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My first morning of the tour was a bright one in Indonesia, and not just because the weather was already proving to be absolutely divine. I was cherishing the last few minutes I had to spare in the comfort of my bed yet all I could focus on was the cake sitting on the table across the room. It had only been a few minutes since my manager came in with it, simultaneously waking me up, but it felt like I had been staring at it in silence for hours.

“What’s that?”

“A birthday cake,” he told me as he continued to let himself inside, having the second key to my room in his possession. I narrowed my eyes.

“I inferred that much,” I remarked, though I had actually let the timing of my birthday somewhat slip my mind. “Who’s it from?”

“Anna,” he stated simply, catching me very much by surprise. I had honestly expected him to say that the cake was from him or one of the guys. “This, too.”

I pulled my hand out from under the comforter to accept the envelope he had outstretched towards me. He continued to explain his delivery as I slid a birthday card out from the inside.

“She gave that to me before we left. Asked me to give it to you at some point today.”

“And the cake? It’s not like you could’ve brought that on the plane,” I questioned, my eyes briefly landing on the unexpected gift. I still couldn’t believe it.

“No, no, she looked up a local bakery here and ordered it from them. I just had to pick it up for her, it thankfully wasn’t too far from here,” he explained as he scrolled through his phone, most likely briefing over the day’s schedule. “To quote Anna’s exact words, ‘it’s a basic chocolate cake, nothing too crazy’.”

She was right. Even looking at the dessert now, I agreed it wasn’t a crazy or show-stopping cake. Delicious, I'm sure, but not crazy. What was crazy was the whole gesture itself. Just giving a card in a time where any and most messages are sent virtually was a nice thought. But to make an international phone call just to purchase a cake for a friend’s birthday and then work with his manager to make sure he got it was unbelievably thoughtful. Something told me I would get few gifts today that would top it.

I rolled over in bed, dreading that I would certainly have to get up and get ready to head out soon. I had a long day of work ahead of me, birthday or not. But a smile crept its way onto my lips as Anna’s card came back into my view, having been left laid out on my bed after I read through it- more than once, in fact. Even the card was technically nothing special but I was put in a better and better mood each time I read its words. Maybe it was simply because it was her words. Her thoughts, her wishes, her handwriting, just her.

“To a man I will call oppa only because it's his birthday,

I wish I could’ve gotten you something a little better but I’m pretty sure any other gift I could’ve gotten you would’ve been topped by a fan or one of our other friends. I’m unfortunately not rich like all of you (yet).”

She had written in such a “her” kind of way that I could almost vividly hear her voice talking. I could just imagine her sitting in her bed, probably exhausted from the sleep-deprivation caused by her album preparations, yet refusing to sleep until she finished writing this damn card.

“I also have to credit Hoseok on the cake flavor before I forget. I wasn’t sure what kind of cake you like (which is a conversation I’m horrified we haven't had, so I guess I’ll take this chance to tell you that mine is confetti), so he let me know you’d be more than satisfied with just a simple chocolate cake. Of course, I couldn’t just settle with that so I asked the baker at the bakery if she could maybe add some candies and stuff to it. I hope it's to your liking for your special day!”

My heart pulsed with endearment. Even in writing, she was cute.

“Anyway, I’m sad that I can’t see you even for a few minutes on your birthday but I’m sure your fans will make you happier than I ever could. So have a great day with them and Namjoon-oppa and the others and make many memories. That way, you can share them with me when you come back home!

Happy birthday :)

-Anna”

No matter how many times I read it, I always had the same reactions and the same feelings bubble within me. There was really no denying that I liked her anymore. How much, well, that was increasing with every day. And today was no exception.

Anna’s surprise truly set the tone for my entire day. My mood was at an all time high at each event, not a care thrown to the wind even during a technical malfunction at one of our performances. I was just happy. Of course, it didn’t hurt that it was my birthday and I was spending it under the smothering love of thousands of fans but amongst it all, my mind would consistently return to that cake, the card, and the girl who gave it to me.

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By the end of the day, we were all exhausted. First days of overseas promotions were always the toughest between the recent traveling, the jetlag and the fresh excitement of it all. It was no surprise that our travel van was blanketed in the silence of sleep on the drive home from our last event, managers and artists alike dozing off or already out-cold. It was a decent drive back to our hotel so I intended on following their lead but there was something I wanted to do first.

I squinted down at my phone as I invaded its, its brightness a stark contrast to my surroundings, before choosing a specific one and tapping on the green call button. I brought the device to my ear and listened to the dialtone for what felt like forever before the sound was replaced with a voice that was sweeter than the cake its owner so kindly went out of her way of getting for me. A smile graced my lips.

“Happy birthday, Yoongi!”

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Indeed, happy birthday to our fabulous Min Yoongi! The youngest looking 24-year-old I've ever seen, bless. I hope everyone enjoyed this special chapter to celebrate his birthday, I'm hoping to throw in little specials like this every once in a while, including for real-life Anna's birthday in May. They're purposely going to be on the shorter side and won't ever change anything in the main storyline. They will just cover little extra side moments for everyone to enjoy, so I hope you all do!