October 25.
I woke up thinking it would be another normal Friday— coffee, class, and pretending my life wasn't quietly complicated.
The morning air was crisp, the kind that hinted at winter. I'd slept through my first alarm and rushed out of the dorm with wet hair, Yura's voice calling after me, "Don't forget your art portfolio!"
I laughed, waving without turning back. "I'll grab it later!"
If I'd known what was coming, maybe I'd have looked closer at her grin.
---
After Classes
By afternoon, campus was bathed in gold. I was heading toward the art room when I noticed it was unusually quiet. No Yura waiting by the gate. No Hye-jin yelling at someone over her phone. Not even a text.
We'd planned to grab snacks after class, but my messages were left on read.
Weird.
I was halfway down the corridor when something soft but firm pressed over my eyes.
"What— hey!" I yelped, flailing.
"Shhh!" a voice hissed near my ear. It sounded suspiciously like Yura.
"Yura?! What—"
"Stop asking questions!" another voice ordered— it had to be Hye-jin, all bossy confidence.
And then someone else— definitely Mirae— added in her soft, apologetic tone, "Sorry, Eun-ji. Just trust us for a minute."
Trust them? They'd literally blindfolded me!
"Am I being kidnapped?" I demanded, trying to sound brave but mostly sounding indignant.
A low chuckle answered me. Not Yura, not Hye-jin.
Soo-min.
My whole body stilled. "...Soo-min?"
"Relax," she said, and I could hear the smirk in her voice. "We're not gonna hurt you."
"That's exactly what a kidnapper would say!"
Yura snorted, and Hye-jin muttered, "You talk too much for someone being abducted."
"Because you're doing a terrible job at it!"
They laughed— all of them— and I realized resisting was pointless. Hands guided me carefully down a flight of stairs, across grass, through what sounded like a door creaking open.
Then quiet.
Someone whispered, "Ready?"
I could hear Yura giggling, Hye-jin trying to shush her, and Soo-min's voice steady at my ear.
"Okay, Eun-ji. Don't freak out."
The blindfold came off.
---
For a second, everything blurred from the sudden light. Then colors exploded into focus.
Fairy lights hung across the ceiling like strings of tiny stars. Balloons floated in corners, shimmering pink, gold, and cream. A handmade banner stretched across the far wall:
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY EUN-JI!"
My breath caught.
The art club room had been transformed— tables pushed aside, walls lined with sketches I recognized as my own. In the middle sat a cake decorated with pastel frosting and tiny paintbrush toppers.
Yura threw her arms wide. "Ta-daaa! Operation Kidnap-the-Birthday-Girl was a success!"
Hye-jin groaned. "You were supposed to call it Project E-Day, not Kidnap-the-Birthday-Girl."
Mirae smiled softly, handing me a tiny paper crown. "Happy birthday, Eun-ji."
I blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the sting in my eyes. "You guys… I— how did you even—?"
"Don't underestimate us," Yura said proudly. "We planned this for weeks."
"Months," Mirae corrected.
"And Soo-min nearly blew it yesterday when she almost told you to 'keep Saturday free,'" Hye-jin added, rolling her eyes.
Soo-min, standing near the cake, gave a small laugh. "Yeah, subtlety isn't my strongest trait."
Her eyes met mine— warm, careful, hopeful— and my chest tightened in that familiar, traitorous way.
---
The Celebration
Once the initial shock wore off, chaos began.
Yura blasted pop music from her phone; Hye-jin started dancing in the middle of the room with a cupcake in hand; Mirae documented everything on her camera.
They made me wear the crown ("You look adorable," Yura insisted) and handed me a fork the size of a shovel.
The cake was ridiculous— half chocolate, half strawberry, and decorated with tiny edible stars. I laughed so hard when I saw the inscription:
"To our favorite overthinker."
"Yura!" I shouted, pointing.
She grinned, unapologetic. "Accurate, though."
"Also accurate," Hye-jin added, clinking her soda can against mine.
"Happy birthday, idiot," she said fondly.
"Thanks," I whispered, meaning it more than I could say.
---
When the lights dimmed slightly, I noticed Soo-min leaning against the window, watching with a soft smile. Her short brown hair caught the glow from the fairy lights, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
She was the reason I wasn't crying or shutting down completely during the hard weeks. Even when we were distant, she was still there— on the edges, waiting.
And now she'd planned this.
"Hey," she said quietly, walking up to me. "Having fun?"
I nodded, grinning. "It's chaotic, but yeah. A lot."
"Good."
I looked up at her. "You planned this?"
"Mostly Yura's idea," she said, but her expression softened. "I just helped make sure you couldn't suspect anything."
"By kidnapping me?"
She smirked. "Memorable, right?"
I laughed. "You're impossible."
"Maybe. But you're smiling again, so I'll take that as a win."
The words lingered between us, warm and gentle, almost enough to drown out the noise of Yura's bad singing.
---
After the cake massacre (Yura got frosting in her hair; Hye-jin blamed me), Mirae handed me a stack of small gifts wrapped in colorful paper.
A sketchbook with gold-edged pages.
A tiny charm shaped like a paint palette.
A Polaroid of all of us laughing so hard it blurred.
When I got to Soo-min's box, my hands hesitated. It was small, wrapped in plain brown paper tied with twine.
"Open it," she said softly.
Inside was a simple silver bracelet— delicate, understated— with a tiny brush-shaped charm.
I looked up, stunned. "It's beautiful."
"I figured something simple would suit you," she said, scratching the back of her neck. "Also, it won't get ruined when you paint."
I laughed, slipping it onto my wrist. "You think of everything."
"Only when it's about you," she said quietly.
I froze. The room was still noisy, but her words slipped under everything— gentle and sincere.
My heart fluttered so hard it almost hurt.
---
Later that evening, the five of us stepped outside. The courtyard was calm, the sky navy blue and scattered with stars.
Mirae handed out paper lanterns she'd secretly brought. "Let's light them for good luck."
We stood in a small circle, the lanterns glowing softly between our hands.
Yura whispered something like a wish. Hye-jin muttered hers under her breath, pretending not to be sentimental.
When it was my turn, I hesitated, looking up at the night sky.
"I just… wish things stay like this," I said quietly. "No misunderstandings. No distance. Just… us."
The others smiled.
Soo-min's gaze lingered on me, her voice low. "That's my wish too."
Our lanterns floated upward together, pale gold against the dark sky— five tiny lights drifting higher and higher until they looked like distant stars.
---
Eventually, Yura declared she was "too full to move," and Hye-jin offered to walk her back. Mirae stayed behind to clean up, humming softly.
I was stacking paper cups when Soo-min spoke again.
"Hey."
"Hmm?"
"Did you really not guess it was your birthday party?"
I laughed. "Not even a little. I thought you were all going to throw me in a lake or something."
She chuckled, stepping closer. "That would've been less trouble."
"Liar."
She smiled— slow, soft, real. "Yeah. I wanted this."
For a long second, silence stretched between us. Not heavy this time— just full.
Then she said, almost teasing but not quite, "So… was being kidnapped worth it?"
I met her eyes, feeling my chest warm in that familiar, dangerous way. "Yeah," I said. "Totally worth it."
Her expression softened further, eyes glinting in the fairy-light glow. "Good. Because next year, I might go bigger."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Don't you dare."
But secretly, the thought made my heart skip.
---
That night, back in the dorm, I lay in bed staring at the bracelet glinting faintly under the moonlight.
For the first time in weeks, I didn't feel confused or anxious.
Just warm.
And somewhere in the quiet between heartbeats, I realized—
Maybe I wasn't just flustered anymore.
Maybe I was falling.