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---🐈⬛🐇
Birthdays.
Meh.
What's so good about getting a year older? Why should it be celebrated?
Minseok chose to finish his alcohol in one gulp. The table across was filled with the hustle and bustle of someone celebrating their birthday. Everyone gathered and formed a circle, while the birthday boy sat quietly in the middle. He clapped his hands occasionally and sang along, and when the song was finished, that guy closed his eyes for a moment. And the sound of cheers was heard again when the guy blew out the candles on the cake with pink frosting.
So noisy.
Minseok wasn't envy. Because according to him, birthdays are not important. Minseok is actually happy and grateful that no one knows about his birthday. If it's just for eating and drinking, he can also do that every day. So if his friends ask, he will answer,
"Soon, I'll let you know!"
"Next week, just wait!"
"My birthday date? Oh, it's 32nd."
No one needs to know when his birthday is.
While Minseok was busy scrolling and mumbling on his phone, someone approached his table. Apparently it was the birthday boy, as seen from the pink cone hat that read 'The Birthday Boy'. It was weird, his hat was crowded with the bunny ear headband that he was also wearing. It seemed like it was brought by his friend, and this guy just happily wear it.
His face was full of smiles and there was some confetti stuck to his hair. What a fun birthday party, Minseok thought sarcastically to himself.
"Hi, here's a cake for you." said the guy putting his slice of cake on the table.
"Why? I don't know you." asked Minseok in a flat tone.
"I'm giving this to everyone!" he replied cheerfully.
Minseok looked around at this family-style restaurant. There were indeed several tables that had slices of cake, the same as the one he had now. So besides celebrating his birthday with his friends, he also shared his cake with all the guests in the restaurant. When Minseok glanced towards the kitchen, he also saw the chef smiling as one of his friends brought him a piece of cake.
"Oh, okay. Thanks." Minseok replied nonchalantly and scrolling his phone back.
The guy was still silent and didn't move from his place. From the corner of Minseok's eye, the guy pouted. It was really funny, because Minseok didn't expect a guy who was already 25 (judging from the number candles on his cake) to pout like a little kid.
"Anything else?"
The guy widened his eyes, "I should be the one who said that. Anything else than 'thanks'?"
Minseok raised his eyebrows. "Oh, should I pay for this cake, or something?"
"Unbelievable." said the guy sighing. Then he pointed his finger at his hat, and then pointed to himself.
"Ah.... Happy birthday to you?"
"Yes! Thank you, oh finally!" His rabbit headband wiggled as he nodded, so cute.
"Don't you think you're way too old to celebrate your own birthday?"
The guy gasped.
Big gasp.
That kind of gasp that your mouth forms shaped O.
"Woah, okay. What's your name?"
"Kim Minseok."
"Okay Kim Minseok, I'm Kim Junmyeon. Can you wait here for a sec?"
Before Minseok could answer, the boy jogged to the table where he was earlier. Junmyeon, the boy whispered to his friends, probably saying something important because after that his friends looked at where Minseok was sitting. Minseok pretended not to see by returning to his phone screen which currently looked interesting. Seeing today's weather was more interesting than whatever was happening across his table right now.
After his friends left the restaurant, Junmyeon returned to Minseok's table.
"Okay, let's talk."
The two of them were lost in light conversation. About how Minseok didn't like fun things like birthdays. Sometimes Junmyeon's questions felt very sharp, to the point that Minseok felt like he was being interrogated, but Junmyeon chuckled. "This is not an interrogation, but an interview."
They're both laughed.
"How old are you anyway?" asked Junmyeon, sipping his soda.
"Ah, not gonna answer it."
"It's me! I don't know you, so you can answer it nonchalantly."
Minseok burrowed his brows, "What's the correlation?"
Junmyeon smiled until his eyes formed a line. "I'll just assume you are older than me, is it okay, hyung?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay whatever." Minseok sighed.
"Let's go home." Junmyeon took Minseok's hand and the both of them went outside.
---🐈⬛🐇
They walked through the dark of night, rain poured drizzle, make the night feel majestic. Minseok doesn't know where Junmyeon took him, the way home was not heading that way. But it's fine, Minseok needed some fresh air from the alcohol and the grunts earlier. He can always walk back the opposite path, it's fine.
"By the way, isn't it nice to have a birthday. Like, you can get gifts?" Junmyeon asked while walking side by side with Minseok who turned out to be about the same height.
"Oh, we're still discussing it." Minseok smiled faintly, "I don't like being in debt for gifts."
"What do you mean?" Junmyeon threw his soda can into the trash. He treated the can like a basketball, so he acted like he was dunking it into the trash can on the side of the road. And unfortunately, it didn't go in. Junmyeon clicked his tongue, and picked up the can into the trash can properly.
"Later, when that person's birthday come, we also have to buy a present the same price as the gift they gave us that time. While we don't always have money every day. We have lots of needs for ourselves too."
"We also don't know what other people's financial conditions are like. What if our birthday being a burden to them by having to buy me a gift. How about that?"
"Now, that's just way too far, hyung." Junmyeon pouted again.
Minseok shrugged. "That's how it is, all aspects must be considered. Not to mention if they don't like the gift we bought. What should we do?"
Junmyeon went silent.
"Besides, birthdays aren't just gifts. Life gets older, it's better to reflect to ourselves. Do you think life has gone as we expected or not? Do you think our parents' hopes for us have been achieved? Do you think we're happy in this life or not?"
The two of them were still walking slowly, who knows where they were going. But Junmyeon was still listening with a few small nods.
"That's what makes me dislike birthdays. Like being reminded of our failures in life, and that has to be celebrated? No, thanks."
"Wow, you are like an old men. Maybe you're already forty-five years old, hyung?"
Minseok chuckled. He didn't have the energy to be upset anymore. Surprisingly, all the deep thoughts he shared with Junmyeon made his heart lighter.
It was already late and he wanted to go home quickly, but strangely he also didn't want this conversation with a stranger to end.
"Give me your birth date. Now, before you decline-" Junmyeon raised his hand.
"... we will not meet again, so this will not change anything. I'm just someone you don't know, no need to be a burden or something. I just wanted to know when your birthday is."
Minseok gave up. Junmyeon was right, they didn't know each other, so there was no obligation or debt to give a gift. If that really made Junmyeon's curiosity go away, he would tell him.
"I was born on March 26, 1990."
Junmyeon smiled and nodded. There was no other word, no further conversation. Like, the case was closed and the story ended.
They walked past a shop playing retro songs and Junmyeon hummed through the music.
"Can you hear the drums, Kim Minseok?"
"Hmm?"
"I remember long ago another starry night like this."
"What are you talking about?" Minseok started to think that too much soda can make your brain went dizzy.
"I was so afraid, Kim Minseok."
"What are you afraid of? Oh-"
Junmyeon laughed, "Let's sing the reff together."
Minseok shaked his head and smiled, this cute stranger is incredible.
"I know you know this song, we're the same age." Junmyeon said while bump his shoulder.
"No, we're not the same age."
Junmyeon went circling Minseok through his weird dance.
"There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Kim Minseok"
Minseok can only laughed and wished nobody he knows watching this. It's not his birthday tonight but for some reason he feels happy.
Birthdays was not so bad either after all.