“Oppa, will you still be here when I get back?” The girl sitting on the bar stool was swinging her legs and staring at him earnestly.

            Yongguk gave a low chuckle. “Let’s see. Last I checked I still have four more years to the PhD program. And you should be back in four years. Oops, looks like we just missed each other.”

            She pouted and kicked harder. “Be serious!”

            “Don’t worry. I’ll be here. I still have to do research too, you know. And don’t worry. Junhong will be here too. I’ll keep a good eye on him so that he’ll be available by the time you come back.” She rolled her eyes. “Be careful you don’t do that too often, or your eyeballs will get stuck there and then you’ll only have to look up all your life.”

            The girl leaned forward and stared at him. Yongguk placed her steaming mug of cappuccino in front of her. “Oppa, do you only see me as a child?”

            Yongguk smiled at her, eyes crinkling with sincerity. “You’re the same age as Junhong. I see you both as my dongsaeng. Why?”

            Her pout deepened and she looked at him shyly through made up lashes. “Do you think you will ever date anyone younger than you?”

            He looked thoughtful and shrugged. “I guess age doesn’t really matter. It really depends on the person.”

            “So I have a chance?” she visibly brightened.

            Yongguk pretended to look at her sternly. “Young lady, Junhong’s has had his eyes on you the moment you walked through that door. Now finish your cappuccino and head to class.”

            She puffed. “Junhong already has a girlfriend.”

            “Excuse me, come again?”

            At this very moment, the tall teenager loped in. “Hyung! I’m not late right?”

            Yongguk smiled and held out the rag he was using to wipe the countertop. “Just in time to get ready for the night shift.”

            The door to the café tinkled with the arrival of more people. This time it was Daehyun and Jongup. “Are you here to bother our Hongie again?” Daehyun grinned at her and slid his backpack into the cubicle behind the counter. “Is Himchan Hyung here or is he still upstairs sleeping? I swear, he’s lazy for someone who may be inheriting this business.”

            All of the boys were college students, save for Junhong. In order to make some money while studying, they worked shifts at the café opened by Himchan’s parents.  The girl currently sitting at the bar went to the nearby high school and was a frequent customer and friend.

            The café had suddenly turned noisy with the addition of the four boys. There was just one more missing and she finished her drink. “Oppa, I’m done!” She held out the cup in front of her and Yongguk turned around.

            There was an amused smile lurking at the corner of his lips. He shook his head and took a napkin to wipe . “Are you sure you’re eighteen and not eight?”

            She colored deeply at the constant reminder of how young she was but her heart could not help but thump at the minute contact of skin. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

            “Which one?” The way he smiled at her was making her blush even more.

            Suddenly the lights in the café turned off and Yongguk let out a shout of surprise. “Is there a blackout?”

            There was a swoosh of fabric and the windows to the café were closed. Now they were in complete darkness. The doors opened and a flicker of light came, growing brighter and brighter as it neared.

            “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday our beloved Yonggukkie-Hyung, happy birthday to you!” Youngjae and Himchan came in, carrying a massive cake.

            Slowly the lights started to come back on and there was a very shocked Yongguk staring at the group of seven people, all of whom were suddenly wearing party hats. He turned to look at her with an incredulous face and she beamed back. “Happy Birthday, Oppa!” Then, leaning into the cake, she scooped some of the icing and dolloped his nose with it.

            Two weeks later, the six boys were waving to her at the terminal. Her nose was clogged and she hugged her parents tightly before stopping before each of them shyly. One by one, she allowed them to embrace her. When she got to Yongguk, he held out his arms and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Take care of yourself, okay? America is far, but I’ll be up studying and I know you will too. So there is always video chat. Make sure you study hard but also have fun and don’t be too stressed out, okay?”

            Her arms tightened around him. “Oppa, you can’t forget about me,” she said thickly.

            Yongguk chuckled. “Silly, I have to see you come back with your diploma, right? I’ll be here. Maybe you will even be back for my dissertation.” With another squeeze of his arms, he let her go. “Have a safe journey!”

            Four years flew by in a blink of an eye. Yongguk was nearing the end of his research and she was also producing a massive thesis. They often Skyped, with the other boys joining if they were around for the video chats. He’s seen her through her first drunken night, first failed midterm (or so she thought), and first final season. He was there for the friendship fights, for the crazy antics with the residential adviser and then finally, all through commencement.

            Yongguk knew exactly when her plane was. She had made sure he memorized and repeated the details of the flight to her at least fifty times in the past three days. He also knew that the café would probably be her first stop after dropping her things off at home.

            “Hey, do you boys want to come over?” Besides Youngjae, everyone else had steady jobs after college graduation. Even Junhong would quit his hours to start working at a bank. “It’ll be us two PhD students holding fort. And she’ll be back.”

