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Throwing parties was what the RFA did best. On June 11th, the members of the organization gathered not for a fundraiser, but to celebrate the birthday of the Choi twins! The party was held at Saeyoung’s place, where he and his girlfriend Bami lived together.
“Surprise!”
The room erupted into cheer the moment the twins entered. Zen and Yoosung set off party poppers, causing a shower of confetti to rain down. Jumin and Jaehee applauded with joy, blowing party horns to add to the excitement. Meanwhile, V stood ready with his camera, a smile on his face as he eagerly captured the twins' reactions.
“No way! A surprise party!?” Saeyoung gasped, his golden eyes sparkling like stars. “Surprise!!”
“Saeyoung-hyung, you don’t need to say surprise too,” Saeran sighed with a chuckle.
Then it was Bami and Lily's turn to step forward. Together, the girls carefully carried a large cake with smooth, white icing. A ring of flickering candles illuminated the words Happy Birthday across the top.
“Happy birthday, boys!” Bami cheered. “Were you surprised? Were you? Were you?” she giggled. “You should have seen the look on your face, Saeby, hehe~”
The older twin turned bright red, becoming flustered at his girlfriend’s teasing words. It was a side of him he didn’t show to others. Only Bami got to see his adorable embarrassment.
“Bamiiii~” he complained, hiding his face in his hands.
Bami giggled, going up on her tiptoes to press a kiss on Saeyoung’s cheek. The result was him only becoming more flustered, squirming from her affection.
“W-we couldn’t decide what kind of cake to make. But we eventually decided on cherry!” Lily announced. “I hope you like it…”
Saeran’s heart fluttered as he heard his girlfriend’s sweet voice. With a smile, he reached out to alleviate her tiny hands of the heavy cake.
“Cherry sounds delicious,” he smiled. “I can’t wait to try it, my love.”
~
The party carried on long into the evening, somehow devolving into a lively whirlwind of drinks, laughter, and off-key karaoke. The twins absolutely loved the cake, each helping themselves to a second slice, then a third. By the end of the night, the dessert had been reduced to tiny crumbs.
“Sing with me next, Bami!” Saeyoung begged, grabbing his girlfriend’s hands. “Come on, I wanna sing a duet together! Pweeease?”
“You’ll have to keep begging,” Bami teased. “Let’s let someone else sing first. How about Jaehee?”
Jaehee cleared her throat, setting her cup down on the table. “You’ll have to forgive me. My singing voice is not too good,” she apologized. “I especially feel inadequate after the performance we just witnessed from Zen. To think I would get to see Zen singing live tonight!” she exclaimed. “Wh-whose birthday is next?”
“V’s birthday is next,” Jumin replied in a stoic tone. “September 9th.”
“Let’s not burden Hyun with performing at all of our birthdays…” V laughed nervously.
Lily giggled. “I’d like to sing,” she decided, kicking her feet as she sat on her chair. She was so tiny, her legs didn’t reach the ground. “But I don’t think it will be good. I’m a dancer, after all.”
“You have a beautiful voice, Lily,” Saeran praised, sitting next to her. He reached out to touch her leg, giving her knee a supportive squeeze. “My lily flower. Everything you do is so lovely.”
“I wanna sing with Bami! I wanna sing with Bami!” Saeyoung called, popping up in between them and completely ruining the moment.
Saeran appeared briefly agitated before he saw Lily laugh. Then a smile spread across his face and he couldn't help but laugh too.
“Ahem. Unless anyone else wants to go, I don’t mind blessing your ears with another song,” Zen bragged. “Would you like to hear another ballad by yours truly? Or one by mister grumpy CEO-in-line?”
“You mean Jumin?” Jaehee laughed, behind her hand. “Ah. P-pardon me. I’m not sure what’s so funny about Mister Han singing karaoke… ahaha…”
V chuckled. “Jumin actually has a wonderful voice.”
