The other girls are still in deep slumber by the time Seulgi and Wendy make it back to the car. Wendy slips in first, and moves to her seat in the back. Seulgi can’t help but smile as she notices her best friend moving carefully as to not wake the other girls. The smile doesn’t leave her lips as she watches Wendy gently readjust Yeri’s blanket, which must have slipped off the younger girl’s shoulders in her sleep.

Seulgi wishes she could just look at her friends a bit longer, but her manager nudges her, telling her it’s time to go. He seems understandably eager to get home. Seulgi gives him a soft smile before getting in the car. She gently closes the door behind her, not wanting to disturb Joy’s well deserved sleep. A chuckle escapes her lips as she notices Wendy patting the empty seat by her side, the only empty seat left in the car. “Thank you,” she still whispers as she takes the seat and gets settled between Yeri and Wendy.

As she attempts to buckle her seatbelt, Seulgi accidentally nudges Yeri’s side, seemingly strongly  enough to wake the youngest girl up. Yeri sits up in her seat and starts blinking away the sleep, her confused eyes taking in the surrounding. “Are we there yet?” she murmurs.

“Not yet,” comes Wendy’s reply from Seulgi’s other side as the car starts moving. “We stopped at a rest area for a bit, but we should be back at the dorm in not too long.”

Yeri’s brows furrow slightly. “Another rest area? Why, was Seulgi unnie still hungry after eating at the last two?”

Seulgi crosses her arms over her chest as she hears Wendy laugh softly. “It’s my birthday…” she pouts.

“Wait, you really had more to eat? I was kidding!”

“We did a mukbang V Live for Seulgi’s birthday,” Wendy chirps in enthusiastically.

“You did a V Live without me?” Yeri exclaims, a bit too loudly as their manager turns around to shush her, and Yeri quickly apologizes.

“Are you mad?” Seulgi asks, confused but her friend’s reaction.

“No, I’m surprised. I never thought you two would be able to turn it on without my help.”

It’s Wendy’s turn to pout. “We’re not that useless.”

“That’s debatable,” Joy’s voice cuts in before Yeri has a chance to reply. “Now can you all shut up so I can sleep?”

“Sorry,” the three girls in the back sheepishly reply at once. Seulgi feels terrible for accidentally waking up Joy, and it’s safe to assume Wendy and Yeri feel the same way. After all, Joy’s schedule has been ridiculously hectic lately and she hasn’t gotten many changes to rest.

“Let’s try to sleep some more before we get back to the dorm,” Wendy whispers.

Yeri seems pleased by the suggestion, and she turns around to lean against her pillow. “Happy birthday, Seulgi unnie,” she says quietly, sleep quickly claiming her again.

A quick glance at the car’s clock tells Seulgi that it’s now 11:58 pm. Only two minutes left to her birthday. She picks up a blanket that had been discarded on the car’s floor earlier that night and uses it to cover both her and Wendy’s laps.

“Happy birthday, Seulgi,” she hears again, this time coming from her right side rather than her left. The words are accompanied by the sudden appearance of a weight on her shoulder, as Wendy seemingly decides her best friend’s shoulder is an adequate substitute for a pillow. Seulgi can’t complain, however, as the feeling of Wendy’s body pressed against hers fills her with the same warmth it always does. Seulgi has always thought of Wendy as the kindest, most selfless person on this earth. Her dear friend who is always there for her, and who never asks for anything in return. Seulgi will always jump at any opportunity to be there for Wendy in return, even if it’s in gestures as simple as being a shoulder for her to lean on after a long and tiring day.

“Thank you for spending the last hours of my birthday with me, Seungwan,” she whispers to her friend. She doesn’t realize her hand had been looking for Wendy’s under the blanket until she’s finally found it and laced their fingers together.

“... need to thank me, Seul,” is the sleepy-sounding reply she receives. She rests her head on top of Wendy’s, and her eyes begin to feel heavy. Her last thought before she drifts to sleep is that she couldn’t think of a better way to end her birthday than this, with her precious Seungwan by her side.

Seulgi is awoken by the distinct sound of a phone’s camera shutter. She opens her eyes, and after letting them adjust to the light for a moment, she is greeted by the sight of her leader, turned around in her seat with her phone out.

