The cold air stings their faces as they stand on a wooden pier, somewhere in the middle of a forest, the only people there at this time.
Wonyoung wraps herself in a beige scarf, wondering how to start the conversation she replays in her mind every day. Even though she knows Sunghoon likes her, as he's proven many times, a part of her still feels uncertain, tormenting her with the fear of being rejected.
Now that Jay is no longer around, there's nothing she desires more than for Sunghoon to be her boyfriend. She wants everyone to know that he is hers, that this handsome, caring guy is already taken. She fantasizes about being kissed by him, spending time alone together. Furthermore, she longs to be loved by him, to feel like the happiest person in the world, and currently, she dreams of nothing else.
"I thoroughly enjoy spending time with just you," the boy says, smiling at her. Wonyoung returns the smile, silently thanking fate for making it easier for her, as he spoke first. "I guess you brought me here so we could talk about us." The girl adjusts her scarf, pulling it up so it covers half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible. "I know, it's a bit awkward for me too," she adds, laughing nervously. "You know, at first, I came to Inhon just to get to know you. I tried to hate you, but I couldn't. Day by day, I realized how cute you are and how different you are from how people described you. I guess our destiny played a big part in that, the fact that we were connected in a past life but couldn't be together because I was cursed..."
Wonyoung watches him in silence, happily listening to what's on his heart.
"Who would've thought fate could be so crazy? Brought to Inhon by a desire for revenge, I met friends, found my biological family, and most of all, I got closer to you, but with entirely different feelings."
"But, did you really hate me during our first meeting?" she asks, looking intensely into his eyes.
"No, I actually came to realize that I couldn't hate you. Meeting you in person made me realize that we're truly connected by unfinished destiny from a past life."
The nineteen-year-old smiles, but he doesn't see it, as the scarf covers her lips.
"So... is there a chance you like me more than just as a friend?" she asks shyly, feeling her heart pounding with nervousness.
The moment Sunghoon looks at her and doesn't respond for a long time makes her want to cry, imagining the worst scenarios in her mind. Everything changes when he suddenly smiles widely and steps closer to her. Looking intensely into her eyes, he pulls the scarf from her face and gently holds her face in his hands.
"I'll say it in the easiest way so you understand my answer well." Wonyoung nervously swallows, having a bad feeling that he's going to reject her. Maybe he doesn't want a relationship? Perhaps he's not ready for it? Possibly, she's just not right for him? "Never before has my heart beaten harder at the sight of a girl. The moment you appeared in front of me, you made it come alive. I fell in love with you at first sight, pushing aside my desire for revenge. I wanted to make sure as soon as possible that it wasn't you who was the main cause of everything, so I could forgive you and slowly try to win your heart."
The teenager looks at him with a disbelieving gaze, feeling like she's in a dream. Can this be real? The most wonderful guy on earth just confessed that he, too, had wanted to win her heart from the start.
They both look into each other's eyes as Wonyoung, overwhelmed with happiness, can't resist and presses her lips against his. She kisses him softly, and when she pulls back, she looks at Sunghoon to make sure he's not mad at her. He seizes the moment and kisses her more passionately, though still gently and romantically.
They pull away and lean their foreheads together, laughing joyfully.
"I can't believe that these few months have given me an incredible girlfriend and a biological family. The year is almost over, and I have everything. I can confidently say that I'm happy," Sunghoon announces.
"I'm happy too, because I have you," Wonyoung replies. "You're my most precious Christmas gift."
*
Sullyoon looks around nervously as Niki stops the car and gets out to open the door on her side. The girl wonders why he brought her to this place.
"An abandoned amusement park? Why did you bring me here?" she asks, looking at him with a surprised expression.
"Because this place brings back certain memories," he replies, taking her hand and leading her behind a fence.
The eighteen-year-old obediently follows him, trying to understand what kind of memories this place might hold.
They stop in front of a carousel with horses, and Sunghoon turns his gaze to Sullyoon and smiles brightly.
"Don't you remember? You spent time here with us for the first time. You were thirteen when your older sisters took you here, sympathizing because you were crying, not wanting to stay home alone." The teenager furrows her brow at this memory. "That's when we officially met. I was the one who put you on this horse, and when you tried to take a picture, you fell off. You cried like crazy, saying you broke something, and I felt guilty and took care of you the rest of the day, even though you weren't seriously hurt. Since that day, I've had this strong urge to protect you. You became our little one, the one who belonged to our group."
