Graduation

Graduation.

To be honest, not exactly the word you would take seriously until the clock hit 8:59 and now you see yourself standing in the middle of the school auditorium, surrounded by echoes of the past four years and people biting their lips to pretend they weren’t about to cry.

It was supposed to be a celebration. Actually, it is. A clean-cut milestone tied up with shiny sashes and plastic diplomas, yet you felt it instead as the slow turning of a page you weren’t ready to let go of.

Huh, never thought it would come with so much weight.

Your school days… it crept up on you like that. Quietly. Unapologetically.

The walls of Taeyang High had watched you grow, fall, repeat. Year after year, morning bell after morning bell. And now, suddenly, you were at the end of the chapter, still blinking, still waiting to catch up.

“…And next, a speech from this year’s valedictorian. Park Jihyo.”

Thunderous applause. Rightfully earned so. Jihyo was the sun everyone revolved around in the year group. Straight A’s. Debate team president. A voice like a thousand troops marching to war. She stood up, poised, smiling in that practiced way of hers.

You clapped along, your hands brushing against Sana’s. She sat next to you, her fingers laced gently with yours, thumb occasionally brushing against the back of your hand in small, grounding motions.

Jihyo approached the podium, her paper in hand, eyes scanning the audience like a seasoned performer. Everyone leaned in slightly, curious to hear her voice echo across the place that had cradled your youth. The hall went silent, and as Jihyo opened her mouth to speak—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAACHOOOOOOOOO!”

The loudest sneeze of your entire existence blasted out of you without mercy. It was thunderous. Unforgiving. And to be honest, fucking comedic.

But it echoed. Echoed. Echoed.

And you just…froze.

Dead silence again. Then a snort. Then laughter. Like a wave crashing against the walls. You swore even the janitor outside chuckled. The birds outside probably also mocked you as well.

Jihyo’s eyes twitched. Possibly already plotting a murder. Great, today’s your graduation AND your funeral.

And Sana? Well, she was covering her face with both hands, her shoulders trembling—not from embarrassment, but because she was laughing way too hard. She leaned into you slightly, whispering between giggles, “You absolute dummy~ Couldn’t you choose a better moment?”

“I couldn’t hold it in!” you whispered back, ears burning.

On stage, Jihyo valiantly tried to keep going, but her rhythm was broken. Her voice wobbled like a baby deer on ice.

You buried your face in your hands, accepting your fate in about an hour.

Well, here comes an hour later.

After the assembly, students spilled into the hallways, walking slower than usual. Everyone wanted one last look, one final memory. Every tile on the floor, every rusted locker—they weren’t just objects anymore. They were markers of their time here. Places where memories clung like dust.

And then came the shriek.

“WHERE IS THAT DAMN FUCKING IDIOT?!!”

You didn’t even look back. Your feet were already at max speed. “I SAID I WAS SORRY! I DIDN’T DO IT ON PURPOSE!”

You weaved past classmates.

“Yo, legend!” a student grinned, throwing you a fist bump mid-run. “Top-tier sneeze, man!”

“WHY ARE YOU ENCOURAGING HIM?!” Jihyo’s voice cracked behind you, clearly not amused unlike the passersby students.

She turned a corner and nearly crashed into Nayeon.

“Whoa, slow down there, Speed Racer,” Nayeon smirked, holding up a hand. “You’re gonna trigger the fire alarms at this rate.”

Jihyo, panting like a dog, pointed a shaky finger. “I, he—SPEECH—SNEEZE—fucking—”

“Yeah, yeah, chill out. Nice speech by the way,” Nayeon cheered, giving her a thumbs up. “You know, underneath all that laughter? I caught some heartfelt stuff. A+ for effort.”

Jihyo groaned. “I hate everyone…especially him.”

-

Meanwhile, you’d made your escape to the rooftop, the one place time always seemed to slow down. The old place you found your solace.

You leaned on the railing, chest rising and falling. The breeze greeted you, gentle and constant. Above, the sky stretched endlessly, the same way it had the day you started high school. And yet… everything felt different now. So different.

“Sunny today, huh?”

You turned. No one was there.

Oh, except… someone was. In the shadow, just behind you. You didn’t have to see to know who it was. It was a familiar voice…maybe too familiar. Standing right there in the doorway’s shadow was a version of you from another lifetime. The past you. Hoodie always up. Hair in his face. Shoulders hunched like he was trying to disappear.

You closed your eyes. Took a breath. Then opened them again.

“I guess I…had my fun,”

“You look different. Hair looks good short. Less moody.”

“Thanks. The tattoos aren’t a problem anymore, either.”

“And… friends?”

“Yeah…I made friends. I even got a girlfriend.”

You finally turned around and there he was, your old self. Pale, withdrawn, always looking down at the ground. But now?

He looked at you, and you finally looked at him.

“You’re finally acknowledging me,”

“Mhm…Sorry for ignoring you. I…won’t pretend you weren’t part of me anymore.”

The wind picked up, a soft gust brushing your face. Your past self stepped into the light. And just…disappeared.

