Hobi's birthday party invitation email says to "show up beautifully!" I walk back into the bedroom to ask Tae what he thinks that means, and he says that it's probably just J-Hope's way of telling us to make sure and come, but I'm not totally convinced. I frown at the message on my phone, and ask him to text J-Hope and ask about the dress code.

Hoseok messages back, "I'm thinking of wearing this!" and sends a picture of himself looking extremely dapper in a sleek black outfit.

"Oh, Saint Laurent!" Tae says, nodding in approval. I sigh heavily, and make a grumpy duck face at him behind my mask.

"So I have to go shopping again, then," I say flatly.

He laughs, then coughs weakly. "You can just wear your nightclub clothes from LA. I'm sure that's fancy enough. Or we could tape all the stays so they won't hurt you and you could wear the sexy blue one!" He raises an eyebrow.

I blush and scrunch my face at him, then sigh. "You know that I adore all seven of you guys, and I love you the very mostest in the whole world, but I sure end up having to think about clothes a lot more now than I ever did before." I laugh and blow him a kiss. "What are you going to wear, love? Assuming that you feel well enough by then."

He looks thoughtful, then says with his deadpan face: "Probably pants and a shirt and maybe a blazer. Some shoes. Even some socks and underwear, if I feel formal."

I cackle and scoff. "You're a turkey, babe. You must be feeling better, though, if you're making jokes. I'm glad." I walk over to where he's propped up against the headboard, and lean in to give him a papery mask kiss on his forehead.

He grabs me around my waist and hauls me onto the bed, and I shriek in surprise and then giggle. "I do feel better!" he says, but the effect is ruined by another shallow coughing fit.

I sit next to him, and push his hair back behind his ear. "Maybe I'll go get a dress this afternoon, just in case we get to go. I can wear it for something else, if you are still sick on Saturday."

Tae nods. "I'm much better already!" he says, sounding determined. I lean over and kiss his bare shoulder through my mask, and he laughs. "That tickles, Birdie!" he complains weakly, and slides back down flat on the mattress.

I lift his head gently and smooth the bunched up pillow for him, pull the blankets up over his shoulders, and eye-smile down at him. "Get some rest, my sweetie bear. Do you want some green tea for your cough?"

"No, thanks. You could cuddle up, though..." He gives me Tata Mic Face eyes over his mask.

I chuckle softly. "Sure, love." I climb under the covers, and he wraps his arms around me as I roll over to huddle against his side. I put my arm across his chest and rest my hand on his far shoulder.

He sighs as his eyes slowly close.

_____________________________________

Tempted though I am to text Tae pictures of every dress I try on, I refrain because he might be sleeping. I do take mirror selfies of the real hits and misses to show him later, though. I settle on a simple v-neck midi dress, with a fitted bodice that makes my waist look tiny, and pretty flutter sleeves. The dress is scarlet red, so I could just wear either the silver or black shoes I already have, but I drift over to look at the pumps and see a beige Louboutin with three inch heels. I decide to try those on, too.

'What is happening to me?" I scoff, shaking my head. 'I am voluntarily continuing to shop, after the main target has been acquired?'

I contemplate the shoes, and decide to get them even though I'm not sure I can walk in them without breaking my neck. Then my eyes stray over to the handbags.

I laugh at one with Elvis Presley's face embossed on it, and check the price tag. 'Are you OUT OF YOUR MINDS?' I think. 'Four million won for Elvis?!' I set the bag back down.

A saleswoman sidles up to ask if I am looking for anything in particular. I show her the dress and shoes, and tell her that it's for a private party with fashionable people. I see a tiny smirk flash across her eyes; I am wearing my favorite LL Bean henley and jeans, plus my winter coat and boots, but I just look her straight in the eyes over my face mask. She quails a bit, and turns to contemplate the clutches.

"You could go classic..." she says, holding out a simple black bag and then a similar bag in beige.

I shrug and smile at her. "I'm in an adventurous mood, I guess. Do you have something more interesting? The party guests will include a lot of artists, so maybe something artsy or even pop art-style?"

She picks up a black clutch with a pop art colored pug dog on it. I tilt my head, thinking that Tae and Hobi would probably like it, but it's just not my style. "Maybe not pop art, after all!" I say, chuckling.

