“Today. Today’s the day.  She won’t resist it… then as soon as she eats it, I’ll have the confirmation! That’s it, or I am not Hong Yeo Joo! I’m sorry Jin, but it’s the perfect opportunity… this year your present is to help me see if she’s really a gumiho”

“Happy birthday, Smiley Angel!” – they shouted, giving him hugs, pecks on the cheek, caressing his hair, petting his shoulders… Jin was really loved by all the customers and workmates, especially because it was his special day. His birthday.

“How old now?” – Bunny asked, smiling brightly.

“Older than you!” – Jin answered laughing, pinching Bunny’s cheek.

Some customers took Jin warm tea, so that he could stay warm even if the climate was getting cold; some took him small treats, which  he would not refuse, of course. Seemed like everyone had a way of showing affection.

“Hey, Jin…” – Kay started a conversation when there were no customers in he shop – “…We… I mean…”

“Is something wrong?” – Jin questioned. He looked slightly worried.

“Can you… can you just go upstairs?” – Kay asked, and Jin obeyed. He waited for a “surprise” shout out, but it didn’t come, so he went upstairs.
“What’s wrong?”

Jin stood close to the door, with a puzzled expression; Bunny, Alex, and the President had shocked expressions on their faces.
“The cake…” – Bunny spoke, pointing at a big empty box over the table.

“You ate it already?” – Kay’s voice had sounded silly, but who would’ve thought different?

“It disappeared.” – Alex spoke. His eyes on the empty box.

“SURPRISE!” – they heard from the door.
It had been Jisoo, who very innocently held Jin’s arm, giving him a sonorous peck. It had been only when Jin looked at her, pouting, not smiling, that she noticed the gloomy atmosphere in the nail shop’s kitchen.
“W-what- what happened?” – she tightened her grip around Jin’s arm.

“The cake disappeared” – the President answered. Jisoo gasped.

“Who was here last?” – Kay asked, not really waiting for an answer. His voice had been accusative, and so was his glare on Bunny.

“Kay…” – the President tried to intervene, but Kay was faster.
“Where were you when the cake disappeared?” – he interrogated Bunny, who had been throw sat on a chair by his accusative voice.
“I…” – she started, trying to remember, but was soon interrupted.

“ANSWER!” – Kay shouted as an attempt to intimidate the “boy”.

“I… don’t know” – was all Bunny managed.

“You listen to me, you…” – Kay started with a threatening voice, but Alex cut him.
“Bunny, the cake was in the kitchen, at 4:30, remember, I had a customer, and when I came back, the cake had disappeared. Did you see anything suspicious between 4:30 and now?”

“4:30…” – Bunny repeated – “I do remember the customer that came asking for you... I was the one who came up to the kitchen to tell you she was waiting!”

“BINGO!” – Kay threatened.

Bunny rolled her eyes.
“I said I came up to kitchen, not that I had stayed here!” – then she looked at Alex with a total different expression – “When I told you there was a customer, you said you’d be there in a minute… then I went downstairs… but you stayed here… Alex…”

And everyone looked at him.
“What… wait…” – Alex noticed the atmosphere – “Are you accusing me?” – he looked at Bunny with a surprised expression.

“Don’t be so stupid!” – Kay intervened – “Alex has no reasons to do it!”

“That’s not what I’m saying, Alex!” – Bunny defended, ignoring Kay.

“When I went downstairs…I…” – Alex seemed to try to remember. He looked at Kay with wide eyes – “I met you… when I was going downstairs, you were coming upstairs… said you had something to take care of”

Kay seemed slightly uncomfortable.
“I… t-that, I…” – he stuttered.

“Bingo…” – Bunny provoked, staring at him.

“What are you saying…? I didn’t do it!”

“Then where were you?” – the President spoke. She was calm, but firm.

“He was talking to a woman, I saw it” – Jin defended, and Bunny gave Kay a look, who responded with hostility.
“What?!”

