August came, bringing with it the last of the winter days. Lily's been back living her "normal" life for almost a month now, although how normal was it to receive regular emails and video calls from Korean boy band members?

 

Her phone beeped. She's changed the "URI NEUN, SUPER JUNI-OR!!!" alert tone to the conventional subtle beep tone, although she kept the former as her alarm clock tone. It gave just the right amount of shock to get her up in the morning.

 

Ugh, that's probably Siwon's daily Korean vocabulary lesson, Lily thought, checking it.

 

Siwon has taken it upon himself to teach her the Korean language. It all started when, during one chaotic video call after their concert in Malaysia, Leeteuk was trying to tell Lily about a crazy fan experience but couldn't find Henry so he grabbed Siwon instead. From then on, it became a habit. Whenever Henry wasn't available (and Lily was pretty sure that he was purposefully "unavailable" whenever the others called her), Siwon got dragged into the call to translate. There was even once when Sungmin and Hyukjae were arguing about whose dog is cuter and they called Lily to ask for her opinion.

 

Honestly, these guys call her about the most random things. Sometimes she wonders whether or not they have anyone else to talk to besides each other and her.

 

Anyway, Siwon was in the gym in the middle of his cardio routine when the two guys found him. They stood by the treadmill and blabbered away, placing the phone in front of Siwon so he could translate. As much as Lily appreciated the view of a sweaty Siwon, she felt sorry for the poor guy running and translating at the same time. She knew that gym time was one of his sacred times of the day and he just got ambushed because of something so trivial.

 

The tipping point was when Yesung brought over a huge selection of eyewear and was asking Lily to help him pick one out for a TV appearance. Siwon just got back from a taping himself and was about to get some shuteye when Yeye barged into his room. The lessons started the next day.

 

Lily swiped away the lock screen and was greeted by the message:

 

 

 

ASDFGHJKL;!@#$%^&*()_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

YOU.

 

SKYPE.

 

NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Lily laughed. This could only mean one thing: Clare's gotten her birthday gift. 

 

 

 

*flashback*

 

 

 

 

She sat on the edge of Henry's hotel bed, picking up whatever piece of clothing he stuffed into his bag, folding it neatly, and then placing it back in. She hoped the manual labor would keep her mind off of the fact that in an hour, they will be leaving for the airport and leaving her behind. She wasn't really sure what she was feeling at that moment. There's sadness, for sure, but Donghae's promise kept on replaying in her head, sending a squadron of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She shook her head. No, she must not get herself overly excited. After all, he's a celebrity. There would be many distractions that could make him forget, most of which would have skinny legs and flawless skin. 

 

Congratulations, you just managed to frustrate yourself, she said to herself as she stuffed a stack of boxers into Henry's bag. Why was she folding underwear again?

 

"I'm done packing!" Henry announced happily, plopping stomach-down onto his bed. 

 

"You mean Lily's done packing for you," Zhou Mi corrected. His own suitcase was impeccable. It looked like those shelves in malls where everything's laid out neatly and arranged by color. How is it that his stuff all looked like they've never been used?

 

"It's alright. Folding kind of relaxes me," Lily said. "That's a beautiful piece of luggage, by the way."

 

"Oh, this? It was a birthday gift from my mom. She had it specially engraved with my name," Zhou Mi replied, showing her the engraving. It was the only mark on the smooth, shiny, mahogany surface. It's made of real wood, he said. How he managed to keep it from being dented with all the traveling they do is a mystery.

 

Wait. Birthday gift. CLARE!

 

She couldn't believe she almost forgot about her original plan. Hastily, she looked around for something blank and sign-able. Nothing besides the hotel sheets looked suitable. Just then, Siwon came in the open door and reminded the guys about the time. 

 

That's it. That's the perfect gift.

 

With the nicest, most innocent smile she could muster, Lily approached him and asked him for his white t-shirt.

 

A few minutes later, she had her camera in hand, filming the guys as they signed Siwon's shirt while he's still wearing it. Being pretty ticklish, he was giggling uncontrollably as several felt-tip pens scribbled all over him. She couldn't help but laugh, too, because she could see clearly how Clare's mind would explode after seeing this. With this birthday gift, she'd officially be the best of all best friends in all of best friend history.

 

"Alright guys, now for Siwon's solo," Lily instructed. The boys, one by one, waved goodbye to the camera as they went out of the room. When they were finally alone, Lily nodded, signaling him to begin. Fixing a steady gaze at the camera, Siwon cleared his throat.

 

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday my dear Clare, happy birthday to you!" he sang in his wonderful baritone voice. Lily involuntarily inhaled sharply when he punctuated the song with an angelic smile. Darnit, she had to get used to that.

