What is happiness? To some it’s financial stability, to others it is having everything you want… but to the students of Lila Academy, happiness was the satisfaction if finishing the last of their final exams. They finally had their lives back.

As soon as the final bell rang, the sound of pencils simultaneously dropping against desks echoed throughout the school. Jinyoung closed his test booklet and slid it to the side of his desk for his teacher to pick up. Stretching his arms above his head, he turned to face Sooji whose head was laying on her desk looking at him with half-lidded eyes; she looked like she could use a twelve-hour nap. Jinyoung placed his arms on his desk in front of him as he slid down in his seat to match her eye level; he was now laying on his desk with an arm cushioning his cheek. They weren’t allowed to talk yet until their teacher left the room with the exams, so he mouthed, “Tired?” She nodded in response with a pout. As soon as their teacher closed the door behind her, Class 1-A erupted in barbaric hoots and hollers. Papers flew across the room and chairs began screeching as students jumped out of their chairs to rush out the door and begin their long-awaited winter break. It was very much like when East High in High School Musical let out for summer vacation, but without the singing basketball players and choreographed hallway dances.

Jinyoung was in the middle of putting his pencil case away when Jihoon came running through the door, almost crashing into two of Jinyoung’s classmates on the way to his desk. Jihoon came to a stop in front of Jinyoung’s desk with his maroon beanie was barely hanging onto his curly caramel colored hair. Though his classroom was just across the hallway, he was panting like he had just run a marathon. His beanie fell off into his jacket hood when he threw his hands into the air, “We did it, Jinyoung! We’re no longer hostages!”

“How’d your exams go?” Jinyoung chuckled, reminding Jihoon that their worrying wasn’t over until final grades were released next week.

The excitement disappeared from Jihoon’s face for a second, but it came back immediately when he laughed, “Who cares? The important part is that they’re over!”

The two boys wait for Miyoung, Sooji, and Dongbin to finish packing their bags before heading out of the classroom; the two girls led the way. In the hallway were their first-year classmates crowded by their lockers, wishing friends goodbye with empty promises of meeting up over break. As they walked through their hallway for the last time that year, they discussed all the things they had to do over break. For Jinyoung’s friends, break was never really just a vacation. It was extra hours to work on extracurricular activities they needed for school. In addition to their school’s cheerleading, Miyoung took gymnastics and had been preparing non-stop for their winter show in a few weeks. Jihoon dreaded the thought of going to his dad’s work every day to practice for next year’s soccer season instead of sleeping in. Dongbin and Sooji were also volunteering at their parents’ facilities; Dongbin at his dad’s lab and Sooji at her dad’s hospital.

“I’ll break a leg for you so you won’t be bored every day,” Jihoon joked, ruffling Sooji’s hair.

“You just want to get out of conditioning with your dad,” Sooji stuck her tongue out at him, but giggled anyway as she swat at his hands to get off her head.

Jinyoung – who had been quiet for a majority of the conversation – was called out on by Dongbin asking what his winter break plans were. To be honest, he had never done much during winter break in his previous years in school like they did. While they were probably off stacking their resume, he was probably watching cartoons with his siblings or sleeping the day away. Sometimes, if his dad’s schedule permit, his family would go to the mountains or the rural southern areas to visit extended family for the holidays. When he admits that he didn’t have anything concrete in mind, the others chimed in saying he was lucky and that they would do anything to be in his situation.  Funny, because there he was wishing to have a busier schedule like theirs.

“Oh hey, you know what, I’ve got an idea! Let’s all not go home yet – like, where’s the fun in that, you know?” Jihoon suggested as they were walking down the stairs, “Let’s celebrate surviving our first high school finals! We can have dinner at that popular barbeque restaurant downtown.”

“I’m down!” Miyoung chirped, raising her hand. Jinyoung and Dongbin followed in mirroring her action.

“I’d love to go, but I need to ask my parents first,” Sooji’s shoulders slumped as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. This was normal for her though. The other times they had gone out as a group for lunch or dinner when their clubs ran late, she also had to ring up her parents for permission. Most of the time the answer was no because they didn’t want to cancel tutoring. The five of them moved over to the side of the building, huddling around Sooji as she lifted the phone to her ear. Jihoon was probably the closest to her since his face was touching the back of her phone; he was quite nosy.

“Hey mom, dad,” Sooji greeted her parents, eliciting a collective gasp from the others. They could only hear one side of the conversation as she explained her plans for the evening, “My friends are going to eat dinner downtown and I was wondering if I could go with them… Yeah, they’re my classmates… Jinyoung, Miyoung, Jihoon- no, you don’t know Jihoon… He’s from Class 1-B… C’mon, mom! Please?... Dongbin will be there… Okay fine, I’ll give the phone to him if you really want.”

Sooji held the phone up to Dongbin who hesitantly accepted the call. Jihoon was hissing at him under his breath to answer properly or else Sooji won’t get to go with them. “Hello, Mister and Missus Hwang. It’s me, Dongbin… Yes, I’m going downtown with them… Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she doesn’t wander anywhere… Of course, we’ll have her home by then… Thank you so much! Bye!”

When Dongbin pressed end call and handed the phone back to Sooji, the others looked at him expectantly. There was a brief silence before a grin appeared on Dongbin’s face, “We just have to have her back home by ten o’clock.”

Fact: it is scientifically proven that food tastes better with friends.

So, by that logic, Jinyoung expected tonight’s dinner to taste at least four times better. The five Lila students were shoved into one of the few smaller booths the packed restaurant had open for the evening; the three boys on one side and the two girls across from them. Where a third person would have sat next to Sooji and by the wall, they stacked their puffy winter coats in a messy pile. The sizzling of the meat on the grill plate mixed with the sounds of other diners’ conversations and their grills. A dim blue light illuminated from the wall lights so it was pretty dark; the only strong lighting was a single light hanging above each table. Jihoon and Sooji were hunched over the desert menu, while Jinyoung, Dongbin, and Miyoung were engaged in their own conversation.

“What class are you guys in next semester? My report card says I’m in Class 1-A.” Miyoung asked the two boys, though still loud enough for the other two to hear.

“As of right now, my report card says Class 1-A,” Dongbin said; Jinyoung nodded in agreement.