Is... This a Wish?

The summer, which felt like it would last forever, finally came to an end.

Before they knew it, December had arrived at Sekki House.

And with the end of the year came the usual events that had to be prepared.

"Here~ Set it up over here."

At his colleague's shout, the man sighed and replied, "Hold on a second. This is harder than it looks."

As he spoke, the man checked the object he was carrying.

It was a massive, custom-made Christmas tree, measuring eighty centimeters wide at the base and standing three meters tall.

Five trees just like this.

While it wasn't quite as gargantuan as the mega-trees erected in the middle of Myeongdong or inside major department stores, setting it up was still no walk in the park.

It was a relief that Sekki House had the proper equipment; otherwise, it would have easily taken two or three people just to haul it around.

"So why are you even using equipment you barely know how to operate? Just carry it with your bare hands. What's the point of working out all the time? You're built like a mountain. If it were me, I would've just hoisted it up and carried it."

"If you're so confident, why don't you carry it?"

"No thanks. Just hurry up and move it, you loser who lost at rock-paper-scissors."

"Ugh, that rock-obsessed bastard. How do you throw rock three times in a row?"

"I only throw rock because it wins. Aren't you the idiot for losing to rock three times straight?"

Muttering under his breath at his colleague's teasing, the man precisely positioned the tree in its designated spot.

Perhaps because this was the last one, he had gotten quite used to the equipment.

"Whew! That's the last of them!"

"Not quite. We only set up the trees. Now we have to decorate them."

"Oh, boy..."

A groan escaped the man's lips at his colleague's words.

However, contrary to his complaints, his expression was quite bright.

In truth, he liked decorating trees.

Or, to be more precise, he liked watching them get decorated.

It was a scene that felt warm and familial, reminiscent of a classic Christmas family movie.

Not that I've ever actually done it myself, though.

His family had never decorated a tree at the end of the year.

After moving out on his own, he had actively avoided even looking at them.

He hated the thought of imagining himself decorating a Christmas tree all alone during the holidays.

Consequently, today marked the very first time in his life that he would be decorating a Christmas tree.

"Man, what a pain. When are we going to finish all this?"

To avoid being teased by his colleagues, he kept grumbling under his breath, but...

When do we start?

His eyes kept drifting toward the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clock on the main building.

While the trees were being set up outside, Dojin and his group were also busy in the office.

"Whew, this isn't easy either," Dohee said, stretching her arms as if tired. In front of her sat a gift that had just been wrapped.

"...I've been working so hard, but why isn't the pile shrinking?"

Dozens of wrapped gifts were stacked beside her. The problem was that an even larger pile of unwrapped gifts still awaited her attention.

Just as Dohee's spirit was about to break under the mountain of work, Dojin, who was wrapping gifts beside her, spoke up apologetically.

"Maybe preparing individual gifts for everyone was a bit too much?"

Dojin scratched his head as he looked at the remaining pile. After all, he was the reason they were doing this in the first place.

Seungwan, who was also wrapping gifts, chimed in. "It is a lot, but I think it's meaningful in its own way. Honestly, we owe the security team a great deal."

"Yeah, that's true."

Dohee nodded in agreement with Seungwan's words.

Even if they were paid by Hye-seok, considering the nature of the security team's duties, a small gift was the least they could do. It wasn't for nothing that the two women had readily agreed when Dojin suggested preparing gifts for them.

"Still, we're almost at the bottom of the pile. Let's hang in there a bit longer."

At Dojin's encouragement, the two nodded and resumed wrapping.

Indeed, there weren't many gifts left. At this rate, they would be finished within thirty minutes.

Just then, a familiar melody began to drift into their ears. Dojin and the others checked the time.

"It's already four o'clock."

"Yeah, time flies."

Without fail, Christmas carols began to echo through Sekki House at the scheduled time. Dojin had set up the broadcast system once December rolled around. Thanks to that, the holiday spirit—which was hard to feel outside—was in full swing within the school grounds.

♪♩♪♪

"Ah~"

"Oh?"

"Huh?"

"Ooh!"

The three of them, who had been perking up their ears since the intro started, gasped in admiration at the first vocal note. That was how familiar the song playing was.

Mariah Carey's signature Christmas anthem was a song that had absolutely no rivals during the winter season, especially at this time of year.