 

"Hi Clare. It's me, Siwon," he said. "Happy happy birthday. May God bless you with many more. I uh… I wish I could get you a better gift. I will, next time. But for the meantime, I hope this will do."

 

Taking a couple of steps towards the camera, he peeled his shirt off, flipped it so the autographed side is out, folded it, and offered it with both hands. 

 

"Aaaaand… CUT!" Lily exclaimed, pressing the stop button. "Thank you so so so much, Siwon. You just made your #1 fan the happiest girl in the world."

 

"Oh, so you feel like the happiest girl in the world right now?" he teased. Really, it was almost gorgeousness overkill with his playful smile and the fact that he's still topless. 

 

"Not me, Clare! Seriously, thanks. Although I don't know how to top this next year. Short of actually leaving you on her doorstep in a beautifully gift-wrapped box," Lily joked.

 

"Hmm. We can arrange that," Siwon said with a wink.

 

 

 

 

*end flashback*

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of seconds later, Clare's face filled Lily's phone screen. She had a look of utter disbelief that Lily laughed out loud the moment she saw it.

 

"How? Lily, just… how???" was all Clare could manage to say.

 

"I… won a contest?" Lily joked.

 

"You're lucky I can't go through the phone and slap you silly. You got to FILM stripping Siwon. You got to see all that UP CLOSE. LIVE. HOW?!?!" Clare exclaimed. 

 

"But Clare, isn't the important thing was that I got you this awesome present--"

 

"HOW?!?!?!?!" Clare cut her off. 

 

"Fine, fine!" Lily surrendered. Taking in a readying breath, she proceeded to tell her friend everything, starting from that fateful night a month ago. She told her about the scary Thors, all the looking and running, the concert, the thank you party, the photo shoot (only the fake thesis part), Kyuhyun being super annoying, the random calls from the boys, and Siwon's daily Korean lessons. It wasn't like Clare to be completely silent for a prolonged period, but Lily must've talked for half an hour while her friend listened quietly. Then, Clare disappeared from the screen.

 

"Clare? Are you still there? Where'd you go?" Lily checked.

 

"Yeah, still here," Clare replied. She had shut off the video.

 

"Well then, say something! I just summarized a whole crazy month for you, you know," Lily joked.

 

She heard her friend exhale slowly. She began to worry. It did cross her mind that Clare could get upset with her when she finally tells her everything. She did, after all, keep this huge secret from her for almost a month. And to think that Clare's been a huge fan of Super Junior for years, and she, who wasn't even really a fan, got to actually be friends with the boys… The world was indeed unfair if one looks at it that way.

 

"Clare…" Lily started. "I'm so so so so so sorry for not telling you sooner. I wanted to, right from the moment Henry sat across from me, but the boys asked me to keep it a secret at first. And then I made the video, and I wanted it to be this huge surprise so I didn't say anything. I didn't know it'd take 3 whole weeks for a parcel to get there. I swear, Clare, I -"

 

"Save it, Lily," Clare interrupted, her voice icy. "I just-I can't believe this. You lied to me. I'm your best friend and you lied to me. How could you?"

 

"But it was all for you! It was part of your sur-"

 

"Don't give me that crap! For my surprise? Yeah, right! I bet you weren't planning on telling me at all. I had to ask you several times just now!" Claire lashed out.

 

"I was just jok-"

 

"Don't even bother explaining Lily. I just can't right now."

 

And then the line went dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---------

 

Hong Kong

 

 

It's been a little over two weeks since that horrible phone conversation with Clare. She had tried phoning her best friend a million times, sent her several messages through email and all the social networking sites they both were on, all to get absolutely no reply. She even phoned Clare's younger brother and all their other common friends just to try and annoy her into talking to her but nothing worked. For now, Lily has decided to leave her friend alone to let her cool off. When Clare's ready to hear her out, she'd call. They've had petty fights before and it always ended the same way: Clare not talking to her for days and then calling her up and making up with her. What worries Lily this time was how Clare held out for two weeks. For 15 years, the longest they've ever went without talking was 5 1/2 days. It's been exactly 17 days since they last talked. Lily's hand went up to her chest as she felt her heart constrict.

 

She jumped a little when someone tapped her shoulder. The elderly man standing behind her in the immigrations line pointed at the counter, now free, where a heavy-set female immigration officer sat with an impatient frown. Lily nodded an "I'm sorry" to the man and rushed to the counter with an apologetic smile. The immigration officer returned it with the same impatient frown plus a judging look as she inspected, stamped, and returned her passport. Lily said thanks in Mandarin and hurried off to catch the airport subway.

 

A refreshing gust of wind blew her hair awry as she exited the terminal. Without really being aware of it, she has arrived in Hong Kong. 

