stardust | park seonghwa ✓

16

"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.