“Get up Mina! Happy Birthday!”
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MITANG!”
The first thing that Mina hears is Momo and Sana’s excited voices, waking her up that day. Her two Japanese bestfriends were currently sitting on her bed, nudging her awake.
Mina sits up. Sleep still evident in her barely opened eyes. What did they say? Birthday? Oh my birthday.
The birthday girl was still sleepy and she was well aware that it was her birthday. After all, she stayed up late ‘til 3AM on a video call with a special someone greeting her non stop and showering her with love even though it was done virtually.
“Come on sleepy head! We have something for you!” Sana’s high pitched voice was a sure way to wake her up.
“Yeah, that and we made you breakfast!” Momo added.
Mina smiled gently. “Thank you guys, you really didn’t have to.” She said in her bedroom voice. If she had it her way, she would’ve slept the entire day. But seeing Sana and Momo’s effort made her feel warm inside and was enough motivation to get out of bed.
“Let’s not keep the food waiting let’s go!” Momo enthusiastically said.
As Mina exited her bedroom, the sound of party poppers filled the room. A rainfall of confetti fell around Mina, taking the birthday girl by surprise.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNNIE!”
Dahyun was holding the party popper. Chaeyoung was holding a little birthday cake. Tzuyu was holding Ray-chan in her arms. The maknaes of their friend group all wore bright party hats and even brighter smiles on their faces.
Even Ray-chan had a little doggie party hat.
Sana and Momo came out of Mina’s bedroom and the little gang started to sing Mina a happy birthday.
Mina was not a fan of surpises but this surprise really made her heart want to explode.
“Thank you so much everyone. I can’t explain how much I appreciate this.”
Chaeyoung moved closer, bringing the birthday cake right in front of Mina. “Make a wish unnie.”
Mina clasped her hands together and made a wish. She knew it would be quite impossible but there’s no harm in making a simple birthday wish.
I just want to hug her today.
Mina blew the candle on her chocolate birthday cake (it was personally baked by Tzuyu, chocolate as per Dahyun’s suggestion) the girls then went over to the dining table to feast on the breakfast that Momo and Sana prepared. On her way to the dining area, Mina found presents that were neatly arranged at her center table.
“Wow are these for me?” She asked.
“Yes unnie!” Chaeyoung answered. “All of us from the squad have one present each. We hope you like it.”
Mina counted the gifts. Seven. They were a total of nine girls in their friend group. Not counting herself, there should’ve been eight gifts. But all there was were seven.
She didn’t think much about it. She thought that even with no presents, she loved her friends so much.
-
The group then proceeded to have their breakfast.
“This is good unnie. Momo unnie is a really good cook.” Dahyun stated as she chowed on the kimchi fried rice Momo prepared.
“Ya! I helped make this breakfast you know!” Sana said with a pout on her face, the girl really resembled a hamster.
“Thank you too Satang.” Mina responded before the girls started teasing each other. “Thank you for not burning down my kitchen.”
“MITANG!”
—
After breakfast the girls asked Mina to prepare and get changed because they were going out. The maknaes cleaned up the dining area. Apparently, they were in charge of the decor and cleaning up while Sana and Momo were in charge of the food. Mina appreciated all of it because she knew that everyone had to take a day off from their jobs just to be with her on this day.
After Mina washed up and changed, she found the girls ready to leave.
“Okay unnie, are you ready for part 2 of your birthday gift?” Tzuyu asked her.
“Okay, what’s in store for me today?” Mina smiled, she was looking forward to what her friends planned for her.
“WE ARE GOING S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G!” Dahyun excitedly said.
“Congratulations Dubu, you can spell.” Momo was laughing at the younger girl. “And yes Mitang, we’re going shopping.” She handed Mina an envelope.
“What’s this?” Mina opened the envelope and found a three gift cards in it, all worth thousands each.
“We know you would say you’re saving money even though we all know you’re rich as hell.” Tzuyu stated.
Chaeyoung added. “We also know that you’ll decline if we tell you to go on an all-expenses-paid shopping spree from us.”
“So we decided to hand you these gift cards and join you at the mall until you spend all of it just to be sure you’ll really use it” Sana still had her bright smile as she added. “Besides it’s a ‘gift card’ so technically, it’s a gift!”