 

She came home from school a few days ago to find an envelope waiting for her in her pigeonhole. She only ever gets mail from her bank or her school so she was curious as to what this foreign-looking envelope contained. All she could do was stare in puzzlement at the roundtrip plane ticket she pulled out from inside it. Stuck on it was a blue Post-It with the note:

 

 

As promised, I found a way.

 

~Donghae

 

 

Distracted by the crazy, excited beating of her heart, she packed a bag right away, momentarily getting a respite from the soul- feeling of Clare's silent treatment. 

 

The hiss of a bus stopping in front sent the waiting passengers shuffling and heaving their luggage. Since Lily only brought a carry-on with her, she got right on. Tapping her Octopus card on the sensor, Lily proceeded to look for a seat. As a habit, she went for the one at the back. Her eyes landed on the middle seat at the very back. She halted, surprised. What was he doing here?!

 

A woman carrying a toddler, not noticing that Lily stopped, bumped into her. The jolt must've fixed her brain. Upon looking again, the seat was empty. Confused, she settled on the closest seat by the window. She shook her head. It must be the stress of the past couple of weeks. It was making her see things. Out of all people, why would her mind trick her into seeing Kyuhyun sitting at the back of the bus? Then, remembering, she face-palmed herself. It definitely was the stress. What she saw was a flashback from that night in July when they were looking for Hyukjae. He had the same dorky hair and bratty expression. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. He looked ridiculous and adorable at the same time, especially in the hotel lobby when she first saw him. But why was she reminiscing about him anyway?

 

The sudden movement of the bus threw her forward, yanking her away from thoughts of Kyuhyun and back to reality. Reality. As in this was actually happening. Her date with Donghae. She was actually on her way to the hotel, where she'd panic as she gets ready for tonight. The boys were arriving in the afternoon for interviews and the press conference for their concert the next day. They'd be leaving early morning the day after the concert so they only had enough time tonight to do whatever. It's a tight schedule, and she didn't like it that Donghae would be sacrificing his precious rest time for her, but it's all they could do for now, and she's determined to make the most of it.

 

The 10-hour flight from Sydney to Hong Kong finally taking its toll, Lily barely managed to check herself in before passing out on the bed. 5 hours and lying in a pool of drool later, she woke up with a fuzzy head. The digital alarm clock on the bedside table read 4:05PM. She closed her eyes again, mentally bargaining for 5 more minutes of sleep. When she awoke for the second time, it was already 7:30PM. Cursing herself for being such a sleepyhead, Lily jumped out of bed and into the shower. The special occasion called for her equally special hour-and-a-half ritual, with a bonus 20-minute panic session. 

 

At last, she was ready. She looked at her reflection on the full-length mirror by the bathroom door. This was as good as it could ever be. She wasn't that girly to begin with, so putting on this minimal amount of makeup was a feat. Her hair was another matter. It usually looked best the day after washing so tonight, she's resigned to wearing it in a ponytail after it dries. She didn't have time to shop either so she brought the only dress she had - a simple woolen gray number with a scoop neck, short sleeves, and a cute little belt with a bow. She wasn't an expert when it comes to fashion but she knew that the outfit needed a splash of color so she wore her royal blue flats and mahogany sling bag. A pair of stud faux-diamond earrings and a silver watch were all the jewelry she had so that's what she wore. A couple of spritz of her favorite green tea scented perfume and that was it. That was as dressed up as she could ever get. She hoped that it was enough.

 

It was a quarter before 10 when she was officially ready. Sitting at the edge of her bed, she waited, ignoring the furious growl of her empty stomach. You will be fed soon so just shut it for now, okay? she silently told her tummy. The growling did indeed stop, but was replaced by what seemed to be a black hole. The anticipation was killing her. She re-read the SMS from Donghae that came while she was asleep.

 

 

Pick you up at your room at 10. I hope you have a jacket. :) If you didn't bring one, tell me and I'll get one for you.

 

 

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and wondered where he could possibly be taking her that would require a jacket in August. It was still summer in Hong Kong after all. When her stomach let out another rumble, she gave up and reached for the banana in the complimentary fruit basket. She sighed with satisfaction at the first bite, realizing how her last food intake was twelve hours ago. Not even bothering to swallow the first bite, she took a huge second one.

 

Right then, the doorbell rang. Lost in the joy of eating, she happily opened the door and was greeted by a smiling Donghae. He was wearing a white collared shirt and jeans, a black blazer slung over an arm. Lily forgot to breath for a second. Realizing it, she hastily in a breath, which made her swallow at the same time, which resulted in her having a coughing fit because of the banana. Donghae's smile was instantly replaced by panic as he tried to help her.

