Birthday Message
Birthday Message
5:57 AM
It has been ten minutes since our dear maknae Tao had woken me up because he thought I was having a bad dream when in reality, I was having a good dream, a very good dream. Although I was freaked out by the bear that suddenly came in front of me, I knew that if I had waited for a little bit, it would change back to the person I was longing for. But that was what made it an impossible dream. Because the person I was dreaming of spending my birthday with was about a thousand kilometers away from me and there was no possibility for us to spend it together but on the phone. I tried to sleep again to forget my depression but after a few minutes of struggling, my mind started cursing Tao for waking me up. Why did Tao have to wake... Hey, wait a minute. Tao isn't my roommate. What is he doing in my room?
Memories of last night came into my head in a rush that my head started to hurt a bit. One by one, I remembered how the members of EXO-M surprised me with a cake, how we had gone wild singing and dancing to EXO’s songs, how the members got me to drink alcohol despite me refusing to drink, and how Kris dragged me and Tao into my room. I guess Kris was a bit drunk and tired so he didn’t bother bringing Tao in his own room.
Giving up on trying to get more sleep, I stood up and groggily went to the bathroom to fix myself. After washing my face, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. Happy 22nd Birthday, Lu Han. New year, new life.
As I walk over to the living room towards the kitchen, I saw the other members sleeping on the couch and floor. I laughed silently at the sight of Xiu Min whose body was already on top of Lay and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. Since today is my birthday, I should be nice to my brothers and cook once in a while. It did not take long enough before I hear footsteps headed towards the kitchen. "Lu Han, why are you up so early?"
"Oh, Xiu Min. Good morning. Tao woke me up, thinking I was having a nightmare. I wasn't able to sleep after that so I decided to make some breakfast." I beamed.
"But you don't have to do that. It's your birthday. Let me cook." Xiu Min tried pulling me away from the kitchen but I insisted.
"No, let me. I want to cook for you guys today." Xiu Min stood still for a while before sighing.
"Okay but if you need help, just call me. I'll be at the living room, waking up the others." He was almost to the living room when he stopped on his tracks and looked back at me. "Happy Birthday, Lu Han." I smiled my prettiest smile and went back to cooking.
"Wow! Is this really made by you, ge ge?" Tao's eyes were sparkling so much from all the food that was served on the table.
"I don't know what to say, Lu Han. It should be us who are cooking breakfast for you." Lay said, looking at all the food that I have especially prepared for them.
"No worries. I woke up early and had nothing to do so... there." I put the last food on the table sat on the chair at the end of the table.
"And you already did so much for me yesterday. I really appreciated the surprise party. Now, why don't we just eat breakfast?" I started digging in and the rest followed. No other words were spoken as we munched on our foods, only words of praise for Lu Han's cooking.
"After we eat, we have to prepare for our interview today. Remember your lines, okay? Just trust yourself and be comfortable." Kris was on "leader" mode again after he regained his energy. Everyone nodded and shortly, we all left the kitchen to prepare.
It was already 10:23 by the time we got to the TV station where our interview would be held. We took deep breaths and cheered each other before coming out of the van to be met with flocks of fans rushing over to us. We smiled, as usual, but when I saw banners of “Happy Birthday, Lu Han” held by fans, I couldn’t help but put on a bigger smile on my face. I was so touched to hear them send me birthday messages that I could have almost hugged each fan I laid my eyes on. As we were about to reach the front door, I heard a fan scream, “Lu Han!!! We hope Sehun will celebrate with you today!”
I couldn’t stop myself from turning back and walking to that fan girl, signing an autograph for her. The other fans squealed and I ran to catch up with the other members.
“Good morning, everyone. I am so proud of our episode today because there are six handsome men sitting beside me. Six men who debuted not too long ago but are receiving much praise and love from all over the world. Let me now introduce to you, EXO-M! Welcome, EXO-M!” The MC turned to us and greeted us very cheerfully.
“We are One! Hello, we are EXO-M.” our group said in unison.
“Welcome, welcome. Wow! You were all cool and handsome in your teasers and music video but seeing you up close, you guys are more handsome.” The MC teased us, making us smile bashfully.
“It’s been only two weeks since you debuted, right?” The MC asked and we nodded.
“How do you feel about all the attention that people are giving you? Do you feel that you are finally celebrities now? Do you feel any pressure?” The MC turned to us, waiting for a reply.
Kris, being the leader and perhaps the diplomat of the group, was the one to answer. “We feel very happy with all the love and support that we are getting. Since we are still rookies, we don’t think we are good enough to be called celebrities yet. And yes, we do feel pressure because our entertainment company had already released some of the best groups in Korea and we are the first group to debut in China like this. Though there are four Chinese members, we are still from a Korean entertainment company so we want people to accept us as a mainland group, not as a Korean group. The Korean group is EXO-K, we are EXO-M.”
The MC nodded in agreement and the interview continued. As time passed by, it was almost the end of show when the MC suddenly called my name, “Lu Han.”
“Yes?” I turned to her and smiled a little.
“It’s your birthday today, if I’m not mistaken?” the MC gave me a mischievous smile like she was hiding something.
“Yes, it’s my birthday today.”
“Well, we have a surprise for you.” When I heard the word "surprise", I could not help but wish for Sehun to be here right now, with a cake on his hand.
“EXO-K had sent a video message for your birthday. Let’s watch, shall we?” My smile turned into a little frown but nodded. At least I’d see Sehun greeting me on television.
“We are One!” all of the members of EXO-K popped from the television. I missed those guys. Suho, D.O, Baekhyun, Kai, Chanyeol, and…. Sehun? Where is Sehun?
