Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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There are people who consider birthdays important, and there are people who don’t.
Of course, most people think of birthdays as important.
It’s the day the person was born into this world, and the day when all their actions and relationships that they’ve formed throughout their life began.
If someone believes that their life is worth living, it wouldn’t be strange to celebrate their birthday.
Even for those who might have thought their life wasn’t worth much until recently.
“Sara, come to think of it, when’s your birthday?”
Ha-neul asked this when the four of us were gathered in the room as usual.
Yang Hye-in’s personality and tone had softened significantly after visiting her grandmother’s house, but she still maintained her basic lifestyle habits.
Unless it was mealtime or a time when Sara left the room, Yang Hye-in didn’t interfere with the daily lives of the four of us.
Of course, quite a lot had changed, but… I’ll explain that later.
By the way, at some point, it seemed like Ha-neul stopped going home.
Or was that just my imagination?
Well, since she sometimes slept at her house or brought side dishes that her parents gave her, it didn’t seem like she was ‘running away’ like Soo-ah did at one point.
According to Ha-neul, her father had a rather blunt personality, but he seemed to have an open mind about these things.
Well, I didn’t mind.
It felt better not to be the only one excluding Ha-neul.
“My birthday?”
Anyway, when asked about my birthday, I was momentarily at a loss for words.
And for good reason — I wasn’t sure whether to mention my birthday or Sara’s.
‘Say it’s my birthday! Make it my birthday!’
Before I could even think about it, Sara in my consciousness shouted that out.
“Uh… June 17th.”
So, I instinctively responded that way.
That day was Sara’s birthday.
“Oh, it’s only a week away.”
So-hee, who was lying on the bed with her smartphone, said this.
True.
I spent a lot of time talking to Sara.
I met her every time I fell asleep at night.
I had many conversations with Sara, and that’s how I learned her birthday, so I remembered it well…
But until a week before her birthday, I hadn’t remembered at all.
‘……’
Reading my thoughts, Sara seemed displeased.
Sorry. But I’ll celebrate it properly.
…But how should I give Sara a present?
Should I just buy something and wrap it?
And then should I call Sara out to open it?
And what about a birthday cake?
Although our personalities were separate, we shared one body, so the problem was that we couldn’t exist in the same space at the same time.
‘Like when we went to the amusement park last time. I’d like you to do it like that.’
…Well, if she says so, I have no choice but to do it that way.
I can celebrate properly in my consciousness.
Sara seemed to smile a little.
For some reason, that made me happy.
“Then, is there anything you want?”
“Something I want…”
Hmm.
Since it’s Sara’s birthday, shouldn’t I choose something she wants?
What would Sara want?
“……”
Ah, this is really hard.
I waited for Sara to tell me what she wanted, but she remained silent.
…Instead, I could sense a faint expectation rising from deep within Sara’s consciousness.
“……”
Ah.
I’m doomed.
It feels like she’s in a ‘try to guess it’ mode.
“Sara?”
Ha-neul asked again.
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
Since I’d never had a girlfriend-like figure before, I’d never heard something like ‘Do I look different today?’ or ‘Let’s just eat anything,’ or ‘You don’t know what I want, do you?’
So… I’ve never gotten this close to that kind of relationship before, except with Sara.
“Uh…”
After thinking for a while,
“Well, I guess…?”
I ended up answering like that.
*
“Well, I guess…?”
Sara’s answer was very ambiguous.
But Yoo Ha-neul thought she could guess why Sara answered that way.
Because Sara could have whatever she wanted.
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Sara was just that rich.
If she really wanted something, she could just go buy it, or offer money, and that would be that.
If she wanted, she could even build a zoo full of rare animals and visit it alone.
However…
Understanding the answer and finding a proper response to it were two different things.
Thinking of a gift for a child who could have everything was a really difficult task.
“Hmm….”
Watching Sara, who was breaking out in a cold sweat for not being able to give a clear answer, Yoo Ha-neul nodded.
“Well, it can’t be helped. It’s hard to answer right away when someone asks you like this all of a sudden.”
Yeah, it’s difficult to come up with an answer like this, even if you’re not rich, if there’s nothing you particularly want or need.
“Sorry…”
For some reason, Sara looked a little down, and it was cute.
Of course, thinking she was cute even when she was down was a bit rude, but even being aware of that, I couldn’t help thinking it.
I already liked her, and Sara was cute even when she wasn’t making such expressions.
Looking at her objectively, Sara was pretty and adorable, but on top of that, I had my rose-tinted glasses on, so I couldn’t help but think that way.
“You don’t need to apologize. It’s fine.”
Yoo Ha-neul smiled and gently stroked Sara’s hair.
It was the kind of hair you’d want to keep touching.
……
Of course, apart from that, she continued to ponder over the gift.
But she wasn’t too worried.
Yoo Ha-neul believed she would be able to find something that Sara wanted.
*
A gift for Sara…?
Watching Ha-neul subtly touch Sara’s hair, Lee Soo-ah pondered.
What exactly does Sara want?
…It probably isn’t something material.
This was something Lee Soo-ah had experienced before.
When people are busy, they can forget even very important appointments or anniversaries.
Her parents had been like that.
Of course, it wasn’t that they always forgot her birthday.
But being so busy, or confusing the dates because of the time difference abroad, or hastily calling in the middle of the night to say happy birthday…
She never didn’t receive a birthday present.
Her parents were aware of how busy they were, so they always prepared the presents as quickly as possible.
But each time, Lee Soo-ah missed her parents more than the gift.
After all, it was her birthday.
Isn’t the essence of a birthday sitting together as a family, singing the birthday song, blowing out the candles on the cake, cutting it, and sharing it while having fun conversations?
…And, Sara probably hadn’t received a proper birthday celebration until now.
“I see.”
Then, there’s no need to prepare an expensive gift.
More than that, a heartfelt celebration would be better.
I want to let Sara know just how grateful I am that she’s alive, and how meeting her has been such a blessing in my life.
Yes, that would be good.
I want her to know that her life has brought enough hope to others.
That’s what I want to tell her.
With that, Lee Soo-ah’s gift was decided.
*
“I see.”
Hearing Soo-ah mutter to herself, Shin So-hee felt a little uneasy.
Nothing brilliant had come to mind.
Unlike Ha-neul, who seemed to have thought of a gift for Sara, or Soo-ah, who seemed lost in deep thought after coming up with an idea.
“Hmm….”
After crossing her arms and thinking for a moment, Shin So-hee soon brushed the worry away.
Worrying wasn’t her style to begin with.
She goes wherever she wants, wherever her heart leads.
If something stands in her way, she either jumps over it or breaks through it and moves forward.
That boldness was something Shin So-hee thought was her specialty.
So, this time too, she’d give it her all.
She’d find out what Sara wanted, and plan an event that Sara would thoroughly enjoy.
She’d think of everything she could for Sara and pour it all out for her.
…And, well.
Shin So-hee had a senior at work who could definitely help with this.
Though she wasn’t here in the room right now, she surely knew what Sara’s previous birthdays had been like.
First, she’d ask her senior a few questions and come up with a plan.
The most important thing would be to make sure Sara didn’t dislike it and didn’t feel too burdened.
Shin So-hee nodded, arms still crossed.
Yeah, this should be enough.
With a bit of busy preparation, she’d be able to throw a decent party within the week.
…Though her senior had been acting a little strange lately.
Shin So-hee deliberately ignored the thought that popped into her head.