Chapter Sixteen

The wind was chilly and strong, but all of them seemed to be indifferent to it, tugging onto the
thick winter coats and long, flimsy scarves wrapped around their necks. All of them stood under the
glow of one peculiar tree, a tall, well-lit pine tree dressed in colorful, shiny balls and red or green tassels,
sparkling vividly because of the Christmas lights swirled around it.

“Silent night, holy night…” A few pitches higher than the original, a shaky tone vibrates in mid-
air while eleven voices resonated the melody in a various range of pitches, fine and clumsy alike. Sunako
never imagined that a year would pass without her having a drastic change of friends… that the people
she first met in her return to Japan would still be the same people who stood by her through countless
things. Back in London, her friends changed as often as the seasons. Only her sister’s presence was
constant. But this time, she felt so reassured that they would be the people she would treasure
throughout the years of her youth.

The song was lulling, a mesmerizing combination of pitches and tones, both polished and rough,
yet seemed to blend together flawlessly. Two voices stood out in the sea of hazy vocals, those of Minho
and her brother’s. She didn’t know that Minho was a great singer, a little husky voiced, powerful and
manly compared to Jaejoong’s sweet, gentle and emotionally moving voice, but both equally smooth
and brilliant.

Leaving behind the beautifully haunting voices, Sunako edged away from the tight circle of
friends standing before the tree, singing their hearts out with passion even if the darkness and stillness
of the night dawned upon them. Once she was a good ten or so meters away from them, she flicked a
flat switch hiding in the folds of her trench coat, unveiling a spectacle that bewildered everyone.

Soft orange bulbs began to radiate above them, connected to rubber-encased electrical wires
that zigzagged above them, lined with a neat array of mistletoes scattered all throughout the lit block of
land. It looked like one of those scenes at the plaza, where the intricately patterned Moroccan tiles
cementing the ground gave the whole place a rustic feel to it. There were two long tables in front of the
tree, one covered in cream tablecloth with gold trimmings while the shorter covered in bright red,
holding a vast amount of food, festive and light. The fountain originally found in the block, sandy beige
and murky peach, flowed of crystal blue water that made the scene feel more of a warm, jolly night in
the streets of Brazil rather than a freezing night under the Japanese sky.

Baffled and bemused, people began looking overhead, noting the mistletoes hanging above
them and one other special person. Koike gave his date, Hikaru, a quick kiss on the cheek, causing the
latter to blush furiously. Hannah and Yamapi shared a short kiss then hugged giddily after, Hannah
burying her face on Yamapi’s chest. Naie cheekily kissed Haruma’s cheek as the latter turned to look at
Mica, who kept her gaze far from him, back facing him. Haruma hesitated a little, bending down to
Mica’s height but almost as quickly turning away and hurrying to the opposite side of the circle where
Ryo and Jaejoong were good-naturedly kissing each other’s cheeks amidst gay and spirited laughter.
Beside them, Megumi and Minho stood awkwardly beside each other, both gazing into each other’s
eyes in unspoken mirth. Then, Megumi tiptoed to her utmost abilities and kissed Minho’s cheek
bashfully. Minho grinned sheepishly and returned Megumi’s affection until the both of them blushed
like crazy.

The Nikon DSLR hanging on her neck managed to capture all the love and glee in one single shot,
a memory she’d keep forever. Smiling, she tapped her camera’s lens as she ran towards the crowd,
screaming in the same exhilarating tone that overpowered the air.

“Merry Christmas everyone!”

“Naie-chan, is it just me or Haruma-kun and Mica-chan just don’t talk that much?” Hiding his
face behind a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream, Ryo observed the two’s icy interaction from the
other side of table. Haruma happily chatted with Koike and Hikaru while Mica awkwardly sat by
Megumi’s side, listening to their conversation but refusing to look at Haruma, who was seated beside
her.

“I’m not sure, but ever since I’ve known them, they’ve been like that. They used to be friends
but I don’t know what happened.” She casually replied, stuffing her face with lemony, springy mini
quiches. The oddness of the two sparked something in Ryo, the sense of getting them together in the
spirit of Christmas.

There was something about the cocoa and the frost that made his heart warm in delight. If this
would be the Christmas miracle that he performed, then he would do it, shooting two birds with one big
stone tied by a green ribbon. Smirking, he jumped off his seat and casually sauntered towards the two,
tapping their shoulders coolly before lowering his head to their level. “Can I give you my gifts now?” He
chirped, pulling them off their chairs and dragging them to the Christmas tree while the two, at least
Mica, tried to break from his grip.

