CHAPTER FORTY-NINE ; MAKE A BLIND PASS.

Sowon wore a white graduation gown, smiling as she stood in line for her diploma. Some of her friends had already gone, allowing Sowon to cheer. Narae was right behind her, both of them holding nervous hands. Since Sowon was the salutatorian, she'd be going second to last, and Narae was going on soon. As the next name was called, Jaeyun got his camera ready alongside his parents and her family, all of them excited to record the milestone.

"Look at my sister..." Sohee sniffled as Yeonjun quickly handed her a tissue, the girl grabbing it within an instant. She took off her glasses and started to rub her eyes, clearly sobbing. She blew her nose and held Yeonjun by his arm, the boy having to record because Sohee couldn't control her emotions. "Is this what it's like to be an older sister?! Wah!"

"You're making a scene. Can you please be quiet?" He was flustered, giving apologetic looks to the people who stared weirdly at Sohee. He turned to Jaeyun, who was beside him, ready to complain about his girlfriend's actions. "Can you believe my girl– Jaeyun!?"

Jaeyun was violently sobbing. He was sobbing more than Sohee could and was probably (most definitely) the cause of all the odd stares. "My precious girlfriend made it so far, augh," He wiped his tears with his shirt, but they kept coming. "She looks so gorgeous. I can't do this!"

"I know, I know," Sohee nodded, reaching out a hand. Jaeyun was quick to take it, but that didn't stop him from snapping one-handed photos on his gigantic camera. "Can you believe it? She's a salutatorian... I can't help but cry even more at the fact she's the most successful one in this house!"

"I beg to differ, but I know you'll never listen," Yeonjun muttered, but he, too, believed that Sowon would go on and do big things. He just wanted to help ease Sohee's sobs, but after realizing he'd be taking care of two big babies, he decided to give up even before it began. "Anyway, there, she's walking!"

"Now, our salutatorian, Ryu Sowon!" Not only did her family cheer but so did the families of the rest of the ice hockey team and even the students in the crowd. They chanted her name as if she were a celebrity, screaming at the top of their lungs for someone they knew would truly break the athletic industry. As Sowon waved and received her diploma, she looked at the valedictorian, nodding. "She will be giving us a brief speech."

"Speech?" Jaeyun whispered, looking at her sister. Sohee shrugged, not hearing anything from Sowon about a speech.

"Hello, everyone. I'm your salutatorian, Ryu Sowon. I'll be going to SNU in the Spring and playing for their athletics team," She shuffled papers on the pedestal, fixing her hair to make sure that if the camera was watching her, they'd be getting her good side. "The valedictorian gave me the special honor of writing a speech for our class–thank you again, Minho–and presenting it to you all today. I'm aware that high school can't always be the best days of our lives, so I'll keep it short so you can finally go home."

The crowd chuckled a little, and Jaeyun couldn't help but lean forward to hear her better. "For three years up until now, I've genuinely wondered what I'd be doing with my life and what I'd look like ten years from now. I know that I've had different images that swallow my head and that I'm not very consistent, so given the chance to do something with it, I took it. But, there came so much hardship, so much stress," Sowon nodded, reading off her paper. "I almost thought that I was doing it wrong–that whatever this was, wasn't right. I was hit with roadblocks left and right, and I even questioned if it was worth doing anything after this."

She paused, then smiled. "But if there's one thing we should leave on, it's that those roadblocks are temporary. You build a community in common hardship. You guys fight together and die together. You cry and stress but in their arms. You have character to uphold and more to live for. You find people and find your way. Sure, the path will take you back in a loop, but that's why we're adventurous and travel through forests. We seek, we fight, and we find."

Sowon looked at the crowd. "People may say you have it easy one day. They may say that life is a pebble due to your money, your status, and your career. They may get you completely wrong or completely right," Sowon inhaled sharply. "But you will always be the one to get a say in what you do. You are the one to decide if you're going to magically turn a pebble into a rock and climb it. You choose the path and the preferred way of travel. If we let someone control our lives, then is it ever going to be ours?"

The question left partial silence, and Sowon grabbed the edge of the pedestal. "We may never define the future right now, but that doesn't mean the picture doesn't exist. I urge you all to work for it, to cross the obstacles even if you scratch yourself on that tiny pebble or that huge rock. If we stay in the present, we may never achieve our future. Keep looking forward, and make the effort."

Sowon then chuckled, cracking up at a sudden change in her script. "Or, as an ice hockey player would say, make a blind pass. Hit the puck and hope it lands exactly where you want it. If it doesn't, oh well–you can always intercept and get it back. Take control, and lead the way. Congratulations, my classmates and friends. I love you. You made it!"

The crowd was in love with her speech–and perhaps Jaeyun fell a little harder. Sohee was standing, and so was Yeonjun, clapping their hands to death. The rest joined and continued cheering as she bowed, giggling to herself.

"Yeah, I did kinda do good," She muttered, soaking in the glory. "Mhm, keep going."

Her ego had yet to crash, I suppose.

As the ceremony ended, Sowon fixed the cap over her head, looking for her boyfriend and family. She stood in the center of the front of the school, itching the top of her head. "They said they were going to meet me here. Am I at the wrong entrance?" She looked around, not seeing a single familiar face in sight. "Did they lie to me? Oh my god, on my graduation day–"

"Ice Fairy!"

She heard the distant call and whipped her head around, seeing them all holding a bouquet. She smiled sweetly, and Jaeyun ran into her arms as if he were the one graduating, hugging her to death. She patted his shoulder, implying to free her, and he listened. "That was amazing, baby," Sohee rolled her eyes–she wanted to hug her sister before he got to her. So, quickly, Sohee shoved him aside. "Hey!"

