Deal with Him | Lee Heeseung

Christmas Special

"It's not much, but it's honest work."

-Andrea

25th of December, way before everything

“And…the tour de force,” Evelyn murmurs, her attention on the blazing tree topper in her hands. Long, white and eye-catching, the star takes its high spot on the top of the Christmas tree.

Everything is so silent—expect for the low whispers of the Christmas music, playing along with the girl’s hums—everything is so silent, so serene, so warm.

“Lovely,” Heeseung whispers, leaving a hot, small kiss on her cheek and making Evelyn turn around and squint, palming her cheek as if he bit it. “You, I meant,” he continues with a knowing smile.

She tilts her head and steps back, still not quite used to his touch, his words, his whatever that was. “I am not doing this for Jesus, you know,” she watches as he gives a grimace of disgust, “I just like the Christmas tree.” Concluding her sentence with a determined nod of the head, she leans up against the wall behind her.

There’s a scent of cinnamon, clementines and consternation in the air. It’s so silent there.

“Quit it,” Heeseung scolds and takes her hands away, leaving Evelyn no opportunity to cause more abrasions to her already maroon cuticles. She raises her eyes through her lashes, staring silently, almost sulky, and slowly retreats her hand.

“Right,” she whispers, giving a last look at the damaged skin of her nails. “I should plug the lights in.” And she walks with the wish of doing that, but before she could get to the tree, it is already dazzling and fluorescent.

Her head quickly swings toward Heeseung, then back at the lights. He’s so calm, so collected, she couldn’t even tell it was him if he didn’t have those lifted lips. But her attention is not on him for very long; Evelyn looks at the only thing in the room reminding her that this day, for most people, is something important, something spent with love and warmth in a house they call home and with people they call family.

Of course she won’t let the feeling get to her…of course. With a deep breath of air, she turns around and thanks Heeseung, not spending a second more to look in the way of that thing.

It’s so silent there…

Around the later evening, there came the proposal of movies and hot cocoa. No human knows better thing than this on Christmas day, it’s a fact.

“I am just saying, he makes a valid point.”

“Does he? I mean, why would he steal everyone’s Christmas just because—?”

“Well, because! Honestly, with all that joy, I would want to throw the whole damn holiday off a cliff, too,” he tells her, sternly, like this is a serious conversation, and not about The Grinch.

“Oh my…You know what, okay. You’re right, just shut up and keep watching.”

Evelyn pulled her arms across her chest, but, seconds later, he leaned her head against her shoulder and kissed her scented hair, silently transmitting something alike making peace.

…

Perhaps she fell asleep before the feeling got to her heart, spreading like vines inside of her, calling the anguish what it is, and not a masked sense of calmness. She’s not calm like that. But sorrow on Christmas night is not the answer either.

Bewildered and now awake from a dreamless, short slumber, Evelyn searches the book that previously rested on her chest, until she closed her eyes unintentionally. Why is it nowhere to be found?