Come back
Same, but DifferentRap Mon climbs out first and holds the door for me as I step out of the car. After dinner, he offered to send me home and I didn’t refuse – I didn’t want to be squeezing with the after-work crowd on the bus. And besides, we live in the same area.
“Thanks for the dinner,” I say, smiling in appreciation.
“If you’re thankful, how about a cup of tea?” Rap Mon has his hands stuck casually in his pocket.
“Well, why not…” I steal a quick glance at the manager. Following my line of sight, he opens the door on the passenger side and sticks his head in.
“Hyung, go back first,” he tells his manager but the older guy decides that enough is enough.
“You have another schedule in two hours.”
“Next time, then,” I place a hand on Rap Mon’s arm for his attention. “You should go prepare for your schedule.”
He looks at me in disappointment but nods anyway. “Hurry in first. It’s cold,” he says. Giving him another smile and a bow at the manager, I turn around and head up the steps that lead into the apartment lobby. I wave at Rap Mon before entering the lift.
Back at home I throw my jacket onto the clothes stand and roll onto the sofa. My phone dings with messages.
From: RM oppa
[What’s on the menu tomorrow?]
From: Soo
[Help.]
I respond to Soo first.
To: Soo
[What’s up?]
Before I can reply to Rap Mon, he sends another message.
From: RM oppa
[Doesn’t matter. Dinner tomorrow too?]
Feeling around under the cushions, I find the remote and turn the TV on.
To: RM oppa
[Evening class tomorrow TT]
From: Soo
[Woong’s wasted and crying for you.]
I roll my eyes.
To: Soo
[Ha.]
[But really.]
Rap Mon’s reply comes promptly.
From: RM oppa
[Late dinner, then?]
I smile at my phone. What reason do I have to reject him? Starting on an assignment a couple of hours later isn’t going to kill me.
To: RM oppa
[Deal!]
Lying on my side, I wait for Soo’s reply but she calls back instead.
“He’s not going to calm down until you come,” Soo tells me.
“What’s going on?” I ask. There’s mumbling behind but I can’t make sense of it – it’s just plain chaotic.
“Just get your right here now before Woong tears the whole place down,” comes Ray’s voice before the call gets cut off. A short message arrives seconds later saying that they’re at Soo’s place. Sighing, I rush out of the house.
I try calling Soo again in the cab but she doesn’t pick up my call, and neither is Ray. Seob is probably still in class now so I can’t call him either.
“Please drive faster,” I tell the driver. We reach Soo’s in fifteen minutes.
“Soo!” I call as I ring the doorbell. I don’t know if the walls are soundproof but it’s dead quiet inside. No one opens the door. Instead of ringing the bell again, I press the passcode on the lock and open the door myself.
“Soo? Woong?” None of the lights are on and the house is seemingly empty from where I’m looking. I walk in further into the living room when suddenly, confetti flies over my head following a loud pop.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” My friends appear from God knows where and shouts into my ear. Seob holds a cake while the rest of them hold confetti poppers. Soo pops another in my shocked and frozen face.
“What the heck,” is all I can manage. My birthday is tomorrow and honestly I wasn’t really expecting anything.
“’Thanks’ would be a better response,” Woong says, snapping a cone onto my head. I roll my eyes at him.
“Happy birthday, noona!” Seob congratulates, holding up the cake to me.
“Make a wish,” Soo tells me and I close my eyes. When I open them again, I blow out the candles. Seob smiles cheekily as he pulls out the candles and-
“LEE JISEOB!” I scream with a caked face. Grabbing a handful of cream, I throw it at him. The cake hits him accurately in the face. Woong aims some more cake at me but I dodge and it hits Ray instead. Taking the whole plate from Seob, Ray runs for the only clean person left.
“No!” Soo shrieks as her hair gets covered in cream and chocolate. Falling onto the floor, we sit around and laugh for quite a while. The silence that follows is a comfortable silence where we lie down and just listen to one another’s breathing.
“Come back,” Woong says suddenly. “If not as part of the band then as a friend.”
“Yeah! Noona keeps bullying me without you around,” Seob complains about his own sister.
I smile at the ceiling. “Tell me you bought another cake,” I say instead.
“We bought another cake.” Ray stands and holds a hand out to me. I hesitate for a second before grabbing it and he pulls me up.
A/N: The story cannot go on without the band :) One more chapter will be up in a bit!
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