Dara bit back her lip in excitement as she stepped out of their house. It was a beautiful day and nothing could spoil it for her. Excitedly, she hopped towards the bus station.

 

Her brothers weren’t home and she needed them. From what she heard, they didn’t have any missions at the moment and she was sure they were just meeting up with their clients or just having fun somewhere like they usually do.

 

When the bus arrived, she hopped inside and looked for a place to sit. When she was already seated, she fished her phone out and sent a message to Jiyong, Teddy, and Kush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teddy and Kush arrived a few minutes after Jiyong did.

 

“So, what’s the problem here?” Teddy asked.

 

Dara grinned at each of them before speaking, “It’s Seunghyun-oppa’s birthday.”

 

Kush immediately raised a brow. “So?”

 

“Kush-oppa, I have prepared surprises for you, Teddy-oppa, and Jiyong previously. I guess Seunghyun-oppa also needs celebration,” she explained. Besides, I’m also grateful for him that he’s starting to loosen up to me, she added in her thoughts.

 

“So, you called us out here from our poker game just to prepare a celebration? Oh come on, Dara…” Kush started complaining.

 

“I’m kind of sleepy too. Just call me if you need something,” Teddy said, starting to leave.

 

Dara faced Jiyong and pleaded silently with her eyes. Kush and Teddy were already walking away. Jiyong just stared down at her with an expressionless face.

 

“I don’t feel like it too,” he stated briefly.

 

“Please, Jiyong?” she pleaded again, showing her puppy eyes.

 

Jiyong scrunched his face and looked away. He walked towards Teddy and Kush, much to Dara’s dismay. But Jiyong was actually pulling them back towards Dara’s spot.

 

“Yah! Yah! You’re choking me to death!” Teddy complained as Jiyong was pulling him by his hoodie while Kush was repeatedly screaming in pain while his ear was being pulled too.

 

Dara lifted her head and grinned again at Jiyong. “Thank you,” she said, baby-talking.

 

Jiyong hissed and looked away. Her aegyo is really irresistible, he thought.

 

 

 

 

Dara and her brothers stepped into the cake-making store and stopped at the doorway as they stood amazed, with their mouths hung open. Kush was literally drooling over the varieties of the cakes while Teddy’s eyes were sparkling with the thoughts of the possibility of trying out the recipes at home.

 

“Alright, let’s get started,” Dara said, hooking her arms with Jiyong’s and Teddy’s who were on her sides.

 

It was their first time being in that kind of store and it totally amused them, how cakes were made and how fun it would be doing them.

 

They all started gathering around the table, looking down at the plain-looking cake they had. Dara twitched her lips; she didn’t have any idea how to decorate it. She looked up at her brothers who were also having these puzzled looks on their faces, except for Kush though. He looked like planning on how to eat it without the others’ notice.

 

Shrugging, they started decorating their cake, having fun in the process, especially the little sister.

 

Later, as Dara became really focused with decorating, she didn’t feel anyone else’s presence around her. She straightened up and noticed that she was already alone on the table.

 

With her hands on her hips, she looked around her. On a far table, with several other strangers, Teddy was helping with the decoration of their cake, much to the delight of the girls surrounding him.

 

Dara stormed towards him, pulling him by the hood of his jacket.

 

“Ow, ow, ow,” Teddy complained. “Cho…king…”

 

“I’m going to strangle you with my bare hands if you choose to help those girls,” Dara scolded.

 

“Aish,” Teddy frowned. “Our cake’s boring.”

 

“Be creative then so it won’t look boring,” Dara said before leaving to look for her Kush-oppa.

 

She looked around the store but since there were a lot of customers today, she found it hard to. So, she went into each of the tables to see if Kush was among them. She already looked on every table where there were customers but Kush wasn’t among them.

 

Slumping her shoulder, she was about to go back to their counter when on the farthest table, a head popped out from under it. Her eyes squinted and she questioned herself whether it was indeed Kush. When he stood up then, she confirmed that it really was him.

 

There was a completed cake on the table. Kush looked from his right to left and then back on the cake on the table. With a mischievous smile on his lips, he grabbed the plate and stared at it, drooling. Dara immediately ran towards him. She saw him closing his eyes and opening his mouth so she quickened her pace. When she arrived and before Kush could even eat the cake whole, she snatched it from him.

 

“Oh no, you don’t,” Dara said, the cake already away from Kush.

 

Kush opened his eyes and they widened upon seeing Dara. He looked pleadingly at the cake then back to Dara.

 

“That’s a yummy-looking cake,” he said.

 

“It is, but you’re not going to eat other people’s cakes, oppa,” Dara said, glaring at her oppa.

 

Kush pouted and then flashed his index finger. “Just one slice?” he asked hopefully.

 

“No.”

 

“One bite?” he asked, battling his lashes.

 

Dara’s eyebrows furrowed. “No.”

 

“A sniff?” Kush said, his voice softening, totally losing hope, but still hoping.

 

Customers were walking towards them with brows raised. Dara genuinely smiled and, assuming that they were the ones who owned the cake, handed it to them.

 

“I’m sorry, my brother has a mental incapability,” she said and turned to Kush to pull him by his ear.

 

“Ow, ow, ow,” Kush complained.

 

As they passed by the people, she smiled at them as if nothing was going on. She then whispered to Kush, “Wipe that icing off your lip.”

 

As they arrived at their own counter, Teddy was already finishing the decorations on the face of the cake. It seemed like he was trying to draw a chibi of TOP’s face on it.

 

“Help Teddy-oppa,” Dara ordered. She then turned to look around to look for her last brother. But she didn’t see him anywhere too. Suddenly, they heard a snoring sound, which seemed to come from under their table.

