A faint smile appeared on Heewoon’s lips. Seeing his face, Kangwoo covered his own eyes and sighed. When Heewoon looked at him quizzically, he lowered his hand and smiled brightly.
“Thank you, Sunbae.”
“Yeah. I actually wanted to give it to you on your birthday, it’s a shame.”
“I’d like it no matter when you gave it to me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wear it because it’s so precious.”
Kangwoo said as he fiddled with the end of the scarf. Although he was probably saying it to make Heewoon feel good, Heewoon still felt quite pleased.
“By the way, that woman earlier really was a stranger.”
“Then why did you smile at her?”
Heewoon’s eyes widened at Kangwoo’s piercing gaze.
“I did? Just out of politeness…”
“Ah, politeness.”
Hearing Kangwoo’s sarcastic tone, Heewoon emphasized again.
“I can’t even remember her face now. I really don’t know her.”
“I know.”
Kangwoo, who had been examining the scarf, glanced at Heewoon.
“You know?”
“Yes, I went and asked her.”
Seo Kangwoo said casually, making all the previous interrogations seem pointless. Heewoon was speechless for a moment before speaking up.
“Then why did you…”
“Put this on me.”
Kangwoo abruptly interrupted Heewoon, handing him the scarf. Heewoon took it, somewhat bewildered, and Kangwoo smiled mischievously.
“How will you put it on me?”
“…”
Without a word, Heewoon folded the scarf in half and draped it around Kangwoo’s neck. He slipped the opposite end through the folded part, creating a simple but stylish look.
“Is this good?”
Kangwoo grabbed Heewoon’s hands as they tried to move away. Heewoon looked up, and Kangwoo smiled with his eyes.
“Have you ever given a present to someone like this before?”
“Huh?”
“Sunbae, you get very excited from just buying a pair of shoes for a few hundred thousand won.”
“…I didn’t get that excited.”
Heewoon replied reluctantly, and Kangwoo responded with a nonchalant “Hmm.” Then he lowered his voice and asked.
“So, you’ve never given a present like this to anyone else, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Have you ever tied a scarf for someone else?”
Heewoon tilted his head, wondering what Kangwoo was getting at, as he saw Kangwoo’s crooked smile.
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, I’m the first?”
Despite his words sounding troubled, his eyes were smiling. Heewoon thought for a moment before speaking.
“But it’s not the first time I’ve given a present…”
Before Heewoon could finish his words, his mouth was roughly covered. His eyes widened as he saw the two eyes above the large hand.
“Don’t make me annoyed.”
Though Kangwoo was smiling, it felt like a threat. Even after Heewoon nodded, Kangwoo didn’t let go of his suspicious gaze until Heewoon, struggling to breathe, grasped his wrist. Only then did Kangwoo let go.
“Haah, ugh, haah…”
Kangwoo planted a rough kiss on Heewoon’s cheek as he gasped for air, then gripped the steering wheel. Heewoon’s annoyed expression softened as they left the building, because the late sunlight was shining on the newly bought scarf and Kangwoo’s faintly smiling lips.
Hmm. Kangwoo hummed. The sound almost seemed to carry a melody.
***
Heewoon thought that things couldn’t go on like this. Even though the present was given a bit early, he decided to at least prepare a proper cake.
It would have been nice if Kangwoo’s birthday fell on a weekend, but unfortunately, it was on a Friday. Heewoon thought it would have been better if it were just one day later, but he soon realized that Friday wasn’t so bad either. After starting work, Fridays had become something he really liked.
Heewoon decided to make the cake himself. Baking the actual cake might be too much, so he looked for places that offered cake decoration classes and found one near his office.
The problem was that it was hard to hide things from Seo Kangwoo.
‘I’ll tell you again. Don’t hide anything, even if it’s something trivial.’
Kangwoo had said this the night he discovered the present. When Heewoon asked if even well-intentioned lies were not allowed, Kangwoo firmly said they weren’t.
‘Looks like I’ll never be able to give you surprises…’
‘You can stop being adorable to me, so you don’t have to.’
‘But I want to.’
‘…Ah, Woo Heewoon.’
Heewoon shook his head as he remembered Kangwoo coming up to him again after they had just cleaned up. Anyway, surprises and Seo Kangwoo didn’t mix well.
