"추억" - Part XVIII

GRADUATION

“I couldn’t believe it that we have two couples that already engaged!!”, Changhyun said while clinging into Yoomi’s arm.

“Yes, and you are clinging into my fiancée’s arm, YOO CHANGHYUN!!!”, Minsoo yelled at him and tried to let Changhyun’s hand go from Yoomi’s arm.

“As always. Stupid couple with their son”, Sina said as she walked with Niel hand-in-hand.

They were gathering in the park near Han River, a night before their graduation. They will have their separated ways in college. Byunghun and Chanhee would be enrolled in Seoul University while Yoori and Sina would be enrolled in Kyunghee University. Yoomi and Alifa would be enrolled in Hanyang University. Minsoo, he would study abroad since his parent asked him too. His parent made a promise to take care of Yoomi when he wasn’t here.

Byunghun and Yoori already sat there – Byunghun laid his head on Yoori’s thigh and Yoori played with Byunghun’s hair. They were having their own time by laughing and didn’t notice that the others were coming. Sina and Niel sat not far from Byunghun and Yoori. Niel missed his girlfriend so much. He didn’t let Sina’s hand go from him. He even put their hand in his pocket so that Sina wouldn’t be cold from the night wind in Seoul. He stroked Sina’s hair as Sina laid her head on his shoulder.

Minsoo finally could make Changhyun go from Yoomi’s side and they were having a walk along the Han River, leaving the others. Yoomi clung into Minsoo’s arm as she felt cold; Minsoo put his jacket to Yoomi’s body. They stopped halfway when they saw Jonghyun and Alifa enjoying the night scene on the park by taking selcas. They looked each other, smiled and continued to walk. They knew what would be happened for these two. So they decided to leave them alone.

Jonghyun felt nervous as his ‘time’ decreased each seconds. He might be looked happy while taking selcas with Alifa but his heart went crazy just to think that he would do his confession to her. He was waiting for the fireworks show and there, he would confess to her. The show would be ready in a minute and he prepared himself. They were walking along the path there and suddenly, Jonghyun stood in front of Alifa.

“Noona!!”

“OMO!! You scared me!! Waeyo?!”

“Uhm.. I like you, noona!! I want you to be my girlfriend”, Jonghyun looked into Alifa’s eyes.

That time, the fireworks show was started. Alifa who stood still there couldn’t see the fireworks really well as her eyes glued on Jonghyun’s eyes. She fell deep into Jonghyun’s serious stare towards her. She was happy that this boy in front of her confessed his feeling which meant that they have mutual feelings towards each other. Her big eyes made Jonghyun’s heart went crazier as he scared if she actually hated him. But then, she smiled.

“Hehehe.. You like me?! Eiii you must be kidding me, Jonghyun!!”

“A—Aniya noona!!! I seriously like you so much!!”

“Jinjja?! Eiiiiii~”

“Why can’t you believe it, noona?? I’m serious!! I lik—Ani!! I LOVE YOU!!”, Jonghyun said then he kissed Alifa right on her lips. Alifa’s eyes rounded as she felt his lips touched hers. She couldn’t move. It was their first kiss. But then, Alifa closed her eyes as she enjoyed Jonghyun’s kiss.

“So?!”

“What?!”

“Be my girl?!”

Alifa walked away from Jonghyun and left him. She smiled when she saw Jonghyun’s shocked-face.

“Yes!”, she ran away from him – made Jonghyun ran after her. As he caught Alifa, he back-hugged her and kissed her cheek.

They walked together to the others. They saw that all of them gathered in one place, laughing and chatting. They all looked at Jonghyun’s hand that held Alifa’s hand tightly as they approached them. Suddenly all of them except Byunghun and Yoori squealed and screamed in happiness. Byunghun and Yoori looked lost.

As they congratulated the couple one by one, Yoomi and Sina told Byunghun and Yoori that Jonghyun liked Alifa and they must be together now, seeing from their linked hands. Byunghun and Yoori finally jumped in joy for Jonghyun and Alifa. They then sat together, watching the night scene of Han River as they would be graduated tomorrow from the school.

“Meeting you is the best experience and gift that I have in my life”, Minsoo whispered to Yoomi who leaned on Minsoo’s broad chest – he back-hugged her. Yoomi just gave him a peck on his cheek and smiled.

“Our story must live forever in our hearts and even in our children’s hearts in the future. We have been through so many obstacles in our life as couple”, Byunghun whispered on Yoori who laid her head on his shoulder. Yoori just nodded as she felt sleepy and drifted to her dreamland. Little did she know, Byunghun kissed her lips.

  

“Wait for me just for a year, baby. When I graduated, I will come to you as soon as possible like those two hyungs. Thank you for coming into my life”, Niel whispered to Sina who sat beside him while holding hand. Niel kissed her cheek and Sina looked at him, smiled, and pecked his lips.

“Tomorrow you’ll be graduated, noona. It would be lonely without you around me and in fact that we just started our relationship. I will miss you so much. Ah~! My confession was my graduation present for you, noona”, Jonghyun said to Alifa as they sat facing each other. She smiled at him and mumbled “Thank You” to him as she said, “This is my best graduation gift ever, Jonghyun”

Chanhee and Changhyun just sat there as they looked at the couples around them. If only they could find someone, especially for Chanhee, just to make him forget or even erase everything about Yoomi from his life. Both of them then looked into the sky and enjoying the wind there.

***

It was the time for the graduation ceremony in TOP High School. Their parents were proud enough to see how their children had grown up much these years. Minsoo’s parents could be seen sitting with Yoomi’s family. Byunghun’s parents were with Yoori’s parents, Sina’s parents with Chanhee’s parents and last Alifa’s parents who just sat alone, since they didn’t know any parents there. But then, a young man sat beside Alifa’s dad. It was Jonghyun as he introduced himself as Alifa’s boyfriend. At first, it was awkward but then they looked happy talking with Jonghyun. Same thing happened with Sina’s parents. Niel sat beside Sina’s younger brother.

The ceremony was finished and it’s time for them to take a picture together. They took their picture with their parents first and then they took pictures as a group with Changhyun also joined them. They looked happy with their toga(?) and became sad as they realized that it was their last time to be together as high school student. The girls cried as they didn’t want to be separated. They wanted to be together always. The boys comforted them that they wouldn’t be separated since they could gather together every weekend.

The saddest one was Yoomi as she remembered that Minsoo would leave Korea soon. She didn’t want to let him go but as this was Minsoo’s parents’ wish, she couldn’t say anything. Minsoo once gave one condition to his parent if he could take Yoomi with him and marry her right away after their graduation, but his parents against him. They said that they were too young to get married.

For the last time together, the couples took their pictures. All of them had a mixed feeling inside their hearts as the new beginning of their life would come to them shortly. The uneasy one was of course Minsoo and Yoomi. Would they trust each other until the end?

-TO BE CONTINUED-