Birthday
"Looking sharp~"
Hye-suk said with a smile as she took in Seong-min in his newly bought, clean casual clothes.
"Does it look okay?"
"It suits you perfectly. For a day like today, it couldn't be more fitting."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Hehehe..."
Seong-min was in a good mood. In truth, he owed some of it to his Appearance stat. Raising that had turned him into a warmer, more handsome man, while the Martial Power stat had broadened his shoulders and sculpted his body until his proportions finally looked right.
"Well then, I'll be off."
"Are you staying over tonight?"
"I think so."
"Alright... It's her birthday, so take good care of Areum..."
"I will."
Hye-suk saw him off as far as the yard, smiling as she watched Seong-min open the gate and step out. Today was Areum's birthday. That was why he had prepared himself like this.
As long as Seong-min is happy, that's enough...
Seong-min had fretted over accepting Areum because of her, yet Hye-suk had honestly pushed the two of them forward. She was fully content with the relationship they had now. Wanting anything more, she knew, would simply be greed. So Hye-suk could smile calmly.
"Guess I should do some laundry~"
She turned and went back inside the house.
Seong-min climbed into the car, buckled his seatbelt, and started the engine.
I should stop by Ji-ah's first.
He planned to pick her up on the way. He had already called her the night before. With that, Seong-min drove out of the alley.
"Whoa~ The table legs are going to buckle."
Min-hyeok stuck out his tongue as he stared at the dishes covering the large guest dining table.
"Preparing this many dishes really makes it feel like a birthday, right, Noona?"
Areum nodded.
"The japchae, all the different namul stir-fries, the galbi, every kind of meat side dish, and even seaweed soup. Doesn't it look just like a proper birthday feast?"
Areum nodded again.
"You're lucky, Noona~ Getting a birthday spread so lavish the table legs are bending."
"...Yeah... I'm happy... Thanks to Min-hyeok... helping..."
"Well... I did put in some effort, didn't I?"
Min-hyeok grinned, rubbing his nose with a finger. He had taken the lead in preparing all these dishes. It was his noona's birthday, after all, so he felt he should be the one at the center of it. Areum had helped from the side, but Min-hyeok had truly been the main force. Of course, without her help he never could have managed a spread like this.
"Noona, shall we go change now?"
"...Yeah... I want to change..."
"Okay... Hyung and Ji-ah noona will be here soon, so let's get dressed neatly. I'll change too and come out."
Min-hyeok went into his room, stripped off his pajama pants and cotton T-shirt, and changed into a clean outfit. When he came back out to the living room to wait, the door soon opened and Areum appeared in a checkered skirt with a dandy look.
"Our noona is really pretty."
"Really..?"
"Yeah! You're the prettiest in the whole world to me!"
Areum smiled brightly once more.
"Today's your birthday, so you're the main character, okay?"
"...Yeah!... I'm... the main character..."
Areum wore a happy smile again. Just looking at that expression made Min-hyeok's lips curl upward. His life had never been smooth. Yet the reason he could keep living diligently right here was because he had a noona like her by his side.
Just then the intercom rang. Min-hyeok stepped closer and pressed the speaker.
"Who is it?"
"Who do you think?"
"I'll open it~!"
As expected, it was Seong-min hyung.
"Noona, it's hyung."
Leaving the nodding Areum behind, he headed for the front door and opened it to find Seong-min and Yoo Ji-ah.
"Welcome~!"
Seong-min entered, followed by Yoo Ji-ah.
"I'm here."
At Seong-min's words, Areum smiled shyly.
"Wow~ Unnie, you dressed up so prettily today?"
At Ji-ah's following exclamation, Areum's face turned even redder.
"Hehehe... Looks like noona's embarrassed."
"What's there to be embarrassed about~? I just said the truth."
"Ji-ah's right. Areum noona dressed up nicely for her birthday, didn't she?"
When Seong-min also told her she was pretty, even Areum's ears flushed red.
"Noona and hyung, stop it. At this rate noona will get so embarrassed she'll run to her room... Hehehe!"
"Huhu... Okay."