“You really have to give it to us together?” Whining, Mica swung one leg back and forth without
lifting her feet off the ground, leaving them planted firmly on the ground, tiptoed even. “Don’t you guys
want to help Megumi-chan and Jaejoong-kun this Christmas? I’m pretty sure you know they like each
other.” Ryo hastily responded, pretending to dig through the gifts and picking out random boxes. From
the corner of his eye, he could see the two of them looking at each other knowingly, as though the same
thoughts ran through their heads despite the hostile air lingering between the two of them.

“If they’re too stubborn to realize it, what can we do?” Haruma was the first one to speak,
uncertainty filling his voice. He bent down and began to fix the gifts that Ryo left scattered on the
ground. “Oh. This one’s for you.” Muttering, he tossed the gift over to Ryo, which the latter took
gratefully. “Thanks Haruma-kun.” He chortled, tousling his hair as the two of them stood up to face
Mica.

“Can you please tell us the plan already? I really don’t want to stay around here for long.” Trying
to sound nice, Mica batted her eyelashes, eyes roaming around the field, to every spot but Haruma.

‘Whatever this is, it might not be fixed with JUST a Christmas miracle.’ Shaking his thoughts
aside, he threw arms around the two of them, forming some sort of huddle.
 “Take one of those mistletoes and…” Before he could continue, he found himself stumbling on
the ground, an odd weight shifting about on his back. His head hit the ground, causing him to wince a
little in pain. “It’s Christmas! Why the pummeling?!” Groaning, he flailed his arms above him, aiming
mindlessly at his predator, trying to get it off his aching back.

“Ryo-kun! What are you telling them?” Hearing Sunako’s hissing voice, Ryo let out a loud sigh as
he felt the pain on his back ease a little. Jumping up as soon as opportunity permitted them, he saw
Haruma and Mica holding the poor girl back, pulling her with the strength that their body permitted.
Sunako was pretty hard to control, her strength being so uncommon for a girl that restraining her
brought discomfort to their faces.

“Nothing, Sunako-chan. I just thought we might need some help with your plan.” His heart felt
like it was going to pounce out of its cage. He didn’t want Sunako to see the meaning behind his sudden
decision, hoping that the latter wouldn’t question it. Nobody knew when or where Sunako’s wit will
strike her hard, but when it does, she becomes this strange human radar that can detect anything.

“Oh… well, then you two should come with me!” She answered, giggling lightly while dragging
the two away to only heaven knows where to talk about fate knows what. Staring at the gift at his hand
and back at Sunako, he noticed the latter turning her head, winking at him coquettishly.

‘It’s the signal!’ The radar in his head went off, sending adrenaline free and wild throughout his
body. In the spirit of Christmas, he kept telling himself, he would give three people the best gift they will
ever receive.

Coolly marching to the table, he headed towards Jaejoong and Koike, who were savoring their
bottles of Heineken shamelessly. They were men, after all, and they were drinking in private property.
Hikaru, a surprisingly boyish, sporty girl who has the fancy for hunting as she does the daily afternoon
tea, was drinking with the boys, swirling the Heineken bottle with the tip of her finger.

“Time to give gifts. Boys first.” He announced, winking at the boys playfully, taking Jaejoong’s
beer and gulping about a third of it. “So we can all go to a club and party!” He added, running the length
of the table, slapping the backs of the guys who were so indulged in their conversations with the girls
that they didn’t hear his abrupt announcement.

All of the guys stood around the tree, hands flying about to search for the gifts they carelessly
dropped around the tree. His head burrowed the pile of gifts, pulling out various boxes wrapped in shiny
red and green paper. He knew that it was pretty smart to wrap his gifts in eye-catching paper since it
would be easier to find in a sea of gifts probably covered in the uniformed wrapping paper that
department stores used.

“Mica-chan… Hannah-chan… Koike-kun…” Pulling the last three gifts out of the pile, he smiled in
satisfaction, standing upright in a quick motion which was immediately followed by sharp pains
intruding his back. Watching all of the boys, he couldn’t help but beam even wider. The spirit of
Christmas really was everywhere. Koike handed Megumi a medium-sized orange box that made a
strange sound when shaken vigorously. Naie was receiving a gift from Yamapi that seemed too heavy for
the girl who struggled to balance it with her arms. Hannah was slightly wobbling because of the giant
gifts she was balancing on her arms.

