Author's Note: There will be some (very few) foul language by the end of this chapter. I didn't feel the need to mark this chapter as rated M though. This is just a warning so that you won't be surprised while reading. Enjoy! :)

Doyoung warily put on his blue coat hanging behind his bedroom door, a hand-me-down one from his brother. He hasn't worn it for ages and it seemed a little short for him already though he really didn't mind. He never thought he'll wear it again for this kind of occasion. He gulped as he finished doing his necktie, his face looking gloomy in the mirror. He heaved a huge sigh, opened his drawer and searched for something. Soon, he was holding a small piece of paper which he folded and hurriedly shoved into his right pocket. He took one last glimpse of himself in the mirror, not actually feeling satisfied with how he looked, before slowly leaving his room. 

The wind was unusually cold that day. 

His mind was empty as he made his way through thick crowds of people on the streets. He then reached a less crowded part of the town where he found only few houses and streets which were outlined with trees and shrubs. He paused for a moment, inhaling the refreshing scent of the cold breeze, as he saw where he planned to go several meters away from where he stood. Its gate was tall and was made from thin strips of metal painted black formed together making a big arc. He wiped away the sweat starting to form on his forehead, finding it unusual as it was chilly outside that day.

He marched forward towards the huge gate which he had seen few days ago. The memory was still fresh. He can almost still hear Winwin's sobs on his shoulders and could amost still feel Ten's tight grip on his right arm. He could still remember clearly how the street he was walking on that day was painted with people in black and filled with eerie sounds of loneliness.

Someone left those people. Someone left him.

As soon as he entered the gate, its hinges creaked from old age and rust build-up. The only sounds present were his footsteps, breathing, heartbeat, and the seldom gusts of the wind. 

He reached for the piece of paper he put in his pocket as soon as he was near Mina's grave. His hands were shaking as he unraveled what's written on the paper. He stopped in front of his friend's grave, looking at it with much disbelief.

"I still can't believe that you left too soon Mina-chan." His voice was low and hoarse from several nights of crying in his bed. "It's been a week and I still can't believe it."

He chuckled a bit, not the happy type but the one that's worse than literally crying - sad and empty laughter.

"I almost forgot!" He drew something from the inside pocket of his coat. "Here's your favorite. I know you'll like it more than flowers." He put down the small bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup near the epitaph.

Doyoung held out and stretched the paper in front of him. He cleared his throat before reading. 

"To our Mina, the Penguin

I remember the way you glide through thin air,

drowning in my music without care.

It was the first time I've seen an angel, I swear.

The beauty you possessed is beyond compare.

You're stunning from your heels up to your silky hair,

yet, to boast of it you never dared.

Myoui Mina, you were more than a friend.

You were a light in the dark; a helping hand.

You were the sister I never had.

You proved me wrong when I thought you're perfect.

Lately, you've been unfair, selfish, and totally imperfect.

How dare you leave us and our hearts wrecked?

What should we do now that our penguin's gone?

Your smile that greets us each morning now's foregone.

I can't even finish my plot, look at what you've done.

I will miss you my friend.

It seems too soon so I know this is not the end.

Thank you for everything, you were truly Godsend.

Like the stars your shine remains so bright in our hearts.

Your memory forever stays, we'll never be apart.

The promise you left me, I'll fulfill it for you sweetheart.

Goodbye my friend, it was a lovely journey. I love you with all my heart."

Doyoung's eyes were red from crying as his hands trembled and crushed the sheet of paper he was holding. His cries echoed all throughout the quiet cemetery. To his friends, he seemed to be the strongest these past few days as he was able to hold back his tears as much as he can in front of them. He knew he should stay strong for both Winwin and Ten. He couldn't afford to let them have no one to turn to in the midst of this such unfortunate event. But now, he couldn't hold the sadness any longer. 

"Thank you for everything Mina-chan. I love you so much. I will do my best to fulfill my promise to you. I will miss you." He tried to stop himself from crying, fanning his face with his hands and exhaling heavily through his mouth. His eyes and cheeks grew puffy and red from crying as he walked away. 

The wind blew hard as he left the cemetery.

It was unusually cold that day.

"Perfect." Doyoung whispered to himself. He knew goodbyes were never meant to be bright and warm anyway.

Three Months later... SM Academy

"There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret-- or life is yours to miss.
No other road
No other way
No day but today......"

The whole auditorium was filled with cheers and applause from the audience as soon as the whole ensemble of Mr. Lee's class performed their play's last song - "No Day but Today" from the musical "Rent." Doyoung was at the center of the stage lined up together with the other main actors. They were holding each other's hand and raising it in the air with much pride and satisfaction, knowing the whole audience, including the teachers and the principal, absolutely loved their performance. 

At their back, the projector started flashing the credits video on the big screen, students trying to check who the people behind the fascinating play were. A huge thunder of applause shook the building as the last name on the credits roll was flashed.

"Written and Directed by Kim Dong Young"

Doyoung was on the edge of crying as he saw all of the people's eyes glued to him and their mouths threw praises at him. The whole class soon made a huge group hug on stage, behind-the-scenes people emerging from the backstage and joining the actors in celebration. They were the last presentors and they knew - it was a landslide win, against the other classes in their year-level at least. Nevertheless, the noise subsided and the class gradually left the stage to change clothes and to prepare for the awarding ceremony. Winwin quickly looked for Doyoung and the two found Ten who reserved seats for them on the third row, left-side of the seats.

