AUTHOR'S NOTE: RusCh hinting, a lot of fluff.
"Yao, do you know what day it is?" "What day is it?" Yao saw his father press his forehead with a sigh of irritation. "It's the day you were born. It's your birthday, son." "Oh." How was he to know, back when he was five? "Son, I have high expectations for you. I hope that about twenty-five years from now, you, my proud boy, will be sitting in the throne of Asia Corp." Wang Song-Yao's father stopped his frown. "You will live up to my expectations, won't you?" "But..." "Yao, you know I don't take but as an answer." Five year old Yao nodded. "Good. Your gift will be these." His father handed him a heavy set of books. "You are to study the Collections of Confucius. When you are done with him, you can read something more practical like the Legalists and their studies." Yao nodded. What he really wanted to read was a good comic, though. But his parents would disapprove. They always did.
What sort of dream was that? He wasn't a child anymore. He was thirty now, and somehow, his father's wish that he would be the King of the Corporation was true. It was something he disliked, that his father had somehow been correct-never mind that spiteful old man, he was having breakfast. Yao stared at the calendar absentminded, then stopped. It was his birthday tomorrow. October 1st was only a day away. The kids, did they know? "Hey, oppa! Do you know what's coming up?" Yao smiled at Ha Yeon. It was good that his sister knew his birthday. He would play along, as a good older brother. "No." He couldn't wait what she would say- "Well, School Festival's, I mean Halloween Festival's coming up! Can I have some allowance in advance?" Yao nodded, absently. She doesn't remember my birthday. I would have liked even a small Happy Birthday. "Nisan?" It was Kiku, anxious. "What is it?" "You don't look too well." "Oh, being the head of the Corporation isn't easy." He laughed it off. Perhaps Kiku would remember. "Oh, by the way, Nisan, I'm eating out tomorrow. A friend of mine invited me over for dinner." "But..." He didn't know. "Hey, that's bloody unfair!" Leon shouted to Kiku. Of course, he should have known Leon would know his birthday. "Arthur invited me to come over tomorrow, and if you pull the slack then I can't go!" Even Leon? "Shut up, all of you! Do you even know what day October 1st is?" "Ha Eung-ah..." His younger brother had remembered! "No, what day is it?" "IT'S THE DAY OF OUR CHINESE TEST, YOU UTTER FOOLS! NOW LET'S STUDY!" The boy remembered his Chinese test ,and yet forgot his brother's birthday. How ironic. "No, tomorrow's the day of the great PRODUCE 101 show!" Mei screamed excitedly. And with that the children all looked at him eagerly, waiting for his permission to skip dinner tomorrow.
"Fine. Don't be too late." "We won't!" Shouted Leon as he left to his room. "Thank you." Kiku said, hurrying to his quarters. "Shut the hell up, I need to prepare!" Ha Eung didn't even look at Yao, memorizing Chinese words. "Xie-xie!" Mei sang, heading upstairs. "Thanks!" Ha Yeon shouted, running upstairs. He was left alone at the table. Yao chortled as he thought about it. They are children. You should not expect more from youngsters. But then a bitter voice inside his head spoke out. Yeon remembered Alfred Jones's birthday and went through all that trouble buying him a PSY autographed CD. Kiku didn't forget the day when Hatsune Miku or whatever, his favorite vocaloid was created. Mei knew the dates of every concert that the boy groups held, along with the manga festival dates. Leon asked me to remind him of Emil's birthday. He couldn't help feeling cast aside. He had spent every moment he could with these children, and now they repaid him with not even a Happy Birthday or a Thank You For Raising Us. Ungrateful Imbeciles. He'd have to eat out. Yao sighed as he undid his reservation at the fancy restaurant-booked for his family. Family schmamily. They didn't seem to care at all.
