In reminiscence, the final year of high school was probably the toughest. Because that year mattered most, everything somehow went wrong. At the mere age of twenty, we were asked to decide on a future that we could not see. A future some held as a distant dream. A future others had no courage to even imagine.

Only a few months before, we couldn’t speak your own thoughts in class without being scolded. Yet somehow our life became entirely in our hands. In that one year, it felt like everyone who held our hands let go when we needed them most. We wondered whether there was really a shoulder to cry on, and at one point it felt like we really did lose everything to a reality we never wanted.

However, that same year taught us a lot about being human. The rough lessons learnt through pain and hardships were healed through laughter and somehow enjoyable mishaps. Thinking back, I guess we were all thankful for the friendship the twelve of us had. When those we needed let go of our hands, we held one another’s, even to this day. Together. The twelve of us. The class of 2002.

2014, January 12^th - Reunion

It was the pinnacle of the Winter season, yet the streets of Myeongdong still remain bright and lively at night as it did the entire 2013 year. Standing outside a barbeque restaurant in the midst of the lively streets however, Do Kyungsoo has had just about enough of the current situation he put himself through.

          “Unacceptable.” He mutters disjointed words to himself as his arms remain crossed and his eyebrows slowly furrowing. He could feel the awkwardness intensify from the street food stall that was directly across him with the middle-aged owner continuously inviting him for some sweet fried pancakes. Like shooting rejection bullets to her heart, Kyungsoo could have sworn he declined her for the 50^th time in one hour.

He didn’t know which enraged him more: the fact that after twelve whole years, the people he waited for still failed to come to an appointment on time, or the fact that he permitted himself stand here for an hour, on his own birthday… or the fact that they decided to hold a reunion on his birthday.

          “Do Kyungsoo!” A sudden deep voice calls for him. It was a deep voice that was rich like melted dark chocolate, yet belonged to a dopey face. Kyungsoo flinches at the unexpected calling and turns to realise it was none other than Park Chanyeol staring at him with one eyebrow raised and mouth wide opened, slightly smirking.

          “What the hell are you doing standing out here giving people death glares? Everyone’s already inside eating.” Chanyeol then questioned and Kyungsoo replied with a look of bewilderment. He raised his wrist and pointed to his watch.

          “We were meant to meet outside here at 7pm sharp, am I not correct?”

          “Yeah but majority of us came at 6:45pm so we decided to go in first, Doctor Do. It’s called a cell phone. Get with the times you old fashioned baboon.” Chanyeol smirked and then continued to grin in amusement after he concluded his statement. Kyungsoo let out a cough to clear his embarrassment before he made his way past Chanyeol and entered the restaurant.

         “15 years later and you’re still the same. Making your own decisions without telling me. It’s called making a call.” Kyungsoo retorts as he walks past Chanyeol, arms crossed like your grandpa when he’s not pleased with your behaviour. Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile and pat Kyungsoo on the shoulder as they walked in together.

As they got past the entrance, poppers were set off and Kyungsoo flinched again, frozen at the sight before him. There was a large birthday cake, decorated in his favourite tropical fruits, and a countless amount of candles surrounding it. The most eye catching thing was, standing before him were 10 people, singing the Happy Birthday tune for him. Chanyeol had one of his arms wrapped around Kyungsoo’s shoulder, singing along with them.

Kyungsoo deconstructed the scene before him. There was Kim Jongin, whose skin was somehow darker than the rest, singing with a beam on his face even though those dark circles look like they’ve been tattooed from his high school days. Next to Jongin was Oh Sehun, the youngest, who wore white from head to toe to a barbeque restaurant. Kyungsoo could only think Sehun’s obsession with milk has gone too far, he literally resembled a milk carton. Then there was Suho with his notorious melted mozzarella cheese smile; the smile keeps getting wider unless someone cuts his happiness off… and then Tao popping the popper into Baekhyun’s face – whether that was on purpose or not was a mystery. The fact that they all sounded like a train wreck in a crowded barbeque restaurant annoyed Kyungsoo. Being grateful didn’t even make it onto the list of things he was contemplating at that moment.

It was just like in the high school days, he thought, ‘the class of 12 baboons’ as the teachers would refer to them. Always late to all appointments and couldn’t seem to quite agree on anything. Some smart enough to be scholars; others couldn’t even add two single digits. A wild concoction of mass destruction in twelve different flavours, that was what they were and still are.

Author's note: Lol I finally got around to writing this story. Hope you enjoy the first part anyway! :)