Nia and Namjoon stood outside the shop, the snow beginning to fall rapidly. They had been assigned to sell the cake Nia had chosen to people, Namjoon ringing a handbell while Nia yelled out onto the street.

Nia's voice was meek, it sounded like she was about done with her life at that moment, and to be quite frank, she was.

"Was it that bad?"

"The third one made me want to vomit, but I had no heart to tell her when she smiled at me the way she did," she groaned out, becoming nauseous at the mere thought of the taste of one of the cakes.

"I hope the one we are selling is nothing like the third one," Namjoon said worriedly, Nia shaking her head rapidly.

"I made sure it didn't. Over my dead body would she sell that cake," Nia assured him, picking up one of the boxes and appearing to inspect it.

"How is it that she created a demon cake but this cake taste so freaking amazing? The world works in strange ways," Nia added with a confused expression, setting the cake down before beginning to yell.

"Japanese Christmas cakes, 2 for 60,000 won!" 

Nia and Namjoon stood there for hours, Namjoon sometimes giving hugs to kids who clung to his side whenever their parents bought some of the cake from them. Nia looked happy with every transaction, the awful taste of the cake she had eaten now long forgotten.

She cheered every time someone bought a cake, her hands going up in the air and wiggling in a weird dance whenever people left with the cake. It made him smile for some reason. She had his groupmate, Hoseok's, same energy. Her smile was just as wide and genuine as Hoseok's, Namjoon finding himself becoming just as excited as she was with every passing customer.

It wasn't long before he too joined in the dance, Nia laughing at him at first before synchronizing her dance with his.

It was fun.

"I never asked, but how old are you Jungi?" Nia questioned.

"27 next year, what about you?" he replied, dusting some of the accumulated snow, off his shoulders.

"I turn 20 next year. I'm still in college."

They went silent once again, Nia yelling out once again while Namjoon rang the bell.

"Why do you do this?" Namjoon asked, curious as to why a student from college would spend her time at a charity instead of spending time with her family or going out with her friends during the holidays.

"My family isn't from here and I don't have enough money to buy a flight home and back. I have only one friend here and it's May, the girl you saw the other day. She has winter classes though, so I had to find a way to occupy my time while also not spending money. Although charity work isn't something that pays much, I also use this for class credit. It basically fills up my elective class."

Namjoon nodded at her words, both of them continuing to attempt  and get customers.

"What about you? Why would you come here of all places? Don't you have a girlfriend or wife to go to?" Nia asked, also curious as to why a man of his age would spend time at a charity.
It wasn't that it was unheard of for someone of his age to not have a girlfriend or wife, but it was just odd. Nia thought the man probably had a job to go to, maybe family. Most of the people who worked at the charity were usually college students, never people who had busy lives, and at 26, she assumed he'd have a day job at the very least.

"Hobby," Namjoon responded, leaving her unsatisfied with his answer.

"A hobby? That's it? At the age of 26 you choose this," she added, motioning at their surroundings and at what he was wearing, "as your hobby?"

"Can I not?"

"Well, yes, but I thought that people at your age would have their life somewhat, together," Nia admitted.

"Well, when it comes to a job, I have a job. I don't date because it's a pain in the ass, and I would much rather spend my vacation time doing something productive than being lazy," he replied.

"Don't you have any friends?"

Namjoon nearly choked on his own saliva.

"It's quite sad to hear you say things like that," Nia mumbled.

"When you put it that way, I guess my life is a bit sad," he acknowledged. 

"I always thought that as we grew older, we gained more friends, you know? I thought the older you got, the more life would be easy, the more things we would have accomplished, and the more time we would spend with our loved ones. It's sad to hear you would rather spend time here with a random college student than with, let's say, your own mom," Nia stated, her voice filled with disappointment.

"I do plan to go see her at some point during the new year. This is just a bit of a pastime for now. As long as I can have some privacy, that's all I'm really looking for," he confessed.

"Privacy? Well, if you're referring to how you look, I agree. I don't remember seeing you without that big ass head," she laughed, Namjoon chuckling from under the suit.

