The roar of the crowd still echoed through the arena, their voices a thunderous wave that seemed to shake the floor. Spotlights cut across the stage in brilliant beams, glinting off confetti as it rained down like gold dust. Ji-yong stood center stage, breathing hard, sweat glistening under the lights. His smile was dazzling, but only those who knew him well could see the exhaustion hidden beneath it—the kind that came from weeks of sleepless rehearsals, endless interviews, and the weight of expectations he carried like a second skin.

It was August 18th—his birthday. He’d told himself it would just be another show, another blur of cheers and encores, followed by an empty hotel room. No long phone call tonight, no warm voice waiting on the other end of the line. The time zone difference, his schedule, your life overseas—it had all made things harder lately. He missed you more than he could admit, but he didn’t want to put that weight on you.

So when the lights finally dimmed and the stage crew ushered him backstage, he exhaled, already bracing himself for the silence. He tugged out his in-ear monitors, running a hand through his damp hair.

But he wasn’t met with silence.

Instead—T.O.P, Daesung, and Taeyang were waiting for him.

Ji-yong stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. “What the—what are you guys doing here?” His voice contains surprise cutting through his fatigue.

The three of them only exchanged secretive smiles, the kind that meant trouble. Taeyang clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. Daesung tried to hide his laughter. T.O.P tilted his head, the corner of his mouth twitching like he already knew the punchline to a joke Ji-yong hadn’t heard yet.

“Happy birthday,” T.O.P said simply, voice even but loaded with meaning.

Ji-yong blinked, caught completely off guard. “Thanks, but—seriously, what’s going on?”

And then, slowly, the three of them moved aside.

That was when he saw you.

For a moment, he thought it was a hallucination—his mind playing tricks on him after too many sleepless nights. You weren’t supposed to be here. You lived oceans away. You were supposed to be on the other end of a phone screen, pixelated and distant.

But you weren’t.

You were right there, standing under the soft backstage lights, nervous and smiling, holding his gaze like the whole world had narrowed down to just the two of you.

Ji-yong froze. His breath caught in his chest, and his hands went slack at his sides. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He just stared, eyes wide.

You stepped forward, the weight of weeks of silence and distance melting away with every move you made. “Happy birthday!” you said softly, voice carrying more than any stadium crowd ever could.

The sound of it broke him.

Ji-yong’s lips parted, trembling just slightly, and then he let out a laugh—short, disbelieving, choked with emotion. He stumbled forward, almost like he was afraid you’d disappear if he didn’t reach you fast enough. And when he finally wrapped his arms around you, pulling you against him, it was like the whole world exhaled.

T.O.P, Daesung, and Taeyang watched with quiet smiles, exchanging a look that said their part of the surprise was done.

Ji-yong buried his face in your shoulder, his voice muffled but raw. “You… you’re here. You’re really here.” He pulled back just enough to look at you, eyes shimmering under the dim lights. “Do you know how much I—” His words broke off, swallowed by everything he couldn’t say in front of the others.

But you knew. You always knew.

And tonight—on his birthday—you had given him the one thing he wanted most: you.