‘Sorry the number you’re calling is out o-‘.

 

I snap my phone shut as I hear these for the thousandth times tonight. I never remember signing up for a relationship where I have to wait for a guy for two hours long on a bloody freezing night. This is one of the countless times I have to wait for him to come later than the scheduled time. My phone shows 9 o’clock in the evening, which means that he’s late for two hours today.

 

I stare sadly at all of the couples who walk past me, while walking hand-in-hand with their partners. I can feel my face scowling. I pull out my phone from my purse, once again, calling Im JaeBum.

 

And hearing the operator answering his phone instead of him, I become more and more impatient. I hate this particular habit of his, not being able to keep his words. And I’m not those fancy-and-clingy-type of girlfriend who will call their boyfriends, nu-uh. I should’ve left hours ago and not expect him to show up at all.

 

I think he will at least be different, even only for today. It’s my birthday after all, and now he has crossed the line for making me wait for him for this long without any news. I sigh for the umpteenth time today, I should’ve known better.

 

“I’m sorry,” he says as he pants, he must’ve run quite for a while.

“I know,” I reply plainly, my face on its expressionless state.

“I really am sorry, HyeMi.”

He is sweating river and I can’t help but think that he looks so handsome right now. Oh, wait. I’m supposed to be pissed right now.

 

“I don’t care, let’s just go,” I scowl as I walk away from him towards the Italian restaurant we had reserved for two hours ago. We probably won’t get a table but still, I want to eat there tonight. It’s my birthday and I’ll get whatever I want.

“I fell asleep and didn’t realiz-“

“What do you want to eat?” I cut him short, tired of hearing his excuses. But when I change the subject to food, he instantly looks guilty-free and was ready to devour any food he comes across.

“I want lasagna, what do you want?”

He’s just trying so hard to make a conversation. Sorry, but, I’m not going to humor him by playing nice. Not today.

 

“Fettuccine.”

 

---

 

After a short walk, we arrive at the said restaurant. I’m actually surprised that we manage to get a table. After ordering our food, he starts to explain himself on why he’s late and he tells me this really long story about how his day went that resulted in him falling asleep a couple hours right before our meeting. I get angrier, with hearing his excuses and not even a single happy birthday wishes coming out of his mouth.

 

“Ah, did you know its Song JiEun’s birthday today. We all hung out earlier this morning,” I can only look him with an utter of disbelief. It’s my birthday today. He doesn’t even wish me a happy birthday. And now he’s talking about another girl’s birthday? My life is just awfully great.

 

“Really? Who else had their birthday today?” I mutter slowly. Did he really forget my birthday?

 

“Kim YuRi. Our sunbae from class 12-3, do you know her? It’s also her birthday today, I saw everyone congratulating her,” he says nonchalantly as he takes a sip from his drink.

 

“Oh, and I bumped into YunMi on my way. She changed her hair color. Funny, I haven’t seen her for awhile after she graduated though.”

He keeps on talking and blabbering about all these girls while I’m trying to keep the tears from streaming down my face.

 

“JaeBum, let’s go,” I say without giving him a single glance as I walked to door. Even without looking back, I knew he’ll be sporting a confused look by now. I don’t even know how that boy can always makes me jealous and disappointed but not knowing what he has done.

 

I walk out hurriedly and actually feel relieved at the cold wind that hit my hot cheeks. I walk slower, waiting for him to catch up to me. After a short minute, I find him by my side again.

 

I’m still hungry because I don’t even get to eat three spoons of my food at the restaurant so I walk towards a street vendor that sells tteokbeokki. I really hate him for remembering every other girl’s birthday in our school and yet he forgets about mine.

 

“Are you still upset because I was late?” he asked me as we sat down.

“I thought you would be used to my tardiness by now,” he tries to make a joke and he actually thinks I will laugh. Boy, how wrong can he be.

 

I order two portions of tteokbeokki and eat it all while ignoring JaeBum’s presence beside me.

“You shouldn’t eat too fast. You know you’re not that good with spicy food,” he utters as he shoves a water bottle to me, urging me to slow down and take a drink.

 

I pout in annoyance, take a few bills from my wallet, left it at the table to pay for the food, and walk out of the vendors, with him in my heels.

 

I walk aimlessly looking right and left for a place I can sit down. Right then, I find a bubble-tea shop and drag JaeBum inside.

 

We wait at the queue for around ten minutes and place our orders. After we got our drinks, I sit at one of the small tables while JaeBum sits in front of me.

