The Christmas Party

Run, Run Reindeer

Me: Will you come to my company holiday party and pretend to be my girlfriend? I will give you a Starbucks gift card.

Nayeon: My boyfriend's dad is a VP at your company and he and his wife will 100% be there

Me: Ugh

Nayeon: You have loads of friends can't one of them do it?

Me: Friends is a very loose term

Nayeon: Get on Bumble or Tinder?

Me: God no. I just need someone to accompany me. Do you have any friends that want to go? Preferably straight.

Nayeon: Why straight?

Me: So we don't fall in love

Nayeon: Omg... fine I'll ask around.

Me: You're the best!

I put my phone down and stared at my computer screen. I'd exhausted all of my viable contacts. It was only Wednesday; I still had eighteen days until the party, but I couldn't help the feeling of dread that was setting in. What if I couldn't find a date?

It was almost like Soojoo sensed my distress, like how sharks sense an animal flailing about miles away and know when to go in for the kill; Soojoo was at my desk hardly a minute after I threw my phone down in defeat. She came poised with a clipboard and a giant pen with a Rudolph top on it that lit up when you clicked the pen down. I wanted to gag.

"Yes?" I asked, eying her suspiciously.

"I'm doing RSVPs for the Christmas party. Will you and your... girlfriend be there?"

My panic quickly turned to annoyance. "Yes. You can put me down for two. We'll both be there."

Soojoo eyed me, unconvinced.

"Is that all? I have a lot of work to do," I said.

"Yes, for now." She spun on her heels and went to talk to others in the office. I scowled and quickly snatched my phone, now scrolling through my Instagram to see if there was perhaps someone from high school or college who would be willing to go with me, even if it was a bit of drive.

****

I drove straight to Taehyung's apartment after work with six bottles of wine. When Taehyung answered the door his eyes fell on the bag. "Long day?"

"Extremely. Plus, there was a deal and I had to buy six bottles."

"Had to, huh?" He asked as I pushed past him into the apartment.

"Wow," I commented, looking around their apartment. "You've got... a lot of Christmas in here." I uncorked a bottle of wine with a Santa corkscrew and poured us both glasses with snowflake designs. "Jesus, is everything Christmas now?"

Taehyung accepted his glass and plopped down on the couch, moving the Christmas decorated pillows. "Yes. Jennie decorated last weekend."

"It looks like an elf threw up in here."

Taehyung shrugged. "It's nice. Plus Jennie loves Christmas. You know that."

"Yeah, but it looks like she has more decorations than last year. Like way more."

"Of course she does. She always buys more."

"How does she already have more? It's December second!"

"Jennie goes Christmas shopping in November."

"She's one of those people."

"She's obsessed."

"Apparently."