Note: this takes place at Graduation (1 year before the epilogue)

“Everybody say cheese!” Yoojin’s mother calls as she snaps a picture of her daughter embracing Kai, Kris, Kyung Mi, and Yuri. A sea of bright red gowns and tasseled caps moves through the enormous banquet hall as teary-eyed parents and proud professors look on. It is Graduation Day.

The members of the Senior Class of Seoul National University are thrilled, melancholy, and nostalgic at the same time. They remember when they were tiny little freshmen, painfully adjusting to college life. They remember their first parties, hookups, breakups, awards, everything.

This is their final day for the seniors to call themselves students. Their final day before they step out of the cozy academic shelter which they have resided in all their lives and make their way into the real world.

“Hey, Yoojin, want some punch?” Kris asks Yoojin. “It’s strawberry-flavored.”

“Punch?” Yoojin grins. “I haven’t had any since the 7th grade. Sure. Why not.”

Despite the fact that Kris and Yoojin broke it off a few weeks ago, Yoojin is happy that they have ended their relationship on good terms. Otherwise she honestly would not know what to do without him.

“Dude, that company in New York accepted my resume!” Yuri squeals to Kyung Mi. “They’re calling me for an interview! Just think, I might get to live in New York City!” She does an enthusiastic little jig.

“New York?” Kyung Mi puts her hands on her hips. “How are we ever going to meet up? No!” She clutches on to her best friend dramatically. “My love! My life! My precious!”

A firm arm wraps around Kyung Mi’s waist, pulling her away from Yuri. “I thought that was me,” Sehun teases. Kyung Mi looks up at her boyfriend, blushing.

“I- um... I-,” Kyung Mi stutters. Yuri gives her friend an exasperated look. How in the world has her friend been reduced to this stumbling, giggling mess? This must be the initial relationship phase, Yuri notes. You act like a total lovestruck idiot in front of your partner. And then you get more comfortable around them and can comfortably walk around in your kitty-cat PJs around them.

Kai is making his way through the crowd, searching for a certain long-haired professor. “Hey, Baek, have you seen Professor Oh?” he asks his friend.

“N- No...,” Baekhyun sniffles, attempting to wipe away his tears. When Kai gives him a concerned look, he says, “I’m just sad, ya know? We’re leaving college. These have been the best years of my life, man. Remember Professor Oh’s class?”

Kai smirks. “Of course.”

“That was the best,” Baekhyun laughs. “I didn’t even realize it at the time, but she helped me so much. And it was kind of fun bonding with everyone over the mutual difficulty of her class.”

Kai laughs. He remembers the day Hana came home, completely flustered, a few weeks after the next school term had started. She was carrying a bulky bag full of chocolates, flower baskets, and gift cards.

“I don’t know why, but a bunch of people came to my room this afternoon with gifts and stuff,” she informed Kai and Sehun in a harried voice, dumping the presents on the couch. “They were like, ‘Thank you so much, your class prepared me for my new classes, ever since your class everything’s been a piece of cake’.”

“Is this a gift card to Cafe O’ Latte?” Sehun gasped, rifling through the pile of goods. “Whoa! Hey! These are my favorite kind of truffles!”

“I think people are starting to realize how great your teaching was,” Kai smiled, squeezing Hana’s hand. “A bunch of people are in some really challenging classes, but they find them super easy after the rigor of your Calc class. All their professors are pleased with their work ethic and analyzation, too. There have been mass requests from students to switch to your class.”

“Well,” Hana said, rather taken aback. “That’s... wow.”

Kai and Baekhyun continue discussing their best college moments. They are snorting about the time Misun accidentally set her dorm on fire, when they suddenly become aware of a sharp increase in the noise level of the room. Whispers and gasps fill the air. Heads swivel to the right.

“What’s going on?” Kai mutters, but suddenly he sees her and he knows exactly what’s going on.

Hana is standing at the front of the room, a shy expression on her face. She is wearing in a beautiful blue dress with matching earrings and a necklace. Hana’s hair is loose, flowing past her waist and pinned back with a sparkly silver clip.

Kai’s jaw drops.

She is stunning.

“Oh damn,” Baekhyun whistles. “Is that Professor Oh? She looks smoking hot. I didn’t know she looked that great without her bun and all.”

Yeah, well, she’s mine, Kai thinks. He strides through the crowd. As he makes his way towards Hana, whispers reach his ears.

