"WAKE UP!!"
A strong vibration jolts me awake from my sleep and I find Hyekyung's face just inches from mine, grinning widely. I obviously want nothing to do with her so I shove her head away, turning around in my bed to slam my face into my pillow and almost drift myself back to sleep.
"Eonnie, waKE UP!" the little girl screeches once more, flopping herself over my back.
I groan into my pillow. "Go away, Kyung. It's still early."
"But it's Chwismas..!" she whines. "Let's open pwesents!"
Hyekyung rolls off from my body and crawls over next to me.
"Mummy says Yeoyeo is coming," she tells me, "so she tells Kyungie to wake eonnie!"
Oh, that's right.
Christmas had rolled around much faster than I expected. Not many things happened in between. Just me and my last minute assignments before the Christmas break, along with a few hangouts with Yeosang and some morning coffee with San. Wooyoung comes along sometimes, when he's bored and claims that all his friends have abandoned him so the three of us would squeeze into a small booth at the back of the usual roastery and talk. I found myself a temporary part time job at the library to pass time later over the break so I can earn a few more for that B-TEEZ concert I wanted to go to.
Seonghwa went out of town a couple of days since that time we went to San's place. He said it's something for his project, something to add to his mixtape or something. But we've been talking through the phone and whenever San, Wooyoung and I would hang out, he would call my phone repetitively to get us all annoyed.
It's funny how time flies. Some months ago I received my mark; it's still there with the same vibrant colours still decorating the back of my shoulder. Sometimes it will glow a little at night, some other times my eyes would change colours even if it's only for a split second. Yeosang says it's probably because the other person misses me (I highly doubt that, the two suspects I can think of see me almost everyday). I find out that it's different for everybody and maybe that's why Yeosang could feel his star partner trace their mark sometimes.
And now it's approaching the end of the year. If several months really went by that quick, a year would be almost as fast and I wonder to myself if by the time we end next year, I'd already find out who my star partner is.
Hyekyung who had been silently observing me for a while, sticks out her bottom lip. "Eonnie, come o-on!" and she drags my arm out of my blanket, letting herself hang from the side of my bed to pull me out.
"Okay, okay, I'm up!" I say.
Together, we head down the stairs from my bedroom and into the living room. Hyekyung is rested on my hip and she babbles on with her now almost clear words about how she wanted a huge dollhouse but she doesn't know if Santa got her that.
"Kyungie want dollhousey week yestelday," she tells me, "but Kyungie sent Santa's letter alweady..."
"Awh.. it's okay, Kyung," I coo at her, pinching her nose lightly, "now how about we open our presents, what do you think?"
"Yes!" she cheers, wiggling out of my hold and she runs to our tree in the corner of the room. I hear mum calling out from the kitchen, telling Hyekyung to wait a little for her and dad to come into the room. Obviously, she was already too excited and so, when mum and dad comes in, her first gift was already halfway opened.
My best friend, Kang Yeosang, comes over for lunch. When Hyekyung runs to the front door of the house to greet him (read: screaming his name), Yeosang picks her up and twirls her around.
"Kyungie, look what I got for you!" Yeosang pulls out a little pink paper bag from behind his back for Hyekyung to have, which she takes happily. Soon, we see my sister admiring the fancy bow clipped in her hair, making the both of us chuckle.
Yeosang is dressed in his Christmas sweater he wears every year (which I got for him some years ago), a pair of grey pants and his fluffy slippers. Honestly, it sort of looks like he was chilling at his own home with his own family but I guess mum made it clear to him a few years ago that he doesn't need to dress smartly when he comes over on this date. "Come how you'd usually dress going to your grandma's house, okay, sweetie?" I remember her saying, and he's been like this ever since.
Despite being closed off to a lot of people, Yeosang is pretty open to my parents. Right now, he's talking about Yunho, the new barista at the roastery he and I met a few months back. My parents, mum especially, is engrossed in his story.
"Yeah, he's a pretty great guy," Yeosang says, pink slightly dusting the cheeks of his apples.
Mum leans in further in her seat, "so... how are you and him now?"
"About that..." my friend scratches his head nervously, "... he has a boyfriend already. Told me a few days after we started talking."
That sentence alone got my mum and I to almost drop our utensils. Dad sips his drink, Hyekyung burps. "Boyfwen?" she questions, "Yeoyeo has boyfwen?"
"Not me, honey, Yunho," Yeosang answers, sighing. "It's fine though, I'm happy for him."
I give Yeosang a look. 'You didn't tell me this!' I say with my eyes. He shoots me an apologetic look. "You just looked so excited about Yunho and I, I thought it might burst your bubble..." he speaks quietly.
"You know, there's someone else out there," mum speaks up.
"You're right, he told me he hasn't got his mark yet so he won't be them," Yeosang shrugs, referring to his own mark on his back.
"But doesn't he have a boyfriend already?" I ask my best friend.
Dad, who has been listening to our conversation the whole time, finally chimes into the talk. "It doesn't mean that his boyfriend is his soulmate," he speaks, before continuing his lunch.
"Anyways..." mum claps her hand to change the subject of the conversation, "how are your studies going, my darling Yeosang?"
