"We're here!" Deok and Eun yell happily to announce their presence. They burst into the dining room, laden with bags and packages, and wearing matching Christmas sweaters.

"Beef?" Seol asks excitedly, running up to them.

"No..." Eun says slowly, a sly look on his face. He crouches low and takes a pack of sweets out from inside his pocket. "I got this for you. Don't tell your mother."

"What's that?" Hajin asks suspiciously from across the room.

"Yah, how is it that you can hear me whispering all the way from there?" Eun demands, looking spooked.

"It's called maternal instinct, Eun-ah," his step-aunt, Sooyeon, chuckles as she lays a plate of sliced fruits on the table.

"Also, your face has G-U-I-L-T-Y written all over it," Hajin snaps, crossing the room in a few strides. She narrows her eyes at the pair of them, wondering what kind of punishment she should mete out.

Seol's got her arms wrapped around Eun's neck and they're both gazing up at her with similar looks of fright.

"I told him not to," Deok says in a deadpan voice, leaving the frightened pair to fend for themselves. She goes into the living room to drop their presents off under the tree and proceeds to help with the dinner preparations.

Hajin can't do it. The party hasn't even started yet and she's already scolding them. Instead she takes the bag of sweets and says, "Seol-ah, mom will keep this until you get better, okay?"

Eun nods with obvious relief and pats Seol's head. "That's right! So you better eat lots of fruits and get well soon. Okay, Seolie?"

Seol nods obediently and squeals when Eun lifts her up and waltzes her into the living room, away from Hajin's watchful eyes.

"So-yah, is your brother coming?" Taejo asks as So enters the room, buttoning his shirt cuff.

"Which one?" he asks.

"Jung."

"Ah, yes, I believe so," he nods, eyeing his father's face curiously. "At least he promised Seol he would."

Taejo nods, satisfied, and goes back to perusing his newspaper.

"Where are you going?" Hajin asks So in dismay, putting down the utensils in her hand and following him into the foyer.

He grimaces apologetically as he shrugs on his coat. "I left something important at the office. I'll be back in a few minutes. A few minutes!" he promises, drawing her in. "I'll get it and come back."

She exhales sharply and tuts. "Ten minutes."

"Twenty."

"Fifteen."

"Deal." He grins and kisses her lips. "If Seol asks, just…"

"I'll tell her you're on the phone," she says blandly. Seol knows not to interrupt adults while they're talking. "She's been looking forward to spending the entire evening with you, you know."

"I know," he says with a wistful smile, running a hand lightly over the side of her face. "I promise I won't be long. Don't start without me."

She sighs and wraps a scarf around his neck. "Ye, Pyeha."

He flashes her a grateful smile and gives her one last kiss before opening the door to find his older brother in the act of pressing the doorbell. They stare at each other in disbelief.

"Yah, are you psychic now too?" Yo asks, lowering his hand. "Where are you going? I know we're late, but we aren't that late, I think?"

"Nope!" So hurries down the steps, patting his nephew's head and nodding politely to his sister-in-law. "I just left something at the office. I'll see you all later!"

Hajin waves her in-laws inside, away from the cold. The moment the door shuts, Eun and Seol appear, and Seol's face lights up. "Oppa!" she greets her cousin, squirming in her uncle's arms to be put down. Hajin sighs with relief, knowing Seol was likely to spend the next hour or two too busy trailing after her cousin like a little puppy to notice her father's sudden disappearance.

"Are we that late?" Yo asks, shrugging off his coat.

"No," Hajin chuckles, helping her sister-in-law out of hers. "We haven't even started yet. Jung, Won and Baek Ah aren't here. And er… your mother."

He scoffs. "Is she even coming?"

"She didn't confirm or reject the invitation," Hajin replies with a shrug. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Jin-ah, are your parents really not coming?" her stepmother-in-law asks as they reenter the dining area. "It's such a shame. I just saw sister yesterday, but she says they have other plans for today."

Hajin nods apologetically. "They promised to have dinner with some relatives. They'll be coming over tomorrow, though."

"Ah, but we promised to spend tomorrow with Mu. He does apologize for not making it here today."

