In Every Memory

....

The morning of Heeseung’s birthday started with an odd heaviness in his head. It wasn’t exactly painful, but it left him feeling sluggish. He rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the discomfort before grabbing his phone.

No birthday messages.

His screen was completely blank.

His fingers hovered over the screen as confusion settled in.

Jay and Sunghoon always sent the first messages, usually competing over who could embarrass him the most with cringy, sentimental texts. Ni-ki never missed an opportunity to send a ridiculous meme first thing in the morning. And Jake—

Jake, who normally texted him before he even woke up, had sent nothing.

Heeseung frowned. Did they really forget?

No. That didn’t seem right.

Maybe… maybe they were just waiting to say something in person?

Heeseung forced himself to not care.

He got out of bed, trying to push away the unsettling feeling creeping in his chest.

---

An Empty House & No One Around

Heeseung walked out of his room, expecting to see someone—anyone.

But the house was dead silent.

Jay and Sunghoon were nowhere to be seen. Ni-ki’s shoes weren’t by the door. Even the usual breakfast Sunghoon left for him was missing.

His frown deepened.

What the hell is going on?

Still, he refused to let it bother him. Maybe they had their own things to do today.

Fine. If no one else cared, he’d celebrate alone.

---

The Suspicious Distraction

As Heeseung scrolled through his phone absentmindedly, it suddenly buzzed.

Ni-ki: Hyung, come to the mall! Urgent.

Heeseung blinked.

Before he could respond, another message popped up.

Ni-ki: I lost my wallet and Sunoo is gonna kill me. Please help.

Heeseung sighed, rubbing his temples.

Typical.

Grabbing his hoodie, he decided he might as well go. It’s not like he had anything better to do.

---

Dragged Around Like a Fool

When Heeseung arrived at the mall, Ni-ki was already there, looking way too innocent.

“There you are, hyung!” Ni-ki beamed. “Took you long enough.”

Heeseung folded his arms. “Where’s your wallet?”

Ni-ki blinked. “Huh?”

“You said you lost your wallet.”

“Oh. Uh… yeah. About that—”

Before Heeseung could question him further, Ni-ki suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Actually, forget that! Let’s just go somewhere fun!”

“Ni-ki.” Heeseung sighed. “You’re acting weird.”

“No, I’m not.” Ni-ki flashed a big, obviously fake grin. “Come on, hyung! You’re always stuck in your room. Let’s have a brother’s day out!”

This little brat.

But Heeseung didn’t fight it.

If his family wasn’t going to wish him a happy birthday, at least Ni-ki was here.

So, he let himself be dragged around for hours—going from stores, to arcades, to cafes, without any real purpose.

By the time evening rolled around, Heeseung was exhausted.

“Ni-ki, I’m done,” Heeseung groaned, slumping onto a bench. “I’m going home.”

“Wait, no—!”

Before Ni-ki could stop him, Heeseung’s phone buzzed again.

Jake: Come to the rooftop of SHIM Company.

Heeseung stared at the message.

Ni-ki peeked over his shoulder. “Oh look! A message! I guess you should go, hyung.”

Heeseung narrowed his eyes. “What is this?”

“Don’t think too hard! Just go.”

Suspicious.

Very, very suspicious.

But fine. He’d play along.

---

When Heeseung stepped onto the rooftop, his breath caught.

Fairy lights hung above, glowing softly in the evening sky. A table was set up with all his favorite food. And standing in the middle of it all—

Jay, Sunghoon, Ni-ki, Jungwon, Sunoo… and Jake.

“SURPRISE!”

Heeseung froze.

Jay smirked, crossing his arms. “You really thought we forgot?”

Sunghoon chuckled. “We’d never do that to our baby brother.”

Ni-ki nudged him. “Hyung, you’re so dumb. Did you really think we wouldn’t do anything?”

Heeseung’s mouth opened… then closed.

They had tricked him.

All the silence. The missing texts. The empty house. Ni-ki’s fake emergency.

They had planned this the whole time.

Jake stepped forward, holding a small cake with candles. “Make a wish, babe.”

Heeseung felt his heart swell.

These idiots. His idiots.

As he looked around at their faces—his family, his friends… and Jake—he realized something.

He didn’t need a wish.

Because everything he could ever want was right in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, he smiled.

Then, closing his eyes, he made a wish.

He blew out the candles, and before he could even lower his hands—

His vision suddenly blurred.

The warmth of the rooftop lights dimmed.

The voices around him faded.

And the last thing he heard before everything went dark was Jake’s panicked voice calling his name.

Heeseung collapsed.