Days slipped by like quiet ripples on water, soft and steady. Anaya slowly adjusted to her new rhythm balancing the weight of the restaurant and her Internship college life. Though it was exhausting at times, it also gave her a strange sense of purpose. A home to return to. A dream to protect.
She no longer played the violin every evening like before. The soft, yearning notes that once filled the restaurant now rested in silence, hidden in the corner beside the old cabinet. But on quiet days, when memories of Mr. Brain or her grandmother felt especially close, she would gently draw the bow across the strings, letting the music speak for her heart. Like, whenever she got more happy.
Her novel, too, had begun to grow. Each evening after closing the restaurant, she would sit by the window with her laptop, the warm yellow light spilling across her pages. Her characters began to feel real, like companions walking with her through her own story of solitude and quiet strength.
But one thing puzzled her: the money.
She wasn't sure what to do with the earnings from the restaurant. Mr. Brain hadn't called once since he left for Italy. Not a single message. No updates. She didn't know if he was doing well… or struggling.
That silence hurt more than she expected.
So, she decided. She used a portion of the earnings to restock the restaurant and keep it running smoothly, keeping his dream alive with care. The rest, she deposited into the bank under his name, untouched. It was still his, after all.
And just like that… May 21st arrived.
Yu Chen's birthday.
It was a day that always held a quiet space in her heart. A date that no one around her ever knew the meaning of.
But this time, she didn't want to keep it quiet.
She decorated the restaurant with soft blue streamers and paper lanterns, the color of a night sky, his favorite color. On the chalkboard outside, she wrote in her neatest handwriting..,
"May 21 Special: 50% off for everyone today. Celebrate my love's birthday with me! And also, Drop your blessing note and get a coupon of 50% discount for life time"
The restaurant buzzed with happy chatter that evening. Families laughed. Children smiled. Her regular customers noticed the warmth in her eyes that wasn't always there. She even pulled out her violin for a brief moment, standing at the center of the room and playing a soft, sweet melody she had composed just for today.
It was a quiet celebration. A distant one.
But for her, it meant everything.
When the crowd faded and the tables were cleared, Anaya stood alone in the center of the restaurant, the leftover decorations swaying gently in the night breeze. She looked up at the sky through the window.
A full moon hung there, pale and glowing, watching over her in silence.
She smiled faintly and whispered, "Happy birthday, Yu Chen… I hope someone out there is celebrating you too."
And though the restaurant had been full, her heart still felt a small ache.
Because in all the joy and warmth, the only thing missing…
was him.
That night, after wiping down the last table and turning the lights off one by one, Anaya stood at the doorway of the restaurant, holding the key tightly in her hand. The streets were quiet, the warm breeze of May brushing against her face as if to comfort her. The moonlight spilled across the floor tiles, faint, soft, and silvery. Just like the longing in her heart.
It was late, and the city had fallen asleep. But she wasn't sleepy.
She climbed the narrow stairs to her little room above the restaurant, each step echoing with memories. Mr. Brain's voice still lingered faintly in the corners, in the smell of spices, in the soft creaks of old furniture. She missed him more tonight. Not because she was weak, but because today was his birthday.
Not Mr. Brain's...
Yu Chen's...
She placed her phone aside, untouched, and took out her old, worn-out diary, the one that held her quietest wishes, the one that knew her heart.
She gently peeled open the page dated May 22, and after sticking a few tiny flower stickers near the corner like she always did, she began writing with trembling fingers:
"Happy Birthday, man..."
May you have a happy and healthy life.
I wish you will achieve what you want.
As for me... I wish you will not fall for anyone.
Because... I have confessed.
You don't know who I am, or if I even exist to you.
Maybe I shouldn't feel so close to you from so far.
But it feels so warm, man.
Whatever this is, it will never be completed.
But I wish... I wish it could happen.
The first time I saw you was on a bus.
You were wearing your school uniform.
You looked like a normal boy..
Just another person passing by.
But I felt something.
That was the first moment my heart moved.
After that, I didn't know you were a big star.
But I liked you before I knew.
And now...
You're miles away, unreachable.
But still, my heart feels near.
You never even smiled at me,
But the day I saw your photo with a little smile..,
I felt like crying.
A smile would've made me run away,
But still...
The thing I like most on your face
Is the smile on your face.
It's the first thing I noticed.
The first thing I loved.
I don't know what will happen,
But I want to live well.
I want to grow into someone
Who can walk beside you with pride..
Even if you never know me.
So, I'll write.
I'll keep writing.
And I'll love you…
quietly,
completely,
forever.
– Your love,
Annie.
At below, she continued..
"Oh! I don't have anything to give it you. All I've is the smile on my face, which pure and have more quality. Becoz, I've never show my real Smile on face to anyone other than My Grandma. It's the only one left for me to give it to you. "
" Well, how could i send this gift....
Hmmm..
Then, I'll wrap my smile with this nighty sky decorates with those shiny stars and tell the shooting stars to deliver it to you."
Then, bye..
I'll go out and do it..
Good night, .. .
After finishing, Anaya softly closed the diary. She placed it near her pillow. And went out.
The sky is filled with full of stars, at the centre the moon hung like celebrating a party.
As she said, she smiled and wrapped them with that nighty sky and as she waiting for the shooting stars. They showned up and take her package away.
With happiness, she curled up on her bed, and whispered into the darkness,
"Yu Chen… today, I celebrated your birthday with the entire restaurant. I even put a 50% offer on every item. People smiled, they laughed… but all I missed was you."
She continued, " so many wrote wishes notes for you.. what should I do. Well, how about I'll make them as little tiny stars for you. When you receive them, you can make wish from those stars."
" Oh! The idea of making stars is came from C dramas. But, there is nothing wrong. All of them gave you a chance to wish, i just collected them and deliver it you. Than, you can make your wishes with those."
"But, I really missed you alot.."
Tears welled in her eyes but didn't fall.
"I hope… wherever you are, you felt a little warmth in your heart. Maybe… a quiet whisper through the clouds."
She hugged her tiny stuffed whale, the only "person" who had heard all her late-night stories.
And then, with her heart both heavy and light,
Anaya closed her eyes and drifted into sleep
Yu Chen..
Is still shining quietly in her own little corner of the world.