 

"Oh my g-Lily! Are you alright? Wait, sit. I'll get some water," Donghae ordered, gently sitting her on the bed.

 

Lily wanted to thank him but all she could do was cough. Tiny pieces of banana have made their way up her nose and out her nostrils, accompanied by snot. Her eyes watered and tears spilled over. The banana pieces tickled the inside of her nose, making her sneeze big time right when Donghae approached with a glass of water.

 

"Hold on, Lily, water's com-"

 

"HAAAAAAAACCCHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

 

Startled by the loud sneeze, Donghae jumped, splashing water down the front of his shirt and pants. Lily felt a variety of crap come out of both her nose and mouth. Luckily, she had her face covered the whole time or else the hotel room wall would've gotten an unwanted banana-and-snot painting. The momentary relief she felt after her nasal passages cleared was instantly buried by the huge embarrassment on by the realization that she still had crap all over her face and Donghae was standing right there, witnessing it all. Cheeks burning, she rushed into the bathroom and locked herself in. Why? Why, of all days, did she have to choke on a banana tonight? And in front of her date? Her gorgeous, gorgeous, currently-in-a-wet-white-shirt date?

 

Facing the mirror, Lily slowly put her hands down. She was right. Her face was covered in mushed-up-banana, snot, and tears. She was horrified at how terrible she looked. Dejectedly, she began washing her face. 

 

A soft knock came.

 

"Lily? Are you okay?" Donghae, his voice filled with concern, asked from behind the door.

 

"I-I'm fine. Really. I'm just… washing up. I'll be out in a sec," Lily replied. She stared at herself in the mirror. The makeup that she carefully put on was now gone. Her nose could rival Rudolph's, and her eyes looked puffy. All her stuff were outside so a reapplication wasn't possible. She had to face him au naturel. As a last-ditch effort, she put on a light dusting of powder that the hotel provided and some lip balm, which she thankfully left in there.

 

Alright, this is it, Lily thought as her hand hovered over the doorknob. Get ready to be shot down. 

 

A puppy-dog-eyed Donghae was waiting right outside when she came out. 

 

"Are you okay? Do you feel sick? Maybe you should lie down. I'll see if they have an in-house doctor-" he blabbered upon seeing her.

 

"No no no, really, I'm okay. It was just… unfortunate timing," Lily mumbled, unable to meet his gaze. She ended up looking at his shirt, which was still a little see-through. "Oh, your shirt…"

 

Donghae waved it off. "It's fine. It'll dry. But you though. Are you sure you can go out? We can reschedule to tomorrow night."

 

I knew it. He's trying to get out of the date after seeing me like that. Ugh. Just my crappy luck, Lily thought bitterly.

 

"I'm perfectly fine. But if you… if you want to not go anymore… I mean, you must be tired and jet lagged and all… And you have a big day tomorrow so I don't wanna impose…" Lily said weakly.

 

Donghae chuckled. "Lily, I'm the one imposing. I made you take a 10-hour flight to another country. I should be the one embarrassed. But I'm not, because I really really want to go on this date with you."

 

Lily looked at the floor as she blushed deeply. She didn't know what to say to that. It was like something out of a rom-com. Usually, she'd feel like throwing popcorn at the screen when lines like this were said. But right now, she didn't mind at all. Instead, she reveled at the fact that she was at the receiving end of such a line. So this was how it felt like to be a leading lady.

 

"But I willingly came here so technically, that's not imposing," Lily pointed out, trying to mask her giddiness with faux-calm logic. 

 

"I'm a lucky guy, then," Donghae concluded, "to have someone like you willingly come to me."

 

"Bwahahahaha!" Laughter suddenly erupted from Lily. She couldn't help it. The cheesiness of it mixed with her nervousness, excitement, and being flattered elicited this weird reaction. She collapsed against the wall, pounding her fist. 

 

Looking a little confused, Donghae let out a couple of uncertain chuckles. "What… What's so funny?" he asked.

 

"I'm-I'm-I'm sorry," Lily managed to answer after taking a couple of seconds to calm down. "It's… I was just nervous, I guess."

 

Donghae just stared blankly at her.

 

"You've changed your mind, haven't you? Now that you know I'm weird," Lily pouted.

 

It was Donghae's turn to laugh out loud. "Trust me, that's not even within bounds of my definition of weird. Living with Yesung for over a decade really redefined that word."

 

Lily secretly let out a sigh of relief. It was also the first time she - or probably anybody in the world - thanked the heavens for making Yesung like touching philtrums.

 

"So are you ready to go? You have everything? Your jacket?" asked Donghae.

 

"Yup. Right here," Lily said, picking it up from the back of a chair. Donghae opened the door for her and they silently walked towards the elevators together.

