Ch.8181. Contact

# Birthday Party

Soohyuk took some time to revisit old memories after a long while.

About ten years of birthdays that had passed rather meaninglessly.

Should blowing out candles on a cake with mom and dad at home even be classified as a party?

He didn’t think he had ever invited friends over to do something for his birthday, at least not during middle or high school.

[We’re going to eat here!]

What Seo-eun sent was the reservation for a surprise party venue.

Juyeon, Soohyuk, Choigang, Seo-eun.

Among the 23rd batch members, Seo-eun was the one who could best match Hana’s taste.

Even if it wasn’t specifically for Hana, planning events including birthdays was generally the president’s responsibility.

About 70 percent of it was due to her duty as both president and the eldest.

The remaining 30 percent of her sense of mission was stimulated by her lack of faith in the others’ abilities.

Soohyuk touched the screen and followed the link Seo-eun had sent.

It appeared to be a Western restaurant selling pasta and pizza.

The price wasn’t extremely expensive, but compared to what Soohyuk usually ate, it was quite a luxurious meal.

[Expecting about 30,000 won per person including cake~]

So that means I’ll be paying 80,000 won.

Suddenly thinking about it that way made the amount feel much higher.

But at this point, he had no intention of backing out of getting a gift.

After telling Hana he would bring something, showing up empty-handed would make him look strange.

When class ended, Soohyuk grabbed his bag and got on the bus.

His destination was a shopping mall downtown.

Soohyuk couldn’t have felt more awkward coming to such a place alone.

He was afraid a staff member might approach him.

Therefore, he couldn’t even examine the displays carefully.

At this rate, Soohyuk thought there was a high chance he’d go home empty-handed.

Gathering his courage, he entered the store that looked the most promising.

Having memorized the manual Hana had provided, Soohyuk grabbed an idle-looking employee and began an emergency consultation.

“Hello. I’m looking for something, preferably silver or gold, something simple yet sophisticated…”

It was more of a one-sided announcement than a conversation.

The employee, seemingly used to people like Soohyuk, smiled and showed him some recommended items one by one.

“These two models are really popular among women in their early twenties.”

A silver star-shaped earring with a calm silvery glow was option one.

A round gold hoop with a sparkling white gem inside was option two.

“The star shape… I’ll take this one.”

“It’s a gift, right?”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Your girlfriend will definitely love it. This is truly a basic item that everyone likes.”

The employee flashed a smile.

Soohyuk, feeling awkward about clarifying that she wasn’t his girlfriend but just a friend, stood there blankly watching the box being wrapped.

He imagined Hana’s reaction.

She would probably try on those earrings right in front of him and ask for his opinion.

‘How do I look? Pretty?’

With her brilliant blonde hair flowing, she would melt his heart with that playful face.

Happiness comes in many forms.

From the light ones that come from small, trivial things, to the heavy ones that arrive only after enduring long periods of hardship.

The happiness Hana gave Soohyuk was an emotion of a kind he had never experienced before.

The desire to see Hana happy.

A happiness that is only complete when she rejoices.

It was a fruit he could never grasp no matter what he did to himself.

“All done!”

The employee placed a cute paper bag in Soohyuk’s hand.

“Thank you!”

Now all that remained was giving it to her on the day.

Since it would be awkward to give it in front of all the other members, he needed to find the right timing to pull her aside.

The best option seemed to be casually giving it to her after the party ended…

Soohyuk wasn’t sure if he could successfully avoid the watchful eyes of Seo-eun and Choigang.

Maybe he should call her out separately at night after they got home.

* * *

Surprisingly, Juyeon’s “Hellini” project was going smoothly.

Juyeon was diligently checking in at the gym twice a week with Hana.

“Nine~ Ten. That’s right. You can let go now.”

Hana patted Juyeon’s head with a satisfied expression.

Juyeon’s face was flushed red from the exertion.

“How about trying 20 kilos next week?”

“…This is heavy enough.”

“You were at 15 kilos last week, and now you’re at 20~”

The workout intensity itself wasn’t that high.

Juyeon was a beginner among beginners.

