Se-ri has never done this before. And by this she means celebrating birthdays, especially for the love of her life - who is now sleeping soundly in the safe confines of their bedroom, spent from whatever love making they had the night before.
Spurred by the heat of a moment with Fifty Shades of Grey on Netflix - Jeong-hyuk, mischievously coerced by Se-ri into watching it. Halfway, it leaves Jeong-hyuk very flushed, his hands uncontrollably sneaking under her shirt, roaming along the sensitive contours of her torso while she straddles him. Clothes littered along the way, they barely make it to the bed room - Se-ri, reduced to breathless moans, coherent thoughts flying out of her mind as Jeong-hyuk flooded with desire, affectionately worships every part of her.
For almost her whole life, Se-ri avoided birthday celebrations - her own and others. It was a constant reminder of the ghosts of the past, provoking unpleasant memories of the bitterly cold wind of the beach, unfolding the penetrating sharp pain of feeling unwanted and unloved. Until Jeong-hyuk comes along, showering her with an earth-shattering love in ways she couldn’t possible imagined.
It’s the first time in two years since their reunion that they’re able to celebrate his birthday together and Se-ri is determined to get this right.
With her phone displaying a cake recipe in front her, and a pot of seaweed soup boiling on the stove, brows furrowed adorably in concentration, Se-ri throws in the carefully measured ingredients into the cake mixer, desperately praying it would turn out perfect.
…
The loud alarm reverberating through the bedroom arouses Jeong-hyuk from his sleep. Nuzzling deeper into the pillow while his hand rummages for his phone on the side table, he finds a small Post-It note attached to the device. Still slightly discombobulated, he blinks the silhouettes of darkness away, letting the soft glow of the morning sun fill his vision, until Se-ri’s handwriting comes into view.
Ri Jeong-hyuk -ssi, please look through your phone for a surprise video.
It’s a video of Se-ri attempting to play the full piece of Fur Elise on the piano, which Jeong-hyuk suspects she must have been practicing diligently when he’s at work. It isn't perfect but it's commendable, putting a wide smile on his face, revealing the prominent deep dents on his cheeks.
There’s a short and sweet message at the end - “It’s your lucky day Ri Jeong-hyuk -ssi because you get to be my first audience. No, I'm not going to play it in front of you because you're going to laugh at me," she giggles.
In a split second she arranges her expression into something earnest, genuine overflowing in her sparkling eyes. "Thank you Ri Jeong-hyuk -ssi, for finding me when I was broken, putting me back together and giving me a life I couldn't have dreamed of myself. Happy Birthday. And saranghae."
Unknowingly, a tear slides down the corner of his eye.
"Oh, and can you please do me a favour and stay in bed a little longer?" He breaks into a little laugh.
Taking his time to unravel himself from the comforts of the covers with a ridiculously high thread count, Jeong-hyuk throws on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants and quietly descends the stairs, grinning when the smell of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the heavenly fragrance of what seems like butter cake wafting through the hallway.
Approaching the kitchen slowly, he peeks through the doorway and watches his girlfriend - wearing one of his old white coloured Oxford shirt, loosely fitting on her petite frame revealing her long slender legs - Se-ri is squatting down in front of the oven, peeping at the cake.
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Here I Am Again
Fanfiction'It's destiny. It isn't the sight of her that catches his attention first, as the glider falls forward on the grass and the heavy pile of red fabric crumples and covers her, but by the sound of her moans and grumbles. Assisting the glider was his o...
