//Happy//

Shin Hye looked down at the now half-eaten cake and smiled to herself. She dipped a finger to scoop a smidgeon of icing and lifted it to . It was sweet, just like the night had been. This year, she opted for a quiet get together with some close friends, who have since left her apartment. She looked around and realized there was a bit of cleaning up to do, but it could wait until tomorrow.

Raising her legs to hug her knees, she leaned back against the couch and tilted her chin up to stare at the ceiling. As perfect as tonight had been, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. It couldn't be her family because they'd already had dinner last night, where Shin Won stole a bit of the spotlight by introducing his new girlfriend. Her smile grew wider as she recalled the way her oppa fidgeted and squirmed, nervous about the family meeting Hae Ri for the first time. That was when she knew that her brother was head over heels in love.

It was the perfect birthday gift.

So was she tired? Not really. It was more like she was restless. Did she want her guests to leave so soon? Judging by how her own space suddenly felt ten times emptier than it had been before they arrived, she guessed no. But she couldn't ask them to stay either. So what was it? What was bothering her?

The sound of a text message cut through the silence, and she was quick to grab the phone which rested beside her on the couch. She figured it was one of her guests telling her that they got home safely.

She straightened up when she saw who the message had come from. Biting her lower lip to stop herself from grinning, her eyes scanned the words more times than necessary. A tingle at the pit of her stomach quickly set off the butterflies. She was clearly too old to be feeling this way, and the numbered candles on her birthday cake was a teasing reminder. She gave them a playful scowl before focusing back on the screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard as she thought of an appropriate response. A simple thank you would have sufficed, but that couldn't begin to cover everything she wanted to say. Then again, she had a lot to say. It wouldn't be wise to tell him now. So she opted for:

'You remembered. Thank you.' 

She pressed the send button and a jolt of excitement coursed through her. Her message implied delight and gratefulness. More than the greeting, she was thankful that he bothered at all. She set her phone down and leaned back on the couch again, expecting nothing more. There had been times in the past when his replies would come days, weeks later. She would just laugh it off because it was always more amusing than frustrating. 

So even if there was no follow-up message, this greeting was enough. She has always settled for the little things when it came to him. The little things were enough.

The sound of ringing caused her eyes to widen as she glanced down. "No way," she mumbled to herself as her hand reached for the phone again, the name 'Lee Min Ho' clear and urgent, flashing on the screen. Her heartbeat quickened.

"Hello?"

"Is it too late for a birthday nightcap?" His voice at the other end filled her ears. It was both beguiling and nerve-racking.

She was too stunned to speak, leaving him to endure a few seconds of dead air. He had to say her name again just to snap her out of her stupor. Shin Hye cleared . "Not at all. I was just starting to feel a little abandoned, to be honest," she looked at the empty plates and glasses on the coffee table, remnants of the get-together that ended too soon.

It was as though she could hear his chuckle echo in her apartment. "Good. Because I got you a gift. Come down in fifteen minutes?"

Shin Hye squeezed her eyes shut and covered to muffle the squeal threatening to escape . "Okay," she managed to utter despite herself. This was getting out of hand, but who cares. It's her birthday. Tonight, she had immunity from logic and everything else telling her this might not be a good idea.

He hung up. She grinned and raced to her room for a much-needed change of clothes.

Twenty minutes later, she was inside Min Ho's car, nose buried in a bouquet of flowers. She glanced up at his smiling face -- the one she missed more than she'd care to admit -- and returned the smile. Min Ho started the car and drove off, all while telling her about how he had just come from a schedule and how he was glad she was still awake. It had been a while since they last saw each other, so some catching up was in order. They talked, they laughed, at some point, they stopped by a fastfood drive-through to pick up some late-night snack because Min Ho complained about not being invited to her get-together to eat some of her cake.

"Here," Min Ho gave her an envelope after they'd finished eating. There was something about his expression that made her slightly jittery.

"What's this?"

"Gift," he smiled. "I was going to get you something else originally but I remembered what you said during one of our shoots," he watched as Shin Hye opened it and took out what looked like a letter. She unfolded the piece of paper and read its contents. Seconds later, her lips parted, speechless and surprised.

"Twenty thousand dollars to Food for the Hungry International," she started to say. "In... in my name."

His hand flew to the back of his neck. "I hope you don't mind..."

"No! Not at all," she replied, her eyes glued to the piece of paper, trying desperately to contain the feelings that were sure to result in tears. A part of her knew this was too much for Min Ho to do, and yet it felt right. When she was sure she wasn't going to be a crying mess, she looked up and gave him a grateful smile. "This is perfect. Thank you."

"Happy birthday," he said, his voice low, his sentiment genuine. "Thanks for coming tonight."

"No. Thank you," she replied, her heart beating a mile a minute, her spirit alive and full to the brim. She folded the piece of paper and slipped it inside the envelope cautiously, like it was something that was too precious to break. She looked to her left and saw that Min Ho had eased  the car back into the road, his lips tugged up in a satisfied smile. 

At that moment, she realized, this was what she was missing.

She leaned back and smiled to herself, enjoying the view from the passenger window. They had talked nonstop, but the silence between them now was comfortable, reassuring. Was it so wrong to wish this drive could last a little longer? 

"All birthdays should be this happy," she whispered.

Min Ho heard her. In the confines of his car, Min Ho was aware of every little movement, every word - even those that hid beneath what was spoken. Shin Hye didn't know it yet, but another conversation would take place between them, one where Min Ho would finally tell her how he felt about her all this time. But that's for another day. Tonight, Min Ho wanted to make sure it was all about her.

But how he wished he didn't have to pretend not to hear, so he could respond in a heartbeat. That he sure as hell intended to make her happy. Not just on her birthday, but every day, every year, from now on.