CHAPTER 18: BALLOONS

Naeun was on her way to her next schedule, but her mind was occupied with things far unrelated to her work. She was supposed to be reading her script, or checking for her next schedule that she needs to attend to, but her mind strayed away after her alarm went off and reminded her that Eunji’s birthday is just two weeks away from now. It was set this early simply because she didn’t want to commit the same mistake that she did last year. Well, it wasn’t really her fault that she didn’t knew about the latter’s birthday, but she still felt bad and guilty about it. Naeun promised herself that it won’t happen again and she would give Eunji a wonderful birthday, even if it takes a whole week from her very tight schedule.

“Think, Naeun. Think.” She commanded herself as she buried her face on her palms, exhaling the stress that she was starting to feel. Naeun thought that thinking of a birthday gift for someone as simple as Eunji would be easy since the latter appreciates everything that is given to her, but it turned out the opposite. Maybe it would be easy if she wanted to give the older one a gift just for the sake of it, but she knew that she wanted more than that. Naeun wanted something more than the act of giving. What she wanted was to make Eunji genuinely happy on her special day.

“Is there something wrong, Naeun-ah?” Bomi asked. She has been glancing through the rear-view mirror when she heard her talent sighing almost every now and then, restless over some unknown reason. “Maybe I can help?”

“Hmm…” Naeun hesitated for a bit. She just cannot suddenly ask Bomi about Eunji after all the denying that she did whenever Bomi of liking Eunji. “W-what do you want for your birthday, Bomi-ah? You know…uhh, something that would really make you happy…? Yeah, that.” Naeun stammered through her lie.

Bomi didn’t buy it, though. “Wow, that’s a first. You’ve never asked me about what I want for my birthday.” She snickered.

If she knew Naeun from head to toe, then the same goes for the latter. Naeun knew her too well that she didn’t even need to ask what she wants and just buys it ahead of time. By this time, her gift must have already been packed and hidden somewhere among Naeun’s things which she’s not allowed to lay a finger on. Bomi also knew that Naeun is shy in general, especially when it comes to stuff like these so it wasn’t unexpected that the latter pretended that the question was meant for her when in reality, it was for Eunji. She initially planned to tease Naeun, but seeing the serious and distressed look on the younger one’s face, she decided to ride along.

“Something that would make me really happy, you ask?” The older one continued. “You know, as long as I feel the sincerity and thoughtfulness, it’s enough to make me very delighted. Like what they say, it’s the thought that counts. Making it grand or extraordinary are just bonus points to be honest.” Bomi explained as she carefully drove towards their destination. “I’m not that hard to please, Miss Son.” She added, but wasn’t really referring to herself. Bomi gave one last glance through the mirror and gently smiled as she saw how immersed Naeun was that she didn’t utter anything after that.

A few more hours have passed and they have finally reached the studio, while Naeun was still not able to think of something. She furiously scratched her head as she stepped out of the van with heavy steps and slumped shoulders, just like a kid throwing a tantrum for not getting what she wants. Bomi witnessed the adorable sight as she followed Naeun from behind, and she just can’t help but continue smiling at the person who is actually known for not showing cuteness in any form.

The two were almost reaching the entrance of the building when Naeun stopped on her tracks all of a sudden after her vision caught something from the corner of her eyes. She turned her head and in an instant, her face brightened at the sight of a yellow balloon that was further and higher. On the other hand, Bomi slightly tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed the change of mood from the latter. Her eyes then followed the direction of Naeun’s vision.

“A balloon…?” Bomi looked back at the younger one as she asked. “You’ll give me a balloon?” she teased, referring to Naeun’s question a while ago.

Naeun shook her head. “N-no!” She exclaimed with a stutter and immediately hid her smile as she looked back at Bomi. “I just…remembered something.” She added; her eyes went back on the flying object that’s already too small to be seen. After a few seconds more, she finally proceeded inside of the building as she pulled out her phone from her pocket. Her thumbs suddenly got busy.

Bomi then quickened her pace so she’s walking side by side with the younger one. “So, you finally got your answer?”

The celebrity tried to ignore the question, but the smile on her face that she can no longer suppress gave it away. Naeun finally found the perfect gift for Eunji.

