キミは僕の宝物 ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
Happy Birthday, Ham Eunjung!
"Hyomin~ Hyomin-ah! Hyomin?" Eunjung called out, tone going from sweet, to urgent, to sad. She stuck her bottom lip out as she saw zero signs of her best friend (and girlfriend) as she poked her head inside the dance studio. With a sigh, she walked in and collapsed on the nearest couch, letting out a low grunt afterwards.
They would always come to the studio together. She would drive to Hyomin's place, they'd buy take-out or coffee or whatever kind of dessert Hyomin wanted, then head to the studio earlier than the others just so they could have more time to hang out. But today, things were different.
Eunjung overslept, as per usual, but she didn't see any missed calls or texts from an impatient Hyomin. She got one text, though, from Qri, reminding her about their rehearsal. She took a quick shower, mentally deciding she'll just show up at Hyomin's doorstep unannounced. Upon arriving at Hyomin's apartment building, the security guard immediately told Eunjung that Hyomin already left. "Huh? Okay, thank you." was all that she could say to the kind man.
'Weird. She left without me..' She thought to herself. It wasn't like Hyomin to break "traditions".
"Annyeonghaseyo~" Jiyeon greeted as she walked inside, head bowed down. When she looked up and saw Eunjung on the couch, she covered and immediately walked off to the other side of the room and sat on the floor near the speakers. She didn't even spare Eunjung a glance when Eunjung greeted her.
'What is wrong with her...?' Eunjung thought to herself again as she stared at Jiyeon. The maknae was panicking, looking for something to shift her attention to.
"Jiyeon-ah~ Do you know where Hyomin is?" Eunjung tried to reach out to her again, but Jiyeon just turned her back at her and shrugged. "Wow." Eunjung mumbled before sighing deeply.
The next ones to arrive were the Tom&Jerry pair. They were talking about some party they were planning to attend this weekend. Boram couldn't stop talking about food and meeting people, and Soyeon was blushing while talking about bringing her boyfriend with her as her date. Eunjung made an effort to greet them, too, bursting into a (forced) cheerful "Eonni!!" while running to them. The two answered her with a nod then went back to their conversation as they joined Jiyeon.
"Some birthday." Eunjung mumbled, sighing. She sat on the couch again and turned her back against her 3 friends'. She wanted to cry, but she thought it wasn't rational, and that her problem wasn't serious enough for her to end up in a crying fit.
"Eonni. I think she's buying it!!" Jiyeon mouthed at Boram, who was soundlessly laughing at Eunjung. Soyeon could only hit Boram repeatedly, making Jiyeon giggle."Eonni. I think she's buying it!!" Jiyeon mouthed at Boram, who was soundlessly laughing at Eunjung. Soyeon could only hit Boram repeatedly, making Jiyeon giggle.
Soyeon, watching Eunjung from afar, texted Hyomin.
+ Where are you??? I think she's already crying. Kkkkkk
In under a minute, Hyomin replied.
+ I'm almost done with the setup. Just keep the act going. Thank you!!!! ^^
Soyeon chuckled, Hyomin had always been the prankster and the playful one. She didn't think Hyomin would ever be this sweet and exert so much effort in conniving with nearly everyone in MBK just to make everything work.
+ No biggie, Hyomin. ;) See you later!
After the quick conversation, Soyeon kept her phone then got off the floor. She pulled Boram with her then gave Jiyeon a knowing look.
"A-ah... Boram eonni, Soyeon eonni, do you wanna do one round of practice while waiting for Hyomin and Qri eonni?" Jiyeon asked while side-glancing the unmoving Eunjung.
"Alright, which song do you guys wanna do?" Boram asked while setting her phone up on the speaker.
"Let's do Bo Peep Bo Peep. I saw that on the line-up boss was planning for the next concert." Soyeon answered while walking with Jiyeon to the center of the room, right in front of the couch where Eunjung was. "Eunjung-ah, wanna join us?"
"Nah, I'm sleepy." Eunjung answered coldly then laid on the couch, body turned towards the backrest to hide her miserable face from the others. She really was on the verge of crying and she didn't like that feeling. She didn't want to remind them it was her birthday, it would make her look desperate. And she hated that no one--not even Jiyeon, a close friend since her trainee years, remembered her birthday. 'At least I'm not alone, it's Qri eonni's birthday, too, after all.' She thought.
"Sorry I'm late~!" Qri beamed as she barged inside the room just as Jiyeon, Boram, and Soyeon were about to start practice.
