Friday 11PM

The restaurant was full of delicious smells and loud people toasting while playing around. The air was thick hot as the AC system didn’t seem to comply with the summer heat wave which kept pressing the poor citizens for the past week.

Among them there was a group of people in their early 20s, who despite the heat decided to continue the yearly tradition of having a gathering of all the graduates of their class.

It’s been three years since their graduated and among the barbecue smoke they had a loud discussion about the old times.

“It’s a pity that you had to transfer back to your hometown right before graduation.” Minzy heard from the side and looked at the smiling Sohee who was sitting on her left.

“Huh?” Minzy blinked at her dumbfounded.

“Even though you abandoned us… “ Sohee hick-upped adorably and continued “you’re still our class president at my heart! - am I right?!” she chanted and raised up her glass of beer. Others looked at her, not knowing what was on her mind as no one except Minzy paid any attention to her words.

“What?” Sehun asked but even though he didn’t know what was it about – he already grasped his glass ready for a toast. Other boys followed.

“What I’m saying is - ...” Sohee stood up all of a sudden and stumbled a little. Jiinwoo put her hand around Sohee’s hips to help her regain balance.

Sohee graped Jiinwoo’s shoulder and looked at her with teary eyes “As expected – to our class president – Gong Jiwoo! Who we could always count on.” she added and collapsed on the bench.

“Gong Jiwoo!” Others followed while loud laughs followed.

“Our Park Sohee so adorable as always~” Park Sehun teased the short-haired and a bit chubbier than the other ladies, girl whose red cheeks seemed to show that she already reach her level alcohol endurance for tonight.

Sohee slapped his hand when he aimed to pinch her cheek.

“Oi~ Sohee-yah -” Minzy grasped Sohee’s fist when she tried to next punch Sehun in the smiling face.

“He’s mocking me!” Sohee pouted with a squeaky voice as if she complaining to her mother and hugged Minzy tightly.

“Aigoo~” Minzy laughed and patted her head “Who’s taunting my little Sohee?” she asked and glared at Sehun.

It’s just as it was few years ago… Minzy thought while good memories of the past filled her mind. Her entering high school in the big city just like she wanted, moving out of the smaller town her parents lived to her aunt’s place in another city, following her dream and aiming for the scholarship … only if… she was drown deep in her thoughts when Sehun’s voice broke out.

“Why don’t we play another game?”

Another drinking game it was.

Already few people lost when Sehun stared bringing the large calibre artillery within his questions.

“Now – put your finger down if… you had plastic surgery done?” Sehun said with a cheeky smirk while eyeing all the girls sitting around the table.

“Yah!” he got an immediate response from two girls – Nam Yeri who kicked him under the table and Park Hana who sent him a death glare so cold it could easily bring winter this summer.

“Park Sehun – Do you want to die?!” both girls mouthed with fists raised up in the air.

“Sorry, I’m sorry – this is just a game – isn’t it?” Sehun massaged his ankle which just got hit. Then he put his hands together as for a prayer and begged for forgiveness.

“Then let me ask another one – huh? One more chance, please.” he asked and riaised his hand with two fingers already down.

“Ehmmm...” he cleared his throat “Now… - Put your finger down if you weight over 60 kg.” he finished and burst out laughing loudly.

“Yah! You really have a death wish – huh?” the same two girls were enraged. Minzy who had both on the right had to dodge another fist dodged in the air – She tried to keep both of them from getting up and giving Sehun a beating.

“Gong Minzy – you’re my savior. ” Sehun grasped Minzy’s hand over the table when she was reaching for her chopsticks and pecked it quickly “You’re my knight in a shining armor saving me from two scary monsters!~” he pouted not knowing when to stop with his mockery.

“You really do have a death wish – Sehun-yah?” A new voice broke behind her back and Minzy felt the sudden rush in her bloodstream.

Sehun’s another savior seemed to appear, because Hana was almost ready to rip his face apart if the other guy didn’t appear all of a sudden. She smiled instead smitten with just one look at his face.

Minzy touched her cheeks – Was it the alcohol? But I only had a little bit of beer – she thought and swiftly looked at him while biting onto her lower lip.

He wasn’t looking at her – not yet. Minzy had to admit that even though he dressed with a completely different feel than the image she kept in her memory – his unchanged bright smile made her think that he probably didn’t change above that.

“Wha~! Kim Jongin – you told me you wouldn’t be able to make it tonight?!” Sehun high-fived the tall guy with caramel brown hair and big brown eyes who approached them closer. Jongin grasped an empty chair at the nearby table and placed it at the head of the table as there was no more empty space at the two benches.

“I know – I managed to postpone my appointment… and as I can see – no one ditched the gathering tonight?” Jongin replied and eyed everyone sitting around the table.

After few shots already – his male friends cheered happy to see him while girls couldn’t contain their swooned hearts and simply stared at him in response.

Minzy was the only one not focused on Jongin – she grasped a beer can and pour herself some more into the empty glass. As bad as her luck is, she heard about ‘ditching the party’ right after she took a good sip out of the glass.

She knew Jongin was talking about her.

Last year she managed to somehow justify her absence at the graduates gathering after she somehow got to know that he was going to be there. The truth was that she resigned at the last minute before the gathering.

How did he know it was because of him? Minzy’s eyes got bigger as she realized that the sip was way to big for her to easily swallow.

She cleared after chocking at the last beer drops.

“AH~! Since we’re all together – let’s make a toast – for this meeting and many more to come.” Minzy shouted all of a sudden after grabbing her glass.

“YEAH!” almost everyone cheered right after and raised their glasses. “Bottoms up!” Sehun added when Yeri & Hana didn’t finish their drinks at first.

After smirking sourly, Jongin finished his shot of soju without any grimace and grasped the bottle to pour everyone another one.

“Oi~ Jongin-yah, why did you miss mine & Minzy’s glass?” already drunk Sohee pouted and grasped his sleeve when he was passing by.

Jongin only smiled and leaned closer to her “Didn’t you already have enough?” he asked and tilted his head playfully. Sohee grasped her cheeks and sighed swooned after he poked her red cheek.

“Maybe… maybe a little.” she said and grasped her chopsticks to eat some more.

As always. Minzy looked away from his smiling face and focused her sight on the air bubble coming up from the bottom of her beer glass.

“And for Minzy?” she heard her name coming from his mouth for the first time in three years.

“As far as I remember – she doesn’t like the soju taste.” Jongin added what made her dodge his eyes after their gazes met for a split second.

“Really?!” Sehun asked in disbelief “How can this be possible?”

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