"Ah, it really doesn't feel like Christmas until this song plays."

"Seriously! I love it so much!"

"I hear it every year, but I never get tired of it."

Before they knew it, all three of them were humming along. Just as Seungwan said, having heard it year after year, the melody and lyrics were practically engraved in their brains.

"Mmm-hmm~"

"Uh-huh-huh!"

"My own~"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Christmas is you~"

"Yeah~"

"..."

The three of them, who had been humming along in their own ways, stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. They all sensed a mutual realization.

Wait, you too?

Huh? No way.

Ah, seriously?

Pfft!

After exchanging glances for a brief moment, laughter burst from all three of them simultaneously.

They had been so excited when the song started playing, yet not a single one of them actually knew the lyrics. All three had just been humming along vaguely, only singing out loud with confidence during the parts they actually knew.

"Seungwan, you don't know the lyrics either?"

At Dohee's question, Seungwan shrugged. "My English isn't that good."

"Huh?"

"Wait, really?"

At Seungwan's admission, both Dohee and Dojin looked at her in surprise. They had naturally assumed she would be fluent in English.

I didn't go to college, and Dohee wasn't in a position to study properly during her college years, so I expected that much from us. But Seungwan is a surprise.

Since Seungwan exuded the aura of a quintessential career woman when she worked, Dojin had naturally assumed she would be proficient in English.

Amused by their reactions, Seungwan spoke as if they were being ridiculous. "Hey, Na Dohee. You and I went to the same college. Did you forget we took classes together the entire time?"

"Ah, right!"

Dohee clapped her hands as if she had just realized something. She understood what Seungwan was getting at. And Dojin did too.

She did say their school... wasn't very good.

"Not very good" was a polite euphemism; to put it bluntly, it was a bottom-tier provincial university. The professors had terrible reputations, the school was rife with corruption, and they failed to meet their enrollment quotas every single year. That was their alma mater.

Did she say she went there for the scholarship?

Needless to say for Dohee, but Seungwan's family circumstances hadn't been very well-off either.

Fearing they would have to drop out before graduation if they went to a mediocre four-year university in Seoul, they had both enrolled in their alma mater to receive full scholarships. That was where they met and became close friends.

"Honestly, except for meeting you, college was the worst time of my life."

Shaking her head in disgust, Seungwan began to vent about her college days. And the more they listened, the more absurd it sounded.

"The professors cancelled classes at the drop of a hat, and they didn't even look at our reports. Yet they gave us terrible grades just to force us to take summer sessions. Ah, do you remember our English Literature professor?"

"Ah, Professor Shin Mun-yeong? Of course. He got fired for plagiarism."

"Not that. I only found out recently, but that guy was actually the dean's nephew. They hired him on purpose even though he wasn't qualified."

"Oh, really? No wonder... he never showed up for class."

"Is that all? Why did they collect so much in student union fees when nobody even knew what they were used for?"

"Student union fees? I didn't pay those. Was there such a thing?"

"You just ignored them, so of course you didn't know. Actually, I only paid once and never again. The teaching assistant and the class rep nagged me so much about it."

"Aww... our Seungwan went through so much."

"Anyway, how could anyone study in a place like that? And after graduating, I went straight to work, so I had no time to study."

As Seungwan sighed in disbelief, Dojin and Dohee couldn't offer much of a rebuttal. After all, their English was just as bad.

After finishing the gift wrapping, Dojin and the others headed out to the schoolyard. They had agreed to start decorating the trees at five o'clock.

"How do you think everyone will decorate theirs?"

"Well, won't they mostly be similar?"

"Probably. Tree decorations are usually all the same anyway."

Originally, Dojin's plan was to decorate a medium-sized tree and place it in the lobby of the main building. The reason the project had ballooned to this scale was due to something Obei had said while looking at the trees.

"Oh? You are making... a tree? We want to make one too."

"Huh?"

"In Mongolia, we do not make them. So I want to try."

"..."

Since the Jwibulnori event, Dojin and Obei had grown quite close. Thanks to that, Dojin had realized that Obei knew Korean culture much better than he had expected.

Though she didn't know about Jwibulnori.

While she might not be familiar with traditional games or historical facts, she knew pop culture and internet memes far better than Dojin did.