"Eonni! / Qri!" The three beamed back and ran to her. "Happy birthday~!" They sang in chorus, making Qri giggle.
"Thank you~ Let's go out later, okay? My treat!" Qri said while exchanging knowing grins with the other three. "Eunjung-ah, we have to start now. Get up."
"But, Hyomin eonni isn't here yet. Where is she, anyway?" Jiyeon asked then pinched the her cheeks together to stop herself from laughing.
"Boss is talking to her. It seemed serious. He asked me to start the practice without her." Qri answered in a stern tone. They all knew Eunjung was listening to them. Any talk about Hyomin would catch Eunjung's attention.
After hearing how her friends were all acting normal and cheerful without her, Eunjung sat up and made her way to the door, hands tucked inside her jacket's side pockets.
"I need to pee. Be back in two minutes." She lied, then left the dance studio. Her tears already started falling as soon as she closed the door behind her. While wiping her tears off, she ran to their smaller practice room, her usual "hiding spot" when things get too frustrating. She ran towards the piano and sat on the chair in front of it. She slumped her head on the piano's cover and started crying uncontrollably. She hated hating her friends. She hated not having Hyomin beside her. She hated being ignored by the people she considers as her sisters.
She thought she'd be used to being alone since she didn't have any siblings. But meeting Hyomin and being with T-Ara changed her. She loved taking care of them. She loved how Jiyeon would scold everyone as if she's their manager. She loved how ladylike Qri is, and even tried to copy her. She loved how inseparable Boram and Soyeon were. She loved how Hyomin would call her names, annoy her, cook for her, ask her out for "girlfriend playdates", call her 'yeobo' or 'jagi', or even just sitting beside Hyomin, doing nothing. She loved T-Ara. She loved Hyomin.
"I love you, Hyomin.." She mumbled to herself as her sobs slowly died down. She didn't question the fact that nobody even tried to look for her. The way the other members treated her was enough to assure her that no one would care if she left. As she was about to go out, she noticed a pink envelope on the floor, half of it inside the the room, slipped under the door. She quickly wiped her tears off and fixed herself as best as she could before picking it up.
She opened it, curious. She pulled a black piece of paper from it, and in silver ink, the note read:
'Rooftop. Now.'
"This must've been meant for someone else." She sighed and fanned herself with the black paper. The action immediately bringing a sweet and familiar scent to her nostrils. 'Hyomin's perfume?' She got up and opened the door to see if there's anyone outside.
Weirded out, Eunjung headed up to the rooftop, clutching the piece of paper in her hand. Upon reaching the last step up the stairs, Eunjung was already panting. She held onto the doorknob then took a deep breath. She didn't know what to expect, she was nervous, excited, confused. She knew Hyomin was outside. She was sure of it. She can almost feel Hyomin's presence from behind the door.
"Hyomin!" She called out as she ran out the door. She quickly stopped, Jiyeon, Boram, Qri, and Soyeon lined up in a straight line, all wearing their special initial shirts with headbands with small springs on it that held different selcas and candid photos of Eunjung. She looked from left to right, looking for Hyomin, and each of her 'sisters' gave her a shrug and a teasing smile.
"What's going on?" Eunjung asked.
Before shaking each one for an answer, Eunjung heard a familiar tune from out of nowhere. QBS then started singing.
Kyandoru tomoshi te uta o utau yo
negai o kake te fukikeshi te mi te
Happy Birthday, kimi no Birthday
chukkahamnida, saengil chukkahamnida~
Then, Jiyeon stepped forward, revealing the Rilakkuma make-up box from her back as she sang.
dare yori naniyori daiji na kimi e
umare te kure te deatte kure te
Thank you my dear kimi wa My dear
chukkahamnida, saengil chukkahamnida~
Eunjung was already in tears. She covered with both hands as she watched her friends sing their song, making the song feel and sound more special. She watched as their eonnis started revealing their gifts while Jiyeon sang her part. Qri's was a tumbler with '#Hahmy' printed on it as its design; Boram's was Eunjung's favorite brand of perfume; and Soyeon's was a Rilakkuma pill box, she even wiggled her brows at Eunjung while waving the little box around.
kimi no suki na ichigo no keki katte
boku nari ni puran o netta Surprise
purezento wa mayoi ni mayotte
kirei na houseki bako eran da yo
Jiwon and Gyuri, two of Eunjung's dearest friends popped out from either sides, both singing. Jiwon carried a strawberry cake, and Gyuri held an ivory jewelry box with intricate carvings. Eunjung wanted to run to them, but J-QBS beat her to it by forming X's with their forearms. Eunjung could already feel her knees get weak. Everyone's here, except for Hyomin. She felt a little sad that the most important person in her life was missing all of the 'fun'.
The song continued, this time, everyone stopped singing and Eunjung heard a familiar voice coming from behind all of her friends.
daiya yori kirameku ai to
futari no Memory
korekara zutto fuyaseru yo ni?
kimi wa boku no takaramono
She watched as her friends stepped back, forming an aisle for her and a big brown ball that was hiding behind J-QBS. The ball moved, and Eunjung giggled as tears continued running down her face. It wasn't a ball, it was Rilakkuma. Or someone in a Rila suit.
Her heart stopped for a split second. She thought she was gonna explode that very moment. Rila turned to face her, and Eunjung laughed again as Rila was dressed in a red two-piece swimsuit. She knew for sure, it was Hyomin inside the suit.
The background music stopped, and Rila walked closer to Eunjung, playfully waving at their laughing friends. Rila stopped a couple of feet away from her and removed its large head, revealing the sweaty face of Hyomin. She laughed softly while staring at Eunjung, briefly brushing the strands of hair that stuck to her face before singing again.
ichi nen ni ichi do no kinen bi da kara
futari yorisotte oiwai shiyou
Happy Birthday kimi no Birthday
chukkahamnida, saengil chukkahamnida~
Hyomin paused again, but only to say, "I love you, Ham Eunjung."
You are my only one
Happy Birthday to you
saengil chukkahamnida~
Happy Birthday to you
saengil chukkahamnida~
Happy Birthday
After the song, all 6 girls were clapping and cheering. Eunjung quickly ran to Hyomin, and gave her a hug, the suddenness making them fall to the ground. The others laughed again while giving each other high-fives.
"Thank you, Hyomin-ah~ Thank you!" Eunjung cried, burying her face on Rila's broad yellow chest.
"Sorry we all ignored you and pretended we forgot about you. I just wanted to surprise you, and you're too adorable because you're gullible." Hyomin teased while secretly signalling at the others to leave them. The rest of T-Ara, with Jiwon and Gyuri and the MBK staff who helped and filmed the 'event', left EunMin who were still on the ground.
"I love you, Hyomin. You're the best birthday present ever." Eunjung smiled at Hyomin, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
With a wicked grin, Hyomin answered, "Hey, miss Ham, the night is young. The real gift is hiding in this suit. Mind helping me get out of this suit, Jungie baby?"
Happy birthday, indeed.
They would always come to the studio together. She would drive to Hyomin's place, they'd buy take-out or coffee or whatever kind of dessert Hyomin wanted, then head to the studio earlier than the others just so they could have more time to hang out. But today, things were different.
Eunjung overslept, as per usual, but she didn't see any missed calls or texts from an impatient Hyomin. She got one text, though, from Qri, reminding her about their rehearsal. She took a quick shower, mentally deciding she'll just show up at Hyomin's doorstep unannounced. Upon arriving at Hyomin's apartment building, the security guard immediately told Eunjung that Hyomin already left. "Huh? Okay, thank you." was all that she could say to the kind man.
'Weird. She left without me..' She thought to herself. It wasn't like Hyomin to break "traditions".
"Annyeonghaseyo~" Jiyeon greeted as she walked inside, head bowed down. When she looked up and saw Eunjung on the couch, she covered and immediately walked off to the other side of the room and sat on the floor near the speakers. She didn't even spare Eunjung a glance when Eunjung greeted her.
'What is wrong with her...?' Eunjung thought to herself again as she stared at Jiyeon. The maknae was panicking, looking for something to shift her attention to.
"Jiyeon-ah~ Do you know where Hyomin is?" Eunjung tried to reach out to her again, but Jiyeon just turned her back at her and shrugged. "Wow." Eunjung mumbled before sighing deeply.
The next ones to arrive were the Tom&Jerry pair. They were talking about some party they were planning to attend this weekend. Boram couldn't stop talking about food and meeting people, and Soyeon was blushing while talking about bringing her boyfriend with her as her date. Eunjung made an effort to greet them, too, bursting into a (forced) cheerful "Eonni!!" while running to them. The two answered her with a nod then went back to their conversation as they joined Jiyeon.
"Some birthday." Eunjung mumbled, sighing. She sat on the couch again and turned her back against her 3 friends'. She wanted to cry, but she thought it wasn't rational, and that her problem wasn't serious enough for her to end up in a crying fit.