"It's alright," Hajin shakes her head with a smile. "They always spend Christmas Eve with unnie's family. I understand."

"Christmas celebrations everywhere," Taejo mumbles, flipping a page of his newspaper. "Maybe we should just rent an entire resort next year and tell everyone to come together to celebrate."

"My dear, we tried that last year," Sooyeon reminds, giving Hajin a wry smile. "It didn't work, remember? Other families have their own traditions."

Taejo grunts, looking deep in thought. "Then maybe we ought to change the date. Celebrate a day early or a day late. I'll discuss this with Baek Ah later."

They're in the middle of spreading out the tablecloth when there's a sudden gust of wind and Hajin heads out into the foyer to see who had come in. "Sorry for barging in. We would've knocked but the wind's picked up," Baek Ah apologizes, shutting the door behind them and shaking the snow off his hair.

"Of course!" Hajin exclaims, rushing to the window to peer outside. The snow outside is swirling rapidly in response to the strong wind and Hajin feels a pang of worry building in her chest, but she pushes it down and addresses her little niece. "Boksoon-ah, unnie is playing in her room with oppa. Do you want to go?"

"Go with your aunty," Woohee urges, handing her two-year-old over to Hajin.

When Hajin returns to the kitchen sometime later, it's to find that Won and Jung have arrived, with Chaeryung already hard at work in the kitchen, preparing the drinks. Hajin greets them pleasantly and checks her phone for any messages. She's starting to feel anxious.

"Where is So? The food is getting cold," Taejo asks, taking his seat at the head of the long table. "I thought he was only going to be away for a few minutes."

"So he said…" Hajin mumbles, sending another text, angry at him now for making her worry.

"Kids, let's eat!" Woohee calls before Hajin can stop her, opening the door to Seol's bedroom. The little ones file out eagerly, and Seol's first instinct is to call for her father.

"He's on the phone," Hajin says hastily before anyone else can answer. "Go sit with halabeoji for a while, ye?"

Taejo's eyes crinkle in a smile as Seol saunters up onto his lap, and he begins entertaining her with stories about his childhood. Boksoon tugs on his pants and lifts her arms, demanding to join as well. Taejo chuckles fondly at the pair of them. "Ah, even though I never had daughters of my own, I'm glad I at least have beautiful granddaughters."

"Drinks are ready!" Chaeryung calls, carrying pitchers in from the kitchen. "Shall we eat? Oh! Where's S-?"

"Shh!" Sooyeon and Hajin hush in a panic.

Chaeryung freezes in surprise, then she sees Seol's wide eyes and changes tact. "Oh! There you are, Seolie!" she says, forcing out a laugh. "I haven't seen you yet. I have a gift for you! You too, Boksoon and Chunwon!"

"Gift?" Seol asks excitedly, suspicious expression clearing at once.

"That little girl is too perceptive for her own good," Yo mumbles, amused.

Hajin checks her phone again and sighs. "It must run in the family."

Yo snorts. "Yah, what's that supposed to mean?"

Before Hajin can answer, the door opens and as she and Yo enter the foyer, her chest expands with relief, seeing So come in. She rushes to hug him, then remembers her anger and hisses, "Fifteen minutes?!"

"I was on my way back," he explains hurriedly. "But mother called."

"Yo-yah…"

For the first time, Hajin notices the woman he's brought with him. She stares at her mother-in-law in shock; she hadn't really expected her to come. For years, they'd invited her… but this is the first time she's actually shown up.

Yo looks as shocked as Hajin, but he covers it up with a stiff bow. "Eomeoni."

Yoo Myeongsun seems at a loss for words. She's clutching her handbag nervously, eyeing her surroundings. Hesitantly, she nods her head to Hajin. "Hajin-shi. Thank you for inviting me and… I'm sorry for being late."

Hajin snaps out of it and bows formally. "Not at all… eomeoni. Here, let me help you with that…"

As they help her out of her coat and scarf, Hajin lifts her eyebrows at So, who shrugs. "You invited her," he murmurs so that only she can hear, kissing her temple.

"Ah, everyone's in here…" Hajin says awkwardly, ushering her mother-in-law inside.