Given that, it wasn't surprising that she wanted to make a Christmas tree.

Though decorating a tree isn't exactly Korean culture...

Still, he thought it would be nice for families to gather and decorate together. The center Sun-jam attended also strongly recommended creating memories together as a family.

"Hmm... let's do this then. I'll buy one more tree. Obei, you can talk with Shan-hun, buy the decorations you want, and decorate it."

"Really? Thank you, Boss!"

Upon hearing Dojin's words, Obei immediately left the office. She went to tell her older brother and head of the household, Shan-hun.

The twist came the very next day. The Bandit King, whom Dojin hadn't seen in a while due to his busy schedule, came to visit him.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Bandit King? What brings you here?"

"Well, I heard from the kids that you bought trees to decorate. If it's alright, could we set up a tree of our own as well?"

"..."

Seeing the apologetic look on the Bandit King's face, Dojin could easily guess what was going on.

It seems Chang-su and Hui-su have been getting close to Sun-jam lately.

They had likely heard about it from Sun-jam. When the envious siblings told the Bandit King, it must have been hard for the newly appointed guardian to just sit back and do nothing.

Well, nothing I can do.

In the end, Dojin had to order yet another tree.

The Bandit King offered to pay for the tree, but Dojin politely declined. Since he was providing a tree for Shan-hun's family for free, he couldn't bring himself to charge the Bandit King.

And that afternoon...

"...Is it Team Leader Hong this time?"

"Haha... My team members have been complaining. They're working through the holidays without any year-end leave, so they asked if we couldn't at least have a holiday event..."

"...Come to think of it, the security team doesn't get year-end leave. Alright, I understand."

The security team's official reason for working at Sekki House was training and rehabilitation. Furthermore, since they had been working there for less than a year, they didn't have anything resembling year-end leave.

"You know the rules, right? I will purchase the trees, but the security team has to buy the decorations and decorate them yourselves."

"Yes, that's fine... but would it be possible to get two trees? Large ones, if possible... Ah, we will cover any extra costs. There are surprisingly many team members who want to participate."

"..."

In the end, Dojin ended up purchasing a total of five large Christmas trees. Dojin's group set up one in front of the main building, Shan-hun's family placed one in front of the cafeteria, the Bandit King's group put one in front of the annex, and the security team set up two in total—one at the main gate and one in the parking lot.

"Hmm, it's kind of... standard?"

"Well, this is what a normal tree looks like."

"Still, aren't the star and the light bulbs pretty big?"

Dojin's group, who finished decorating first, had a very standard tree. It was exactly the image that came to mind when one thought of a Christmas tree. However, it featured an abundance of flower garlands and bulb lights, giving it a warm and festive glow.

Just then, members of the security team passing by saw ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tree and gasped in admiration.

"Oh! This looks awesome!"

"It's the textbook definition of a tree! Yeah, a Christmas tree should look like this."

"As expected, the three of you should have made all of them."

Embarrassed by the praise, Dojin and his group quietly slipped away. Partly to let others view it in peace, but also to take this opportunity to check out the other teams' trees.

The first place Dojin's group arrived at was the security team's tree in front of the main gate. However, as they approached the gate, they stopped in their tracks, unable to take another step forward.

"Uh..."

"That's... a tree, right?"

"Rather than a tree... isn't it more like a warning light?"

Unlike Dojin's warm and bright tree, the tree at the main gate had a very distinct personality. While it had similar red and green tinsel strips, the lights hanging on the tree were entirely red. On top of that, the warning beacons hung here and there made it look less like a Christmas tree and more like a giant emergency light.

"...Are they trying to warn visitors?"

"..."

Dojin's group turned around and headed straight for the parking lot. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠They didn't have the confidence to go all the way up to it and share their thoughts.

However, the tree set up in the parking lot wasn't exactly normal either.

"...What is this? Just looking at it, I can feel a thick layer of greed."

If the tree at the entrance was a giant warning light, the one here was a sock drying rack. It was completely covered in Christmas stockings, the kind Santa was supposed to fill with gifts. They were so obsessed with the stockings that they had only wrapped the lights around the base and the trunk of the tree.

"...Ugh, if I were Santa, I would pass right by without even looking."

"Seriously. It looks like a beehive. Why are the stockings packed so tightly..."