"Eonni. I think she's buying it!!" Jiyeon mouthed at Boram, who was soundlessly laughing at Eunjung. Soyeon could only hit Boram repeatedly, making Jiyeon giggle."Eonni. I think she's buying it!!" Jiyeon mouthed at Boram, who was soundlessly laughing at Eunjung. Soyeon could only hit Boram repeatedly, making Jiyeon giggle.
Soyeon, watching Eunjung from afar, texted Hyomin.
+ Where are you??? I think she's already crying. Kkkkkk
In under a minute, Hyomin replied.
+ I'm almost done with the setup. Just keep the act going. Thank you!!!! ^^
Soyeon chuckled, Hyomin had always been the prankster and the playful one. She didn't think Hyomin would ever be this sweet and exert so much effort in conniving with nearly everyone in MBK just to make everything work.
+ No biggie, Hyomin. ;) See you later!
After the quick conversation, Soyeon kept her phone then got off the floor. She pulled Boram with her then gave Jiyeon a knowing look.
"A-ah... Boram eonni, Soyeon eonni, do you wanna do one round of practice while waiting for Hyomin and Qri eonni?" Jiyeon asked while side-glancing the unmoving Eunjung.
"Alright, which song do you guys wanna do?" Boram asked while setting her phone up on the speaker.
"Let's do Bo Peep Bo Peep. I saw that on the line-up boss was planning for the next concert." Soyeon answered while walking with Jiyeon to the center of the room, right in front of the couch where Eunjung was. "Eunjung-ah, wanna join us?"
"Nah, I'm sleepy." Eunjung answered coldly then laid on the couch, body turned towards the backrest to hide her miserable face from the others. She really was on the verge of crying and she didn't like that feeling. She didn't want to remind them it was her birthday, it would make her look desperate. And she hated that no one--not even Jiyeon, a close friend since her trainee years, remembered her birthday. 'At least I'm not alone, it's Qri eonni's birthday, too, after all.' She thought.
"Sorry I'm late~!" Qri beamed as she barged inside the room just as Jiyeon, Boram, and Soyeon were about to start practice.
"Eonni! / Qri!" The three beamed back and ran to her. "Happy birthday~!" They sang in chorus, making Qri giggle.
"Thank you~ Let's go out later, okay? My treat!" Qri said while exchanging knowing grins with the other three. "Eunjung-ah, we have to start now. Get up."
"But, Hyomin eonni isn't here yet. Where is she, anyway?" Jiyeon asked then pinched the her cheeks together to stop herself from laughing.
"Boss is talking to her. It seemed serious. He asked me to start the practice without her." Qri answered in a stern tone. They all knew Eunjung was listening to them. Any talk about Hyomin would catch Eunjung's attention.
After hearing how her friends were all acting normal and cheerful without her, Eunjung sat up and made her way to the door, hands tucked inside her jacket's side pockets.
"I need to pee. Be back in two minutes." She lied, then left the dance studio. Her tears already started falling as soon as she closed the door behind her. While wiping her tears off, she ran to their smaller practice room, her usual "hiding spot" when things get too frustrating. She ran towards the piano and sat on the chair in front of it. She slumped her head on the piano's cover and started crying uncontrollably. She hated hating her friends. She hated not having Hyomin beside her. She hated being ignored by the people she considers as her sisters.
She thought she'd be used to being alone since she didn't have any siblings. But meeting Hyomin and being with T-Ara changed her. She loved taking care of them. She loved how Jiyeon would scold everyone as if she's their manager. She loved how ladylike Qri is, and even tried to copy her. She loved how inseparable Boram and Soyeon were. She loved how Hyomin would call her names, annoy her, cook for her, ask her out for "girlfriend playdates", call her 'yeobo' or 'jagi', or even just sitting beside Hyomin, doing nothing. She loved T-Ara. She loved Hyomin.
"I love you, Hyomin.." She mumbled to herself as her sobs slowly died down. She didn't question the fact that nobody even tried to look for her. The way the other members treated her was enough to assure her that no one would care if she left. As she was about to go out, she noticed a pink envelope on the floor, half of it inside the the room, slipped under the door. She quickly wiped her tears off and fixed herself as best as she could before picking it up.
She opened it, curious. She pulled a black piece of paper from it, and in silver ink, the note read:
'Rooftop. Now.'
"This must've been meant for someone else." She sighed and fanned herself with the black paper. The action immediately bringing a sweet and familiar scent to her nostrils. 'Hyomin's perfume?' She got up and opened the door to see if there's anyone outside.