The moment they see her, everyone freezes and looks on with bated breath. They all knew she had been invited, but like Hajin, they hadn't expected her to actually come. She hasn't bothered to join family events in years.

Seol is the first to speak up. "Halmeoni?" she asks curiously. She's never seen her grandmother outside of her home before.

"Good evening, everyone," Myeongsun greets nervously, a soft blush creeping into her cheeks as she looks around at her estranged family. She sees her ex-husband with his new wife and nods awkwardly in their direction. "I'm sorry for being late. There's a… snowstorm outside."

"There is," So confirms, wondering what they can do to make everyone start breathing again.

"Appa?" Seol asks, making her way towards them, eyebrows furrowing in suspicion as she sees the bit of snow left on his hair.

"Seolie!" he says as Hajin hastily swipes it off him. "Yah! Couldn't you be a little more gentle?" he protests with a grimace.

She smiles at him through her glare. "That's for making me worry," she murmurs through her teeth, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You went out without me?" Seol asks, blinking mournfully up at him.

He picks her up and brings her to a different room, just as Hajin offers his mother a seat and instructs Baek Ah to play some music. "Only for a little while," he assures Seol.

"Umma said you were on the phone!" she glares accusingly at him.

"I had to get halmeoni," he explains. "It's snowing outside and I didn't want you to catch a cold. You were sick last week."

When she continues to frown, he kisses her – on her nose, her cheeks, her chin – until she scrunches up her face and holds up her hands in self-defense.

"I'm sorry, princess, I was only going to be out for a short while," he says, taking both her tiny hands in his free one. "Next time I go out, I'll make sure to ask for your permission, hm?"

She pouts at him. "When are you going out?"

"Not tonight," he assures her firmly. "Tonight, I'll be here with you and mom. Hey, it's Christmas Eve. Don't be angry…"

She blows air through her pursed lips, making him chuckle, but then she hitches a bright smile back onto her face and demands to be fed.

"I'm hungry, too. Let's go eat."

Dinner starts out as an awkward affair, but with Sooyeon's kind efforts to make Myeongsun feel welcome, the tension gradually eases and people start talking again. Halfway through dinner, Woohee noticed Deok avoiding the cakes and drinks offered to her like the plague and casually remarked how she used to avoid certain food herself when she first got pregnant with Boksoon, whereby everyone immediately gasped and began bombarding Eun and Deok with questions.

"Hyung! How can you not tell even me?" Jung had demanded.

"Yah! You're in the military! You think contacting you is easy?" Eun snapped angrily. "And she's not pregnant! She would have told me otherwise. Right…?"

He and Deok had exchanged looks then, and when Deok failed to give him a straight answer, he looked about ready to faint.

It's a quarter past ten and only Grandma Yoo is left, spending a few quiet moments with Seol in the latter's bedroom, when So takes Hajin out onto the balcony to give her his gift.

"Is this what you went back to the office for?" she asks curiously, taking the wrapped parcel from him.

He nods, wrapping his arms around her from behind to keep her warm. "My secretary told me it arrived just this morning. I had to go get it."

"It feels like a book," she mumbles, tearing it open. What greets her is an image of her in a green botanical garden, smiling brightly as she holds up a peony flower, and on the cover are the words "Beautiful Goryeo" embossed in gold with her name underneath.

She gapes up at him in shock. "You had it published?"

He smiles at the astounded look on her face. "Of course. It's about time, don't you think? You've been writing those notes for years."

"But… how did you… I kept them!" she stammers, perplexed. "They've been locked away somewhere for the past 2 months."

"Ah, yes. Fortunately, Seolie knew where to look."

"Why the little traitor. I was still editing it though."

He smirks. "No, you weren't, or you wouldn't have kept it away for so long."

She blushes. "I can't keep anything a secret from you, can I?"

"No." He turns her around and pulls her closer to him. "We did promise not to keep secrets from each other."

"I was going to have it published secretly, then show it to you," she pouts.

He grunts and runs his lips lightly over hers. "Merry Christmas, my darling Soo."

She smiles. "Merry Christmas, Pyeha. Thank you for the gift. I love it."

"Halmeoni, you must cover your eyes, too."

All three adults jump in surprise.

