The Birthday Surprise

            Ryeowook told me not to visit him on his birthday—not to waste any of my vacation time to see him for the day—since he wouldn’t be able to leave the base and he’d be back home soon anyway.  But I had to.  What better use did I have for my vacation time than seeing him while he was away?  Besides, we’d been away from each other for enough birthdays and holidays since he’d enlisted.  I was finished with that.  I didn’t want to keep spending important days away from him.

            “I told you not to come,” Ryeowook said, hitting my chest when he saw me, but the smile on his face told me that he was happy that I was there.  I’m not stupid.  I know he’d be depressed if no one came to see him on his birthday.  He’d told everyone not to come.  I’m the only one too stubborn to listen.

            I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close.  He was home in May for a vacation and had spent most of it with me, but I still missed holding him.  So, it was a little torturous, knowing that I had to keep our contact brief because we were standing around a military base. 

            “Happy birthday, Ryeonggu,” I said.

            He pulled away and looked around.  “Where’s my present?”

            I pointed to myself.  “I’m your present!” 

            “It better not be!” he warned me, crossing his arms over his chest.

            I laughed at this.  I had learned my lesson a very long time ago, not to forget to buy my spouse a present on his birthday, Christmas, or our annivesary.  In all fairness, Ryeowook started planning out my presents nearly half a year in advance and his gifts were always extremely thoughtful and creative.  I never managed to give him presents half as good. 

            “Yours is not appropriate to give you while you’re living at the base.  I decided to give it to you when you returned home,” I honestly told him. 

            “It better not be you either.  I can get that anytime,” he lectured.

            I rolled my eyes.  I would have liked to argue that he was wrong, but it was the truth.  Especially now, after he’d been gone the last couple years.  “I promise it’s something I actually bought you.  But I did buy you a cake,” I informed him, motioning to the box on the table.

            Ryeowook grinned and hugged me again.  I mean, I didn’t just buy any old damn birthday cake.  I bought him cheesecake.  You’ve got to do these things right, you know.  “I love you!”

            “I know.”

            Ryeowook narrowed his eyes at my cheeky response.  “Did you come here just to harass me?”

            I smirked.  “It’s one of the things I miss most about you being gone.”

The Biggest Surprise

            Kyuhyun felt convinced that I had more vacation time entitled to me during my enlistment than I had taken, but I kept telling him that my May vacation was the last of it before the end of my enlistment.  But it was a lie.  I wanted to surprise him.  I saved the last of my vacation for the end of my enlistment.  Because I was a famous singer, I convinced them to let me take the last week of vacation time before my discharge so I could prepare for rejoining my band again and taking press pictures.  They ag