Surprise update! It's 8 days left before 718 and as promised, this story will be finished by then. So I will be updating almost everyday, hahaha.

Hyukjae consciously lowered his black cap as he rolled his suitcase to the airport exit. He immediately saw Donghae standing in the middle of the arrival area, who obviously perked up at the sight of him. He walked towards him with a smile hidden behind his mask.

“Happy birthday!” Hyukjae said as soon as he was in front of Donghae, and stretched out his hand to give Donghae the paper bag he’s carrying.

“What’s this? I told you not to bother with a gift. Just you being here is already more than enough as a birthday gift,” Donghae said as they started walking outside.

Hyukjae knows he blushed at that. “But I still wanted to give you something. It’s nothing much anyway. Come on, open it.”

Donghae opened the paper bag and snorted, then wore the Nike cap on his head. It’s exactly the same as Hyukjae’s but blue instead of black. “We match,” Donghae said with a chuckle.

They were both wearing a black hoodie, jeans, Converse, and the matching cap. Hyukjae laughed at this coincidence. “I’m actually wearing a plain white shirt underneath this hoodie.”

“Me too!” Donghae said and they laughed together, toning it down to avoid getting other people’s attention.

“So, what’s the plan?” Hyukjae asked as soon as they settled down inside Donghae's SUV.

“Let’s have an early lunch. Do you want to eat at my restaurant? I have a branch less than 20 minutes away from here.”

“Sure! I’m in your hands now.”

“I promise to take care of you then,” Donghae said with a wink. 

“Nice car by the way.”

“Ah yes, I use this whenever I’m here. Do you want me to open the sunroof? It’s a bit hot though.”

“No need. I’ll just look through the window.”

They chatted casually, Donghae asking about Hyukjae’s flight and Hyukjae asking how Donghae is, as if it’s not just barely 36 hours since they last saw each other and weren’t still messaging each other during that time. And then they arrived at an area where there are a lot of Korean restaurants and some Japanese too. 

“There are so many Korean restaurants here?”

Donghae chuckled. “Yeah, it’s like a Koreatown. There are a lot of people now because it’s a Saturday, but I reserved an area in Haru to make sure we have a private spot. But still wear your mask and cap when we get down the car, okay?”

Hyukjae had searched photos of Haru BBQ before, because he’s curious about Donghae’s chain of restaurants. Now, finally he’s entered one. There are about 10 tables with exhaust pipes and a closed off area where they entered, with another 4 tables. 

The employees called Donghae “Sir Aiden” and he remembered that Donghae goes by Aiden here.

“So is this one of the branches you manage? Or a franchise?”

“It’s one of the ten I directly manage.”

“I still don’t understand how you have time to do all that you do.”

“There are managers, Hyuk. They are in charge of the day to day operations. I just monitor weekly reports for the sales and stocks, and approve purchases and logistics stuff.”

“Still, there are a lot of things to do.”

“Ah, you know me, I like having things to do.”

“Yep, you’re a kid that can’t stay still and gets bored easily.”

“Not a kid,” Donghae harrumphed as they started grilling their meat. 

Hyukjae just chuckled and continued with their lunch.

It was a two-hour drive before they arrived at Donghae’s family’s resort. Hyukjae already knew what to expect because he had seen pictures of the place before. Donghae had already reserved him a big room at the far end of the resort, near the villa where Donghae, his mom, and his cousin live.

“Just settle in for now. I think you can walk around the resort, it’s not that crowded today anyway.”

“I did notice that. There aren’t many people even if it’s the weekend.”

“It’s usually like that here. People go here for a quieter time, and those that want to go cove hopping.”

“Cove hopping?”

“Yes, we’ll do that tomorrow too. This province is famous for its coves.”

“So tomorrow..?”

“Yep, we’ll go to some of it. I promise your eyes would be amazed with the views.”

“Okay, if you say so,” Hyukjae said with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll leave you for now. I gotta check my mom and the preparations for tonight’s birthday dinner.”

“Birthday dinner?”

“Oh,” Donghae laughed. “I forgot to tell you. Yes, there would be a small party later. But it will just be me, my mom, my cousin, the resort staff, and some close friends. And you,” Donghae uttered the last sentence with a smile.