𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐃 | 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐉𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐌

𝐂#𝟎𝟗 • 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 ; 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭

"You knew my birthday?" Alessia asked, surprised.

"Why wouldn't I?" NamJoon replied, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

From behind, a chorus of voices began singing the birthday song. It was NamJoon's parents and sister.

Covering her mouth in shock, Alessia was overwhelmed. By then, NamJoon had set the timer.

"Cut the cake," he said, handing her a beautifully designed knife.

Alessia took the knife and cut into the cake. As the camera captured the moment, she tasted a small piece and discovered it was a delicious black forest cake.

"Gosh, this is amazing," Alessia exclaimed.

"Baked by Mom," NamJoon replied.

"This has to be my best birthday so far," she said, genuinely touched.

Around 1:30 a.m., Alessia finished replying to all the birthday messages. She and NamJoon were in the bedroom, ready to sleep.

NamJoon, however, was plagued by intrusive thoughts, unable to shut his eyes even after Alessia fell asleep. He stared at her, questioning himself.

'Why am I thinking like this? Why can't I just accept things fuckin' normally? Why the fuck do I feel like something is being kept from me?'

After an hour of restless contemplation, he got out of bed and went to the coffee table in the wide-open corridor, releasing a heavy sigh. The chilly winter breeze gave him chills, but he was too deep in thought to care.

'What's wrong with me?' he asked himself.

His eyes wandered aimlessly until a tight headache brought him back to reality. Returning to the room, he glanced at the large wall clock, which read 3:15.

As he got back into bed, his fingers brushed against Alessia's hand. He found himself staring blankly at the ring on her finger.

'Whom do I trust?' he wondered. 'Those words, your soothing face, your actions, or my own mind?'

Confusion and doubt gnawed at him. Touching the ring lightly, he traced his fingers over her knuckles and nails.

'Don't let it be true, okay?' he thought, smiling innocently.

His head felt too heavy to keep lifted, and he eventually fell asleep, staring at the vacant off-white ceiling.

The next morning, Alessia wondered if it would be awkward to leave the room without him. But luck was on her side as NamJoon's alarm rang, waking him up. She pretended to be just waking up as well.

Five hours of sleep after a day-to-night journey was far from adequate.

Later, Hyunbeen was organizing the kitchen when she felt arms wrap around her shoulders. Recognizing her son's scent, she smiled.

"What is it?" she asked, not turning around.

"Eomma, do you know how much I missed you?"

"You did?" She chuckled softly.

NamJoon rested his head on hers. "I'm not feeling well," he admitted.

Concern immediately crossed her face. "What happened?"

"I didn't sleep well last night," he confessed.

"Hmm?" She smiled knowingly.

NamJoon got flustered, realizing her implication. "Eomma, it's not what you think!"

"Okay, okay. What's Alessia up to now?"

"I don't know."

"Go to your room. I'll bring soup."