So Nyuh High: Epilogue

Reunion

A classy looking lady appeared at the arrival gates with her luggage on wheels. Her eyes were roving over the crowd from behind her shades.

Seeking.

Searching.

For…

Her.

Where was she? Based on the last video call they had made to each other, she was expecting to see a lovely girl waiting for her. Cute and bubbly. A little on the chubby side. But absolutely adorable even after all these years. Years did she say? Yes. It’s been four years since she’s set foot on Korean soil. Not once did she come back. Why? Did she not miss her friends and her?

She missed them terribly. There were many moments spent in tears. But she strived to complete and achieve her goal—to graduate with a Masters—faster than anybody else just so that she could come back for good. Yes. She had done it. She was back for good. She had secured a position in SNU. She would continue her research and teach at the same time. And manage the little portion of her father’s company that she had been assigned with. It was all good. Her research enabled her to run the research labs for her father. Her teaching position provided an outlet to escape from the laboratories on certain days. Everything had gone according to plan. All hardship had been endured. It was now time to reap her harvest.

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

“Bye folks! I’ve got to run!” Sunny chirped in her cutesy voice that her classmates had come to love and hate. “Taeyeon, you sure you aren’t coming?”

“I really can’t Sunny. I can’t skip the meeting with the director later. She knows that I can’t. I told her yesterday.”

“Cancel that meeting with the director. Or just skip it. Like how you skip classes.” Sunny snickered.

“Hey, hey…it’s my career you’re talking about.”

“Alright, I’ll hug her one extra on your behalf.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

“Okay, I really have to go now. Bye everyone!”

“Bye Sunny!” chorused her classmates.

She grinned, picked up her backpack and hurried out of the music room that they were in. A quick glance back into the room revealed her classmates chatting on animatedly about the next musical they were about to put up. Sunny had managed to negotiate the terms with Taeyeon’s manager and Taeyeon was to play the lead role in Sunny’s first commercial musical project. Just like she had dreamt of. Who’d have thought?

Taeyeon was successful as a singer. Her singles were well received upon release and received many positive comments from the industry’s insiders. Offers for her to sing jingles, original sound tracks and various other engagements poured in and overwhelmed her. And till today, she continued to release successful, bestselling singles while they continue to send offers. Yet amidst all that madness, she had enrolled in SNU’s music faculty to take vocal classes two years later. Coincidentally, Sunny was doing her degree course in the same faculty, and just like that, they were classmates all over again. Just like in high school. Only this time, Sunny was the senior and Taeyeon was the newcomer.

It took them awhile but they eventually found their groove with each other. Their friendship grew more and more comfortable and it was one fine day when she found that she was completely comfortable with Taeyeon. That was when they became inseparable. They liked the same things, like jelly worms, horror movies and playing games. They complemented each other well. They even became roommates when they decided to move in together. It was beneficial to both—they needed the company—and their friends and family were comfortable with the decision.

Yet, despite their closeness and time spent together, they never crossed the line of friendship. They knew where they stood with each other and neither of them ever challenged their positions. Their friendship was something that they cherished and did not want to lose. And that was how it was. That was how things were. They were happy with that.

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

She was late. The cute, bubbly girl was late. How could she be late? How could she be late when her girlfriend was finally coming back? The classy looking lady stood by the entrance feeling more and more ticked off as the seconds went by.

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

Oh no. She was late. Her girlfriend would not appreciate it at all. Yes. She had a girlfriend. The same one. For the entire four years. She had managed to fly to Toronto a couple of times over the past four years to visit but that was all. College had been an extremely busy time for the both of them and neither one of them could spare the time to visit often.

The only two times she had flown to Toronto were during a couple of her winter breaks. She had managed to secure a window of a week or two and made the most of it. And when they met in Toronto, sparks flew, to say the least. Happy sparks. Happy, happy sparks.

For the rest of the time, they had to settle for video calls and text messages. Her girlfriend had always been too shy to be entirely in front of the camera but she had managed to coax her into stripping down into just her lingerie. How they survived the four years with so little contact, they would never know. But there was one thing she did hold dear to her heart. And that was commitment. They shared a commitment to love and they saw it through. They saw it through difficult moments, quarrels, fights, temptations and moments of weakness. But they were honest with each other and despite not having the element of physical touch, their relationship actually managed to mature.

But she was in trouble. She was in trouble now. She was late. She was late.

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

“You made me wait twenty minutes for you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You owe me.”

“I owe you. I’m sorry.”

“I want a massage and many kisses.”

“I’ll give you a kiss now.

Sunny kissed her girlfriend as soon as she said it and her girlfriend dropped her bag and threw her arms around her. They melted, tumbled, fell, got lost and found their way back to the light all in the span of the few seconds that they smooched. And when they parted, their eyes were shining with tears. Tears of love. Tears of joy. Tears of pent up frustration from not being able to be physically together. Tears of disbelief. Tears of realization. Realizing that they had made it. They had made it through together. Through thick and thin. Through wind, rain, sleet and snow. Through spring, summer, autumn and winter. Four times. Four seasons. Four times.

“Sunny, I can’t believe that I’m back for real. Am I really in Korea now?”

“Sica, you’d better believe it. If you don’t, I’m going to pinch you.”