"Whoa... You prepared all this for the birthday?"
"Yes~ It's noona's birthday today~!"
"Unnie Areum didn't prepare all this herself, right?"
"Ahem! Ji-ah noona, on her birthday, would I make noona prepare her own birthday feast?"
Min-hyeok pointed at himself with his thumb.
"Of course I made it!"
"Impressive~"
"You made it all alone?"
At Seong-min's question, the puffed-up Min-hyeok smiled slyly.
"Hehehe... Noona helped a bit from the side."
"I figured as much."
"Seong-min, still, it's amazing. How proud should we be? He took the lead preparing the birthday feast for his unnie's birthday."
"As expected... Ji-ah noona understands my hard work well..!"
"Well, I'll acknowledge that sincerity."
"Ta-da~!"
Yoo Ji-ah held out what she was carrying in her left hand.
"Oh! A cake!"
It was a cake box. They had told them not to buy one since they would bring it themselves.
"Is it strawberry cake?!"
Min-hyeok asked with an expectant look.
"No, it's chocolate cake, which unnie likes."
"Noona, it's chocolate cake~!"
"...I... like chocolate cake...."
"That's why we got chocolate cake..."
It was because they knew that whenever Areum drank tea she chose cocoa, or when ordering drinks at a café she always picked something like a chocolate bombon.
"Is that gift in your other hand?"
"This is for the gift presentation."
"Noona, she says she'll give it at the presentation~!"
Areum nodded happily.
"Alright~ Then shall we set it up~!"
After a quick trip to the bathroom they took the cake out of the box, made space in the center, and carefully set the chocolate cake there. Then they stuck candles matching Areum's age.
"If we light them with matches..."
Using the matches they had brought along, they lit each candle one by one.
"Done~!"
At last every candle was burning.
"Alright, shall we start?"
"Yes~!"
With Areum watching,
"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Areum..."
They sang the birthday song.
"...Happy birthday~!"
When the song ended and they clapped, Areum shyly blew out the cake candles with a soft puff of air.
Clap clap clap~!
As Areum extinguished the birthday candles, everyone applauded.
"Happy birthday, Unnie~!"
"Areum noona, happy birthday."
"Noona~ Happy birthday!"
"...Everyone... thank you.."
Areum's face, so full of joy, bloomed with a happier smile than anyone else's.
"Alright~ Then we'll have the gift presentation! Who should go first~!"
"I'll go first."
Seong-min stepped forward and held out a shopping bag.
"Ooh~! A Chanel shopping bag!"
"Open it.."
Receiving the gift, Areum carefully lifted it from the bag. It was gift-wrapped. She peeled the wrapping away with care and found a perfume and cosmetics set inside.
"Wow~! Noona, you won't have to worry about perfume and cosmetics for a while~!"
"...Thank you... so much.."
Receiving such an expensive gift filled Areum with deep gratitude.
"Alright, now I'll give my gift."
"Next is Ji-ah noona's gift~!"
Ji-ah also held out a shopping bag.
"I noticed unnie doesn't have many clothes, so I bought some spring new arrivals."
"Ah, so it's clothes?!"
"Yeah.."
Areum carefully took the wrapped clothes from the bag. Tearing the plastic open with her hands, she pulled them free and stared in wonder at the skirt and blouse inside.
"...They're... so pretty..."
"Do you like them, Unnie?"
"...Yes... They're really... pretty...."
Hugging them to her chest, Areum looked truly happy.
"I'm glad you like them.."
"Alright, then lastly it's my turn to give a gift~!"
Min-hyeok took out a small gift box and held it out.
"What's this..?"
"Open it, Noona... Hehe..."
Areum carefully opened the box. Inside was a smartphone.
"A smartphone?"
"I bought the latest model that just came out. The phone noona's using is old."
"Unnie's lucky~ It looks like a complete latest model."
"...Min-hyeok.. thank you...."
"Hehehe..."
With the gift presentation finished, they thoroughly enjoyed the prepared feast.
"I'll prepare the tea, so Noona just sit~!"
