Blog

“Okay.  I deserved that,” Jin grumbled as he walked towards the fridge.

But Jungkook was already pulling the “pumpkins” out of the refrigerator.  He began to set them on the island.  Jin turned towards them.  

“Does it matter which one I open first?”

“Open this one last,” Jungkook instructed him as he pulled the last box from the fridge.  “And whatever you do, don’t tip it upside down, or you’ll probably break your foot.”

Jin furrowed his brow at him in question.  Then he reached for the nearest box.  It turned out to be the one Yoongi had said was from him.  

Before Jin opened it, Tae exclaimed, “Wait!  I want to get a picture of you with your pumpkins!”

Jin posed and gave him a sweet smile.  Jungkook was in the background giving the camera a toothy grin and Jin bunny ears.  Everyone else snickered.  Jin turned around and shot Jungkook a dirty look.  Then he proceeded to open the light package from Yoongi.  After pulling off the paper and removing the lid, Jin unearthed twin containers, one of cinnamon and the other of nutmeg.

His eyebrows flew questioningly towards the ceiling.  He glanced at Yoongi.

“Keep going.  The more you open, the more sense it will all make.”

So Jin opened the next four boxes.  The second box contained unbleached wheat flour.  He still felt unenlightened; though, he was beginning to believe baking would be the end result of this little game.  

He unearthed brown sugar, molasses, baking soda, and baking powder from the third box.  The fourth box contained butter and cream cheese.  He discovered powdered sugar in the fifth box.  He lined up all his goodies on the counter, but his eyebrows were still forcing twin lines into the space above his nose.  

“I don’t get it.”

Jungkook pushed the last box towards him.  “Open it.  Carefully.”

As Jin picked it up, he had to acknowledge that it was pretty heavy.  Though, not quite as heavy as the flour package had been.  He ripped the paper off and tore off the lid to discover…

Four cans of…

What else?

Pumpkin!

Jin barked with laughter suddenly.  “What?!”

“Don’t you remember?” Hobi asked.

“Around the middle of November, we were watching an American movie, and the cute girl in it was eating a pumpkin muffin,” Jimin responded.

“And you said you really wanted to try one,” Tae finished his best friend’s thought.

“So we ordered all the ingredients so that we could make them for your birthday,” Namjoon explained.

“Can we do it right now?” Jungkook queried suddenly.  “I’m starving!”

“Me too!” Jin exclaimed, rolling his eyes.  “You could have just made the muffins for breakfast, you know, instead of sending me on this crazy treasure hunt.”

“What would be the fun in that?” Yoongi asked with a wry twist of his lips.

Jin stopped to look at him.  His good nature instantly restored by the promise of a sweet treat, he flashed a grin at his friend.  “This was a fabulous prank, you guys!  Quite ingenious.  Solitude, indeed!”  He shook his head over the intricacy of their plan.  That studio had been hidden within solitude.

“So,” he asked, “whose bright idea was solitude and studio?”

“Ah.  You get one guess,” Tae replied.

Jin’s eyes found those of their leader.  “Namjoon.”

“Bingo,” Hobi confirmed his suspicion.

“It was brilliant, Joon!” Jin acknowledged.

Namjoon bowed his head to receive this praise humbly.

“Can I help you bake, Jin?” Jungkook asked.

“Nope,” Jin responded reflexively as he pulled the pumpkin apron over his head.  “Today is my birthday.  You won’t be helping me.  You’ll be baking for me.  I’m going to go relax.”  He drew the apron down over Jungkook’s laughing face.

“Hey, Tae!  You wanna help me make pumpkin muffins?” Jungkook asked his friend.

“Absolutely.”

“We’ll all help the little one.  Maybe we’ll get to eat sooner if we all pitch in,” Yoongi remarked.

Jin turned towards the living room as the other six began to take up individual baking tasks.  Just then, a knock sounded on the outer door.

“Jin!” Yoongi called.  “Can you get that?”

“What?  But I’m not supposed to be working on my birthday!”

“But we are all working!” Jimin pointed out.

Jin mock-grumbled on his way to the door.  He opened it to greet the repairman.  He led him to the furnace before returning to the living room to put up his feet.  

This was more like it.  The perfect way to celebrate his birthday.  His friends were all slaving away in the kitchen to make him a treat while he chilled – literally – in front of their TV.  He was going to watch a good drama.  Maybe something with pumpkin muffins in it.