Eleven. Eleven Thirty. Eleven Fourty. Eleven Fifty. Tick-tock. He stared at the clock as he heard movement from Ha Yeon's room. The girl seemed to be busy, phoning Alfred Jones then Matthew Jones. But his siblings were all busy. Kiku was talking on his phone to his friends, the Beilschmidts and the Vargas boys about something. Mei was chatting online with her friend Elizaveta, Ha Eung was memorizing Chinese words- he's been speaking Chinese ever since he was born, why does he feel the need to memorize Ni Hao while he forgets his brother's birthday?- and Leon was busy doing martial arts in his room. Bong. Bong. Bong. The grandfather clock in the house rang twelve times, signaling the beginning of a new day. And the beginning of Yao's first day in his thirty-first year. Tian, Confucius, Mencius, please forgive me for being lazy, but I wish to sleep now. Showing behavior that even Leon wouldn't display, Yao hurled himself into his warm bed. There was a boing sound. Holy Mencius. "Oppa, what happened?" His sister had heard him. "No, nothing happened! Just go back to your delightful conversation with Matthew!" Yao shouted to his sister, then calmed, holding Hello Kitty. Kitty, you and Xiong Mao are the only things worth living for. I'm changing my Will and Testament, so that the pandas get 50% of my money and you get 50%. These uncaring children... He soon drifted off to Dream Country.
Yao made no facial expression as he called for the children to eat breakfast. He wasn't going to change his Will and Testament, he had decided. He would simply care less about these children, who didn't remember his birthday. "Hey, hyung, where's the kimchi?" Ha Eung frowned as he sat down for breakfast. "No Kimchi for today, I believe." If Ha Eung wanted to eat Kimchi, he could make it himself. Or buy it himself, just like Yao had. "Agh, I need my morning kimchi..." The boy groaned. "Shut up." Ha Yeon glared at her twin just like always, and came to give him a hug. Yao guessed the only reason she cared about him was his money. Oh, he had plenty of that. She could die in it, for all he cared. So he did a very unlike-older brother-thing. He simply pushed her away. "Oppa?" The girl sounded puzzled. "Not now, I'm tired." "Okay." Ha Yeon retreated to her chair, looking glum. "Ge-ge, if you're not too busy, can you buy me some fireworks at the Chinatown near the Corporation?" Leon asked, not quite looking at him. "I'm sorry, you know I am quite busy nowadays." "You're acting weird." Mei gazed at him. And he lost it.
"I have reason to act weird! I practially raised all of you, I slaved for you kids, I couldn't do better even if I had my own-and you all forget?" "What are you talking about?" "Geez, you are sick or something. You know, it's really unlike you-are you even Yao? Because you sound like Ludwig Beilschmidt's dad." He had had enough of these brats. Yao stood from his chair. "Where are you going?" Kiku sounded worried. "None of your business. You kids don't even know what day this is!" The CEO slammed the door as he left, leaving the rest of the siblings in a strange mood. "I told you, this is all stupid." Kiku ran his hand through his hair, but Ha Eung just nodded. "This is working out."
'What did I just do to the children?' Yao tossed and turned in his seat. "Sir?" It was his far relative and assistant-Wang Cheng, a boy from Macau. "I'm a horrible brother." "No, sir. There are worse brothers in the world. You've worked for your family, your brothers and sisters are turning out well. When they grow up, they'll make you proud-why, I bet they'll thank you for what you've done! They already adore you-" "Thank you for the flattery, but I'm not so sure." Yao managed a small smile. "It's my birthday today." "Congratulations, sir. I didn't know-" "My siblings forgot, and I lost my temper at them. I didn't mean to." The lad didn't say anything from that point, just kept driving. His expression was blank, and Yao felt the urge to say something. "I'm horrible, I didn't even say goodbye, and I even yelled at them-" By that time, the office was looming closer and closer. "I hope I can make it up to them." Yao pursed his hands together. As Cheng opened his car, the boy made a strange face. "Sir, I really want to tell you-but I promised them I wouldn't-I'm sorry." "Them?" Who the hell were them? "Never mind." Cheng fled, leaving Yao to be swallowed in his thoughts.
