The day started how it usually is for the two doctors. Brunch before leaving for work, then doing their practice in the hospital. Krystal, however, was the first one to go downstairs and prepared today’s meal. Minho was surprised to see her in the kitchen early and even offered her help, but she declined and said that she was already done. Instead of not doing anything just as she said, he started setting up the table, earning a glare from her. He was confused with the gesture, but he just smiled at her.

As he drove them to the hospital, Krystal broke the silence between them. “Do you have a surgery today?”

“Yes,” he answered her right away. “I only have one for today, though.”

“Oh, so you’ll be able to finish earlier than usual, maybe?”

“Maybe.” He smiled a bit as he kept his eyes on the road.

She watched his expression, then nodded. “I see. If you finish early, you can go home instead of waiting for me. I need to go to a convention later and a former classmate of mine will be there and she offered to drive me home to be able to catch up.”

“It’s fine-“

“No, no. Just go home. I’ll be fine, plus you need to rest, okay?” She patted his shoulder before giving it a light squeeze.

He turned his head to her and saw how her lips curved up into a thin smile. He returned the gesture, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you at home, then,” he said before sighing.

Krystal wanted to laugh as she watched him from the corner of her eye and heard him sigh, but she stopped herself and kept her eyes on the road.

“I’ll just wait for you for dinner.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Minho nodded. “I don’t get hungry easily, so it’s fine.” He wanted to let our a huge grin, but he contained himself and just squinted his eyes to help him keep his demeanor.

“If that’ll be alright, then you can wait for me. If you get hungry or if I go home late, you can just eat without me. You know how they sometimes go beyond the program and the traffic-“

“Oh, and you’ll also be catching up with your friend. Alright, alright. I understand.”

“Thank you,” she said in a bit of a sing-song manner.

“Yeah, no worries.” A smile of disappointment was visible on his face, but he didn’t want her to see it. Since it was a red light, he looked at the other car beside him through his window and kept staring at the buildings outside.

Since they were going in different directions upon entering the hospital, they’ve quickly said their goodbyes. “See you later,” they said in unison before quickly walking to their respective workplaces.

Minho was done with his surgery, so he decided to go on his rounds before leaving the hospital. He really did finish early, but it didn’t matter to him. He only looked at his watch and sighed and saw how early it was for him to actually leave work. He got his stuff, then greeted his assistant, Sunmi, goodbye and thanked her.

“Sir! Before I forget, Happy Birthday!”

“Thank you,” he said to her with a smile.

“Here’s my little present for you, doc.” She pulled something out of her pocket and it was a blue chocolate coin.

He was shocked upon receiving the simple gift that she gave him. “Wow, blue chocolate coins are only available in the States! Where did you get this?”

“My cousin visited from the States and gave us a whole bag.” She smiled at him.

Minho placed it on the table before opening his bag to take something out. “You know, for some reason my patients have given me blue chocolate coins, too, during my rounds earlier.” He showed the collection of the treat that was wrapped in blue foil to her and heard a sound of amazement from her.

“Their relatives must’ve also arrived, sir.”

“Yeah, some of my patients said that their relatives from America also came for a visit, while others received theirs from my other patient who own a bag of these. He gave it to them in the shared ward.” He smiled before keeping the treats that he got from all of them.

“That was really nice of them, sir.”

“It really was. Thanks again for your simple gift. Great work today and see you tomorrow,” he greeted her before heading out to check on his patients again and newly admitted ones before he goes home.

“Dr. Choi!” Sunmi called him as she jogged towards him. Her boss takes big steps and even walks fast, so she hoped that he was able to hear her.

He halted in his steps, then turned around to see his assistant emerging from the corner of the hall. “What’s the matter?”

She caught her breath before speaking. “Miyeon called-“

“Why?! Is everything o-“ he sounded really worried, but he was cut off.

“Dr. Choi’s fine, don’t worry, sir. She just asked me if you can drop by to her clinic before you go home because she left her other white coat on the couch and she said that it was for laundry.”

