_{to @1konic​ ♡}

_{As you arrive at the apartment, you open the door and become greeted with a surprise from your beautiful girlfriend clad in a red high-waist mini skirt and a white off-shoulder top, black converse shoes, and over it a bomber jacket. The motif was Mickey Mouse. It’s corny, true. But don’t judge, it’s for you.}

_{She bounces up, emerging from her hiding place with hands waving in the air and a cake in front of her. It’s not a big cake. It’s just that one tiny cake with a miniature version of yourself (with the beanie on to cover the precious hair you’ve been trying to keep a secret) pushed down on top of it along with a couple of candles. She sings happy birthday while she puts icing on your cheek, right where your dimple is as it’s summoned. There’s a feast behind her along with a bucket of champagne. She prepared it all for this special day. The food might be a little cold now but she’ll warm it up with her smile and a few more surprises.}

_{When the last strain of “happy birthday to you” ends — which she changes the lyrics to “happy birthday bee-aing” — and you blow the candles out on the tiny customized birthday cake she bought you, do you actually make a wish? What is it? If you look at her expectant eyes, she’s conveying the hopefulness over the notion that it’s something she can give you. But her gaze filling up with determination and her taking your hand means something more like ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s not because I’m going to make you as happy as you can be today’.}

_{She pulls you to the window and shows you the bus your fans prepared for your birthday. And she knows how much you love your fans from how your eyes sparkle whenever you see them. The bus has an advertisement for your birthday; a picture of you and a slogan spread out its entire exterior. So cute, it’s in pastel colors. On the picture, you’re wearing the flower crown she absolutely loves seeing on you. How did she know about this? Did she cooperate with the fans? Not exactly. But she’s your conscious partner that looked for signs. She did her homework, checked for the bus departure times, and asked a few favors here and there as discreetly as possible. She’s just your girlfriend that wants to make this annual celebration grand and… maybe a bit overboard.}

_{Now that you’ve seen that, what do you think? Please don’t be overwhelmed because that’s not all. Not yet. In fact, that’s not even part of her gift for you. That’s just her showing off how your fans carefully planned for today as much as she did. She’s going to prep you up for a little tour. She ushers you to the front door and urges you put on your jacket. Wait, the icing on your cheek. The same one she put on you. She wipes it off your face with her finger and licks it off. Gross. But cute, too? She’s a little embarrassed, honestly. That’s why she presses her forehead against your arm as she quells her burning cheeks. Then she assists you and hands you a mask to add on for a simple disguise. Look, you already have a hat on. Perfect! It’s almost complete. For the final touch, she pulls out a pin (a badge as she likes to call it) which says “certified legend” in print. She has one, too, to match with you but she puts it away for now because this is your day. You’re the true, one and only legend.}

_{Then she takes you out for a small trip to the subway station. There you find an array of pictures lined against the walls, lights outlining posters all plastered with a happy birthday sign or message. Once again from the fans. She’s just there next to you, smiling and giggling to herself. She’s thinking about how good-looking you are. And she says so out loud, though not loud enough. More like a whisper that was barely audible. It’s done deliberately because she knows you’ll protest even if she’s insisted so many times. Which doesn’t frustrate her, if you must know. The most she ends up with is a sigh and a shake of the head, and the thought that says, ‘When will you acknowledge the work of art that you are?’}

_{You leave the place. She’s in a bit of a hurry because there’s something really important that you have to do with her and she’s excitedly impatient for it. She’s practically skipping back to the apartment. Although before you go back inside, she stops you in your tracks. She has that devious smile on her face. She’s like Dora the Explorer or maybe Doraemon with her purse packed with items. She takes out one thing, though she doesn’t reveal right away what it is. Instead, look over there. You see that small bump on the ground? That’s the site she prepared.} 

_{At the exact spot you two were standing on, she leans over. She gestures for you to do the same. What’s in her hand was a small burlapped tree. Yes, you’re planting a tree together. Just a small one. But remember, this is a lifelong investment. You’re about to celebrate a whole baby cycle of being together, just a little more push. You want a child with her? This is symbolism for that. A new tree, a new life. For now, as Yooru waits for umma Jennie and appa Hanbin, this is your ‘baby’. Give it a name!}

_{It’s the fall season. A little after the leaves drop, a little before the bud-break, and weather conditions are cool which allow for plants to establish their roots. She takes the small wooden shovel stuck on the ground nearby and merely pushes aside the soil to uncover the shallow, broad hole that’s been previously dug to the proper depth. Now you have to do this. Place in the tree. She offers some scissors to cut away the wire basket. Don’t forget to leave some of its flare exposed. The roots need their oxygen to develop. Lastly, mulch the base of it. And then you’re done! Please, please, please take care of this tree. It’s not just your ‘baby’, it’s also a representation of longevity. And this is in honor of you. She has a certificate ready and she flashes it to you as soon as you finish, brush yourself off, and stand up. How does it feel contributing to nature?}

