“Woa there’s nothing better than a good coffee in the morning.”

Jiyeon chuckled upon Nana’s remark, she actually agreed though, it was always nice to have a cup of coffee to regain some energy at work. They sat at a little table that was on the cafeteria, they didn’t have that much work to do so they had a free time.

“How are you doing now? We aren’t working in the same area anymore.” Jiyeon asked her.

“It’s good, I’m doing fine but I really miss you.” She pouted. “It was funnier working by your side.”

Jiyeon smiled at her and took a sip from her coffee before answering again.

“Well you got used to the work pretty fast. Look at you, seven months and you’re already in charge of another area.”

“Yeah yeah but it’s more work though, I hoped to have more time as a rookie rather than been assigned to harder tasks so fast.”

Jiyeon chuckled. It was always funny to hear Nana complain about all she had to do now that she wasn’t treated like a rookie anymore. Because even if she complained, anyone could see how much she actually enjoyed the work.

“Nana actually I have to tell you something.”

“Sure.” Nana answered and took a sip from her coffee.

“Well you know I’ll soon be graduating from college and I received a better offer job, so…”

“Oh, you’re quitting, right?” Nana asked while putting her cup down.

“Yes, I’ll be leaving in two weeks but I wanted to tell you in advance.” Jiyeon explained with a smile.

Nana showed her a big smile and took one of her hands.

“I’m really happy for you, this is such a great opportunity and I’m sure you’ll do great. It’ll be boring without you here though.” She pouted again.

“Don’t worry we still have two more weeks.” She answered with a smile.

Nana then started to ask her things about her new job and just like that, their little free time got consumed and they had to return to work.

 

Final exams were just around the corner and everyone was at full stress, seniors were the worst of all, they were worrying about not passing their last exams and therefore not being able to graduate.

Even with all that stress, Jiyeon and her friends always managed to have a good time during their last period of college. Most of them, the girls and the boys, were confident about graduating despite their last scores of the exams, though some others, like Eunjung and Aron, were trying really hard to reach the needed score. The rest of them were supporting them in order to obtain better grades. By that time, both groups started to really get along well so they could be seen hanging out around together pretty often.

Hyomin and Jiyeon were also immersed in all the things that involved the prom, it was kind of a chaotic time but Jiyeon was for sure enjoying it. She knew it was the last chance for her to have that kind of memories with the friends she now had and she was determined to have a great time.

Minhyun was also a really important person in her current life, both of them hung out a lot and Minhyun would also help her from time to time when she was overwhelmed with all the tasks assigned to her. They became even closer during that last period of college.

 

Two weeks passed by really fast and Jiyeon was now gathering all her stuff to go to her new job.

Suddenly a pair of hands covered her eyes.

“Guess who.”

Jiyeon smiled and took the pair of hands off her eyes and turned around to face the girl behind her.

“I would recognize your voice anywhere Nana.” She warmly said.

“I know, my voice is unforgettable.” She self proclaimed.

Jiyeon chuckled and ruffled her hair, Nana chuckled as well and after fixing her hair, she took a little box out from her jacket and gave it to Jiyeon, the girl looked at her in confusion.

“It’s a present for you, open it.” Nana said with a smile.

Jiyeon took the little box and opened it, it contained a necklace with a green pendant; she smiled and stared at it.

“Wow it’s really beautiful, thank you so much.” Jiyeon said genuinely happy.

“I’m glad you like it, I hope that with this you’ll remember me.” She changed her voice tone to a nostalgic one. “We just met for a little more than half a year but you’re really important to me and also you were the first friend I made when I came here.”

“Hey, don’t be sad, we’ll keep in touch, you don’t have to worry about that. You won’t get rid of me that easily.” Jiyeon said with a smirk.

She then put the necklace on and adjusted it, both girls stared at it and then Nana spoke again.

“I knew it, green suits you.”

“You’re right, it actually looks good.” Jiyeon agreed with a smile.