"I… that is…" grandma Yoo stammers, looking flustered as she holds tightly onto Seol's hand. "I just came over to say goodbye."

"Of course!" Hajin exclaims, recovering from her surprise. She extricates herself from So and ushers them back into the room. She realizes how cold it must have been outside, but strangely enough, she hadn't felt it. All she felt was the warmth of his lips… and the heat from his body. She blushes and shakes her head to clear it of her thoughts as she looks at her mother-in-law. "Er… goodbye, then. Thank you so much for coming."

"No, I…" she falters, looking awkward. "Thank you… for inviting me. I had a good time."

"You should come again, eomeoni," So offers from behind Hajin, whose heart immediately starts thumping recklessly around in her chest. "I'm sure Seol would love to hear more of your stories."

She glances down at Seol, who yawns. "Ah, you must be tired, Seol-ah. I'm sorry for keeping you up. It must be way past your bedtime," she says, letting go of the small hand and watching as Hajin lifts her up.

"She's asleep already," So remarks, fascinated, as he tidies the long hair away from her sleeping face.

"Really?" Hajin whispers, trying to peer over her shoulder.

Myeongsun watches the three of them with regret. She had let too many precious years go by. She hadn't even been around enough to see her own sons grow into the fine men they've become. For years, she had been obsessed, blinded by ambition and power. She had forced them all away… her husband, her children, her friends, her in-laws… she was lonely, and she had no one to blame but herself.

Seeing the family together this evening had only brought that loneliness into sharper focus. She saw how easily they all interacted, how well they got along and how bright their smiles were… how carefree their laughter. She saw how her older sons treated her ex-husband's new wife like she was an old friend, a confidante. Her chest hurt every time her grandson went to Sooyeon… because to her, he paid no heed, even though she was his grandmother of flesh and blood.

She had been wrong. Wealth and power aren't important when she has no one to share them with. She had been so wrong in pushing them all away.

"Eomeoni?" Hajin asks, snapping the older woman out of her thoughts.

"Ah, it's nothing," she says hastily, turning away to wipe the tears that clung to her lashes. "I'll… I'll call, shall I?"

Hajin nods, smiling encouragingly at her.

"Shall I take you home?" So offers.

"No, it's alright, my driver's waiting for me…" she says hastily, not wanting to inconvenience them any further. "Good night. Merry Christmas." She turns quickly and heads for the door, hands shaking as she fumbles with her coat and scarf.

"Here, let me help," Hajin offers, appearing beside her. Myeongsun looks at her daughter-in-law's bright eyes and kind smile. She can't believe that just years before, she had tried her best to ruin this woman, to force her away from her son. But despite looking so frail, Hajin had a kind of strength to her that she had underestimated. She felt she didn't deserve this young woman's kindness, and yet she bestowed it on her so willingly.

"There we go!" Hajin says, satisfied, taking her handbag and giving it to her. "I'm glad you could make it this year."

Queen Yoo doesn't know what made her do it. She acted purely on impulse, and the moment she lets go, Hajin's expressive eyes are wide with surprise. She swallows hard. "I'm sorry for everything I did before."

Flustered, Hajin lets out a little laugh and shakes her head. "That's alright. It's water under the bridge. It's all in the past now."

"Seol is a beautiful child," she presses on.

The compliment makes Hajin's smile all the brighter. "Yes, she is."

"I'm glad he chose you."

For a long time, they both stare at each other: Hajin with evident surprise, Queen Yoo with determination. And then Hajin smiles shyly and gives a little bow. "Go home safely, eomeoni."

Myeongsun finds her face twitching, feeling almost like she was going to smile. She hasn't smiled genuinely in years.

Hajin locks the doors and windows before making her way over to Seol's bedroom to find her already tucked warmly underneath her blankets. She wraps her arms around So, reveling in his warmth.

"Where were we?" he murmurs, running his fingers through her hair, lightly caressing her scalp.

She closes her eyes to enjoy the sensation. "No secrets."

Preview of the next chapter:

"I didn't know what to give you," she mumbles, giving him her most doleful look. "Can't you just tell me what you want?"

He looks at her with a mischievous smile. "You know what I want."