I sighed deeply as I put down my sharpener. I felt confident studying other subjects, but when it came to Korean, all the confidence I had built up just vanished.
I didn’t even want to look at the workbook. I slammed it shut and dove onto my bed. No matter how annoyed I was, my bed always welcomed me warmly and softly.
I buried my face in the blanket when I heard Haru’s voice from behind.
“Hana, you should study.”
“No, it’s not fun and it’s too hard.”
“Hana, good kids listen well.”
It felt like Haru was treating me like a child. Actually, most people treated me like a kid. Annoyed, I firmly said, “I’m not a good kid.”
“If Hana isn’t a kid, then are you an adult?”
“Yeah, obviously. Hana is an adult.”
“Oh? Then I guess you won’t get a Christmas present this year.”
“Huh?”
Haru’s sudden words left me speechless. I was sure I had something to say next, but Haru’s words caught me off guard.
Christmas? Come to think of it, it had gotten so cold outside that you couldn’t go out without a padded jacket. I couldn’t feel it much since the heater was blasting inside the building, but it was definitely winter out there.
“Santa only gives presents to good kids.”
“Haru, is Christmas soon?”
“Yeah, it’s not far off.”
I lifted my face from the blanket and said to Haru, “I thought Santa doesn’t exist…?”
Was she treating me like a kid? I knew from NewTube that Santa was just a fictional character.
So Haru’s words were just a bluff full of lies! I proudly told her, “Haru, you’re a liar.”
But Haru tilted her head and said to me, “What are you talking about, Hana? Santa does exist. I’ve even gotten presents from him.”
“Huh?”
Seeing Haru speak with such confidence, my proud demeanor started to fade. Maybe I was the one who was wrong? I thought I knew from NewTube that Santa didn’t exist, but maybe that was incorrect information.
“What kind of present do you want, Hana?”
“I… I… um…”
I thought about what kind of present I wanted, but there were too many things. I glanced at Haru’s face. Her serious expression made it seem like she wasn’t lying.
“Do good kids really get presents?”
Really… really… does Santa exist? If he’s giving presents to someone like me who’s been good all this time… Santa is the best.
“Yeah, if Hana wants to be a good kid, you should study, right?”
Haru, who had somehow gotten close, patted my back as she spoke. I thought I should ask Bald Man and Bora if Santa exists too.
Even though Haru assured me he exists, other people’s opinions matter too.
————————————–
“Yawn…”
I woke up and stretched. The room had floor-to-ceiling windows, so as soon as I opened the curtains, I could see the scenery outside.
“Wow!”
Outside, white snow was falling heavily. Everything in sight was covered in white. People on the street were walking around with umbrellas because of the heavy snow.
Looking up, the view was spectacular. The sight of the pure white snow falling was so beautiful that I wanted to take a photo. Too bad I didn’t have a camera.
From up high, I could really appreciate the beautiful scenery. The room was warm from the heater, but as I got closer to the window, I could feel the cold.
I went back to my usual routine of dozing off under the blanket. Bora and Haru still had time before they had to leave for work. The drowsy, half-asleep state felt nice.
As I rolled around in the warm blanket, I heard familiar footsteps. If my ears were big, they’d probably be twitching.
I got out of the blanket, curious who would be the first to brave the snowstorm and come in.
The person who opened the door was Bora. She wasn’t wearing an umbrella, so her hair and shoulders were covered in white snow. I ran over and hugged her legs.
“Welcome back!”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve been good, right, Hana?”
Bora’s hand gently patted my head, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling. But when her hand touched my cheek, I had to pull back in shock.
Bora’s hand was as cold as ice. Maybe it was because she wasn’t wearing gloves.
As if I had been hit by ice, I jumped in surprise and moved away from Bora.
Seeing my reaction, Bora smirked and said to me,
“Let’s go eat.”
“Okay!”
Since food was a top priority, I nodded and agreed. The snow had blocked the sunlight, and I was already starving.
After quickly changing clothes, I stepped into the hallway. Meanwhile, Bora had already brushed off the snow piled on her head and shoulders. I grabbed her now-warm hand and headed to the restaurant.
Walking down the hallway felt different this time. Instead of the calm classical music, cheerful Christmas carols filled the air. The heavy snowfall outside meant fewer people than usual for the morning, which was actually better.
More people would mean a longer wait for food. Listening to the festive carols, I turned to Bora and asked,
“Bora, is Santa Claus real?”
Yesterday, Haru had said Santa exists, but cross-verification was necessary. I wasn’t the type to blindly believe just one person.
Without a second of hesitation, Bora replied, as if she had expected my question,
“Of course he exists. I’ve seen him a few times.”
“Really?”
Hearing Bora confirm it just like Haru made me think Santa must really exist. Adults are supposed to be smart, so they wouldn’t lie about something like this.
With both Bora and Haru so confident, Santa had to be real. I couldn’t hide my excitement and started jumping around.
There were so many things I wanted as gifts. Should I ask for a room full of Lumi’s goods? Or maybe a box of delicious, sweet candies? There were too many things I wanted, but I couldn’t pick just one.
With my heart racing, we approached the restaurant entrance, where a huge Christmas tree was being set up. People were climbing ladders, decorating the tree with all sorts of ornaments.
I waved at one of the decorators. They noticed and waved back, pausing their work.
“Bora, what’s this?”
“It’s a tree, blessing us for Christmas.”
I watched as the decorators climbed up and down the ladder, adding more and more decorations to the tree. Shiny lights, socks, canes, and other trinkets filled the branches.
The final touch was a giant glowing star at the very top. It was so big and sparkly, it felt like we were in a club.
As the star was placed, everyone watching clapped and cheered. I got swept up in the moment and clapped too. The sight of the giant star completing the tree was beautiful.
After admiring the finished tree, Bora and I slowly made our way into the restaurant. Today’s breakfast menu was hamburger steak. Of course, it came with vegetables, but with my expert skills, I sent those veggies to another dimension.
After filling my stomach, I returned to my room and skillfully sat down to turn on my computer. Today, I had to watch the final episode of Season 1 of *Little Magician Lumi*.
But Bora came over and interrupted me. I wanted to shoo her away with a glare, but her words stopped me.
“Hana, do you have something you want from Santa?”
There was a mountain of things I wanted. But there was one thing I wanted the most.
“I do, but don’t I have to tell Santa directly? It’s no use if you hear it.”
“Oh… right. Then let’s write a letter to Santa. I’ll send the letter you write to him.”
I gave Bora a puzzled look, but she just smiled awkwardly. Well, if it meant getting a gift, why not? I wrote down what I wanted on the colorful stationery Bora handed me.
“Bora, you won’t open this letter, right?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
