"Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings." - John Updike

"You've grown so much, Yujin" 

A proud man stood behind his office chair, he was in awe of the sighting in front of him. It's funny how time flies when people start to get busy working on their own lives, trying to get better and better. Mr. Park smiled widely at her old student. 

Yujin scanned the place, it was a room that elicited a traditional modern look. The scent of the room's fragrance lingered on her senses, it smelled old. But perhaps it was just a difference in preference, she thought. She smiled once her eyes landed on the nameplate on top of the man's table. 

She can't help but smile proudly at the same time. 

It felt nostalgic, she thought. It's the warmth that crept into her veins when she first stepped into school again. She never thought about the attachment she had with this school 3 years ago when she took a step on the stage and reached for that diploma. The scenes in her mind flashed crazily when she walked on the old hallways reminded her of the times she was dealing with a lot of pressure at school, at home, and with herself.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Park. Congratulations on being the principal! I think you've been managing the school really well!" Yujin genuinely said. 

Her former teacher scratched the back of his head. "Well, I just got promoted last year, I don't think I did a lot of impactful things yet,"

"Of course, you'll get there," Yujin had this look of assurance as she nodded her head. Like she's 100 percent sure about what she's saying. Very different from how she thinks years ago. 

Mr. Park invited Yujin to sit and have some tea, which the younger gladly accepted. She made herself comfortable and they started the chitchat to catch up. Hearing all the stories made Mr. Park prouder than he is.

"Hyewon is working at a book publishing company along with Chaeyeon, I think they're having fun together without me," She joked. Of course, it wasn't true. She missed her friends dearly but they were too busy to even talk or hang out. Yujin heard that Chaeyeon has also been burned out from the work she does. 

Mr. Park chuckled. "They're going to do great, 15 years in the industry sounds long, that's how I was able to be here," He patted the sofa he was sitting on. 

Yujin knew that her teacher was simply implying how sometimes it can get long before you reach the position or career you want to have. It's never easy in the working industry. 

"I'm pretty sure their hard work right now will definitely pay off someday," 

"Now, let's not glorify abusive companies," Yujin thought. She tried her best not to say anything but put on a big smile instead. She doesn't want to argue or debate something that not everyone might understand.

"Tell me about you, Yujin. Where are you working now?"

"I'm working as a freelance writer, but my clients have been very consistent for more than a year so I can definitely survive somehow. Which also, as you may know, what brings me here,"

"Wow, that must be truly what you wanted, I've always thought that you might be on the writing scene someday," 

"Thank you, Mr. Park, I never thought about that when I was your student, but here I am,"

But how does someone get into writing anyway? It was the same question Yujin thought when she first landed the job. 

She knew to herself that she somehow developed the coherence of her thoughts and wrote them on a piece of paper or an electronic document. Then she continued as if she was so used to it.

All those Shakespeare and Western poetries that she read before largely helped her to start scribbling on her notes, eventually practicing and discovering that she could have a good start. 

That led Yujin back to her old university, seeing Mr. Park and talking has a purpose. She was glad that Mr. Park was the kind to entertain and let her interview him. 

Yujin was working on an article that would be published on an international website for her client. This time, she's looking to talk to people who have reached their success at the age of 40, which makes Mr. Park a good candidate due to his promotion.

They started the interview with Yujin pulling her phone out for the voice recording. She tapped on the plus sign to add another recording, she suddenly noticed the amount of voice files she had on her phone and thought that it was going to be good to perhaps subscribe to another cloud service for storage.

But she shoved all these random thoughts and started the interview with her teacher. Yujin started asking questions that will soon help her work on this article.

The two of them had about thirty minutes for the interview as Mr. Park tried to insert little side comments that both of them would talk to, Yujin enjoyed it. She was happy hearing Mr. Park still remembering things from before.

"Even the Shakespeare play that you guys did were the best, no section could top it in the past three years," He said. Yujin laughed and nodded. 

It was indeed remarkable and unforgettable. 

She thought. Suddenly, Yujin discovered how fresh the memory was for her even though some time had passed. Then her thoughts, as expected led her to remember a certain person's smile.