“Oh yeah Jiyeon there’s one more thing I have to tell you before you go.” Nana excitedly said.

Jiyeon remained silent with an expectant look, waiting for the girl to continue.

“I got to know someone, I really like him and he seems like a good guy.” Nana said with a little blush.

“Is that so?” Jiyeon asked with a smile. “I’m really happy for you, he better treat you good or else he’ll have to face me.” She threatened.

“Of course, that’s for sure.” The girl excitedly answered.

“So where did you meet him?” Jiyeon asked with curiosity.

“It’s really cliché you know?” Nana giggled. “I actually bumped into him while I was absently walking, he helped me up and it was like love at first sight.”

“Love at first sight?” Jiyeon repeated in disbelief while packing her lamp. “Girl you watch too many dramas.” She teased.

“But that’s what really happened Jiyeon, I’m not lying to you.” Nana tried to convince her.

“Alright, alright, I believe you.” Jiyeon tried to assure her.

She continued to pack her belongings until everything was ready, she took a look again at the desk to make sure nothing was left.

“So, if your love at first sight and you work out, you’ll have to introduce him to me, I need to make sure he’s really good for you.” Jiyeon said with a smile.

Nana just nodded at her with a huge smile.

“Well I need to head off now, take care Nana and if you need help with anything just call me, okay?”

“You too take care and you can also call me if anything comes up.” Nana warmly answered.

They hugged and bid farewell, then Jiyeon took her box and walked out of the building, she looked back one more time with a smile and sighed before looking at the road ahead her.

She was now one more step ahead of her new life.

 

A month later, the final exams finally ended, fortunately everyone managed to reach the needed score and they all were going to be able to graduate. The boys and the girls were now completely free from college and the only thing left to focus on was the prom.

The next weeks passed by in a blink with all the final arrangements needed for the prom to be a success, Jiyeon and Hyomin almost didn’t have time to get their dresses and their personal stuff ready for the party.

A couple of days before the party, Jiyeon tried it one last time.

During those months she tried to contact Myungsoo, she texted him and called him but she never got an answer. She wasn’t going to give up that easily so she kept trying; but with the nearing date, she was aware that day was the last chance so she needed to try it one more time, just one last time for her to finally give up completely in the issue.

At first, she tried calling him; with each tone, she prayed for Myungsoo to answer, though that never happened. The next thing she tried was texts again, she waited and waited, hoping that he’d at least read her message but that also didn’t happen. She then acknowledged that Myungsoo wasn’t willing to talk to her anymore and therefore there was no way he would attend the prom.

That night she went to sleep with tears running through her face, even when she was scolding herself internally for her attitude, she couldn’t help but to feel sad and hurt, so in the end she decided to allow herself to feel that pain and cry one more night for Myungsoo, the next day, she’d leave the issue behind her and focus on the ones who were actually by her side.

 

The day of the prom arrived.

The venue was filled with people dressed with their best clothes, the whole set up was wonderfully done not a single thing was out of place. When Jiyeon and Hyomin arrived and saw that everything was in place, they sighed in relief and just focused on having a great time.

Since everyone was in different careers, the girls managed to unite with other careers in order to be everyone together, though the only ones who couldn’t join were Minhyun and his friends. However they still attended the party as guests. They arrived a bit later and once they spotted each other, the whole group came together.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I just can’t get rid of you.” Eunjung said to JR with false annoyance.

“Get used to it already, we’ve been together since childhood I wouldn’t be surprised if we even end up working at the same place.” JR replied.

“Hell no, you better don’t dare!” Eunjung almost screamed.

“Oh come on just get married, you already look like an old married couple anyway.” Ren mocked.

“What?! Come here Ren I’ll give you what you deserve!” Eunjung angrily started to chase him.

Everyone burst into laughter except for JR who was trying to calm his friend down, it was really a sight worth seeing.

Minhyun then went to Jiyeon’s side and the girl showed him a smile to which the boy showed his’ as well.

“You finally arrived.” Jiyeon teased.