---

“Happy Birthday to my very best friend!!!” With a beaming face and her hands up in the air, Chorong roared the moment when a sleepy and disheveled Jung Eunji appeared behind the door. The older one then started to sing, not caring if it was only 7 in the morning and if she were disturbing the neighboring units. Eunji on the other hand, was too sleepy to react and just decided to close the door again but since she’s too lazy to move as well, Chorong was able to barge herself inside the apartment.

“Come on, get up! Today is a wonderful day and we have to get going immediately!” Chorong tried to wake and pull up Eunji who was already lying down on the couch. Once she was able to make the younger one stand, she left and made her way to Eunji’s bedroom to get her best friend some nice clothes. The birthday girl on the other hand, fell back on the couch once again. She may look like she doesn’t care, but she was already mentally complaining and cursing at Chorong. Her professor is on leave today, and since it landed on her birthday she decided to gift herself with a whole day of sleeping. She was supposed to be peacefully snoring by this time. Even though she’s thankful that Chorong put an effort to personally greet her, it could have been better if it wasn’t this early.

“Hey!” Chorong shouted again as she hung the clothes that she picked over the sofa’s back rest before trying to wake the birthday girl again. “You take a bath right before you sleep, right?” she asked as soon as Eunji sat up straight.

“Seriously, Park Chorong…” Eunji spoke in between her yawns. “Let me live. I want to sleep more…”

“You can sleep during the whole ride, Eunji-ah. Just please, wear these now…unless you want me to –“

Eunji immediately stood up, now wanting to hear the rest of the sentence. She then took the clothes that Chorong picked for her and made her way towards her bedroom. The older one followed since she knew that there’s a great possibility that Eunji will be pulled down on the bed again, but Eunji stopped her by quickly locking the door and promised that she will come out as soon as she’s finished.

“How long are you going to change clothes?” An impatient Chorong asked after 2 minutes, but the latter didn’t reply.

After a few more minutes, Eunji came out wearing a long and white, loose tank top with a black, fitted and sleeveless under shirt. Her top was partnered with a pair of slim, knee-length denim shorts and plain white rubber shoes. Chorong felt proud not only because it looked good, but also because she knew that it fits Eunji’s style. It was simple and comfortable, yet presentable.

“Good thing you didn’t forget to wash your face and brush your teeth.” Chorong teased. “Here, you might need this too. Let’s go.” She handed a black cap before she grabbed Eunji’s wrist and tried to pull her out of the apartment.

“But my contacts—“

“You look fine, okay? Besides, it’s bad to sleep with your contact lenses on.” Upon hearing the word ‘sleep’, Eunji finally loosened up and allowed herself to be dragged around by Chorong until they reached her car.

“Where are we going anyway?” Eunji lazily asked. Her eyes were half open as she comfortably sat beside the driver’s seat while her hand immediately looked for the lever under the car seat and adjusted the backrest to its maximum angle.

“You’ll see.”  The brunette replied with a smirk as she started the car’s engine. She then asked the latter to remove her eyeglasses and replace it with an eye mask that she bought so she can sleep well. “For now, have a good sleep until I wake you up.”

Chorong gave a gentle smile at Eunji who didn’t respond anymore since she fell asleep immediately. She can’t wait to see her best friend’s epic reaction once she realizes that she’s back in her hometown and once she finds out who did the effort to plan all of these. Even she herself was shocked that she dropped her commitments for two whole weeks just for one special day. Eunji must be really special for her to neglect her career that long.

If that’s the case, then maybe this isn’t a one-sided love after all.

---

“This better be good, Park Chorong. First, you noisily barge into my apartment and disrupt my wonderful sleep then now, you’re bringing me somewhere that I’m not even allowed to see?” A blindfolded Eunji, who is now fully awake, spat out her complaints at her best friend who just kept mum as she carefully escorted her.

“Let’s see if you can still complain after you remove your blindfold.” The older one snickered. After successfully leading her inside a basket-like structure, Chorong took Eunji’s hands asked her to hold on to the person who was going to assist her from now on, but the younger one resisted.

“Chorong-ah…” Eunji’s voice trembled as she hesitated.

“You can trust me on this, Eunji. You can also trust this person who’s going to take on from here, right?” She then looked at the blondie next to her who just nodded and was trying her best not to laugh at the sight of a scared Eunji. It was a side of Eunji that she never saw. After a few more convincing words, the birthday girl finally agreed.