The salesclerk is looking openly curious now, and seems determined to find The One. She turns and walks over to a different display table, returning with a beige leather half-circular clutch. The handle actually extends all the way around the bag, completing the circle, and it's made of large Swarovski crystals - clear, chocolate, champagne, and cognac colored - in every imaginable jewel cut. "L'Alingi?" she asks, balancing the bag over my forearm.

I hold my arm out and turn the bag from side to side, admiring it. "I'm afraid to ask how much it costs..." I say, smiling at her.

"1.75," she says smoothly.

I nod. The clutch alone costs almost as much as the dress and shoes together, but it's so pretty and unique that I decide I really need it. A little voice in the back of my head says, 'You'd better use it more than once!' and 'And you can't wear your white gold Cartier jewelry with all this beige and brown!' but I ignore it and tell the clerk I'll take all three items.

I drop the shopping bags on the sofa, to minimize noise, and pad back into the bedroom to check on Taehyung. He is sleeping on his back still, and barely stirs even when I walk over and put my hand on his forehead. He doesn't feel hot, so I quietly air-kiss at him and walk out to the kitchen for some water.

____________________________________

Tae tests negative for covid on Friday afternoon, and he looks and sounds a lot better by Saturday. He's even starting to have some energy. His skin still looks faintly grey, which makes me fret a bit, but he insists that he has never felt better.

He's sitting on the sofa on Saturday afternoon, petting Lulu and sipping a cup of hot chocolate. "Oh, I never saw what you bought for the party. Model it for me?" He grins.

"Ah, yeah, good idea. I still have time to switch it out for something else, if it's not right," I say, nodding. I put the dress on, tucking the tags in, pull on some stockings, slip the shoes on, and hang the purse on my arm, the tag dangling from it as well.

I walk back into the living room and pose, smiling.

"Ooh, give us a turn!" he says, smiling back. "For someone who hates shopping and doesn't care about fashion, you're good at it!"

I smile bashfully at him. "Aw, thanks, babe! Do you think the shoes are too much?"

"No, I think you look gorgeous, and your outfit is just right." He studies me for a moment. "I know which jewelry you should wear, too." He nods and gently moves Lulu off his lap, groaning slightly as he hoists himself to his feet. I follow him into the bedroom closet.

"What are you going to wear tonight?" I ask, as he drapes a gold Dior choker around my neck and fastens it.

He turns to look at his rack of suits. "I'm feeling Gucci today," he says, and grins at me. I chuckle.

_________________________________

We climb out of the SUV in the parking structure under J-Hope's condo, and walk over to the elevator. Jungkook and a very pretty woman with long auburn hair join us before we have a chance to push the buzzer. She introduces herself as Miyeon, and we all exchange handshakes and bows. 'She has to be an idol. Or an actress. Or both,' I think, feeling a little bit bad that I don't know who she is. I like her immediately, and realize with a start that we are about the same height. Her fluffy pink dress looks nice contrasted against JK's signature all-black outfit, too.

When the elevator doors open, J-Hope yells across the room, "Who are these beautiful women with my dongsaengs?!" and hustles over to greet us. "Eunen Sae-shi, Miyeon-shi, you look gorgeous!" We smile and thank him, and all four of us chorus happy birthday greetings.

"Taehyung-ah, how do you feel?" he says, going into mother hen mode. "Do you feel OK? You look a little weak!" He cups Tae's face in his hands and clucks.

Tae makes a stern face and flexes a bicep, then laughs. Hobi is right, though - Tae's pallor is really evident against his black blazer, which he is wearing with camel colored slacks and a white t-shirt with black and red lettering that spells out 'Gucci.' "I'm good, hyung. I'm fine," he insists.

I twitch my eyebrows at Hobi and give him a tiny shrug, and he bathes us both in his sunshine smile. "Well, your drip is fabulous, you two! And you as well!" he says to Miyeon and JK. "Grab drinks, everybody! We're just going to chill and dance a little before dinner, OK? Mingle, mingle!" He makes stirring motions with his hands.

Suga is mixing drinks in the kitchen, so we walk over to chat with him. He fixes us Asian pear martinis with simple syrup, and asks us about Bali. Tae and I describe some of the wonderful fish we saw on the reef, and he guesses their common names, throwing in the Linnaean classification for a couple of them. I chuckle and shake my head. "Your knowledge of trivia is mind-blowing, Min Yoongi-shi!" I say, and Tae nods and laughs. Yoongi makes a kingly face at me and then breaks into a gummy smile.