“She could’ve been your accomplice!” – Bunny accused childishly, and before Kay could reply, Alex spoke.
“Let’s try to solve it like adults”

“There’s no problem, I guess. It was just a cake…” – Jin tried to soften the atmosphere.

Bunny sighed.
“It was not. There was something important inside of it…”

“What was it?” – Kay was curious.

“Er... My gift to Jin.” – Bunny answered without looking at him. She was too absorbed in her thoughts…

Then she spoke again, as if waking up from a reveling dream - “President…where were you…?”

The President only smiled.
Were there hints of shyness in her expression, when she looked at Alex, as if telling him to answer the question?

“About that…” – He started, as if reading the President’s mind – “…she was at my apartment.” – his words made Bunny’s heart wilt a little – “I had forgotten Jin’s gift there, and asked her if she could go get it, because I had a customer. That time you came up to call me, she had just left”

As if sensing what Bunny was feeling, Jin spoke.
“What a day, right…?” – he placed an arm around Jisoo’s waist and just then she spoke, more to herself than to anyone else.
“Why would anyone try to destroy my Jin’s birthday party?”

That made everyone in the room reflect.

“Well…Come to think about it, anyone could have a reason to flop Jin’s birthday…” – Kay suggested.

“Alex could be mad because Jin is more handsome” – Jisoo suggested, which made Alex look at her with an incredulous expression on his face – “Kay could be mad because Jin is closer to Bunny” – and thank God Kay doesn’t have eye laser – “Bunny could be mad because Jin let he…him, Jin let him cleaning alone the other day… It could’ve been any of you…”

“Then it could’ve also been you!” – Bunny mocked.

“No, no, no! I just got here!” – Jisoo replied with childish manners – “I couldn’t have stolen the cake and destroyed it without any of you seeing me!”

“Unless you had entered through the back door!” – Bunny continued to mock. Both of them sounding like two stubborn children now.

“But then Alex would have had to have helped me in! Which makes sense ‘cause he was the last one to see the cake!”

“Are you accusing Alex?!” – Bunny threatened.

“It’s the evidence!”

“Say th…”

“STOP IT!” – everyone heard, turning around to see who had shouted.
It had been Jin.

“It wasn’t Jisoo… and it wasn’t Alex, or any of you” – Jin replied, looking at each one of the others – “It was me” – he admitted, gaining surprised and shocked looks from everyone in the room.

“But…” – Alex started – “…why would you do it?”

Jin sighed.
“I wanted to be alone with Jisoo.” – he explained – “I told you guys I didn’t want a party, so I thought that if the cake had disappeared, everyone would go home, and I could spend my birthday with Jisoo.” – Jin spoke calmly, but somehow embarrassed – “It’s my first birthday with her…”

“You should’ve just said it!” – Kay poked Jin’s head, and Jin pouted.

“But if he had, he wouldn’t be our Jin, right?” – the President defended, and Jin smiled.
And as soon as the fuss had started, it had finished.

“Then maybe we should go” – It was Alex – “Jin and Jisoo might have a lot of things to do before midnight” – he spoke, winking at Bunny, who might have gotten the hint seen her blushing face.

“Yeah…” – she managed, hiding a smile. Who knows what was in her head…

One by one, they left the shop through the front door.
There were only Jin and Jisoo left.
“Shall we go? I’ll cook something delicious for you to eat!” – she held his arm, and Jin smiled.

“You go first. I’ll take my jacket upstairs, alright?” – he giggled, as Jisoo placed a tender kiss on his cheek.

“Then I’ll wait for you in the car.”
And she left to her car, as she said she would, but Jin did not go upstairs.
He walked out the back door of the shop and entered a gray car. Its dark windows let Jin take a glance of his own reflection.

“Thank you, Jin”

“Anytime… Alex”

“You put on a good show there”

“Thanks…”

“Is something the matter, Jin?”

“It’s just… does that mean that… you know… well, is that true?”

“Who knows…”

“I see… well, I should get going. Jisoo’s waiting.”

“Alright, Jin. Thank you and happy birthday”

“Thank you for presents.”

“Goodnight”

“Goodnight… Alex… President…”