“Hyunnie?” she asks, confused as to why the older girls is taking pictures of her with an amused expression.

“We’re here,” Irene says, but it doesn’t explain why she’s been taking pictures of Seulgi.

“Why were you taking pictures of me?” Seulgi asks.

“Who says she’s taking pictures of you?” Joy interrupts from Irene’s side.

“I’m taking pictures of both of them,” Irene answers, followed quickly by the sound of another picture being taken.

Seulgi must look quite lost in that one, she thinks, because it’s only once she feels a familiar weight on her shoulder and warm air blowing against her neck that she realizes what Irene meant by both of them, and her features finally shift from sleepy confusion to contentment. Seungwan, she remembers.

She looks down to see that Wendy has managed to curl up against her side, her folded legs practically on Seulgi’s lap and her face nuzzled comfortably against the taller girl’s neck. She looks adorable, and Seulgi makes a mental note to ask Irene for the pictures later.

“Seungwan,” Seulgi whispers, bringing her free hand to the sleeping girl’s cheek, gently brushing away the few strands of hair covering her face. “We’re at the dorm.”

Wendy’s reply is a sleepy groan, as she shifts slightly to hide her face against Seulgi’s neck and tightens her hold on her friend’s hand.

“You’ll be more comfortable in your bed, Wannie.”

“I’m comfortable by your side.”

Wendy’s words are so quiet Seulgi almost thinks she imagined them, but the way Wendy somehow manages to cling onto her even more tightly convinces her otherwise. I’m comfortable by your side, too, she wants to respond, but the words don’t have time to leave her lips before Joy is practically climbing over her to shake Yeri awake.

“Yah! You could have just asked,” Seulgi whines, but if she’s being honest, she’s not as bothered by the sudden invasion of her personal space as she is at the loss of warmth by her side as Wendy finally decides to pull away.

Joy gives her an amused look before leaning in. “Do you really think you would have been able to stop looking at Wendy unnie long enough to do it?” she whispers teasingly.

Seulgi’s cheeks feel warm all of the sudden, and she opens but no words come out. It’s not something she can deny, really.

“Didn’t think so,” Joy smirks as she pulls away. “Let’s go,” she adds, this time addressing the entire group. “I can hear my bed calling out for me.”

Without another word, she exits the car, quickly followed by Irene.

Seulgi unbuckles her seatbelt with her free hand, her right one still holding on to Wendy. Neither girl lets go as they get out of the car together, followed quickly by Yeri.

“What was that about?” Wendy whispers in her ear as they follow the other girls into the building.

“N-Nothing.”

Wendy seems to accept her answer, as she doesn’t keep pressing.

The girls all seem quite eager to go to bed once they make it back to the dorm, as they all bid each other goodnight and split off to their respective rooms.

“Seul,” Wendy whispers once they’ve closed the door behind them. The now older girl turns around to show her friend she’s giving her her full attention, and she notices that Wendy is fidgeting with the hem of her shirt and avoiding eye contact. She looks nervous, Seulgi thinks, but she can’t figure out why. “Do you want to go and get changed first?”

“Hm, sure,” she agrees, trying not to let her confusion show. This isn’t something they’d normally discuss, and she wonders why her friend is suddenly acting strangely. Reluctantly, she lets go of Wendy’s hand and moves to take her sleepwear from her bed before going into the bathroom.

Seulgi changes and finishes her nightly routine before heading back to their shared room. “Why are you on my bed?” she asks Wendy as she finds her sitting on the edge of the wrong bed.

“Come sit with me?” Wendy’s voice is accompanied by a gentle smile.

Seulgi wastes no time moving to sit by her friend’s side. Wendy doesn’t seem as nervous as she did minutes before, she notices. In fact, she has that determined look in her eyes, the one that makes Seulgi think her friend could do anything.

“Happy birthday, Seulgi.” Wendy’s voice is serious, yet full of fondness as she whispers those words, and one might wonder how she manages to make those three words sound so much like I love you.

Seulgi, however, only chuckles. “You’ve told me already, and my birthday has passed now.”

“I know, but I haven’t given you your present yet.”

Seulgi’s eyes brighten, as she can’t help but get excited at the promise of a present, despite already having received several from Wendy and the girls earlier today. “Another gift?” she asks, her voice betraying her enthusiasm.