Yujin shrugged and shook her head internally. It's been years. She must have forgotten her anyway, but it was a nice experience too as she grew from there. 

After a few more minutes, the interview finished and Yujin stood up and fixed her clothes. She was wearing a smart casual attire that fitted her well, it defined her height better, and she was attractive among other usual office people. 

"Wow, it's really real that you are now in the working world, Yujin, if ever you have the time to say hi to Chaeyeon and Hyewon for me, please do so..Oh! And Yena too!"

Yujin nodded. "Definitely, Mr. Park, thank you so much today,"

With that, the two ended their conversation and Yujin found herself walking away from the University. She took one last look and smiled to herself. She's just starting but she feels better that she's out of the school and now pursuing what she thinks is for her.

A familiar honk was heard by Yujin, she turned her head around to see a familiar white Hyundai Tucson. She immediately went there and the car window suddenly rolled down.

"You pay for dinner tonight for keeping me waiting for five minutes,"

"Mr. Park was just being nice and clingy, it's refreshing, we had to chat a bit more," Yujin said as she leaned to see the driver. 

"What are you wearing?" Yujin asked the driver.

"A bunny beanie, remember we're attending a Halloween party tonight,"

"You look...pretty I guess," Yujin said as she opened the passenger seat and settled herself in.

"What do you want to eat, Nyoung-ah~?" 

Wonyoung flashed a smile at the girl beside her. She thought of teasing Yujin to treat her to a fancy restaurant but it was probably too much for a five-minute wait time.

"Maybe we can go somewhere you like this time," Wonyoung said. Yujin observed her face, and she was a bit too close for her safety. Meaning, her heart.

"Move your face away from me, if you don't wanna get kissed." 

Yujin chuckled and moved away. "It so weird to see you have a different eye shadow color but it's amusingly cool and looks good on you,"

Wonyoung rolled her eyes, trying to absorb the compliment. 

"It's just a trial anyway, I'm going to remove it first and change clothes before we go there," 

"Were you so excited for the Halloween party that you actually dressed up to pick me here? At the University?" Yujin couldn't help but look at her best friend adorably.

"I told you, I needed to check if my fit tonight comes out rad," 

Yujin shook her head, but she knew Wonyoung needed to do so. Surprisingly, her nerd childhood bestfriend turned into a model/influencer after graduating and now works for the government as an assistant for those in position. 

Her Wonyoung, who's always been introverted and too focused on her studies showed a massive development in her character throughout the years.

Thinking about this, Yujin can't help but smile. She found comfort in Wonyoung's presence. Although, unable to reciprocate her feelings, Yujin stayed and was thankful enough for Wonyoung to be there all those years with her as well. Deep down, Yujin knew to herself that if she probably had the choice to reciprocate her feelings, she would've done so long before. Especially when Wonyoung didn't do anything bad, she never deserved Wonyoung in her personal opinion and never wanted to take her for granted.

Wonyoung drove towards their destination, and Yujin was leaning on her shoulder comfortably.

"Are you tired?"

"Well I didn't do anything excessive, but I feel suddenly exhausted after visiting the university," 

If only Wonyoung could convert the electricity in her body to her car's battery, she might not be changing batteries for a while. She couldn't get used to Yujin being clingy towards her but she managed to stay calm. Being out in the open with your feelings was never a good idea especially if you get to live closely with someone you've liked...loved, for years.

And even now, Wonyoung can't remove the feelings she had for her childhood bestfriend. She was consistent, like how her grades were, and how she has been continuously discovering other things to learn in life.

But she's utterly thankful for Yujin. That it was Yujin she liked. She never regretted it anyway. 

Seeing Yujin change through the years just felt like another rush of pain for Wonyoung as her feelings grew stronger, but she learned the art of passiveness. She wouldn't do anything to trigger it. 

Like, if there's one thing she learned through the years, it was being in control of her emotions. She was also amazed by her skill of loving a person who doesn't feel the same way. Not all people can do that, she was proud, at least.

Luckily for Wonyoung, she did feel Yujin not taking advantage of everything she had to offer, and now, she's more willing to show her love towards the little caring hangouts and all those