I woke up in a soft bed, but I immediately realized—I was definitely not at home.
I jumped up in shock and was surprised to find that the room I was in was fully decorated with Christmas ornaments and glowing fairy lights.
I calmed down a bit—after all, a murderer's house probably wouldn't look like this. So I must be in the home of someone decent.
Although… maybe it's owned by some old perverted guy obsessed with Christmas.
Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough.
I wonder what my family is thinking right now. They're probably worried sick about me, poor things.
As I stepped out of the room, heavenly smells wafted into my nose—something like a mix of bejgli and gingerbread. That warm, cozy Christmas feeling took over me, especially when I heard a faint old song playing in the distance.
I stepped into a narrow hallway, lit only on the left side, where the light seemed to be coming from.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I walked cautiously toward a staircase, which I assumed led to the ground floor.
So I had been upstairs. Good to know.
I carefully made my way down to what looked like a living room, which might have been even more magical than the bedroom I'd just woken up in—or rather, startled awake in.
I wandered into the kitchen too, and as I peeked from one room to the next, my initial suspicion was confirmed.
I was completely alone in this house.
But then… where was the owner?
"Uh… is anyone here?" I called out hesitantly, but no reply came.
So I really was alone in this beautiful house.
But I couldn't stay here forever. I had to get home. My family was waiting for me.
I walked to the front door, where—oddly—my coat and shoes were already waiting. I had no idea how they got there, but I quickly put them on and opened the door.
Let's just say, the real shock hit me right then and there.
"This… this isn't Seoul," I gasped.
I was standing in a small valley.
A dense pine forest surrounded me.
But what truly stunned me was that there were three other houses just like this one—and their lights were on, too.
The houses were arranged in a half-circle.
In the center of the clearing, a cute little stream trickled along, with a tiny bridge crossing it.
The entire valley was lit with various decorative lights, and I know this sounds crazy, but for a moment, I swear—I thought I was at Santa's gift factory.
I stepped outside, and the thing that truly broke my brain was the weather.
Snow covered everything in a thick layer, so it obviously should've been below freezing. But it was at least 18 to 20°C outside—like a pleasant spring or summer day.
Impossible. This isn't real. And yet... it was right in front of me. I was living it.
I crouched down and looked up at the starry night sky.
I touched the snow—it was definitely cold.
If the snow had been warm, I probably would've passed out. Twice.
I had no idea where I could be. There's no place like this in all of Korea, and I've almost traveled the entire country.
Was I... abroad?
But all I did was faint in a little street...
Wait... What book was I looking at in that store window?
Something like... The Mystery of Christmas?
Nah… I'm being ridiculous. I've read too many fantasy books and watched too many movies. No way a book sucked me into itself. I don't believe in that kind of thing.
Just then, I saw someone else step out of one of the other houses, looking just as dazed as I had. I immediately rushed over.
"G-Good evening!" greeted a good-looking man in his late twenties or early thirties, who appeared to be Korean.
"Good evening to you too," I smiled.
"You wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck and looking around.
"Sorry, I have no idea. I just fainted on a street in Seoul and woke up here. But this place is weird—it's snowy, but the weather is like summer."
"You said Seoul?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm from there."
"Good. I'm Korean too—obviously, since I'm speaking Korean... but I live in New York."
"How did you end up here?" I asked, curious.
"I work in one of New York's big libraries. I don't know what day it is now, but on Christmas Day, around 7 or 8 PM, I was shelving a few new books before heading home to my family. Then I came across this beautiful little Christmas book and started flipping through it. I thought maybe I'd buy it for my little son, but… something strange came over me. I think I fainted—and then woke up here," he explained.
"Uh... was the title of the book by any chance... The Mystery of Christmas?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. How did you know?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Because on my way home from work that day, I stopped in front of a bookstore window and was staring at a book with that exact title... when I fainted," I said, thinking. "Did you read the synopsis?"
"Well... I only got as far as: 'Somewhere, there exists a hidden Christmas village where...' and then I blacked out. Do you think we're... inside the book now?" he asked, chuckling in disbelief.
"I don't know. That would be too absurd, too unreal. I really have no clue what's going on, but based on all this… the only explanation I can think of is that the book pulled us in. I mean, this is a secret Christmas village, and we both got here the same way. Do you think... there might be others here?"
"I don't know. Probably. I doubt we're the only ones the book attracted. Ugh, even saying that sounds weird."
"Yeah, it does... By the way, may I ask your name?" I asked politely.
"Of course. I'm Jeon Jungkook, 30 years old. And you?"
"I'm Park Jimin. I'm 26," I said, shaking his hand.
"Well, whatever this is… it's nice to meet you," he smiled.
"Likewise."
"Wanna look around a bit? Maybe there's an exit or… something," he suggested.
"Yeah, let's go," I said, walking beside him.