"Happy new year!"

The four young women chorused together, clinking their wine glasses together, the pale yellow liquid sloshing inside. In spite of the celebration, neither of them showed their enthusiasm greatly, trying to make themselves look as sophisticated as possible. That is, until one of them bursts out in hearty laughter, dispersing the air of elegance around them in less than a minute.

Leave it to Hyojung to liven the mood.

With the formal play gone, the girls happily sipped their champagne, big smiles plastered on their faces. They had really wanted to do this for a long time, but with Dasom being under the legal age limit, it had to wait. Taking a gulp of her first liquor ever, Dasom's face churned up and turned sour, causing the latter to laugh boisterously. "How do you guys like this?" She asked, swirling the liquid rather vigorously before setting it back down on the dressing table.

"You'll get use to it. Trust me, in a few years time, I would probably be obliged to give you another glass." Hyorin commented, finishing the drink in one shot. Though not much of a drinker, her alcohol threshold was pretty great for a woman. She could probably finish the entire bottle and still be sane.

Staring at the drink in front of her, Dasom quickly shook her head. "I don't think it'll just take a few years. More like a decade." Taking a glance at the wall clock, Dasom pondered for a little while. "If you want, I can try again after our performance."

Unfortunately, the girls had to spent such a joyous occasion in the waiting room of one of Korea's broadcasting stations for a grand performance along with other kpop groups. Who knew that one still had to work on new year's day? Hyorin didn't really mind, since she's spending time with her fellow members, and someone else...

"By the way..." Bora cooed, leaning back on her chair and crossing her legs as she gazed at the tan woman. "Where IS that boyfriend of yours? Didn't he say that he has something to show you?" Hyorin frowned, both at Bora's mockery and in upset. Considering that she never told of Myungsoo's surprise to anyone, not even her super friend Ailee, it was plainly obvious that Bora must have taken a peek into her phone messages. What goes around comes around, she guessed, especially since she was guilty of the exact same action last year with Bora's, which was why she was willing the let the older woman off the hook. It was still hard, though, to hide a look of disapproval from the chuckling woman in front of her.

The fact that Myungsoo wasn't here yet contributed more to her disappointment. If it was such an important surprise, shouldn't he be here by now? Hyorin tried to gather her thoughts back and find a logical reason while topping up her glass, but with the mixed emotions bubbling inside her, or the sparkling alcohol, it failed midway. The most she could do now was wait.

A few minutes later, the girls were greeted with a knock on there dressing room door. The girls allowed access, half expecting it to be either their manager or the man of the night that still hadn't make his appearance. Instead, they were greeted with a bright and slender woman older than all four of them. "Unnie!" Hyorin squealed, happy to see her best buddy. "Glad you could make it."

"Won't miss it for the world," Ailee replied, dragging a chair from one of the dressing table and sitting beside Hyorin. "I mean, which person wouldn't give an arm or a leg to be having a party with the lovely Sistar!"

"Yeah yeah, much flattered. Anyways, do you happen to know where Myungsoo is?"

"I have no idea actually," Ailee scowled. "To tell you the truth, I can't find Sunggyu either." She leaned forward, her voice lowered to a fair whisper. "Do you think he's cheating on me?"

Hyorin laughed. "Cheat on you? Seriously? If he cheats on you, I'll be the first person to rip out his vocal cords, with my bare hands. Besides, how can he cheat on someone as perfect as you?" Hyorin knew she wasn't joking. Ailee was the light in his darkness, the only person who found reasoning in his wrongdoings. Hyorin and Sunggyu had a very messy relationship which dates back to a very long time ago. Thankfully, all is forgiven, Ailee's by his side, and he could finally have a relationship with someone who loves him back. That's more than he could ever asked for.

"Heol!" a male voice sighed, the uninvited presence stomping straight inside. "I don't see you for barely a day, and you already start to bad-mouth me." Giving a sharp knock onto her head, he continued, "Yejin, how do you expect to have a lasting relationship with an attitude like this?"

"Hey!" Ailee cried, rubbing the sensitive area with care. "I'm just being overprotective okay? You're handsome enough to attract millions of girl fans around the world." Sunggyu grinned, giving his girlfriend a peck on the cheek, clearly pleased by the compliment.

"Before I forget," he spoke, turning his attention to Hyorin. "L's requesting your immediate presence." Arching a eyebrow, she shot a weird look at Sunggyu, who in return just shurgged. "Don't look at me like that. I don't really know why either."

"I'm not mad at you, oppa. It's just..." Hyorin trailed off. L was way too unpredictable. Shouldn't he be the one who gets her? However, she shouldn't cast all her worries at Sunggyu, innocent in the psychological war between the couple. "... Never mind. Did he say anything specifically on where I should meet him?"

