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All Ateez members were gathered together in the dorm. They were celebrating Hongjoong's birthday.
Without camera's. Without staff. Just them.
All seven of them were smiling at the happy face of Hongjoong, who had already unpacked several gifts from the Ateez members.
All of them however, had gasped at the little box that Seonghwa had put on the table, in front of Hongjoong.
San had jokingly said to Seonghwa: "Are you proposing to Hongjoong?"
Chuckles followed. And both Seonghwa and Hongjoong had blushed.
"Not exactly," Seonghwa answered, "I just wanted to give Hongjoong something nice. That's all."
As Hongjoong opened the little box, all could spot the little ring inside. Small. Intricate. Beautiful.
Hongjoong gasped as he carefully lifted it out of the box and put it on his finger: "It's beautiful, hyung! So pretty! Thank you!"
"Glad you like it," Seonghwa answered, before his cheeks darkened from pink to crimson, and he continued: "A pretty ring, for a pretty finger of a pretty man."
Hongjoong blushed furiously as he heard that, looking at his red cheeked hyung: "Seonghwa ..."
The other members of Ateez chuckled softly: "Whipped!"
But still they huddled closer together, to look at the ring that Hongjoong was wearing.
They had to admit, it was a very beautiful ring.
"O my god!!!"
That exclamation came from Mingi. All looked at him.
"What is it, hyung?" Wooyoung asked.
Without saying anything, Mingi pointed at the little box that was still in front of Hongjoong.
Or to be more precise he pointed at a name that was visible on the velvet lining of that box.
Everybody, except Seonghwa, gasped: "That's an expensive jewelry store!"
Hongjoong's eyes went wide, and he looked up at Seonghwa: "You didn't ... I can't ... this is too much!"
And his right hand began to move, towards his left. Apparently intent on pulling off the ring.
But before he could do that, Seonghwa's hand reached out, closing over the hand with the ring.
"It isn't too much, Joongie," the oldest one started in a soft voice, "You deserve the best gifts we can get you. Look at the other gifts you've gotten. We all went out of our way to give you special birthday presents."
"But Hwa, this ring? It must have been expensive. Maybe even too expensive."
Seonghwa shook his head and his eyes had such a soft look in them, that all, even Hongjoong, noticed it.
"No, Joongie. For you, nothing is too expensive."
Hongjoong hesitated, his right hand still hovering over Seonghwa's.
"Whipped or not, Seonghwa is right, Hongjoong," Yunho started in a more serious tone. "You do deserve the best gifts we can get you."
The other members concurred with the words of Yunho, and as Hongjoong looked around, he noticed something about the other presents.
Some presents took a lot of time to make. Others took a lot of effort to get, because they were difficult to obtain.
And Seonghwa's present took a lot of money. And because that store only worked on order, Seonghwa must have planned it way in advance.
Hongjoong's eyes started to brim with tears, and Wooyoung silently handed him a handkerchief.
In a choked voice, the leader of Ateez said: "Thank's guys. Thanks for those beautiful gifts. And Seonghwa..."
Hongjoong had to dab his eyes, to prevent his tears from overflowing: "... thank you for this beautiful ring."
Seonghwa smiled.
Then Hongjoong blew his nose.
"EEWWW!!!" Wooyoung cried out. "You can wash that handkerchief yourself, hyung! Eeeww!"
That broke the tension and everybody started to laugh.
As the laughter subsided, Seonghwa spoke again: "Joong?"
"Yeah, hyung,"
"I've got another gift for you," Seonghwa said.
He reached beside him in a little paper bag to retrieve something.
A little wooden wine casket.
All of them had been surprised that Seonghwa had spent so much on a ring for Hongjoong.
But it looked like he had got his hands on an expensive wine too. Maybe even champagne.
While Hongjoong looked on with wide eyes, Yunho remarked in a joking tone: "What are you giving him now, Seonghwa hyung? Champagne? Or maybe even a Lafitte?"
Yeosang had slightly widened eyes, while San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho frowned.
Jongho: "Aren't those quite expensive wines?"
"Indeed," Yeosang confirmed. "If I'm correct a good champagne can easily set you back 800.000 won a bottle. And a good Lafitte? Maybe even 2 million won."
Gasps were heard all around the table.
"Seonghwa, you didn't... " Hongjoong choked out with even wider eyes.
"It's not champagne," the oldest smiled, "or a Lafitte wine." Then he set the wooden wine casket in front of Hongjoong.
The birthday boy looked at it, before carefully opening it.
Inside they all could see a bottle.
A bottle of wine.
After hesitating a short while, Hongjoong reached inside, to lift the bottle out of the cask.
San bent over, and slowly spelled out the western letters: "Ro .. ma .. nee .. Con .. tee?"
Yeosang gasped, when he saw the lettering and the numbers indicating the year, and with a flabbergasted look at Seonghwa, he blurted out: "You did not ...!!!"
Hongjoong frowned at that outburst and asked: "So I guess this is also an expensive wine?"
With huge eyes, Yeosang almost whispershouted: "Hyung, first of all, could you please put that bottle down?!"
At the insistent tone of the younger, Hongjoong listened and put the bottle back in the wooden casket.
"So," the Ateez leader started, "is this an expensive bottle? Like that Lafitte wine of 2 million for a bottle?"
Yeosang gulped, and with a lisp that was more pronounced, indicating how upset he was he answered: "No hyung, not like a Lafitte of 2 million for a bottle."
In relief, Hongjoong let a sigh escape and smiled.
But that smile faded, and his tension returned, as he noticed the wary look that Yeosang aimed at the bottle.
He almost looked afraid of that bottle of wine, so the leader asked: "What's wrong Yeosang?"
At that question Yeosang looked at his leader, before he set his eyes on the oldest Ateez member: "I don't know where or how Seonghwa-hyung got this, but it's a very rare wine, a Romanée-Conti 1945."
"So? Is it that expensive?" Hongjoong asked.
At that question, Yeosang's eyes went back from a softly smiling Seonghwa, to a frowning Hongjoong.
Yeosang gulped before he answered: "The last price ... the last price I heard for this bottle of wine ... " He hesitated. Took a deep breath and continued: "The last price I've heard for a Romanée-Conti 1945 was ... was around six hundred million won for a single bottle ..."
Gasps were now heard all around. Mouths dropped open. Eyes went wide. All directed at the bottle in front of the leader of Ateez. Before those gazes were aimed at the still smiling oldest member.
Finally Hongjoong burst out: "Seonghwa! This is too ..."
His word were abruptly stopped by fingers pressing on his lips.
Fingers from the oldest hyung, who with pink cheeks, was still smiling at the leader, whose cheeks were now also red. Not from anger, or from being upset. But from recognizing the look that Seonghwa was aiming at him.
Then Seonghwa spoke: "I've told you before, and I will tell you again, and again, and again, until you finally believe me, dear Joongie, that for you, nothing is too expensive. You deserve it all, and many things more."
The oldest one looked at the birthday boy. Then his hands reached for the arms of the shorter man, pulling him in, closer and closer, finally hugging him.
The others were astounded that Hongjoong didn't resist. But was so pliant in Seonghwa's grip.
Then they noticed that finally Hongjoong hugged Seonghwa back.
And as that happened, they all could see how a wide smile appeared on the face of the oldest, who now was blushing furiously.
A beaming Seonghwa softly spoke in Hongjoong's ear: "Happy birthday, Joongie. Happy Birthday to you."