"We need to change the carol. Santa shouldn't just skip crying children, he should skip greedy adults too. What is this? Give me back my childhood innocence."

The three of them finally understood why the security team had been so impressed by their tree. Fortunately, the tree made by Shan-hun's family did not disappoint.

"Oh, this one? It's quite unique."

"Yeah. That's a traditional Mongolian hat, right? Putting a hat on top instead of a star looks really pretty."

"Aside from that, there are traditional decorations all over the place."

While Dojin's tree was a standard Christmas tree, the one made by Shan-hun's family was a Mongolian-style Christmas tree. It had fewer lights and tinsel strips than Dojin's, but the addition of traditional Mongolian ornaments gave it a unique charm.

"I think we could edit this and upload it," Dojin suggested.

Seungwan nodded in agreement.

Since Dojin wore an action cam until he went to bed, this scene was being recorded anyway.

"It would make great special Christmas content."

Of course, the security team's bizarre trees would not be included.

"At this rate, I'm looking forward to the Bandit King's tree too."

"Ah, right. Chang-su and Hui-su are over there, aren't they?"

"It's going to be such a contrast to the security team's tree of greed."

It was a tree decorated by elementary schoolers—and one of them was a kid YouTuber known as the "President of Kids." With naturally rising expectations, the three of them headed toward the annex.

However, as they drew closer to the annex, confusion clouded their faces. Even though they were close, they couldn't see any typical decorations on the tree. Well, they saw something. A massive number of paper ornaments.

Arriving in front of the tree, Dojin examined the numerous papers hanging from it.

"These are wish papers."

"Wish papers?"

"Yeah, papers used to write wishes on before releasing or burning them."

In Korea, they were often used during lantern festivals, rope fire play, or Daljip Taeugi. However, looking at the contents, they seemed less like wishes and more like letters from subscribers sent to Chang-su and Hui-su.

"Did they write these all by hand?"

"It looks like it. It's not printed."

"..."

At Dohee's words, the group inspected the tree. It was a tree standing three meters tall. And yet, it was densely packed with wish papers.

"...It must have been hard work."

"Seriously. They're still just kids..."

At a glance, there weren't just a hundred or two hundred of them. Even if the Bandit King had helped, it couldn't have been easy for the three of them to write all of these by hand. It showed just how desperate the children were.

"...Things will get better next year, right?"

Dojin nodded at Dohee's question.

Although bad things had happened, there were hands helping the children, like the Bandit King and Yeong-jin. It might be difficult within the next month or two, but they would surely be able to make a comeback in the near future.

Just then, a familiar cry echoed above their heads.

Kki-yak!

"Cheongdung-i?"

Dojin raised his head and looked up at the sky. Lately, the bird had been busy feeding Hwanggeum-i and their chicks.

Thinking it was rare to see him unless he visited the nest, Dojin looked up to find him. Right then, Cheongdung-i swooped down directly in front of him.

Flap, flap!

"Huh?"

As Dojin started at Cheongdung-i's sudden descent, a shout echoed from the lobby of the annex.

"You! You little brat! Again, again!"

Patter, patter!

Shouting loud enough to shake the lobby, the Bandit King began running toward them. He was even brandishing a broom, looking ready to beat the bird to a pulp if he caught it.

Flap!

Cheongdung-i, who had landed right in front of Dojin—or more precisely, on the back side of the tree—quickly took flight back into the sky. Unlike when he landed, however, something was clamped in his beak.

Dojin only realized what Cheongdung-i had snatched when the Bandit King finally reached them, panting.

"Aigoo, that damn bird! He took a rib again!"

"A rib...?"

A rib, all of a sudden?

Feeling bewildered, Dojin and his group walked over to where the Bandit King was standing.

And the moment the back of the tree was revealed...

"Ha!"

"Oh my?"

"...Sigh..."

A collective gasp of disbelief escaped the three of them. It was no wonder—unlike the front, which was covered in wish papers, the back of the tree was hung with various cuts of meat.

"...Bandit King? What in the world is all this...?"

"Ah... Chang-su and Hui-su were writing their wishes on the tree. So I did too..."

"Is... this a wish?"

For a split second, Dojin almost blurted out, Is this crap a wish? but he managed to correct himself just in time.