 

"Oh wait, I forgot something," he said, halting.

 

"Oh, okay, I'll just wait here and you go get-"

 

"No," Donghae interrupted, turning towards her, and with a sheepish smile, continued, "I forgot to tell you that you look beautiful."

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

 

It wasn't that long a ride from the hotel to their destination, but it felt like hours to Lily. Being blindfolded made her all the more nervous and excited. Donghae rented one of the hotel's sleek, black, town cars to bring them to his "surprise". What kind of surprise would require a jacket and a blindfold?

 

The car smoothly came to a stop. Lily heard the door open, felt Donghae's hand take hers and gently pull her out with him. A moderate breeze welcomed her as she stepped out. It smelled… salty.

 

The scarf covering her eyes fell away, and at Donghae's whispered "Tada!", she opened her eyes. 

 

Brightly-lit and magnificent, a yacht floated only a few feet in front of her. She looked around and found that they were at the Central Ferry Pier on a dock away from everyone else. The yacht was small compared to the dinner cruise yachts presently sailing across the harbor, the lights on their decks reflecting off the water. A lump in formed when it dawned on her that Donghae must've especially arranged for this private harbor cruise. She has never felt so special in her life.

 

"Shall we?" her charming date invited, arm outstretched. 

 

Wordlessly, because there are no words for the sheer awesomeness of it, Lily looped her arm through his and walked onto the plank into the yacht. A pair of sharply dressed attendants greeted them with a flute each of champagne at the foot of a narrow stairway. Lily and Donghae nodded in thanks and continued upstairs. 

 

So this is where all the Christmas lights live when they're off season, Lily thought when she stepped onto the open-aired top deck. All around, yellow string lights surrounded them, making the night sky look aglow. She was reminded of the ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall, where hundreds of flickering flames from floating candles lighted the reflected sky. It was beautiful. It was magical. 

 

 

Lily moved around the deck, pulling Donghae with her. Unaware of the silly smile she was wearing, she stopped every few feet to admire the string lights. Donghae, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off of her. She clearly looked happy, and it made his heart soar.

 

"Mr. Lee, here is the cake you requested," announced a young lady in a patissier outfit, whose approach went completely unnoticed. It was three tiers tall, impeccably covered with purple fondant, and adorned with graceful, glittering, painted-on golden swirls and edible pearls. A bunch of thin, gold, lit sparklers crowded at the top, casting happy little dancing shadows on the rest of it.

 

Lily's eyes widened at the luxurious piece of pastry. She's had artsy cakes made for some of her birthdays, but never has she had anything this elegant (because her idea of a cool cake design had her favorite movie characters on it). Carefully, she approached it, her eyes never leaving the sparklers, unaware of the exchange of looks between her date and the patissier. 

 

"Happy birthday to you", a lone voice began.

 

"Happy birthday to you," several other voices continued.

 

"Happy birthday dear Lily, happy birthday to you!" everyone finished. Then, they switched to the Korean version.

 

Lily looked up to see all the boys under the glow of the string lights, all smiling, and singing her a slightly-off-key happy birthday. She pushed a mental record button in her head. Never. Never did she want to forget this moment.

 

After the Chinese version, everybody clapped and urged Lily to blow out the sparklers, but only after Siwon has taken about a million different shots of her and the cake. As expected from the boys, they were trick sparklers, and Lily gave up after her fifth try. They looked so much better lit anyway. The two attendants from awhile ago reappeared, along with two more, carrying foldable tables and chairs. Five minutes later, a long table was set, complete with all the ts. A moment later, they came out again, arms laden with trays full of everything Hong Kong cuisine can offer.

 

"Do you like it?" Siwon asked expectantly.

 

"Sorry to burst your bubble boys, but my birthday was last month," Lily said, trying to sound cool. But deep inside, her heart was puking rainbows of joy.

 

"We know. But it's better late than never, right?" Siwon smiled. Everyone cheered in agreement.

 

"You guys…" was all Lily could manage. She went up to them one by one and gave them a hug. Last in line was Donghae, whom she pulled away to the corner as the others got distracted by the aroma of the culinary delights wafting from the table.

 

"Is this the surprise? The birthday party?" Lily inquired.

 

"These idiots weren't included but yeah… We were supposed to have dinner on this yacht. Alone," Donghae confirmed, annoyance, disappointment, and resignation in his voice. Lily nodded. So these guys were gatecrashing. But all of them being here made it all the more perfect. 

 

"I could… I could tell them to go away, you know…" Lily offered hesitantly. 

 

Donghae smiled as he shook his head. "You're as attached to them as they are to you so I highly doubt that. And can you seriously shoo away faces like that?"

 

He pointed to Sungmin, Henry, and Ryeowook who, having failed at at ninja-eavesdropping, put on pouty expressions on cue. 

