Try-Hard, Sin Harder

21. A Birthday Wish

 "That's a really nice photo of you and Jaehee," Jimin said, looking over my shoulder. 

 I nodded, and dragged it into the file folder. With a click of the arrow button, the screen switched to the next photo in my camera. It was blurry. I fiddled with the cord connecting my camera to Jimin's laptop, and clicked the mouse again. We skimmed through the photos of the night before, occasionally downloading ones that looked decent on to a USB. By the time we had reached the end of the camera roll, an hour had passed. Glancing over at the clock on Jimin's wall, I stretched my arms above my head and let out a sigh. "Thanks for letting me borrow your laptop, Jimin-oppa. I'll bring these to the print shop later." 

 "Sounds good," he said, sliding the laptop on to his lap. Handing me the USB, he asked, "Would you mind if I came with you? I don't think I have anything planned for today." 

 I looked over at the calendar above the desk before me. Surely enough, that day had nothing written on it. I read the date; June 27th. ​​​​​It was my nineteenth birthday, but I seemed to be the only one who remembered. It was already noon, and both my brother and nephew had yet to call. I couldn't even remember if I had told anyone in BTS my birthday in the first place. Well, I had only known them for just over two months. It seemed like forever ago that I found them; when I ran into Taehyung at the convenience store. So much had happened in the more recent weeks, that it felt as if we had known each other for longer. I wished we had; I wished I had met them sooner. Perhaps then someone would wish me a happy birthday. 

 As for my brother, he was likely working. Lukas would have been asleep. There was only one day left until his summer break; three until he arrived in Korea. He would stay with me the full two months of summer, meaning I'd have to purchase a few things to help make his stay a little more comfortable. Scanning my mental map of my apartment, I realized I didn't even have a place for him to sleep. We would have to share a bed like we did when he was a toddler, otherwise I would sleep on the couch in my living room. Knowing Lukas, he would probably insist on sleeping with me. Oh well, I managed to do it for three years, why couldn't I do it for another two months? 

 "Do you not want me to?" 

 I tuned back in to the world around me. "I'm sorry Oppa, I completely zoned out. Of course, I'd love for you to join me. I just have to run a few errands before then," I told him. 

 He nodded. "We can take a bus downtown to the mall, and then go to the print shop on our way back."

 Smiling, I rose to my feet. "I'm ready when you are." 

Jin's P.O.V

 "Jimin's taking Keira to the mall, that should buy us a few hours," I told my dongsaengs. "Has Hoseok come back yet?" 

 Taehyung shook his head, and began typing on his phone. "He has purchased her gift and is on his way. How long will it take for you to make the food?" 

 "Hopefully less time than it takes for Jimin and Keira to return," I replied, stirring the cake batter. Dipping a metal spoon into the batter, I passed it to Taehyung. "Taste test." 

 He placed the spoon in his mouth, and sucked on it. Licking the chocolate from his lips, he grinned at me. "She'll love it." 

 "I certainly hope so," I said. "She loves chocolate, and I'm sure she'll still eat it if she knew I made it for her. I just don't want to ruin her birthday. After everything she's been through, she really needs a break. This needs to be perfect." 

 "Stop worrying, Hyung," Namjoon said, slipping next to Taehyung. "If we keep working at this pace, everything will go smoothly." 

 "Did you get the copies of her spare house key?" Taehyung inquired.