The dorm door creaked softly. When it opened, the room was dark. That was only natural—it was already past midnight.
Wooan stepped inside carefully, closing and locking the door without a sound so he wouldn't wake anyone. After nearly a full day packed with activities, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He set down his bag, then carried a medium-sized box into the kitchen—a birthday cake. Today was February 27, Ricky's birthday. Just like their tradition every year, there had to be a surprise.
"Okay... clean up first," Wooan murmured, stretching his sore body.
He couldn't hold back a small smile when he heard Juna snoring. Sometimes it bothered him, but that snoring also made the dorm feel warmer. Wooan then went into the bathroom.
About ten minutes later, he came out. His hair was wet and his face looked refreshed, but the exhaustion in his eyes remained. He wanted to lie down right away, but he also knew tonight wasn't the time for a long rest. They had to celebrate the second-youngest member's birthday.
Luckily, since everything had been planned in advance, waking the members wasn't difficult.
"Wooan, you just got home?" Jinren asked, rubbing his eyes.
"About... twenty minutes ago," Wooan replied with a small nod.
Juna was still trying to keep his eyes open as he patted Binero's cheeks. Binero sat there half-conscious. Sanhadi washed his face with cold water, hoping it would be enough to wake him up. Meanwhile, Jinren and Wooan lit the candles on the cake—the number 23, Ricky's age this year.
"Is everyone ready?" Jinren asked, lowering his voice so they wouldn't make too much noise.
They walked slowly toward Ricky's room. The door opened a crack, revealing Ricky sleeping soundly, his face peaceful. They glanced at one another—counted silently, then nodded.
The next second...
"Happy birthday, Ricky!" Their voices burst out in unison, filling the room—especially Juna and Sanhadi's, which were incredibly loud.
Ricky had been sleeping deeply, but their loud voices managed to wake him. He blinked, looking from side to side with his eyes half open. Before he could process anything, Sanhadi leaped onto the bed and hugged him.
"Happy birthday, hyung!" he cheered.
"Hey! Let me get up first!" Ricky tried to push Sanhadi away with a soft groan. He didn't know what it was, but being crushed beneath the much bigger Sanhadi hurt.
Sanhadi sat on the bed without a hint of guilt.
Jinren held out the cake, its candles glowing. "Make a wish."
Ricky drew a breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Silence. Then he gave a faint smile before blowing out the candles. Something warm stirred in his chest—a simple feeling he didn't put into words. He hadn't even cared about this birthday, but he had forgotten that there were people who would always celebrate it with him, without being asked.
They all moved to the living room. Even though it was late at night, the atmosphere still felt warm. Soft laughter began to fill the room. Even Wooan, the most exhausted of them all, joined the conversation. He yawned and rubbed his eyes from time to time, but he kept smiling.
"It's crazy, isn't it? Our Ricky's getting older, even though he still looks like a teenager to me," Jinren remarked. It was only natural—Ricky had always been closest to him.
"Jinren, you look like a baby to me too," Juna teased.
Moonbin and Wooan laughed the loudest. Their oldest brother's antics really were absurd.
Sanhadi didn't say much because he was already completely exhausted.
Yet, as always, Ricky's birthday night began with a surprise and always ended with a gratitude he never said out loud.