The Missing Piece

Chapter 1

Narae smiled widely as she realised what was happening. As the lights near their table had dimmed and a chorus of singing had erupted from the waiting staff around them, it took her just a moment to understand that the birthday they were singing for, was hers.

Around her, family and a friends joined in as a small cake, piled high with fresh fruit, was presented to her and they clapped as the song came to an end. Narae allowed her brother Tam to fasten a party hat around her chin before taking a deep breath and blowing out the candles. The table erupted with applause and Narae closed her eyes dramatically to make her wish.

"What did you wish for?" Asked Mariko prodding her arm with a chopstick.

"You know I can't tell you." Grumbled Narae taking the knife from another waited and cutting into the cake to serve out the slices to their small party. Mariko took over the slicing as her brother pulled her in for a party-hat selfie and lovingly mussed up her hair.

"Did you wish to be slightly cooler this year?" He teased.

"Excuse me! I am working at the world's hottest music label and am surrounded by fabulous people every day. I literally cannot get any cooler." She protested.

"You keep telling yourself that squirt." He rolled his eyes.

They both tucked into their cake. Spread amongst the fourteen people at the table, there wasn't all that much to go around in the end. But it was delicious and for a second, the table quieted for the business of eating good food.

Narae caught Anna looking nervously at her watch. She knew they'd have to leave any moment.

"What time's your flight?" She asked, making sure to keep her face bright. Anna was her best friend but for the moment they were living in different countries. It was Narae's fault. She was the one who'd quit Japan to take the job at HYBE and she was beyond grateful to the global scattering of friends who'd made the trip to spend the week with her before her birthday, and before work ramped up to an unsocial level.

"It's in a few hours. We can only stay a few more minutes, I think. But we'll just slip away."

Behind Anna, her husband Soma was negotiating with a waiter to pay their portion of the bill before gathering up bags.

"I'll miss you. I'm so happy you were here, I had a great time this week." Narae said, smiling her best smile for her friend.

Anna returned it lovingly. "I'm just happy we got to be with you on your birthday."

"Ah, not quite!" Piped up Narae's mother, who'd obviously been listening in. Narae groaned, knowing the story she was about to tell. "It isn't her birthday quite yet. She kept me waiting all night. She wasn't born until 23.59 that evening. That's when she'll turn 21, not a moment before."

"Eomma!" Whined Narae, "Anna has to go, besides, that's not how birthdays work. You get the whole day, not just the one minute left before the day is over."

Anna grinned and smiled again at Narae's mother before rising to hug her friend. "Keep in touch okay. I mean it, I don't want you burning out because it gets too much. Stay healthy. Drink fluids. And try to have some fun this year."

Narae nodded firmly. Anna needed no such reminders. She had Soma looking after her so Narae knew her friend was well protected by her soulmate. She gave both of them bracing hugs, waving them on their way out of her sight before slumping back in her chair and returning her attention to the rest of her gang. Within ten hours of now all but her Seoul based friends would have departed and her head would be firmly back in work.

....................................

Way across town, in a massive duplex overlooking the Han River, the seven members of BTS were having a considerably more relaxed evening.