"What's up?" If Cheng was his chauffeur and assistant in major jobs, Lien was his kind-of-bodyguard, another far relative from Vietnam. Lien could tell what was wrong with Yao, and it was truly irritating. "Nothing." "Nothing and you're making that face?" It wasn't exactly nothing. "It's just that-I lost my temper at the kids again." "You still call them the kids? HONESTLY, Kiku is eighteen. The twins and Mei are seventeen. Leon is sixteen. You should call them the teens or something." "They'll always be the kids to me." Yao tied his hair again, then undid it. "Make up your mind." Lien made a frustrated expression, but then she was good at exaggerating. "They forgot my birthday, and I don't know what came over me-I was so upset." "Why? You just said that they were kids. Can't you be more lenient to them if you consider them as children?" Yao almost bumped his fist in the table in frustration. "I... I thought I was becoming less important to them. Ha Yeon is always hanging around with the Kirklands, Leon with the Nordic kids, Kiku with his former Axis Members, Mei with her girls, and Ha Eung is always isolating himself. It feels like-" "They were going to leave the nest eventually." Lien shrugged, sympathetically, and left.
It was five, and Yao sighed. He couldn't forget how he had acted. I behaved like a seven year old throwing a tantrum. No wonder the kids looked so shocked and puzzled. There was a knock on his door. "Come in." He was expecting Cheng or Lien, not Ivan Bradinski. "Yao-yao, Happy Birthday!" Ivan was genuinely smiling, holding a bouquet of sunflowers and a crudely wrapped box. Yao's jaw dropped. "You-" "I hope you are not upset, Yao-yao, I only wanted to wish you a happy birthday!" The Russian placed the bouquet on the desk along with the box. "Yao?" The Russian looked shocked. "Is something wrong? Has someone hurt you?" Yao really wanted to control his emotions like Ha Eung did at that point, for tears were spilling down his face, silently. "Yao-yao, if you are upset of my being here, then I will leave. I did not want to ruin your birthday." Here he was, with his five siblings, and yet none of them remembered his birthday-not his employees, not anyone except his stalker.
"N..No, it's not your fault...It's...It's not because of y...you..." Yao wiped the tears from his face. He was acting like one of the characters from the K-Dramas that he watched. "Then what is it?" Ivan dragged a chair over and sat. Somehow the Russian actually seemed understanding. "It's...Nobody...NOBODY REMEMBERED MY BIRTHDAY! Nobody...except...you." He pointed a finger at the Mafia, and Ivan stared at him, his gaze warm. "But that is absurd. You have so many siblings, the little brat, the pretty one, the otaku-" "Well, they all forgot, it seems." Yao smiled bitterly. Now that he had calmed, he was feeling a bit embarrassed. He had cried, exploded and snivelled like a baby in front of his own stalker. Hopefully, he'll think I'm a big crybaby and leave me alone from now on. And yet he didn't want Ivan to leave at this point. "And?" "I was so frustrated, it seemed that..." "That-" Ivan waited until the pause dragged on and on. "That I wasn't going to be their priority, that I was going to be left alone. I mean, it's not like I didn't expect it, I didn't expect that they would find their own lives, but they forgot my birthday and..I don't know, I was so lonely growing up, my parents were strict people, and I didn't want to be hard on them-" It was then that Ivan gave Yao a hug.
Normally he would have threatened to call the police, or Lien or something, but Yao was too shocked to say anything. "It's all right, Yao-yao. You will always be my top priority." Yao managed a smile at that. "I don't know if it's a good thing." Ivan chuckled. "Well, it's tough having siblings. And the children of the Han Estate are rumored to be a tough bunch." "They are not!" Yao snapped, and Ivan laughed louder. "Well, the maternal side of you is coming out." "Whatever." He was starting to enjoy Bradinski's company. He was going insane.
The door opened once more and this time Lien walked in. "Hey, Yao, a neighbor just called, they think someone broke into the house." Fuck. "I'd better go." Yao stood, nodding to Ivan. "Why?" "Because Ha Eung is going home, and-" "If the thief meets Ha Eung, you might have to pay for the thief's hospital bills." Lien spoke grimly, and turned to Ivan. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, STALKER?" 'Merely to say hello." Ivan stood as well, and as he passed Yao, he kissed Yao on the head. "Happy Birthday, dear Yao." "EXCUSE ME?" Yao flushed red, as Ivan ran away, laughing. "Please don't tell anyone that happened. Especially not the twins. They're going to murder Bradinski in his sleep." Lien merely massaged her head.
