"—All of you are the pride and joy of our school. As you continue on your journey called life, I hope that you all would not give up. That is all. Congratulations on graduating."
The principal ended his speech, followed by thunderous applause.
Some students and even teachers shed tears as they listened to his heartfelt speech, feeling sorrowful now that a chapter of their lives had ended.
Yeo Ri watched her surroundings with vacant, dazed eyes. She felt surreal; this was the end of her school life. Starting from tomorrow onwards, she would be separated from her friends. Although they would probably meet up every once in a while, they could no longer stick together like before. Everyone had their own paths to take.
The graduating seniors were called up one by one to receive their diploma. Since Yeo Ri had not attended the rehearsal, she simply observed the people before her, taking note of what she should do to avoid any mishaps.
When her name was called, she took a deep breath and pretended that there was no one else but her in the room. She walked steadily up the stage, bowed to the principal, and accepted the piece of paper that concluded her middle school education.
She ignored the deafening cheering by the boys during her turn, controlling her facial expression so she would not show her awkwardness. Then, she kept her eyes lowered as she descended on the other side of the stage, bowing to the teachers that lined the sides before returning to her seat.
Once she sat back down, Yeo Ri heaved a sigh of relief. Her hands that was holding the diploma shook from her nervousness.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
Yeo Ri stealthily took it out to check the message she had received. It was from Gun, and he had written, 'You did a wonderful job, Yeo Ri-ah. I'm proud of you.'
Yeo Ri cracked a small smile at his encouraging text. Tilting her head backwards, she searched for his face among the many parents and guardians who had come to see their child.
She spotted him after a few seconds, and gave him a small wave. Gun similarly noticed her action, as he had been watching her the whole time, and reciprocated with a wave as well. His lips curved into a happy smile, showing his support to the girl.
The ceremony ended without any accidents.
Outside the school, the graduates and their families milled about, taking pictures and laughing and talking.
"Shall we take a picture, Oppa?" Yeo Ri asked Gun eagerly. She had thought of including a picture of her along with the next letter she would send to Hyuk.
"Okay," Gun easily agreed.
The two of them walked towards the plaque with the school name, and with the gates as her backdrop, they took multiple pictures.
"Student Lee Yeo Ri!" A female voice called out just as she posed for another picture.
"Teacher Kim!" Yeo Ri recognised the woman immediately. With a polite bow, she greeted the woman.
"You've finally graduated, huh?" Kim Misun wistfully said. "Will you really not reconsider about your decision?" She asked. She had asked the girl the same question for so many times that she had lost count. She thought that it was a pity Yeo Ri decided against going to high school; Yeo Ri was a bright student, and while she was not as amazing as Gun, it wouldn't be hard for her to get into a good university later if she continued with her current efforts.
"Teacher..." Yeo Ri sighed. Why was it so important for her to go to high school? She thought that it was a waste of money. Yeo Ri didn't really have any aspirations or goals that required a high school diploma so she didn't want to go. It was not like they had money, either. Yeo Ri was currently living on other people's kindness, and Gun barely had any money since he needed them for buying school supplies and other necessities. Simply put—they were dirt poor!
And because of that, she wanted to look for a job. Though Gun had expressed his disagreement to her idea, she was still going to get a job behind his back.
"Fine, fine. I know; it's your life, so I shouldn't meddle. But, as a teacher, I can't help but feel that it's regrettable for you to stop your education here," Kim Misun said, sighing. "Though I do wish you'd change your mind, today's such a nice day, so I won't hound you. Here," Kim Misun smiled bitterly at the girl, passing her a bouquet of flowers to congratulate her.
"Thank you, Teacher," Yeo Ri accepted the bouquet with a flushed face. Teacher Kim had been so nice to her, yet she continued to be so stubborn. She felt bad for being such a bad student.
"Student Lee Gun, come here, I'll take a picture of you both," Kim Misun offered.
Gun accepted her offer and passed his smartphone to her, letting her help take a few pictures of the Lee duo.
After sending off Teacher Kim, Min Chae ran over to her. She had also finished her photography sessions so she came over to see Yeo Ri.
"Yeo Ri!" Min Chae cried as she pounced on the girl. Although they would see each other again in the near future, she was still saddened since they would be separated. "I'm going to miss you," she sobbed.
Yeo Ri patted the girl's back helplessly. Noticing Min Chae's family catching up to her, she bowed lightly in greeting. "There, there, Min Chae-ah. It's not like we won't see each other again," she coaxed the girl. "You can always come over to my house and I can go over to yours."
"Really?" Min Chae sniffled.
Yeo Ri glanced at Gun, and seeing the young man nod, she told Min Chae: "Of course. You can come over anytime, okay?"
It took a while, but Min Chae finally stopped crying.
"What the—Min Chae, are you crying?!" Jang Mi guffawed. She had been with her parents and going around thanking her teachers before she stumbled upon her two friends at the school gate. Her parents had went off to stay in the car while letting their daughter spend some final moments at the school with her friends.
"Shut up!" Min Chae threw her own flower bouquet towards the insensitive girl. "Aren't you sad? We're all going to be separated now."
"Of course I am, but it's not like we won't see each other ever again," Jang Mi replied with the same answer Yeo Ri gave the crying girl, rolling her eyes. She caught the bouquet easily, smirking at Min Chae.
Yeo Ri exchanged glances with Jang Mi and smiled. "See? Even Jang Mi thinks so. You're so emotional, Min Chae-ah," Yeo Ri giggled, poking fun at Min Chae.
"You guys are so heartless!" Min Chae sobbed. Was it only her who felt sad?
"Geez, calm down. We can contact each other via our phones. And it's not like we're going abroad. We can see each other on the weekends, right," Jang Mi grumbled, messing up Min Chae's hair. "Aigoo, you crybaby!"
"You—!"
Just like usual, Min Chae and Jang Mi bickered and chased after one another. Yeo Ri watched the two with amusement twinkling in her eyes, reminiscing those good old days before that man had ruined her life.
With a soft giggle, Yeo Ri ran after them, "Wait for me, Min Chae-ah, Jang Mi-ah!"