I anxiously wait in the airport terminal, scanning the stream of people bustling around the baggage terminal. The large blue screen hanging on the wall reads that their flight has landed, but where are they-

    “SOJIN!” Luna shrieks as she sprints over to me. I scream as the two of us jump up and down, clutching each others’ hands excitedly. I feel someone else wrap their arms around my torso and I twist my head around. Krystal is beaming down at me, rocking a fresh new red bob cut.

    “Krystal! Luna! You two look amazing!” Tears of joy are beginning to pool up in my eyes. “It’s been so long, oh my god.”

    Krystal grins. “How’s Seoul been? Damn, I’ve been in Greenland so long I’m not used to the lack of ice here.”

    “Never go to Greenland, Sojin.” Luna shudders. “I went to visit Krystal once. It was awful. I could barely stand the weather in London.”

    “Aww, you guys.” I squeeze them both once more. “Okay, what time is it? Amber’s flight arrives at 2, and Sulli and Victoria are coming in at 2:45. We are going to have the best reunion ever!”

    “There’s so much I have to tell you guys,” Luna says excitedly. “I have a boyfriend! His name’s Ricardo and he’s the hottest model in the world. You don’t understand how good he looks in my Fall Vintage Collection. And he’s a total sweetie!”

    I gasp. “What the hell, Luna? You got a boyfriend?” Krystal and I exchange looks. “You know what this’ll mean, right?”

Luna pouts. “What?”

“We’ll have to meet him and put him through our screening process.” Krystal says gravely. “One wrong answer... and we’ll chase him away!” The 3 of us collapse into a fit of giggles.

An hour later, our entire high school gang is reunited. Amber’s grown out her hair; I almost didn’t recognize her. And Sulli’s gotten taller! The funniest thing was seeing Victoria walk into the baggage terminal. She was screaming at someone over her Bluetooth, sporting a pair of heels and a killer business suit.

“Dammit, Khun, I said sell the stocks,” we heard her bark as she stomped off the plane. “I’m not going to get screwed in the by this deal. Did I stutter, Nickhun? Did I ing stutter?”

Suddenly Victoria spotted us standing, open-mouthed, by the waiting area. “Oh my god, girls!” she squealed, the tone of her voice changing completely. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“Victoria? Remind me never to get on your bad side.” I told her while wrapping her into a huge bear hug.

“Hey, I gotta be tough for Wall Street," she shrugged. "I don't want to be eaten alive."

But when Amber snuck behind Victoria and began tickling her, Victoria oh-so-toughly collapsed to the ground in a fit of screaming giggles.

“How’re we going to fit all our luggage in Sojin’s car?” Sulli says, biting her lip.

I smile. “Don’t worry. I called someone else and asked him to help us.”

Right on cue, Kai’s black BMW smoothly pulls up in front of the airport pick up area. “Hey, babe,” he says, stepping out of the car and wrapping a hand around my waist. “Hi, Sulli, Krystal, Victoria, Amber, Luna. Long time no see.”

    My friends’ mouths are wide enough to catch flies.

    “Um, Sojin?” Krystal says in a voice a few octaves higher than normal. “Can you explain what the hell Kim Kai is doing here?”

    Sulli looks pointedly at his arm around me. “Are you two dating?”

I flush. “Er, well... kind of. Well, actually, it’s complicated.”

“I thought you hated this douchebag,” Amber says, crossing her arms. “Don’t you remember everything he did to you back in high school?”

Kai’s grip around my waist tightens. “I know my actions were horrible,” he says to my friends quietly. “So I’m atoning for everything I’ve done, one day at a time. I love Sojin.”

Kai and I wait with bated breath, crossing our fingers, as Sulli, Luna, Amber, Krystal, and Victoria stare at us with narrowed eyes.

Finally, Victoria sighs. “Kai, if I even hear a whisper about you hurting Sojin, you’re going down.” And she strides to the trunk of his car and throws her suitcase in. The rest of my friends follow.

“They’re fine,” I murmur in Kai’s ear, and give him a reassuring peck on the cheek.

The girls and I spend the day touring my labs, visiting our old high school (I don’t see Saemi, but I do see Taehyung. I make sure to exchange a death glare with him, much to the confusion of my friends), and eating out at a fancy Indian restaurant. Finally, we all head to my loft to have a sleepover. That’s right, a group of 22-year-olds having a sleepover.