As Yao drove home, he felt a weight in his stomach. What if he wasn't quick enough? What if the kids had returned early, and the thief was hurting them? His last words to them weren't exactly kind. Yao pressed the accelerator. He didn't care how many tickets he got, he needed to go home. Sure enough, the lights in the house was on. Yao rushed to the front steps, and threw open the front door. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IDIOT!" The first thing he felt was a dripping feeling. His clothes were dripping in water. And he was surrounded by people. A bunch of people, holding water-guns and smiling. Kiku, Mei, the twins, Leon, all of them, and more.
"Happy Birthday, opium-smoker." Arthur Kirkland was snickering with a pistol shaped water gun. "Cut ze name calling out, Arthur. It is his birthday after all-Joyeux Anniversaire, Monsieur." Francis Bonnefoy hit his boyfriend on the shoulderblade. "Happy birthday, Mr. Alfred's brother-in-law!" That was Gilbert Beilschmidt. "Be quiet, you are giving everyone a bad impression." Ludwig Beilschmidt glared at his brother, who was waving a sword-shaped balloon. "Happy Birthday, sir. Really sorry to trick you." Lien and Cheng stood there as well. "Hey, I'm going to play a song for Mr. Wang so shut up!" Roderich- Mei's friend shouted over the noise. "That's my boy!" Elizaveta, another of Mei's friends kissed the boy on the cheek as the teen started playing the piano.
"What is going on-" "We tricked you!" Mei spoke excitedly. "You didn't actually believe that we forgot, did you?" Kiku looked worried. "Come on, oppa's not like you." Ha Yeon laughed, headlocking the Japanese boy. "Whatever. You can give the credits to Leon." Ha Eung spoke gruffly, dragging Leon on front. "You kids-you-" "Reality hits you hard, bro." Leon nodded. "Yes, we tricked you. It was all a show, so don't worry about presents, we've got the lot!" And that was when Wang Yao started to cry again, to the immense horror of his siblings, and amusement of the onlookers.
The surprise party was over, the guests had left. The Beilschmidts had gifted him with a new stationary product-high quality just as always. The Kirklands had given him a weird assortment of presents which were mostly consisted of food made by Francis (thank god it wasn't Kirkland), the Baltics had handed him a car key, and so on. Now his family's presents awaited him. "We're going to bed now. You can open them." Mei smiled at him, and pointed at a pile of gifts wrapped in various colors. The kids waved as they trudged to their rooms, and Yao was left with five boxes.
The gift wrapped in blue paper was Kiku's, with the boy's calligraphy on a simple sheet of kanji as a letter.
Dear Nisan, Happy Birthday. I hope your work has not been so tiring, and I really wish for you to have a good year. This gift is one I have prepared for a long time. Please don't be unsatisfied.
-Kiku-
It was a bottle of paper cranes. 'A Thousand Cranes' was written on the bottle, and Yao sighed, uncorking the bottle, examining each crane. Skillfully crafted with painstaking effort. How much time it would have taken, he had no idea. I could never be more satisfied.
This time, the box was pink, with a flower on it. It was Mei, he was sure of it. The card was pale pink, and Yao smiled at the thought of his sister- she never grows tired of pink.
Dear Gege, Happy Birthday to you! Wow, you really are getting old, aren't you? But it doesn't matter, we still love you. We'll always love you even when you're old and gray-wait, what? Anyways, I hope you can enjoy the rest of the year! I'm sorry if you don't like the gift, but I can always make you another!
-Mei-
It was a scarf, a red one, and a golden dragon was threaded with care on it. His initials were placed carefully at the end. Yao wondered how much wool Mei had used, smiling at how long it was. I don't need any more scarves, Mei. This is the best I have ever seen.
The third box was red, with fancy gold decorations. It had to be Leon's because the letter was written on the back of his progress report.