"And I think it's better that way."

~

The stars were shining above them, the street becoming crowded with people, some stopping by to get cake before going on home.

"Here you go ma'am, and I hope you and your family stay safe during these holidays!" Nia cheered, the woman who had stopped by leaving with a soft smile on her face.

"I think that's the last of the cakes," Nia said, Namjoon simply nodding.

"Hey, guys! Great work today," Ms. Yamamoto said as she came out of the shop.

The place had been busy all morning, Namjoon occasionally shoveling some of the snow off the front of the store to help make it easier for people to get in and out.

"Here," the small woman said, handing both of them envelopes before beginning to clear off the table they had set up outside.

"What is this?" Namjoon questioned, Nia folding the table cloth that had been on top of the table.

"Your pay. You didn't do all this hard work and expected to get nothing in return, did you? My, that would be a naive way of thinking Mr. Snowman," the woman chuckled, Nia helping the woman fold the table and move it inside. 

Once they had finished putting everything up, the woman thanked them and let them leave for the night, both Nia and Namjoon bowing before making their way back to the toy shop.

The night was cold, Nia shivering as the snow began to fall again. Her phone began to ring, a familiar song playing before she answered it.

"I'm the one I should love..."

It was one of the songs his group member Jin, sang, to be exact, one of his few solo songs.

"Hello? Oh hi, May. No, I'm not staying out late. The charity ran for a while. No no, there isn't any secret man. Don't believe me? Jungi, "  Nia suddenly said, looking over at Namjoon before handing him her phone.

"Could you explain to May's crazy ass that I'm not at any date?" Nia added, Namjoon unsure of what to do.

Grabbing the phone, he placed it next to his giant snowman head and listened carefully.

"Hello, Jungi right? Why is it that this crazy bitch spends her nights with you and not with some hot ass man? I need this girl dating, she's such a lonely hoe. Anyway, is she actually with you Jungi, or was she skipping out?" Her friend groaned out.

"No, she was with me the whole time. We sold a lot of cake. If you don't believe me, offer her some when she gets home and await her reaction, " he mumbled, Nia angrily ranting and unaware of what he had said.

"Hmm..your voice. Jun has anyone ever told you you sound just like Kim Namj-"

Nia pulled the phone from Namjoon, hanging up before putting her phone in her pocket.

"She took too long, " she said, Namjoon shrugging it off.

The night seemed to only get colder, Nia attempting to catch some of the snowflakes that fell.

For a second Namjoon could almost forget she was an obsessive fan, seeing her smiling happily while playing like a kid would in the cold. She shivered, her hands going up to her mouth in an attempt to keep them warm, Nia blowing warm air at them.

Without hesitation, Namjoon took off his cape, placing it over Nia's shoulders and tying it in the front.

She smiled at him, muttering a thank you before continuing to jump around.

Arriving at the toy shop, Nia ran in to change, Namjoon waiting outside patiently.

After a couple of minutes, Nia came out, her face turning surprised when she saw Namjoon still standing outside.

"Don't you plan to change?" She questioned, her pinks rosy from the cold.

"I usually am allowed to take the suit home. I was just waiting for you to come out. May is right on one thing, it's rather late and who knows what drunk you'll come across. Do you take the bus?" He asked, Nia nodding her head.

"How about I walk you to your bus stop?" Namjoon suggested, Nia shaking her head at him.

"I may have looked like an old man when you first met me, but I assure you I'm a strong and independent woman, " she chuckled, Namjoon sighing at her words.

"If you really feel that uneasy, how about you give me your number. I can message you in case anything happens," she offered, Namjoon giving it no second thought.

Opening her phone, Namjoon was reminded of her fangirling ways when confronted with a picture of his friend Kim Seokjin on her screen.

After giving her his number, he turned around and walked away, regretting the question he had asked.

◈◈◈◈◈

🐨 I hope finish this book before Christmas but X to doubt on that.

Let's see how far we get before Christmas!!

Thank you for your votes and comments!!

Mama KoalaBeaw

~♔~