Present Day (October 2018)

It was finally Soojung's 24th birthday and her sister came home just in time to celebrate it with her. She wanted to introduce Jongin to Jessica and thought her birthday dinner was the perfect occasion to do so.

Shinhye had slept at her parents' house with her kids, so Soojung was alone that morning. She didn't take it personnally, because she knew Shinhye was just concerned about them being discovered.

Even more so since she told her parents that Yeonseok was back. Soojung understood.

She got ready and left for the gym. A birthday workout is a tradition of hers, and the first thing she does every year.

Jongin was supposed to meet her at the gym, so she warmed up while waiting for him. She was trying his gym for a change, since they always went to hers to accommodate with her schedules.

Before she could start, someone gave her a tap on the shoulder, making her turn to check who it was. She was surprised to see Sehun.

"Sehun?!"

"I thought it was you"

He smiled at her and took his earphones off. Soojung smiled back and quickly hugged the boy.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him. "Well, I mean apart from working out. Because it's a gym, obviously"

Sehun chuckled before replying.

"It's my neighborhood's gym. I always come here for a workout."

"You live around here?" Soojung asked.

"Yes, just down that road over there."

"That's nice. I wish my gym was that close to my place. I wouldn't have to cry every time I have to go"

"Yeah, about that. What brings you around here? This is too far away from your neighborhood to just be a random pick." Sehun asked.

Soojung stopped for a second, wondering how he knew her address. Then she remembered why she was at that gym in particular and forgot all about her suspicion.

"Ahem, I'm meeting up with a... a friend. Trying out his gym for a change" She finally said.

She was thankful that they were speaking in Korean and not English, because it made it hard to tell if that friend was a boy or a girl. Sehun wanted to ask for more precision, but he knew he had no right to.

"That's nice. Well, I'm gonna leave you to it then. I was on my way out." Sehun said.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you around." She replied.

Sehun nodded and waved her goodbye as he left the place. Soojung proceeded to warm up again when someone else asked for her attention.

"Hey, Princess."

She smiled as soon as she turned around, seeing Jongin.

"Hey, Bad Boy" She joked.

"I'm sorry for being late. Had a last minute errand to run"

"It's alright, I just got here. So, what do we start with?"

Jongin stopped for a second and looked around the gym.

"Treadmill?" He suggested.

Soojung frowned before chuckling.

"Not my favorite one, but alright"

They warmed up a bit, then Jongin set up Soojung's machine before setting his. Their workout was fun, and Soojung loved being coached by him.

They held hands on their way out, enjoying the moment.

But it was soon stopped by something unexpected. Sehun stood at the gym's door, with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

As soon as she saw him, Soojung immediately let go of Jongin's hand. The boy wondered what was going on until he looked up as well.

"Happy birthday Soojung." Sehun said, before handing her the bouquet.

Soojung stood there, confused and embarrassed.

"Sehun..."

"I'm sorry to show up on you again like that, but on my way home I remembered that it was your birthday. And knowing your tradition, I decided to come back with a gift. This is all I managed to get on short notice, sorry."

Soojung was still stunned and didn't know what to say and Jongin did not look too pleased.

October 2013

"It's my birthday!" Soojung exclaimed, jumping on the bed.

Sehun chuckled and moved out of her way, letting her enjoy her moment. Once she was done, she came down from the bed and hugged him tightly.

Her birthday was her favorite time of the year, because it was one of the only occasions during which all of her loved ones came together. They all made the effort to be there, just to celebrate her.

She loved it.

"Happy birthday, kid." Sehun said, hugging the young woman.

"Thank you, my love"

The two shared a sweet kiss before breaking apart.

"So, what do you want to do first today?" He asked his girlfriend.

"I have a breakfast date with my parents, but first..." She started.

Sehun chuckled, anticipating the rest of that sentence. He diligently waited for her to do her dance before continuing.

"Gym time!" She finally exclaimed, making Sehun laugh.

"Why do you always want to go to the gym first on your birthday?" Sehun asked, realizing that it had become a real tradition of hers for years.

"Well, a birthday is like a litteral rebirth every year, and going to the gym to sweat away the previous 'me' to get to the new 'me' seemed like the perfect thing to bring these words to life. It was between this and going to the spa every birthday morning anyway, but being sleepy again right after waking up wasn't really what I was aiming for!" She giggled to herself.

"That's a nice way to celebrate a birthday... Can I steal it from you?" Sehun asked.

"You know I love you, but this is mine only, baby!"

"Ouch!"

The pair laughed again.

"Let's go get ready, then" Sehun suggested.

Soojung nodded her head and followed him out of the room.

Present Day

After the awkward moment with Sehun in the morning, Jongin dropped Soojung off without asking much. They were both now getting ready for dinner with Jessica, but Soojung was very nervous.

She absolutely did not see what happened that morning coming. That was the most awkward she had ever felt.

After realizing that she was not alone, Sehun looked super embarrassed. He mumbled a few words of apology before handing the flowers to her and fleeing the place.

Jongin may not have asked much about him, but he was clearly bothered. Soojung knew she needed to reassure him.

She looked at the flowers on her bed before saying.

"I'm going to do just that tonight"

"What are you doing tonight?"

Jessica asked, walking into her sister's room. Soojung blushed before looking at her sister.

"Are you ready?" She asked, instead of answering.

"Yeah, we're just waiting for Shishi to get here, then we're good to go" Jessica replied.

She walked around her younger sister's room, feining to look for something before asking again.

"Who are these from?"

Soojung held her breath for a second. She knew her sister's dispositions about Sehun.

"Sehun"

She had no choice but to tell the truth.

"I figured"

"It was just a random gesture at a random encounter. Nothing to worry about" Soojung reassured her.

Jessica pondered for a few moments before nodding her head.

"So... What's his name again?" She asked this time.

"It's Jongin, but we all call him Kai"

"I see."

Jessica walked around some more before finally sitting down on the bed.

"You really like him?"

Soojung st