Zhang Yixing looked at his watch: "It's already past eight o'clock, are you hungry?"
Ouyangguang then realized that his stomach was already protesting, and the rice and soup he had had for lunch had already been digested. He touched the back of his neck: "A little... But the cafeteria should be closed, right?"
"Come on, I'll take you somewhere." Zhang Yixing blinked mysteriously and led him to the stairwell.
They climbed two floors and came to a small terrace on the top floor of the company. The summer night breeze was slightly cool, and the lights of Seoul spread out under their feet like scattered stars. Zhang Yixing pulled out a paper bag from the corner: "Here, seaweed rice rolls, spicy rice cakes, and..." He took out a box of small cakes in simple packaging like a magic trick, "Happy birthday."
Ouyang Guang was stunned. The cake was only the size of a palm, the cream was squeezed crookedly, and "Happy Birthday" was written on it with chocolate sauce. What surprised Ouyang Guang even more was that there was a small red flag with three stars painted on the side.
"Brother! How did you know..."
"Minji told me."
"Make a wish." Zhang Yixing said in Chinese with a smile, lit the candle, and then quietly protected the flickering candle flame with his fingers.
The candlelight flickered gently in the night breeze, reflecting in Ouyang Guang's amber pupils. He closed his eyes and smelled the sweet aroma of cream, as well as the unique smell of Seoul summer nights - the smell of fried chicken in the distance, the air conditioning in the freezer of the convenience store downstairs, and the faint scent of Zhang Yixing.
He heard Zhang Yixing humming "Happy Birthday" softly, his voice was out of tune, but it made his eyes hot. What was he wishing for? To debut? To improve his Korean? Those were too specific. At this moment, he just wanted to prolong this moment, and prolong it.
"Huh——" He blew out the candle, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.
"Try it now. I bought it at a convenience store." Zhang Yixing handed over a plastic fork. "It's not very good though. It's not as good as the ones I bought at a cake shop..."
Ouyang Guang scooped a mouthful and put it into his mouth. The cream was too sweet, the cake base was a little mushy, the slightly bitter chocolate mixed with the sweet cream, and when it melted on the tip of the tongue, it looked exactly like the brown sugar glutinous rice cake made by his mother.
"Thank you, brother." His voice was a little muffled, and he repeated it in Chinese, "Thank you very much...Thank you very much."
"Actually, I always celebrate my birthday according to the lunar calendar at home..." He suddenly spoke, then felt embarrassed, lowered his head and poked at the cake, "Sister Minzhi thought it was according to the solar calendar..."
Ouyangguang poked the melting strawberries on the cake with a fork. The cream melted between his teeth. It was so sweet that he had to lower his head to hide his burning eyes. "Besides, my parents celebrated for me in advance last month."
Zhang Yixing's hand froze in mid-air, the light pouring down from above his head, stretching his frozen shadow very long. Ouyang Guang heard him utter a soft "ah", as if he had hit the wrong key on the piano.
"So you are..." Zhang Yixing's voice suddenly softened, "You are outside alone..."
"I bought a cake." Ouyangguang suddenly smiled and raised his face to show him the selfie he took in the coffee shop on his phone - a pink candle was inserted next to the crooked "Happy Birthday", and the glass window reflected his reflection holding a fork alone. "I also observed three crying people and completed Teacher Che's homework."
The air froze for two seconds. Then Zhang Yixing suddenly grabbed his wrist, and the plastic fork fell to the ground with a clang.
"That's even more important!" His eyes lit up amazingly, and he produced another can of banana milk from his bottom. "What's wrong with celebrating two birthdays? In Korea, you have to follow the local customs!" The pull ring of the can popped open, and a sweet and greasy aroma came out. "Drink! Treat it as longevity noodles!"
Ouyang Guang's hands were filled with coldness. Water droplets condensed on the outside of the banana milk can, flowing down his wrist into his sleeves. Zhang Yixing raised his can to clink glasses, and the aluminum cans collided with a crisp "ding" sound——
"Happy birthday to our Xiao Guang," he deliberately used an exaggerated broadcasting voice, "Happy birthday according to the Gregorian calendar! Happy birthday according to the lunar calendar too! I hope you will have eight birthdays after your debut!"
The foam overflowed and wet his fingers, and Ouyang Guang laughed. As he laughed, he suddenly realized that the tears from spicy food were burning, and the tears from the sweet cake were warm. At this moment on the rooftop, some lighter liquid was quietly flowing through his eyes.
"No matter if it's the solar or lunar calendar, it's a day that will be remembered." Zhang Yixing handed him the bottle, "Here, people whose birthdays are remembered are all very lucky." He didn't mention that when he was a trainee in his first year, he secretly ate instant noodles in the dormitory and considered it his birthday. At this moment, he just knocked on the lid of the box with the bottle, "Eat quickly, or it will melt."
Zhang Yixing ruffled his blond hair and said, "I'm fourteen now, I need to work harder." He paused and added, "But I can be lazy today."
They sat side by side on the edge of the terrace, their legs dangling in the air.
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