The car ride to my birthday lunch was mostly silent. But sometimes no talking was better for our family.

"This is the place you chose?" Sangmoon asked as my dad pulled into the lot at JYP's Organic. "You don't even like vegetables."

"I like vegetables," I protested. Especially when it was an affordable place where my parents didn't have to spend too much.

"Really?"

I gave Sangmoon a look so he'd stop pestering me, and we all got out of the car.

After we were seated, the waitress came by, a girl from my school that I didn't know very well. Her name Seulgi and she was a senior like me. "Hi," she said, a friendly smile on her face. "Suzy, right?"

"Yes. Hi." She knew my name. In that moment I felt this weird urge to invitee her over to my party later. I didn't. I ordered veggie burger and fries instead. I wondered if that's how parties got oversized, This generous feeling of the party-thrower to have everyone they even remotely knew come join in on the plan.

"It's Suzy's birthday today," Mom told her.

"Oh! Happy birthday!"

"Thanks. I don't want anyone singing to me or anything," I said, not sure they did that here. But it seemed like every restaurant did.

Seulgi winked at my mom. "Okay, we won't."

Great. The whole waitstaff was going to sing to me.

The food came fast. My plate nearly overflowed with fries. I knew I liked organic foods, we just cook very often and order take-out. I grabbed the burger and dug in.

Halfway through my plate, Mom smiled at me. "This doesn't quite match your theme for today."

"My theme?"

"Sugar. You started the days with Lucky Charms and will end it with a coffee table full of candy."

"True," I giggled.

"Oh," my brother said. "Was that Lucky Charm yours? Sorry."

"Did you eat her cereal?" Mom asked.

"I forgot that tradition."

"You forgot that tradition?" Mom snapped. "You've has it for nineteen years of your life and you just forgot it? Nice."

"Sorry I don't remember every stupid thing we ever do."

"Stupid?" Mom asked, raising her brows.

"You know what I mean. I'm just trying to apologize to my sister for eating her cereal."

"Taeyeon, lighten up," Dad said. Wrong choice of words. Even I knew that.

"Lighten up? Lighten up? Is 'light' the attitude that makes you throw out important letters?"

"Seriously?" Dad said.

"Yes, seriously. That isn't exactly the attitude I'd like to adopt."

"Mom, it's fine," I said.

"See, even your daughter doesn't care," Dad argues, pointing at me with his chopsticks. "Maybe you shouldn't turn me into an evil monster every time something little happens, Taeyeon."

"Our definition of little is very different. And maybe you shouldn't constantly pick the opposite side from me in an argument. A little supper every once in a while would be nice," Mom huffed.

"I didn't realize we were picking sides," he said.

"You know what I mean. You purposely contradict me."

I looked to my left, where the other table of people say a little to close to keep this argument private. And I could tell it definitely wasn't wasn't by the way they were all looking at us.

"Shh," I said. "Let's not fight."

My dad wasn't listening to me, he was staring at my mom with that hard look he often had on his face. "I don't do it on purpose," he told her, not quieting his voice at all. "I don't always have to agree with you."

"You've made that abundantly clear." Mom slammed her glass down a little too hard on the table and sofa splashed onto her hand.

"Can you not do this here, Taeyeon? On Suzy's birthday," Dad said.

"Me? This is now all me? You have no part in this?"

I put my utensils down.

"All this over a box of Lucky Charms?" My brother chimed in.

"Stop. Please just stop," I said.

And at that moment what seemed like the entire staff of the restaurant surrounded our table and began to sing "Happy Birthday" to me.

I tried not to let my face turn redder as they placed a churro and scooped of vanilla ice cream on the table in front of me. I smiled politely until they were gone. I picked up my spoon and took a small bite of the ice cream. It was sprinkled with sprinkles, and the sweetness made my cheeks hurt.