"Yeah, what is your plan for today, Eric?" I brought up a question to him but he didn't seem to spare a glance at us, was occupied with his phone.
"I'm done with him," Min spoke and got up from the couch to tug his phone, recklessly she jerked the phone from his hands which made him frighten and peeped at Min with a disappointed face.
"We are here for you, not just to see you being busy on the phone,"
"I'm sorry. So, tell me what you want me to do, I know this is getting boring but my mind is not of any help to catch an idea for today's celebration," a strand of sadness arose on his face.
"No problem, how about we play truth and dare?" I kept my idea before them and dawdle for their response, for few seconds they all hung around silent and stared at me with a weird look that wasn't satisfying to me. However, I noticed Eric's movement and crouched in front of me which made me happy.
"I'm in," he whispered and in excitement, I squeezed his cheeks. Now the thing was to get others advice on my idea whenever we played this game, either of us left the game.
Not because it felt bored but the other one raised a question that he/she failed to answer.
We didn't come across each other in school or university but from childhood and that was the best thing about us to stay in contact even after ages.
None of us lived a happy life whether count it as Eric or Min.
"C-O-M-E ON P-L-E-A-S-E," I muttered and formed a pout on my face so, they wouldn't deny to this game.
"Okay, don't make that face_," Mi-Sun said and gave in.
Now all of us agreed to play the game.
Eric started to spin the bottle, there was a rule here, was that when the bottle stopped at someone then the person who seemed on its end would ask any question or ask for a dare.
To my good luck, it was Min who was the first to answer and Bae was on its end.
"Chose?"
"Truth," she mumbled and paused for her question.
Thinking for a good minute, Bae let out the question to plead with her and after that, the game went nicely, we came to know so many things about each other which were exciting to me.
"Happy Birthday, my bro," I heard a voice that whistled friendly to my ears as I turned around, a sight of Tae-Hyun amazed me.
"What is he doing here? Who invited him?" not just these questions but thousands of weird misgiving arose in my head.
"Did he came here for me?" again thinking something that didn't make any sense to the reality.
"NO," I spoke, enough loud to make my friends confuse over.
"What happened?" coming back to reality, I heard Mi-Sun speaking.
Slowly taking her hands in mine I smiled weakly in her direction, being close to my family, she knew about my struggles and about my mom forcing me to marry Tae-Hyun.
"Thank you so much, I didn't expect your presence here, it is surprising to me," Eric went closer to him and gave him a bro-hug from the side.
"What is he doing here?
"What if my mom came to know about me through him?"
I let go of my fears to Mi-Sun, my eyes were on him for every passing second.
"Don't worry, he won't. He knows about all this and he won't like you to face any trouble because of him. Chill and enjoy the time," she whispered out these words in a relaxing tone which helped me to take a deep breath.
"Hey, Jin-Ae," I imagined his voice which heightened my heartbeats, I never had this attitude for him but the moment mom started to end our friendship and talked about marriage, I distant myself from him. I used up very fewer hours of the day with him because I like somebody else so, I didn't wish to hurt his feelings or take my politeness the wrong way.
"Hello, how are you?" I acted normal with him so that he wouldn't feel ignored by me, I never wanted to do this to him but situations forced me to stay away from someone I spent my childhood time with.
Grabbing a seat beside me, he carved himself comfortable, my breath tightened a little.
"Long time no see, how are you doing?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
We gave rise to the conservation, which I never wished for.
"Alright, guys. I know it gonna be boring but I don't know what to do to entertain you guys?" Eric sounded upset as he wasn't able to cheer us up but I didn't know what gotten in my mind when I asked him something I didn't mean to.
"Where is your cake? Let's -" before I breathed to complete my speaking, Bae slapped on my hand, making me realise about my saying.
Widening my eyes, I looked at him who passed me a sad smile. I knew he got hurt by my words so, instantly I went to him and hugged him tightly while apologising for my mistake.
Patting my back, he chuckled and pulled me from the hug.
"It's okay, I won't mind. I'm okay,"
I knew he was hurt but so stupid of me to forget the happening in his life.
On his birthday in past time, when he was around 10 years old. He asked his father to bring a cake for him for his birthday celebration and a lot of decorations, I understood his carving as I also behaved the same way when it was my 7th birthday but my parents were so busy in business that they even forgot that it was my birthday and I spent my day with my brother who took me to an amusement park against my father's warning.
Coming back to his happenings, he was loved by his parents a lot that whatever he wished for, he would get. And his father went to buy him a cake and a lot of decorations.
"Yay, mom. I will show up to my friends," he shouted and filled the house with excitement in his voice, he ran around out of joy but nothing is foreseen before the time.
Two hours took off, waiting for his father. Standing at the front door, he paused for his father with a long face.
But soon his mother heard her phone ringing, cleaning her hands, she grabbed the phone and a long smile crept on her face after seeing her husband's ID on the screen.
"Eric here's your father's call. Come, my boy,"
Her voice cheered him up and he ran with small legs towards his mother's direction.
"Say to him that I am sad. He is taking so long?" he whispered in baby voice but soon after bringing the phone near to her ear and listened to the words being said by the person from another side, the phone dropped from her hand and collided with the floor.
"What happened? You can't hold the phone, my weak mom," he whispered and laughed at his mom, picking up the phone.
"Hello, dad?" Eric greeted and waited for a reply but got no answer.
"Mom, why he isn't answering?"
Eyes filled with tears, his mother broke down and fell on the floor.
"Are you sick, mom?" he asked and checked his mother if she was hurt somewhere, from his childhood he acted mature as if he was a grown-up man.
"Mom, answer me. And why are crying?"
Turning her face to her son, she smiled and pulled him in her arms.
"Did you ask him? When is he gonna come?"
"Let's go to see him," she muttered and went to see her husband in the hospital with Eric in her arms, picking up speed she drove the car at an insane speed.
Soon they reached the hospital,
"Mam, Where is Mr Ji-suk?"
"This way, Room No. 231."
Thereupon she rushed in the guided direction, "Doctor, how's he?"
"You are here," the doctor muttered after realising the patience guardian's presence in there.
"Is he alright?"
With a low head, he bowed and apologised as he couldn't save that man.
"I'm sorry but we couldn't save him,"
"Huh?" she asked to falsify the existence but glancing at her son, she hung around as a strong mother and wiped off her tears.
This was coming to pass and because of this he never wished to cut the cake on his birthday neither did he adored it grandly, just he spent time with his close friends.
"I'm so sorry, Eric," again the same wording.
"It's okay and I understand I'm a grown-up man, Jin-Ae," he whispered but I didn't go off my holding around his torso, as I was feeling guilty over my phrase.
"Okay, Let's go out for some time," he said, being sad and going out means he went back to the happening and all the sad memory filled his heart with regret, he always blamed himself for forcing his father to buy a cake, he was about to leave but I tightened grip around his wrist.
"Aww, please don't cry," he noticed tears in my eyes as he turned to face me. Mistaking the occurrence for the first time made him sad.
"I'm sorry, I know you are sad and that's why you want to go out?" I said in a cracked voice.
"Oh my God, it's not like that, but I wanted to eat street food with you guys so I suggested going out."
"It's alright Jin-Ae, you didn't mean those words right? So, let's stop thinking about that," Min spoke taking steps towards me and wiped off the tears from my face.
Nodding in agreement to her words, I looked at him who was standing in front, holding a smile on his face.
"Let's go," Bae spoke to distract all of us from that moment.
Subsequently, we all went out and for the whole, I made sure to make him laugh by my sayings and we captured these moments in our lifetime memories by clicking pictures together.