After clearing the table, Min-hyeok filled the coffee pot with water, switched it on, and prepared coffee and cocoa. He set out separate plates and portioned slices of cake for dessert. Of course the birthday girl, Areum, tasted it first.
"Shall we go out?"
"Outside?"
"The weather's nice, so it might be good to go out."
"Let's do that~ It's unnie's birthday, so let's go out and have fun~"
Areum nodded.
"Are we taking hyung's car?"
Min-hyeok also had a new Avante, but with four people one car would have been enough.
"No, we'll take two cars."
"Two cars?"
Min-hyeok looked at Yoo Ji-ah in confusion.
"That's what we decided. Right, Seong-min?"
"Yeah.."
Seong-min answered with a smile.
"Four people but two cars?"
Min-hyeok scratched the back of his head as if it made no sense. Anyway, since it had been decided, the four of them left the house. Areum rode with Seong-min. Yoo Ji-ah climbed into Min-hyeok's car.
"Noona, why two cars all of a sudden?"
"I'll tell you later. But are you good at driving?"
"Hey.. What do you take me for. I'm a race-car driver, you know?"
"Anyway... You're good with words."
"Huh? You don't believe me? It's true though?"
"Okay. Seong-min's about to leave, hurry up and get ready."
In the meantime Seong-min's car was already slowly pulling out. Min-hyeok hurriedly buckled his seatbelt, started the engine, and followed. They already knew the destination from prior discussion. Driving the two cars into the city,
"Ah... So close."
Like Min-hyeok's disappointed look as he threw darts, they visited the game center too.
"Is that it?"
"You shouldn't touch it carelessly."
"Kyaah!"
Like Yoo Ji-ah screaming at the doll that suddenly popped out, they enjoyed the horror escape café as well.
"Like that~ Just as each other wishes~~~"
"Wow~ You're good!"
"Next is Areum noona's song, right?"
Areum nodded. After Yoo Ji-ah finished, she sang "A Fun Picnic Road" to the flowing accompaniment. They went to a karaoke room and sang with all their might. And after buying delicious food and snacking along the way, before they knew it evening had come and the sun was setting.
"Then I'll go to the café."
"Yeah..."
Seong-min took Areum and headed for the café.
"I'll go straight to the park."
At Min-hyeok's words, Yoo Ji-ah shook her head.
"No, just take me home."
"Huh?"
Toward the puzzled Min-hyeok she said,
"Now we should step out of the way.."
"Step out? Wait... Was the reason for taking two cars...?"
"That's right."
Seeing Min-hyeok finally catch on, Yoo Ji-ah spoke again.
"I'll tell you on the way..."
"...Got it."
Min-hyeok drove not to the park but to drop Yoo Ji-ah off.
"...Aren't we going to the café..?"
Areum, who had thought they were heading to the café, looked puzzled when Seong-min drove somewhere else.
"No, we're not going to the café.."
The place he took her was the Han River embankment where the sunset was settling. With the scenery outside the window of the river waves sparkling and breaking in the sunset light, Seong-min opened his mouth.
"Areum noona."
"...Yes..?"
Areum looked at him.
"You remember that guy Lee Do-heon from a few days ago, right?"
Areum nodded.
"When I heard about it from Min-hyeok, I really didn't feel good. That such a guy tried to mess with Areum noona."
"......"
"I've never properly dated a girlfriend until now. So... I'm still clumsy at a lot of things. So since today is Areum noona's birthday... I prepared one more gift."
"...A gift..?"
"Yes.."
Seong-min turned his body toward her.
"Areum noona. Hold out your hand."
Areum carefully extended her hand. Seong-min silently took something from his chest and opened a small case. What came out was a ring set with a luminous jewel. In front of the surprised Areum, Seong-min slipped the small ring onto her fourth finger.
"This is... the second gift I'm giving to Areum noona..."
Areum quietly looked at the ring fitted on her finger.
"...Noona?"
Seong-min called to the silent Areum.
"...Thank you.."
Areum raised her head.
"...Seong-min.... the ring.... thank you......"
Areum's face as she expressed her gratitude looked so happy. And at the corners of her eyes... tears of gratitude welled up...