Song Jun-Seo
A week after the grand revelation, things were more thrilling than ever! Lee Sung-Hoon and Kim Ha-Jun were determined to fight for the girl they desired and would let nothing come their way. Meanwhile, in the non-thrilling portion of the story, Song Jun-Seo couldn't wait to get on with the preparations for his twenty-fifth birthday party. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he jumped around in his dorm room.
He whipped out his phone and speed-dialed his cousin.
"Hmm?" a grumpy voice was heard from the other side. The cousin must've been woken up from his precious sleep.
"Hyung!" screamed an enthusiastic Jun-Seo. "Do you know what day it is today?"
"It's National Kill Your Cousin Day," replied a sleepy yet grumpy Sung-Hoon.
Jun-Seo rolled his eyes at his cousin's reply. Did he not remember Jun-Seo's birthday? Today was the only day Lee Sung-Hoon promised to lay off taunting and teasing Jun-Seo. The left side of his brain blamed Sung-Hoon's sleepiness as the prime factor of his forgetfulness.
"No, it's not," sighed Jun-Seo. "Do you seriously not remember today?"
"Jun-Seo, for the first and last time: either you tell me what it is, or I'm hanging up on you."
"Nevermind," Jun-Seo coldly replied before hanging up.
Come on, Sung-Hoon couldn't forget his cousin's birthday like that, could he? Lee Sung-Hoon was cool, aloof, and nonchalant ninety percent of the time, but when it came to birthdays, he was the first to wish his cousin. He was always the first one. Even his mother couldn't compete with Sung-Hoon's speed. Speaking of his mother, this was the first time Jun-Seo would celebrate his birthday without his mother. He couldn't help but well up at the thought.
A picture of them in his gallery stared back at him. It was from his 15th birthday, and the mother-son duo went to Lotte World to celebrate. They stood before the gates with wide grins and a dozen banana milk bottles. His father was never in the picture. He left them when Jun-Seo was a month old to start a new family with his mistress. Fortunately, Sung-Hoon's family took them in. Despite never growing up with a father figure, he never felt the need to have one. Sung-Hoon's father treated him like his own. Growing up, Sung-Hoon was more than a cousin to him. He treated him like his brother. These brothers grew up arguing, fighting, and yelling at each other for taking the other's stuff, but they loved each other to death. In most cases, their mothers would have to separate them.
On the day of his 15th birthday, Sung-Hoon and his mother tagged along. The memory was still foggy, but he recalled fighting with Sung-Hoon over a Beyblade or something. When Sung-Hoon got the Beyblade and he didn't, he cried. Later, his mother got him a whole set of Beybaldes that were bigger than his brother's.
A chuckle escaped the older Jun-Seo's lips. Oh, how he wished to turn back time!
"You will always be missed, Mother," he whispered to the phone before kissing the picture of his mother. "I love you, always."
The phone buzzed in excitement as the caller ID appeared on his screen. All disappointing and depressed thoughts disappeared, and he received the call with a bright smile. Wow, so someone remembered his birthday, after all.
"Hey, man!" greeted Hwan-Woo from the other side. Jun-Seo was on the edge of his seat, eagerly anticipating the long-pending birthday wish.
"Wanna go shopping with me? I need to try out suits for the wedding." Sigh. His friends were determined to play and shatter his heart into a million pieces, huh? Jun-Seo pinched the bridge of his nose in utter disappointment. How did everyone forget it was his birthday? He didn't wish to blame Sung-Hoon because he was still asleep when Jun-Seo called; he didn't wish to blame Hwan-Woo either. He was swamped with wedding preparations.
"Fine."
"Great! Pick you up in an hour."
"Thanks. That'll be great." Jun-Seo threw the phone on the table in frustration. Since no one remembered his birthday, it was pointless to bring it up. Bringing it up would only make him look like an attention-seeking princess, and he wanted anything but that.
He walked towards his closet to find a suitable outfit for the day.
~
"Ayy, you look good," complimented Hwan-Woo once Jun-Seo settled in the passenger seat. "You take after your cousin."
"Thanks," Jun-Seo politely smiled. "Where are we headed?"
"Oh, you know, to the central mall." Hwan-Woo fastened his seatbelt. "I heard there's a shop that sells good suits at cheap prices."
Jun-Seo's disappointment transformed into disbelief.
"Are you telling me you plan to be stingy about your suit? Come on, Hwan-Woo! It's your wedding. You can spend slightly higher than your budget on your special occasion."
"I could," began Hwan-Woo as he took a smooth right turn. "But it wouldn't be logical. Besides, I'm getting a cheap suit, so I can spare some extra cash in case Jessica needs to buy a costly gown."
"So you're settling for a cheaper suit for your fiancée?"
"Yeah," replied Hwan-Woo, his eyes glued to the road. "Besides, the clothing, decorations, cakes, and all the other stuff are the icing on the cake. If you don't have the right person to share the most important day of your life with, it's pointless to fret over the icing."
"You're right," agreed Jun-Seo, pulling out a notepad and a pen from his pocket. "Tell me more."
