"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Heejin, happy birthday to you!"

It was nine in the morning of Heejin's birthday and her friends decided to surprise her at her house with a box of her favorite cupcakes and balloons. Fortunately, Heejin was up by then and it was she who opened the door. 

"Hello--oh my gosh! What is this?" She gasped once she saw her friends at her doorstep, singing to her. She knew they were coming, but she didn't expect they would actually come with a box of cupcakes, balloons and all that. Heejin's parents even went to the door to check who were her daughter's visitors. 

When her friends finished singing, Heejin went immediately to them and hugged them. 

"Easy there, you're squishing the cupcakes!" Eunsung laughed.

Everyone was all smiles that day, except for one. One, in particular, who felt anxious and inferior to finally go to Heejin's house on her birthday and meet her parents.

Calm down, Heejin. Calm. Down. Heejin breathed nervously as she entered the restaurant. She was greeted by a lady in her early twenties, wearing a crisp white long-sleeved shirt and dark slacks and Heejin immediately felt relief seeing a familiar face.

"It's nice to see you again here, Miss Son," the lady bowed.

Heejin chuckles. "No need for the formality, Yoojung, it's just me."

Yoojung then leads her to an empty table near the windows, overlooking the city skyline. 

"Table for two at your favorite dining spot, Miss Heejin. I hope you enjoy your time here... and I love your necklace, by the way." Heejin smiled and thanked her before she went back to the front desk. 

Heejin sat down and despite getting a beautiful view of the sunset, she still couldn't calm down. She brushed her skirt another time and checked if her hair was still okay. For a brief moment, she recalls how Jihye questioned her outfit for the day.

"Are you sure that's just an early dinner meeting or a date?" Her secretary raised a brow, seeing as her boss kept on fixing her white dress shirt. 

"Do I look okay?" Heejin questioned, looking at the mirror in her office. For the day, she wore a plain white dress shirt and a printed skirt that reached her knees, but she felt anxious. When Jihye replied that it was just a meal she insisted that she was meeting her high school friend, who, by the way, is a member of a popular group in their country. Of course she had a reason to be conscious about the way she looked!

"You always look beautiful, Miss. Now, off you go or you might be late." Jihye replied, giving her a thumbs-up.

As Heejin left, Jihye called her again. "Is it me or is that a new necklace you're wearing?"

Heejin didn't need to look at the pendant hanging on her neck, but she smiled. "I've always worn this."

At the small gathering, Heejin introduced her friends to her parents, and vice versa. Her parents were eager to finally meet the friends their daughter talked so eagerly about, but they had to leave for their respective meetings.

When her parents left, her friends saw the slight disappointment in her face, and they tried to cheer her up but Heejin insisted she was okay.

"I got used to it anyway," she added, but in return, her friends gathered around her and gave her a hug.

"Let's just open your gifts, shall we?" Eunsung said, going to a table across the room to get a couple boxes. Just then, Heejin felt a reassuring pat on her back.

"Don't worry, we're here for you." Jaejoong smiled, then handed her a small box with a red bow on it. "Sorry, this is all I got for you, by the way."

Heejin shook her head, "No, no, it's okay. It's the thought that counts, right?"

Just then, Eunsung came back with boxes and paper bags in her hand.

"Which one do you want to open first?"

"Hey, I'm really sorry for last time. I really had no idea the meeting was going to take so long." Heejin apologized for the nth time.

Jaejoong shook his head, laughing at her stubbornness. "I told you before, it's okay. We don't see those situations coming."

"But you were waiting!" She frowned, but regained her composure afterwards and just laughed. "So, how have you been?"

"Changmin's been really fond of you," he replied. "Ever since the event, he kept on talking about you to the other members. I guess you've found yourself your soul sibling."

"Really?" He saw her eyes light up and he smiled to himself knowing, or maybe hoping, that she was their fan, a bit sad because he was thinking that maybe she liked Changmin more than him. "We should you know, hang out or something. But then again, I guess you guys are busy so that can wait."

"Yeah, I think we should! Once our schedules aren't that hectic, we can grab some coffee or something." Jaejoong replied. 

Heejin smiles and agrees, then talks about the long meeting with her client as they eat dinner overlooking the beautiful sunset.

The next day at school, Heejin was greeted at school with the usual belated birthday greetings, birthday letters and small flower bouquets she found at her locker and desk. Of course, her friends didn't let this pass by unnoticed.

"Well aren't you the campus crush, Son Heejin?" Soohyuk , getting one of the bouquets. "Do you mind if I take this home? I'm sure you'll be receiving more by the end of the day."

Heejin blushed, grabbing the bouquet from him. "Of course not. And hopefully these will be the last ones I get because my parents will go all crazy asking me who it was from."

The bell rang a few minutes later and as the group went to their respective desks, Heejin thanked Jaejoong for this birthday present.

"You're welcome. I'm happy you liked it." He replied, and she went on talking at random. Even if he was happy (he really was, in fact) seeing that she wore his present: a silver necklace with a red balloon pendant, he began to realize how foolish he had been thinking that maybe he could have a chance with her. But seeing how pretty, smart and popular she is, and how average-looking and how he barely stands out in crowds, he felt inferior. He couldn't buy her a flower bouquet nor did he have a big house like her.

She deserved someone better.

As they walked over to the front lobby, both of them realized that they really did miss out on each other. Three hours wasn't enough for them to catch up on each other especially that Heejin will be leaving for Japan for a business trip, they decided that this won't be the last time they meet.

"It was really nice to see you during the event," she said, waiting for her car. "I never thought I'd actually see you there."

During the past three hours, Jaejoong couldn't help but notice how his friend have changed over the years. Her short hair now grew longer in soft waves which made her look more feminine. Although she was still talkative, there were times wherein she would fall silent, blush, and whatever she wanted to say would just be expressed in small smiles or nonchalant shrugs. The way she dressed and carried herself changed because before, she didn't really care if she appeared to school with her hair messy but now she would occasionally peek through the window to see her reflection and fix a few strands of her hair. Maybe there have been more changes to her, but that didn't change his mind at wanting to meet her more often. He wanted to know more things about her, like what shows she watches now or if her favorite drink changed. 

But there was something about Heejin that didn't change. He couldn't quite figure it out but there was definitely something, or a few things about her which remained the same. One is that she still wore the necklace he gave her years before. The silver chain still hung around her neck and the red pendant was well-maintained and looked as if it was new. He knew that she was still as sentimental and appreciative like before, but he didn't think she would still have it.

So that's why it looks familiar, he smiled, yet when he realized this and was about to tell her, it was too late. Her car had left.