Chapter Text
The lunch bell rang through Baram Elementary School, and the classrooms burst into life. Before anyone had even pushed their chairs back properly, Park Humin was already on his feet.
“Finally! Lunch time!”
He darted between desks and stopped beside the front bench of the third row, where Baekjin was carefully slipping his English workbook into his school bag. From the second row, Hyuntak walked over with a grin, throwing an arm around both of their shoulders before either of them could say anything.
“There you are!”
Baku laughed, nudging him with his shoulder. “Gotak, you're so slow.”
“You're so slow!” Hyuntak repeated, with a mocking tone and both of them bursted laughing.
Baekjin smiled to himself as he watched them bicker then stood up with his bag. “I'm going to eat everything on the menu today,” he declared. “I'm so hungry.”
“Everything?” Baku looked at him in disbelief. “Even if it's vegetables?”
“Everything!”
“Liar liar!” Clap, clap. “Pants on Fire!” Clap, clap. Baku and Gotak chanted together.
The three of them chuckled as they made their way out with the rest of the class, joining the noisy stream of students heading downstairs. The hallway buzzed with chatter, footsteps echoed against the walls. Baku greeted nearly everyone they passed, waving enthusiastically while somehow keeping up with his two best friends.
That was just how Humin was. He had a smile for everyone, a story to tell anyone who would listen, and some stories to listen to from anyone who would tell. It didn't matter if they were in his class, another class, or someone he had only met once during sports day. If he recognized them, he'd wave with a big sweet smile like they were old friends.
Making friends had always come naturally to him. Maybe it was because home was usually quiet. His father spent most of his time at the chicken shop, leaving before Humin woke up some mornings and coming home long after dinner. It had been that way for as long as Humin could remember. So, instead of waiting for the house to feel less empty, he filled his days with people. He loved being around others, laughing with them, talking to them, making them laugh right back. If someone smiled at him, he'd always smile even bigger.
Even then, no matter how many friends he made, there were always two he liked being around the most.
Go Hyuntak had been one of them from the very beginning. The two met in first grade and had been inseparable ever since. They had grown up racing each other across the playground, trading snacks during lunch, and getting caught talking in class more times than they could count.
Na Baekjin came along in second grade. He had transferred to Baram Elementary School on a scholarship. Shy and introverted, Baekjin found it hard to make friends in a classroom where everyone already seemed to know each other. Humin changed that before the first week was even over. He plopped himself into the seat beside Baekjin one morning, introduced himself with a bright grin, and by lunchtime had already decided they were best friends.
Now, in fourth grade, the three of them had become impossible to separate. If someone spotted one of them around school, the other two usually weren't far behind.
The smell of lunch reached them before they even stepped into the canteen. Today's menu was sausage, eggs and japchae.
“Yesss!” Baku cheered, pumping a fist into the air. “Sausages!”
"Dude we had sausages yesterday too," Baekjin said.
Baku made his way forward yelling, “Sausages! Every! Dayyyyyy!”
And the canteen was filled with giggles.
Baku headed up quickly at the serving counter, grabbed his lunch tray and hurried toward their usual table by the window, with Gotak and Baekjin following behind, balancing their own plates.
The three of them sat down to eat together.
Baku picked up his chopsticks immediately and stuffed a mouthful of japchae into his mouth.
“You two,” he mumbled between bites, pointing his chopsticks at them, “what are you doing this Saturday?”
Gotak's smile dropped. He turned his head ever so slightly and shot Baekjin a quick look.
Baekjin caught it immediately.
“Saturday?” he repeated, scratching the back of his neck. “Why? I'll... probably do my homework. English teacher gave us extra homework for the weekend… so…”
Gotak added right after him, “I’m going somewhere with my mom,” he said with an innocent smile. “Hehe.”
Baku stopped chewing and looked from Baekjin to Gotak. “What?” His chopsticks landed against his tray with a loud clack. “Seriously? Aren't you two forgetting something?!”
Gotak blinked. “Forgetting?” he asked, the word catching in his throat. “W... what are you talking about? Hehe...”
He let out the fakest laugh imaginable and glanced at Baekjin. Baekjin was already looking at him, giving him a look that clearly said, Shut up.
He cleared his throat. “Oh, right. I forgot to ask,” Baekjin said, trying to change the topic. “Did you read about the new MapleStory update?”
“Hey!” Baku pointed his chopsticks at him. “I can't believe this...” Baku groaned, slumping against his chair. “My only two friends are actually making me see this day… I'm so upset.”
