The Fastest School Reunion

Everything was somehow happened according to Seo Hyun’s consolation earlier. Since Eun Ji had graduated ten years ago, she imagined that she would miss some. She hadn’t been in touch with anyone from those years in over decades, except for Bo Mi, they had been seatmates, co-workers and best friends for whole lifetime.

She found that some had even made small groups or reunions before, but this time they wanted to gather the whole people together, the class of 75. She’d happy that she still recognized one or two from the chatter box in her head. Mostly, the questions that wandered around the reunion were much less about jobs and having families. Her job as a photographer didn't shock her classmates with such exclamation, since she had loved photography even before she entered high school.

Beyond her expectations, she was bemused by how people changed in ten years’ time―Park Cho Rong was one of the brightest students back on the school days, the geek girl finally crawled out from her book world and now had become a chief editor of Ceci fashion magazine; the famous masculine and handsome, Ok Taecyeon was still as famous as ever, still having girls’ attention on him as now he’s a spokesperson for JYP Entertainment; and some other people…

The memory quilt was hanging in front the restaurant’s entrance―the owner, Mak Dong, the pig out food of his was not an easy task to change and the potbellied image from those days didn’t have any big difference―somehow was bringing such a nostalgic feel from the puzzled words: 2005, reunion, memories and ten years. The dishes were surprisingly toothsome and mouthwatering. The atmosphere was relaxing and fun, maybe she overthought about the problem too much, aside from nosing around that person’s presence.

Reunion had started for a while and there was still no sign of him. She admitted she didn’t remember how he looked like, based on that sweet angelic smile on her memory and the possession of his book, she didn’t have any other thing to fish out his whereabouts. But no one appeared as what she predicted he might be: a policeman, a criminal psychologist, a psychiatrist or someone with that criminal interests.

Cheesy. Tacky. Corny. Those words define her to the wretched term. She must had watched too many dramas to believe that they’d meet by coincidence and fallen for each other, despite of the hindrance of being together, they’d still be together and…

“Eun Ji, Jung Eun Ji…” Her conscious mind asserts control again, she saw Bo Mi was left in the middle of vacant seats and food scarps alongside with the plates and beer trails glasses on the dining table. Bo Mi had that serious face and scowled at her at the same time, “where have you been? Seriously, what’s got into you? I meant, I know that you are looking for him but not desperate like this―not being a dead person…”

She tried to be happy as Larry, pulled a face, and said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. We are supposed to be having fun at our school reunion but instead I made you worried about me. Besides, maybe we don’t have that chance to meet, and maybe never again in the future.” She pulled a long sigh, “I might as well go on having blind dates.”

Bo Mi gave a snort. “Geez, you are quick at changing expressions. Just now, you acted as if the whole world was about to collide and turned a new leaf,” to her surprise, Bo Mi hugged her, affectionately―they had used to have these kind of skinship―then gently said, “But still, I am glad, welcome back Jung Eun Ji.”

Her heart fluttered with warmth. In Bo Mi’s arms, she felt safe and leaves all worries behind her, like summer rain.

Eun Ji released herself from her friend’s embrace. The corner of twitched upwards, she straightened her face, and said, “Do you want to be gossiped as lesbian here? Stop clinging in the crowd like this…”

“Let them think what they want, I am hugging my sister…”

“Yoon Bo Mi, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They both leaned back in their chairs and burst into laughter, uproariously. Then, Bo Mi shushed while she still had that glimpse of chuckling left on voice. Eun Ji looked around and followed her shushing, too.

Their bonding seemed cheesy―they felt it on them, too―but they had been together for more than ten years now and all of that had become habit. Ever since Eun Ji was a little girl, she had always wanted a sister, an older one or a younger one, she didn’t care about it―as long as not the brother she had at the moment―and Yoon Bo Mi’s existence filled that thirst of having a female siblings, the same thing goes to Bo Mi―as she’s an only child. Encountering her as a friend in Eun Ji’s life was like winning a lottery.

“Now, shall we have a date?”

“Nah, I am going straight back home,” Bo Mi had those puppy eyes on her and she made her voice sounded pitiful as ever, “I am sorry, girlfriend.”

Eun Ji sneered. “I was joking, though.”