“Eomma,” Jooheon says thoughtfully, working hard at pouring the batter perfectly into the cake pans, “will all this be ready before Changkyunnie gets back with Appa and hyung?” Kihyun smiles comfortingly at the six year-old.

“Don’t worry Jooheonney,” he tells his son, “Appa and hyung know to not bring Changkyunnie back until four, and by then we’re sure to have everything ready.” Jooheon nods, a bright smile coming to his face to reveal his dimples. Suddenly Minhyuk pops up behind Jooheon, the seven year-old poking at the younger’s dimples with an adoring cry. Jooheon giggles at the affection, making Minhyuk give him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

“Minhyukkie,” Kihyun says, “I thought you and Hyungwon-ah were supposed to be decorating the living room and writing your brother a birthday card.”

“Hyungwonnie is still sleeping,” Minhyuk pouts, “and I can’t get him to wake up.” Kihyun sighs exasperatedly, wiping his hands on a nearby towel and telling Jooheon to stay and work on the batter as he takes Minhyuk by the hand to Hyungwon’s room.

As soon as they reach it, Minhyuk propels himself onto the sleeping form of the skinny child. A grunt of pain emits from the pile of blankets that covers his head, and Kihyun can’t help but chuckle at Minhyuk’s playfulness. Kihyun goes to sit on his son’s bed, perching himself on the edge of it, and pulls back the blankets to reveal the brunette’s face.

“My eyes hurt,” he whines plaintively, rubbing at them. “Eomma, my eyes hurt. They won’t open. They hurt because I’m so tired. Please let me sleep…”

“Hyungwonnie,” Kihyun begins, pulling the blankets back even more, “you said you wanted to write Changkyun-ah a special birthday card today. You need to be awake to do that. Plus you promised to help Minhyuk with decorating the house.” Hyungwon groans in surrender, sitting up slowly. Kihyun chuckles as he pats his son’s head affectionately, the child leaning into the touch like a kitten, and gets up to return to his cooking duties.

Kihyun and Jooheon work diligently in preparing the cake, a three-layer strawberry heart-shaped confectionary. Jooheon insists on decorating it himself, which results in lots of rainbow confetti, bright colored icings, and the pink glittery candles dropping off every other minute due to the white icing not sticking to them enough. Jooheon moves the cake into the living room and sets it on the dining table amidst all the treats Kihyun had prepared, including gimbap, fried chicken, and sushi. Balloons and streamers litter the living room, a mess Kihyun is most certainly not looking forward to cleaning later, but he has to admit… Changkyun is going to love it all.

Son Hyunwoo and two of his sons, Hoseok and Changkyun, walk along the sidewalk, chatting and carrying cups of hot chocolate to battle the cold winds of January. Hyunwoo had done his best to keep the kids out of the house during the secret preparations, taking them to the movie theater, arcade, and café. He had ended up succeeding, much to his own surprise at being able to keep his kids entertained for so long without any help, and now they were heading back to the apartment at exactly the right time.

“Hyung, carry me,” Changkyun requests through the scarf wrapped around his neck and face, reaching up with his little arms. Hoseok is more than happy to oblige, throwing his empty cup away in a nearby trashcan and bending down to allow the five year-old to climb up onto his back. He runs forward a few steps, smiling at the delighted giggles that erupt from his youngest brother. Hyunwoo keeps a wary eye on them as they near their home, making sure they don’t stray too far.

They come to the door, shaking off their hats and shoes from the snow that had begun to drift down from the sky, and Hoseok drops Changkyun onto the floor gently. Hyunwoo knocks twice on the door in a pattern similar to a heartbeat, and waits a moment. Changkyun doesn’t seem to notice, too entertained by his oldest brother to be bothered by what his father is doing. Hyunwoo opens the door slowly, finding all lights turned off in the apartment. Changkyun sees this and leaps forward, recognizing the scene as one they’d seen in a movie not too long ago.

“Let’s party, baby!” he cries, mimicking what the main character had fearlessly said to the ghost he had come across.

Suddenly, all lights turn on, and everyone jumps out from their hiding places.

“Happy birthday, Changkyunnie!”

Changkyun looks around in surprise, beaming from ear to ear at the sight of his family standing all around him and wishing him a happy birthday. Hoseok hugs the youngest from behind and begins to tickle him, causing him to break out in shrieks and giggles as he tries to break away. Kihyun comes forward with a birthday hat and places it on Changkyun’s head before picking him up and carrying him to the couch. Changkyun kisses both of his cheeks and hugs his neck.

“Thank you Eomma!” he cries. He then turns to his brothers and father, his smile never faltering. “Thank you everyone! This is the best birthday ever!” Jooheon giggles excitedly as he joins his brother and father on the couch. Hyunwoo joins his husband and two youngest, and the others pile up in their laps. Hyungwon holds a card out to Changkyun, the cutesy illustrations clearly done by Minhyuk. Changkyun takes the card, opening it with a creased brow. He had just begun to learn how to read, but still needed help sometimes. Kihyun helps him read it aloud, unable to hold back a knowing chuckle at seeing the acrostic poem with the length that would rival any essay.

Changkyun leaps forward from Kihyun’s arms and hugs Hyungwon tightly, who returns the gesture with a soft smile and strong arms. Hyunwoo leans forward and lights the candles on the cake as Jooheon latches onto him like a koala, a tendency he hadn’t seemed to shake since he was three.

The family sings the toddler Happy Birthday, and claps as he blows out his candles. Changkyun’s smile never falters the entire party. Even after he falls asleep on the couch with his brothers while the parents clean and has to be carried to his bed by Kihyun, he’s still smiling.

He’s vaguely aware of Kihyun’s soft arms plucking him up from the couch and tucking him into bed, humming as he pets his hair lovingly.

“I love you, Eomma,” Changkyun mumbles in his sleep. Kihyun smiles widely at this, pressing a kiss to the toddler’s forehead as he turns to exit the room.

“Happy birthday, my dear Changkyunnie,” he whispers, and then turns off the lights.