6 years ago

It’s graduation in a few days. I’m looking forward to seeing Seungyoon because we haven’t spent a lot of time together the past weeks since we were both preparing for our final exams. I’m waiting at our usual cafe outside campus when to my surprise, I saw Jiho. He just finished ordering and was about to go out, a coffee on one hand. 

“Hyung!” I called.

He looked over and then a grin spread on his face. “Mino, my boy! So good to see you.” We hugged and then he sat at the chair opposite mine. Ever since the hyungs graduated, we didn’t see each other as often as we’d like. We were busy at school and they were busy starting their careers.

“So, how’s life at the uni? Man, I miss that place.” Jiho says.

“Same old, same old.” I tell him.

“How are you? Seungyoonie?” 

“We’re good. I’m meeting him in a bit here actually, maybe you can hang around till then?” 

“Oh great, I miss that kid.” He smiles fondly. “You’ve been together for quite a while now.” 

I nodded. “Almost 3 years I think.” Wow I didn’t even realize it’s been that long.

Jiho places both elbows on the table and then looks at me. “So, you think this is it? You have any plans after graduation?”

“What plans?"

“I dunno, moving in together?”

I almost spat out my drink. “Hyung! What the are you talking about?”

“I’m just saying. You guys seem pretty in love. Don’t you talk about future plans?”

“Hyung we haven’t even graduated yet.” 

Jiho waves a hand at me, frustrated that I can’t see his point. “Okay, take it from someone who just started working. Things will change after you graduate. You’ll meet new people, he’ll meet new people. You’ll be very distracted with so many things. You guys better prepare yourselves for it. It’s what I’m saying.” 

I was about to answer when I saw the door open and Yoon came in.

“Please change the subject.” I murmured to Jiho before raising my hand so Yoon can spot us. He looked curiously on who was at the table with me and then a grinned when he saw that it was Jiho.

“Hyung!!” He said cheerfully as Jiho stood up to give him a hug.

“Seungyoonie! You look great. Mino feeding you well?” Jiho asked as he patted Seungyoon’s cheeks.

“He makes sure I get my daily dose of vanilla latte, yes.” He laughs.

“That explains. You need real food though. All the milk goes straight to your cheeks.” He pinches Yoon’s cheeks and Yoon swatted his hand away with a pout.

“Alright, stop making fun of him hyung.” I say as I pull Yoon to my side. “Your cheeks are cute.” I whisper to him and he rolls his eyes at me but he blushes.

“Oh god I can’t take this.” Jiho says while looking from me to Yoon. 

“What?” I asked him.

“I miss dating! Working . And speaking of work, I have to go. I just stayed to say hi to Yoonie. See you both soon!” He hugs us both again and then leaves.

After Jiho left, Yoon told me all about his day but I can’t help but go back to my short conversation with Jiho. Would things really change after we graduate? What if Yoon meets someone else when he starts working? He hasn’t been with a lot of people before me. Heck, he hasn’t had with anyone else aside from me. He’d probably wonder what it would be like with other people. He’d get curious right? It’s impossible not to. What if-

“Mino?”

Yoon’s face goes back in to focus.

“What?” I ask, I have no idea what we were just talking about.

“Are you okay? Is there a problem?” His eyes are filled with concern.

I shook my head. “Sorry, I’m just really tired. I haven’t been sleeping much because of the exams and now I’m crashing I think.” Wow, smooth lie.

He sighed and looked really worried making me feel guilty for lying. “You should rest, let’s go. I can drop you off.”

“No, it’s okay. Sorry, what was it you were saying?” I didn’t want to go home, I wanted to spend more time with him.

He thought about it and then remembering what he was saying, he suddenly looked excited again. “I said, since you told me you haven’t applied for an internship yet, I applied for the both of us in my father’s company. We’d be in different departments. You’d be in Marketing and I’d be in-”

“You what?” I really wish I misheard him.

Yoon looked at me with his mouth hanging open. I guess this wasn’t the reaction he was hoping for. “I just thought maybe you were too busy with exams that you forgot to apply for an internship, and it would be great to be together…”

“Yoon, I was going to apply for an internship. But not while juggling with exams, I want to work on my portfolio when I’m not distracted.” 

“I know you’re busy, that’s why I wanted to help-”

“I don’t want to start my career this way, I want to work for this. I don’t want to get in an internship just because I had connections.” It slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Yoon looked at me like he couldn't believe what I just said and then sadness filled his eyes as he looked at his hands which were clutching at his coffee cup.

“So is that what you think of me? That I’d only get my internship because of connections?” He asked me quietly.

I sighed and then reached out for his hands. “No! Of course not. Yoon, you’re the smartest person I know. You’ll get accepted anywhere you want. And your father’s company is one of the best, it would look great on our portfolios.. but I really want to do this myself.”

“All I did was submit our profiles. There’s no guarantee you’d get in. If you get accepted, that’s all you.” Yoon told me, hope in his eyes again.

“But that’s not how it’s going to look with other people. It would look like I just got in because of you.”

“Since when did we start thinking about what other people think?” 

“Yoon, that’s not it..”

“Then what the hell is it?” Yoon asked me. I can tell he’s trying really hard not to get mad at me. I don’t know what the exact reason is but I really don’t think getting this internship is a good idea.

When I didn’t answer, Yoon sighed and ran both of his hands through his face leaving my hands empty. “Let’s not fight over this. I’m sorry I submitted your profile without asking you first. I’ll withdraw it first thing tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry Yoon.” Even if I don’t know what I’m sorry about.

“No, It’s okay.” He says even if I know it’s not.

Jiho was right. Things are really going to change after graduation.

2020

True to his word, Seungyoon invited everyone to his new place. It was a beautiful 3 bedroom condominium that not one of us could ever afford even if we have good paying jobs. He clearly just moved in because the place was bare except for the necessary furniture. Seungyoon ordered food and I was glad he did not attempt to cook just to prove me wrong. It was easy to forget everything else, forget the real awkwardness between JB and me for instance, when we were all just happy to be together eating good food.

“I really need to work harder. I want a place of my own in 5 years.” Jinu announced, taking a sip of his wine.

“Hold up. Your own? In 5 years?” Seunghoon clarified while looking at Jinu who was sitting beside him.

Jinu laughed when he realized his mistake. “You can move in with me?”

“In 5 years?” Jiho relaxed against his chair. “Hmm.. I’m probably in