“Hey it isn’t that late, we just skipped the whole ceremonial thing and stuff like that, we’re here for the party anyway.”

Jiyeon chuckled and gave him a little punch on the arm as a signal of scolding, Minhyun also chuckled. They were in their own bubble of privacy unaware of the curious gaze of Hyomin over them.

They decided to spend a good time, they were all graduated and together so what was left was to enjoy the party. They ate until their stomachs were full, also ate a lot of candies and chocolates. They of course took a lot of photos, they wanted to remember that moment forever since they were having the time of their lives.

Though there was a particular couple who seemed to be having an even more great time than the others.

Minhyun and Jiyeon never separated from each other, they spent almost the whole party together, even when they were with the rest of their friends, they remained together the whole time. They sometimes chatted on their own, laughed about a conversation only them would know of or even just stealing glances from each other with only them unaware of how obvious it was.

With time the mood changed and the ballads started to be played, everyone picked up a partner and they went to the dance stage, as it was expected, Jiyeon and Minhyun danced together and their world became even smaller with just the two of them in it and no one else around them. At first they danced in silence just following the music and feeling each other.

Minhyun was the one who broke the silence after some minutes.

“Jiyeon I wanted to tell you since I arrived, you look really beautiful.”

Jiyeon smiled and looked at him.

“Thanks Minhyun, you also look really handsome.”

The boy also smiled at her and then got lost in her eyes for some seconds, without thinking, he just said what was in his mind and heart at that moment.

“I love you.”

>>I love you, I truly really love you dearly Jiyeon.

Myungsoo’s voice came to her mind and she missed a step, Minhyun and her tripped a bit and the boy held her.

“Are you okay?” He worriedly asked.

“Yeah I just missed a step don’t worry.” She tried to reassure him with a smile.

“It’s because if what I said, right? I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.” Minhyun apologized not daring to look at her.

“No, don’t worry it wasn’t your fault, let’s just keep going.”

Minhyun sighed heavily and then looked up again, Jiyeon smiled at him and he returned the smile. They continued to dance until the music was changed.

It was then that Jiyeon took the opportunity to have some time alone, she went to a spot afar from people but close enough to still watch her friends, she smiled at the sight of them having fun, but then that feeling of emptiness in her chest attacked her again. Everything had been fine until Minhyun said that he loved her and Myungsoo’s voice suddenly came back to her.

She sighed heavily while remembering that last conversation she had with him. She was still unable to understand why he decided to just distance from her and leave her aside.

Was it really that bad that she confessed? Then why didn’t he reject her directly? How did he come to the conclusion that it was better to just disappear without explanation?

“Damn this won’t lead me anywhere, what the hell am I doing? I shouldn’t be doing this now.” She scolded herself.

Jiyeon sighed heavily again and looked at her friends once again, she tilted her head and smiled faintly.

“How good would it have been if you were also here.”

That was the moment where all the “what ifs” started to make appearance.

What if she never confessed?

What if she had never realized her true feelings towards Myungsoo?

What if she stopped the moment Myungsoo rejected her in his own way?

Maybe, just maybe if she didn’t do all those things, Myungsoo would still be by her side.

She shook her head trying to get all those thoughts out of her mind. Then kept her eyes closed for a brief moment.

“I really miss you.” She quietly said.

After her little breakdown, she composed herself and went back to the party.

The rest of the night Jiyeon focused on having the time of her life and leaving all the problems and worries aside.

The party was a huge success, everyone had a great time and a lot of memories were made.

 

Just as it was expected, after the prom everyone started to walk on their own way, finding jobs, other studying something else and stuff like that. Even when they didn’t see each other everyday, they still remained in touch by texts.

Things for her didn’t change quite much though. Since she got a job before graduation, she was still working there and she really liked it. She actually got hired as a teacher, it was quite a shock at first for her, since she didn’t have any experience, but with time she proved to be a good teacher and clearly fit for the job.