But it feels like we’re 17 again; Luna and Victoria are painting their nails while watching reruns of Dream High, Amber is baking chocolate chip cookies, and Sulli, Krystal, and I are gossipping.

“Did you know Chanyeol’s engaged to Oh Yuna?” I giggle. Krystal and Sulli nearly topple over.

“How did Chanyeol get stuck with the demon spawn of Satan?” Sulli clucks her tongue, shaking her head.

“I know, right? But she’s actually decent now. Like, they met while she was doing charity work in India.”

“Damn.” Krystal lets out a low whistle. “Are you sure we’re talking about Oh Yuna here?”

Sometime around 4 in the morning, when everyone else is asleep, I get up to go grab a glass of water. As I sip, I survey the scene before me and smile. My friends are sprawled out on the sofa and the floor, enveloped in about 50 layers of cozy blankets and comforters. Sulli’s snoring softly, using Krystal’s feet as a pillow. I can predict what’ll happen in the morning- Krystal will try to get up, Sulli will get knocked in the face, and the two will start a pillow fight. Pretty soon my entire living room will be covered in feathers and torn pillowcases. I don’t realize I’m chuckling until I see Luna stir in her sleep.

I love Sulli, Amber, Victoria, Krystal, and Luna. They’ve helped me through horrible times, and supported me all along. These girls are the best friends anyone could ever ask for.

Words cannot express how grateful I am for them.

“This place is really nice,” I say in awe, looking around Kai’s penthouse. It’s located right in the middle of Seoul, at the top floor of a towering building. It’s been a few days since my friends left, returned back to their respective homes. We were all in tears at the airport; I was sobbing so hard after they’d boarded their planes that Kai had to carry me out to his car.

This morning, he called me and told me that he’d prepared a surprise for me. “It’ll cheer you up,” he promised. And he was right. Kai had booked the gazebo at Olympic Park and set up an enormous feast for me, comprised of all my favorite foods. When I arrived at the park I was blown away by the effort of his preparations. After spending the entire day having fun at Olympic Park, he took me home to his penthouse apartment.

    “You’ve never seen my new place, right?” he said. “You’ll love it.”

    And he was correct; I do love his house. With its stunning architecture and modern designs, it’s the very epitome of perfection.

    Kai proceeds to give me a tour of his apartment, taking me around to the kitchen, dining room, and guest rooms. Finally we reach his bedroom.

    “It’s nice,” I murmur, running a hand over the sleek white dresser. A large ceiling-to-floor window takes up an entire wall, its black curtains drawn back. The twinkling lights of the city shine up at me. Breathtaking.

    Kai takes a seat on his high, king-sized bed. “Sit,” he says, patting next to him. I comply, tucking my legs under me as I pull the ponytail holder from my hair. Kai looks at me in appreciation. “You look nice with your hair down.”

    “Thanks. Unfortunately, the practicality of it is inconvenient. I mean, how am I supposed to do anything with my hair flying all around?” I laugh, and Kai rolls his eyes playfully.

    “It’s a good thing I have short hair, then,” he says. “Although I’ll never get to whip my hair in someone’s face.”

    I lay my head onto Kai’s lap, and he gently threads his fingers through my hair. We sit in comfortable silence. My eyes flutter closed.

    “Sojin?”

    “Mhm?” When Kai doesn’t respond, I open my eyes. He is staring down at me, his expression filled with love and happiness and affection.

    “I...,” Kai clears his throat. “I’m happy I met you. Even if I was a complete to you back in high school, I’m so happy you’re in my life.”

    My mind flashes back to that Friday night in the library, when Kai and I first met. That disastrous tutoring session was the beginning of hell for me... but I didn’t know it would also result in me finding someone I loved as well. Not just Kai, but Sulli, Luna, Victoria, Amber, and Krystal as well. And I’m thankful. My experiences shaped me as a person, caused me to be who I am today.

    When I kiss Kai I pour all my emotions, feelings, everything out. Raw, unbridled passion fills my embrace.

    “I’m happy you’re in my life, too,” I murmur. “I love you, Kai.”

    “I love you, Sojin.”