_{Now back inside, you think it’s over? No, no, no. Not just yet! Of course… there’s the material gifts because your girlfriend is a chaebol. She could have saved the money instead because surely, with how famous you are, you have a pile of gifts from fans waiting for you. Or maybe you’ve seen them already. Do you really think she cares, though? She’s stubborn and she won’t hesitate to give you the world. She might as well give you the universe if you already have the world.}

_{She’s trying to communicate with her eyes, her gaze saying ‘don’t scold me for spending so much, please!’ because what’s one day in a year anyway? It’s already bordering into an entire wardrobe. Blame it partly on how she kept in mind that you usually buy yourself cheap things, she wanted to spoil you this time. Then there’s the impulse while she was shopping, which you know about very well… but she explains she didn’t buy it all in one go, don’t worry. This is accumulated riches. And accumulated for your birthday and your 8th month together. In the many bags laid out in the room where she hid them, the same room you make many memories with her, you find:}

• _{Shoes 1, shoes 2, shoes 3 (+ matching converse: white for you, black for her. Yep, that one she’s wearing. She wrote a message on the soles of your pair. She used a permanent marker so it stays on for a while. If you noticed it sounds incomplete, check on the tongue. On one of the pairs, hidden is her writing that says ‘the other shoe and we’ll’ then as it suggests, the message continues to the tongue of the other which says ‘walk together side by side’.) and socks (1, 2).}
  
• _Wristwatch.
  
• _{Shirt 1, shirt 2, shirt 3.}
  
• _Scarf.
  
• _{Beanie and cap 1, cap 2.} 
  
• _{Jacket 1, jacket 2 (+ the matching bomber jackets with Jennie that you asked for since day one: 1, 2, 3, 4 which is also the same one she’s wearing right now).}
  
• _{Headphones and ear phones (promo the fam).}
  
• _Jeans.
  
• _Wallet.
  
• _Backpack.
  
• _Sunglasses.
  

_{In one separate box bigger than the rest, you find a cheaper set of clothes and items to fulfill a DIY costume which would be useful for the upcoming season of Halloween (trust her, these ones were way cheaper): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.}

_{You’re right. This is a lot. But this is her trying to surpass your fans and your friends and everyone in your life like the overachiever that she is. She really just thinks you deserve it all. So, you know she’s not very confident about her lyrics, right? Probably because someone superior in position told her they’re not ‘title-track worthy’ but guess what? She made another song for you.} 

_{It’s very messy in arrangement because, let’s be real, she’s not as good as you are. Plus it’s been done in a rush between schedules and other duties, especially with how hectic everything has been for her; the rigorous back to training dynamics from song production, recordings, choreography plus photo shoots and interviews to top it all off. She wants to give it her time, give you her time, but there’s very little of it so she squeezes in the most unobtrusive gift she could think of. She was just writing lyrics in the studio. No one would ever suspect it’s for something else, right? Please listen attentively, Kim Hanbin! It’s a song from the heart and especially made for you!}

_{She presses play on the beat and has her eyes glued to her phone where the lyrics (password is the other word for today with a ‘3′ instead of ‘e’) are but contrary-wise to that, she knows it by heart. It’s just half a song, after all. Really, she’s just shy. According to a friend that helped, she’s too much of a perfectionist that she doesn’t realize when the things she create are good. This counts as one. Despite all the timidness in her attitude, her voice doesn’t falter. She sings it with ease and exactly how you remember her rapping and singing. Don’t fall asleep, though. There’s more things in store.}

_{“Last but not least…“ she does a countdown from 3 with her fingers. Each count, she nods along to with eyes rounded up. Right at the end of it, she presses down a gentle kiss on your lips. A brief one then proceeds to take your hands in hers as she speaks. “You’re fortunate to have great family genes because you seem to look younger and I thank your dad for not wearing a condom and making you with your mom. My future father and mother in law are super cool. Jokes. But anyway… don’t count backwards! Think of this as the first day of your life. Look at all your goals in the previous year and see where you are now, the areas you’ve improved on, and all the limitless possibilities there is ahead of you. You know what, I don’t think you’re still on the road to becoming a legend. You are a legend, and I’m really, really, really proud.” She ends it with a genuine and tight hug; tight enough that you have a hard time breathing.}

_{“You’re a boy worth Hamming for…” she pauses and loosens the hug to look at you. “Okay, that was bad. But… happy birthday, Kim Hanbin.”}