Enter you, 17 years old. 
Enter Taemin, 18 years old.

"Umma, not so much! I'm going to look like a geisha out there!" you complained, moving your face away from your mother's hand armed with a soft sponge of foundation. It was finally the day you got to walk across the stage. Once that was over with, you could start your new life. You could take the courses you wanted. You could sleep in. You could go out with your friends whenever you wanted, simply because you could. 

"But this makes you look pretty, sweetheart." she cooed, adding yet another layer to the already caked face of yours.

"Umma, enough! I'm not that ugly!" 

"Ne, Auntie, she's not that ugly. But maybe one more layer won't hurt." 

You turned to face the doorway to see Taesun snickering, looking quite handsome in formal attire. Since it was your special day, Taesun and Mr. and Mrs. Lee were invited to attend your graduation. Your nostrils flared, wanting so badly to hit him. 

"You missed a spot, Auntie!" he burst out in laughter, pointing at your nose. "Ya, what are you, a rhino?" 

"Oppa, you're really not fair!" you yelled at him. ""Why can't you be nicer to me, huh?" 

He abruptly stopped his laughing and stood next to you. He was only a few inches taller because of the heels you were wearing. They were painful, but they were beautiful. "I'm always nice to you, though." he smiled, placing a hand on your opposite arm. 

Your relationship with him was like this after the 'cupcake incident' — something Taesun has been really good at keeping in the shadows. Ever since then, he became kinder. He walked you to school, brought you food when you stayed in school studying, walked you home, called you every so often, bought you small presents, watched movies with you, and always found every excuse to go out. He became like a soulmate, always there whenever you needed him. 

When you cried from a bad test grade in school or from too much stress, he stayed by you until you had no tears left to cry. When you were happy and just wanted to have a good day, he willingly went to the city with you, checking out new places to eat or taking several pictures with nice scenery. When you were angry for whatever reason, he let you hit him until you found nothing to be angry at. 

In more ways than one, Taesun stood by you. 

- - -

"Aren't you going to fall on stage wearing those super tall heels!?" MiYoung asked you in shock. Compared to most of the girls, you were the only one who dared to wear four inch heels. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" 

You nodded, looking at her flat shoes. While she remained the same height, you suddenly felt like a towering giant. "I'll be fine. You'll be jealous when I walk across that stage flawlessly!"

"Eeeeeh, but I'll laugh the loudest when you fall!" 

- - -

"...so thank you, graduates, for giving this school one of the best memories it will ever have." said the principal, a proud smile on his face. "Now, if we could have the students line up backstage so we can call them up front to receive their diplomas!" 

Your last name was somewhere in the middle of the alphabet, so you didn't have to worry about being first and setting the scene, or being last and closing the scene with some special stunt. This gave you enough time to release your shyness and walk across the stage without any worries. 

The woman announcing the names mentioned yours in a slow tone like she did to everyone else's, probably so that you could be sure that it was your turn. You walked forward, looking for your family and the Lee family somewhere in the crowd. 

They weren't hard to find at all. In fact, they were the easiest to find. Of all the parents wearing traditional hanbok, your parents, along with Mr. and Mrs. Lee, wore the brightest colors. They waved and smiled at you when your eyes met, which was encouraging. You noticed Taesun next to his mother, a crooked, satisfied smile on his face. He mouthed the word 'pabo' to you, which you tried your hardest to ignore. 

Though that was really all you wanted to do, you couldn't help but notice the seat next to Taesun. Where there should have been another parent, sibling, or relative of another student, it was empty. 

You looked around, seeing if all the other families were separated by a seat, but found that nearly none of them had that same seat-gap. The chair, much like a theatre seat, stayed unoccupied. Something heavy hung on to your heart, as if it was supposed to be occupied. As if someone was supposed to be there. 

You shook it off, putting a small smile on before the principal awarded you your hard-earned diploma. You didn't fall in front of everyone despite what MiYoung predicted.

Even so, you wanted to cry because it felt as if you really did.