Professor Oh? Oh my god, she looks gorgeous.

She doesn’t look that old- actually, she looks our age. Is that really her?

Professor Oh looks so nice! I thought she only knew how to look scary.

    “Well, well, gorgeous,” Kai murmurs, taking Hana’s arm. “Look who came and stole the show.”

    “Hi,” Hana smiles. “I decided to come out.”

    “Ah.”

    Everyone in the surrounding audience is viewing Hana with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and fear. No one moves.

    Suddenly, someone screams, “It’s the Illuminati! Oh my god!”

    “That’s what I thought too!” Kris shouts.

    “Why does everyone thinks it’s the Illuminati?” Hana snaps, face-palming. That cry seems to have broken the spell, because everybody surges towards Hana in the next moment.

    “Professor Oh! How old are you?” Hwang Dason inquires in a stunned voice. “You look so young.”

    “Well, I’m 21 now,” Hana laughs. “But I was 19 when I was teaching you guys.”

    “You’re younger than us?!” someone shrieks.

    A tremor passes through every single one of Hana’s old students. They recall the rude comments, the despicable acts, and the torturous moments they gave Hana while she was a teacher. And to discover that she was only 19? They swallow with guilt.

    “Wait a minute!” a parent gasps, snapping his fingers. “You’re that genius girl that was on the news a few years ago. You graduated some fancy college at a young age and everything. Right?”

    “Yeah, that’s me,” Hana admits.

    “Professor Oh, I’m really sorry,” someone else announces. “I’m sorry for calling you a cow and a witch.”

    “I’m sorry for calling you a hag! You actually did help me!”

    “I shouldn’t have called you an anally conceived-,”

    Hana grimaces, holding up her hands. “Alright, you guys can stop now. It’s cool, really. Like, I don’t care now.”

    “All those gifts made up for it!” Sehun interjects.

    “But I really am proud to have seen all of you grow,” Hana smiles. “You guys were the first class that I ever taught. And I’ve learned so much from all of you. I’ve learned that there isn’t just one way to do a problem, I’ve learned new methods to work equations that I didn’t know, and most of all... I’ve learned how to be a better teacher.”

    A chorus of aww!s echos through the crowd. Hana also adds, “I’ve also learned the best techniques for getting hot boyfriends... thanks to that conversation between Miss Kim and Miss Dae that I overheard in class one day.”

    Kim Minah and Dae Sujin turn bright red. Their boyfriends give them reproachful looks.

    Hana says, “You all are going to change the world! As you embark into the cesspit of hell that is the real world-,”

    “The school board won’t appreciate that,” Yuri mutters.

“-just know that you have the skills to succeed! Now, it’s your determination and mindset that will carry you through!” She flashes her old students, her very first students, the students which she will forever remember, two thumbs up.

“Stay awesome!” Hana shouts, and the crowd goes wild.

A/N: ARGH SO MANY FEELS WHILE WRITING THIS CHAPTER! I may post another bonus chapter (suho and yoojin perhaps?) tomorrow. In the meanwhile, here are some fanfic recommendations! Usually I put recommendations after the final chapter of my fanfic, but I forgot this time. So here they are, at the end of the bonus chapter! 

Running with Wolves by taelighted: LITERALLY MY FAVORITE FANFIC OF ALL TIME. I'M NOT KIDDING, THIS STORY IS SO GOOD, IT MADE ME WANT TO WRITE A FANFIC ABOUT THE FANFIC. ALSO IT MADE ME WANT TO WRITE A MAGIC/WOLF AU OR SOMETHING OH MY GODD.

Irony by get2herheart and Taemkerbell: I am a ER for hate to love relationships and this one is so good oh my gosh. It does have some bullying in it, though, but it's really interesting to read with plot twists as well. 

Peppermint Lemonade by emchan: I actually think emchan is the best author ever. Her writing is beautiful. And I love cute childhod stories ("She didn't like him, okay? She didn't like him.")

The Thorn Birds by amber_rose: What do you get when you mix a cold, serious chef, a rival ex-boyfriend, and a mysterious, sinister new manager? YOU GET THIS STORY AND IT'S FREAKING FANTASTIC WITH LOTS OF TWISTS.

Hear the Bliss by dyodoreu: This story is soo unique and adorable! :D Tbh I love seeing Kyungso portrayed as a stronger, more dominant character (lol that sounds weird). AND THE CHAPTERS ARE LONG!