I meet J-Hope's sister and her husband, and she introduces me to one of her friends, who is deep in conversation with Namjoon. Namjoon-shi is looking very dapper in a dark blue sweater and black slacks, and I raise my eyebrows at Tae as we turn away and leave them to talk. "Hobi-hyung told me before that Yun Harin-shi is the assistant curator of an art gallery, and she's really nice, and his sister loves her," he says quietly as we walk to the other end of the room. "He was hoping that she and Namjoonie-hyung would like each other!"

I grin up at him. "Well, his plan seems to be working so far, doesn't it?" I say, smiling. I look around and take attendance. "Where are Jimin-shi and Jin-shi, love?"

"Jimin-ie is in Busan because of a family thing, and Jin-hyung is overseas filming something, so they couldn't come," he says, looking sad for a moment. "It's been a long time since I saw them!" I run my hand across the small of his back and give him a sympathetic look. "But they'll be back soon for concert rehearsals," he says, nodding to himself.

Tae looks a little fatigued already, so I gesture toward the sofa. "Can we sit for a little while? My feet are getting tired in these shoes!"

He nods. "You could take your shoes off," he says as we take a seat, putting his arm around my shoulders.

I snuggle up to him and smile. "I just might do that pretty soon. How do you feel, Taehyung-ah?"

"I'm good!" he says. "It's nice to be out of bed for a change." I chuckle, and look around the room at all the beautiful people that know J-Hope.

Hobi's catering team serves an elaborate Indian-themed meal, which is all delicious. I end up separated from Tae during dinner, seated way down the table between the museum curator and a traditionally handsome guy who looks very familiar, but I can't quite place him. "Cha Eun Woo," he says, formally shaking my hand and nodding his head. 'Oh my god, he was the prince on 'Rookie Historian'!! Holy shit!' I try not to let my face show that I am freaking out, internally.

"Oh, nice to meet you! I'm Eunen Sae," I reply, smiling at him. I notice that Taehyung is sitting next to Hobi's model friend, Irene Kim, down at the other end of the table, and I feel a little tweak of jealousy. He glances at me and shoots a slight glare Eun Woo-shi's way, and I make amused eyes at him. 'I guess we're on the same page, as usual!' I think, laughing at the two of us. "So, how do you know J-Hope?" I ask Eun Woo.

We chat for a bit, and then the curator, Harin, turns to me. "Eunen Sae-shi, I didn't have a chance to say it before, but I love your handbag."

I smile at her. "Thanks so much! I was admiring your necklace!" It's a Bohemian web of silver wire laced with freshwater pearls that spills asymmetrically down her neck.

We small-talk about how good the food is, and the music that Hobi is playing, and then Harin gives me a calculating look. "You work with BTS, right?" She says in a quiet voice. I nod. "Uh, so you know Kim Namjoon-shi?" I smile and nod again. "What's he like to work with?" she asks.

I chuckle a bit. "He is... kind, genuine, a brilliant songwriter and composer. He leads the group confidently, but with humility. Generous. Well-read. I'm sure you know about his passion for art, as well. He's also amazingly funny and goofy sometimes, from what I hear, although I haven't seen much of that side around the office." I smile at her. "If I wasn't madly in love with someone else, I'd probably fall for him," I laugh.

Her eyes flick down the table to where Tae is sitting, then over to rest on Namjoon, who is seated across from him. She looks at me and smiles. "He seems too good to be true," she whispers.

I chuckle again, and lightly nudge her arm with my elbow as if we're old friends. "I know exactly how you feel!" I say. Then I whisper to her, "Go for it, Harin-shi!" and I beam at her.

___________________________________

By the end of dinner, Taehyung's face has taken on a slight green tinge under the grey, and I decide that we should probably head home as soon as possible. Once Hobi blows out the candles on his cake and we sing Happy Birthday to him, I whisper to Tae that I'm feeling a bit tired. He nods, and I can tell that he's fatigued when he doesn't even protest against the idea of leaving early.

We go to take our leave of the birthday boy, and Tae hands me the car fob as we ride down in the elevator. "Birdie, could you drive? I might close my eyes for a minute on the way home," he says.

"Sure, babe. Have a little rest," I say, trying not to look worried.