Donghae POV

“Saengil chukha hamnida,” I said while I smiled. “I’m sorry I don’t know what cakes do you like. I hope you like it.”

I waited for her respond but she kept silence. Shinhye just stared at the cake blankly.

“How was it? Do you like it?” I asked her.

“…”

“You don’t like it?”

“….”

“You can throw it if you don’t like it or you can…”

I stopped talking. I saw she cried all of sudden. Hey, what’s wrong with her? Did she really dislike my cake?

“Yah, yah. Why are you crying? Don’t cry just because you don’t like my cake! Okay, okay. I will help you to throw it.”

I was going to throw the cake when suddenly…

“Gomawo,” Shinhye said softly.

“Ne?”

“Gomawo… for the cake. I like it,” she said as she sobbing.

“But why are you crying?”

“I’m just… happy because you know my birthday. I thought I will celebrate my birthday alone.”

“You will not. I’ll be here to accompany you. Besides, although your father was coma, I think he’s here too,” I comfort her.

“Ne. I know…” she said.

“Yah, stop crying. Don’t you want to blow the candle and make a wish?”

“Um.” She nodded.

I took matches and light the candle. She closed her eyes and blow the candle. I clapped hands for her.

“Now, cut the cake please.” I handed her a knife.

She cut a piece of cake and put it on the table beside Mr.Park’s bed.

“This first cake is for you. Get well soon, Appa. I miss you,” she said while she holding her father’s hand.

After that, Shinhye going to cut another piece of cake. I was surprised because she gave it to me.

“For you,” she said.

“R-really? Are you sure?”

"Fine if you don’t want to. I'll eat it." She pulled back the cake which she handed to me.

"Yah, wait. Okay. I'll take it. " I snatched the cake from her hand.

Then, Shinhye cut another cake for herself. She ate voraciously. I smiled to myself to see it. She wasn’t even aware of being watched. While I was engrossed in watching her, suddenly an idea popped into my head.

"Park Shinhye, is there any place that you want to go now?"

"Um ... ne. Why? "

"Tell me."

"Um… I want to go to the beach."

"Really? Let’s go then, " I asked.

"Ne? To where? "

"The beach, of course."

"Now? Aren’t you going to work? "

"No. I took the day off. "

"Day off? Why? "

Geez. Why does she have to ask anyway? It would be impossible if I said that I want to celebrate her birthday, right?

"Er ... I'm tired. I need some refreshing,” I lied.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Kajja!” I dragged her out.

At the beach

Shinhye ran to the edge of the beach immediately when we arrived. She looked very excited to play in the water. I just watched her from far. I smiled by myself to see her. I never see her as happy as like this since she came to Korea.

“LEE DONGHAE, COME HERE!” she shouted.

“I DON’T WANT TO,” I shouted back.

She came up to me.

“We’ve come all the way here. Let’s play,” she asked.

“No. Just like the kids.”

“Tsk. I know you were that old. But can you just having fun for a while? You said that you want to get refreshing, right?”

I thought for a while. Then, an idea came into my head. I smirked.

“Yah, what’s wrong with you? Why did you smirk all of a sudden?”

Shinhye POV

“Yah, what’s wrong with you? Why did you smirk all of a sudden?” I asked him. He looked so scary with his smirk.

Suddenly, he lifted me and carrying my body on his shoulder. He headed to the edge of the beach.

“Yah, yah! Lee Donghae! What are you doing?!” I yelled as I hit his back.

On the edge of the beach, Donghae put me down. I hit his chest.

“Yah! Why are you being like that?! I’m afraid, you know?!” I yelled at him.

Donghae laughed. “Don’t you want to play? That’s called playing.”

I glared at him.

“That’s not playing! Playing is like… THIS!” I splashed sea water to his body.

He got wet. I laughed. He looked annoyed and then he took revenge on me. He splashed sea water over me. He laughed at me.

“KYAA,” I shouted. We splashed each other happily.

You know what? I’m happy right now. It feels like I’m forget about everything that made me sad.

*

“Aish. We’re getting wet. That’s your fault,” Donghae grumbled to me.

It was almost evening but we were still sitting on the sand, drying our bodies.

“That’s your fault! Why did you carrying me like that? Am I your bag?”

“Yes, you are.”

“Yah!”

He chuckled. Then, he looked at the sky. I was doing what he does as well.

“I think it’s good that we’re getting wet. We still have time to watch the sunset,” I said.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Then, we’re quiet.

“Lee Donghae, can I ask you something?”

“Um.”

“Would you like to tell me how did you meet my father?”

He quiet for a moment.

“I lived in an orphanage before and I have no family at all. After graduated from high school, I decided to leave the orphanage and find a job. Then, I applied for a job in your father’s company. Fortunately, I was accepted as a cleaning service.”

I was surprised. I never know that he was living hard before.

“Really? You’re a cleaning service before?”

He nodded.

“Someday, your father’s company hold a young entrepreneur’s competition. I joined it and I won. There was no one believed me because I was just a cleaning service. But your father…” He started to cry.

“Your father defend on me. He said that he believed in me. Then, he assigned me as an employee and send me to university.”

“Four years ago, I heard that you ran away from your home. Your father was sick, and I took care of him as reciprocation. Because I lived in a small apartement, he asked me to move in your home. He treated me as his own son, and I treated him like my own father too.”

