After eating rice, I sprawled out on the bed. Of course, Bora said it’s not good for the body to lie down right after eating, so I got up again.
Bora went outside for a moment and soon came back with a Christmas tree slightly taller than me. It was a spitting image of the one we saw at the restaurant, just a different size.
However, it felt a bit bland because there were no decorations on it. It just looked like a plain tree.
But my thoughts changed when I saw the big box Bora brought in. Inside the box were all sorts of decorations. Whether she took good care of them or cleaned them separately, there wasn’t a speck of dust on them.
After putting the box down, Bora said, “Hana, you can decorate the tree with these.”
“Wow!”
I reached into the box and pulled out the decorations. The first thing I took out was a bell. It jingled every time I shook it, as if something was inside.
I hung it on the tree. But because I’m short, I couldn’t reach the top. I had to bring a chair to step on before I could hang the bells.
While decorating the tree, I lost track of time. Bora wrapped the lights around the tree herself, saying it was dangerous. When we plugged it in and turned it on, the tree sparkled. It was more dazzling than any other tree.
And as the grand finale, we hung a giant Santa sock big enough to fit my body. I was really looking forward to Santa filling it with gifts.
Time flew by as we decorated the tree. By the time we finished, it was midnight. Bora led me to brush my teeth, and then I lay down in bed. I felt proud looking at the sparkling tree.
But Bora turned off the lights, saying it was too bright to sleep. The tree looked a bit bleak without the small lights, but it was true that the brightness was disturbing.
With my heart pounding at the thought of receiving a gift from Santa, I fell asleep.
I don’t know how long I slept.
“Ah!”
“Haru… be careful… you can’t see in front…”
I heard a thud and a clatter. I woke up to see who had come in. But someone gently stroked my head, and I fell back asleep in that warmth.
I didn’t see or hear properly because I was half-asleep, but maybe it was Santa.
—
Finally, on the long-awaited Christmas morning, I woke up with a start. I jumped up and pulled back the curtains, but unfortunately, it wasn’t snowing outside.
However, the outside was still white from yesterday’s snow. I watched for a while and then moved. Outside, Bora looked tired, probably from being on duty last night.
Even on Christmas day, there were people working in the building. Office workers really have it tough. Having to work on such a nice day.
I smiled brightly and headed to the tree. There was a gift under it.
“Bora!”
I shouted as I saw the big box under the tree. Santa must have really come. The only surprise was that he didn’t put the gift in the sock hanging on the tree.
Did I hang it wrong? I checked, but the sock was properly hung. Well, it doesn’t matter now. I approached the big gift box under the tree.
On top of the gift box was a small piece of paper the size of a business card.
[To good Hana]
Santa really knows everything. He even knew I was good.
Bora was already in my room. I picked up the gift box. It was a bit heavy, but not too much to carry.
It felt a bit awkward to open the gift box under the tree, so I placed it on the small spare desk in my room. The careful wrapping suggested something special was inside.
Santa’s gift box had a somewhat girly design, but I didn’t mind since I don’t care much about design.
“I wanted to see Santa!”
I woke up briefly last night to some noise, and it seemed like Santa had come. I regretted falling back asleep. I should have stayed awake to see Santa.
Bora, leaning against the wall, saw me and said, “You got a gift from Santa, huh?”
“Yeah!”
I started unwrapping the gift box. The wrapping paper, designed to be opened without a knife, revealed its pristine white interior as it passed through my hands. The paper was so pretty that it felt a bit wasteful to throw it away, but it was a necessary sacrifice for the gift inside.
As I peeled off the pink wrapping paper, a white box greeted me. It seemed to tempt me, urging me to open it. Succumbing to the temptation, I happily opened the gift box.
“Wow!”
I couldn’t help but get extremely excited when I saw what was inside the gift box. It was a magician’s hat, the kind that the Little Magician Lumi wears. It was a bit chilly, but I couldn’t resist putting it on and running around the room.
“Santa must have known what Hana likes and left this for her, huh?”
Bora’s words reminded me of what I had written on the letter. I really didn’t expect to receive it. This was a limited edition hat, and getting one was as hard as plucking stars from the sky.
Of course, if I had known that Bora got it with just one phone call, I would have been furious, but Bora didn’t need to tell me that.
With Lumi’s witch-like hat on, I raised the magic wand high. When I pressed the button on the wand, it started to beep and sparkle.
“I am the Little Magician Lumi! Lumi, who always protects children, is here!”
I jumped around on the bed, reciting lines from the anime protagonist. Bora clapped and cheered along with me, enjoying my performance. Christmas was truly the best.
—
Kim Seyoung, the CEO of Starlight Cosmetics, was feeling great these days. There were many reasons, but the biggest one was probably Hana.
Kim Seyoung scrolled through photos of Hana on her phone. Hana eating rice… Hana watching animations on YouTube… And Hana sleeping like an angel…
She was starting to understand why people get so attached to their children. It wasn’t about sibling rivalry, but simply looking at a child was healing in itself.
Of course, some of her siblings were married, but she never felt much affection for her nieces and nephews. Maybe it was because she had seen them too often. But Hana was different.
Hana had grown up without a single flaw, radiating a lively and charming personality. Kim Seyoung even felt like kidnapping her to raise her herself.
She used to be lukewarm about marriage, but her thoughts started to change after visiting Hana. Lately, she felt like finding a decent man and having a child.
But for now, the circumstances weren’t right, so she was putting it off. So, she was satisfying herself by just looking at Hana.
The artifact she gave last time was also part of that. It was an artifact that wasn’t easily given to anyone outside the direct lineage of the Starlight Guild, but Kim Seyoung, who was doing well financially these days, scraped together every penny to buy one for Hana.
Her bank account was empty, but just looking at Hana made her feel full. It was like the saying, “You feel full even without eating.”
“Maybe I should go visit.”
This year, the Christmas edition of Starlight Lotion, packaged in luxurious wrapping, was a success. The lotion, originally priced at 300,000 won, was sold for 800,000 won just by changing the packaging and name.
The quarterly sales hadn’t been fully calculated yet, but it was safe to say they would at least rank third. It was a far cry from the company that used to linger around 10th place.
The company, which used to only hear news of defeat in the fierce cosmetics battle, was now a company that only sounded the victory horn.
Kim Seyoung decided to visit Hana again today. She packed a box full of snacks and candies that Hana liked. She had finished all her work at the company, so all she had to do was get in the car and go see Hana.
As she thought about what kind of photos she would take with Hana today, Kim Seyoung was filled with happy thoughts. She was sure to capture some cute and lovable moments.