Ryo observed everything carefully, from each move of each boy roaming the grounds. Suddenly,
he found himself giggling, eyes torn between two gazes aimed at one girl.

“Koike-kun!” Megumi’s smile was as pure as ever, arms draping round Koike’s neck after placing
the precious gift on the table. Koike had gotten her exactly what she wanted for Christmas, a traditional
Japanese tea set, fine crystal nature. Bouncing about, she didn’t care about the fact that Koike was
practically groaning because his neck was being stretched in all directions.

“Where’d you get this? A genuine one is so hard to find these days.” Gushing over the gift, her
face turned completely pink compared to the normal rosiness that seemed to be embedded in her skin.
That crystal tea set was something she’d always wanted ever since she laid eyes on one particularly like
it in her okaa-san’s private room, where she hosted only her most important guests and served the
finest green tea.

“I went on a trip to Hokkaido a few weeks ago. Jaejoong-kun said that you’ve always wanted a
crystal tea set and I happened to come upon this one in one of the antique stores there.” He explained,
tapping the teapot playfully, tracing the patterns carved on the surface then grazing his fingertips on the
handle that caught his interest with its sheen.

“Jaejoong-kun told you I wanted this?” She wanted to make sure that her ears understood the
right thing. It was unlike Jaejoong to take note of small things like this. He never paid attention to what
she said nor had she mentioned her desire to have her own tea set, so it’s odd that he knew what she
wanted. Maybe there was more to Jaejoong that she didn’t see, or he refused to show. The thought
actually made her… all jittery inside.

“Yeah. We were talking about Christmas shopping then he mentioned that you have always
wanted a tea set, but he couldn’t just find you the right one. I didn’t think that I would find one so
similar to Takenaga-san’s.” She didn’t know why but she felt unbelievably happy. Realizing that Jaejoong
did pay some ounce of attention to her, not because of his innate vanity and self-centeredness, made
her skin tingle in the feeling of youthful romance. Maybe she and Jaejoong together… as a couple… isn’t
so impossible.

Grinning foolishly, she sat down on the chair next to Koike and swung her legs about, twirling
one of her neatly tied ponytails around her finger like a little girl. “What else did he say?” She coyly
asked, face turning furiously red at the prospect of Jaejoong talking about her with other guys. “He said
that you’ve always wanted to host your own tea party and that you want to enter the room with eyes all
on you and your sophisticated, vibrant kimono while holding your very own crystal teapot.” She looked
away in embarrassment, silently confessing to the vanity and feminine ambition that Koike told her of. It
was true… but she was pretty sure that she only told Sunako about it.
 “Hey, hey! Can I give her my gift now?” Yamapi’s sudden entrance startled the both of them.
Koike stood up from the chair and willingly obliged, saluting the latter before skedaddling off to his
girlfriend who seemed to be alone in her own world. Megumi couldn’t help but feel excited for the gift.
After so many years, she would finally get a gift from someone who can connect her to her true self,
someone who helped her figure out the puzzle hiding in the confines of her shadow. A part of her knew
that memories were going back, those that she had long suppressed along with that person she had
forgotten.

“I got you something very special. It might not be a crystal tea set, but I hope it’s as special.”
Yamapi’s smile was very infectious, her heart stirring wildly because of the excitement building up and
pushing through all sides of her body. Unwrapping the box with careless eagerness, she saw something
brilliantly crafted hiding behind shreds of paper. Glitters coated the towering lady, standing perfectly still
on its circular base, one leg suspended in the air while its arms were gracefully stretched in the air.

“Remember it?” Of course she remembered it. Winding the tiny black knob in the side of the
statue, the beautiful ballerina began to twirl round and round along with soft piano music that brought
back memories of her youth. Those days when she would rest her finger on top of the doll’s yellow hair,
pinching on its bun, just came screaming back to her. And it wasn’t overwhelming, not a single bit.

Yamapi slipped a crisp coffee colored envelope from his coat pocket onto the table. “They’d love
to hear from you. Thank them for the gift.”

Staring at the sparkly object nestled inside the hot pink box, Sunako could finally understand the
deep frown etched on her face. It was actually a stunning bracelet, yes, made of a white gold chain and
tastefully chic diamond charms but Haruma probably gave it to the wrong girl.