“Oh?!” Eunji blurted out upon holding on the mystery person’s hands. “Isn’t this…” The familiarity of the hands that she was now holding immediately gave her an answer. She cannot be wrong about it. She lowered her head, and then a shy smile crept on her face since the mysterious person is finally revealed even without removing her blindfold.

Eunji then felt the platform that she was on suddenly move, and it startled her for a bit that almost made her lose her balance. The blonde one on the other hand, slowly led her to the edge where Eunji can grab on tightly and maintain her balance. She also heard Chorong shouting Happy Birthday at her, although she was wondering why it sounded so faint and why did it come from below. “Wait, below? Don’t tell me…”

After some time, Eunji’s companion finally spoke. “I’m going to remove your blindfold in a few seconds, okay?”

“Naeun-ah, what is this…” she asked while her blindfold was being removed.

“You’ve said before that you’ve always liked the sky because it gave you the sense of freedom. When I asked you before why you love the rain, you said that it’s because it comes with the smell of the sky. And you also told me that there’s only one super power that you want, which is the ability to soar up in the air, just like Superman.” Naeun explained as she completely removed the obstruction from Eunji’s vision. She then took the eyeglasses that Chorong gave her and wore it on Eunji. “I hope this can somehow make you feel like you’re one with the sky.”

Everything around her was sky-blue, and Eunji’s mouth went agape even her vision was still a bit blurry. All she knew is that she’s thousands of feet off the ground. And although it may not be as high as how the airplane can soar, it felt more open and free since she can actually feel the wind passing right through her body. Her eyes lit up and a big smile appeared on her face as she wandered around the gondola, hovered her head outside and looked at the people that were now as small as an ant. She then looked up and saw the balloon that was pulling them up higher, which looked like a rainbow for Eunji. With that, it really felt like she was flying.

On the other side of the gondola, Naeun just stood and adoringly watched the older one be amazed with her surroundings, just like a kid who rode on a Ferris wheel for the first time. Naeun just love how simple Eunji dresses and yet she pulls it off and looks decent. She also didn’t know that Eunji wore eyeglasses, but in contrast to how it usually affects a person’s look, the round specs made the wearer look edgier. The black cap added some coolness as well. Eunji just looked so fine right now.

Eunji then shifted her attention back at Naeun, holding both of her hands. “Wow…This is amazing!” she exclaimed; her face was radiating with happiness.

Naeun exhaled deeply as she felt relieved upon seeing the smile on the older one’s face. “I’m really happy that you liked it. Happy Birthday!”

“You prepared all of these? And aren’t you busy? Also, isn’t this…too grand for a birthday gift? I mean, I love it, Naeun-ah but to be honest a simple gift would do.”

“Well last year—“

Knowing that Naeun would bring up the incident last year, Eunji quickly interrupted her. “I told you it was fine. You didn’t know anyway so there’s no need to be gui—“

“But I want to, Eunji. I want to make you happy on your birthday, you know…just like how you did with mine.” Eunji was cut off when Naeun suddenly pulled her in for a hug. It was surprising since the younger one rarely initiated such physical intimacy, and she expected Naeun to be surprised with herself as well. She was already waiting for the younger one to pull away, just like how she does during the instances where their eyes meet but strangely, she felt the embrace tightened.

It was then she realized that it wasn’t just an impulse. Naeun meant every word that she said, and tried to convey her sincerity through the hug. With that, Eunji decided not to argue back anymore. She s her arms around Naeun’s waist and hugged the younger one back.

“Thank you, Naeun-ah. Thank you for giving me one of the best birthdays that I’ve ever had.” Eunji replied as she tightened her hold as well.

“Happy Birthday again, four eyes.” Naeun giggled as she teased without releasing the tight grip. “You never told me that you wore glasses. It looks good on you, though.”

“Thank you, blondie.” Eunji laughed as she joked back. “I’ve never seen you using a lighter shade for your hair, but it really suits you well. You became more beautiful.”

Naeun broke the hug after slapping Eunji’s back. “What are you talking about…” she then quickly went to the other side of the gondola and hung her head outside, pretending to look at the view down below when she’s just actually trying to hide the pink shade on her cheeks. “We only have an hour, so make the most out of this ride.” She said, trying to change the topic and save herself.

