The business event last weekend had cost me half of my sanity, and I was unspeakably relieved to be back home, where I felt the safest. I made the decision not to tell Minho about the letter I had received in my hotel room for one simple reason. If he found out I had spent the night in Baekhyun’s bed, he would not be happy, and I feared the consequences. I no longer trusted him enough to be open with him, especially after witnessing how he treated Baekhyun—or Zero-Four, as he preferred to call him.

On Monday afternoon when my classes had ended, I left the campus together with Baekhyun, planning to meet up with Jennie. We had exchanged a few text messages about the event, but she insisted on meeting me in person to make sure I was alright—not just physically, but mentally. Jennie seemed to sense that I needed a distraction and a way to vent.

Baekhyun was in a bad mood today, still a little irritated because of our disastrous weekend, so we didn’t speak much while we waited for my friend to arrive. Jennie’s gold-blonde hair made her stand out from the crowd in the square, and I easily spotted her when she approached us. She wore light and colorful clothing, suiting the warm spring weather.

“Jennie, over here!” I shouted, waving at her. She looked around, her eyes lighting up when she spotted me and Baekhyun.

“It’s good to see you,” she grinned and hugged me.

“Likewise,” I smiled.

“And hello, Mr. Bodyguard!” she said, prompting me to cringe—I should have seen it coming. This was her first opportunity to meet him, and she wouldn’t waste the chance to get to know him. Baekhyun watched her suspiciously, unsure what to make of her bubbly personality.

“Whoa, you should smile more! With a stare like that, you’ll chase everyone away,” she joked but then paused. “Oh, wait. That’s actually good—my friend will be a lot safer if nobody dares to approach her. Keep glaring, Mr. Bodyguard.”

I blinked in surprise when I heard a muffled chuckle from Baekhyun’s direction, glancing at him in wonder. “Don’t call him that, you’re embarrassing,” I pouted. “His name is Byun Baekhyun,” I reminded her since I doubted he would introduce himself.

“Can I call you Hyunnie?” Jennie asked before shaking her head when she remembered something. “Then again, that’s what Hyorin should call him,” she mumbled.

“Can we go, please?” I sighed, gesturing to the park entrance in front of us. A few children walked over the gravel path and chatted with their parents, and I also spotted some students from my university sitting on the grass. It was a popular place to hang out; the park’s greenery was like an oasis amidst the concrete jungle of Seoul.  

“Okay,” she grinned, and we followed the gravel path winding through the trees, enjoying the warm spring weather. The noises of traffic began to fade, and I heard a few birds chirping nearby, smiling happily to myself. Baekhyun trailed after us, keeping an eye on the area. He seemed to have no intention to join the conversation which saddened me. Then again, he’d never been the talkative kind of person.

“Did Yang Junsu bother you again, by the way?” Jennie asked. I scowled since thinking of him annoyed and disgusted me at the same time.

“Thankfully not. He was a creep, and I’d rather avoid him from now on,” I said, admiring the budding flowers framing the path. “He kept rambling about his wealth and position in his family’s company while I tried not to strangle him.”

She laughed, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Well, I’m guessing you gave him a run for his money.”

“I didn’t make it easy for him, that’s true. But it resulted in him thinking was playing hard to get,” I sighed.

“How come he left you alone in the end?” The way she glanced in Baekhyun’s direction made it obvious she had a good idea of what had happened, but she liked to hear it from my mouth.

“He was scared of Baekhyun,” I answered, grinning in malicious joy. “You should have seen his face, it was glorious.”

Jennie chuckled. “Oh, I would have loved to see that.”

“Honestly, the business event would have bored you too much. It was nothing like the fancy party you imagined it to be.”

“Maybe my presence would have lightened the mood,” she teased.

“Well, you might just be right. What you did during your last birthday party proves how crazy you are,” I giggled, hitting her lightly on the shoulder.

“That reminds me…” Jennie suddenly said. “Baekhyun, when is your birthday?”

“May 6th.”

“Wait, wasn’t that last week?” I said, eyes growing wide. My heart sank, and the heavy sensation of guilt expanded in my chest.

“What, you didn’t gift him anything?”

“I… uh…” I stuttered, feeling foolish. I should have asked him about his birthday, but I had forgotten.

“It doesn’t matter, don’t worry about it. My birthday isn’t important,” he said, shrugging.

But worrying about it was exactly what I did. How could I be so stupid and never ask when his birthday was? We had spent the entire day together and I hadn’t had a clue! I didn’t gift him anything at all even though I would have loved to choose a present for him. I exchanged a look with Jennie and already knew what she was thinking. We came to a silent agreement.

Later in the evening, when Baekhyun and I had returned home, I hurried to my room to call Jennie. We had a plan to make, and I wanted to set it into motion as soon as possible.

“That was fast,” she laughed when she answered the phone. “Do you have an idea about what you want to get for him?”

“I was thinking of baking a cake,” I mumbled, putting my hand on my chin in deep thought. “He likes strawberry flavor. I could try to make a cake myself, but I’m not good at these kinds of things.”

“You know what? I’ll come by tomorrow and we’ll do it together! I’ll gladly help you,” she giggled, no doubt thinking about how she could set us up. Jennie was a hopeless romantic.

The next afternoon, when I was sure Baekhyun was in his room and wouldn’t disturb us in the kitchen, we got to work. We prepared the ingredients and started with the cake dough. Jennie was careful to ensure I wouldn’t mess up and didn’t put too much flour in the bowl.

“I got pink food coloring, so you can decorate the cake later,” she grinned, holding up a little package.

“Uh… why pink? I don’t think he likes pink,” I replied in disbelief. I was pretty sure his favorite color was black, considering his clothing—admittedly, a black birthday cake would be quite strange.

“I thought it would be adorable,” she grinned slyly, leaving no doubts about her intentions. I rolled my eyes at her, while I added more ingredients to the dough.

To our chagrin, Minho’s secretary, Min Daejun, passed by at this moment, entering the kitchen because he heard our chatter. The older man was appalled when he saw us, his eyebrows rising so high they almost touched his hairline.

“What are you doing in here?”

“Hello, Mr. Min. As you can see, we’re baking,” I voiced the obvious and faked a smile.

“You should focus on your studies and not waste time making a mess in the kitchen,” he scolded. He insisted on treating me like a child, and I was sick of it—this man had no right to berate me or tell me what to do.

“I already spent half of the day studying. My projects are finished,” I defended myself, but I might have just talked to a wall instead.

Min curled his lips. “If I was Mr. Park, I would punish you for your insolence. A few days of house arrest would solve the problem.”

“Mr. Min, don’t be ridiculous. I’m an adult,” I said, my voice getting higher towards the end as I was starting to get hysteric. He should shut the up before I lost my temper.

Min clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes at me before he left the kitchen, mumbling something under his breath. When he was out of earshot, I turned to Jennie who had watched the whole scene with raised eyebrows.

“I hate him,