Weirded out, Eunjung headed up to the rooftop, clutching the piece of paper in her hand. Upon reaching the last step up the stairs, Eunjung was already panting. She held onto the doorknob then took a deep breath. She didn't know what to expect, she was nervous, excited, confused. She knew Hyomin was outside. She was sure of it. She can almost feel Hyomin's presence from behind the door.
"Hyomin!" She called out as she ran out the door. She quickly stopped, Jiyeon, Boram, Qri, and Soyeon lined up in a straight line, all wearing their special initial shirts with headbands with small springs on it that held different selcas and candid photos of Eunjung. She looked from left to right, looking for Hyomin, and each of her 'sisters' gave her a shrug and a teasing smile.
"What's going on?" Eunjung asked.
Before shaking each one for an answer, Eunjung heard a familiar tune from out of nowhere. QBS then started singing.
Kyandoru tomoshi te uta o utau yo
negai o kake te fukikeshi te mi te
Happy Birthday, kimi no Birthday
chukkahamnida, saengil chukkahamnida~
Then, Jiyeon stepped forward, revealing the Rilakkuma make-up box from her back as she sang.
dare yori naniyori daiji na kimi e
umare te kure te deatte kure te
Thank you my dear kimi wa My dear
chukkahamnida, saengil chukkahamnida~
Eunjung was already in tears. She covered with both hands as she watched her friends sing their song, making the song feel and sound more special. She watched as their eonnis started revealing their gifts while Jiyeon sang her part. Qri's was a tumbler with '#Hahmy' printed on it as its design; Boram's was Eunjung's favorite brand of perfume; and Soyeon's was a Rilakkuma pill box, she even wiggled her brows at Eunjung while waving the little box around.
kimi no suki na ichigo no keki katte
boku nari ni puran o netta Surprise
purezento wa mayoi ni mayotte
kirei na houseki bako eran da yo
Jiwon and Gyuri, two of Eunjung's dearest friends popped out from either sides, both singing. Jiwon carried a strawberry cake, and Gyuri held an ivory jewelry box with intricate carvings. Eunjung wanted to run to them, but J-QBS beat her to it by forming X's with their forearms. Eunjung could already feel her knees get weak. Everyone's here, except for Hyomin. She felt a little sad that the most important person in her life was missing all of the 'fun'.
The song continued, this time, everyone stopped singing and Eunjung heard a familiar voice coming from behind all of her friends.
daiya yori kirameku ai to
futari no Memory
korekara zutto fuyaseru yo ni?
kimi wa boku no takaramono
She watched as her friends stepped back, forming an aisle for her and a big brown ball that was hiding behind J-QBS. The ball moved, and Eunjung giggled as tears continued running down her face. It wasn't a ball, it was Rilakkuma. Or someone in a Rila suit.
Her heart stopped for a split second. She thought she was gonna explode that very moment. Rila turned to face her, and Eunjung laughed again as Rila was dressed in a red two-piece swimsuit. She knew for sure, it was Hyomin inside the suit.
The background music stopped, and Rila walked closer to Eunjung, playfully waving at their laughing friends. Rila stopped a couple of feet away from her and removed its large head, revealing the sweaty face of Hyomin. She laughed softly while staring at Eunjung, briefly brushing the strands of hair that stuck to her face before singing again.
ichi nen ni ichi do no kinen bi da kara
futari yorisotte oiwai shiyou
Happy Birthday kimi no Birthday
chukkahamnida, saengil chukkahamnida~
Hyomin paused again, but only to say, "I love you, Ham Eunjung."
You are my only one
Happy Birthday to you
saengil chukkahamnida~
Happy Birthday to you
saengil chukkahamnida~
Happy Birthday
After the song, all 6 girls were clapping and cheering. Eunjung quickly ran to Hyomin, and gave her a hug, the suddenness making them fall to the ground. The others laughed again while giving each other high-fives.
"Thank you, Hyomin-ah~ Thank you!" Eunjung cried, burying her face on Rila's broad yellow chest.
"Sorry we all ignored you and pretended we forgot about you. I just wanted to surprise you, and you're too adorable because you're gullible." Hyomin teased while secretly signalling at the others to leave them. The rest of T-Ara, with Jiwon and Gyuri and the MBK staff who helped and filmed the 'event', left EunMin who were still on the ground.
"I love you, Hyomin. You're the best birthday present ever." Eunjung smiled at Hyomin, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
With a wicked grin, Hyomin answered, "Hey, miss Ham, the night is young. The real gift is hiding in this suit. Mind helping me get out of this suit, Jungie baby?"
Happy birthday, indeed.
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