Last minute birthday

It was 00:34 and everyone was sleeping. Everyone but Jiheon. She was on her phone, trying to call her boyfriend who wasn’t answering at all. It was her birthday today. So why weren’t you answering any of her calls? It’s been 24 hours, she started calling you in the morning—deciding that waking you up at 3 AM was acceptable since it was her day—but you didn’t answer, and it was understandable, the problem was that you did not answer even one of the 29 following calls. 

To be honest, Jiheon didn’t know if she should’ve been mad or worried but when it was her phone that rang, and you were calling now, she settled with mad. Jiheon sighs angrily and rolls her eyes, she snuggles into her bedsheets and answers the phone.

“What?” she says drily.

“30 missed calls? Were you trying to set a record?” you softly chuckle on the other end.

Jiheon did not find it funny. You were wholeheartedly laughing while she was worried sick and just fuming mad. Jiheon scoffs. Unbelievable. “Are you serious right now?” she asks, glaring at her phone. If your face was on the screen she would’ve slapped it.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” you reply.

“What’s wrong?” Jiheon slowly repeats emphasizing every letter. “What’s wrong is that you barely spoke to me for the past week—which I can understand—but now, when you do, it’s so dry as if I’m actually bothering you. That’s right? I am a bother.”

“Jiheon, no, no,” you rush to correct her. “It’s just that I’ve been so busy all week.”

“No. It isn’t that. I know you’re always busy but when you’d reply late, you’d do it with a long-ass message but now—now, you can’t even reply with three letters.” 

“Honie, not now,” you groan.

“And yesterday, you ghosted me! You didn’t even read my messages. We talked about this already. That’s wrong. I don’t care how big your problem is, just tell me, dump it on me,” she says with frustration. 

“I know, I know… Heonie, please, just—”

“No.” Jiheon ignores you. “And don’t tell me you actually forgot what day it is today.”

“Uhh, Monday,” you say. “Jiheon, please. I’m sorry. Whatever it is, I’m sorry. I—It’s just… It’s not a good day today, okay?”

Jiheon huffs and lets her head fall into the bed. She couldn’t help it. “Today’s the worst,” she agrees with you for once. “So tell me…” she starts, “What are you mad about today?”

You sigh and slump against the cold plastic wall of the station. “My bus got delayed and now, my girlfriend’s mad at me,” you uttered. Jiheon, at those words, softens.

“Bus?” Jiheon asks and you hum. “To where?”

“To my girlfriend,” you answer. “It’s her birthday.”

Jiheon jumps out of her bed. She doesn’t even change clothes and just grabs her coat. “Where are you?” she asks as she rushes to the living room to grab her keys and purse. She runs down the stairs and out to the cold. Her breath fogs the air while she confirms your location. To her, and your, luck, you’re just twenty minutes away from her.

She drives and quickly finds you in a lonely bus station under a semi-broken lamp. There you were, with a cake box between your arm and chest while you were holding your phone between your neck. You smile when you recognize her behind the car window.

Jiheon parks in front of the cubicle and runs to you.

You smile and put your phone away. Jiheon smiles as well but tears stream down her face while she hugs you tight. You hug her back and clean her tears with your thumbs. You chuckle softly. “What has gotten into you?”

“I’m so sorry,” Jiheon says, pulling you in tighter, and wrapping her arms around your shoulders and back. She was still in her pajamas and slippers, her coat was half open, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t even cold. She missed you more than anything and was waiting this exact moment for the whole week.

“Happy birthday, love,” you barely mumble with her coat muffling your voice. Jiheon squeezes you one last time and pulls away. In a flick, you catch the box that was sliding down until now and put it on the seat.

“Phew…” you sigh. “As I was saying,” you start again, “Happy birthday to my sweetest baby.” You cup her cheeks, creased for her wide smile and look into her humid eyes, reddened but happy. “I love you. I know I couldn’t express it well this past week, you deserved more than that, but today and for the next couple days I have all my time for you. I really appreciate you. It’s been hard but you kept my spirit high and I am extremely grateful for you.”

