“I never thought I’d live to see the day that Shim Changmin would be cooking me a piece of pork. Someone take a picture of this auspicious event! Quick! I wanna tweet it!”

I laughed louder than I would have normally let out, but with the alcohol in my system, I think I’m allowed to be a little noisy. Changmin rolled his eyes as I shove my phone in front of him, snapping a quick image of him wrapping a piece of pork into a lettuce leaf with kimchi, a hint of chili paste and green onions.

The Kyu-Line members sniggered alongside me as he placed the finished product on my plate, teasing him under their breaths.

“Yeah, yeah, shut up and eat your food.” Changmin said, rolling his eyes once again as he slumped back against his seat and wrapping a piece of pork for himself. We laughed at the good-natured glare he threw us and I fell a little more at ease with their company.

In an hour and a half, I’d learned enough about the current happenings in the Hallyu Wave that I’d missed out on in the last couple of years. They updated me on the current number of new groups who debuted recently, the style of songs they came out with and the explosion of colorful concepts that went along with them. Jonghyun added quips of his own but mostly kept to himself, laughing along with the SM members of Kyu-Line as they talked and talked and talked.

I liked him. He was really sweet, reminding me of all the hoobaes I met when my group was still on stage. It made me miss the work even more.

Kyuhyun and Minho took it upon themselves to quiz me on the names of our company’s new group EXO, laughing uncontrollably whenever I mixed Sehun with Luhan and pretended to gag at how much Kris resembled Changmin. There was a slight wistfulness in their tones when they spoke of EXO—and more than once mentioned all the changes our company’s building has undergone.

It felt a little bit like jab at my absence from all the company’s happenings. And while I didn’t regret foregoing some events, it made me feel a little sad as well.

Not that it was anyone’s fault why I hadn’t felt like visiting the company or helping out at the academy. I just felt like I wasn’t needed there…

“We should invite some people over.” I declared suddenly, crushing my can with a force that surprised the men around me. Reaching for my iPhone, I began to peruse my contacts with a grin. “Just because I haven’t been on stage much doesn’t mean my phonebook isn’t updated.”

“What happened to wanting a chill birthday night?” Jonghyun asked, blinking at me.

“From our company?” Minho asked, peering over my shoulder. I shooed him away with a pinch on the cheek. “Ow… I was just saying. Everyone’s pretty chill tonight.”

“I can tell.”

Kyuhyun laughed at this, taking a swig from his bottle of soju. “Make sure they’re pretty.”

“They all are.” Donghae muttered while Ryeowook nodded.

“If you’re going to call people, so am I.” Changmin told me, and I shrugged in response.

“Go ahead. Just call ‘em all. It’s your birthday too.”

The boys grinned and pumped fists in the air. Jonghyun turned to me with a shy smile and patted my hand, “You sure you want to go through with this? You might regret it in the morning, noona.”

He had a fair point, but at that moment, feeling happy (and accepted) in their company, I realized I didn’t care.

“Maybe. But tomorrow’s hours away. Let’s party!”