Christmas
I set my mechanical pencil down and let out a long sigh. Studying anything but Korean, I was brimming with confidence—but the moment I sat down with Korean, every bit of that confidence seemed to drain right out of me.
I couldn't stand the sight of the workbook. I slammed the Korean book shut and dove onto the bed, which welcomed me soft and warm no matter how irritated I was.
I had my face buried in the blanket when Haru's voice came from behind me.
"Hana, you need to study."
"Don't wanna. It's not fun, and it's way too hard."
"Hana, good children listen when they're told."
Haru was treating me like a child too. No—almost everyone who looked at me treated me like a child. Annoyed for no good reason, I said it flatly.
"I'm not a good child."
"If Hana isn't a child, then she's a grown-up?"
"Yeah. Obviously. Hana is a grown-up."
"Is that so? Then I guess you won't be getting a present this Christmas."
"Huh...?"
Haru's sudden words left me speechless. I'd been lining up what to say next, and what came out of her mouth was the last thing I'd expected.
Christmas? Now that I thought about it, it had gotten so cold outside that you couldn't step out without a padded coat. With the heaters blasting inside the building I hadn't felt it, but out there it was deep winter, no question.
"Santa only gives presents to good children."
"Haru, is Christmas soon?"
"Mm-hmm. Not long now."
I lifted my face out of the blanket and looked at her.
"I was pretty sure Santa Claus doesn't exist...?"
Were they treating me like a kid? I'd learned on NewTube that Santa was a made-up figure.
Which meant Haru's words were nothing but a bluff stuffed full of lies! I told her so, smug as could be.
"Haru, you're a liar."
But at that, Haru only tilted her head.
"What are you talking about, Hana? Santa Claus is real. I've gotten presents from him myself."
"Huh?"
Watching her say it with such certainty, I felt my smugness start to slip. At this point, was I the one who had it wrong? I'd seen on NewTube that Santa didn't exist, but that could have been bad information.
"What kind of present do you want, Hana?"
"I... I... um..."
I tried to think of what I wanted, but there were far too many things. I stole a glance at Haru's face. From that serious expression, it didn't look like she was lying.
"He really gives presents to good children?"
Really... really... did Santa exist? Giving a present to me, who'd lived so virtuously all this time... Santa really was the best.
"Mm-hmm. And if you want to be a good child, you have to study, right?"
Haru had come up beside me at some point, and she said it while stroking my back. I decided I'd have to ask Baldy and Bora later whether Santa was real. Haru had guaranteed he existed, but other people's opinions mattered too.
"Haaahm..."
I woke and stretched. The wall was all glass, so the moment I pulled the curtains, the view outside opened up.
"Woooow!"
White snow was pouring down. Everything in sight had spread out white, and down on the street people were even walking under umbrellas against the fat flakes.
Looking up, it was a spectacle all its own. The snow falling pure white was so pretty I wanted to take a picture—the only flaw being that I didn't have a camera.
From up high, I could tell it really was a beautiful view. The room was cozy with the heater on, but when I stepped close to the glass, the cold seeped through.
I crawled back under the blanket the way I always did and dozed. There was still time before Bora or Haru had to leave for work, and that half-asleep, half-awake feeling—consciousness fraying and not quite snapping—felt good.
I must have been drifting in and out under the warm covers, because a familiar set of footsteps reached my ears. If my ears had been any bigger, they would have been twitching where anyone could see.
I slipped out from under the blanket, curious who would be the first to come in through this avalanche.
The one who opened the door was Bora. She hadn't used an umbrella; a soft dusting of white snow sat on her hair and shoulders. I pattered over and threw my arms around her legs.
"Welcome back!"
"Yeah, yeah. Were you good, Hana?"
I closed my eyes and sank into the feeling of Bora's hand ruffling my hair. But the moment that hand touched my cheek, I yelped and had no choice but to pull away.
Bora's hand was cold as ice. Maybe because she hadn't worn gloves—it was like being pressed against a block of ice. I flinched and backed away from her.
Seeing me like that, Bora grinned.
"Let's go eat."
"Okay!"
Food was a matter of utmost importance, so I nodded and agreed. With the snow blocking the sun, I'd been getting hungry anyway.
I changed in a hurry and stepped out into the hall. By then Bora had long since brushed the snow off her hair and shoulders. I took her hand—warm now—and headed for the cafeteria.
Walking the corridor, something was different. Where quiet classical music used to drift, a lively Christmas carol rang out instead. So much snow had fallen that there weren't many people for a morning, and fewer people was better anyway.
When it was crowded, eating took forever. Listening to the cheerful carol, I looked at Bora and asked.
"Bora, Santa Claus is real, right?"
Haru had said yesterday that Santa existed, but cross-checking was essential. I wasn't the kind of person who stupidly believed one person's word and followed along.
Bora answered without a second's hesitation, as if she'd known I would ask.
"Of course he is. I've seen him a few times myself."
"Really?"
If Bora said it too, right after Haru, then Santa Claus really did seem to exist. I'd heard grown-ups were smart, so they wouldn't lie about something this small.
If both of them spoke with that much certainty, Santa had to be real. I couldn't hide my excitement and bounced in place.
There were just too many things I wanted as presents. Should I ask for a whole room full of Rumi merchandise? Or a box of delicious, sweet candy? I wanted so much that if someone told me to pick exactly one, I wouldn't be able to choose.
With that fluttering heart, I found a huge Christmas tree set up at the entrance before we even went into the cafeteria. They seemed to be in the middle of decorating it—people were up on ladders, trimming the tree for all they were worth.
I waved at one of the people decorating. They must have seen me, because they paused mid-ornament and waved back.
"Bora, what's this?"
"A tree. A tree that celebrates Christmas coming."
I stared, dazed, as the people putting up the tree climbed the ladders and came back down carrying all kinds of decorations.
Every time someone came down, more ornaments appeared on the tree—countless glittering strings of lights, and props like stockings and candy canes.
The last thing to crown it was an enormous glow-in-the-dark star hung at the very top. It wasn't just big. It flashed so brightly it felt like I'd walked into a nightclub.
Once the great star was in place, the people who'd been watching broke into applause. Swept up in the mood, I clapped too. Watching that huge star go on last was a sight worth seeing.
After we'd watched the finished tree, Bora and I slowly went into the cafeteria. Today's breakfast was Hamburg steak. Vegetables came on the side, of course, but with my well-honed skill I sent them off to a dimension beyond.
Stomach full, I came back to the room, sat in the chair with practiced ease, and turned on the computer. Today I had to watch the last episode of season one of Little Magician Rumi.
But Bora came over and interrupted. I wanted to chase her off with a haughty glare, but what she said stopped me cold.
"Hana, is there something you want from Santa?"
The things I wanted were piled up like a mountain. But among them, there was one I wanted most of all.
"There is something I want, but shouldn't I tell Santa? It won't do any good if you hear it."
"R-right. Then let's write a letter about what you want from Santa and send it. I'll deliver the letter you write to him."
I looked at Bora, puzzled, but she only smiled, a little awkward. Well, if someone was offering to get me a present, there was no reason not to. On the colorful stationery Bora handed me, I wrote down the thing I wanted.
"Bora, you can't open this letter, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah."