It's April and your birthday was coming up. However, you had been told months before that you would have a schedule with Nike in the US the week of your birthday so you couldn't really celebrate your birthday with the members or have your birthday celebration with Luvies on the day of it. Although absolutely gutted, you, unfortunately, didn't have a say and even Irene couldn't change the schedule for you. All the members were very sad and it would be the first birthday that you wouldn't celebrate with the members. 

"I'm so sad, Unnie," Yeri whined, clinging to you like her mother often does (*cough Irene cough*). 

"Don't be sad, Yerim-ah," you patted her head lovingly, smiling down at her, "I would be home just before midnight. If you're still awake by then, we could still celebrate." 

She continued to pout, snuggling closer to your chest instead. "Why do you have to be a Nike ambassador? Why do you have to be away for a week? I'm gonna miss you so bad!" 

You could only let out a soft laugh at her whinings, though actually thankful that she was acting this way. You cursed the company for agreeing for a job the week of your birthday but really, what can you do? You're sad, really sad, that you technically wouldn't be spending your birthday with your members this year. You were supposed to be back at the dorm around 15 minutes before midnight on the day of your birthday and it . It that you would be away that day, that you would be working that day, and that even Irene couldn't be with you. Because your work is a week-long schedule, she couldn't join you due to her own during that week; she was pouting when she found out and would only smile again after you cuddled her for a whole day. She's a clingy koala, that one. 

"I'm gonna miss you so much too, Yerimmie. Cuddle Hyun-unnie for me, okay? I bet she would be pouty the whole day." 

Yeri pulled back from your chest and opened to reply, only to be cut off by the very person you were talking about. 

"You better cuddle me yourself, Elizabeth." You gasped, amusement evident in your eyes. Irene only uses your full name when she's super serious. "I better get a text that you're coming back as soon as possible or I swear..." she trailed off. 

This time you laughed out loud, letting go of the hug you had with Yeri. "Unnie! What the hell?" You continued to laugh. 

Irene pouted, coming to your side and clinging to you instead. She wrapped her hands around your waist and leaned her head on your shoulders, hugging you tight. You hugged her back still giggling, your body shaking slightly. 

"Why are you laughing? Aren't you sad?" She knew you were, she knew you the best after all, but she wanted you to let out your emotions. She knew you were hiding your sadness from the rest of the members, not wanting them to know that you were actually feeling sad.

Yeri left the two of you with a kiss on your cheek, knowing this was a moment you should have with Irene alone. You bid her goodbye with a smile. 

"I am sad, Unnie," you replied softly, hugging her tighter and putting your head on hers. You let out a sigh, "I just don't want to make you guys, especially Yeri and Wan-unnie, worried about me. I'll be busy the whole week so I probably won't be able to contact you much. I know that alone would make all of you worry," you paused for a bit, "okay, maybe not Sooyoung-unnie though. She's probably glad that I'm away for so long," you joked, resulting in Irene slapping your stomach and you laughing. 

Irene pulled back slightly, looking up at you with a glare that had you gulping. "Do not joke about this, Eli-ah. You know she won't." 

You softened at that, you let out a sad smile. "I know, Unnie. I was just trying to make you laugh." 

You pulled back even more only to put both your hands on her shoulder, looking straight into her eyes. "I know you're worried about me but I'll be okay. I promise to come home right after I finish, no matter how tired I am or how late it is. I want to spend the last bit of my birthday with you," you let out your dimpled smile, "all of you."

With that, Irene finally let out the breathtaking smile that you adore so much. She leaned in to kiss your cheek and went back to hugging you, this time engulfing you in her arms. You let out a happy sigh, snuggling closer to your guardian. 

"It's your birthday and I'm the one who's acting like it's mine. I'm sorry, I just hate that you will be away, it's the first one you'll be spending away from me and I feel like something will be missing," she paused, hugging you tighter and when she spoke, her voice wavered slightly, "I'll just miss you." 

You tried to comfort her with your warmth, changing your position so you're the one cuddling her right now.

"I'll miss you too, Unnie," you paused, "I'll miss you too." 

You tried to blink away the tears. You had to be strong for her. For everyone.  

The day of your departure came and it was like you were leaving for a month it's crazy. Considering they couldn't actually take you to the airport, they all said their goodbyes at the dorm with the manager waiting right outside of it. They all lined up at the door like when you were in school and you just couldn't help but let out a laugh. 

"You guys look funny." That made them all protest in perfect unison. 

"Yah!" 

You just laughed again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." 

You looked at your members one by one. The first on the line was Yeri and she was looking at you with such sadness you couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving, even if it was out of your control. The next was Joy and for the first time in a while, you saw a sad frown on her pretty face. It was a sight you didn't want to see again. Seulgi was giving you her warm smile, making you smile back. You couldn't help but think you don't spend enough time with her; you had missed your first sister. The last two on the line were Wendy and Irene, or the so-called parent line. Wendy was looking at you with a big smile on her face but you couldn't help but notice the worry and slight sadness in her expression. She could never hide her emotions from you. Irene, your guardian, was giving you a warm smile but her eyes were watering. You knew that at that moment, she was trying so hard to hold back her tears. 

Trying to lift up the mood, you gave them your biggest and warmest smile. "Well, I'll be going. I'll send a text as soon as I get there, okay?" 

They all nodded. You went up to Yeri first, giving her a big hug. "I'll see you in a week, Yerim-ah. Take care of yourself and your unnies, okay? Don't forget to text or call me, it'll help me do better." 

You felt her nodding into your shoulder and you pulled back slightly to give the side of her head a kiss before pulling back completely. Giving her a last smile, you went to Joy next. 

"Hey Sooyoung-unnie, I hate seeing you frown like that please give me a smile before I leave!" Your bluntness actually got her to let out a scoff and a smile. 

"See? That's a lot better!" 

She could only sigh. "Come here, dongsaeng." She then proceeded to take you into her arms, you nuzzling your face into her neck. 

"I'll miss you, you know?" Hearing her rhetorical question made you smile, hugging her tighter before pulling back.

"I know." 

You moved on to Seulgi and immediately snuggled into her figure. "Unnie! I feel like we don't hang out much. We have to once I get back, okay? I miss my first sister," you said the last part quietly, knowing Irene would definitely throw a tantrum if she heard. 

You both felt and heard Seulgi's laughter. "I'm sorry, Eli. We will, I promise! I will treat you to anything you want, how about that?" 

You pulled back and gave her a grin. "I'd like that! I can't wait." 

With that, you moved to Wendy and this was definitely a harder goodbye than the rest. You could feel your tears starting to make their way into your eyes, making your eyes glossy. 

"Wan-unnie, please don't look like that. You're gonna make me cry!" To prevent you from crying, you immediately gave her a big, warm hug. You could feel her slightly shaking in laughter. 

"I can't help it, Liza. I'll miss you so much. I hate how we can't celebrate your birthday together this year." She pulled back from the hug, looking at you with such a warm, proud gaze in her eyes it made it harder for you to hold back your tears. 

"Tell me what you want for your birthday and I'll buy it for you, okay?" 

You whined. "Unnie! You know I don't need anything. Just give me anything wrapped I'll be happy, I promise." What can you say, you like opening wrapped stuff. 

She laughed a teary laugh. "Fine. Don't blame me if you don't like your presents though." 

You gave her a warm smile. "I promise I won't." 

From her, you moved to Irene and you couldn't help but let out a sob making her take you into her arms immediately. 

"Can't you come with me, Unnie?" Your voice sounded so small it made her heart hurt. She had tried to change her schedule but the brand couldn't allow it so she was stuck here. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't, Eli. I promise to call you every day, okay? Or you can call me anytime you want, I promise to answer." 

You giggled, snuggling into her for a bit before pulling back, wiping your tears away with your hands. "Okay, Hyun-unnie, I will. Take care of yourself, okay? I'll be back in a week." 

She gave you a smile and you smiled back, closing your eyes as she tiptoed to give your forehead a kiss. "I love you, Eli." 

You gave her a grin. It was rare to hear her speaking in English and you appreciated her effort. "I love you too."  

You made your way to the door, looking back at them one last time.

With a smile, you bid them goodbye. "I'll be back soon. I love you all." 

"We love you too, Eli. Have a safe flight." 

You smiled. "I will." 

After you walked out, they all let out a collective sad sigh. 

"It's gonna be so weird not having her here." 

"I know, right?" 

"I can't wait for her to get back already." 

"You're never this clingy, Sooyoung. What happened?" 

"Yah!" 

"Stop it," Irene eventually cut them off. With determination clear in her eyes, she addressed all of them seriously. "Let's plan what to do for her when she gets back. We're gonna give her the best birthday surprise." 

Yeri let out a smirk. "Now that's a plan." 

When you got to the US, some ReVeluvs actually knew you were coming and came to welcome you at the airport. They all cheered once you got out and you were so shocked you almost dropped your phone. You then let out a grin, bowing your head slightly and waving at them. They continued to call your name and cheered. One even held a gift in her hand and you went up to her to retrieve it, proceeding to give her your signature dimpled smile and say your thanks. Your actions ignited another round of cheers. 

When you got to your room at the hotel, you threw yourself on the bed before groaning at the feeling of finally stretching your body comfortably. You stayed still for a few moments before getting up with a sigh, getting your phone from the table. You needed to text your members or they would freak out. The rest of the week happened in an almost similar fashion, you getting back from your photoshoot and texting your members. You usually have the photoshoots during the day, then get dinner and retire to your room. Irene, as promised, called you every day with updates about her life without you and how much she'd missed you. Wendy called once in a while, usually with Seulgi, whilst Joy and Yeri preferred to text you instead. 

Everything was finally done, as you had wrapped up the series of photoshoots yesterday and got you packing your new Nike gear in your suitcase to bring home. You were going home the day after and you couldn't be more excited. Just like when you got there, some fans were sending you away at the airport and you couldn't let go of the wide smile on your face.

Before you got to the security, you heard a fan screaming, "Happy early birthday, Eliza! Hope you have a good flight!"

That prompted you to turn around and yell, "Thank you mate! Cheers!"

You arrived at the dorm earlier than you thought you would and you couldn't help but hope the members weren't asleep yet so you got to celebrate your birthday still. When you got your keys out and unlocked the door, you were greeted with darkness. You frowned. Were they asleep? You knew for a fact that at least Irene would wait up for you. This was weird. You found out why at the moment you closed the door. 

When it did, the lights suddenly and you heard your members first before actually seeing them. The shouts of "Happy birthday Eli!" made you gasp in surprise, causing you to drop your handbag. 

"Wha—?" 

Your members walked towards you, Irene holding a beautiful cake in her hands with the number 24 on it, Yeri lighting up the candles. They all had big grins on their faces and you were still overcoming your shock, causing them to laugh. 

"I think she's broken." 

Joy snickered. "She's too shocked to even say anything! That's a first." 

That got you out of it. "Yah! Rude, Sooyoung-unnie." 

Wendy rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Come on, Liza. Make a wish." 

You looked around at your members before eventually closing your eyes, wishing for a good future for your group and the fans. You hoped you got to get your music more out there. 

You opened your eyes and blew the candles out, making the members cheer before being engulfed in a group hug. 

"You guys, thank you so much. I really didn't expect it." 

Seulgi laughed. "That's why we did it, Eli-ah." 

You returned the laugh. "Right."

Even though you were buzzing, you couldn't really hide your exhaustion. Irene saw you trying to stifle your yawn, causing her to pull back from the hug which made the others do the same thing. 

Irene let out a motherly smile. "We'll celebrate more tomorrow with Luvies, okay? The day is almost changing anyway, you should sleep. You must be exhausted." 

You couldn't help but frown. "With Luvies? Together? I thought I had to do it alone?" 

"Well, Joohyun-unnie demanded us to be there with you so it would be just like the years before! We got to celebrate it with you again." 

Your frown turned into a wide, dimpled grin. "Hyun-unnie, thank you! It would be much better with you guys up there with me." 

It was silent before Wendy broke it with a clap. "Right. Off to bed, Missy." 

"Yes, Appa," you giggled tiredly.

Irene let out her dolphin laugh. "Appa? Who's the mother then?" 

You were dead tired but you couldn't let this teasing opportunity go. "You of course." 

You ran before she could hit you though that didn't really stop her. She yelled a "Yah!" before proceeding to run after you to your room. 

You couldn't hope for a better birthday.