Chuckling, he nodded.
~
Lee Sung-Hoon
"Okay, Hwan-Woo's keeping Jun-Seo busy," informed Ha-Jun as he walked into the living room. "How's the decorations going?"
Kim Aera glanced at the two men who were fighting over balloons. Kim Ha-Jun shook his head.
"No, the balloons have to be blue!" argued Sung-Hoon.
"No, it has to be red!" argued Park Dae-Jung.
Park Dae-Jung finished his military service right in time to celebrate Jun-Seo's birthday and attend Hwan-Woo's wedding. On his arrival day, he met a grinning Kim Ha-Jun, an annoyed Lee Sung-Hoon, a hyperactive Jun-Seo, and the newbie Hwan-Woo. Because Hwan-Woo left for the States right after middle school, Dae-Jung never had the opportunity to meet the nerd. The past week, he noticed quite the differences between the two dorks.
"Hey, I might be a nerd, but I'm nothing like Sung-Hoon," said Hwan-Woo on one of the occasions. Unlike the interactions with Sung-Hoon, the conversations with Hwan-Woo were natural and enjoyable. After all, he was the human version of the nerdy, robotic Sung-Hoon. Sometimes, they teamed up to roast Sung-Hoon together.
"Guys, stop," barked Ha-Jun from one end of the room. "If you two keep fighting this way, we will never finish this on time. Hwan-Woo and Jun-Seo will be here any moment."
"You said they were out shopping," mentioned Sung-Hoon. "Shouldn't that give us at least three hours? Plus, two hours for travel, which gives us five hours."
"That was four hours ago," Ha-Jun glared. "Keep the differences aside and work."
"We can't decide on a color," said Sung-Hoon. "Red or Blue?"
Without missing a beat, Ha-Jun uttered, "Purple. There. Problem solved."
The men nodded and blew up the purple balloons. Before long, the entire apartment was filled with balloons, posters, and all other birthday decorations. Drained of all energy, the four collapsed on the sofa.
"The apartment looks great, not gonna lie," commented Ha-Jun with a smile. He looked over at Sung-Hoon and patted his shoulder.
"Well done."
"You shouldn't give me all the credit," Sung-Hoon chuckled.
"Wow, you were right," Dae-Jung sluggishly replied. "He did change after the car accident."
Sung-Hoon rolled his eyes, annoyed at the topic for the hundredth time. For some reason, they couldn't let go of the fact that he chose to change.
"Was it only the car accident, or a certain someone brought that change?" Dae-Jung knowingly smirked. Aera glanced at him, then at her brother and his best friend.
"Is that true?" Curious, Aera inquired with a barely hidden tone of excitement. It seemed like she would leap in for a bear hug if he said.
"Don't leap into a bear hug," replied a tired Ha-Jun. He glanced over at Sung-Hoon with a smirk. "But, yes. I believe the certain someone changed us both."
"Wait, hold up," Before Aera could continue with her words, the doorknob twisted open, revealing a grinning Jun-Seo and Hwan-Woo.
"SURPRISE!" Hwan-Woo screamed; the rest followed suit with tired voices. The original plan was to hide and then jump out to shout Surprise when the birthday boy showed up. Unfortunately, they were so drained that no one could stand. Jun-Seo's banana milk fell on the ground with a thud. He screamed at the top of his lungs.
"OH, MY GOD!" He exclaimed after noticing the posters, balloons, and decorations. "Did you guys plan all this?"
"Yeah," replied Sung-Hoon with a raised hand. "Now I need a beer after all this."
Song Jun-Seo raced toward the couch and hugged his cousin from behind. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! So, you didn't forget my birthday, after all?"
Sung-Hoon shook his head as he tried to get up. However, he fell back on the sofa. Jun-Seo hugged him one last time before he went around and hugged everyone else.
"Don't you want to know how we pulled this off?" Hwan-Woo asked, successfully piquing the birthday boy's interest.
"Get us the cake first, and then we can discuss," said a curled-up Park Dae-Jung.
Hwan-Woo snickered. "What? This got you drained? You guys are growing old."
Park Dae-Jung jumped up when he heard the word "old"; He was ready to defend himself with swords and guns if needed.
"Ya! Who are you calling old?"
"You, you old hag," said Hwan-Woo. "You're 30."
"I'm just 30! 30 isn't old," defended Park Dae-Jung.
Everyone rolled their eyes at the statement.
"Get me a beer so I can tolerate this man for the rest of the evening," said a straight-lipped Sung-Hoon.
Chuckling to himself, he walked over to the kitchen.
"Thirties is the new twenties!" yelled Dae-Jung, hoping to get the last word in. Sung-Hoon smacked him with a pillow.
"Only people in their thirties say that, doofus."
~
Song Jun-Seo
Operation Birthday Bash was a success. The disappointment was long gone, and all that remained was a grateful Jun-Seo. He stepped out of the crowd and observed the people he'd known all this while. The constant playful banter was like music to his ears. On his twenty-fifth, if there was anything he realized, it was to not take any of this for granted.
He smiled and whispered. "Thank you for everything, guys."