 

 

He was right. They were too adorable to shoo away. They were her boys and they had her at the palm of their hands.

 

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you," Lily reassured Donghae. "Let's just enjoy tonight, shall we?"

 

Donghae nodded his agreement and followed her to the table where everyone was already seated.

 

"Oh, by the way Lily, this is Jiwon, my younger sister," Siwon introduced, wrapping his arm around the patissier.

 

 

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

 

"YOU made the cake? Wow. Just, wow, Jiwon. You are the awesomest patissier there is," Lily complimented, raising her glass to her. They were already in the middle of their third trip around the harbor, and that meant everyone has had their fair share of alcohol. This was, after all, a birthday party.

 

"Yup, she did," Siwon confirmed proudly. "Spent a whole day painting those swirly things, too."

 

"You shouldn't have," Lily said, blushing. "I-I don't know how to thank you enough. I mean, we barely know each other…"

 

"Oh but I think I know you well already!" Jiwon exclaimed. "This guy over here talks about you all the time."

 

"You do?" Donghae, Kyuhyun, and Lily all asked in unison, which made them look at each other in awkwardness.

 

"Yeah, I complain to her a lot. Mostly about these guys making me their unofficial translator. And I also begged her to teach you Korean because she speaks much better at English than I do," Siwon explained.

 

"I was curious about the unfortunate soul who got into this black hole of weirdness, so I agreed," Jiwon said. "But then this opportunity to meet you suddenly came and I thought, 'Wouldn't it be better to meet her first?' So here I am!"

 

"I think I love you already," Lily said, the alcohol in her system making her lose the filter in her head.

 

"I love you, too, sweetie. So, as a fan, who is your favorite?" Jiwon asked, face all red, obviously at the edge of her alcohol tolerance limit.

 

"As a fan? I would have to say that I love the beautiful voice of…" Lily paused. She glanced at Kyuhyun. He was looking at her expectantly, a smug, knowing smile on his face. She wanted to bash his face in with her soup bowl. So he thinks she's gonna say his name, huh? He was right, she really loved his voice, but she wanted to bring that arrogant bastard down a peg. 

 

"Ryeowook," Lily finished. Ryeowook giggled cutely and thanked her. Kyuhyun's smug smile turned into a scowl. Lily did a little celebratory dance deep inside.

 

"Why does nobody pick me? I have a beautiful voice, too, you know!" Yesung protested. Everyone shushed him. He frowned and turned his attention to a plate of steaming hot buns.

 

"But I have a different personal favorite," Lily said, smiling mysteriously.

 

The guys started playfully fixing their clothes and hair and sat up straight, trying to look macho. Siwon cleared his throat loudly, nonchalantly dusting off imaginary dirt from his shoulder as if to say, "I got this in the bag." Yesung got up and started doing the octopus dance. Leeteuk begged him to stop.

 

Lily and Jiwon started laughing at how ridiculous these guys were acting. Seriously, how are they actually huge stars? Before anyone starts doing circus tricks, Lily decided to answer.

 

"Okay, okay! Enough showing off!" she said, still laughing. "As much as I want to see Yesung dance like that for another hour, I want you to know that you all look equally idiotic in my eyes."

 

Jiwon translated. The guys started booing and complaining and gesturing all at the same time. Yesung stood up and started dancing again. Leeteuk kept on yanking his shirt to get him to sit back down. 

 

"But… BUT!" Lily raised her voice. The guys quieted down and she continued. "I'd have to say that my favorite idiot is… Hyukkie. Because if it weren't for his absentmindedness, I wouldn't have met all of you."

 

Hyukjae had his signature gum-showing grin as he blushed. The other guys booed. Someone said, "How can he be your favorite?! He stinks!"

 

"Lily, they're bullying me again!" Hyukjae said, pouting.

 

 

"Stop it, you guys. I didn't bring Hyukkie back just so you could bully him," Lily lightly reprimanded.

 

Hyukjae turned to everyone else and stuck out his tongue. In turn, Ryeowook, Sungmin, Shindong, and Donghae started throwing morsels of food at him, which he tried catching in his mouth. He successfully caught a flying pork dumpling. 

 

"I'm never translating for you ever again, Lily!" Henry called out grumpily from the other end of the table.

 

"I'll buy you stinky tofu for the rest of your life," Lily shot back.

 

"Okay, we're good," Henry said, raising his cup at her.

 

She also raised his cup at him, air-clinked, took a sip, and realized that it was water. She then looked back at Henry, who was now talking animatedly to Zhou Mi, and wondered how the heck he got all the way there. She turned to her left and was surprised to see Kyuhuyn slurping up some Chinese birthday noodles. How long has he been sitting there?!