He was calming down. I stunned. Now, I know why my father write Donghae’s name in his will.

I turned my face to him. “Lee Donghae, I’m sorry for being misunderstand before. I thought you just want my father’s wealth. Now I know that you are sincere. Please forgive me.”

“I’m sorry too because I thought that you are a bad daughter,” he said as he turned his face to me.

“There is one more thing,” I said.

“What’s that?”

“Thanks for taking care of Appa and… thanks for celebrate my birthday.” I smiled.

He smiled back at me. Hey, he is so… handsome. His smile just like an angel.

Donghae POV

“Thanks for taking care of Appa and… thanks for celebrate my birthday,” she said as she smiled.

Wait. Did she smile at me? Really? She smiled at me for the first time! And she looked pretty. I smiled at her as sweet as I can.

I thought we’ve been like this for several minutes, staring each other while smiling. I hope I could stop the time. I just wanted seeing her smile.

Both of us back to our senses. I cleared my throat.

“Park Shinhye, it’s already evening. Let’s go home,” I asked her.

“Um. Y-yeah.”

We headed to car.

In the car

“Park Shinhye, where else do you want to go?”

“There’s no. I don’t wanna bother you.”

“Hey, don’t be like that. Today is your special day. I’ll take you to anywhere do you want.”

“Can I?” her face was bright.

I nodded.

“I’m hungry.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Um… Jajjangmyeon!” she said excitedly.

“Okay then. Kajja!”

Shinhye POV

At a restaurant

“Ahjumma, we order two jajjangmyeon.” I asked the restaurant’s owner.

“Ne.” Ahjumma left.

Ahjumma came with two jajjangmyeon in her hands not long after.

“Lee Donghae, just eat a lot. I’ll treat you.” I said with a mouth full of food.

“Really?”

“Ne. You’ve gave me a cake and took me to the beach. It’s time for me to treat you.”

“Okay.”

When we ate, Donghae’s cell phone was ringing. He picked it up.

“Yoboseyo.”

“….”

 “I’m sorry, Sica-ah. I have something important.”

Oh. It’s Jessica.

“…”

“Really?” He looked at me with doubt.

“…”

“Okay.”

 He hung up the phone. Then, he looked at me, guilty.

“I’m sorry, Park Shinhye. I have to go now. Jessica was sick right now and I have to fetch her at office.”

I knew this is would be happened. Of course Jessica was more important than me.

“Yeah. Just go,” I said curtly.

“Is it okay?”

I nodded lazily.

“Thanks, and I’m sorry I have to leave you alone.” He left.

Aish. What a bad boy. He was the one who wants to take me to anywhere, and he was the one who leaves me.

I didn’t finish my food. I didn’t have appetite to eat anymore. After paid the bill, I went home.

*

It was already late but Donghae hasn’t come yet. The rain fall heavily outside. I was worried, so I decided to wait for him while watching TV.

Donghae came not long after.

“Haven’t you sleep?” he asked me.

“Not yet,” I said coldly.

“When did you go home?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yah, are you mad at me?”

“No.”

“You’re mad at me.”

“Aish. I say no! I go sleep.” I stood up.

I was going to up stairs but suddenly the lights off.

“KYAAA!” I cried. I grabbed Donghae’s arm immediately.

“Hey, calm down! I will looking for a flashlight,” Donghae said.

“No! Don’t leave me alone! Just stay here!”

“O-okay.”

We were sitting down on sofa with my hands hold Donghae’s arm.

“Lee Donghae, when will the lights on?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m scared.”

“For what?”

“It’s dark.”

“Why do you afraid of dark?”

“My cousin ever told me that the ghost would came when it’s dark.”

Donghae laughed.

“Yah, what are you laughing at?”

“You’re so funny. You’re afraid of dark, animals, and ghost. Why are you so coward?”

“Shut up! It’s up to me!” I yelled at him.

Then, we’re quiet.

“Lee Donghae, I’m sleepy.”

“Just sleep.”

“Um… When it’s dark and I feel sleepy, my father will hug me.”

“So?”

“Can you hug me now?”

“What??”

“Oh please. If you don’t hug me I will have a nightmare later,” I beg him.

“…”

I waited for his respond.

“Tsk. Okay,” he said finally.

“Gomawo.”

He wrapped his hand on my shoulders. I leaned on his chest. Fortunately it was dark so he couldn’t see my red face.

Thump. Thump. Hey, what sound is that? Is it my heart’s sound? Omo. It’s embarrassing. Wait. I thought the sound came from Donghae’s chest. My head moved closer to his heart.

“Lee Donghae, does your heart beating faster?”

“Mwo? I-it’s not!”he denied it.

“Don’t lie! My ear on your chest exactly. Do you hear that? Thump. Thump,” I imitated his heart sound.

“I think it’s your heart sound. I can feel your heart beating faster too. Are you nervous because of me?” he said.

“Yah, don’t be over confidence! It’s not mine though! I’m sure it’s your heart sound!”

“No. It’s yours!”

“It’s yours!”

“Yah, can you just go sleep? If you keep talking then I will leave you alone. Oh. You’re not alone. I think some ghosts will accompany you here.” He made me frightened.

“YAH! Don’t ever mention about it! Okay, okay. I will sleep right now!” I yelled.

I closed my eyes and fall asleep… in Donghae’s hug.