"the two tinies are hugging, so cute." minhyuk said, clapping. kihyun and y/n let go of their hug, and he walked towards the living room to put the gift and the balloons down. she looked at the others who were in the kitchen and was contemplating if she should tell them that she likes kihyun.

friends don't hide anything from each other. jooheon's words popped into her head.

well, some things are meant to be hidden. you don't have to tell your friends everything that goes on in your life. kihyun's words also popped into her head.

why am i stressing over this now? i should enjoy myself! she thought to herself, getting a little frustrated.

"you missed him blowing out the candles y/n, let's eat!" shownu exclaimed, opening the containers of food. the aroma of fried chicken filled the whole dorm, making everyone more hungry.

after grabbing their food, they all sat in the living room to eat. y/n sat on the couch first, then changkyun and jooheon sat next to her.

kihyun was the last to come into the living room. he made eye contact with jooheon, who moved away from her quickly. he sat next to her, slowly regretting it.

y/n, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed that she had to sit next to him and almost lost her appetite.

after eating, kihyun wanted to open his presents already. he eyeballed y/n's gift first and saw a box wrapped and two envelopes inside the bag.

she saw him look at the gift she brought and walked over to him.

"you can open this one, but don't open this one yet," she told him, pointing to the two envelopes; the first one was a card from her dad, and the other was a letter from her.

"when can i open yours?" he asked, being curious.

"after the post-evaluation."

"what if i don't listen and open it later tonight?"

"just don't, it's something a little important and personal, but i need you to open it after the evaluation. it is just next week; you can handle it, right?"

"i guess so. can i open this box, though?"

"oh yeah, that's the present."

"i'm gonna open y/n's gift now!" he announced to everyone. the others were quick to gather around in the living room, and he started to open the box.

after unwrapping and opening it, he got a big oversized sweater.

"i remember when we were texting one night, you mentioned that you would want an oversized sweater to wear for when you sleep, so i figured i'd get one for you," she explained. he continued to look at it and was a little shocked that she remembered that.

"this is amazing; thank you so much." he thanked, folding the sweater and putting it onto the side. he opened the envelope that was from her father and read the card.

yoo kihyun,

happy birthday main vocalist! you have done excellent work these past years, and i'm more than proud to say that you are one of my favorites. the big thing is coming soon, so please be prepared! i'm looking forward to seeing you and your group's song and dance. fighting!

— chae hyungwon

"at least you didn't get money." minhyuk teased, poking kihyun's arm. kihyun smiled as he finished reading the card.

"tell your dad i said thank you very much because this is an honor of getting such compliments from him!" he told her, grinning.

"i certainly will." she looked at the clock that hung above the tv, and looked back at the boys. "should i leave now so you can all practice?"

"if you want to." jooheon replied. "and if the birthday boy agrees."

"it's been a wonderful birthday today, and maybe that is a good idea." kihyun answered.

"i'll be heading out then; it was nice seeing you all!" y/n stood up from the ground and walked towards the door.

"wait y/n!" he called, quickly following her.

she turned around and saw him right in front of her. "hmm? what is it?"

"um, i figured i'd get one more hug for good luck?"

she giggled and hugged him, and he hugged her back tighter. the others were silently rooting for their friend for doing such a brave thing.

she pulled back, and he opened the door for her.

"so, i'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"yes. be safe, y/n!"

"i will don't worry. happy birthday again, and bye!"

y/n walked out of the dorm, and kihyun closed the door. he turned to his friends and hugged them all.

"i did it. i did it." he repeated, being proud of himself.

"best birthday ever, huh?" minhyuk asked.

"one of the best."