            At the mention of the girl who went away four years ago, Daehyun gave his hyung a sly grin. “I think I’ll pull Youngjae away tonight so to not interrupt you two on some catching up.” Himchan snickered on the side.

            Yongguk turned red. “What are you talking about? We keep in touch. Come on you guys. You were even here with me when we watched her graduation.”

            “Yeah but we weren’t there for those overnight chats,” Daehyun batted his lashes. He clapped a hand on Yongguk’s shoulder. “Have fun, Hyung.”

            Despite seeing her on video chat for the past four years, she had changed. Yongguk felt almost shy when he smiled at her. “Long time no see.”

            She came running at him and threw herself at him. “Oppa!”

            He laughed. Four years later and she’s still very much the same. She had learned how to put on makeup better. It was no longer overly obvious. She had curled her hair into gentle waves, and looked much more confident. “Hi. Hi, hello.” When they finally extricated themselves from their tangled arms, he went behind the counter and brought out a cup of steaming cappuccino. “I’m sure you missed this.”

            The smile she gave him was reminiscent of her youthful days. “Are you ready for that dissertation, Doctor?”

            “Don’t call me that too early. For all you know, I might not pass. Who knows if they’ll like what I have to present.”

            “Of course they will. You’re brilliant.”

            Yongguk smiled again. He placed a slice of cake next to her and she looked around the café, sighing a little. “Soon it’ll just be Youngjae Oppa left. Did Himchan Oppa say when he would take over?”

            “Himchan’s busy being an up and coming actor. Somehow I doubt opening a coffee shop in the middle of nowhere Korea is what he would want.”

            “Why not? All the celebrities have a coffee shop or restaurant.” They were quiet for a while until she asked, “What will you do when you are done?”

            “I’ll definitely stay at the university and teach. I guess my life is devoted to research now.”

            “And no time for dating?”

            It was a sudden question. Come to think of it, in the past four years, he had never heard her mention a guy before. “I’m sure if I meet the right person, I will. What about you? Oh, and I’m sorry. Junhong has a girlfriend.”

            She rolled her eyes. “I know. He’s had one since high school.” She tilted back the rest of the contents of her cup and looked at him. “I need to go but I’ll be back tomorrow. My job doesn’t start until a month later so you’ll see me.”

            Yongguk handed her a napkin. “At least wipe before you go. Your parents will think college hasn’t’ taught you anything.”

            “You do it for me, Oppa.” She leaned forward and closed her eyes.

            Yongguk stared at her and hesitated. He definitely wanted to, but somehow he felt like things weren’t so simple between them anymore, at least on his end. He quickly wiped it and saw the disappointment in her eyes when she opened them.

            “Good night. Get some sleep. You must be tired.” She seemed torn between wanting to give him a hug and just waving, so Yongguk made the choice for her. He walked to the back. “I need to clean up. Rest well.”

            Their meeting bothered Yongguk immensely. He waited all of three days before finally calling his more experienced friends. He had to swallow some pride before, though, because it was a given that Daehyun would immediately start teasing him.

            “Hyung, are you serious? You just let her go? You should have told her you had a crush her all the way back then too.”

            “No, I didn’t.” Despite Daehyun’s skeptical gaze, that was true. He hadn’t. It was only getting to really know her and see her grow up daily that made the feelings grow. “But how do I do it? I want to make it special.”

            “Wow, I didn’t think I’d ever live to see the day Yongguk decides to do something nice for a girl,” Himchan laughed out loud.

            It took them a few hours but when they did come up with a plan, Yongguk was impressed. “Man, this is why you guys have been dating since high school,” he shot the youngest a significant look and Junhong had the heart to look embarrassed.

            “Good luck Hyung.”

            This time when she pushed open the doors to the café, she found herself in a silver bubble. There were silver balloons everywhere, barely making space to walk. There was slow music playing over the speakers. And from between the balloons, she saw candles. The thought that this was a potential fire hazard was not lost on her. But those musings were dispelled when she saw someone push the balloons out of the way.

            Yongguk stood in front of her, partially hiding behind the balloons and holding a bouquet of flowers to his chest. He was grinning shyly. “Hi.”

            “Oppa, w-what is this?”

            Her heart was beating way too quickly. “I guess I don’t really need to say too much. But, like I said before, age is just a number. Would you be willing to be my girlfriend?”

            The confession was so much like Yongguk, direct, to the point. She stared at him dumbly, not quite believing what she was hearing. “M-me?”

            There was still a shy smile on his face. “Yes, you.” The flowers in his hands wavered slightly with his nerves.

            Then reality hit her and she screamed. With the same enthusiasm she had possessed four years ago, she jumped into his arms. “Yes!” And before the adrenaline rush faded, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Yes!”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BBANG LEADER ♥

this one is for jessieb4893