Two weeks later…

            Effie smiled happily at the calendar. Tomorrow is my birthday. I can’t wait for that! She thought. Then she unlocked her phone and started to call someone. “Unnie, hallo!” greeted Effie when the call was answered by Chemi on the other line.

            “Yeah. What’s up, Effie yah?”

            “Will you come to my house tomorrow? I’ll invite Ann J too. We’ll have a small party together!” she said happily. She must get what I mean, she thought.

            “Why so sudden? I should go to library and do my paper,” Chemi said which made Effie felt down. “You know, I’m active at college again and there are a lot of assignments that I should do. Aigoo… I’m so tired even to think about them!”

            They talked a bit before Effie ended the call. She sighed heavily, then called Ann J. “Will you come to my house tomorrow?” asked Effie in sudden after Ann J greeted at her.

            “I’m afraid I can’t,” Ann J answered. “I will spend my whole time with mommy tomorrow. She misses me so much and doesn’t want to let me go.”

            Effie lay down on her bed after ending the call. She sighed again and felt so sad. It means I will spend my birthday time alone, she thought. Yeah, not really because I still have my parents and Jinyoung oppa. But still… She looked at the clock. It was nine o’clock. I still have fifteen hours before midnight. What should I do now??

            Effie sat on her bed,  stood up, and walked to her closet. She took the cap, coat, and boots out of the closet and wore them in hurry. After taking her clutch and scarf, she came out of her room.

            “Jihoon ah, where are you going?” asked Mrs. Lee when Effie greeted her.

            “I just want to get some fresh air, Mom,” answered Effie when she was about to open the door. “I’ll be home at four!”

 

***

 

            Effie sat on the bench while seeing the surrounding of the park. Yes, she decided to go to Daejoon Park, one of the famous park in the city. There were a lot of people came to there because it was Saturday. A lot of couples were seen by her and it made Effie felt jealous. It was not because she had no boyfriend, but because she was alone. I wish there will be someone whom I know come to me, she wished.

            She took out of her phone from her coat pocket and the media player. She listened to the U-KISS’s song titled Don’t Act innocent. Yes, she liked U-KISS a lot because the members were all nice and their songs were awesome. Suddenly, she remembered the moment of Simply K-pop concert in Shanghai. Her cheeks flushed when she remembered of Eli. Actually, she was a big fan of him since his debut as a member of U-KISS. And their last meeting was so unforgettable. I wish I could meet him again.

            “Can I sit here?”

            Suddenly, she was surprised by the man voice. Effie looked at the person who wore a black sunglasses and cap. She nodded and let the man sat next to him. She tried to act like nothing happened even though his presence made Effie felt uncomfortable. Then, she remembered that she had bought her lunch. She took a sandwich from the paper bag. “Have you had lunch?” she asked to the man who was busy playing his phone as she give the sandwich to him. “Want some?”

            “Oh, I’ve had lunch before I come here,” he said. “Just enjoy your lunch!”

            Effie nodded, then took a bite of the sandwich.

            “Kevin ah, where are you?” asked the man who was calling someone.

            Effie frowned in confused. Kevin?

            “I’m in Daejoon Park. Are Soohyun hyung, Kiseop, and Hoon with you right now? Yah! They leave me! They said they would wait for me at JCo’s Restaurant but they weren’t! I’ve waited for them for half an hour. Pick me up, Kevin ah! I don’t drive my car and I don’t know where our new studio is. Hurry!”

            “Did you call Kevin from U-KISS?” asked Effie when the man ended the call.

            He looked at her for a while, then nodded. “Are you a Kiss Me by any chance?”

            Effie rounded her eyes in surprised. “Oh my God! Are you a friend of him then?” she asked, did not care about his question.

            The man laughed a bit seeing her reaction. “Yes, of course. I’m his closest friend. I’m Eli from U-KISS,” he answered as he took of his sunglasses and smiled friendly at her.

            Effie was more surprised by his answer. Then, she took of her scarf which hiding her half face. “Do you still remember me?” asked Effie in hope. Oh my God… my wish really comes true!

            Eli was silent for a moment while looking at her face carefully. Then, he nodded. “You’re Effie from C-REAL! We met in Shanghai, didn’t we?”

            Effie nodded in hurry. “Nice to meet you again, sunbaenim!”

            Eli laughed again. “Don’t call me sunbaenim. Just call me oppa,” he said. “Why are you here alone?”

            “Well, I have nothing to do today and no one can accompany me to come here,” Effie answered in a sad tone.

            “Hmm… so, do you want to come to our new studio?” asked Eli in sudden which made Effie surprised. “Kevin will pick me up and you’ll meet my fellas there if you want to come. I’m sure they will be glad when they see a girl among us.”

            Effie chuckled, then nodded in agree.

 

***

 

            “Why didn’t you pick up my call, Jihoon ah?” asked Mrs. Lee in angry when Effie was home. “It’s eleven o’clock! You said you would be home at four. How could you tell a lie to me?!”