Neither of them said anything. Baku looked from one to the other again and then threw both hands into the air.
“It's my birthday! How do you guys forget my birthday?!”
Baekjin and Gotak exchanged another look. Gotak widened his eyes and gave him a tiny nod, silently begging him to save the situation.
Baekjin shut his eyes for a second, then snapped his fingers. “Ah!” He looked at Baku. “Your birthday... it's on Saturday, right! Haha.”
“Hahaha.” Gotak joined in with his laugh, “Baku birthday!” He then shrugged. “Why are you making such a big deal? It's just your birthday.”
“Yeah,” Baekjin chimed in, forcing out another laugh. “Let's just eat first. Here.” He picked up a piece of sausage with his chopsticks and dropped it onto Baku's plate. “Take my sausage.”
Gotak quickly copied him. “Take mine too!”
Baku stared at the two pieces of sausage sitting on top of his noodles.
“Just a birthday?” he mumbled, his lips curling into a pout. “Fine. You guys eat your own sausage. I don't want it.”
Baekjin stood up all of a sudden. “Ah... I need to use the washroom.”
Gotak was on his feet before he had even finished speaking. “Oh! I'll come too, Jini.”
Baekjin turned back to Baku. “You're not coming?”
Gotak immediately elbowed him in the stomach.
“Ow!”
Baku huffed and turned away from them, stuffing another mouthful of japchae into his mouth without looking up. The other two boys didn't wait another second and hurried toward the washrooms.
“Why were you telling him to come with us?” Gotak whispered the second they stepped into the washroom.
“But he didn't come!” Baekjin whispered back.
“But what if he did, you dummy?”
“Okay, okay! Sorry!” Baekjin flapped his hands at him. “Keep your voice down!”
The two of them stood in silence for a second before Gotak let out a sigh. “Okay, anyways...” He scratched his head. “What do we do now?”
Baekjin rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “I don't know... Why would he tell us it's his birthday when we were pretending to forget it this whole time?”
“I know, right?” Gotak nodded with a pout. “I think we should just keep doing what we planned. He shouldn't know anything. Let him think whatever he wants!”
Baekjin's face lit up. “Okay!” He held out his hand. “Mission Baku Birthday is on!”
Gotak grinned. “Yeah!” They slapped their hands together in the quietest high-five either of them had ever attempted.
“Jini,” Gotak said after a moment, “are you free this evening? Can you come to my taekwondo class at six?”
“In the evening?” Baekjin tilted his head. “Why?”
“My mom's picking me up today.” Gotak smiled. “We can tell her about our plan. She said she'll take us shopping because we can't go by ourselves, so come at 5pm.”
“Oh.” Baekjin nodded. “That's good. But, how will I come to your taekwondo class?”
“Oh…” Gotak thought for a second, then added, “I'll draw you a map from Baku Fried Chicken to my taekwondo class, okay?”
“Okay!” Baekjin smiled.
“…Wait.” Gotak blinked. “But how are we even going to bring Baku to the beach? If we're going to keep this all a secret?”
The smile disappeared from both their faces.
“We didn't even think about that,” Baekjin muttered.
“What if his dad says no?”
“Oh… No! No! No!!”
Gotak clutched his head. “We forgot about that!”
The two of them went quiet again. Baekjin frowned so hard his eyebrows nearly met. Gotak stared at the floor. They threw out idea after idea, but nothing seemed strong enough to work.
Finally, Gotak sighed. “We can't stay in here forever.”
“Yeah...” Baekjin nodded. “Let's ask your mom this evening? She'll definitely think of something.”
“Right, mom can help us!”
“Okay! Yayy!”
Gotak looked at him with a grin that returned as quickly as it had disappeared.
“Race?”
Baekjin smiled.
“In three… Two… One!”
The two boys burst out of the washroom, sprinting down the hallway shoulder to shoulder. Their laughter echoed through the corridor until they reached the canteen.
They stopped at their table, which was empty.
Baku was gone.
The smiles faded. “I hope he's not too sad,” Gotak said quietly. Baekjin rested a hand on his shoulder. “Just for a little while,” he said. “The surprise's going to make him really happy.”
Gotak nodded. And together, they headed back toward their classroom.
The rest of the school day went by much slower than lunch had. As soon as the final bell rang, children poured out of their classrooms with cheerful shouts, eager to get home.
While Baku was busy waving goodbye to a classmate across the hallway, Gotak quietly slipped a folded piece of paper into Baekjin's pocket. Baekjin felt it brush against his hand and gave the smallest nod.