The Thai hastily squeezed his two taller friends in his arms before they could even say hi to him.

"Oh my God! You were amazing!!!" Ten's eyes were sparkling with amusement while Doyoung just managed to chuckle.

"Thanks." The three took their seats altogether with Winwin at the center. "Your class did great too..." Winwin said. His last few words were softly spoken, clearly taken aback, the three of them suddenly shared a gloomy atmosphere and none of them broke the silence ever since the simple response of Ten with: "Ah, oh yeah." They all remembered how the last phrase flashed on screen after Ten's class performance silenced the whole auditorium.

"In memory of Myoui Mina."

After several minutes, the stage was soon drowning in lights and a lively instrumental filled everyone's eardrums. 

"Guys! Did you save a seat for me?" The three were startled at the voice of Taehyung who suddenly appeared from the right aisle. His presence somehow managed to lighten the atmosphere among the three.

"Hi hyung! There's a vacant seat beside Doyoung. We didn't know you were coming." Ten said as cheerfully as he can.

"I actually thought I couldn't make it since I'm supposed to still be in class right now. It's bad but I'll say I got lucky because our professor is sick." the older chuckled as he took the seat beside the nervous oranged-hair guy.

"Hi hyung. Thank you for coming. You did not make it to our performance though." Doyoung said.

Taehyung laughed for a moment. "Are you kidding me? I don't have to. I memorized each line in your script 'cause you practice non-stop at work and in the house. I might even know it better than Winwin." He laughed heartily again. 

"You're probably right. Good thing Winwin did not get many lines." Ten said jokingly. 

The Chinese wanted to protest but he knew he was still finding it difficult to memorize Korean sentences. "But I did well in my dance parts right, Doyoung hyung?" he asked cutely with puppy eyes, hoping for a good response from the older.

Winwin got the compliment he was aiming for from the director himself. "Yes, of course. You were superb Winwin." Doyoung patted the younger's shoulder and smiled brightly at him.

The four grew silent as the awarding ceremony began. The audience's cheers were heard at each announcement of winners of specific awards, the sound almost becoming machine-like to Doyoung. It was as if they were programmed to clap at each announcement. Doyoung's class received few minor awards including best makeup, best production design, and best ensemble vocals making him climb up on stage several times since he was the director of their play.

For the last few months, he buried himself in heavy loads of academic requirements, overtimes at NCT Blends, and the huge responsibility of being the overall coordinator of their play. He wrote a reboot story of the famous musical "Rent," appropriating the setting in modern day Korea and the characters in Korean. He changed the character of Mimi into a homoual male and made the character of Angel into a female. He thought of Mina as his inspiration for that as the character of Angel was able to lift the spirits and change the outlooks in life of the other characters although sadly, Angel died by the end of the story. 

He got depressed as soon as the news of Mina dying in the car accident hit him. He got lost, frustrated, and horrified by the truth. He did all those things to keep his mind occupied, afraid that he might  break down completely at the thought of his dear friend's death. Jaehyun's sudden disappearance from the school did not help him at all. It only made it worse. The last time he saw Jaehyun was when Mina's parents and friends were pushing him and hitting him as soon as the boy arrived in Mina's wake. He tried to contact Jaehyun but he never made any progress even until now. 

The four were exchanging cries of disappointment as the principal announced the major award for actors. The best actor and best actress awards all went to senior students. 

"The next award is for Best Writer." Murmurs from the crowd filled the auditorium, debating whether who will get the award. "the Best Writer award goes to..."

Doyoung unconsciously grasped tightly Taehyung's right arm. The older grabbed Doyoung's hand with his free hand. Taehyung leaned in closer to Doyoung's ear. "I know you'll get it." he whispered.

"...Kim Dong Young from Mr. Lee's Class!"

Winwin, Ten, and V stood up and clapped their hands wildly. Doyoung's eyes widened in shock. He never thought that he would receive such major award. He hugged his three friends before proceeding to the stage, the audience's applause followed him and his every step. The principal handed the trophy to him. He shook hands with the old Principal Lee Soo Man and with his teacher, Mr Lee Dong Hae who had ascended the stage earlier. 

Doyoung was required to deliver a short acknowledgement speech which he was not really fond of. The situation left him with no option anyway so he grabbed the microphone and cleared his throat before speaking. 

"Ahhh... thank you so much. I actually do not know what to say. I did not expect to receive this award. Thank you so much to our Principal, Mr. Lee Soo Man and to our adviser Mr. Lee Dong Hae. We've learned a lot from you, thank you for your help. I would also love to thank my classmates and everyone who helped us complete our play. This award is for you. To our parents, thank you so much as well. To Winwin, Ten, Taehyung hyung..." he paused for a moment to scan the audience. "...to Kun..." tears started to fall from his eyes suddenly and he began sobbing. "...to Jaehyun..." he stuttered uttering Jae's name in his cries. "...and to our Penguin... Mina-san..." he finally broke down and cried loudly. He covered his eyes with his free hand, stiffling his sobs in front of the sympathetic crowd. Some even started to clap their hands for him while others also shed tears as everyone was well aware of Mina and the squad's friendship. Taehyung hugged Winwin and Ten as the three of them cried while witnessing their seemingly strong friend break down on stage. Doyoung inhaled deeply, struggling to breathe and finish his sentence. "...this is all for you. I love you so much." 

Doyoung walked away from the mi