Since he couldn’t go without Kangwoo knowing, it was impossible to make the cake after work. So Heewoon decided to use his lunch breaks on Thursday and Friday. Skipping lunch wasn’t a big deal. He just hoped Kangwoo wouldn’t ask what he had for lunch.
“Hello.”
Heewoon entered the shop, panting for breath. It was located in an officetel about a 10-minute walk from his office, but he had run to save a few extra minutes.
“Hello, are you Woo Heewoon-ssi?”
“Yes.”
“Please wash your hands first and then come over here.”
Heewoon looked around the small space, where there were a couple of other people, then quickly washed his hands and put on an apron. It seemed uncommon to spread the process over two days, but they understood his situation when he explained it.
The cake that the teacher had prepared in advance was neatly covered with white cream, making it look really easy to finish. Heewoon had already thought about how he wanted to decorate it.
Heewoon practiced with the piping bag on a separate surface. It didn’t turn out as he imagined at first, which flustered him a bit, but after a few tries, he got the hang of it.
“I think you’re ready to try it on the cake now.”
Heewoon glanced at the clock and nodded. The instructor, who was helping someone else, looked at the traces of his practice and asked again.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“Yes!”
The instructor helped him position the first letter. Then Heewoon slowly wrote the letters he had practiced. In yellow, H… B… D… Heewoon exhaled the breath he had been holding as he put the piping bag down. Although the D ended up a bit squished due to lack of space, it looked alright.
After flexing his hands a few times, Heewoon grabbed the piping bag again.
“Yes… that’s great. Keep your pressure even…”
“Kang… woo…”
He muttered quietly but then felt embarrassed and shut his mouth. Below the letters he had just written, he wrote “Happy Birthday, Kangwoo” in smaller blue letters. The blue letters matched well with the yellow ones above.
“What do you think, teacher?”
“…For your first time, you did really well.”
Heewoon nodded, looking down at his work. As his hands tingled with pain, he opened and closed his fists. Heewoon glanced at the clock and his eyes widened.
“Teacher, I have to go now. See you tomorrow.”
“Sure. I’ll keep the cake for you.”
He quickly took off the apron, put his coat back on, and rushed back to the office. With about 10 minutes left of his lunch break, he bought a sandwich from the café on the first floor. After taking a photo and sending it to Kangwoo, he finally sighed in relief.
Since he didn’t have much time, he only ate half of the sandwich. By the time he was about to leave work, his stomach was growling loudly, which embarrassed him a little.
***
The next morning, Seo Kangwoo delivered some news.
“Shall we go to a restaurant? I have a business trip today, so I might be late for the reservation if I come to pick you up.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Don’t talk with the driver.”
“Yeah.”
Heewoon nodded and silently cheered inside. If Kangwoo came to pick him up, he wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore, so he thought the birthday celebration might as well be done in the car. But it seemed like they would be able to celebrate it in a restaurant.
Feeling delighted in the morning, Heewoon successfully completed the cake during lunchtime. He piped cream in droplet shapes along the edges of the round cake and decorated it with chocolate pearls. Although he had worried a bit because the cream along the edges wasn’t evenly sized, it looked much fancier with the chocolate on top.
That day turned out quite lucky. From Kangwoo not coming to pick him up in person to Heewoon being able to leave the cake with the manager upon arrival at the restaurant. The manager agreed to attach candles to the cake when serving the dessert. It was possible because it was a restaurant they frequented.
Heewoon waited alone in the usual separate seating area until Kangwoo arrived.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here.”
Although he had already seen it in the morning, Heewoon confirmed Kangwoo’s scarf around his neck again. He stared for a moment as Kangwoo’s hand, wearing the same ring as him, untied the scarf. Heewoon turned his head away to the window. In the reflection, Seo Kangwoo hung the scarf and his coat on the coat rack.
When Kangwoo patted the back of Heewoon’s head, Heewoon finally turned his glance back. As their eyes met each other, Kangwoo poked Heewoon’s cheek and sat down opposite to him.
The food arrived after a short wait. This restaurant suited Heewoon’s taste, but it felt especially delicious today. Ah, maybe because he had skipped lunch.
“You’re eating a lot.”
He must have looked as if he was going to bury his face in the plate. Kangwoo tilted his head and looked at Heewoon’s face, then chuckled.
Become a member in my ko-fi to get early releases!
Make me feel happy and supported by leaving a comment!