Mina really felt it was too much but she also knew declining would be pointless. After all, maybe she should just enjoy and appreciate her friends’ thoughtful efforts.
“Thank you again, really. So, let’s go shall we?”
—
The girls spent their day shopping to their hearts content. If there was something they all loved, it was shopping. Mina was able to buy new clothes and shoes. There was even a gaming gift card which she used to buy a new games for her switch. Everyone was having fun. Playful banter was here and there. Everyone was able to buy something for themselves too. The girls also decided to eat lunch at a Japanese resto. This time Mina insisted that she’ll pay for lunch just to show her appreciation in her own way.
After lunch, they continued shopping and decided to go to a spa where they met two more of their friends.
They found two of their friends waiting for them by the entrance.
“Happy birthday Minari!” Jeongyeon hugged Mina tightly and Mina gladly hugged back.
“Happy birthday to our penguin!” Jihyo joined the hug making Mina giggle in the middle of the hug sandwich.
“For part 3 of your birthday gift, we’re having a spa day!” Jihyo enthusiastically said.
“We know you’re stressed from work lately so use this time to relax. We’ll also be joining you so this should be fun!” Jeongyeon added.
All eight girls then entered the spa and spent the entire afternoon relaxing after various spa treatments, saunas, and massages.
—
It was close to six pm when they finished their spa session. All girls looked refreshed and everyone evidently had fun after all the shopping and spa escapades they’ve had. They then decided to call it a day.
“We’ll bring you home Mina.” Jihyo offered to which Mina accepted.
The girls said their goodbyes and headed to their respective vehicles. Mina rode together with Jihyo and Jeongyeon.
“Did you enjoy this day Minari?” Jeongyeon asked while driving.
“I really did, seriously. I was just planning to sleep in today but seems you all had a different plan for me. And I’m thankful for that. I needed that time off to relax.”
“Good to hear.” Jihyo said while looking at the road. She was seated on the shotgun seat while Mina was seated at the back. “Actually Mina, this is not the end of your birthday gift.”
“Eh? Are we doing something else? Are you taking me out to drink?” Mina said, confusion painted on her face. “You know I don’t drink.”
Jeongyeon can’t help but giggle at that remark. “Of course we know you don’t drink. We’re not drinking!” She paused for a bit and looked at Mina through the rear view mirror. “Just wait and see.”
Mina just patiently waited in her seat, humming along to the song playing on the radio. A song coincidently sang by someone very important to her.
Listening to a familiar voice on the radio calmed her. She was a bit tired after all they’ve done for the day. After a few minutes, she fell alseep in the backseat.
-
“Mina wake up, we’re here.”
Jihyo was gently nudging her awake.
Mina sat up and look outside. She blinked.
Am I still dreaming?
She rubbed her eyes a bit and looked out again. Definitely not dreaming. Her heart was beating fastly as her brain finally caught up and made her realize where they were.
“Jihyo, Jeongyeon, what are we doing here?”
“Mina, this is part 4 of your birthday gift.” Jeongyeon answered, obviously enjoying the look on Mina’s face.
They were at the airport.
Mina’s heart was racing. Being at the airport could mean one thing.
“Is Nayeonnie coming home? Is she here?”
Mina blurted out the first question she had in mind. All her thoughts went towards Nayeon. Their idol friend Nayeon who was currently on tour and was in Japan right now. Nayeon who can’t make it home for her birthday. They haven’t seen each other in weeks. She also knew it was quite impossible that Nayeon was there because she knew that their idol friend had a concert in Japan that exact day.
“No Mina, she’s not here. As much as we would love her to. She’s busy on her tour.” Jihyo responded.
Mina’s heart sank a bit. She was clinging to the ray of hope that she’ll see Nayeon today. “Then why are we here?”
Jihyo reached towards the back seat to hold Mina’s hand. “Remember what I said earlier?”
“What exactly?”
“That we’ll bring you home?” Mina nodded. She recalled that part.
“We’re here to bring you home Mina. And we know Nayeon unnie is your home.” Mina’s mind went blank, she was trying to make sense of everything Jihyo was saying.
“Nayeon unnie really wanted to come home to you today but she can’t. So she wanted us to help bring you home to her instead.” Jeongyeon stated.
“Here.” Jihyo handed Mina a medium sized box.