Baku turned back around. “Let's go!” And the three of them headed out through the school gates together.
It didn't take long for Baekjin and Gotak to notice that Baku was still sulking. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and every now and then he'd kick a pebble lying on the sidewalk before walking on without a word. The two boys glanced at each other but decided not to say anything.
Maybe he'd cool down on his own.
They walked past the little stationery shop, crossed the road at the traffic lights, and turned into the familiar street they took home every day. But today it was all silence.
And this was Park Humin. He could never stay quiet around the people he loved for very long. So with a dramatic sigh, he finally gave in.
“Are you two seriously going to walk all the way home like this?”
Baekjin and Gotak looked up at him. “...Are you still mad at us?” Gotak asked carefully.
Baku didn't answer. Instead, he took a few long steps ahead of them, pretending he hadn't heard the question at all. After a moment, he slowed down just enough to look over his shoulder.
“What were you saying about MapleStory earlier?”
Baekjin couldn't help smiling. He glanced at Gotak, who smiled back. “I was saying,” Baekjin began as they caught up to Baku, “they're adding a new area in the next update.”
“Wow! Really? I haven't even completed all the current levels!” Gotak chimed in.
“I'm going to complete it before you,” Baku teased. And within seconds, the sulking was forgotten. The three boys spent the rest of the walk arguing over MapleStory, and giggling their way to homes.
By the time Baku reached home, someone was already waiting for him. A tiny brown puppy sat by the front door, its tail wagging so hard that its whole body wobbled from side to side.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Podo!” Baku's face lit up. He dropped his school bag by the steps and ran over, scooping the little puppy into a hug before rubbing his ears.
“Podo, look what I brought for you today!” He quickly unzipped his bag and pulled out the little paper wrap and took out the sausages. “Here!”
Podo sniffed once before happily gobbling them up.
“Good boy!” Baku giggled, scratching under his chin. “Jini and Gotakie sent these for you.” His smile slowly faded. “…Well, not really for you.” Baku let out a small sigh. “But you can have them.”
“Woof!”
Baku sat down on the front step, gently running his fingers through the pup’s soft fur. The sulking came back as he told Podo everything that had happened at school that day.
“Woof woof!”
“I know, right?” Baku pouted. “How can they forget my birthday?”
Podo barked again.
“…Ah, but it's okay.” Baku smiled a little. “They're just little kids too. We've been getting so much homework lately…” He rested his chin on his knees. “And I told them today, so… I think they'll do something.” A hopeful grin slowly returned to his face, “Hehe.”
And the little puppy jumped over to lick Baku’s cheeks. “Hey!” Baku laughed, wiping his face with his sleeve. “That tickles!”
The puppy bounced around his feet, barking excitedly until Baku gave in and chased him around the tiny front yard for a few minutes. Only after Podo had tired himself out did Baku pick up his school bag, pat him on the head one last time, and head inside the house.
Baekjin arrived near Baku Fried Chicken that evening to go visit Hyuntak at his taekwondo class. He reached into his pocket and unfolded the piece of paper Gotak had slipped to him after school. It was a hand-drawn map with arrows pointing for directions, and some little drawings.
Baekjin smiled to himself. Following the directions as carefully as he could, he began walking.
After about fifteen minutes, he found himself standing in front of Dodo Taekwondo. He stayed outside looking around for Gotak, when a voice called. “Jini!” Baekjin looked up. Gotak was leaning over the railing on the second floor, still dressed in his white taekwondo uniform. “I'm coming down! Wait there!”
Baekjin nodded and sat down on one of the benches near the building.
A couple of minutes later, Gotak came running down the stairs, smiling ear to ear, nearly tripping over the last step. The two boys sat together, chatting while they waited for Gotak's mom to arrive.
It wasn't long before a familiar scooter pulled up outside the building.
“There she is!” Gotak pointed excitedly, and both of them hurried over.
“Good evening, Auntie!” Baekjin greeted politely, giving a small bow.
“Oh, Baekjini!” she smiled warmly. “How have you been?”
“I've been well. Thank you!”
Before anyone could say another word, Gotak tugged on his mom's sleeve. “Mom! Come on! We have so much shopping to do!”
Baekjin grinned and quickly pulled a small piggy bank out of the cloth bag hanging from his shoulder. “I’m ready!” The two boys laughed and slapped their hands together in a high five. Gotak's mom chuckled at the sight of them. “But first, water!” She handed each of them a bottle before passing around a small pack of cookies. “No shopping on empty stomachs!”