“Oh.” He felt a huge relief after hearing that his wife was okay and there was nothing for him to worry about. “Alright, I’ll drop by later. Thank you, Sunmi.”

He continued his steps and his assistant watched him while chuckling. “Dr. Choi loves Dr. Choi so much. They’re really cute,” she said to herself.

Krystal, on the other hand, quickly did her rounds as soon as she arrived. She did not only made stops to her patients, but also went into her husband’s territory. She would look around before they came to visit them, then quickly leave, not wanting to leave a trace of her for him to see. Upon receiving a call from her assistant, Miyeon, that her husband was currently in the surgery room, she went to his clinic and thanked Sunmi for informing them that the coast was already clear. She quickly left, then walked back into her clinic to attend to her patients.

Her clinic hours ended early upon her request, then prepared to leave for the event. She quickly collected her belongings upon meeting her last patient and gave the sweet four year old a hug goodbye and told her that she did a great job for not crying during her vaccine.

“Bye, Miyeon! Thanks for all the help and Imll see you tomorrow,” she greeted her with a smile.

“You’re welcome, doc! Take care,” she said to her before bowing, then watched the doctor leave the room.

Quickly, Krystal left for the event and decided to not inform Minho of her schedule. This is going to be a busy day, she thought. She took the subway to be able to arrive in her destination shortly and to make sure that there won’t be any traffic, though there’s really no such thing in their country. Growing up in America really made her love the subway even more.

At home, she wasted no time and placed her stuff on the couch before proceeding to kitchen duty. After making sure that her hands were clean, she started preparing food. Thanks to their mutual friend, Yoona, she was able to know just what she’ll prepare for dinner. 

“This is gonna be a bit challenging, but I’ll ace it.”

After hoping and praying that everything works, she heard her phone and saw the screen light up. It was a message from Miyeon, telling her that her husband has ready retrieved her white coat from her clinic. She started feeling a loud pounding in her chest, but a few minutes later, she only gave a sigh of relief when the only thing that she was waiting to be finished was finally done. She went on to set the table and left everything in the dishwasher to get cleaned up. She removed her apron, sprinted upstairs, quickly took a half bath, got changed, and grabbed the paper bag that has been unopened since the shopping day she had with her best friend.

She went downstairs and placed the paper bag on the table before plopping down on the couch and letting out a sigh of relief, finally relaxing. She only had a bit of time, but she made sure that she’ll be able to squeeze everything in and made sure to move as quickly as possible in order to make everything work, and it really did. However, she wasn’t sure about the food and that was the only thing that wasn’t confident with because she doesn’t eat meat, thus making the whole process of it challenging. The taste and texture of it will either be a make or break depending on its judge, which is none other than her husband. 

She replied to Miyeon as she was sitting on the couch and thanked her for helping her with her scheme. It really was her plan to delay the time for Minho to come home. After her message was sent, she saw the time and there was still maybe around 10-15 minutes before he arrives. However, her phone started ringing and it was an unknown number. She was nervous in answering an unknown number’s call because she always feared that it might be her dad, but it was a woman.

“Dr. Choi,” the woman started before she could even say hello. “This is Eunji’s mom. We’re currently in the emergency area,” she cried.

Right away, she stood up and grabbed her belongings. “I’ll meet you there. I’m on my way.” She rushed to get the car keys to take the other car. Before she headed out, she remembered to leave a note on the table for Minho to tell him of her whereabouts, then ran to the car and quickly sped back to the hospital.

Minho unlocked the front door and as soon as he walked in, he had a confused look on his face. “Am I dreaming,” he asked himself. He even started thinking if he was hungry, but he was sure that he’s not. “Why can I smell food,” he asked himself once more. Walking into the living room, the smell got stronger and when he saw the dining table, he was surprised.

There was really food on the table and they were all his favorites. He could still see steam from the food, which meant that they were just cooked not long ago. What really surprised him was the presence of real meat in the dishes. He scoffed, then smiled before walking into the kitchen, but there was no one there.

“Krystal,” he called out to her before walking around the house to look for her. She wasn’t in the backyard, nor was she upstairs. Her bedroom door was locked, so he doesn’t know if she was inside. “Krystal,” he called from the outside while knocking repeatedly, but there was no response. He stuck his head to the door and looked at the gap of the door to the floor to sense sound and movement, though he looked dumb, but he was able to confirm that she was really nowhere to be found at home. He went back downstairs and sat on his spot at the table. He grabbed the small paper bag and felt something flip on the other side. He turned it around and opened the card that was stuck to it.

To the best husband ever,

How lucky I am to be married to you. I hope you’ll like my present. I know you might not be able to use it everyday, but I do hope you will on special occasions. 

Happy Birthday! 

With love,

Krystal

The card made him smile, though there was still a bit of disappointment in his eyes. As he looked at his plate, he saw a blue post-it stuck beside it and the writing seemed rushed, making him confused because he only came across it for the first time.

“This is not Krystal’s.”

He examined the note, then he was surprised to learn that it was from her. He always saw her pleasant handwriting, both in print and in cursive, thus thinking that it belonged to a stranger.

Gotta run. Emergency.

Sorry.

                             -KJC

Upon seeing this, he covered the food, then no longer thought twice about what to do next. He went to the hospital by taking public transportation after realizing that the other car was missing because his wife took it, then waited for her in the hospital lobby.

Krystal kept hoping and praying in her heart that her patient won’t be cut and opened up to undergo a surgery. However, based on her assessment, the kid was suffering from a urinary tract infection and she felt sorry because the kid already turned pale in pain. When the test results arrived, she was right and officially ruled out Eunji’s case. She advised the child to be admitted and asked if she holds in her pee and the kid honestly answered yes.

“I hold it in especially when I’m playing.”

Krystal kept rubbing the back of her young patient’s hand as she conversed with her. “You should no longer do that, okay? It’s very dangerous, Eunji. You can die from it and now you’re really sick. Don’t do that anymore, okay? If you keep doing that, then you won’t be able to enjoy doing a lot of things, just like now. Can you run with your friends outside right now?”

She shook her head and felt shy around her doctor. “Sorry, pretty doctor. I won’t do it again.”

“Pinky promise?” She held out her pinky, then the kid interlocked it with hers.

“Pinky promise.”

She smiled at the kid and the kid returned it, then her mom went to her to thank her and she only smiled. She greeted them to take care before leaving and reminded her to take her medicine. “I’m leaving now, Eunji. When you get better, I’ll play with you.”

“Really?!” She looked excited with her doctor’s promise.

She nodded, then waved to the young girl before heading out of her ward. Since she was in her territory, she saw some of her patients and they all greeted their favorite pretty doctor. She kept looking at her watch, then quickened her steps in order to arrive home sooner by saving time in walking. As she was about to exit the hospital building, she was surprised to feel an arm around her, making her jump and almost scream loudly.

“Surprise,” Minho said to her before smiling cheekily.

“Wha-“

He showed her the blue post-it, with the cheeky smile still present on his face. “Let’s go?”

She only nodded and gave him a small smile, then walked out with him to the car. She was surprised with what Minho did next.

He took her hand in his and just held on it until they reached the car, then opened the car door for her before going to his side. He was surprised that she didn’t pull her hand away when he expected her to do so.

In the car, Krystal rested her head and kept her eyes closed. Minho noticed this and just allowed her to rest. He understood how tired she must’ve been when she tried to squeeze in the amount of work that she did for today to the time that was available for her. He realized that maybe she was just about to rest from preparing a feast for him when she was needed back into the hospital.

When they arrived, her eyes slowly opened, then she quickly got out of the car, remembering the surprise that she planned for Minho. She was busy unlocking the front door when she heard him call her. She turned around upon hearing her name, facing him.

He pulled her closer to him, closing the gap between them, and embraced her. “I know you’re rushing to go in before me, but I’ve seen them. Thank you. I really didn’t expect these. Thank you so much.”

She hugged him back, then a smile slowly appeared on her face, but it was still a tired one. “Were you surprised?”

“Very.” He gave her a kiss on the temple.

“What about your gift, do you like it?”

“Which one?”

She gave him a light whack on his back while giggling. “The one in the paler bag, silly!”

“I haven’t opened that one, yet, but I do love my gift.”

She pulled herself away from him and gave him a confused look. “How’d you know, you haven’t even opened it?”

He chuckled before taking both of her hands in his. “I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about you, silly,” he mocked her.

She felt her ears and cheeks heat up with what he just said. She saw him smiling as her brown orbs were looking right into his, then the next think thing she knew, his thumb were wiping the tears that formed in her away. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. She was so touched with what he said that she teared up.

With her blushing, he only chuckled even more. “What for, being teary-eyed? There’s nothing to be sorry about.” He pulled her in for another hug and kept kissing her hair.

She closed her eyes and just allowed herself to rest in his embrace, then she patted his back before breaking the hug. “Sorry to ruin the moment, but we gotta celebrate your birthday and the food’s already cold.”

“Right, right.” He agreed to her while smiling.

She ran to the table and saw that the food were covered. She removed it, then started taking the bowls and plates into the kitchen to reheat them. She saw him emerging from the entrance of the kitchen and started walking closer to her. “I know you want to help me, but please let me do this.”

“But-“

“I know, I know, but I’m fine. You can go and rest first and I’ll be done in no time.” She smiled at him to reassure him that everything’s alright.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He walked away, then turned around to face her and saw her working. “Really?”

“Yes, Minho.”

“Alright,” he said before leaving the kitchen. He peeped back inside to ask her again. “You sure?”

“Minho!” She was ready to glare at him, then she saw him laughing.

“I did that on purpose,” he admitted. “I’m leaving, sorry.” He chuckled before taking a seat at the table. In just a couple of minutes, she came out of the kitchen and placed the food one by one on the table. “Thank you,” he sincerely said.

She already sat beside him, then suddenly rushed back into the kitchen, confusing him.

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” she said loudly for him to hear.

Minho was on his phone, reading the greetings that he received from his friends and started replying to them. When he heard her singing the birthday song, he turned his head around and saw her holding a cake for him. Krystal held it until the song finished instead of placing it on the table.

“Make a wish,” she told him.

He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes as he made a wish before blowing out the candle.

She placed the cake on the table, then went back to her spot and started eating. She watched him eat the food that she made him, then watched his expression. “Sorry if the food wasn’t tasty enough or if it was too salty. I wasn’t able to taste them.”

“It’s amazing.” He looked at her and gave her a smile, then two thumbs up. He swallowed his food and nodded. “It’s perfectly cooked.”

As they continued eating, he asked her what time did she get home in order to do all these. She explained that she clocked out of work early, then managed to even add in her surprise as she was working. The leaving work early part was understandable for him, but when she mentioned about sneaking in bits of her plan during work, he remembered something.

“Were you the cause of the blue chocolate coins?”

She raised her eyebrows as she smiled cheekily. “I had it shipped from the States and also stopped by at your patients’ wards and your office to spread them around.”

He was shocked upon hearing what really went on and found it unbelievable how she was able to incorporate her plan while working.

“I also left my coat on purpose and asked the two to have you pick it up to delay you from leaving early.” She bragged to him about her other plan.

With his eyes squinted and lips forming a half smile in amazement, he soon realized something. “That convention was not real?”

She nodded her head as she sliced stabbed the leafy greens with her fork. “Didn’t happen.”

“It was just your excuse because you didn’t want me to know that you’ll be home early for all of this?”

She nodded proudly, then smiled widely. “In high school, my friends called me the master of surprises.”

Minho was really astonished at how she was able to pull off everything. He only had praise for her because she really lives up to her title. After eating, they both had cake and of all the food on the table, it was the only thing that she didn’t make herself. It was store-bought and thankfully made by her friend, thus being able to eat the dessert as it was customized to be hypoallergenic for her. After finishing their meal, she started clearing the table and no longer declined the help that she got from him. She sat down at the dinner table after cleaning up and waited for him to join her. Seeing that her gift was still unopened, she pushed it towards him.

“You haven’t opened this yet.”

“Ah, right.” He removed the ribbon that locked the bag, then found a box inside. Upon opening the box, he saw a silk tie with an elegant, eye-catching, yet formal pattern for its design resting in it. “This is- wow, just wow.”

Krystal smiled when she saw his reaction. He clearly loved it and she need not to ask. She watched him get up from his seat while holding the tie. “You wanna try it on?”

“Well, yeah. Today’s a special occasion, so might as well.” He smiled before walking to the bathroom.

“You want me to tie it for you?”

He stopped in his steps and turned to face her, then walked back to the table. “Y-you, uh, you know how?”

She nodded before taking the tie from him. She got up from her seat and went on to fix it up for him. “I learned by being my cousin’s ‘stylist.’ He wanted to be an actor and tried to go on auditions and even had photoshoots,” she paused to laugh as she remembered how handsome he thought he looked while fixing the tie around his neck. “That’s how I learned to do this because I was such a perfectionist.”

“Oh, I thought that, you know,” he kept his voice low in embarrassment.

She smiled at him. “I know, I understand. It’s totally fine,” she reassured him. “I didn’t know that I’ll be able to learn this, too, because we kicked my dad out.”

“I was actually used to doing this on my own because my dad only taught me once and I never saw mom doing this for him because she doesn’t know how to do almost everything. Even cooking actually. She’s a bit lazy,” Minho admitted before chuckling. “So, I thought that I won’t be able to get a greeting from you. You really are the master of surprises, huh.”

She gave him a small smile before finishing up. “Sorry that it wasn’t as grand with how you threw my surprise.”

“But I just like celebrating quietly, remember? Stop saying sorry,” he chuckled before ruffling her hair, then fixing it after earning a glare from her.

“Yeah, that’s why I did my plan quietly.”

“And I really do appreciate having real meat in the house. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“I know, but I wanted to.” After tucking the thinner side beneath the tie, she was finished. “There. All done.”

He no longer went to look in the mirror as he can see it perfectly. “This is perfect. It’s incredible. You’re truly incredible. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“I’m not called the master of surprises for no reason, right?” She stood on her tiptoes, then pecked his lips. “Good night,” She quickly said before increasing her speed to the stairs.

Still surprised with what just happened, he quickly slapped himself out in a dazed state and ran to his wife, holding onto her wrist to stop her from retreating to her room. “Where do you think you’re going?” He  held both of her shoulders and saw how tomato red she was. He pulled her towards him for a tight embrace while chuckling. “You said that you’re lucky to be married to me when I’m the one who’s lucky to be married to an amazing and incredible woman like you. You even beat Wonder Woman and Supergirl.”

“No, I’m the lucky one here. I’m just showing you how great of a husband you are.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Happy Birthday, Minho.”

He kissed her hair before thanking her again.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He smiled widely upon hearing her secret message being the shy girl that she is. “I heard that and I love you, too.” He detached himself from her a bit, then slowly leaned in to place a sweet kiss on her lips. They smiled at each other after pulling away and Krystal looked down, hiding her red cheeks from him. He pulled her in for another hug and chuckled. “My birthday wish arrived sooner than expected.”

Author's note: Hi everyone! Sorry for not being able to uodate right away because it was finals week and I recently suffered a knee injury-- I still have it actually :( I fell down the stairs and my knee hit the edge of the steps after I slipped. Anyway, back to the story, I do hope you like the update! This is the longest chapter that I've written for this story and the last time I did something like this was for JALBOYH. Lemme know what you guys think in the comments section below (and it'll also give you bonuses!) :) thank you!!