“This is the eighth box that’s missing from your table this morning. This is from Nayeon unnie. It has a small bag, a change of clothes, toiletries, your passport and plane tickets.”
Mina was overwhelmed and felt like crying. Sure, she expected and hoped that Nayeon will show up and surprise her. She wished to be able to see and hug her today. Never did she expect that she would actually be the one to go to Nayeon.
“By the way this was all planned by Nayeon unnie.” Jeongyeon said with a mischievous smile, as if she was waiting the entire day to tell this to Mina. “The breakfast surprise, the shopping, the spa. This was all her idea. She wanted to make this day special for you while she was away. We were all happy to help.”
Jihyo then sat up straight, excitement in her eyes. “Your plane leaves in 30 minutes. Go get your girl. She’s part 4 of your birthday gift. Happy birthday Mina!”
—
Mina was restless the entire flight.
She was a bundle of mixed emotions at this point. She tried calling Nayeon before her plane boarded but the older girl did not pick up at all. All she got was a text message saying “have a safe trip :)”
I’m going to murder her.
She knew that was a lie too. Of course she was excited to finally see Nayeon after weeks of not seeing the girl. She was also nervous and she did not know why.
After two long hours, she finally landed in Japan.
She didn’t know what to expect. She was hoping to see Nayeon the moment she passed through the boarding gates.
Nayeon was not there. Instead, she saw Nayeon’s manager walking towards her whom she recognized from all the times they’ve met in the past.
“Had a good flight Mina?” The manager politely asked.
“It was a surprise unnie. I really can’t explain how I feel right now.” Mina honestly answered, a gentle smile on her face.
“Nayeon is excited to meet you, let’s go.” The manager smiled back and lead Mina out of the airport and into a car.
It was a quiet drive. Mina had no idea where they were headed. She didn’t even ask because of all the nerves and anticipation she had at the moment. She didn’t know if they were headed towards the concert arena where Nayeon held her concert. She knew that by this time the concert would’ve been over.
They drove past the arena in the distance. That confirmed that they weren’t headed towards the concert venue. After a while, the manager pulled up in front of a hotel. Mina was then escorted into the hotel and through the lobby. After an elevator ride to the 25th floor of the said building, the manager and Mina got out of the lift.
“Room 2524, happy birthday Mina.” The manager handed Mina a key card which she assumed was for the suite room.
“Thank you unnie I really appreciate it.”
Mina calmly walked towards the room. She knew Nayeon was on the other side of the door but she can’t help but feel a bit nervous.
This is not the first time you’ll meet her. Get a grip Myoui!
Mina could hear her heart banging on her chest as she slowly insterted the keycard into it’s slot on the door. After the beeping sound, she took a deep breath as she opened the door to the suite.
The room was dimly lit, from the doorway, she could see rose petals on the floor that headed towards the center of the room. She followed the trail of petals and as she reached the center of the room, she felt her heart pound even faster, eyes swell with unshed tears, and her emotions all over the place. She saw a candlelit table arranged for dinner on the balcony. Beside the table was the woman she has been yearning for the past few weeks.
Nayeon looked elegant, still in her concert make up, the idol was wearing a simple black dress that showed her long legs. To top it off, she had her trademark bunny smile directed at Mina.
That damn bunny smile that made her fall in love. The smile that never fails to make her fall in love again and again.
“Okaeri.” Nayeon gently said from across the room, loud enough for Mina to hear, but gentle enough to make her heart feel at home.
Mina couldn’t contain her emotions. She broke down in tears at the middle of the room. She can’t help but sob as she saw the person she misses the most, right in front of her.
Seeing Mina in tears made Nayeon panic a bit. She rushed towards the birthday girl and enveloped her in a hug as she rubbed the younger girl’s back to comfort her.
“Ssssshhhh. Baby, it’s alright. I’m here. We’re here now.”
The hug grounded Mina back. Feeling Nayeon hug her made her realize that this was all real, that she was not dreaming. She hugged Nayeon back. Tears continued to flow from her eyes as she realized that she got her birthday wish from earlier.
She was finally hugging Nayeon.
“Tadaima.” Mina whispered, still in the arms of Nayeon. “I’m home Nayeonnie.”
“I’m home too baby.” Nayeon answered as she placed soft kisses on Mina’s forehead.
“We’re finally home.”