jennie walked around the scarcely populated streets of manhattan. by now, locals and visitors were tucked into their homes or in restaurants, enjoying a hearty christmas eve dinner. yet here she was, strolling along the sidewalks to admire the decorations and as per tradition, she was accompanied by the faint symphonies of holiday-themed songs coming from the packed restaurants.
rubbing her mitten-covered hands against each other and doing a 360° turn in the middle of new york's time square, she giggled in delight. for the past three years, she's been spending the holidays alone in a city that she wasn't familiar with, but has grown to love. it was simply too beautiful to resist.
while she mindlessly walked backwards to admire the view of the LED screens displayed with advertisements, she managed to stumble upon another person's figure. shocked and embarrassed, she turned around and muttered an apology.
"it's okay." the bedimpled man before her assured. thank goodness she hadn't caused too much of an accident, or else the cup in his hand would've been empty with the contents splashed all over his clothes.
jennie ogled his figure for a moment; he was tall and obviously lean despite the amount of clothes he wore on his upper body. he sported a thick white turtleneck sweater and a cream colored coat along with khaki pants and some dress shoes. his hands were covered with numerous silver rings, all in different designs and on different fingers, and his face! oh gosh. he was very good looking. his thin slits of eyes were covered by a pair of glasses, his lips were pinkish and spread in a wide smile, and beside them, his cheeks was embellished with deep dimples.
"oh, happy christmas." jennie greeted after a while. she might have been staring too much that this guy might think she was some sort of criminal, and was memorizing his features because he was the next victim.
jeez. too much. she was too nice to be a criminal.
"happy christmas." the tall guy replied before waving and walking on his way.
...
an hour later, jennie ended up in one of her favorite local cafés. they were always open during christmas, to cater guests who were there for some late night snacks or customers who needed an extra order of their signature chocolate mousse cake. the whole place was simple, white walls with racks of pastries against the walls. encouraging proverbs and quotes about baking hanging here and there. a wreath was hung on the door. christmas tree branches were decorated all around the place and adorned with christmas embellishments.
jennie picked a table for two near the wide windows, admiring the view of the snow-covered metropolis. she sipped carefully from her cup of hot cocoa and bit off from a piece of their vanilla cupcakes. this was her happiness. although christmas was a time to spend with family, she was happy to spend it alone.
she took her phone from her pocket and took a quick picture before sending it to her family group chat.
'merry christmas, everyone. i miss you.'
[jennie sent an image]
she looked up from her phone when she saw someone slide into the seat adjacent from hers. it was the good looking, bedimpled man she bumped into earlier this evening.
"oh hello." she said, a bit shocked.
oh shoot. was he actually the criminal? was she the next victim?
"hi. sorry to bother you, but i saw you alone and i figured since we're sort of acquaintances, you know, we could converse," he explained, "but i can leave if you want me too. i was basically intruding your privacy-"
"it's so sweet of you to approach me," she fawned over his act genuinely. it wasn't everyday that a person had the time to make acquaintances especially in a busy city like new york, "please join me."
"thank you," he grinned and jennie's heart melted at the sight of his dimples, "i'm kim namjoon. lovely to meet you."
jennie giggled. "how courteous. i'm jennie, kim jennie."
"it's nice to meet you, kim jennie." he stretched out his hand for a handshake.
jennie clasped her hand around his. a jolt rushing through her from the contact. she ignored it and smiled, "likewise, kim namjoon."
"so," jennie decided to start. she tossed her chestnut locks away from her face and placed her hands under her chin, "why are you spending christmas all alone?"
namjoon shrugged his shoulders and fiddled with his cup. his other hand was stuffed into his pocket. "work, life, other shit."
"hm. i'm surprised your mother hasn't personally fetched you from new york. you know how korean mothers can be."
"believe me," he sighed but smiled thoughtfully, "she did. well, what about you? why are you spending christmas alone?"
"work. i'm an editor for a magazine and with all the work to catch up on for the holidays, i just can't risk going home."
"why don't we spend christmas together then?" he suggested.
jennie furrowed her eyebrows. was this man actually a serial killer? was she going to die tonight?!
"i mean if you want, i'm not forcing you," namjoon waved his hands in front of his frame to accentuate his claim, "and judging by the look you're giving me, no. i am not a criminal."
she narrowed her feline-like eyes. "are you sure?"
"yes! you can check my background, i don't have a criminal record."
she shrugged her shoulders and stretched her hand out for another handshake. "okay, kim namjoon. you've got yourself a deal."
...
"mm. nothing like a savory midnight snack." jennie moaned as she took a bite of her pizza.
after stopping by one of the famous pizzerias in town, they ended up sitting in one of the benches of central park. their seat faced the magnificent view of the illuminated buildings of new york city, as well as a scenic winter wonderland due to the snow-covered tips of the trees from the famous tourist site.
"you drink too much coffee," she mused when she saw him take another sip from the second cup of caffeine she saw him hold tonight.
"i work too much, that's why." he remarked with a casual smile.
"you know, namjoon. you've never stricken me to be someone workaholic. you seem so enthusiastic."
"people surprise you."
"yeah, i guess." she frowned when she realized her slice of delectable dish was long gone, "is this your first time spending christmas alone?"
"no." he answered. "i've been doing this for the past 5 years? i think."
"do you ever go home to korea?"
"i go home every year whenever i can. i can't have my mother rushing to my office to demand for my presence."
she chuckled. "that's right."
"what about you? is this your first time spending christmas alone?"
"nope. christmas is usually the busiest time of the year in our office so i don't get to have the luxury of visiting home." she crossed her arms to fight off the cold, "but it's very wonderful here so i don't mind."
"hm."
her eyes lit up with an idea, "hey, joon?"
"yeah?"
"what if we spend every christmas together so we won't be lonely nobodies?" she suggested, her eyes shone with delight at her clever idea.
"jennie, we're still going to be lonely nobodies even if we spend christmas together." he rolled his eyes in amusement.
"but hey, at least we won't be lonely nobodies to each other. plus, even if we are, at least we're lonely nobodies together!"
namjoon stood up from his seat and stretched his hand for the third handshake of the evening. "i guess i'll see you next year," he smiled, "merry christmas, kim jennie."
jennie shook his hand with much gusto, excited for the following events to unfold. "merry christmas."