The boys happily munched on the cookies while she helped them onto the scooter. Gotak climbed on first, Baekjin squeezed in behind him, and before long the three of them were on their way to the department store, the boys chatting excitedly the entire ride about everything they wanted to buy for Baku's birthday. By the time they arrived, they had already come up with enough ideas to celebrate ten birthdays.
The automatic glass doors slid open with a soft whoosh. Both boys stopped at the entrance, their eyes wandering in opposite directions. The store was huge. Rows and rows of shelves stretched in every direction, packed with colourful toys, decorations, snacks, school supplies, games and things they didn't even know the names of. Bright signs hung from the ceiling, shopping carts rolled past them every few seconds, and somewhere nearby, a little tune played over the speakers.
Baekjin's eyes wandered towards the stationery aisle. Gotak was already staring at the toys.They didn't even notice they'd drifted apart until Gotak’s mom cleared her throat, “Ahem.” The boys turned around. Gotak's mom stood behind them with her hands on her hips, trying very hard not to laugh.
“What was the promise you two made before we left?”
“...No running,” Gotak answered first.
“And?” she asked again.
Baekjin quietly lowered his head. “...We stay with you.”
“And?”
Without another word, Gotak reached for one of her hands, and Baekjin reached for the other. A smile spread across her face. “There we go. If you both behave well, hold my hands, and don't go running around, we'll have all the time we need to shop.” The two boys nodded so quickly that she couldn't help chuckling.
They walked further into the department store together, one little hand holding each of hers. Every few steps one of the boys would suddenly point somewhere, whispering excitedly, “Look!” or, “Baku would like that!” before remembering they still had an entire list of things to buy.
It didn't take long before Baekjin remembered the little cloth bag hanging from his shoulder. “My piggy bank!” The two boys looked around until they spotted a quiet corner near the end of the aisle. They hurried over, sat down on the floor side by side, and Baekjin carefully placed the round little piggy bank between them.
“Ready?” Gotak grinned.
Baekjin nodded eagerly. Just as he was about to turn it upside down, Gotak's mom gently stopped him. “You don't have to empty it here.” The boys looked up.
“But... we have to count our money,” Gotak said.
“You can do that when we get home,” she replied with a smile. “If you pour all those coins onto the floor now, we'll spend half the evening picking them back up. I'll pay at the counter first, and later you two can count everything properly and give me however much you want to.”
The boys looked at each other for a moment.
“Okay, Auntie!” Baekjin nodded.
“Good.” Gotak's mom smiled. “Now let's go!” The boys beamed at each other, quickly stood up, and hurried after her. The decorations aisle was the first place they stopped.
Both boys wandered slowly alongside the shelves, carefully looking through every packet and box they came across. Balloons in almost every colour filled the racks, ribbons hung from little hooks, birthday banners sat folded inside neat plastic covers, and paper hats, candles, confetti and all sorts of tiny decorations lined the shelves. There were so many things they had never noticed before.
Every few steps, one of them would pick something up, hold it in front of the other and ask, "Do you think Baku would like this?" If the answer was yes, it went straight into the basket. If the answer was no, it went back onto the shelf. They didn't spend long deciding on the colours, though.
It had to be red. Because Baku loved red.
And before long, the basket was filled with red balloons, matching ribbons, a bright birthday banner, colourful confetti and sheets of little star-shaped stickers that Baekjin thought would look nice on the gift box. Gotak wandered a little further down the aisle before returning with a small packet of glitter. Baekjin looked at it for a moment, then nodded with excitement. It would make everything look prettier, is what they decided. So that went into the basket too.
By the time they reached the end of the aisle, Gotak's mom was carrying a basket that looked much brighter than when they had first picked it up.
"Did we forget anything?" Gotak asked. The two boys looked through the basket together.
"...Candles!" Baekjin gasped.
They hurried back to the shelf and picked out a packet of number candles shaped like an eight before proudly dropping them into the basket.
"Now we're done," Gotak said with a satisfied nod.
The smell of freshly baked bread drifted through the next aisle as bags of flour, sugar and baking chocolate filled the shelves around them. The two boys immediately began searching for everything they thought belonged in a birthday cake, even though neither of them had the slightest idea how to bake one.
Gotak picked up a packet of jelly powder. "Do cakes need this?"
"I don't think cakes wobble," Baekjin answered after thinking very hard.
