Sydney grinned. "Sounds like a pastel wonderland. I bet it's got the best energy. What's the space like?"
Bae leaned back, a satisfied smile on her face. "It's everything I imagined. I've got manga panels on the walls, shelves of sparkly accessories, and, of course, lots of pink. It feels like stepping through the pages of a love story, where everything's a bit exaggerated and over-the-top. Customers love it. It's like an experience as much as a store."
Cahya snorted. "An experience, huh? Are people going to expect me to wear heart-shaped glasses if I walk in?"
"Only if you're ready to embrace your inner shoujo protagonist!" Bae teased. "They might think you walked into a wall when really it's your female lead."
Sydney laughed. "You're so creative, Bae. It's amazing that you've turned something you love into something so real."
Bae shrugged with a grin. "I mean, it's all about making people feel happy, right? I want them to leave my store with a smile, maybe a cute dress too, and the feeling that life's a little moremagical. Plus, if it ever flops, I'll just get my big brother to rescue me financially."
"Is that so?" Wynter rolled his eyes.
"Will you relax?" Bae said, throwing a pillow at Wynter. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor. Everything's perfect."
"She's right," Remi chimed in, sipping a glass of champagne from the bar cart. "Yesoh's going to love it. Plus, I've never seen you this nervous. It's kind of entertaining."
Before Wynter could respond, Beck arrived, fumbling through the door looking like she hadn't slept in weeks, hair messy, diaper bag in hand, and her new bouncing baby daughter balanced on her hip. The infant squealed with delight when she spotted Wynter, her chubby arms reaching out.
"Uncle Wynter!" Beck laughed, handing Jiwon over. "Looks like someone's been waiting to see you."
Wynter held his niece, a soft smile breaking through his anxious expression. "You're the only one not giving me grief tonight, aren't you, Jiwonie?" She babbled in response, tugging at his shirt.
Yesoh entered the apartment, her boots clicking softly against the floor. She was a little older, hair shorter in a neck-length bob with bangs, dyed a shade lighter as she shrugged off her coat. She was greeted by a sudden burst of noise as her family and friends leapt to their feet. "Surprise!" they shouted in unison, and the room erupted with claps and cheers.
"Jesus," Yesoh cursed under her breath. "I should've known."
For a moment, Yesoh froze in the doorway, eyes wide with surprise. "What's all this?" she laughed, her heart warming at the sight of everyone she loved gathered together.
Her boyfriend of three years was the first to reach her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Happy 21st, darling," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Happy birthday, bestest friend in the whole wide world!" Sydney called from the living room, her hands full of brightly wrapped gifts. Remi was right beside her, grinning ear to ear.
It wouldn't be Yesoh's birthday if Sydney didn't go all out.
Cahya, standing in the back, leaned against the wall with a teasing grin. "You're the guest of honor today, so try not to steal all the cake I spent hours baking."
"Oh hush, you deserve all the cake in the world," Wynter insisted, appearing beside her, his eyes soft and filled with affection. "There's something more, though."
He led her to the center of the room, where a small table sat with a velvet pouch resting on it. Yesoh's curiosity piqued; she glanced at him. "What's this?"
Wynter smiled warmly, pulling the pouch open and revealing a set of papers. He handed them to her gently, his voice low and steady. "I have been planning this for a very long time. I spoke to your parents about it and got their blessing—"
"Are you proposing to me at the height of my career, Wynter? Because I swear to God—" Yesoh protested.
"No, you'd never forgive me for that, would you?" he mused, a glint of mischief in his somber eyes. "I wanted to give you something special. Something yours that could also be just for us."
Her hands shook slightly as she unfolded the papers, and when she saw the heading, her breath caught.Property Deed: Jakarta.
Her eyes flicked up to meet his, wide with disbelief. "Wynter… what is this?"
"It's the deed to your future home," he explained softly, stepping closer. "I bought it for you in the hopes that perhaps someday you'd want to share it with me. It's the one near your mother's house we saw on that trip, so we'll always have a place to come back to whenever we need it. It's a guarantee that youwill never have to feel homesick ever again, that you have a place you can run to when it gets too much here. Although, if you will it, I'd love to live with you—at the end of the day, this house is entirely in your name. It's yours."
Tears pricked at the corners of Yesoh's eyes, her heart swelling with love and surprise. "You—bought us a fucking house?" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
"I know. I told him he was extra," Bae huffed, snatching baby Jiwon into her arms, playing with the cheerful, gurgling baby.
"Yesoh," Wynter spoke, his voice firm and unyielding, "I want to build a life with you. No matter where we go, I want us to have a place to call home."
