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Yeseul runs a hand through her hair, annoyed as Bokgi and Yebeom block the entrance to the copy room. They stood proud and tall, probably feeling like knights protecting a castle, when in reality, they looked more like non-threatening bouncers standing guard at a club.
Yeseul’s patience is running thin — which speaks volumes as one of the only two people in their entire study group who had a high tolerance for everyone else’s shenanigans.
(Seungjae was the other one.)
But right now, any inkling of the Yeseul everyone knows has completely disappeared.
“I don’t see why I can’t just go in there to get my purse myself,” she complained.
“That’s okay,” Yebeom condescendingly consoled. “Just tell us what it looks like so that Bokgi can go get it for you.”
Yeseul placed one hand on her hip and scratched her head with another, simultaneously releasing a deep, aggravated sigh in the process. “My parents are going to be here soon, you know. If you had just let me in to begin with, I would have been in and out of there in a snap and nobody’s time would have been wasted.”
Bokgi just grinned sheepishly, as if to say, sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Meanwhile, Yebeom stayed mum.
Well, at least she got a few precious seconds of silence thanks to Yebeom — something Yeseul promised herself to cherish because it’s probably the only time he’s been quiet his entire life.
Wait, Yeseul realized. Yebeom and quiet don’t go together. That means something’s wrong.
“What’s really going on in there?” Yeseul asked, voice laced with suspicion.
“The copy room flooded,” Bokgi said.
“It’s being exterminated,” Yebeom answered at the same time.
The pair winced and exchanged pained looks, knowing that they had been busted.
“Well, clearly both of you are lying and if there’s one thing I hate it’s liars. So I’m going to ask you one last time: why can’t I go in? What aren’t you telling me?”
The two best friends said nothing still — their only response was to avoid her gaze.
Yeseul put her foot down. “Okay, that’s it. Enough is enough. This is low, even for you guys.”
She pushed the two aside and squeezed past them while they were at their weakest, almost tripping completely when she made it into the room.
Frozen in place, Bokgi let out a stilted scream, and Yebeom tapped on his shoulder to signal him to run after Yeseul. Unfortunately for them, it was too late.
The sight that welcomed Yeseul was nowhere near as catastrophic as a flooding or a bug infestation, but it was certainly surprising – and upon seeing it, there was a ceaseless pounding in her chest, like a fireworks show right before her eyes.
It was Jiho, eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as his hands delicately lit candles on a birthday cake. A bouquet of flowers and a bottle of whiskey rested on the table.
It was the first time Yeseul had ever seen him like this. Definitely not the first time he's ever been romantic, no, but... so deeply focused in an activity such as cake decorating, of all things.
“Yah,” his irritated voice whined, pulling Yeseul back to reality. Now that sounds like the Jiho she knows and loves. “I told you not to let anyone in until I said so…”
Jiho trailed off when he turned to the source of the footsteps, realizing it was Yeseul that he was reprimanding. He abruptly stood up, scattering to explain just exactly what he was doing.
“Noona!” he exclaimed, flustered. “This is just – I, um – Bokgi and Yebeom weren’t supposed to –”
“Sorry, Jiho,” Yebeom apologized, suppressing his laughter. It must have been the first time for him to see Jiho lose his cool, too. “You’re scary but it turns out Yeseul is much scarier. So…”
“Bye!” Bokgi waved, dragging his best friend out of there, leaving the couple to themselves.
Yeseul’s tense shoulders eventually softened. She didn’t realize just how much more comfortable she was around Jiho until she had to tirelessly argue with Yebeom and Bokgi just to be granted access to a room they didn’t even own. Of course, they did it under his orders, but still…
“They put up a good fight,” Yeseul told Jiho. “So don’t be too hard on them.”
Jiho sat back down defeatedly, pouting into the distance. He must have felt disappointed that things didn’t go according to plan. It was a classic Seo Jiho move, getting worked up over everything – and though a lot of people would have paid it no mind, Yeseul herself actually finds it endearing.
Which is why she walked over to where he was, gave him a soft squeeze on the shoulder, and rested her chin on his head as she hugged him from behind. “What’s this?” Yeseul asked, obviously trying to appease him.
“Happy birthday,” Jiho feebly greeted, leaning into his girlfriend’s touch. He reached out to give Yeseul’s purse back to her. “I heard you were looking for this too.”
“Hold on to it,” Yeseul requested. “I should blow my candles and make a wish first, right?”
“Right, you should,” he agreed. Without letting go of her hand, Jiho led Yeseul to take a seat.
Jiho cleared his throat, and started singing in a hushed tone. “Happy birthday to you…”
Yeseul looked up at him, beaming.
He continued, “Happy birthda– what, do I sound that bad?”
“No, just keep singing,” she reassured him.
Yeseul whipped her head back to take a good look at the melting candles on her cake, to cherish the presents laid before her like a moving photograph, to relish in the beauty of Jiho’s messy handwriting in icing, to fully understand a message that, in their less than a year of dating, was still difficult for him to say out loud…
But she thinks today might be the day.
Happy birthday, dear Yeseul…
Yeseul closed her eyes, but didn’t make a wish – listening to Jiho sing to her was more than enough. She had everything she needed right there at that moment.
Happy birthday to you.
She opened her eyes and the candles were out. Yeseul watched the smoke disappear into the air for a few seconds before getting up again to envelop Jiho in a tight hug. “Thank you,” she said, burying her head in his shoulder. “I was surprised. I mean it.”
Jiho gently stroked her hair. She couldn’t see him, but he was smiling. “You thought I really forgot, didn’t you?”
Yeseul pulled away first. She suddenly remembered why she was in an awful mood today. “Oh my God, I did. And I told you hundreds of times we were going to see my parents today, too. I really thought you were just being your callous self again.”
He scoffed in return. “As if I could forget such an important day. You saw the flowers and the whiskey. Who do you think they were for?”
Yeseul pursed her lips and feigned innocence. “You mean they’re not ‘gifts for later use’ tonight in my dorm room?”
She thought he would get flustered, but it seems that Jiho’s cool guy radar is fully functional again, because he wrapped an arm around Yeseul’s shoulder and whispered in her ear, “I have something else for later tonight.”
She wanted to take him seriously – she really did. But Yeseul blurted out laughing, which prompted Jiho to follow suit. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing that kind of stuff from you.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to saying it either,” Jiho agreed. “Now come on, I don’t want to make a bad first impression on your parents.”
“They’re not that hard to impress, honestly,” Yeseul commented, helping Jiho pack up the presents. And as she quietly closed the cake box, still glancing at the message haphazardly written on it, Yeseul wondered if now would be the right time to ask Jiho if he meant it.
“By the way,” she started.
Jiho only hummed in response, carrying all the presents, including Yeseul’s purse. Yeseul thinks it’s ridiculous to even ask at this point, seeing him in ‘full boyfriend mode’. But since it’s her birthday, she’ll give herself a pass.
“Do you mean it?” Yeseul asked. “What you wrote on the cake.”
“Yes, noona,” Jiho promised. And of course, only Seo Jiho could proclaim his love and do it as emotionlessly as possible. That was the only way Yeseul could tell he was being genuine. “I’ll love you forever. Sorry I waited this long to say it.”