My best friends eyes light up a little and he goes on to say that he's halfway through his thesis and that he only needs to collect his final data to put into the work. We steer off the conversation about Yunho and boyfriends and star marks (which I'm half grateful for) for the rest of lunch. For the remainder of the day, Yeosang and I laze around in our living room, watching a Christmas special of Paw Patrol on the tv with Hyekyung who's minding her own business on the floor.
Yeosang tells me how Donghoon was home this morning, the first Christmas he's been home after many years. He mentions about how he doesn't know if he's supposed to feel happy or not. After all, Donghoon was still his own brother and yet, with all the years gone by, it feels foreign. Hyekyung and I listen intently as Yeosang tells the story of how he woke up to find his brother pouring a cup of milk from the fridge. Turns out, the two brothers are back on good terms (for now, at least) and they had a great time during breakfast.
"That's great then!" I chirp happily, patting his back.
"I'm just not sure how long it will be until his next outburst, but at least we're good now," he finishes, smiling a little. "Even mum and dad are happy he's here — he didn't even bring a girl. That's got to be good progress, right?"
"What do you mean 'good'? It's great!"
"I hope he's getting better for real now, I'm sure you hope that too. I miss the three of us being idiots."
"Same, it's been years."
"Okay, enough about me! I already told you about how Yunho and I are going to be from now on, now tell me, did you find out who it is yet?" Yeosang asks, "San or Seonghwa? We haven't talked this much for a while and we need to catch up a little. So tell me!"
"Well..." I start. Yeosang leans in with anticipation.
"Well..?"
"No, I still don't know who," I say and I watch his expression drop slightly, "although... didn't you say you get an emotional connection with whoever your partner is? Even without realising?"
I can see him trying to bite back a knowing smirk. I roll my eyes, pushing his head back. "Don't look at me like that! You were the one to ask!"
"If you don't tell me right now I'll continue making this face," he threatens, face twisting into the expression before, maybe a little more dramatically.
"Shut up," I hiss. Yeosang lifts his brows, telling me to go on. "Okay, San... well... he's a good friend — a very good friend actually. Did I tell you he saved me from embarrassing myself with a leak accident some time ago?"
"You didn't tell me who but you did tell me you were saved."
"That was him."
"That's nice of him, I saved you from one too, you know? Back in ninth grade."
I wave my hand in a flick, "yeah, yeah, whatever. It's different with him, since I can literally fart in front of you and all you do is fart back in a challenge to see whose is smellier."
Yeosang nods. "Fair point."
"So... who is it?" he asks.
Oh my God, I can't believe I'm doing this.
I take a deep breath. "But the thing is, to me, San's only a good friend and Yeosang, I think... it's Seonghwa."
"HA! I KNEW IT!" Yeosang jumps from his seat, making me flinch at his sudden movement.
"I knew it!" he repeats, a little quieter this time. "I mean, you did approach him first at the cafe, right?"
I can feel my cheeks blush a tint of pink. For the past few weeks, it never really crossed my mind about how I really feel but now that I've said it, all the memories I've spent with him are crashing down on me and I realise how true it actually is.
"This is a good start actually, I'm proud of you," Yeosang tells me, giving me a pat on the head, "now all you need to do is talk to him. See if you really are star partners, which on a scale of one to ten is very likely."
"You know it's not easy..." I begin to say, "it's... it's scary."
"The only time I confessed to someone was like — what? — back in seventh grade," I remind him of the time years ago, "what did I get in return? A block."
"I remember, but listen, this will be different! Trust me!" Yeosang exclaims, throwing his arms to prove his point. "You were a kid, now you're an adult!"
I sigh, knowing he's right.
When I say nothing in return, Yeosang crouches in front of me, looking into my eyes. "Should I list a few things as to why you should talk to him?" he asks, "because if not and you aren't going to, like, square up and talk to him, I can always do it for you."
"And what? Have him to yourself?" I scoff.
Yeosang pauses, placing his finger on his chin. "I mean, I don't really see the downside..."
I smack his leg, hard. That results in my best friend to crack up laughing, "I'm sorry! I was just joking, he's all yours!"
My lips pout, huffing at his 'funny' joke and I fish my phone out of my pocket. There are four new messages from San, one from Wooyoung, seventeen from my group project chat... and five from Seonghwa. Ignoring Yeosang's teasing laughter, I slide my screen to open the chatroom, glaring at him through the corner of my eyes.
hwa!
hey
sorry i didnt text u this morning,
just got busy with fam and stuff
merry chrysler!!! <3
oh and i hope u dont mind but
im outside rn, u think u can go out?
I hear a high pitched squeal in my ear and I give Yeosang a dirty look.
"The more reason for you to talk to him, go go go!!!" he pulls me out from my seat and despite my cries of complaints, he still pushes me out of the house before slamming it shut. He doesn't forget to lock the door, waving at me through the small curtained window.
Before I turn around, I give Yeosang the middle finger. With a deep breath, I twirl on my heels and under the street lamp, I see a familiar figure. With the sun setting, it was as if he was glowing, literally, and I can't say it didn't bring a smile to my face. Because it did and not going to lie, I like this feeling, a lot.
"Seonghwa!"
+
henlo, xmas chapter 2 months overdue but whatever right?? and omg omg omg stardust is growing so fast i- *cries* tysm!:( pls accept my lov ♡