Jihyo sat in her car, parked in front of an inconspicuous restaurant about five minutes away from Jongkook’s filming location. As she waited in the driver’s seat, she went through some scripts of dramas and movies she was being offered to do. However, her mind was stuck somewhere else. She grasped at the small studs that hung from her ears; they had been a birthday gift from Kim Jongkook when she turned 39 the previous month.

Jihyo went home to Pohang to celebrate her birthday with the family on the day itself, and spent the week that followed doing some commitments, including the filming of the second Thief Race on Runningman. Since she, Haha, and Jaesuk shared the same birth month, it had become a tradition for the members to get together for dinner on one August night. That year, they decided to have their August dinner on a Thursday night, and Jihyo and Jongkook had scheduled a rest day on the Friday that followed to make a quick out-of-town trip together.

On the night of the dinner, the two had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Somin had been back to work, and had been amusing everyone with stories from the health break she had taken. Sechan and Kwangsoo had added details here and there to Somin’s stories, as they had been closely in touch with her at the time. However, the anecdotes about Somin’s refrigerator and kitchen led Sechan to share that, during one of his visits, he’d been surprised that Jongkook had two sets of dining utensils and bowls sitting in his sink.

All the members laughed at this, but Kwangsoo and Haha threw a knowing glance at Jihyo, who sat beside Jongkook. Jihyo reached out for her beer, and started drinking, while Jongkook kept a nonchalant smile on his face. Jaesuk pointed at Jongkook, “Yah! Kookjong-ah, are you dating someone without telling us?”

Jongkook merely raised both his hands, waving off the teasing. Sechan nudged Somin, while Jaesuk shared a knowing glance with Seokjin. It had been Jongkook’s usual response to deny things like these, but the members knew him well enough to know that not giving a direct answer is his way of answering in the affirmative. At the same time, however, the lack of verbal affirmation or an accompanying story meant that he was not yet comfortable sharing a full load of information.

When Haha and Kwangsoo found out that they were dating, Jihyo and Jongkook had decided that they wanted to enjoy their privacy further, and, while they trusted the members to keep their secret, they also knew that being family meant that they would be e and there as they worked together. For Jongkook, this was fine, but Jihyo still had a bit of discomfort in this, given her past relationships. So they decided they would wait another month before opening up about their relationship to their close friends and people they work with. They also had Haha and Kwangsoo sworn to secrecy in the meantime.

The night stretched further as the members shared stories and played a few drinking games, with Jongkook as the referee because he refused to drink that night. Jihyo, the ace that she was, was able to keep herself away from losing, and had only been able to drink a modest amount of alcohol, enough to loosen up without giving herself away to intoxication. Eventually, everyone started going home. Jaesuk wanted to pay for their meal, but Jihyo and Haha insisted that they should also have a share; it had been a joint birthday party after all. Seokjin and Jongkook sorted out the arrangements for going home, making sure that Sechan and Kwangsoo would accompany Somin.

When everybody else was gone, Jongkook and Jihyo drove off to their apartments to pick up their overnight bags, before driving off for a weekend trip in Tongyeong. It was a great weekend. They had gone off to a shooting range, visited Mieruksan, and indulged themselves in beoksudajji. 

Then, in the evening, Jongkook drove them to Dara Park, to watch the sunset. They found an isolated spot for both of them, and they sat down. Jongkook put her arms around Jihyo, and she leaned into him. “I have something to give to you,” he whispered in her ear. He moved to get a velvet box from his pocket.

Jihyo gasped, which made Jongkook realize what the scene was starting to look like in her eyes. He quickly opened the box, “Happy birthday Sooyeon-ah.”

Inside the box, she found a beautiful pair of silver earrings. They had no jewels, and had only been two silver rings of different sizes, with one on top of the other. She loved that it was not flashy, and that it had been as practical as it had been elegant. It was something she would pick out for herself. She was speechless.

Jongkook started to become uncomfortable, wondering if she liked what he got for her. He started to ramble on, “I wasn’t sure if you’d like it. I mean, you just weren’t the type to wear bracelets or necklaces, except when you need to, but you often wear earrings. And they were mostly simple…” He was trying to gauge her reaction, but she was just touching the earrings while staring at them. “I mean, Sooyeon-ah, if you don’t like these, we can go back to the shop and exchange it for…”

“Aniya Oppa!” she cut him off. “I love this. It’s perfect. I was just… speechless. You really know me so well, and this is so beautiful.” She started taking the earrings out of the box, eager to try them on herself. She threw him a side glance, “Are you sure you didn’t ask for help from another girl in picking out this one? I’m not sure how a manly person like you can pick something like this.”

“Yah! It’s your birthday present. I’m not a jerk,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief that Jihyo liked the earrings. Her hair st