            “I didn’t tell a lie, Mom,” said Effie. “I didn’t know if I would meet someone and went to someplace after that. My phone was in silent mode, so I didn’t know if you’ve called me many times. I’m so sorry, Mom… really.” She looked at her shoes. She could not look at her eyes when she was mad and she knew that she was false anyway.

            Mrs. Lee sighed then approached to her. “Don’t do that again, ok? Don’t make me worry about you again,” she said and nodded by Effie. “Have you had dinner?” she asked in a soft tone.

            Effie nodded, still could not see her mom face. “May I go to my room, Mom? I’m so tired and I need a rest,” she said. When Mrs. Lee said yes, Effie went up to her room. She took off the boots then lay on the bed with the coat, scarf, and cap were still oh her. She felt so tired but happy in the same time. She could not stop smiling remembering what had happened today. Just like Eli said, all of the members of U-KISS were glad to meet her. They treated her as a special guest and their younger sister. This is my beautiful day that I won’t forget! She thought. Then, she sighed heavily to realize that tomorrow, her birthday, might be so unforgettable like today. It will be sooo boring! Shortly thereafter, she fell asleep. She felt that she had slept for half an hour when she heard the noisy in her room. She opened her eyes and surprised by seeing Chemi and Ann J smiling at her. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she sat on the bed.

            Chemi and Ann J looked at each other, then said, “3… 2… 1…” Both of them then sang the birthday song and showed a birthday cake to her. “Happy birthday to you~~!!!”

            Effie could feel her eyes wet then she covered with her hands, holding up her feeling. She was touched by their surprise. She thought they forgot her birthday, but she was wrong. They never forgot it actually. “Thank you…” she said in a low and hoarse voice.

            “Now, go blowing the candles!” exclaimed Ann J.

            “And don’t forget to make a wish before that!” said Chemi.

            Effie nodded. She shut her eyes off, made a wish, and blew the candles. “How could you come here without my knowledge?” she asked.

            “We’ve been here since eight o’clock at night and we told our plan to your Mom and she let us to stay in the other room,” Chemi answered. “Now, we can have a party!”

            Effie’s phone rang in sudden. She excused herself to them and she went to the balcony to answer the call. “Hallo.”

            “Effie yah, this is me, Eli,” said the person on the other line.

            Effie was surprised then she could feel the heat on her cheeks and his heart beat faster. “Oh, hi, oppa. What’s up?”

            Eli sang a birthday song to her in sudden. “It’s your birthday, isn’t it?” he asked after finishing the song.

            “Yes. How could you know?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

            “Kevin told me. But, wait! Are you crying?” asked Eli in worry after realizing her hoarse voice.

            Effie was crying. She could not hold up the tears anymore. My wish really comes true again, she thought. She sniffed, then said, “I’m ok, oppa. I’m just… so happy right now. Thank you so much.”

            “Never mind. I’m happy as long as you’re happy, Effie yah,” he said. “Can we meet again tomorrow?”

            Effie felt like herself flying into the seventh heaven when she heard that question. Am I dreaming? “Sorry, oppa, but what did you say?”

            “Can we meet again tomorrow?” he repeated.

            Then, Effie pinched her hand and she winched in pain. I’m not dreaming at all! This is really real! “Yes, oppa. We can.”

            “Ok, I’ll send you a message about the place and the time we’ll meet. See you tomorrow!”

            Effie turned back to her room after the call was ended. Ann J and Chemi found her strange because she looked so happy after getting a call from someone they did not know who it was. She looked at them back in confused. “Why? What’s wrong?”

            “Who was calling you? Why do you look so happy?” asked Chemi.

            Effie felt the heat on her cheeks again. “Hmm… it was… Eli oppa,” she decided to tell the truth. And what she had expected was right. Both of them were screaming quite loud. “Girls, it’s past of midnight! You can wake the people up with your voice. Calm down ok?” she said.

            “Then, what did you talk about?”

            “He asked me to go out tomorrow.”

            “A date!” exclaimed Ann J.

            “No, it isn’t!” Effie thought that her face was all red. “We’re just friend.”

            “But you like him, don’t you, unnie?”

            “Everyone likes him too. Who wouldn’t?”

            “So, you like him.”

            “I didn’t say that,” she said. “Oh, come on! Let’s just talk about anything else. Or maybe we should sleep now and continue the party tomorrow. I’m so tired.”

            The girls decided to do the second plan. Three of them slept in Effie’s room. When Chemi and Ann J had fallen asleep, Effie could hardly sleep. She was so exciting with what Eli planned tomorrow. Why did in a sudden he ask me to go out? Omo! I can’t wait! She thought. Maybe my birthday in this year will be the great one because I will meet someone whom I like so much!

 

***

THE END

how was the story?? :)

comment/subscribe/upvote will be loved hehe

thanks for reading! *bow* ^^