Make It With You

14

Jisoo**

Midnight on My Birthday

The clock struck midnight, and I received a message from Monique:
"Things that cannot be expressed in words or cards are better done with songs."

Another message followed immediately:
"Please open your front door."

I blinked, confused. What the heck was she doing outside my front door at this hour? I thought to myself.
"Guys, come here!" I called out to the others as we all scrambled to open the front door. To my shock, there stood Monique, holding her guitar and ready to sing.

She started playing, and the lyrics floated in the air:

Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how

I was blushing so hard while the others squealed nonstop. She continued singing, pouring her heart into the song. The room was filled with her presence and the warmth of her voice.

After finishing, Monique handed me a cake, saying, "Happy birthday!" She looked at me and was about to turn around to leave, but I stopped her.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Home," she replied nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened.

"Why?" I pressed.

"What do you mean why?" she responded, sounding puzzled. "It's past midnight, I'm sleepy. I'm going home to sleep. Bye!" And before I could say anything more, she hurriedly ran to her car, leaving me speechless, while the others headed back to their rooms.

8 AM

I woke up to find my room filled with 100 colorful balloons, each string tied to one of my favorite pictures. I was completely awestruck. How could she have managed to do all this without me noticing?

9 AM

Suddenly, Lisa shouted from the living room. "There's a giant mysterious gift box outside the front door!"

The girls and I rushed to see what it was. I opened it immediately. The moment I pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid, dozens of balloons flew out. Inside, there was a massive, fluffy teddy bear, and attached to it was a note:
"Giving you the most special hug on my behalf. -Xx Monique"

"Aww, Monique unnie is the sweetest!" Rosé squealed.

"Your birthday can't get any better, Jisoo unnie," Chaeng added.

"But where is she?" I asked, scanning the area, expecting her to show up.

"Ahh... something came up. That's why I'm recording everything from the beginning," Lisa commented, holding up her phone to capture everything.

11 AM

Monique picked me up in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce. The moment I stepped into the car, she blindfolded me, holding my hands in hers. She let me guess what was happening next. As she was doing this, I heard her thanking the others for helping her.

12 PM

The car took us to a private chartered flight. As soon as we were in the air, Monique cut a birthday cake at hundreds of feet above the ground. She wished me a happy birthday, and we spent the next few hours flying over Jeju Island. I was so speechless at the surprise and the beauty of everything. She gave me a charming smile, mouthing "thank you" before I kissed her cheek. But then she said, "It's not over yet."

I looked at her in disbelief. "What could possibly top this?" I thought.

2 PM

We went to a restaurant. At first, everything seemed normal. But suddenly, music started playing, and one of the guys sitting at a table stood up, beginning to dance in front of me. Within moments, about 8 people were dancing around me, and the choreography was flawless. The song happened to be one of my absolute favorites, and the entire performance was centered on me. It was incredible.

I looked at Monique, and she smiled brightly at me, continuing to record the private flash mob just for me. My heart couldn't take it.

5 PM

Next, Monique took me to a movie. During the interval, she insisted we wait for a "really interesting commercial" to play. I was getting impatient when suddenly, the large screen displayed my photo and a message:
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY CRACKHEAD JISOO. I WISH YOU HAPPINESS AND ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD."

I was in shock. My jaw dropped.

7:30 PM

Monique drove me home, and as we entered, the girls were waiting. Jennie and Mina had prepared a lovely dinner for everyone. Monique's nieces and nephew were there too. Her parents greeted me with warm "Happy Birthdays." I whispered to myself, This is the best birthday ever.

9:30 PM

Almost everyone had left by now, except for Monique, who seemed a bit tipsy and was acting weird.

"Happy birthday to you," she sang, slurring a little.

"Thank you," I said, smiling. "Thank you for all the surprises. I love it."

Monique paused, then muttered, "I don't know if it's the knee or something, but I'm a little confused. I thought we were checking each other out." She giggled, clearly tipsy.

I raised an eyebrow. "No. Sorry. Maybe you're drunk."

"No, no, no. If I was drunk, I'd be coming over to you," she said with wide, fluffy eyes.

"Wow, what a relief," I said sarcastically.

"If I was drunk, I'd be telling you how amazing you look and how crazy it is that you're standing in front of me, being extra beautiful and all," she continued, almost mesmerized. "That should be illegal, you know."

"Wow, are you always like this?" I asked, shaking my head.

"No, I sometimes sound like this, but this is different."

"What's so different?" I asked, crossing my arms, now a bit concerned.

"Because you're Kim Jisoo," she said, massaging her temple, her gaze intense.

"You're kidding, right?" I replied, impatient.

"I'm dead serious," she said, staring at me with a look I couldn't quite read.

"If this is some kind of prank you guys want to pull off to keep things exciting, I gotta tell you, it's a little sad," I said, annoyed. I glanced at the others, but they just shrugged.

"This is no prank, Jisoo. This is real," Monique said, her voice serious.

I rolled my eyes. "I still think you're messing with me."

"Do you have any idea how far my ass was hanging out because of you?" she half-yelled.

"Did I win something? Find someone else to bother or knock yourself out," I shouted back, losing my temper.

"Fine. I wish you a very happy birthday!" she yelled, slamming the door.

I was about to stop her, but I was too furious.

"Hey, Monique unnie, you're too drunk to drive, and there's heavy rain!" Lisa shouted, running toward the door.

But Monique had already left.

"FUCK!!!" I screamed, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and taking a swig.

"Ok, ok, the party is over. Nini, Chaeng, take good care of Jisoo unnie. I'll clean up. I'll call Mina later to check on Monique unnie," Lisa said, trying to calm the situation.

I felt the weight of everything-both the birthday surprises and the strange tension with Monique. But one thing was for sure: this was a birthday I'd never forget.