The girl smiles slightly, recalling those memories. That's when she first developed feelings for Niki, keeping them hidden. She remembers the day her heart broke when she found out that her crush was in love with Wonyoung.
"Yeah, still, that was my best day, because you accepted me. I was pleased."
"So, when did you start developing feelings for me? Was it that day?" he asks directly, and she opens her eyes wide in awkwardness, nervously swallowing. "Please don't be mad. Recently, I was talking to Wonyoung about you."
"You talked about me?" she asks in a scared voice.
"In a good way. I was explaining to Wonyoung that I'm honest with you, that I really care about you. She told me that you've had feelings for me for a long time. I never would have guessed. You never showed it."
Her face turns bright red. She feels like running away to a place where no one can find her, but first, she'll catch her older sister and kill her.
"Doesn't matter when it started. You don't need to know. I don't even remember it well," she lies dismissively, turning her face away.
Niki steps closer and forces her to look at him. Sullyoon glances around, unable to meet his gaze. When she was drunk, she reacted differently when he kissed her, but now, as they begin to speak honestly and both are sober, her shy nature takes over.
"Then I'll tell you when I realized that you mean more to me than just a friend, that you're the angel my guardian sent me," he says. The girl finally looks him in the eyes without turning away. "I realized it that day when you came to my house because you were worried about me. You gave me so much support, helped me back on my feet. I was so happy to have someone like you by my side."
"Was it after that day that your feelings for me changed?"
"That's when I realized that I wanted you to be more than just my friend. I started seeing you differently, Sull," he says, placing his hand on her cheek. "From that day on, I began to notice all the qualities in you, I hadn't seen before, blindly in love with your sister. Now I understand. There was no romantic chemistry between me and Wonyoung, the kind I have with you. I feel entirely different with you, happier. You don't even know how excited I was when your sister confessed to me that you've been in love with me for a long time. I was afraid I wouldn't have a chance to win your heart, even more scared that you would hate me after seeing our previous lives. I was terrified of the thought of eventually losing you."
Sullyoon listens carefully, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. She never thought this day would come, that her dream would become a reality, but why does she feel so lost right now?
"I'm in complete shock. I felt this way when you kissed me at the party. Even though my feelings for you didn't change after what happened to us in the past life, I still need time to sort everything out in my head. If you want to ask me about being in a relationship, it's not the right time, Niki. I would like to think it through. And it's not about my feelings for you," she boldly declares. "It's about the fact that you're a popular guy in Inhon, people have always shipped you with Wonyoung. I would rather not be hit by a wave of hate. I'm scared of that."
"Whoever hurts you, I won't even hesitate. I'll deal with anyone," Niki says, looking intensely into her eyes. "You don't need to worry about that. You'll always be safe with me, and I won't let you suffer."
The eighteen-year-old smiles faintly.
"I know, but I still require time. When I'm ready, I'll give you my answer, Niki."
"Alright," he responds, his voice becoming sadder. "I just hope it'll be a positive answer, because you'll break my heart," he adds in his thoughts.
It seems that for each of the friends, the holiday season is passing in a joyful atmosphere. However, some of them camouflage their true feelings, hiding them behind masks of smiles. The only ones who aren't pretending are Wonyoung and Sunghoon. They are officially together, but haven't yet announced it to the others.
Sunghoon spends Christmas for the first time with a large group. With his biological family and grandmother happily spending time with them, it seems like a dream he's about to wake up from.
He can't believe this is really happening.
Niki tries to be happy after finding his brother, whom he thought was dead, but deep down, he fears being rejected by Sullyoon. Every day of waiting is a torture, something he doesn't openly talk about.
The girl, on the other hand, is thinking intensely about how much her life will change. While being in a relationship with her long-time crush is her greatest dream, she still has doubts that when she gives him her heart completely, her dream will turn into a nightmare.
Yuna feels somewhat better after pouring her heart out and telling Jake the truth about her feelings, but her heart still hurts at the thought that their status will never change. She doesn't believe in miracles because Jake is a man who will never commit to one woman, not for the next few years at least. He loves being free, and Yuna is just a friend he's known since childhood.
Jake, on the other hand, can't understand his feelings. He's afraid that their friendship with Yuna will be put to the test, one they won't survive. He doesn't want to lose her, he cares about her a lot, but he can't be with her sympathizing. That's the worst option if he were to do that.
Still, he doesn't want to lose her, so what should he do to make things go well between them?
The New Year's Eve, which they plan to spend together, will be the final day of significant changes.