Holidays. (1/1)

December 21 ; Key’s viewpoint We all know December’s the month of Christmas. The month of gifts, the month of holidays, the month of snow—ergo, one of the year’s coldest times. And HyunMi is certainly not complying with the season. Several layers of clothing, gloves, ear-muffles, sometimes a beanie, and LONG PANTS. That is what you are supposed to wear during the winter season. But on HyunMi’s case, she doesn’t seem to know what ‘cold’ is. She’s wearing shorts most of the time. I don’t know why, but it annoys me. Really. I keep on telling her ‘change your clothes, it’s cold’ but she just laughs at my concern.Aish, really. This girl. Well at least, living in the same house as HyunMi has been quite eventful. Every afternoon we work on the project, and each time I enter her room there’s some sort of a revolution going on. When you live with an artist, everyday is a surprise. Once I saw her door ajar when I was climbing up the stairwell. And just before my entire body could step in the room, HyunMi noticed my presence and exclaimed, in her most delighted tone, “Kibum-ah! Catch!” Went flying towards me was a paper-plane the size of a watermelon, gliding leisurely across the air in the most awe-inspiring ballistic manner. I caught it, without necessarily having done any damage, and HyunMi clapped her hand like a kid. Again, she launched another plane and soon enough the room was filled with origami projectiles.It was almost zero visibility because of the number of the planes that flew. Oh, yes. They were so many. “Isn’t it pretty?” she mused, turning her head from left to right as we stood in the middle of the room, with the paper-planes swirling around us, like a swarm of bees fussing over a single flower.“It is,” I grinned, also looking around. Then I looked at her face. “But…”“But what?” she felt my gaze and also looked at me.“I’m prettier,” I chirped blithely, and laughed.“Whatever,” HyunMi scowled, but immediately laughed also. But alas, gravity took its part and one by one, the origami planes fell back to earth. “You made all of these?” I asked, as HyunMi  sat on the floor to resume whatever she was doing.“Yep; been up all night,”“Eh? But…why?”She looked at the ceiling, her aura suddenly turning sentimental. “Just to keep myself distracted from the impending…you know, departure.”I sat beside her. “That must have been a lot of distraction,”She chuckled, but it was obvious she was sad. “So let’s go paint, shall we?” *****“KEEEEEEEY-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Changmin-hyung called.“Yes hyung?” I ran outside to meet him.“Can you put this star at the top, please?”I frowned, and went face-palm. “Hyung. You’re one of our agency’s tallest men,”“No matter! Put this now, and I mean now. I gotta go; I’ve still got to check on the food!” he tossed me the star to be put at the top of the Christmas tree and ran off.“You mean to taste the food,” I grumbled to myself, and did as he said. Now when everything was set--the tables, food, decors, people, the guests were one by one coming, carrying a gift. The party took off, and we enjoyed it very much. We exchanged gifts, and had a blast. There were even some impromptu performances in the middle of the little program we did. The party wasn’t only just between the artists and the painters though. The artists also brought along some of their respective groups’ members, which made the party even more fun. And for me, I brought along the annoying, remaining SHINee members, due to their insistent demand. Now the highlight of the program was, when HyunMi was called in to come to the mini stage and asked to sing a song. Everyone was anticipating hearing her, since most of the time we hear her voice in the form of a scream, when she’s in one of her ‘occasional fits of rage’—and they’re usually caused by me.HyunMi, despite of her shameless nature (I mean that kindly; she’s not scared of expressing herself) she then turned shy. And Changmin-hyung and Nicole, the MCs, masterfully driving her into doing it, did their job well and HyunMi sang. However it came, no comment. “Let’s call in, Miss Moon HyunMi, Key’s partner!” Nicole called out, and a round of applause followed.HyunMi’s eyes were still wide when she came forward, and could barely make herself talk, but nevertheless, when the microphone was put on her mouth, she managed to say, “No one told me this!”Everyone laughed.And, as Masters of Ceremonies are obliged to do, Changmin-hyung manfully drove on the talk with gracious humor. “So, HyunMi, how has it been for the passed months?”HyunMi scratched her nape. “Well…it’s been eventful.”“How is Key as a partner?” the question came from Nicole, and I could sense everyone in the garden held their breath.HyunMi suddenly developed interest in her shoes. “He’s funny.” In a tone I don’t know if it hinted compliment or insult.Though the answer was a bit far-out, and not everyone got it, the audience laughed.Both of the MCs nodded their heads, and Cole said, “So, HyunMi, what are you going to sing?”HyunMi immediately shot me a troubled look; she might as well have taken the mic from Nicole and screamed, “HELP!!!”Observing her trouble, the female MC recommended, “Why not sing one of SHINee’s songs, to amuse your partner and dedicate it to them? see, all of them are here,”“That’s exactly why I don’t want to sing,” my partner sighed bleakly, in a woebegone face.Then before I knew it, Jonghyun-hyung was chanting beside me, “LU-CI-FER. LU-CI-FER” with the clapping of the hands that matched the number of syllables. And everyone else came along, and so did I. HyunMi covered her face with both hands and turned her back on us for a while. she spun back to face us, then, snatching the mic from Cole’s grasp, and, releasing a long-held breath she sang, with all her might—“Even if I try to avoid you, I can't  find a place to hideI'm trapped by you, who I can't even deny