She was someone who had avoided exercise for nearly 20 years.

Although it had only been two weeks, Juyeon, who was naturally thin, didn’t feel any significant changes in her body.

Just being able to lift slightly heavier weights?

The original plan of working out together with Soohyuk and Sohye had disappeared somewhere, and before she knew it, Juyeon found herself sweating alongside Hana every time.

“Shall we finish for today?”

“Yeah.”

Hana and Juyeon entered the changing room together.

Hana pulled up her sweat-soaked t-shirt.

A faint line of abs visible above her stomach.

Though they were both women, Juyeon let out a low gasp of admiration.

Noticing her gaze, Hana approached Juyeon in that state.

“Juyeon, do you want to get abs for summer too? Should we do core exercises next time?”

“…No.”

“Your eyes were saying ‘Huff huff, I want abs too!'”

“When did I ever say that!”

And if there was a part of Hana’s body that Juyeon would have wanted to resemble…

“Hana.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m curious about something.”

“Ask me anything.”

“Are there exercises that make your breasts bigger?”

-Cough cough

A dry cough followed.

Hana smiled, both embarrassed and bewildered.

“Why? Do you want bigger breasts?”

“Just curious.”

Could those luscious fruits be purely natural?

“…There aren’t any.”

There was a reason people got breast augmentation.

While exercise could enhance what you already had, there was generally no way to artificially increase the size.

“I see.”

Juyeon finished changing her t-shirt.

The two left the gym.

Saying she was thirsty, Hana dragged Juyeon into a café on campus.

“What do you want to drink?”

“I’ll have lemonade.”

“If you drink something with that much sugar, all your workout efforts will be wasted.”

“I think I’d be better off with a bit more weight.”

Juyeon pinched her own stomach, which was practically just skin.

Hana was scratched by this innocent act.

For someone who gained weight easily like her, there was no greater deception.

“Tch. Do whatever you want.”

In the end, Hana ordered an iced americano, and Juyeon ordered lemonade, and they sat out on the terrace.

Summer was just around the corner.

In a few weeks, it would be too hot to sit outside like this.

“How’s the song composition going?”

Juyeon, who had no understanding of instruments, couldn’t participate in the work beyond writing lyrics.

“I’m fine, but Lee Soohyuk is being so picky, it’s driving me crazy.”

Hana chewed on her straw in irritation.

“Soohyuk must be thinking hard about the song.”

“But we need to finish it to enter the competition.”

“If we wait… I’m sure he’ll come up with something good.”

She wished she could defend him with more elegant logic.

Juyeon tried to defend Soohyuk with empty words.

“That would be nice, but he seems to have trouble focusing sometimes.”

“Soohyuk recently.”

Juyeon hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should say this.

It might be uncharacteristically meddlesome of her, but she wanted Hana to understand Soohyuk.

“He’s been going through some difficult times.”

“Difficult times? What kind?”

“Just personally.”

Isn’t the point of personal matters that others shouldn’t know about them?

Having difficulties was understandable.

Everyone faces hardships and crises.

But the fact that he went to Juyeon instead of her to talk about it felt quite hurtful.

…Am I not reliable?

“…I see.”

Hana turned her head and stared at a couple walking in the distance.

“Yeah. But please don’t let on that you know.”

Hana, saying nothing, tapped the table rhythmically with her index finger.

“Juyeon.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you and Lee Soohyuk contact each other often?”

“Umm… I guess so?”

Getting along well with Soohyuk wasn’t something she needed to hide from Hana.

“How often?”

“Just… umm… almost every day, I think?”

The reasons varied day by day.

Some days he would ask for advice about broadcasting, and other days would be Soohyuk’s venting time.

Of course, there were also times when they just had meaningless conversations.

“…Really?”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Hana’s eyes blinked rapidly like a yellow warning light.

Questions became seeds that sprouted into jealousy.

Thoughts too crooked to express directly.

Why does he talk to Park Juyeon every day but not me?

Why doesn’t he contact me first?

Hot emotions took precedence over cold understanding.

“Yeah. I enjoy talking with Soohyuk.”

The smile had disappeared from Hana’s lips.