“Okay, okay. But where are we going afterwards?” the older one asked as she joined Naeun in the sightseeing. “Are you…going back to Seoul?” she suddenly felt dismayed with her own question because she might get the answer that she didn’t want to hear.

“No.” Naeun answered with a smile. “We’re going home.”

Eunji’s face glowed. She just realized that she was wrong about this day being one of the best birthdays, because even though the day has just started, she’s already a hundred percent sure that this is going to be the best one in her 23 years of existence.

---

“Today I learned that you helped Naeun in planning this surprise.” Bomi remarked as she stood beside Chorong who was watching the hot air balloon that was carrying the other two. “So it was the one that kept you busy for two weeks…I see.” She smiled, trying her best to act as normal as possible. Bomi glanced at the rainbow-colored balloon that was thousands of feet above from them, but she quickly averted her gaze away from it. Why do I suddenly feel…envious? Is it because I just received a text message from her on my birthday? Wait, why was I disappointed about that? Did I actually just expect something from her? These questions kept circling inside her head, and it’s already driving her nuts.

The older one on the other hand, just smirked. Basing on how Bomi sounded, she just knew that her little experiment was a success. Compared to the efforts she did a year ago, Chorong just sent a birthday message through text this time, and she actually did it on purpose. Not only that, only God knows how hard she tried her best to not text or call Bomi within two weeks. She just wanted to see how the younger one would react, and right now she can see that Bomi was indeed disappointed, envious, and maybe…a bit jealous? It was good for her part, as therefore she can conclude that she’s already affecting Bomi’s emotions.

“You missed me, didn’t you?” Chorong started to annoy Bomi.

“Where did that even come from? Of course I didn’t.” The younger one turned and started walking away.

“Then why do you sound mad? Is it because I almost forgot about your birthday? I sent you a message before the day ended.” She continued to agitate as she followed.

“Mad? I’m not mad at all! I feel very fine, see?”  Bomi showed her toothy smile, but it obviously didn’t match the tone of her speech. “I really appreciated your message.”

“How was your birthday then?” The older one pushed further.

“It was fine. Best birthday I’ve had in ages.” She nonchalantly answered as quickened her pace when she felt Chorong following her around. “Why are you following me anyway?”

“But why do you not sound happy about it?” Chorong was trying her best not to laugh out loud at the sight of Bomi failing to hide her true feelings.

Bomi finally snapped. She stopped and faced the older one. “I said it was fine! Why do you care anyway if you almost forgot about it? Why do you care when you didn’t even contact me for almost two weeks? You didn’t even ask how I was!” She finished with an exasperated sigh.

“So you really did miss me.” Chorong brightly grinned. “And you were disappointed.”

“Yes! I missed you even if it was just a short time and I hate that I actually expected something from you on my birthday. I hate how I suddenly started waiting for your texts in the morning, during lunch, and even before I sleep! And it bothers me that I didn’t know when this all started! There, are you happy now?” Bomi closed her eyes as she turned around and started walking away again. “So stop following me already.”

But even before Bomi could walk away further, she was halted by a warm weight on her back and a pair of arms around her waist. “Bbom-ah…”

And just like that, her frustrations vanished into thin air.

“What?” Bomi asked in a blank tone, pretending to be still mad.

“You’re so cute when you’re mad.” Chorong giggled.

Bomi tried to free herself from Chorong’s embrace but the latter just tightened her hold. “Bbom-ah…” Chorong called again with all tenderness, and it was enough to make Bomi stop. If it was possible, the younger would’ve already been melting into a puddle.

“What?” She asked again in the same tone.

“Who said I don’t have anything prepared for you? I actually prepared 3 gifts for you.” Chorong retreated one of her arms to pull out something from her pocket. She then locked the embrace once again but this time, with a coupon in her hand. “Happy Birthday, Bomi-ah! Here’s my first gift for you.”

Bomi’s eyes glistened at the sight of the coupon with words unlimited and food written on it. She took the coupon from Chorong’s hand and realized that it was from the restaurant that she had been dreaming to try, but wasn’t able to until now because of work. “H-how did you know about this?”

