The remainder of the school year flies by for Jinri, who is busy studying for her college entrance exams and, after those, finishing up year-end assignments. Though the rumors about her – and now Yongguk and Jinah – are still running rampant, perhaps more so than ever, the fan club girls seem to have taken Daehyun’s warning to heart and no one bothers Jinri anymore. They still whisper about her, behind her back as well as to her face, and they always stare with the same horrible sneers, but Jinri ignores them.

She’s learned a lot in the past two years, she realizes. She’s learned who to ignore and who is important. She’s learned to respect not only other people but also herself. She’s learned how to put others first. She’s learned that, despite so many people telling her otherwise for so long, she is a good person. She is a person that, for the first time in a very long time, she doesn’t mind being.

It’s helpful that she has Yongguk and Jinah to come home to every day. Yongguk is usually gone until late, studying at university and then going to his part-time job. Jinri picks Jinah up from kindergarten and cooks dinner for the two of them. She works with the little girl on her alphabet and her numbers, on reading and writing. She gives Jinah her bath and into her pajamas. Yongguk gets home with just enough time to read the little girl to sleep. It’s a busy, hectic sort of life but it’s one that Jinri loves.

Graduation sneaks up on her before she really knows what’s happening. It’s a long, boring affair. A year ago, she wouldn’t have even shown up. Before, graduation hadn’t meant anything to her. There wouldn’t have been anyone to come see her anyway. But now she has so many people. Yongguk and Jinah. Her old foster parents, who are just weeks away from welcoming their own little one into the world. Himchan. Daehyun and Youngjae and Jongup and Junhong. Youngjae’s parents. She’s got a whole group of people who are nothing but happy for her, and that makes graduation more special than she’d ever thought it could be.

Once graduation is over, Jinri is able to pick up a job. It’s technically part-time, but she works enough hours that she’s able to contribute significantly to the household. And it also enables Yongguk to be home more often, a fact that both she and Jinah are grateful for.

She also throws herself into wedding planning. She and Yongguk don’t have a whole lot of money for their wedding, so they plan something small and sweet. Jinri’s former foster mother lets Jinri wear her old wedding dress, which is fairly new and still quite stylish. Youngjae and Junhong’s mothers offer to cook so they don’t have to hire a caterer. It all comes together nicely in the end.

The wedding takes place one sunny weekend in June. Jinri has started her university classes by then, but with so much help she doesn’t have all that much to do in the days leading up to the wedding.

“Are you nervous?” Jinri’s former foster mother asks as she helps put the finishing touches on Jinri’s intricately curled hair.

Jinri doesn’t even have to think about it. “No, not at all,” she admits. “These people who are here for me today…they’ve seen me at my worst. They’ve seen me through my worst. Everything that I’ve been through has enabled me to become this person that I am today. There’s nothing to be nervous about. I’ve got my husband. I’ve got my sister. I’ve got a job and an education. I’ve got a home. I’ve got friends. All of these were things I couldn’t even imagine having a couple years ago. So no, I’m not nervous. I’m excited. I’m ready.”

Her foster mother smiled and pulled open the door, and Jinri stepped through to her future.  

Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with me through this story. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted from it in the beginning, but the actual story had a life of its own and ended up nothing like I anticipated OTL anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks again for reading <3