 

 

 

*flashback -- a few moments ago*

 

Everybody was doing their best, trying to get the "Lily's favorite" award. Kyuhyun remained unmoving, distracted. His eyes never left Lily. She looked utterly happy, sitting between Henry and Jiwon all the way at the other end of the table. But he knew that her cheeks were flushed not only because of her mirth. She's approaching her drinking limit. 

 

He saw the way she hesitated at first when presented with alcohol. But, always polite, she didn't refuse, and eventually got into the atmosphere. People kept refilling her cup and she kept drinking it unconsciously. For someone whose alcohol tolerance is about as good as Donghae's, she wouldn't last long. He can't let her black out again like last time, can he? And have Donghae carry her back to her room once more? No way.

 

Casually, he went over and whispered to Henry.

 

"Switch seats with me."

 

"Huh? Why?" Henry asked, not really paying attention.

 

"Just do it, okay?" Kyuhyun insisted.

 

"But my likes this seat already!" Henry protested.

 

"If you don't get up, I'm going to tell Zhou Mi that you volunteered to be his makeup guinea pig," Kyuhyun threatened.

 

That got Henry on his feet and off to the other end. Lily was busy talking with Jiwon to notice the exchange, so he quietly settled himself beside her and guarded her cup. Whenever someone fills it with soju, he'd quickly drink it and refill it with water. She was too preoccupied to notice the change in taste. He then pulled a big plate of greasy Chinese birthday noodles towards him. He's gonna be drinking all night and he needed all that grease to stay sober.

 

*end flashback*

 

 

 

"What?" Kyuhyun, noticing Lily staring at him, asked while chewing.

 

"What are you doing here?" she inquired.

 

"Celebrating your birthday, duh," Kyuhyun replied, taking another mouthful of noodles.

 

She glared at him. He kept on eating. She had nothing else to do so she reached for the soju bottle nearby but he slapped her hand. 

 

"What is your problem?!" Lily growled.

 

"You can't have any more. You're almost drunk," Kyuhyun answered simply.

 

"What--are you my mother? Leave me alone," Lily said, reaching for the bottle again. Kyuhyun quickly grabbed it and placed it out of her reach. Lily wanted to fight him for it but she knew he was right. She was never a good drinker and now there was something pulsating inside her head, making her a little dizzy. Ugh. She hated that he was right.

 

"Alright guys, let's call it a day. My sister is officially knocked out," Siwon said, supporting an unconscious Jiwon. It's like his announcement reminded everyone else that they were actually tired. Sungmin yawned, followed by Yesung. Zhou Mi got up and stretched his long arms forward. Everyone started getting ready to leave.

 

"Oh, hold on a minute!" Lily piped up, reaching for something by her legs. She produced a white shopping bag and handed it to Hyukjae. "They're shoes. You know, because you lost one and nobody wanted to buy you new ones. I saw them at a store window in Sydney last week so I thought I'd get them for you."

 

Hyukjae looked surprised. He pulled out the box inside the bag and opened it, showing everyone the shoes. It looked exactly the same as the ones he wore that day.

 

"How… How could you even remember the exact design?" he asked, amazed.

 

"I just… They were pretty unique shoes, so…" Lily said, smiling. Hyukjae could only look at her in amazement.

 

"It's her birthday, and she gave YOU a gift," Shindong pointed out. "Why haven't you proposed to her yet?"

 

Hyukjae blushed deeply and hid his face behind the paper bag.

 

"Really guys, this talk of Hyukjae proposing is spoiling my appetite. Can we just drop it and eat?" Kyuhyun said.

 

Everyone else laughed and patted Hyukjae on the back comfortingly. They were used to their maknae's sharp tongue.

 

"You're the epitome of a party pooper, you know that?" Lily snapped at him. Kyuhyun shoved another huge portion of noodles into his mouth while giving her a "deal with it" look. She fought the urge to stick chopsticks down his throat. Instead, she force-fed him even more noodles until his cheeks were bulging and hoped he chokes on it. He groaned his protest and swatted her away. She grabbed his hand and forced it down the table, her other hand snatching a napkin from the dispenser and wiping his mouth. She couldn't stand the sauce around his lips anymore.

 

"You are such a kid," Lily grimaced. Kyu scowled in return, still chewing. 

 

One by one, the members got up. Lily pushed Kyuhyun aside to make way for the Choi siblings. Jiwon was a complete dead weight. Lucky her brother was a real-life Superman. With a little help from Lily and Donghae, Siwon got her on his back and he piggy-backed her back to the car. The others all wished her a happy birthday again as they exited, with Hyukjae thanking her again for the shoes. He looked genuinely happy, and she too was happy that he was starting to relax around her already.

