May 2, 2019
10:45 am
Joy carefully brought Sungjae's birthday cake to the Yook's main unit right after Sungjae texted her that he already left for the airport to pick up his hyungs. It took her a good 5 hours to finish baking, probably the longest she has ever endured... but the outcome also made her the happiest.
"Oh, our dear Joy!" Mrs. Yook greeted her with a bright smile. She was about to hug Joy but the gigantic box containing the cake was prohibiting her to do so. "My, oh my! Did my son request this? You must have had a hard time. This must cost a price" Mrs. Yook tilted her head curiously to Joy.
"Please don't worry about that, Mrs. Yook. This is my present for Sungjae. I had to make it big so there will be enough for everyone. I heard his hyungs have a huge appetite" Joy chuckled as she took out the cake from the box and placed it on the table. It was a perfect center piece. Mrs. Yook has already decorated the place with balloons and banners. One would probably think that this was a kid's birthday party.
I'm sure Sungjae requested this, though. What a baby. Joy thought to herself while holding her laugh.
"Would you like me to help you cook the rest of the dishes, Mrs. Yook? I-I know I'm mostly a baker but I can cook dishes as well" Joy nervously asked while trying to force a smile. She didn't have anything else to do, anyways. Besides, Joy was actually comfortable with Mrs. Yook. She could only count the number of times that she had been with her- mostly during lunch time when she and Sungjae couldn't go out- but Mrs. Yook had always treated her with such kindness and sincerity.
"Why of course, Joy! Come now, dear. I'll teach you the secret to all of Sungjae's favorite dishes. Someone has to do it in the future when I'm too old already, right?" Mrs. Yook playfully said with a smile. She has been secretly wishing for Joy and Sungjae to be together, but she'll let the universe work for them for now.
Joy obediently followed... while blushing, of course.
———
Chaotic was probably the fitting term to describe the car holding Sungjae and his hyungs- Eunkwang, Minhyuk, Hyunsik, Peniel and Ilhoon. There was no quiet time at all the moment the hyungs had stepped out of the airport. They were on their way to pick up Changsub before finally settling to the Yook's unit.
"WAAAA!!! HELLO, JEJU!!!! I MISSED YOU!!!" Ilhoon shouted after pulling down the car window. The fresh air hitting his face was a sharp contrast from the polluted air in Seoul.
Hyunsik was playing guitar, as he seemed to be already inspired upon arriving in Jeju. He often sidelined at night to relieve him from the stress of office work.
Peniel and Minhyuk were trying to outdo each other in a mobile game as the loser would have to be in-charged of bringing down all the luggages. These two were the most physically fit among the others, thanks to their gym hobby.
Eunkwang was asking Sungjae non-stop on what possible games they can play later as he was the emcee. Knowing that Mrs. Yook would be around, they couldn't do their full-chaotic games later for sure.
"Ya, hyung! I told you already... just the usual games of normal people plus karaoke. Geez. You're going to scare Sooyoung" Sungjae hissed. Everybody was too loud and he's just trying to focus on driving. His casual response caught the attention of everyone, though.
"What did he say?" Asked Ilhoon.
"Sooyoung?" Peniel recalled.
"Huh, who's Sooyoung?" Hyunsik suddenly stopped strumming his guitar.
"That's a girl's name right?" Minhyuk teased.
"Maybe he said SoHyun?" Eunkwang placed a hand over his mouth the moment he said that. Oops.
The other boys just glared at Eunkwang as if telling him that he had committed a grave sin. They have heard about what happened to Sungjae and SoHyun through Changsub. Sungjae could only shake his head.
"Aish. You guys are so noisy. Yes, she's a girl. Sooyoung is her name but don't even call her that. Her nickname's Joy. I'm the only one who calls her Sooyoung. She's my friend here so don't dare scaring her away" Sungjae said with the most serious tone his hyungs ever heard him do. His eyes were fixed on the road and he didn't even bother looking at them.Glares soon turned into meaningful smirks.
"Ohhh... a new friend, huh, maknae?" Minhyuk commented.
"We never knew names could be such a big deal. If she becomes my friend... I can call her Sooyoung too?" Ilhoon was obviously teasing Sungjae.
"Aish shut up! Just call her Joy! End of discussion. I'm getting distracted by all of you. When did you ever see anyone's boss drive for his employees?" Sungjae's brows were already knitted close to each other. He also doesn't know why he's getting irritated with such a small matter.
"Alright. We're sorry, maknae. It's your birthday. We'll have fun, okay? Now play some music!!!" Eungkwang tries to lift the mood into a cheerful one again.
Soon enough, the mood did change and everybody was already in their happy state. In no time, they reached Changsub and were finally on the way to the Yook's unit.
"I can't wait to meet Joy. Seems like our maknae has finally moved on, huh?" Minhyuk whispered to Eunkwang while others were singing their lungs out.
"Looks like it. We better treat her well, then" Eunkwang nodded contentedly.
———
Joy and Mrs. Yook, on the other hand, had finished all the dishes for Sungjae's party. They turned out to be a great team hence making the tasks easier.
"Mrs. Yook, may I just leave for a bit? I, um, would just like to fix myself before they arrive" Joy shyly asked. Her shirt was covered with small stains and her hair was a mess. She also didn't like her smell as she had sweat a lot earlier. She was embarrassed at the thought of presenting herself in this state in front of Sungjae and his hyungs.
"Of course, my dear. You worked so hard. Thank you for your help. I'll get ready myself, too" Mrs. Yook smiled at her assuringly.
Joy went straight to her unit to take a quick warm shower. With the amount of energy she had spent today, she doesn't even know if she could last until late afternoon. Yet her heart was really excited. This was new to her.