“I heard from Naeun that you really wanted to try that restaurant. Fortunately, one of my friends lives here, so I just asked her to get a coupon for me. It’s nice, right?” The older one explained.

“Ah…I see.” Bomi still tried to act unfazed. “What’s the second gift?” she coughed.

“Close your eyes and turn around. Don’t open it until I say so, okay?” Chorong happily commanded as she finally let go of the younger one. Once Bomi was done, she counted up to three. “Open!”

The moment Bomi opened her eyes, the same weight from a while ago was on her again. Chorong gave her another hug, and she wasn’t actually sure about what gift was the latter talking about. She’s feeling her heartbeat getting faster though, because she can smell the fragrance of Chorong’s shampoo. “W-what are you doing…?”

“Me! I’m your second gift, along with this hug.” Chorong revealed as she tightened the hug. “Just like Naeun, I know it has been hard for you to work this young. You should be enjoying your life as a college student but instead, you’re doing your best to fulfill your duty as a celebrity’s manager. I hope with this hug, I can relieve your stress somehow. Please remember that I’m always here for you.”

Bomi bit her lower lip as she looked up, trying to stop her tears from falling. What Chorong said was all true, and it just hit her right on the spot. It has been a while since she heard such heartfelt words from anyone, and hearing all of those made the stress that she was feeling leave her body. Bomi has been restless for a long time now, and she didn’t know that all she needed was a sincere hug.

“So with that, I’ll be your manager for today! I’ll go wherever you want to go, and we’ll do the things you want to do. How does that sound?” The older one continued as she looked up at Bomi.

“I actually liked the second gift better than the first one.” Bomi responded, this time with an upturned face. “Does that mean that the third one is the best?”

“You bet!” Chorong sneered. “Close your eyes. Don’t open it until I say so and just listen to me, okay?”

“Roger that.” Bomi obliged and closed her eyes.

Chorong then took a deep breath as she admired and examined Bomi’s facial features. The last time she saw the younger one this close was back during Bomi’s birthday party, the time was when she won the drinking game while the latter one passed out beside her. It has been a year.

“Bbom-ah, remember when I confessed to you? After that, I actually felt scared because what if I was just being impulsive? What if it was merely an infatuation? What if I get tired of waiting? These questions continued to bother me for quite a while. But as time passes by, I slowly forgot about those concerns because the more I got to know you, the deeper I fell for your charm and personality. So today, this is my gift for you. You can open your eyes now.”

“Chorong-ah…” Bomi muttered, as the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Chorong who was intently staring at her.

“Third gift for today, August 18, 2015, is a confession just like what I did exactly a year ago. I love you, Yoon Bomi. Like what I said, I’m not asking for you to like me back, but just let me do my best to win your heart. Ah, and by the way…I stole something from you during your last birthday and I think it’s time for me to give it back to you.”

Even before Bomi could react, Chorong tiptoed and pressed her lips against Bomi’s, giving the latter a chaste kiss. The younger one just stood frozen as she stared at the shorter girl with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. It stayed like that for a few seconds before Chorong finally let go and gave a satisfied grin.

“Belated Happy Birthday, Yoon Bomi.” Chorong greeted for the last time. “Come on, those two coming down any minute!” She then happily walked away and headed towards the hot air balloon.

Bomi, whose fingers are now on her lips, was left dumbfounded with her heart still racing and stomach suddenly filled with fluttering butterflies. She slowly exhaled deeply as her vision followed the back of the girl who just blew her mind away. A sudden realization has happened, and all she can do was shake her head and let out a chuckle.

“Ah…I’m screwed.”

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A/N: Hi everyone. ^^ So yeah, this is my (late) birthday chapter dedicated to Bomi and Eunji. I was supposed to update last week but I fell ill and my mind didn't cooperate with me. I just got better last Sunday and was only able to start writing on that day. This chapter is longer compared to my usual ones, because I thought that if I would update this late, it should be worth more than one chapter. ^^

Anyway, another fluff! I'm really not confident in writing this kind of genre so I'm challenging myself. I hope this one is fluff enough to make you feel so feels. And yeah, please enjoy the fluff while it lasts? ^^

Thank you for patiently waiting, reading, subscribing (hi to my new subs! I'm glad you liked my work so far ^^), commenting, and liking this story. I love you all. ^^