“Oh, is that how you show your love? By being late and by pinching your girlfriend?”

“Mmmhmm!” Sunny nodded with an exuberant smile. “Tough love, baby.”

Jessica couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Sunny always made her happy that way. Suddenly, she remembered that she had something to give Sunny. The waiting had made her forget all about it. But she remembered it now. She had waited four years to do this. She had promised herself that this would be their reward if they made it through. And they had.

“Sunny, I’ve got something for you.”

“What is it?”

“This.”

Jessica took a small box out from her bag and opened it. Inside it was a ring. A diamond ring.

“I bought it four years ago. I thought of giving it to you before I left but I decided not to in the end. I didn’t want to tie you down while I was away. In the end, I promised myself that I would give it to you when I come back for good. Now, here it is. Will you accept it?”

“Hmm, which finger am I supposed to put it on?” Sunny’s grin was cheeky but her tears were anything but that.

Jessica looked away shyly. “You can put it on any finger you like.”

“Oh? Okay, let’s play Cinderella with the ring then.”

Sunny lifted her pinky. “Mmm…too loose.”

She tried her thumb. “Nope, not big enough.”

Next was her index finger. “Close, but still a little too tight.”

Her middle finger? “Woah, it feels like it fits here but let’s try the fourth one and compare.”

She put the ring on her fourth finger. “Perfect.”

She held her hand up and flashed the ring at Jessica as a tear rolled down the taller girl’s cheek.

“Thank you.” Sunny began to tear upon seeing Jessica’s tear.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

And they kissed—a reunion of lips that had suffered through countless lonely nights and moments of aching desire only to find that it was all worth waiting for.

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

“Oh wow. This place looks exactly like it did four years ago.”

“Some things never change.”

Sunny smiled at the girl whose hand she was holding.

“Like us?”

Jessica smiled. “Like us.”

“Kiss me.”

“Not again!”

“What. We got to kiss just twenty times in four years. Can you blame me for wanting more of it now?”

“Yes, but there’s no need to kiss in public either!”

“There’s no one around.”

“The rest will be coming soon.”

“That’s why we shouldn’t be bickering about it any longer. Kiss me!”

Sunny grabbed Jessica’s head and crushed her lips onto hers before the taller girl had any time to react.

“MMM!!!” went Jessica as she tried to get out of Sunny’s grasp.

“Looks like some people are having a good time reliving some high school moments, perhaps?”

Sunny broke the kiss to see who it was.

“Yuri! Yoona!”

“Sunny, you’re a horrible best friend!” yelled Yuri as she walked towards them with open arms and a wide grin.

They hugged. Tightly. They hadn’t seen each other for years now.

“You two love birds are having the time of your life in Stanford, aren’t you?”

“I always knew that Yoona could make it to Stanford too.” Yuri looked proudly at the girl next to her. “She’s fantastic.”

“I envy you. Jessica and I had to deal with the distance for four long years.”

“But it’s all over now. You’re back together and that’s what matters, right?” Yoona smiled warmly.

Jessica slipped her hand into Sunny’s and smiled. “Yoona is absolutely right.”

Just then, Tiffany and Sooyoung walked up to them with warm smiles on their faces.

Another round of hugs was exchanged and Tiffany beamed at everyone most radiantly.

“I can’t believe that we’re finally all together again. Gosh.”

“Almost all of us are here. Where’s Taeyeon, Hyoyeon and Seohyun?” asked Sooyoung.

“There they are!” Sunny exclaimed.

Sure enough, the three girls were walking down the corridor towards them.

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

Then there were nine. The nine of them. Standing in the hallway of their high school.

A singer, a researcher, a musical producer, a manager, a dance choreographer, an athlete, a model, a sports scientist to-be and a diplomat to-be.

They had all grown up and found their path in life. But most importantly, they were all happy.

“Hey, we have to take a picture of ourselves. We need something to remember our reunion by,” said Sooyoung.

“I second that,” went Taeyeon who produced a camera instantly.

“You smart kid you.” Tiffany was all smiles.

“But who’s going to take the picture for us? There’s nobody here since it’s the holidays.”

Jessica pointed at some boxes that were just beside the lockers. “Put it on those boxes. Move them to the middle of the hallway,” she instructed.

“Good idea.” Taeyeon pushed the boxes that Jessica pointed at out to the middle and propped her camera on top of them. “Perfect! I can see all of you like this. I’ll set it on a timer. Leave a spot for me okay?”

“You can squat right in front of me,” said Sunny.

“Okay…it’s on!” Taeyeon scurried to her spot and squatted down. “Say kimchi!”

“KIMCHI!” chorused the girls.

The camera lights blinked more and more rapidly and then a flash went off.

“Go see if it’s nice,” said Jessica.

Taeyeon showed the picture to the rest. “I think we all look good. Except for Sunny who has to do her cute thing.”

“Hey! I look good too!” Sunny protested with a pout.

And they laughed together as they looked at their picture.

•°★°••°★°••°★°•

A/N: I can’t say thank you enough.

Thanks for sticking with me till the end of SNH and its epilogue.

This is my very first on-going and it’s very awesome to see it being completed.

I will keep on writing and I hope to see you at some of my other stories too.

Click on my name to see my profile if you would like to check out the other stories of mine.

:heart: