(Yerin’s POV)

“SinB-ah, wake up!” I excitedly screamed into her room before jumping on her bed.

“Unnie, what the hell?” my grouchy kitten scowled, voice hoarse and scratchy, pulling the covers over her head.

“It’s your birthday today!”

“I’m aware.”

“Don’t you want to make the most out of it?”

Haggardly, SinB sat up, staring at me with daggers in her eyes for disturbing her rest. “Unnie, today is one of the few rare days where we get time off. I think I’d rather spend it catching up on my sleep.”

“True, but today is also the only day of the year where you, Hwang Eunbi, get to tell the world that you’re another year older, another year wiser, and that you’re finally starting to look your age.”

“Thanks,” SinB replied bitterly, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed.

“Come on, SinB-ah. Clean up and get dressed. I’m taking you out on a birthday extravaganza.”

“What about the other members?”

“The other members can wait their turn,” I said, slinging my arm around her shoulders. “Today is just going to be for you with silly old me tagging along whether you like it or not.”

***

Truth be told, I didn’t have an exact plan on the what activities to do and places to go. I figured that would come naturally later. After all, the hardest part was trying to convince my members of celebrating both Eunha and SinB’s birthdays early on the same day since they were so close together. While Eunha and SinB didn’t seem to mind, Sowon could easily tell that there was an ulterior motive behind my frugality.

Who could blame me? This was the first birthday celebration where SinB and I were officially a couple.

Through the years, my perception of SinB has changed overwhelmingly. When we were trainees, I saw her as this pretty kid with amazing dancing skills. When we debuted, I came to realize that she was as equally determined as she was dorky. And now, after three years of promoting as ‘GFriend’, she was no longer just a pretty girl or a talented dancer in my eyes. She was my partner in crime. The person I could tell my secrets to. The one who stuck by side when times became rough. The one who has grown up so much in such a short span of time, yet managed to keep her youthful spirit. Everyday, I found myself adoring her more.

I would blame the company for my infatuation with SinB. They were the one who required us to stand in the same lineup consisting of Sowon, Eunha, me, SinB, Umji, and Yuju. It was easy for us to pair up together as we took pictures. Often times, I found myself hugging onto SinB’s waist and pressing my cheek against her own. She would reciprocate it, though there was some discomfort in her expression in the beginning. But, over time and once we all became more relaxed around each other, I noticed that there was less of a stiffness and more of a willingness to be in such close proximity with me. I resent my company for a lot of things. But in the end, I don’t think there was anything more organic than the connection between me and SinB.

“Seriously?” SinB said as I walked out from the bathroom and into the living room. “You took fifteen minutes longer than me to get ready just for you to come out wearing a sweatshirt and shorts?”

She's cold and she's cruel

But she knows what she's doing

I harrumphed, scanning over SinB’s outfit which consisted of black jeans, a black V-neck, a baggy plaid shirt, and a black cap. “I originally had my hair up in a top bun. But, I took it down and put it into a ponytail so I could wear this.” I placed a cap on my head, identical to SinB’s but in white. “See, now we’re matching.” I smiled brightly, only to receive an unimpressed, quirked eyebrow.

“Whatever,” SinB replied, getting her face mask ready. “Are we going, yet?”

“Yes,” I said cheerfully, taking out a face mask of my own.

Free from the dorms, we went outside and were welcomed by beautiful rays of sunshine. Spring was drawing to a close. In the next few weeks, it’ll already be Summer time, and we’ll probably be in Japan promoting the Japanese versions of our older songs and maybe even releasing new material. Next thing you know, we would be celebrating my and Umji’s birthday. The older I get, the more I realize that time waits for no one. The best we can do is make the most of each day, creating memories that we can look back on and cherish.

“Sooo,” SinB drawled, kicking a stone off the payment, “is there a particular place we’re walking to?”

“Well, you’re the birthday girl, and my wallet is ready to spend it on anything you desire for the day. Just call me your sugar daddy,” I said with a wink.

SinB cringed. “I’d rather not call you ‘daddy’ in any circumstance,” she quipped. “But, I'm all up for you spending your money on me. Let’s go to that cafe over there, and buy me an iced coffee.”

We went to the cafe and I bought SinB an iced Americano while I settled for a caramel macchiato. Strolling to a nearby park, we sat down on a bench underneath the cool shade provided by a large, oak tree.

“You look really pretty today, SinB-ah,” I said, smoothing over the stray ends of her peach-colored hair. “Even though I bet you just threw on whatever clean clothes you could find.”

SinB chuckled. “You know me so well.” She glanced over my attire and sipped on her coffee before she said, “You look really pretty, too, Unnie.”

Her cheeks lifted into a megawatt smile, causing my heart to flutter instantaneously. It’s unfair how she has this affect on me. As I urged my heart to calm down, I felt SinB’s hand on my thigh. I turned to meet her gaze which remained unfazed, yet naturally serene. I watched tentatively as she lifted the drink her hand, catching the straw in her rose petal lips, and took a small sip of her beverage. She stared into my eyes which were too focused on how bobbed upon swallowing the liquid.

“I’m getting kind of tired of drinking Americano all the time,” SinB spoke in her low tone of voice that never fails to send shivers down my spine. She held her coffee cup towards me and gestured for my own cup. “Wanna trade?”

Snapping back to my senses, I nodded my head dumbly. “Y-yeah. Sure.”

SinB giggled once more as we exchanged drinks. For some reason, we kept our eyes locked on each other while indulging the rich taste of the coffee.

SinB her lips, savoring the flavor. “Sweet.”

Innocent as it may seem, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.

Cause she's bittersweet

She knocks me off of my feet

And I can't help myself

I don't want anyone else

***

Half-finished cups of coffee in our hands, we decided to walk around the town some more, taking in the sights while trying not to get recognized. As we crossed the street, SinB spotted a large banner with her face on it and the words “How I Met You: SinB Photo Exhibition” at the far end of the block.

“Do you want to go and check it out?” I asked excitedly.

SinB grimaced. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m intruding.”

“Nonsense,” I disagreed. “This is what the fans put together for you. I’m sure your appearance will really make their day and yours.”

Though SinB was still hesitant, I grabbed a hold of her hand and dragged her to the area.

And the more she ignores me

The more I adore her

What can I do?

I'd do anything for her

We entered through the glass doors, and it wasn’t long until one of the attendees gasped in sheer delight. Like a domino effect, everyone began to notice our presence. People were jumping with joy and holding onto one another, hoping that they weren’t dreaming. Phones were whipped out from pockets, trying to capture proof of our existence. SinB and I both stood shyly in front of the crowd of fans, waving at them and smiling behind our face masks.  

Our beloved Buddies were very kind and sweet, as expected, giving us goody bags and offering snacks. SinB and I toured around the gallery, viewing the artistically taken photos of SinB that were organized on the wall. I’m always amazed how our fans are able to take better pictures of us than the professional photographers.

Whether on stage or just casually walking about, SinB looked utterly stunning. I couldn’t help but comment on how pretty each picture came out. In reality, I was suppressing my inner fangirl over how gorgeous SinB appeared. Being surrounded by images upon images of SinB was like being in my own little paradise.

As SinB chatted with the team who put the event together, I drifted towards the side of the room that served as a cafe. Coffee cups with SinB striking various poses on the sleeve were presented. But, what caught my eye was the full size picture of SinB at the airport displayed like a centerpiece.

“Yerin-unnie, do you want something to drink?” this cute girl who was probably still in high school asked me.

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m fine,” I politely declined. “But, if it’s alright, can I write a little message on this?” I pointed to the photo.

The girl’s line of sight followed my pointer finger and smiled. “Sure, Unnie. Go ahead.”

She handed me the picture and a permanent marker. I held the picture close to me, blocking her view of it to keep what I was writing a secret. Once I was finished with my masterpiece, I placed it back on the stand and walked away so that she could read it.

Near SinB’s face, I drew a speaking bubble. In it I wrote, Yerin-unnie, saranghae ❤

From behind, I heard the girl hollar with laughter, calling her friends over to see what I had written. Curious, SinB and the event team walked to see the special message I left for her birthday. Once she saw it, SinB looked at me with the tiniest bit of amusement, shook her head, and grabbed the picture to write something on it herself. When she placed it back, I peeped over her shoulder to see what she contributed. There was her signature, a short message of appreciation to everyone who organized the event, and right beneath my speech bubble were three dots.

…

***

“You know what the fans call us these days?” I asked SinB who was too busy scrolling on her phone. “SinRin.”

Placing her phone down on the wooden table of the restaurant, SinB poked at the ice cubes in her drink with her straw. “Didn’t it used to be YeB?”

“There was also BRin,” I added.

SinB simply smirked, pushing down an ice cube to the bottom of the cup and watching it float to the top. “Maybe they’re catching on to us.”

“Are we that obvious?”

“You are definitely the most obvious one between the two of us.”

“Hey, what about the whole glasses incident at the fansign a couple weeks ago?” I said in my defense.

SinB stopped playing with her drink and looked at me squarely in the eye with a serious expression. “You promised me that you wouldn’t bring it up again,” she whispered in a conspiratorial manner.

Her slackened posture straightened at the appearance of a server walking to our table with a plate of bulgogi. SinB and I remained quiet, watching in hunger as the server placed the pieces of marinated beef on the grill. Once finished, we thanked the server who bowed and mentioned how much his daughter loves our music. SinB and I shyly giggled in flattery.

I watched over the grill, turning over the meat that was ready to be cooked on the other side. From the corner of my eye, I saw a text notification light up SinB’s phone screen. She grabbed her phone and smiled upon seeing the name of the sender.

“It’s my Umma,” SinB informed me. “She wants to know what I’m doing right now on my birthday.”

“What are you going to tell her?” I casually asked, placing the cooked pieces of bulgogi on her plate. I’m not sure why, but there was a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“I’ll tell her the truth,” SinB replied, working up her texting thumbs. “You forced me out of the comfort of my own bed so I could spend an entire semi-pleasant day with you.”

“Sounds about right,” I joked, putting several pieces of meat into a lettuce wrap and feeding it to her.

SinB chewed, attention fixed on the phone screen, waiting for her mom’s reply. Suddenly, SinB’s eyes went wide, and she started to cough haphazardly. Dropping her phone, she reached for her drink and chugged until she was able to completely ingest the food that obstructed .

“SinB-ah, are you okay?” I stood up and slid in the chair next to her, patting her back.

She gave me her phone, but I was too concerned for her to even want to see what it read.

Catching her breath, SinB inhaled deeply before saying, “My Umma addressed you as her daughter-in-law.”

My mouth shaped into an ‘O’ before I grinned at her teasingly. “Is that so? Should I also address her as my mother-in-law now?” I kidded, laughing wildly.

“Please, Unnie, don’t give her the satisfaction,” SinB said, eyes begging.

“You don’t think it could happen one day?” I asked playfully, yet held my breath, secretly anticipating her answer.

Giving me her undivided attention, SinB spoke, “I believe anything could happen. Like, how we won’t have to hide anymore. Or, how I could finally call you my girlfriend in public. Or,... how you could be so clueless that you don’t even realize that the bulgogi is burning!”

Confused, I looked down to check on the grill and noticed the cloud of never ending black smoke. The server hurriedly ran to our table with a fire extinguisher, putting it out before the restaurant was engulfed in flames.

I sat frozen, embarrassed to no end.

“Check, please,” SinB requested guiltily.

She laughs at my dreams

But I dream about her laughter

Strange as it seems

She's the one I'm after

***

Though the day wasn’t entirely as romantic as I would have preferred it to be, it sure was memorable. And while I was ready to dig my own grave, the restaurant manager was very forgiving, delivering another plate of bulgogi at a discount. My conscious wouldn't have it, though. So, I ended up paying for two plates at full price plus tip.

As for SinB, the grown up kid wouldn’t stop teasing me about it. Even when we entered the hotel room, it was a difficult challenge for me to get her to change the subject. Luckily, she found my kisses to be irresistible, and that got her to drop the jokes almost instantly.

“Yerin-ah, are you coming to bed?” I heard SinB say from across the room.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw SinB laying on the bed and leaning on her elbow with only a blanket to cover her.

“Can’t sleep without me?” I quipped. SinB rolled her eyes in response. Laughing to myself, I closed my journal and sauntered her way, shrugging off my robe before climbing into bed.

SinB cocooned herself in my arms as I hugged her from behind. I nuzzled my nose into the crook of her neck, inhaling her flowery perfume that still lingered on her skin. She began caressing my arms, and I could tell that she had something on her mind.

“Thanks for making this birthday one that I’ll never forget, Yerin-ah,” SinB whispered.

I smiled widely. “The pleasure is mine. Happy birthday once again, Hwang Eunbi.” I lifted myself up a bit to kiss her temple. “I love you,” I said tenderly, hoping that it sounded like I meant it with all my heart. Because, I did. And, I didn’t mind if she wasn’t ready to say it back. Holding her tighter, I closed my eyes in pure contentment.

…

“I love you, too, Jung Yerin.”

She's a mystery

She's too much for me

But I keep coming back for more

She's just the girl I'm looking for