"You're a distant family member. We're blood-related," She hugged her sister, Sowon giggling. "You did an awesome job, girl. Why didn't you tell us you were given the chance to do the speech?"

Sowon shrugged as they separated. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise. And, Sohee, you'd definitely ask me to add pure nonsense."

Yeonjun snorted, suppressing his smile with his hand. "I know that's right."

Sohee nudged him in the gut, making him hiss. "That doesn't make me any less proud. Mom, Dad?"

Mrs. and Mr. Ryu gave her the flowers and then a hug, leaving her bombarded with flowers. "We're so proud of you, hun. I know that you really thought that through and loved it here. Now, you're going for a change of scenery," Mr. Ryu said, hitting her back slightly hard. She hissed, glaring at him. He cheesed briefly, pointing at her soon after. "Sorry. It was a lucky hit."

"Your Dad is just so... anyway, congratulations. Everyone had said everything I needed to say," Mrs. Ryu kissed her daughter's cheek. "Big dreams ahead. I hope you follow your advice."

"I will, Mom. So... where's my gift?"

"You ungrateful child."

"Dude, I'm fucking nervous," Jaeyun turned to Eunseok, who briefly rolled his eyes. When was Jaeyun ever nervous? Well, Eunseok could name those moments a few times, but they were all related to one woman. A crowd? Jaeyun could never be nervous over a few hundred people. He was always in the spotlight. "My mom, my dad, and Sowon are in the crowd. What if I, like, fall on my face?"

"Okay. You go down in history as the man who fell on his face. So what?" Eunseok teased, making Jaeyun glare. "I'm just joking. You're not going to do any of that, dude. Besides, it's family and a crowd, not the president of South Korea. You don't have to be fighting for your life on stage for five seconds."

"But, what if–"

"Stop with the what-ifs, or I'll show you what happens if I throw you off this stage."

Jaeyun gave him a mean look and moved forward slightly, following into the line. Sowon held the camera that Jaeyun used for her graduation and kept snapping photos of him, Mrs. Sim chuckling. "I feel almost underprepared," Mrs. Sim mentioned, making Sowon stop and giggle sheepishly. "I don't even know when he bought that. Maybe I should limit his money usage."

"If you do, I think he'll go insane. He thrives off of spending money," Sowon giggled, making the girls high-five one another. They looked toward Mr. Sim, who looked ill.

"Honey, is everything alright?" Mrs. Sim worried, but figuring that her husband was just very proud of their son, she had to suppress a smile. "He'll be okay. You've been waiting for this day, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Mr. Sim muttered. "I just never expected it to come this fast. I didn't think I'd be so absent that–"

"Mr. Sim, you weren't absent at all. He always talks about his family and how much he misses you guys. If anything, you're the reason he made it this far," Sowon interrupted, smiling softly. The two girls patted the teary Dad, still giggling over the fact neither of them was as emotional as he was. "You should clearly be the most proud one!"

"I am very proud of my son!"

The announcer said his name."Sim Jaeyun!"

"Holy shit," Jaeyun whispered as he carefully The three of them got up and cheered for him, and Sowon continued taking high-quality photos, giggling as she saw right through the horror on his face. "Holy shit, I'm graduating. Holy fucking shit."

He smiled and took the hand of their Dean, then grabbed his diploma. He made a quick gesture to the crowd that continued to cheer for him, his friends yelling his full name, including Eunseok, who was equally as nervous. "Okay, that wasn't so bad," He muttered to himself as he descended the stage, holding his heart. "I wonder where they are..."

And, all it took was a simple cheer of his nickname: "Valentine!"

His head shot up, and he saw her waving her hands, the camera in her grasp. His parents were clapping still and attempting to get his attention, smiling big when he waved back. "Oh my god," He whispered as he waved at them, suddenly getting emotional. "I need to look back down, or else I'll lose my shit. Can't cry in front of them."

"Song Eunseok!"

Jaeyun joined Hanbin, the two nudging one another. "Dude, if you cried, I think I'd start crying too," Hanbin mentioned, Jaeyun soon laughing. "Seeing my parents and all of that–God, I forget that we're all parting ways."

"Please don't remind me, dude," Jaeyun wiped his tears briefly, making sure no water had left his tear ducts. "I can't believe our last year together is finally over."

"I know, right?"

And, as the valedictorian spoke and everyone threw their streamers, Jaeyun immediately ascended into the crowd, not wasting a moment. Sowon widened her eyes as he practically jumped, placing the camera in the seat. "What is he doing?!"

"I don't know, but I think he's–!" Before Mrs. Sim could finish her words, Sowon and Jaeyun collided as he jumped over the last seat, the girl being forced to lean back and hiss as she hit the chair. "He's going to hug you, yeah..."

"Jaeyun, you're acting like this in front of so many people. Aren't you embarrassed?"

"Nothing to be embarrassed of when everyone knows I love you, baby," He kissed her cheek, unable to contain his happiness. He held her tighter than ever before, sighing into her shoulder. "Thank you for coming."

"It's the least I could do when you came for me. Sorry that I'm not a crying mess."

Jaeyun glared momentarily, making the girl giggle. However, he leaned even more into her and shook his head, not even looking at his parents. They didn't mind, though–of course, their son was such a loverboy. "I'm not surprised you're crying, you emotionless idiot."

"Hey, if I was emotionless, would I be loving you?"

"...No. But that's okay because I love you."

"Pfft. I love you, Valentine."