“I gave you one like it when we were kids, remember? The one with red string and paper
charms? Then I promised I would get you a better one when I could afford it.” Haruma staggered a little,
pressing his index fingers together in nervousness. The tension elevated uncomfortably, as Mica stared
hypercritically at the charm before pushing the box towards Haruma.

“I really wish you didn’t give me this.” She softly muttered, her gaze flying anywhere else except
the box. “I’m not going to lie about that.” Her voice was quite bitter, which was unlike the Mica who
went an extra mile to be liked by people. Her attitude was so unusual, to Sunako’s fascination and
dismay. She watched their interaction carefully, intrigued by the sudden coldness lingering around
them.

“It’s a peace offering, Mica-chan. You actually can’t hold this against me for two years. That’s
ridiculous.” That was the first time Sunako saw any form of emotion on Haruma’s stoic face. He looked
resentful, and maybe a little annoyed by Mica’s stubbornness. “I’m not holding anything against you,
Haruma-kun. I just don’t want anything of this sort.” She whispered in a weak voice, face scrunching a
little.
 “Just keep it. Please.” He half-pleaded, standing up from his seat and hurrying away with two
gifts in hand, probably for Megumi and Naie. Pity began to move deep within Sunako, feeling horrible
for the boy who Mica unconsciously dissed. It was really odd how she never noticed the tension
between the both of them. If she could, she would help them fix whatever’s going on between them, if
she knew what it was.

“Sunako-chan!” The chirpy voice caught her attention, causing her to slightly jump off her seat in
shock, hitting her head against something really hard. “Ouch.” Groaning, she rubbed the back of her
head and turned halfway to see Ryo holding a relatively huge box, probably the one that collided with
her head. “What’s that?” She asked, eyeing the mysterious box, intrigued. Ryo had given her a lot of
things in the past, little odd things that had cost much more than it seemed. Her favorite one, the
beautiful dolphin from the zoo, still hung on her cell phone, proud and iridescent in its glory. Only this
time, she hoped that Ryo didn’t get her something too costly because her gift was relatively lame.
Really… who would get anyone silver cufflinks that they might already have?

“It’s my gift. Merry Christmas princess! Open it up.” Beaming, Sunako accepted the box
gratefully and began untying the ribbon by hastily pulling on its ends. Soon, the neat bow collapsed into
a mass of red string, which she ended up throwing on the ground. Her heart sped up in anticipation, her
smile appearing on her lips as she lifts up the lid of the box with tingly feelings running all over her body.
In shock, she dropped the lid and its clanking sound flew in the air.

It was unbelievably beautiful, even if she was in the loo as to how in the world Ryo speculated
that something like that would appease her. It was a thin, narrow-necked vase made of transparent
glass. Its base, triangular in nature, was designed with asymmetrical shapes, like a mosaic, colored in a
black and white. Ryo’s face turned bright red as she lifted the vase and studied it carefully. Normally, a
vase would be an odd gift, but that particular vase looked like a piece of art.

Her clumsy fingers began to slip and the vase was soon sent flying away. In panic, Sunako tried
to make a catch for it but ended up stumbling, colliding with Ryo, who ran to catch the vase with his arm
sticking up in the air. “Ah!” They ended up falling on the ground, the vase safe in Ryo’s firm grip. Sunako
ended up lying flat on Ryo’s chest as the latter’s chest heaved with the steady breathing he was making
to calm himself. One hand was pressed on his chest, beside her head for support, while the other was
pressed on the ground, slightly shaking. Ryo’s arms were above his head as he looked down at Sunako
awkwardly.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, a puddle of emotions flooding their eyes. Sunako
could feel her heartbeat speed up so quickly that it was could just cause her heart to burst in elation.
She could feel Ryo exhale at a close proximity, warm air tickling her freezing face. Their breathing was
perfectly in sync, so was the fluttery feeling traveling underneath their skin. Crooking her neck up a little,
her cheeks heated up as she watched the streaks of green and red hanging on the wires dangle teasingly
above them.

Looking down, she saw Ryo beaming at her lightly, his face half-pale, half-rosy because of the
cold weather. “Merry Christmas.” He giggled cutely, pulling his head up, his nose pressing against hers as
he planted a soft kiss on her pouting lips. Sunako could feel every strand of hair in her body stand
upright because of the strange soaring feeling deep within her. She didn’t pull away because something
within her prevented her from moving at all. Fascination, perhaps.