 

The three of them looked at each other and then Dara bent down to look under their table. And there, like a baby, was a sleeping Jiyong, curled into a ball.

 

Gritting her teeth, she leaned closer to his ear, careful not to wake him… yet. When she’s in her comfortable position, she yelled, “JIYOOOOOONG!”

 

Jiyong jumped on his position, the top of his head hitting the table. “What?! What happened?! Is someone bullying you again?!”

 

Dara folded her arms. “Stop dozing off. We need to finish Seunghyun-oppa’s cake!”

 

Jiyong hissed. “Seunghyun-oppa here, Seunghyun-oppa there,” he mumbled and then stood up, along with Dara.

 

When they were up, Kush and Teddy had fear all over their faces.

 

“What?” Dara asked, still irritated.

 

Teddy blinked his eyes. “It’s ruined,” he said.

 

Dara looked down at the cake Teddy was decorating and there it was... TOP’s distorted face. His left eye seemed to look smudged, his ear bigger than the left, and his lips seemed to frown. It wasn’t a happy TOP on the face of the cake, really.

 

Slowly, Dara’s head whipped to Jiyong, who looked at her innocently. “What? We can always do another one.”

 

Dara stared at her watch. “Omo, we’re going to be late. We still need to cook. Quick, wrap the cake up. It’s forgivable… I think,” she said, removing her apron and preparing to leave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kitchen was a chaotic place at the moment. Dara and the boys were cooking some dishes and they messed the kitchen big time. Dara would be cleaning it overnight. But it was alright since it was for her brother anyway.

 

Although the kitchen was a mess, they were enjoying cooking. This was their first time cooking together and Jiyong impressed everyone as he showed off his skills. He and Teddy led the cooking while Dara assisted. On the other hand, Kush served as their taster.

 

“Hmm, too salty,” Kush commented as Dara fed him.

 

Teddy and Jiyong shook their heads and were about to prepare to fix the food when they heard a car being pulled over in front of the house. The four of them looked at each other with wide eyes. As if they were waiting for something, they all held their breaths. They then heard a car door closing.

 

“OMG,” Dara was the one who gasped as she pushed Kush. “Go and stop him!”

 

Kush stumbled towards the door but the door knob was already being turned. Panicking, he just pressed his back on the door.

 

Dara, Jiyong, and Teddy went on to prepare the foods on the table. They were a mess as they ran and bumped into each other.

 

“YA! Let me in!” it was TOP.

 

Their eyes were on the door and on Kush as the latter was struggling to keep it closed. TOP’s arm managed to stick out as he tried to reach whoever was blocking his way.

 

This only made the three more of a mess as they tried to bring everything on the table of the living room. Kush was already almost crying as he was having a hard time keeping the door closed. Besides, TOP’s hands were already reaching him, poking him everywhere, even tickling him. He had tears in his eyes but it was not from being tickled but because it was already really hard.

 

“Quick!” Kush shouted hopelessly, his face already flustered.

 

Dara stood between Jiyong and Teddy who still had their aprons on but they helped each other to remove them off themselves and also wipe the stains of food on their faces. Dara her thumb before removing the stain of sauce off Jiyong’s face. The stain dried off and it couldn’t be wiped off by mere cloth or hand. Jiyong didn’t even feel the saliva on his face as he was also busy fixing the collar of Dara’s blouse. On the other hand, Teddy was zipping up his hoodie before putting on the party hats on both Jiyong and Dara.

 

“Waaaaa!” Kush’s voice echoed inside the house as his knees started wobbling and his arms were shaking.

 

In no time, the door was opened, revealing TOP who was panting, who obviously had a hard time on trying to push the door a while ago. The moment his eyes fell on three ridiculous-looking persons standing in the middle of the room, he almost cringed, especially at the sight of their weird smiling faces, their teeth showing, and their faces smudged and clothes stained with god-knows-what.

 

“Surprise?” Dara said, as if asking.

 

TOP’s head tilted to the side. That was only the time that he noticed the table full of food and an ugly-looking cake in the middle.

 

“Happy Birthday,” a strained voice from behind the door was heard. TOP peeked and saw Kush squished between the door and the wall, still wearing his apron. That was when he decided to let go of the door, releasing Kush from his torture.

 

“Birthday?” he asked, facing the other three.

 

“Here, blow the candles,” Dara said, bringing the cake to him.

 

TOP looked down at the cake and then back at Dara.

 

“Err… I’m really sorry if it looks ugly. It’s Jiyong’s fault,” she said, glaring at Jiyong.

 

“What?! It was you who shouted directly in my ear!” Jiyong defended himself.

 

“Well, I wasn’t going to if you weren’t dozing off while we work our butts off!”

 

“Would you blame me if the cake was a comp—“

 

“It looks really pretty,” TOP interrupted them, making Dara face him as he smiled at her. He then closed his eyes before opening them again and blowing the candles. “Thank you,” he said, smiling.

 

Dara’s lips formed a smile as she stared at him. It was the most genuine smile she had ever seen in him. He never smiled, only today. And she was glad she somehow contributed to it.

 

“What are we waiting for?” TOP said, pulling Dara by her wrist. “Let’s eat.”

 

They sat on the couch as they prepared to eat. Kush immediately ran towards the foods, as if he wasn’t just hurt a while ago. Teddy went into his Mother mode and gave each of them their plates. Dara was beside TOP as the latter started putting food on her plates, leaving the youngest brother stare at them in shock, forgetting the still empty plate on his hands, his lip twitching in irritation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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a/n:

Thank you dillatiffa for the poster :)