Jiheon tries her hardest to hold it in. She bites her lips and sniffs, contracting her face in a frown in discomfort. You were going to laugh but she busted in tears. “Darling…” she pleaded between hiccups. “I wuv you sho much, ish my fault sorwy…”

“It’s okay, it’s my fault too,” you laugh. “Don’t be crying now.” You get some tissues from your pocket and wipe her tears away. Jiheon continues to cry, with her arms dangling, while you frantically wipe it down. After a minute she stops and blows her nose with the remaining tissues.

“Let’s go home,” Jiheon says. You make to grab your bag but Jiheon takes it for you and puts it inside. You hold the cake and seat in the passenger seat beside her. You take the time of the ride home to catch up with her. Some fun things happened at work and you had to let her know. You also told her about every chance you had to boast about your girlfriend, who was the best in the world and everyone had to know it.

Once home, you set up the cake, putting the candles on and the little plate with her age. 20 years old. It’s been almost a year since you two started dating. Time sure flies. You look at Jiheon. She wasn’t the immature girl you knew back then anymore. She was mature now, in her features and mannerism but deep inside nothing changed. Her heart was still as kind as always, as joyful and happy. Her smile was still as bright and her eyes still as beautiful. You swore the day when you gave yourself to her that you’d protect that innocence everyday.

You remember everything and chuckle.

“You have to make a wish,” you tell Jiheon.

Jiheon nods, holds her breath and, “Iwishthatmyparentswillbealwayshealthymyboyfriendtooandthathelovesmealwaysandneverleavemeformyfriendstobebymysideandforustobesuccesfuland—”

“Wait! Only one,” you laugh in disbelief. “Also you don’t have to say it, but think it.”

“Oh, okay…” 

Jiheon looks at the cake, brings her hands together, closes her eyes and blows the candle. She tears again a little. You smile and look at her. You cup her cheeks once again, a habit you two developed together, and softly whisper to her, “Again, I’m sorry, Heonie.”

She shakes her, smiling happily. “It’s just that I’m very happy darling,” she says and you hum, kissing her nose. 

“Oh, wait, I remember I have the present,” you say, eyeing at the paper bag wrapped up in tape. 

“What did you get me?” Jiheon asked you.

“Not telling you.”

“Awww, come on! I’ve been waiting all dayyyy,” she pouted. She always gave you that look when you didn’t want to buy her something. But this time she was especially annoyed because she was kicking her legs up and down like a little kid throwing a tantrum. She continued until you finally gave in. 

“Okay! Okay, I will get it jeez…”

You ripped the little bag open to reveal a square box, a cd case and a notebook. The cd case said on the front "songs that remind me of you" and a little heart next to it. You and Jiheon had similar taste in music and you had this conversation before, love songs that are perfect for both of you. On the notebook, instead, there was written “reasons why I love you” because Jiheon has always been a little bit insecure, with being an idol and everything. You thought it could help her.

You then handed her the box and left the other things on the table.

“Open it,” you said with a smile. 

As Jiheon opened the box her face seemed to be going through twenty different emotions in three seconds. Then she finally looked at you with teary eyes. Saerom would definitely tell Jiheon has cried many times that night and kill you tomorrow when she finds out.

“Darling…”

It was a gold necklace with your and her first initials engraved on a gold plate. It was something you wanted to get for a while now. She said a while back that she wanted to have something to keep that would represent your relationship. You only started to work recently part-time to pay for it. You were glad she liked it.

Next thing you know Jiheon is on top of you tackling you in hugs and kisses, pretty much suffocating you. “Thank you so much, baby! I love it! I love it!” You let her do it and laughed, then in that position, you put your hands behind her back. Closing your eyes, you started swaying, Jiheon chuckled and followed you. 

Laughing, you pulled Jiheon into the kitchen along the side of the wall. “Loosen up, Heonie! You know how to dance, don’t you? Imagine it’s raining… wouldn’t it be amazing?”

Jiheon raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Amazing? You wanna play in the rain? What are you? A kid?”