She then opened her locker and tried to decide what to wear. She kind of wants to dress to impress, but she also didn't want to overdo it. Her eyes scanned her rack and a white dress caught her eye.
Hmm. I haven't worn this for such a long time. This will probably do?
After setting herself in the dress, she now sat in front of a mirror with her make up bag in one hand. She wanted to put a simple make up and maybe put her hair in very loose curls. She can't even remember when was the last party she had attended, so she wanted to prepare for this one well.
Oh, great. I haven't done this for a long time. Here goes nothing...
———
Sungjae and his hyungs finally arrived in time for his lunch party. The moment they entered the unit, their eyes were wide and their mouths turned into 'O's. All of them were fixated to the fennec-fox designed cake at the center. The food looked appetizing and the smell was out of this world, but the cake really stood out. Even Sungjae was left dumbfounded by its design.
"C-can we actually eat that? It looks too amazing to even touch!" Hyunsik pointed at the cake.
"Woah! Look at that fishing rod and cash on the fennec fox's hands! That looks real?! Ah, Sungjae-ya! You really look like a fennec fox! This is so witty!!" Eungkwang commented after coming closer to the cake to observe the details. If his eyes could eat, he had probably finished the whole cake.
"Are you that rich now, huh? Buying expensive personal cakes now, huh???" Ilhoon teasingly gave Sungjae a headlock.
"Ahh. Miss Joy did this right?" Changsub said with a grin while looking at Sungjae. Of course, he knows Joy already.
Sungjae blushed at Changsub's comment and just nodded. He then scanned the whole room.
Where is Sooyoung, though?
"My birthday boy is here! Oh, and my adopted sons also! I heard your voices right from my bedroom. I'm so glad all of you are here already" Mrs. Yook went to each of them and gave them endless hugs and kisses. She noticed though the Sungjae was looking for someone.
"Son, Joy just went back to her unit to change. She'll be back in- oh wait! There she is! Our Joy! Oh you're so pretty!" Mrs. Yook let go of Sungjae and went straight to Joy to hug her just as she was entering their door. Yup, she definitely adores her.
Sungjae stood frozen at where he was standing. It is as if his heart skipped a beat the moment he saw Joy enter the room. She definitely fixed herself up a bit compared to her daily look. He finds her beautiful that way, but Joy was just incredibly beautiful right now in front of him. Her face was radiating with that white dress on her. She looked like an angel. He was so drawn to her that he didn't even notice his hyungs who are already giving him teasing glares and smirks.
"Yup, I have confirmed it. This one's in love" Minhyuk whispered to Eunkwang.
Joy was so nervous with more people in the room but she had to give the box she was holding to Sungjae already. It couldn't wait. "O-oppa. Happy birthday! T-this couldn't wait. Please open it" Joy handed the box to Sungjae with shaking hands.
Sungjae was still lost for words so he just gently took the box from Joy.
Huh? This is heavy.
Sungjae carefully lifted the lid of the box. To his surprise, it was the cutest cat that was in there directly staring at him with its huge eyes.
*Meow*
"Sooyoung-ah!! This is so cute! I've always wanted to be a pet dad. Ahh, you know me already, huh? Thank you!" Sungjae quickly went closer to Joy to give her a tight hug while holding the cat in one hand. His heart was beaming right now. He only mentioned wanting a cat casually in one of their talks and he couldn't believe that Joy would remember that. He was so touched. He didn't want to let go of Joy until...
"AHEM. You do realize we are still here, right?" Ilhoon said with his devil smile causing the rest of the hyungs, and even Mrs. Yook to laugh.
"A-ah sorry hyung" Sungjae's ears were getting so red as he let go of Joy. "This is Joy, everyone. Please be nice to her" Sungjae introduced her formally as Joy politely bowed.
The hyungs then proceeded to introduce themselves one by one. To say the least, Joy was already so amused by their animated personalities. No wonder Sungjae was also very cheerful.
"Omo. You're so pretty, Joy!" Eunkwang couldn't help but comment. She fitted his ideal type and he just wanted to compliment her sincerely... but of course he immediately earned a glare from Sungjae. "I mean... you're so pretty like me! We're sisters! Hahaha okay anyways let's get the party started!!" Eungkwang tried to redeem himself causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Time flew and soon enough, all the food were swiped clean and everybody was already helping themselves with some karaoke. They only stopped when Mrs. Yook asked for everyone's attention.
"My dear children. You must be forgetting something. Son, it's time to blow the candles and have some cake, don't you think? Joy worked hard for this. Everybody, gather around so we can sing my precious one a happy birthday" Mrs Yook motioned everyone to form a small circle around Sungjae with the cake beside him.
"C-can we take a picture first with my phone, Oppa?" Joy shyly asked, avoiding direct eye contact. This was another surprise for Sungjae. Perhaps to his hyungs this was a typical request, but Sungjae knows better. For the months that he had spent with Joy, he had always asked to take pictures with her for social media but she had always declined. She hated the idea of keeping memories because she thought that she would end up having to forget them when she gets hurt again. For Joy then to request this, made Sungjae feel so happy.
There's progress in you, Joy. You just made me even happier. Sungjae thought to himself.
"Of course! Let's include Sami!" Sungjae said as he picks up his new cat.
"Eh? You have a name for her already?" Joy laughed.
"Yes. It's the combination of my birthday and your birthday" Sungjae foolishly smiled.
"AHEM TAKE TWO. You are totally forgetting us again????" Ilhoon playfully interrupted the intimate moment of Joy and Sungjae and went in between their faces, causing the two to blush.
"Okay, let's do this! In 3..2..1.." Changsub instructed.
Click.
There it was. Joy's first picture in Jeju... and it was just picture perfect.
———
A/N: Hope everyone's hearts are full with all the fluff. I'm filling you all in before... oops. Til next update! ;)