“Compared to Candy, my voice falls short,” Jumin replied. “She would be here tonight if not for her concert. I think I’ll send her a message detailing how Zen’s voice pales in comparison to her angelic tone.”
“What was that!?” Zen snapped.
“Excuse me!” Yoosung announced, tapping the microphone. “I will now be introducing the next song!”
“HUH!?” Saeyoung gasped, his attention snapping back to the front of the room.
“Next is Bami and Lily!” Yoosung announced. “They will be singing Mysterious Messages!”
The two girls skipped to the front, their matching pink skirts swaying with every excited step. Bami's dark pink skirt was adorned with brown polka dots and layers of playful ruffles, while Lily's lighter shade of pink was decorated with delicate ribbons and bows. Taking their places at the front, they each lifted a microphone and exchanged a joyful giggle.
“I just got your messages…~”
~
The party went late into the night. The room was a wreck by the time the guests left, leaving Saeyoung and Bami with a mess to clean up. Lily and Saeran stayed behind to help.
“Hyung, Hyung,” Saeran called. “Saeyoung-hyung. Wake up.”
“GYHH! BAMI! WHERE’S MY BAMI??” Saeyoung sprung off the couch, a mess of honey buddha chips falling off his chest in the process. “No way! Is the party over??”
“You fell asleep on the couch. Don’t worry. V took lots of pictures, hehe,” Lily giggled. “What were you dreaming about, Saeyoung-hyung?”
Saeyoung rubbed the back of his neck, slowly coming to his senses. As his gaze drifted across the room, it landed on his brother. He remembered the timid little boy Saeran used to be, the child who would always cling to his side, starved for affection.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Crossing the room, Saeyoung stopped in front of his brother and rested a hand atop his head to rustle his hair.
“Ah!” Saeran gasped, turning pink with embarrassment. “Wh-what was that for?”
“For my baby brother!” Saeyoung declared proudly. “You’re all grown up now, Saeran. I’m so proud of you!”
Saeran was still embarrassed, nervously fixing his hair once he got the chance.
“You may be the older twin, but we’re the same age, you know,” he recalled with a smile. “If I’ve grown up, so have you.”
Saeyoung giggled in that mischievous way of his. “This is nice, isn’t it? We never got to celebrate birthdays when we were kids… it sort of feels like we’re getting to catch up on all of that now.”
Saeran was silent for a moment at the mention of their childhood. Then he nodded, a tender smile painted across his face.
“And it’s all thanks to Lily and Bami.”
Lily skipped over to her boyfriend, gliding through the air like a fairy. She eagerly pounced onto Saeran’s arm, snuggling into him.
“Darling, are you ready to go home now?” she asked. “I’m getting sleepy~”
Saeran smiled, wrapping his arm around her. “I’ll take you home, princess,” he whispered. “Let’s say goodnight to our family.”
“Goodnight family!” Lily waved, as Saeran led her to the door.
Bami came around the corner, yawning with exhaustion. She waved goodbye to Saeran and Lily before finally looking at Saeyoung. The boy stood there with his party hat half falling off, blinking at her with pleading puppy dog eyes.
She eventually gave in, striding across the room with a chuckle before wrapping her arms around her beloved. Saeyoung completely froze, his silly little party hat falling off in the process. His heart pounded so loudly in his chest, he was sure she could hear it.
“Bami, I…” he paused. “I can’t thank you enough for tonight.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Saeyoung,” Bami smiled. “Seeing your adorable reaction is enough for me!”
Saeyoung couldn’t help but smile as he wrapped her in a hug. “Hey, hey, so even though we didn’t sing a duet together, how about we sing one now?”
“Now?” Bami asked. “But everyone is gone.”
Saeyoung giggled playfully. “That’s the point! This is a private duet between me and my girl!” he laughed, glasses gleaming mischief. “What do ya say? A special duet with the birthday boy, hehe?”
Bami sighed, a happy smile spreading across her features. “I’ll go get the strap.”