Dear Dage, happy birthday. I've never admitted it to you, but I always missed you back at the Kirkland House. Sorry for being such a jerk nowadays. It's called puberty. Hope you can understand. Happy birthday.
-Leon-
Yao looked at the gift, eyes sparkling. It was a snowglobe, a middle sized one, and there was a tiny Shinatty inside it, along with Xiong Mao. They were in a bamboo forest. The detail of the gift overwhelmed him, and Yao had to stop for a while with the gift opening. He needed to dry his eyes.
The next gift was in a black box. Ha Eung. Yao stared at the card, which was black and prepared himself for his brother's handwriting.
Dear Oppa, Happy Birthday! Yes, I got you fooled! I bet you're gawking now because Ha Eung always uses black while I used white. This time, we decided to change boxes. But this isn't about a surprise, is it? Oppa, I refuse to believe you are thirty-one now. Life sucks. To think that you were my age when you took us in is unimaginable. I saw what the others were preparing, but I wasn't sure if I could even compete. So I wanted you to have the best I could offer. Sorry. I hope you have a better year! I love you!
-Ha Yeon-
Yao chuckled, reading the letter, and looked at the insides of the box. There was a CD. He put it inside the DVD player, and watched, amazed, as Reflection started to play. Ha Yeon was singing softly, and he almost sang along, but then the song morphed into his favorite songs in Chinese. It was a medley. And the teen didn't even like to listen to them. Yao started to cry again, but this time he went on.
The remaining box was white. A simple box. Ha Eung's gift awaited him.
Dear Hyung, happy birthday. Yes, I changed boxes with Yeon. I don't know why she's doing that to bug you, but I'm sorry for the shock if you opened mine first. That little prick, making me change with her-but she's good that way. She's annoying but she's my sister. Just like I hate Kiku and he's my brother. Actually, Hyung, the only person who I don't dislike is you. You never gave up on me, never told me I was crazy, never judged me. You were always there for me, for us through bad, through good. Hyung-nim, thank you for raising us to be who we are. I will never forget you, and we will never abandon you. You, and our family is my priority. Thank you. I hope you like my gift, though it's stupid.
-Ha Eung-
Yao reached for a tissue, and as he groped around the table, a hand handed him the box. It was Kiku, looking concerned. "Nisan?" "N...no, it's nothing." Yao blew his nose and pulled out another CD. As it played, Yao jumped. "Hello, everyone! This is the AWESOME Gilbert-" "And the HERO Alfred!" The two boys were practically yelling. "Shut up!" That was Ha Eung. "Well, Lee, we're helping you." Gilbert snorted. "Yeah, Lee." Alfred nodded. "But let's get to the point! Lee's brother here, the HANDSOME, SMEXY, RICH AND SUPERCOOL Wang Yao is thirty-one in a week! " Gilbert commented.
"Did I hear smexy?" Ha Yeon had come from her room. Yao turned to the screen again. "And Lee wanted us to, well, say something nice to his bro!" Alfred chuckled. "So here goes, Mr. Wang! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIR! I HOPE YOU DON'T HATE ME ANYMORE!" I'll try for Yeon. Yao managed to smile. "Happy birthday, Mr. AWESOME WANG! I mean, that really is a compliment coming from the awesome me!" Gilbert high-fived Alfred, and the two were gone. The video wasn't finished though, and now Leon was watching as well.
"So, Mr. Wang, I heard from Kiku that you are a great brother. I wish I could be just like you, and Happy Birthday." Ludwig smiled slightly.
"Hey, Mr. Wang, can you make me Chinese food, cause Kiku said it was yummy! I'll make you gelato! And spaghetti! Happy Birthday!" Feliciano squealed.
"That's not how you say happy birthday, you say it like this." Lovino paused. "Hurry up, my arms hurt." Ha Eung snapped from the other side. "Well, Happy Birthday, sir. I hope my brother was more like your sibling over here. Want to trade?"
"No, he doesn't~" Antonio appeared on the screen. "Happy birthday, sir."
"Well, Happy Birthday, Mr. Wang! I heard you were single, do you want to go on a date? I can introduce you-" "Not now, Elizaveta!" Roderich appeared next to his girlfriend. "Happy Birthday, sir. And please forget what she said."