“I bet you’re looking for Sehun, right? Well, he had some important things to do so he wasn’t able to join us in this video message.” I heard my heart stopped beating and tears were almost forming in my eyes.
“But don’t worry because he left us with his message.” Kai smirked.
“But before that, we would like to say our birthday message first.” Suho said, his smile never failing to make me smile as well. His smile is so contagious.
“Happy Birthday, Lu Han!” Chanyeol started.
“We hope you are doing well in China and you are being a nice brother to all the other members.” Suho never stopped smiling.
“Don’t stress yourself, okay? Take care of yourself. Oversleep if you have to.” Kai winked.
“If you have a problem, come call us! EXO will always be there for you.” Baekhyun waved.
“Oh, and we sent you a gift. It will arrive a little bit later. Hope you’ll like it!” D.O. beamed.
“EXO, hwaiting! Lu Han, hwaiting!” EXO-K cheered.
I smiled so wide that I could feel my cheeks wanting to burst. I felt so loved by them that I want to hug them so much right now. And I am looking forward to the gift that they have prepared for me. I can’t believe that they actually prepared a gift for me even though we’re hundreds of miles apart.
“And before we forget, here’s Sehun’s birthday message.” Kai started. My ears focused intensely on the television, blocking all other sounds just to hear Sehun’s message.
“Luhan hyung, thank you for being such a good hyung to me. I hope you will be happy today. Happy Birthday, hyung!” Kai read the words from a paper with emotion, trying to imitate Sehun’s way of speaking.
It did not help me feel better though. I was waiting for Sehun to greet me a bit more passionately but all I got was a simple birthday greeting anyone could have thought of saying. Not even an “I miss you” from him. It was so cliché.
I was about to put on a pout but to hide my disappointment, I clapped and smiled as the video was finished. “I am touched to see the video. Thank you for sending me a video message for my birthday. EXO hwaiting!”
“Wow, you have such good team mates, don’t you? You guys are like one big family, right?”
“Yes, yes. We are like one big family. That’s why I’m so thankful I have them.” I faked a smile although my words were true enough.
“So we have now reached the end of the interview. But before that, we have another surprise for Lu Han.” The MC clapped and suddenly everyone was singing.
“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you.” The members surrounded me while singing. I forgot all about the anxiety I was feeling because I was so touched. Then unexpectedly, everyone stopped singing except for one.
“Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday…” A familiar voice sang. I would know that voice anywhere. Even in a crowded and noisy place, I could pick up his voice anywhere. I looked around to look for the owner of the voice but to no avail.
“Happy Birthday to you.” The door to the studio suddenly opened and I saw the face that has been haunting me even in my dreams. He was holding a cake on one hand and a microphone on the other. He sang the birthday song again and everyone joined in. As he came closer and closer to me, I felt like I was drifting back to my sleep. This is the real thing, right? This isn’t a dream anymore, is it?
“---day… Happy Birthday to you. Luhan hyung, happy birthday.” He gave me a smile before turning towards the MC. This is not a dream anymore. He's right in front of me. I'm guessing this is the birthday gift they sent me. I want to squeeze those guys in a big hug right now.
“Thank you for allowing us to give Lu Han hyung a surprise.” Sehun said in broken Chinese and the MC laughed.
“You’re welcome. We are so glad to have you with us today. Now, can you continue with your birthday message for Lu Han?” Kris whispered to Sehun, interpreting what the MC said.
“Oh, yes. Luhan hyung.” He turned to look at me with those alluring eyes of his. He waited for me to look back at him before continuing, “You’re surprised to see me here, aren’t you?” I simply nodded, no words forming in my head.
“I came here because I wanted to personally greet my favorite hyung on his birthday. Hyung, thank you for standing by me and taking care of me. I know that I may be naughty at times but I will try my best to be good always. Thank you for understanding a kid like me and for putting up with my tantrums and silliness. And I missed you so much since I went back to Korea.” My heart was beating so fast that I thought I was hyperventilating. This has been a big surprise for me so far. I did not expect Sehun to come to China, again, for my birthday.
“Also, I have a gift I want to personally give to you.” He put the cake on the table in front of us and put his hands on his pocket, trying to look for something. When he found it, he pulled it out for everyone to see. It was a necklace. It had a black crystal that was irregularly shaped like a wolf’s fang. It reflected the lightings from the studio, making it sparkle. It had an EXO feel to it as well because it looked like it came from outerspace. It was so beautiful and I had no words to describe how happy I felt when he put it on for me.
“Wow, your gift is so unique. It looks like it’s a part of a meteorite from outerspace.” The MC laughed a little. Kris translated for Sehun so he could reply.
“Yes, it actually has an EXO feel to it. The moment I saw this, I knew I had to buy it. So I bought it together with mine.” Sehun showed off the same necklace that was hiding behind his shirt.
“Oh, so did you buy it for every EXO member?” The MC asked with curiosity in her eyes.
“Well, no. I bought it only for Luhan hyung and me. This is a sign of our brotherhood.” He turned to wink at me and I laughed silently.
“Oh, you must be very close to each other. Now, before we forget… Lu Han, make a wish and blow the candles.” Sehun got the cake and held it up for me. Kris took a lighter from one of the staffs to light the candles up. “Okay. Lu Han is now going to make his wish.”
“I wish for EXO to be the number one rookie group of the year. I also wish for EXO to be healthy always. And lastly…” I looked up to see Sehun smile playfully. As if we could read each other's mind, we whispered the same wish.
“HunHan forever.”
And for those who are wondering what the necklace looks like, here it is:
Comments