t say anything.
“It’s pretty.”
No—if anything, he casually tossed out that unexpected comment before heading into his room. Thud. The sound of the door closing followed.
“…Phew.”
Only then did Kang-woo release a sigh of relief without realizing it. His gaze drifted back to the sparkling Christmas tree.
“I guess hyung thinks it’s pretty too.”
Kang-woo murmured to himself with a faint smile.
***
Christmas was only a day away.
After work, once Seok-ho changed clothes and came out, Kang-woo began trailing after him closely. While Seok-ho tossed clothes into the washing machine, washed his hands, and filled a cup of water from the purifier, the two of them moved almost like a pair.
As Seok-ho headed toward the living room, he suddenly stopped and turned around.
“Oh.”
Seok-ho lifted one eyebrow. Kang-woo, who had stopped as well, blinked his eyes slowly. He had clearly been following him like he had something to say, yet he wasn’t getting to the point. Feeling a bit frustrated, Seok-ho asked him in a slightly gentler tone.
“Why do you keep trailing after me like that?”
Only after being asked again did Kang-woo bring up what he wanted to say.
“Are you working tomorrow by any chance?”
Seok-ho often went to work regardless of weekends or holidays. Because of that, there was no guarantee he would be off just because it was Christmas. Kang-woo asked even though he expected the answer to be yes.
“No. I’m not.”
“Oh… you didn’t get any bookings?”
The reply was unexpected. Kang-woo suppressed the bright tone that tried to burst out of him. Maybe there weren’t many customers because people wanted to spend Christmas with their lovers or families, he thought—but Seok-ho corrected himself.
“I didn’t take any bookings.”
Not “I didn’t get any.” “I didn’t take any.”
“Ah, I see.”
Even though he told himself he shouldn’t, a quiet sense of anticipation bloomed in Kang-woo’s chest.
“Then… do you have any plans tomorrow?”
“No. None.”
Kang-woo pressed down firmly on the corners of his lips that threatened to rise and only nodded his head. He tried to hold it in, but maybe his happiness showed anyway, because Seok-ho let out a small snort of laughter.
“Why? You want to go somewhere?”
“No. It’s just… it’s Christmas. I thought it might be nice if we went out to eat together in the evening.”
After making the suggestion, Kang-woo hurriedly added an explanation, worried Seok-ho might misunderstand and think he was asking him to spend money.
“I’ll treat you. Let’s go eat something good together.”
He had spent about 100,000 won preparing Seok-ho’s Christmas gift, leaving him with around 80,000 won. Kang-woo thought that amount would be enough for the two of them to enjoy a nice dinner and soak in the Christmas atmosphere.
But Seok-ho immediately shook his head with a slight frown.
“What money do you even have?”
“…I do. It’s money I’ve had for a while.”
“Forget it. How could I accept dinner bought with pocket money like that? I’d get indigestion halfway through the meal.”
“You can let me treat you just for one day, hyung. I want to buy it for you.”
“Still no. You never know what might happen, so save whatever money you have.”
Kang-woo’s eyebrows drooped downward. He had only wanted to show his gratitude, but Seok-ho’s stance was firm. Kang-woo ended up thinking the dinner idea had been rejected entirely.
If dinner was off the table… then what should they even do on Christmas? He hadn’t thought that far ahead, and worry began creeping in. But the words Seok-ho added next instantly brightened Kang-woo’s expression.
“I’ll buy it, so pick what you want to eat.”
***
On Christmas Day, Kang-woo woke up early in the morning, his heart brimming with excitement. He pulled the curtains open to chase away the darkness—and saw thick snowflakes pouring down from the sky.
“Wow… it’s a white Christmas.”
He exclaimed and hurried into the living room. Throwing the curtains wide open, he crouched down in front of the window and pressed his forehead against the glass. He stared at the falling snow.
Maybe it was because it was snow falling on such a special day—it felt more meaningful than usual.
After sitting there for a while, he heard a door open behind him. When he turned his head, Seok-ho came out into the living room, looking messy and half-awake.
“Hyung, it’s snowing outside.”
Brushing aside his messy bangs, Seok-ho walked over and stood beside him.
“It is.”
Hearing his indifferent tone, Kang-woo replied brightly.
“Doesn’t it make you feel good? It’s a white Christmas.”
“You like snow?”
“Yes. It’s pretty. What about you, hyung?”
Seok-ho looked down quietly at Kang-woo, who was crouching there, then reached out and ruffled his hair before heading into the bathroom.
What was that? Does hyung not like snowy days?
Kang-woo stared at the closed door with a questioning look.
Well, adults tend to be more practical. People say that once you start driving and working, your romantic feelings about snow naturally disappear.
But for now, Kang-woo still liked snow.
“Yaaawn—”
Left alone in the living room, Kang-woo yawned as he walked toward the sofa. He had been glued to his phone all night and hadn’t fallen asleep until past four in the morning. He’d been searching online for restaurants that would be good to visit on Christmas.
After drowning in the endless sea of web surfing, he had only slept for about two hours—but somehow, his condition still felt excellent.
After Seok-ho finished showering and came out of the bathroom, Kang-woo grabbed his underwear and immediately went in. He washed himself from head to toe until he was squeaky clean, then came out and dried his hair.
They kept lunch simple with side dishes prepared the night before, then sat side by side on the living room sofa watching a Christmas special movie on TV, spending a leisurely afternoon together.
As the sun began to set, the two of them left the house early. Kang-woo had tried calling the Korean restaurant he had found earlier, but they told him same-day reservations weren’t available, so they decided to eat an early dinner instead.
The streets were filled with the Christmas atmosphere. A massive tree stood in front of the department store, and strings of bulb lights glowed in colorful hues. Cheerful carols played continuously from the shops.
Kang-woo had thought Christmas didn’t feel as festive as it used to these days—but today felt different.
Was it the difference in mindset? Or was it because he hadn’t taken the time to stroll through the streets like this in so long?
Like a child who had just received a gift, Kang-woo remained in high spirits the entire time.
Even though they had hurried to arrive early, the restaurant was already crowded. In the end, they had to wait about ten minutes—but the meal itself turned out to be very satisfying.
