"Shhh... be quiet..."

"I am, Mom... stop making noises..."

I wasn't sure if I was dreaming, or if I was actually awake and half-asleep at the same time.

"Don't talk to your mother like that."

What is this? Should I just open my eyes and wake up? And where's Luhan? Shouldn't he be-

*POP!*

I opened my eyes, and streamers and colorful glitters were floating in front of my face. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUNGCHANNIE~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNGCHANNIE~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARANGHANEUN~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUNGCHANNIE!"

Oh! It's my birthday. Haha.

My whole family was there in my room, Mom, Dad, and my younger brother, Wonjin. They were cheering oh-so brightly, and had a small cupcake in their hands, each with a heart-shaped icing. 

I smiled and sat up straight. "Oh my. Thank you! Mom, Dad, Wongjin, thank you! Do you guys really have to do this??"

"Is that even a question, noona?" Wonjin suddenly said. "Come on, we've prepared something for you downstairs."

They helped me out of bed and we all went downstairs. And to my surprise, the whole kitchen was filled with streamers and the tables were filled with food.

"Hey, where's Luhan?" I asked immediately.

"He's, uh, out. Somewhere," Mom replied.

"Hyung said he'll be back before lunch," Wonjin said.

I nodded. And I looked back again at the preparations. "Wow. Thank you, really. This is so nice." I went to the streamers, and I noticed there were tons of dedications from all my friends and family back at my old home. "You guys really did these?"

Dad laughed. "We had to scour the whole Seoul just to find your old friends."

"Some aren't even here in Korea anymore," Mom added. I think she's talking about Baekhyun, my old high school friend. I think he's in London or Paris or wherever in Europe. He was this rich- lazy kid whom Luhan thought was his rival, but then Baekhyun is a good kid at heart, and I think they've patched things up ever since.

Oh, and also, there's Kris, who was Luhan's old schoolmate back at China, and who also decided to become my schoolmate here in Korea during one of my elementary days. He was also an annoying little prick, but we've also patched things up with him. He's in China if I remember correctly.

"That's alright," I said. "Come on, let's go eat."

We all dined in to the food that they brought. We shared some stories and caught up with each other as we ate, because it has been a few months since I last saw my family.

"Oh my, Wonjin. You've grown taller than the last time!" I exclaimed. "Do you already have a girlfriend?"

He shook his head and took a bite from the cake. "Nope, none at all."

"His friends think he's gay," Dad teased.

"Dad!" Wonjin shouted. "They didn't say that!"

We all laughed. Oh how I missed these times with my family.

When we were done, we cleared up the plates and started cleaning, but all of the sudden, doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," I said and went to the door. 

After opening the door, there was a the mail man holding a big box standing in front of me. "Good morning, ma'am. Are you Miss Bae Sungchan?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He handed me the box. "This is for you."

I was shocked. For me? Who's this from? I took the box from him. He asked me to sign some papers, and after that, he went on his way.

I went back to the kitchen and placed it on the table. "Mom, look."

She was with Wonjin by the sink, cleaning the dishes. "What is it?" She went to me and saw the box. "Wow, that's big. Who's that from?"

I shrugged. I checked the tag, and to my surprise, it's addressed from Malsoon Han.

"It's from my boss," I said.

There was an envelope. I opened it and read the letter inside.

"Happy birthday, Miss Sungchan. Hope you have a great day. I delivered a small present for you. I hope you would like it. And by the way, I'm giving you a day off. Have fun. xoxo, Malsoon Han."

"Woah. This is still small?" Wonjin quipped.

"Your boss is nice," my mother commented.

"Open it, dear," Dad prodded.

I opened the box, and to add to my surprise once again, I found a new Mac Book Air.

The four of us had our eyes wide like big basketballs.

"This is too much!" I exclaimed.

"Woah, noona! If you don't want it, I can have it!" Wonjin said as he went forward to check the present.

I pulled it away from him. "Nuh-uh, kiddo. This is mine. And I probably got this because it's job-related. So, finders keepers." I stuck out my tongue at him.

"Oh, you two." Mom chuckled. "Okay, just keep that first, Sungchan. Go up and get dressed."

I turned to Mom. "What? Why?"

"We're going shopping, as usual," she said with a big grin.

I groaned. Every year, on my birthday, my mom would take me to the mall to buy me clothes. That's her way of giving me a present.

"Mom, Lulu and I just went there last week."

"Then, you're going back," she said and pushed me upstairs. "Go, now. Go."

------

It was Dad who accompanied me to the mall, to my surprise. Again.

I actually didn't do anything at the mall. Dad was just following me around. And he kept on probbing me to buy anything I want.

"Dad, I'm not a kid anymore. I'll just buy whatever I want next time."

He chuckled. "Oh. How my little girl ha