A clicking sound reverberated in her ears, causing her to curve her neck up to see Jaejoong
waving his own DSLR in front of them triumphantly. He took another shot and stormed off, chuckling at
the new piece of blackmail he obtained. Flustered, she pushed herself off the ground and glanced away,
mortified. “I am so sorry about that.” She mumbled, taking the vase from Ryo and setting it on the table.

“It’s okay. First time kissing someone on Christmas, actually.” Chortling musically, he held the
vase and examined it inattentively before putting it down. “Whoops! Looks like I gave Takenaga-san the
wrong gift. I’ll just get yours inside.” Taking the vase, he hopped off towards the house. Gazing back, he
slyly winked at her then continued his walk to the house. As soon as he disappeared, Sunako placed her
fingers on her quivering lips, squealing in the excitement of blooming love.

‘That was so embarrassing.’

Minho and Hannah had long departed for a Christmas show of their play, and Jaejoong can’t
help but admit that he had split feelings about the departure. He felt sad because his buddy Yamapi was
entering a stage of depression since his girlfriend couldn’t spend Christmas with him but that sadness
came with the joy of knowing that Minho was gone and he would be nowhere around Megumi.

The latter thought puzzled him. Why didn’t he want Minho around Megumi? Until now, he still
hasn’t figured out the answer to that question. All he was sure of was that he was really pissed when he
heard Megumi praise Minho’s singing. As if. He knew he could sing so much better than that guy, but
Megumi never said any word about his musical voice. It was a little irksome that she completely dissed
his singing ability, but then again, maybe she was just trying to be polite to the poor boy.

Then again, Megumi never just throws praises around, especially out of pity.

“She must really like him.” Distressed, Jaejoong slammed his forehead against the table. “She
must really like who?” Peeking at the person who disturbed his self-loathing, he hissed and snatched the
glass of sparkling water from Koike’s grip. He drank half of it before sliding it back to the owner, who
held the glass up in the air, studying it in wonder. “You must be really depressed, Jaejoong-kun.” He slid
the glass back to the boy. Jaejoong took it gratefully, downing each drop of the liquid in one swig,
showing no regret on his face.

“You have no idea.” He audaciously replied, reaching out for the bottle of sparkling water beside
Koike. The latter took the glass from his hands and poured some water in it. He began to scan the field
and saw Megumi giggling away with Mica, Hikaru and Sunako. “She likes Minho-kun, doesn’t she?” He
asked drearily, eyes wandering back to Koike and his boisterous laughter.

“Megumi-chan and I are practically best friends. You’d be shocked to know that she’s liked one
guy for such a long time now.” Koike answered, standing up as he drank Jaejoong’s water. “Go give her
your gift. I’m sure she’ll be upset if you don’t.” Patting his shoulder, Koike stalked away to Ryo, Haruma,
and Haruma’s new video game.

‘He’s right. Koike-kun’s right. I can’t just keep my gift because Minho-kun probably got her
something better.’ Mustering up all of his courage, he stood up from the table and headed to the group
of girls giggling away, clutching the small red box that he kept in his coat pocket. The laughter was
infectious. It made him a little nervous, but he tried to keep his cool composure.

For the past few days, everything had been downhill between him and Megumi. They’ve been
arguing a lot more than he expected, and it was probably his fault too. He wasn’t so sure if Megumi
would want to talk to him, especially because their most recent argument had been half an hour before
the party started.

“Megumi-chan.” The girl’s eyes sparkled as she heard her name being called from afar. Even in
the distance, Jaejoong was enticed by the liveliness of her eyes and the graceful way her hands perk up
in delight upon hearing her name. “Yeah?” The casualness of her voice matched the expression on her
face. The other girls stifled their giggles, making it obvious to him that he interrupted a private joke.

“Can we talk for a bit?” The latter reluctantly obliged after a series of nudges from her friends.
He was actually quite grateful that Sunako was there, for Megumi can’t deny Sunako even the silliest of
her whims. He took Megumi’s hand and led her far away from the crowd, to the picturesque fountain
that seemed to be ignored by the chatters and merriment of their guests. He sat down on the edge of
the fountain, pulling Megumi down beside him.