 

“HyeMi, you know how I can totally forgot about the time sometimes. I really am sorry for making you wait today. I promise today will be the last time I’m late. Now, please don’t ignore me all night,” his eyes are pleading for me to forgive him.

 

“I waited for you for three hours tonight, JaeBum. If I were any other girl, I’ve dumped you by now. And, even when you finally managed to show your face in front of me, you talked about these other girls I could care less about. It’s my birthday today. How could you do this to me? If you wanted to date all those girls you talked about, just broke up with me right now. Go to them and save me from this misery,” I can feel the tears streaming from my eyes like a pour of heavy rain.

 

“HyeMi, please don’t say something like that..” he said with guilt all over his face.

 

I walk away from him, this is the very first time I’m actually angry because of his actions. Usually, I won’t mind a single bit when he talks cozily to my girl friends, but I can’t help but to feel really jealous today.

 

“HyeMi, I know that you’re an on-time girl, and I’ve annoyed you numerously because  I’m always late. But, I never intended for you to feel that I don’t want you, or like you anymore. Because why would I date a girl I don’t like.”

 

I bite my lips as hard as I can, trying to numb the pain in my feet, the reaction from wearing heels for hours is weighing me down now. I can’t concentrate fully on what he says. My eyes are busy scanning the busy road for a bench where I can rest my feet. Without me realizing, JaeBum guides me to the train station nearby and tells me to sit on the bench.

 

“Sit here tightly and don’t go wondering off, understand?”

Both his palms press into the sides of my face as he looks into my eyes, which I can only nod absent-mindedly at him.

 

And with that, he leaves without telling me where he’s going. I look at the direction he disappears into. Then, slowly I pull out my feet from the heels. I can see a few scratches as I try my hardest not to flinch when I put my feet back into my high heels.

 

---

 

It’s been 15 minutes since he left and I don’t see any sign of him coming back. I check my phone for any messages but found none. I sigh and start to stand up, preparing to go home.  I’ve only walked a couple of steps from the bench when I can feel someone tugging at the lower part of my dress. I look over to my back and see a small kid taking a fistful of my cloth.

 

The little kid is holding a sunflower on one of his hands, the flower was so big that it was almost covering the boy’s face. “Take it,” he tells me shyly as he holds out his hand for me to reach out. I smile at his shy gesture and surprised that I can at least smile in the middle of this devastating night.

 

The kid runs off as soon as the flower is in my face, he runs so fast I don’t know in which direction he went. I walk away a couple more steps before another boy gives me another flower, and soon it becomes a pattern. As more kids come to me and giving me flowers, I become more confused on what is going on. This is not some kind of sunflower’s national day, right? What kind of joke is this?

 

Looking out at the bunch of sunflowers in my hands, I surprisingly smiled. I’ve always love sunflowers. Busy staring at the flowers, I don’t realize another banquet of neatly arranged sunflowers pops in front of me.

 

“Happy Birthday, Kim HyeMi,” says the guy behind the huge banquet, Im JaeBum. My eyes watered at his sweet gesture of him.

 

“Hey, please don’t cry. I’m a jerk. I’m sorry I was completely out of line today, forgive me?” He grins sheepishly as he ushers me to sit on the bench again.

 

“Were you leaving just now? Aren’t you going to listen when I told you something?” he asks jokingly.

“If it weren’t for the kids just now, I’m sure you would’ve left already by now,” he continues as he kneels down in front of me and pulls out my feet from my heels.

 

He places a few band-aids on the scratches while humming happily, “You’re really stubborn aren’t you? Still insisting on wearing heels even though you knew this would happen.”

 

“Shut up, if I didn’t wait for you for hours then this wouldn’t happen,” I retort back with a fake annoyed expression.

“You’re still angry at me after the 20 stalks of sunflowers? Oh boy, I must’ve underestimated you this time,” he smiles mischievously. What is he up to now?

 

He opens the plastic bag, which he has been holding all this time, and brings out a pair of extremely comfortable shoes with floral prints on them. “Hmm, then what if I gave you a sunflower printed shoes?” he grinned more widely as he put it on me, still kneeling in front of me.

 

I look up at his face and can’t help but smile at him too. No matter how he disappointed me, he’ll always make it up in the end, and that’s what matters to me. I put both my hands and cups his face. I lean in and give him a soft kiss on the lips. He must not have expected that as I pull away a second after. He looks surprised, but the expression changes as fast as it appears and turns into a dashingly-handsome lopsided grin which I love from him.

 

“I love you, Kim HyeMi.”