“Congrats on graduating, man.” he whispered, fading like mist in the sun.

As if on cue, the door creaked. You turned towards the noise and there was your true solace: Sana.

Far out, she looked like spring sunshine in human form. Camera around her neck, gown a little crooked, her hair tied back in the way she always did when she meant business.

“There you are!” she huffed, walking toward you. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“Let me guess, Jihyo-ya gave up?”

“She did,” Sana grinned. “Passed Nayeon and collapsed on a bench.”

“Bless Nabong,” you exhaled. “She’s the real MVP.”

Sana stood next to you, her shoulder brushing yours. “So….I heard you talking, mister” she said.

“Oh…”You winced. “How much?”

“From ‘my tattoos aren’t a problem anymore’.” “That’s everything!”

Sana just laughed. That high, hearty and princess-like laugh that made your chest ache in the best way.

“You get sentimental too much these days,”

“I’m not sentimental,” you deadpan. “I’m just… emotionally reflective.”

Sana gave you a look.

“Okay fine, I’m a sap,” you admitted. “But it’s not like we’re getting separated, right?”

She softened. “No. We’re not.”

You slipped your hand into hers. “But it doesn’t hurt to think about how far we’ve come,” you said. “Like the time I got the back tattoo, and you almost broke up with me.”

Sana choked. “Don’t remind me! Who tattoos wings on their entire back?!”

“I thought it was cool!” “Everyone thought I dumped you.”

“I was 16 and edgy.” “And now you’re 18 and a dork.”

You laughed. “Yeah… but while we’re talking about the past, I also kind of miss the kind, gentle Sana.”

She raised her hand and smacked your shoulder. “One, that was a horrible segway, and two, what am I now then?”

“Well now you're….Sana… just Sana. And I love you just like that.”

It was quiet after that. The moment slowed again like it was letting you have this one moment. The rooftop. The sky. The wind.

And her.

You didn’t realize you were crying until Sana wiped your cheek.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “For not giving up on me.”

She leaned her head against your shoulder.

“I love you.” “I love you too, you dork.”

But the moment was ruined when you both turned at the sound of gagging.

“Blech. Get a room.” Nayeon’s voice rang behind you. “Gosh you guys never stopped being sappy ever since.”

Behind the door stood Nayeon, mock vomiting into her hand, and Jihyo, still catching her breath but she still had one good punch left in her.

“I’m not gonna hit you,” Jihyo rolled her eyes. “…but only because I’m hungry. Sushi?”

“Sushi,” the group agreed in unison.

You walked down the street with them like you had a hundred times before to the usual sushi place.

Jihyo was once again getting annoyed at Nayeon for throwing out her daily dad jokes like confetti. Sana was goofing off beside you, swinging your hand back and forth like a kid, every now and then poking your side just to get a reaction. And you? You were just laughing—at them, at the moment, at the feeling that somehow, this right here was the best kind of peace.

The kind you wanted to keep.

Still, your eyes kept drifting back to Sana.

Even with the noise and movement around you, she was all you could focus on.

You realised then really realised. Really realised, that the distance between the two of you had gotten smaller. Not just physically. But in every sense that mattered. It was subtle, quiet, like the way winter turns into spring.

And it terrified you. Truly.

Because it was the first time you’d ever gotten this close to someone before.

You used to prefer hiding behind the crowd and in the closet. But leaving that box and stepping out of that gloomy, guarded version of yourself was what helped you discover the other emotions hiding inside you. The quieter joys. The softer truths.

And…you wouldn’t have found them on your own.

Minatozaki Sana.

It was her who made that possible. It was her who made all your insecurities disappear, one gentle moment at a time.

You wondered all of the time, if you’d ever done the same for her. If you’d made her happy in the way she made you feel safe.

Because Sana was so much more than what people saw.

She was stronger, bubblier, and kinder than anyone gave her credit for. But beneath it all, she was also fragile. Softer than she ever let on. She broke easily, quietly, without warning. And real.

So damn real.

You knew, because you’d seen the cracks behind her smile as you stood by her side.

And it was exactly because she stayed soft in a world that tried to harden her, and because she kept being herself, that every day felt so bright.

“Satang,” you said, just loud enough for her to turn.

Your voice was barely above the rustling wind, but she heard it anyway. Her head tilted, hair catching the sunlight. And even though you smiled, you felt something wet trail down your cheek before you realised it.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “I love you.”

Sana smiled. Not her teasing grin, but that sincere one that only came out when she understood everything you couldn’t put into words.

“I love you too,” she replied.

The others had walked ahead now, bickering and laughing under the canopy of afternoon light.

You held her hand tighter.

The moment felt frozen in time. Like a photo you’d look back on years from now. The clear blue sky above. The trees danced along with the breeze. The road stretches ahead.

And in the middle of it all: her. The love of your life.

But… you had a feeling she’d prefer something else over all this poetic nonsense. Maybe… a fresh batch of cookies you always made for her. Like usual.

Yeah.

You made a mental note to bake them later tonight.