If it was love, if you really loved me, don't do this to me” And, finally— “HER WHISPER IS THE LUCIFER!” she caroled, half-singing, half-screaming. The screamo was instantly followed by a huge applause. I peered at Jonghyun-hyung, whose expression was still fazed.“So?” I asked for a reaction.He shook his head to and fro so slowly as he clapped, alleging, “That must have how I sounded like if I were a girl,”I snickered.  Later after the opening of gifts, came the eating. HyunMi was out of sight, and, after three minutes of fidgeting in my seat I saw her in a corner, under a tree talking to a guy. Sungmin-hyung, to be exact. As I observed, I could see HyunMi occasionally blushing, laughing. It was only when Taemin passed by that I knew I was glaring.“What’s wrong, hyung?” he asked. “Your brows are all scrunched up,” then he saw what I was looking at and laughed. “Noona sure is friendly,”“That’s right, Kibum-ah. HyunMi must make friends, too,” Jinki-hyung popped out of nowhere.“OH-HO-HO-HO! What is this I see?” Minho trotted in.“You can’t keep her all to yourself~” Jonghyun-hyung hummed, his head suddenly on my shoulder.“YA!” I yelped, almost falling out of my seat. The four of them laughed.“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?” I demanded, and turned on my heel and walked out, headed for the rest-room. I faced the mirror. “KIM KEY. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF.” I threatened me. I washed my face hastily, and went out of the rest-room with renewed spirit and refreshed energy. “Stand up,” I told HyunMi.Sungmin-hyung stopped talking and looked up at me. “Key! Hi!”“Hi hyung~” I replied, saccharinely.“Excuse me? Why’d you make me stand up?” HyunMi stipulated, in a high tone.“It’s okay, HyunMi-ssi! A third party on a chat is good, too!” Sungmin-hyung chided, in support of me.She sighed. Knowing she won’t win, she did as I said. “Hm.”I sat on the chair and tapped my lap. “You can’t look for another chair to sit on. Everything’s used,” I said seriously, containing my laughter.She growled. “Shut up. You’re so RUDE! Oppa and I were talking!”Sungmin-hyung turned to her. “It’s okay, HyunMi-ssi. Really. It’s all right,”Impatient, I pulled her hips and settled her on my lap. “Hyung, have I ever told you how talented my partner is?”Sungmin-hyung was shocked, at first, but as he recovered his wits, he laughed at us, knowing that our partnership has crossed the boundaries of awkwardness and even shame. “Ohh! You're partners! I remember!”HyunMi folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, unfortunately,”Hyung chortled at the two of us bickering like cat and dog. “So how is it like?” And the group chat went on, with me cradling HyunMi on my lap. December 23/HyunMi “Merry Christmas, baby,” Hye Sun sweet-talked, holding out one of her arms while wiping an imaginary tear on the corner of her eyes as she fake-cried, because of their work wrapped in cloth as it was taken away. The movers loaded it in a truck. We spectated as they did their job, admiring the craft of worker-class Koreans. Soon enough another painting was brought out of the gate. I didn’t know whether it was ours or anyone else’s. The staff of the Kwan Art Institute did the wrapping of the canvases themselves, and we were shut out of the West Wing while they were at it. Now they were done, and came loaded in the cargo truck were five paintings already. We were standing outside the house while we watched; enjoying what we were seeing. Well, it’s not everyday you see moving men carrying objects you know.I scratched the heel of my shoe on the concrete, and scratched my arm several times while hugging myself. It was cold. The solstice was just the other day, and the ground beneath me already started to develop a thin sheet of frost on it. I was already wearing a jacket, but I guess that wasn’t enough. “Unnie, what do you want for Christmas?” she turned to me.I tilted my head to one side, thinking about this. I just realized I’m not a materialistic person. “Well…I don’t really know. I want so many things I can’t decide which one I should ask for,” I looked at her with a teasing look. “Why, you’re giving me one?”She smiled smugly, and jerked her shoulders up. “We’ll see about that,” It was Moving Day. Our masterpieces were to be moved in the Institute’s stock-room, as Founder-ahjussi he himself said. For the painters whose family is not in Seoul, they were free to have a brief going-home-to-province vacation. They already bid their good-byes to us this morning and went home. They’ll be returning on the 26th, so we can resume painting. All of our works were half-way to being finished, so a few days of procrastination wouldn’t really do it any harm. To explain everything, the deadline of the paintings will be on the 28th, and a gallery will be opened from the 29th to 1st of January displaying all our accomplished artworks for the whole three months (both the artists’ and the painters’, respectively) whether it’s a sculpture, painting, or whatnot. Everyone will see them. And the curators will be us, the painters. The awarding will be on the night of the last day of the exhibit. The cargo truck drove off, going to goodness knows where. I took one step back with my hands clutching each other behind my back, with my shoulders stressed upward. Smiling, I turned on another heel and walked back to the house. “Hye Sunnieeee. Let’s go back now,”“Dae, unnie,”I headed to the kitchen immediately, looking for something to eat. There was still a lot of the chocolates left of those given to me; I got one and started munching on it. I rest my arms on the counter and looked around the kitchen. My eyes travelled around the room, observing every thing and feature. Then my sight landed on the cupboard up above, and I instantly remembered something that happened there, not so long ago... My heart sank. Resting my cheek on one hand, I sighed. Again, the crisis of whether I should apologize or not attacked me. When the torture was being too much, I popped the last bite of the chocolate into my mouth, got another pack from the fridge, and went up to my room. I still haven’t apologized to him yet.-----------------------aww. Merry Christmas to you HyunMi LOLoooooooooooh someone's worried LOLOLOLOL ey please excuse all the errata all you see there I'm already sleeping look I'm not even typing this with marks okei okei okei alas alas! this is the beginning of the end! MWAHAHAHAHHA kbye