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sunghoon doesn’t remember the last time his birthday was celebrated simply.
a mansion, a lavish party, a catering with a luxurious cuisine, and a hill of presents from people he barely even knows. that’s what he’s used to every 8th of december. he wants a change.
some might say that he’s being ungrateful. that others would kill for their special day to be celebrated with grandiose. and he would gladly tell them that they could switch lives, even just for a few days, so they could celebrate their birthday with festivity, so he could experience being greeted only by the people who truly cares for him.
sunghoon wants intimacy. he craves for it.
he wants a birthday that is celebrated just like the ones he sees on cake advertisements, where he’d be surrounded with only his parents, sister, and closest friends. where there aren’t faces that he can’t recognize, where there aren’t strangers that stabbed his back in the past when he still treats them as his friends, and where there aren’t any uncles or aunties pretending that they haven’t bad mouthed his family during other gatherings.
he barely even sees his dongsaeng on his special day. there will always be people trying to get their attention, hoping that they’d be interesting enough to enamor any of the park siblings, may it be as a friend or something more. they’re like wolves, sunghoon thoughts, or fucking vultures.
it’s crazy how, even despite the multitude of people that surrounds him every december eight, he still feels utterly alone.
10:54 PM, reads his clock.
sunghoon dreads for tomorrow.
he stood up, grabbed a jacket, and impulsively walked out his bedroom door.
he wants to go out. he wants to welcome the 8th of december feeling something other than unease and loneliness.
he went to their garage and fetched his helmet and bike. he’s glad that they’re staying at their other house as the mansion was being prepared for tomorrow. even when it’s just him, his sister, and a bunch of maids and butlers. he can sneak out, and if ever someone else sees him before he leaves, he will never let them stop him.
he needs to go out.
he revved his bike and waits until the gate opened. then, jay comes out of the house. jay, the son of their oldest butler, sunghoon trusts him.
“where are you going?” comes the question he’s expecting.
i’d invite him, he thought, if i ever have a simple celebration. (he’s my only real friend.)
“out.” he replies.
but not right now. he needs to be away from the people who knows him.
“you’d come back tomorrow?”
sunghoon hums. of course he would. he’s not going to let his family fend for themselves.
“i’d stay awake. message me once you’re on your way back.” and then jay turns his back on him to walk back inside the house.
sunghoon drove off. he let the air whip past him as he took turns and detours even without any destination in mind. he felt free.
he stopped after a while and took a glance at his phone.
11:37 PM.
a little bit over twenty minutes left until his birthday. he looked around and saw a few buildings, some closed shops, and a 24-hour convenience store up ahead. and sunghoon realizes, he needs a cake.
he went to the store and parked his bike in front. he hesitated for a few beats, before opening the door, his head bowed and his gait unsure.
“ah- hello, welcome!” greeted the cashier cheerfully, as if it’s not the dead of the night.
he nodded without looking at the other person and headed to where he hoped the slices of cakes were. sunghoon thinks that it must be his lucky day, because there is only one cake left in the shelf.
a slice of tiramisu, sunghoon stills, a second passed, then he immediately grabbed the cake, my favorite.
he walked towards the counter while trying to control his feelings. he doesn’t even know why a slice of a convenience store tiramisu cake is making him emotional.
he raised his head and was met with the blinding smile of the cashier. he felt the tension leave his body and his mind turning blank. it’s as if all his worries were gone for a short while as he looks at the gentle face in front of him.
is he an angel?
“good evening sir. one slice of tiramisu cake. that’d be 3,000 won. is that all?”
his eyes is sparkling, sunghoon observed, his voice is silky smooth and his pouty lips curved into a small smile, he took a quick glance at his nametag, jake.
“it’s my birthday tomorrow, jake.” he blurted out. sunghoon felt his face heat up. why is he mentioning it so casually as if they’ve known each other for a while?
jake’s face blanks before a bigger smile returns to his face.
“oh, you have any plans for the day?”
“no- yes, i mean-” sunghoon sighs and purses his lips towards the piece of cake sitting at the counter. he’s not lying, there may be plans for his birthday but they’re not his. they are plans to please and build people’s trust to him as a heir in the guise of a birthday party. a heavy weight settled on his chest once again.
“do you want to stay here? let’s wait until the clock hits twelve!” the smaller said with an excited lilt in his voice.
he blinks at the invitation before nodding his head. why not? it’s not like he has anywhere to go.
11:56 PM.
jake leads him on the other side of the counter where stools were placed. sunghoon sat and waited in silence as the cashier rummaged around the drawers. he saw him pull out a flash of disposable spoons, a lighter, and a thin stick of candle.
11:58 PM.
“can i?” jake asked, gesturing towards the singular piece of tiramisu cake still lying on top of the counter. he hummed and muttered a small sure, even though he has no clue as to why jake needs it.
“what’s your name?” comes a follow up question.
“sunghoon.”
11:59 PM.
a few seconds left. jake faced him with the open container of his tiramisu cake and a candle lit on top of it.
December 8, 12:00 AM.
as the clock hits twelve, jake sings.
“happy birthday, sunghoon. happy birthday, sunghoon. happy birthday, happy birthday. happy birthday sunghoon. happy birthday sunghoonie! blow out your candle and make a wish.”
he looked at jake and only saw sincerity in his eyes. he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and blew the candle.
inside that convenience store, under its fluorescent lights, and with jake in his cashier uniform by his side, sunghoon wished for more birthdays like this.
i’m glad i went out tonight.