Different

°•♤•° Chapter Twenty-Three °•♤•°

       °•☆•° Word Count: 3,333 °•☆•°
     °•♡•° Time to Read: 18 mins °•♡•°

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"This it?," the taxi driver asked, stopping outside of Minho's house.

"Yes, thank you so much," Jisung thanked him. He had decided upon taking a taxi instead of walking to Minho's house due to the gifts he had to bring with him. He paid the man and started to gather his things.

The taxi driver watched as Han struggled to fit all the presents in his arms. "Would you like help with that, son?" The man asked.

Jisung shook his head, not wanting to burden him in any way. "No, no, it's fine. I got it," Jisung assured him.

The driver sighed and opened his door. He opened the door to the backseat and took a pile of the gifts in his arms. "It's really no problem," he said with a smile.

Han thanked him shyly, and they walked to the front door of Minho's house. He rang the doorbell, and almost immediately, the door was opened, revealing Nari in a large Christmas sweater with a reindeer on it. The bright red nose of the creature blinked brightly. "Oh, yay, you're here!" She said brightly, her breath turning to fog as it hit the cold air.

She noticed the driver holding the presents and she offered to take them. The middle-aged man obliged, and she carried the presents off to the living room.

Jisung turned to the driver and thanked him while offering a cash tip.

"Oh, no," the driver said, denying the cash, "Don't worry about it, Merry Christmas." He tipped his hat at Jisung and then walked back to his car.

Jisung turned and walked cautiously into the house, making sure to shut the door behind him securely so as to not let in the freezing outside air. He walked down the hallway and into the living room. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he noticed the stunning, eight-foot tree covered in colorful ornaments and dazzling lights. Beneath it was a heep of presents atop a red and white tree skirt. From the TV above the fireplace, Christmas music emitted, filling the room with its jingling bells and nostalgic voices.

Jisung added his presents to the pile below the tree and padded off to the kitchen, where he had noticed everyone was gathered. He saw Minho and Laura hard at work, cooking what looked to be kimchi and sweet potato noodles, while Nari sat on a stool at the kitchen island.

Minho cut up kimchi into a pot on the stove and turned to Han, offering him a warm smile. "Hey, Ji," he greeted.

Laura turned her focus away from cooking for the first time. "Wait, when did you get here?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"Oh, just now," Jisung replied.

She turned back to the food and shrugged. "Guess I was in the zone," she mumbled.

Jisung sat at the kitchen island next to Nari, knowing full well he would be useless in the process of making dinner. He laid his chin on his hand, with his elbow on the granite counter.

Nari looked over at him, feeling similarly useless. "Yeah, I'm not the best in the kitchen either," she commented, watching her wife flip veggies in a pan like it was nothing.

Han sighed and watched Minho. "I usually end up burning something," Jisung admitted.

Nari chuckled at his response. "Me too, kid," she said.

"Hannie, come here," Minho called from the stove.

Jisung hopped off the stool and padded over to Minho. He stood patiently as Minho twirled orange noodles with a pair of metal chopsticks. Minho held up the noodles to Jisung's mouth, with one hand cupped underneath to catch anything that falls. "Careful, it's hot," he warned.