"Happy Birthday, Opium. I hope you live a fruitful life. You have to, my cousin's planning to marry your sister-" Arthur Kirkland was cut off by Francis Bonnefoy. "Honhonhon, just ignore him, Monsieur Wang. Joyeux Anniversaire!" "Happy birthday, Mr. Wang!" Matthew smiled at him along with Francis, stepping on Arthur's foot. "What. Oh, smile?" Now Yao, Leon, Kiku and Ha Yeon started to laugh and Mei joined them.
"Um...uh, Mr. Wang, I don't know you that well-" "Hurry up and say it." Ha Eung growled at Hercules. "Okay, Happy Birthday! I hope I can be rich like you!" "That wasn't nice, you should be like this!" Toris smiled widely and addressed him. "Happy Birthday, Mr. Wang! I hope you the best!" Now Ha Eung had emerged.
"H...Ha...Happy Birthday, Mr. Wang...I wish you the best..." Yekaterina smiled at him through the screen. "Come on, don't be like that." A girl's voice snapped through the screen, and Natalia appeared. "Happy Birthday, sir. You do have a good brother. Perhaps I should try this on mine..."
The ending was short. All of the well-wishers in front of the Han Estate, and his siblings shouting 'Happy Birthday!' finished the film. "Hyungnim, I'm sorry if you don't like it-" "I don't like it." Yao spoke curtly. "I love it." His brother looked shocked. "Oh, you kids..." Yao smiled at his siblings. These little pranksters, these devils- how he loved these children. What he would do for them and their wellbeing. "Wo ai ni." He drew them in a hug, all five of them. "Oi, get off me!" Leon was shrieking. "Shut up, prick!" Ha Eung shouted. "Nisan, my hair-" Kiku muttered. "Gege, geez-" "Oppa, why the hell are you crying?" Ha Yeon laughed. It was their way of saying I love you. And love they did.
Characters/Countries/Age/Job
Yao Wang/China/30/CEO of Asia Corp
Leon Wang/Hong Kong/16/Student
Mei Wang/Taiwan/17/Student
Kiku Honda/Japan/18/Student
Ha Yeon Lee/South Korea/17/Student
Ha Eung Lee/North Korea/17/Student
Cheng Wang/Macau/28/Yao's Second Assistant
Lien Wang/Vietnam/29/Yao's Bodyguard and First Assistant
Ivan Bradinski/Russia/28/Leader of Mafia in NYC
Gilbert Beilschmidt/Prussia/17/Student
Ludwig Beilschmidt/Germany/18/Student
Arthur Kirkland/England/30/Lawyer
Francis Bonnefoy/France/30/Model
Alfred F. Jones/America/17/Student
Matthew W. Jones/Canada/17/Student
Feliciano Vargas/North Italy/18/Student
Lovino Vargas/South Italy/17/Student
Antonio Fernandez/Spain/17/Student
Elizaveta Heatherberry/Hungary/17/Student
Toris Laurinaitis/Lithuania/18/Student
Hercules Karpusi/Greece/18/Student
Yekaterina Bradinski/Ukraine/17/Student
Natalia Bradinski/Belarus/17/Student
ANOTHER TOUGH DAY FOR XIHWA KIM! BUT I HAVE SURVIVED AND YES, I HAVE WRITTEN THE GREAT, THE WONDERFUL STORY OF YAO'S BIRTHDAY-(feels ashamed)-okay, I wrote a story about Yao's birthday. And I made it as fluffy as possible, since the real old man Yao has the syndrome of the nest thingy that I don't exactly know of. I didn't think that I could post this on October 1st, which is really China's birthday and I have to write Mei's birthday...Geez...Taiwan, why is your birthday so close to China's? And does anyone know when Hong Kong's birthday is? If you do can you just please tell me or something? Please, cause I feel awful about not knowing his.
Plus I appreciate feedback. And I would like it if you guys told me who you want to hear about next. Thanks just as always.
-From XiHwa, the writer of a crappy story.