"Erm..." Sunggyu mumbled, tapping his foot against the carpeted floor. "About that... He kinda ask you to meet him... in the janitor's closet."

Myungsoo paced around the tight space of the room, turning around whenever he countered a dead end. The feelings of worry and anticipation were threatening to blow right out of him. She should have gotten my message by now, shouldn't she?  He thought to himself. Just be a little patient L. I'm sure she'll get here. L felt rather strange striking a conversation with himself, but it seemed to be the only option to keep himself mentally 'sane', at least for now. He wasn't sure if Hyorin would actually appreciate the things that he lay out for her, or even come inside the room in the first place. Indeed, placing a surprise in the janitor's closet wasn't such a brilliant idea to began with, but L couldn't think of a better place to have the intimate privacy he needed, unless the janitor decides to fetch himself a new mop. Highly unlikely, though, with the celebrations still on and the trash slowly accumulating on the floors of the wide concert hall.

I wondered how much Myungsoo would give to see Hyojung at the moment when he was too busy talking to himself, standing outside the grey door with a tense look on her face. Embarrassed? Fully. She was glad that the room was in a more secluded corridor than she had predicted earlier. It would be awkward to find a hallyu star lingering around the janitor's closet, as if the need for a broom was of great urgency. Still flushed and pink, Hyorin timidly knocked on the door, half praying that nobody was looking at her at that moment.

A knock. L's confirmation that she's waiting outside. "Time to get the ball rolling." he spoke to himself. Grabbing the items that he keeped safely away for this occasion, he unlocked the door, waiting for his beloved to enter.

The door's unlocked, unsurprising yet rather frightening. Hyorin opened the door slightly and peeked in. Dim, that's what the room was, very dim. It's definitely going to take awhile for her to adjust to the semi-darkness. Before she could get in, something caught a eye. A twinkle, no, a spark, coming from inside, beckoning her. Finally opening the door, the man she waited for stood unmoving, sparklers in both hands, grinning as he opened his mouth and sang.

"Happy birthday to you~"

Hyorin laughed, all the frustration within her melting away as quickly as ice cream on a hot summer's afternoon. Handing the sticks to her, L turned around and grabbed the next item.

"Happy birthday to you~"

A cake soon appeared in front of Hyorin, covered generously in strawberries and cream. Strawberry shortcake, she guessed, remembering how she had told him weeks prior that she was craving for some.

"Happy birthday to Hyojung~"

Keeping his eyes on hers, L continued, aware of the shine that was starting to appear in them.

"Happy birthday to you~"

He finished on a clean note, though concern written all over his face. Hyorin stood still, the sparklers burning brightly in her hands. "Do you..." he asked, his heart sinking a little. "Do you not like it?"

"Like it?" She answered, tears b in her eyes. "L, I love it. Thank you."

L smile, leaning forward and kissing her soft lips. "I knew you would."

"Though I believe that my birthday is still a few weeks from now."

He laughed. "I know, but you yourself know why I'm doing it now."

"Of course I do." She replied, feeling the dread rise again inside. "Do you have to go?"

"It's my job, sweetheart. I promised to give you a proper birthday celebration when I get back, okay?"

"But that'll be a month after my birthday."

"Hey, at least I'm spending time with you, right?" She liked that thought. Even though she won't be able to see her boyfriend for two months, she can still anticipate the times spent together when he's back. Yes, she'll like that a lot. Besides, she has Ailee in the same boat as her. Misery loves company, after all.

"You better get me good things from your tour, okay?"

"One from every country." He smirked, placing the cake down cautiously as Hyorin did the same with her burned out sticks. "I'll get such wonderful gifts, it'll make your antis jealous."

"I think they're jealous enough, thank you very much." She laughed, pulling him into a hug. "I'll miss you, Myungsoo."

L patted the girl's back gently. Seperation hurts, but that is when love shows its full glory. "I'll miss you too." Hyorin stayed in his arms, enjoying the sound of his voice and the spicy scent of his perfume. Maybe being without him won't be so bad after all. Nothing in this world is ever going to keep them apart, right?

If only she knew how wrong she was.

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Hi guys! Even though I said that I'll probably update in June, the urge to write this was so strong, it overwhelmed me. So, here's the next chapter!

I don't know about you, but do you feel that my writhing has improved? In comparison to my first fanfic, I realised how much my writing style has changed. Hopefully it's a good thing. Honestly, I haven't been producing the exam marks that I was expecting lately, and it worries me to no end. It'll only be a matter of time before I'm stripped of my kpop and kdramas and made to study. T^T

Until then, comment and subscribe! :D