“Hmm…” Gotak slowly put it back. “How do we make the cake of the cake?”
“The cake of the cake?” Baekjin asked, confused. Gotak walked closer to him, “You don't know? Like there is cream of the cake, and sprinkles of the cake, but below it there is cake of the cake!” Gotak explained carefully.
“Ah! Yes… the cake of the cake!” Baekjin nodded, though he still looked completely confused.
Gotak's mom laughed softly as she walked closer. “I'll bake the cake,” she said, smiling at the two boys. “You don't have to worry about that.”
They both looked up at her. “Really?”
She nodded. “But decorating it is your job, so pick up what you want.”
That somehow sounded even more exciting. And both of them started talking about the cake decoration. They talked about how they would add so much cream, and chocolates. Then who would write his name on the cake, the decision made was they both would take turns writing letters for equal participation. Ofcourse! Neither of them knew exactly what the cake would end up looking like. But one thing was certain.
It was going to be the prettiest birthday cake Baku had ever seen.
The cashier handed over the last shopping bag with a smile, and Gotak's mom thanked her before gathering everything into one hand. Between the three of them, they somehow managed to carry balloons, ribbons, cake decorations and enough little party supplies to fill almost every free hand they had.
The automatic doors slid shut behind them, as they stepped out of the department store, muffling the music and chatter inside. Neither of the boys could stop peeking into the shopping bags.
“We got so many cool things,” Gotak giggled. “Baku will be so happy!” Baekjin replied, clapping his little hands. They went through the entire list again just to make sure nothing had been forgotten. Decorations, candles, sprinkles, strawberries, cream, cake box... everything was there! It wasn't until they reached the scooter that Gotak suddenly stopped walking. “... Wait.”
Baekjin looked up from the bag in his hands. “What?”
Gotak frowned, “But we still don't know how we're going to get Baku to the beach…” The excitement that had followed them out of the store faded almost immediately.
"...oh yes," Baekjin murmured. The two boys looked at each other, thinking as hard as they could.
“We could just ask him to come?”
“But then he'll know something's happening.”
“We could tell him we're just going to play…”
“But what if Uncle says no…”
One idea followed another, but every plan seemed to fall apart before either of them finished explaining it. Gotak's mom listened quietly while she tucked some of the shopping bags into the scooter's trunk, smiling to herself as the two boys worried over a problem that seemed much bigger to them than it really was.
Then she finally turned around, “Hyuntak-ah.” He looked up. “You already told Baku that you and I were going out together on Saturday, didn't you?”
He nodded.
“So why don't we just invite him to come with us? Don't tell him where, just say come with us. Don't tell him that Baekjini will be there too.”
The boys blinked.
“For... just a normal outing?” Baekjin asked.
She smiled. “Exactly. You can tell him to come with you, he won't think anything of it. And since I'll be there, his dad won't say anything either!”
Gotak's eyes slowly grew wider, “Mom will you go and pick him up?”
“Yes! I'll drop you two off first," she continued. “You can decorate everything while I go and pick Baku up. By the time we get back, the surprise will already be waiting for him.”
Both of their faces lit up at that. “Mom!” Gotak threw his arms around her waist. “That's perfect!” Baekjin also gave out a big warm smile, “Thank you, Auntie.”
She laughed softly, patting Gotak's head before helping the two of them climb onto the scooter. The ride home was much louder than the ride there had been.
The problem that had been bothering them all day had disappeared, leaving plenty of room for new ideas to take its place. Before they had even reached the first traffic light, they were already planning what the beach would look like.
“We should blow up all the balloons first,” Baekjin suggested, “and tie them to the picnic blanket!” Gotak added. “Otherwise they'll fly away.”
“We can decorate the cake while Auntie goes to get Baku.”
“We have to make the sandcastle first.”
“Noooo… The cake first!!”
“The sandcastle first,” Gotak folded his arms with a serious expression. “Jini, I'm ten years old now, so I know better.” Gotak declared proudly. “I'm older, so you have to listen to me.”
Baekjin looked at him for a moment before giving a small salute, “Okay, hyung!”
Gotak sat a little straighter for the rest of the ride, looking completely pleased with himself. From the front of the scooter, his mom smiled at them. The boys continued talking the entire way home, changing their minds every few minutes and coming up with bigger ideas each time. By the time they reached their neighbourhood, they had planned the decorations three different ways, argued over the cake twice, and built at least five imaginary sandcastles.
None of them would look exactly the way the boys had imagined. But that only made Saturday feel even more exciting.