“Merry Christmas.” He awkwardly greeted, smiling at the girl with one hand rubbing the back of
his head. Really, he wasn’t very good at personal conversations, especially when he felt like his heart
was about to die of nervousness. “Merry Christmas.” Megumi responded in the same hesitant voice,
mimicking Jaejoong’s awkward gesture. They both laughed at their awkwardness, the tension in the air
melted by their chuckles.

“Here. I got you a gift.” Megumi chirped, digging through her coat pockets for something. He
eyed her curiously, wondering whether or not they got each other the same gift. It would be odd if they
ended up giving each other the same gift, right? From her pocket, she brought out a red felt box, the
same kind of box that he was toying with in his pocket.

‘Please don’t be the same gift.’ He chanted in his head, staring at the box as if he had x-ray
vision and could see through it. “Open it!” She sang, handing the box over to him. Reluctantly, he pulled
the lid off and his eyes widened in shock. ‘At least it’s not the same gift.’

Dangling the necklace in mid-air, his smile was as luminous as raw diamonds. It was the same
necklace that he had been vying for, a necklace with a platinum chain and an exquisitely decorated black
cross as its pendant. The cross was bordered with thin sheets of silver, which would normally be tacky if
it wasn’t designed the same way as that particular mosaic-like pendant. He placed the box in his pocket
and beamed warmly at her. “Thanks for this, really. But isn’t it too costly for a Christmas gift?” He asked.
 “Costly? Not really.” She coyly replied, cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

Chuckling lightly, he pulled his present out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Merry
Christmas.” He repeated in a breathy voice, watching her attentively as she opened his gift with
excitement evident on her face. Gasping, her eyes widened as she tried to stop squeals from escaping
her lips. She looked really overjoyed, a reaction that made him unbelievably happy.

She grazed the necklace tenderly, her smile so radiant that it sent sparks flying in the air. “May
I?” He asked. Megumi just nodded. He took the necklace and placed it around her neck. It suited her
perfectly, as he expected. It was actually quite simple for a beautiful jewelry piece, but he was glad that
she liked it. A diamond-encrusted eternity ring served as the pendant of the otherwise simple platinum
chain.

He gazed at her eyes, which watered in joy as she fingered the ring dangling from her neck.
“Thank you.” She hugged him tightly, head resting on his shoulder as she squealed. He wrapped his arms
around her and grinned, thanking the heavens for letting him find that beautiful necklace. As soon as she
pulled away, he noticed that they were surrounded by four giggling faces that suspended something red
and green above their heads. Megumi, too, looked up and gasped.

He was right. There were mistletoes hanging above their heads. Everyone watched them
expectantly, cheering and hooting as they looked at each other nervously. “Guys, this isn’t funny.” He
said, glaring at them icily as he felt Megumi bury her face on his chest in humiliation. How can she be so
cute at a time like this?

“Come on, Jaejoong-kun. It’s for the spirit of Christmas! You even kissed me a while ago for
crying out loud!” Ryo coaxed, chuckling animatedly and leading everyone to chant ‘kiss, kiss, kiss’ while
the two persistently refused. Soon, everyone was gathered around them, waiting for them to possibly
kiss or hit everyone in the face.

Honestly, if they hadn’t put the mistletoes above their heads, Jaejoong still would have had the
urge to kiss Megumi. He couldn’t explain it, but there was this urge moving deep within him to kiss her
and feel her warmth around him. But now, all he felt was anger directed at Ryo and his devious sister.
He seriously wanted to punch someone’s face, that is, if Megumi didn’t cower in his arms.

“Jaejoong-kun, what kind of kiss do you think we’re talking about anyway? Just kiss her cheek
and get it over with!” Naie cajoled, clearly blown away by the spirit of the season. The jollification
wouldn’t be complete without an interesting highlight or two, of course, and Jaejoong knew that this
was the unexpected highlight of the evening.

It’s just that… he didn’t want to kiss her because she didn’t want to kiss him. When Sunako
surprised everyone with the mistletoe shower, Megumi willingly kissed Minho’s cheek. If she didn’t
want him to kiss her, then he would completely respect that, even if it hurt that it was okay for her to
gladly kiss a stranger like Minho but not her own brother.
 “I’m pretty sure that if it’s any other girl, you would have kissed her already. Even if it was
Sunako-chan, you would have gotten it over by now! Are you scared or something?” Yamapi’s taunting
pushed Jaejoong’s restraint to the edge. He closed his eyes, cupped Megumi’s face with his freezing
hands and hurriedly crashed his lips against hers, earning cheers and applauses from the crowd talking
about merriment in the spirit of Christmas.