 

After everyone has gone, Lily picked up her stuff and walked to the back of the yacht again, a satisfied smile on her face. The fresh sea air had a sobering effect so she inhaled deeply. She politely rejected the guys' offers of walking/driving her back to the hotel because she wanted to be alone for a few moments and give her brain some time to process that this was, in fact, reality. A birthday in a yacht. With Super Junior. This must be the most vivid daydream ever. But the heat of Donghae's lips at the back of her hand when he kissed it goodbye felt so real. It felt… electric. An excited shiver went down her spine. What was it she was feeling? Was it only her or was he feeling it too? Embracing the happy buzz she was feeling, Lily finally excited the yacht.

 

It was a good half-hour walk back to the hotel but the route was pretty straightforward. It's good that she's familiar with Hong Kong so she wasn't afraid to walk alone. 

 

"In case you forgot, I still have a ruined coat and a drool-covered shirt, all thanks to you," someone whispered quietly by her ear.

 

Lily spun, startled. Kyuhyun stood there, trying to keep the corners of his lips from curling up into a smirk.

 

Lily gave him a "WTF" look and rolled her eyes. She resumed walking and picked up her pace. He kept up with her. She walked even faster. He stayed right beside her. She would have to break into a run if she wanted to go any faster, but her head was throbbing like mad and really, is he worth all that effort? Instead, she stopped dead on her tracks, making him bump into her.

 

"Ow! Hey!" Kyuhyun complained.

 

"Will you quit following me?!" Lily demanded, eyebrows furrowed.

 

"And who said that I was following you? We're staying in the same hotel so we're just going the same way," Kyuhuyn defended.

 

"Then go another way! Just--just go away! Ugh!" Lily exclaimed, resuming her speed-walk.

 

"Hey, this is a free country and I can walk wherever I want," Kyuhyun said, again keeping up with her. "It's really not my problem if my awesomeness is bothering you. Normally, girls like it when I'm around them, especially at a night like this and there's hardly anybody around---OOOMPH!"

 

Lily just shoved a paper bag hard on his chest. "There. Happy?! I was gonna give it to you later but if it'll shut you up now then there. Enjoy!"

 

Kyuhyun looked at her curiously before carefully opening the paper bag and taking out a handsome dark gray wool coat. Inside it was a sleek yet comfortable-looking pink-and-white striped collared shirt. It was way better than the ruined clothes he was referring to.

 

"So? Are you satisfied? Actually, could you try it on? 'Coz I'm not sure about the size and they've got a 1-week return policy," Lily said.

 

Kyuhyun continued staring at the clothes. He was just kidding. He didn't really think she'd replace his clothes. He would've settled for one of those I <3 -insert country here- t-shirts you can buy in hotel gift shops. But here he is, holding something Zhou Mi would pick out and Siwon would deem worthy to wear.

 

"What, you don't like it?" Lily asked, a slight frown forming on her lips.

 

"No. I mean, yes. I mean, I like it. It's really… pink?" Kyuhyun replied, unable to arrange words into something that resembles gratitude.

 

"Well, yeah. I noticed that you liked wearing stripes and you… look nice in pink," Lily explained. "Shouldn't you try it on?"

 

"Are you getting me to take my clothes off in front of you?" Kyuhyun teased.

 

"ARGH! You---ARGH! Just--ARGH!" Lily cried, not knowing what to say out of frustration. This guy knows just the right way to ruin a nice moment. Wait, did she just think that she's having a nice moment with Kyuhyun? ARGH! She must be going mad. 

 

Irritated, Lily her heels and stomped away. 

 

"Hey, wait up! I don't remember the way back to the hotel!" Kyuhyun called out, hurriedly stuffing the clothes back into the bag.

 

"GET LOST!" Lily yelled back.

 

"I really might and then you'd have to come and find me!" Kyuhyun shouted in reply, blocked by a passing group of late-night joggers.

 

"I'd never look for you if you ever disappear! It'd be the happiest day of my life!" he heard Lily yell back before she disappeared around a corner.

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________

 

FINALLY! AFTER 3 LONG MONTHS!!! Hahahahaha!!! :D :D :D

 

Kyuhyun tries to "step up his game"… and fails. *facepalm*

 

But did he really? ;)

 

Will Clare forgive Lily for the whole secrecy thing?

 

Another fun chapter for me to write! I hope you enjoyed it, too. :D How are you liking the story so far? I'm terribly sorry for taking an extremely long time to update. I'm going to try my best to update at least once a week from now on. 

 

So who do you think came up with the surprise birthday party idea? 

 

Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who read this (silent readers too) and to those who subscribed and commented. May your bias dance around seductively in your dreams tonight. :p