Friend Zone

Special 1

Sung's pov....

I got a message from my boyfriend saying I should head back to the store after I got off work. The other party didn’t give any further explanation, so I quickly cleared my schedule and headed back to the store sooner than usual.

It’s not often that I get to the shop while it’s still light out. Today was one of those days, which was fortunate because it meant I had more time to hang out with Kao.

"Why are the shop lights not on? What time is it?" I say loudly as I enter and see that things look different than usual.

My irritation flares when my question goes unanswered, and when I realize that there’s no one here. Also, the lights behind the bar are off, and it’s pitch-black as if nothing has been prepared for the opening of the shop in half an hour.

"Happy birthday to you..."

"Happy birthday to you..."

"Hmm?" My momentary surprise and previous irritation disappear as soon as I hear the familiar music and see people coming out from different corners of the shop with smiles on their faces. I look at everyone around me with a slight smile before one person completely captures my attention.

A large, simply decorated chocolate cake adorned with chocolate bars and a golden yellow "Happy Birthday" message. The light from the candles reflects on the smiling face of the person holding it. Long legs take steps towards me as the birthday song is sung by everyone.

"Happy birthday."

"..." I smiled in response to the pleasant words and prepared to hug him without thinking.

"Hey, blow out the candles first," my boyfriend's voice stopped me, and I pulled myself away to follow his instructions.

As soon as the candles on the cake were blown out, the lights in the shop turned on, and everyone around started clapping. I have to admit that I barely noticed anything except the person in front of me. At that moment, I took the cake from Kao's hands, set it down, and pulled him into a hug that caught many people off guard.

"What the hell are you doing, Sung? All the kids in the shop are staring."

"Thank you all very much. Let's split up and get to work. It's almost time for the shop to open." I stepped back and spoke to everyone in a pleasant voice, not forgetting to adorn my face with a smile to express my thanks once more.

"..."

"Now, no one will be watching," I said to my lover, pulling him in for another hug.

"Sung, why are you hugging me? What's wrong with you?"

"I'm thanking you. You're being so lovely to me, damn it." I uttered my praise in the warmth of his embrace, which he didn't resist.

"I do this every year, you know. And you forget your own birthday every year," Kao said, pulling away with a smile on his face.

"But this year, you're holding the cake for me as my boyfriend."

"..."

We looked at each other after I finished that sentence. The happiness from the person in front of me was expressed through his eyes. Kao is someone who always likes to please and take care of others, so I know very well that Kao is very happy with what he is trying to do, which is no different from me. Of course, every year I will receive a birthday cake as a close friend, but this time the status has changed. What I received was so great and happy that I couldn't keep it to myself.

"Can I kiss you?"

"No."

"Kao, let me kiss you."

"Not here," he said calmly, but his handsome face had a challenging smile in his eyes before he walked out. I couldn't help but smile at the behaviour of my boyfriend. He was composed and well-behaved, but he always secretly pleased me.