Wendy nods, a giggle escaping her. “Close your eyes.”

Seulgi obeys, eager to receive her present. She takes a moment to wonder what her present could possibly be. She can’t think of a single thing Wendy hasn’t given her already, but she trusts Wendy will give her the perfect present regardless.

Wendy’s present, it turns out, is something the younger girl hadn’t given her before. Something utterly surprising that completely takes her breath away, and makes her feel like the luckiest, happiest woman on Earth.

Seulgi smells Wendy before she feels her, her senses suddenly overwhelmed by a familiar aroma that Seulgi would probably describe as home, were someone to ask her. She doesn’t have much time to register it, however, as her senses suddenly go into overdrive, triggered by the feeling of Wendy’s lips against hers.

Kiss. Wendy is kissing her. Wendy is kissing her for her birthday, and it suddenly makes every other present she’s ever received pale in comparison.  

The kiss is short, much too short, but Seulgi still has enough time to notice little details, like how plump and soft Wendy’s lips are, and how nicely they fit against hers. She notices how Wendy’s lips taste of the vanilla chapstick Seulgi has borrowed a few times. For some reason, the chapstick tastes so much better on Wendy’s lips than on her own.

Wendy pulls away, and Seulgi can’t find it in her to open her eyes just yet. Instead, she brings her fingers to her still tingling lips. She’s had kisses before, of course, but she’s never had kisses that made her feel like that. She didn’t know a kiss could make her feel like that. Her body feels like it’s been set aflame by Wendy’s lips, and she suddenly feels so awake and full of energy despite the extremely tiring day they’ve had. All she wants to do is kiss Wendy again, and again and again.

“Seulgi,” she hears, and she’s pulled out of her thoughts. She opens her eyes, expecting to find Wendy sitting in front of her, but the girl isn’t there. Instead, she sees Wendy standing by the door, now in her sleepwear with a hand on the light switch. “Is it okay if I turn off the light?”

Why is Wendy suddenly over there, in her pajamas? The thoughts that she might have imagined that kiss makes Seulgi want to cry. She can’t have, not when it felt so real. Not when it set her whole body on fire, and made her feel like she has finally found something she didn’t know had been missing from her life until then. No, her imagination isn’t strong enough to make her believe such things, she decides. This decision, however, leaves her with the only explanation that the kiss left her so awestruck, she zoned out for what had to be at least several minutes.

“Seulgi,” Wendy’s voice interrupts her thoughts once more.

“Y-Yeah,” is the only answer she can come up with.

Wendy’s hand moves over the light switch, and suddenly darkness surrounds them. She should get in bed, Seulgi thinks as she listens to Wendy move around the room. She lifts the blanket and lays down before covering herself. Her hands reach out to find her teddy bear, and she brings it to her chest to hug it tightly. The realization that it doesn’t offer her the same comfort as it usually does is a strange one, and she finds herself wondering what holding Wendy tightly would feel like.

“Goodnight, Seul,” Wendy’s voice breaks the silence, and Seulgi doesn’t notice the sadness laced in her voice. She does, however, desperately wish she could see her friend’s face, and read her thoughts to know what she’s thinking.

“Seungwan?” she voices, and is met with an inquisitive hum. This is her chance, she thinks. She can ask her what that kiss meant, or what she’s thinking. She can ask her anything and lift this cloud of confusion that is surrounding her every thought.

But Seulgi is a coward. She’s a coward, and she would rather let this magical moment exist as a once-in-a-lifetime thing than risk Wendy telling her it meant nothing, because the more Seulgi thinks about it, the more she realizes it meant the world to her.

“Seul?” Wendy’s voice is hesitant.

Seulgi bites her lower lip and hugs her plush toy a bit closer. “I… I’m comfortable by your side, too,” she whispers, so quietly she isn’t even sure Wendy was able to hear it. “Night, Wannie,” she then adds a bit louder.

That night, Seulgi falls asleep to the thought of holding Wendy in her arms and Wendy’s lips against hers once more.

That night, Seulgi falls into the most peaceful slumber she’s had in a while, unaware of Wendy attempting to muffle her sobs into her pillow a mere distance away.