He opened his eyes and saw Megumi staring at him in shock, too stunned to move. He expected
that kind of reaction from her, since well, he suddenly threw himself on her despite silent protests.

The flashing light and clicking sound of the camera brought his concentration away from
Megumi’s face to the culprit who took their photograph. She was running away, waving his camera
around spitefully while giggling in smugness. Reluctantly pulling away from the girl still in shock, he ran
towards his little sister with his entire aggressive prowess, ready to tackle her to the ground when he got
the chance.

“Ah! All in the spirit of Christmas!”

The party had come to a sad end for the night sky turned bleak and unbearably cold. The stars
had lost their sheen and entered the light slumber they deserved at this hour of the night. The lights on
the yard had been dimmed to a faint yellow, casting a glow over weary figures retreating to the
Takenaga household for a nice cup of hot cocoa with their families who celebrated Christmas in the
household as well.

Sleeping mats and comfy futons had been prepared at the family’s ballroom, just enough for the
teenagers and little kids who were going to have a sleepover while their parents slept in the guest rooms
that the Takenaga butlers have been kind enough to prepare way before the guests’ arrival.

They all roamed the house, finding time to do idle activity while waiting for the hours of
Christmas day to pass by. The boys headed to the recreation room with their cocoa in hand while the
girls opted to watch movies in the family room with the little children.

While the rest of the house shimmered in mirth, Sunako stayed in the front porch, lulled by the
beauty of the black sky. She didn’t hear the bustle going on inside the house, but heard the silence
dancing about, celebrating the late hours of Christmas day.

“May I?” Blinking, she saw Ryo approach her in his usual chivalrous charm. Nodding, she
watched as he sat beside her and handed her a small, light pink box tied by a peach ribbon. Cautiously,
she took the box and stared at it in confusion. “This is my gift?” She asked warily before opening the
box, afraid to open someone else’s gift… again.

Her breath got trapped in her throat as she touched the gift in delight. It was a USB disguised as
a tiny Japanese doll wearing a blue and red kimono. Normally, a gift like this wouldn’t stun much people,
but after losing her umpteenth USB, she was glad that someone got her the USB that she, herself, was
planning on getting. It was exactly what she wanted for Christmas, since that particular USB was rare
and quite pricey.
 “Thank you, Ryo-kun! It’s exactly what I wanted!” She giggled, pressing on the doll’s pink hair to
reveal the USB hiding beneath her feet. The latter simply smiled in flattery, swinging his legs up and
down like a little boy.

“What about my gift?” He asked, batting his eyelashes cutely at her. Rolling her eyes, she
laughed heartily, taking his gift out of her pocket and tossing it at his direction. He caught it gracefully
then opened it excitedly.

Sunako could literally smack herself after seeing Ryo’s reaction. Yes, the cufflinks were lame, but
she didn’t know what else to get him.

“It’s kind of weird how you siblings got me parts of a tux. Jaejoong-kun got me the actual tux.
Megumi-chan got me the tie and you got me the cufflinks. Are you guys trying to say I don’t have a
decent tux?” He joked as he kept the cufflinks in his pocket. Sunako sighed in relief, happy that Ryo
wasn’t disappointed with her gift. Then again, he made a joke out of it. Is that a bad thing?

“I love it, Sunako-chan. Relax. Besides, you have given me the best gift this Christmas.” He
reassuringly coaxed, giggling while he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“What did I give you?” She asked, raising a brow at him in curiosity.

The latter chuckled, planting a short kiss on her pouted lips then laughed brazenly.

“What? I don’t get it! What did I give you, Ryo-kun?”

Chortling, Ryo stood up from his seat and went back inside the house, leaving Sunako to yell
after him.

“Nishikido Ryo! Seriously! Did I give you any other gift?” She stood up, running after him and
almost stumbling upon entering the house.

“Figure it out, Sunako-chan.” He answered from a far distance, smirking at her then mocking a
salute before heading away.

“Can you just please tell me?”

“No.”

“I didn’t give you anything else aside from the cufflinks! Unless you stole something from my
room. Please tell me you didn’t steal anything from my room!” Waving her arms in the air, she hobbled
after Ryo.

“Merry Christmas Sunako-chan!”

“What did I give you, Ryo-kun? Seriously! Tell me! Please!”

End of Chapter Sixteen