After her breakdown at the prom, she actually didn’t have any other relapse. Myungsoo still didn’t talk to her at all but with time it stopped hurting that much. With each passing day, the pain was more and more bearable and there were times when she would forget about him.

She genuinely stopped thinking about him. Somehow, the thought of him only gave her a nostalgic feeling sometimes, which will quickly fade away and she’ll continue with whatever she was doing.

Myungsoo chose to disappear from her life and Jiyeon chose to forget about him the best she could.

 

Months after the prom, they decided to gather up for their first post college reunion. They agreed to meet at the mall, they were planning to watch a movie together, though since everyone had a different taste, they couldn’t previously agree on which one to watch, therefore they were going to meet up first to decide it.

Jiyeon and Hyomin were the first ones to arrive since their place of work was near to each other. After them, Minhyun and Ren arrived.

Since the moment Minhyun and Jiyeon saw each other, a warm smile was placed over their faces. Hyomin noticed it and just smiled while slightly shaking her head.

Hyomin knew from the beginning that Jiyeon kind of liked Minhyun, she was sure that if Myungsoo’s shadow didn’t exist, they would already be together, it was just too obvious. But she wasn’t going to interfere this time, she would let them realize it when they were ready, the last time she tried to rush things, the outcome wasn’t really good for Jiyeon.

“Hi Jiyeon, it’s been a while.” Minhyun politely greeted her.

“Hey, yes it’s been a while.” Jiyeon answered with a smile.

“Are we really the only ones?” Ren asked in surprise.

“Well as you can see, no one else has arrived. You know them, they’re always late.” Hyomin nonchalantly answered.

“What a pain, they’ll never change huh?” Ren answered in annoyance.

Jiyeon and Minhyun suppressed a giggle, it was always funny to see an angry Ren, for some reason even when he was really angry, he just looked a bit annoyed and he would tend to roll his eyes which would only make it worse.

They took a seat at the fast food place, Hyomin and Ren looked at their cellphones while Jiyeon and Minhyun chatted cheerfully.

After some minutes, little by little the rest started to arrive until they were finally complete.

“You really need to know the meaning of punctuality.” Ren pointed out annoyed.

“Oh come on it was just 20 minutes.” Eunjung replied to him.

“Yeah don’t be too sensitive, remember we all have jobs now, some of us won’t be able to leave exactly at the exit hour for some reason.” Baekho answered.

“Whatever.” The boy rolled his eyes again. “So let’s move to the main point of this meeting, what movie are we going to watch?”

“I vote for a scary one, it’ll be fun.” Eunjung excitedly said.

“Oh shut up girl not all of us have your weird sense of fun.” Ren .

“Oh? We just started talking and you’re already asking for a beating.” Eunjung answered with a smirk.

“Hey how many times will we have to go through the same thing with you two?” Soyeon suddenly said.

“I agree, last time Ren said that JR and Eunjung look like an old married couple, though I think it’s Ren and Eunjung the ones who fit that description.” Kyuri teased.

The named ones turned to see her as if their eyes were about to come out and screamed at the same time.

“HELL NO!”

The rest gathered there stared laughing, indeed the group wouldn’t be the same without the constant discussions of Eunjung and Ren.

They finally started to talk about what movie to watch. Since Jiyeon didn’t care much about what movie to see, she started to look into her social media, there wasn’t really much there.

Everything was just the same until a certain post caught her attention.

It was a post from Nana and it had a heart on it. Just until that moment she realized that she never asked Nana further about the boy she met just before Jiyeon quit the job and it was also then that she found it weird that Nana also didn’t tell her anything about that topic since then.

So she scrolled down a bit more and what she saw left her frozen.

The crowd around her suddenly couldn’t be heard anymore and the only thing that filled her mind was that photo.

It was a photo of Nana and Myungsoo.

What? She thought taken aback. How come they know each other? So… the boy Nana met was… Myungsoo?

 

A/N: Double update! ^^

As always, thank you so so much for reading, and your patience, comments are appreciated ^^ stay safe and have a beautiful day <3