Test results arrived on a humid Tuesday morning, turning our regular café table into an island of tension. My phone sat between us like a bomb waiting to detonate, the TOPIK website open but not yet loaded.
"Just CLICK IT!" Hyein's leg bounced so violently it shook the entire table.
"Give him a moment," Haerin said softly, but her own hands were wrapped too tightly around her tea cup.
Hanni's camera hadn't stopped recording since we sat down. "For posterity," she'd said, but we all knew she was capturing this moment for more than just her documentary.
"Whatever happens," Danielle's voice came through the video call propped between our coffee cups, "we're proud of you."
Taking a deep breath, I tapped the refresh button.
The page loaded. Numbers appeared. For a moment, they meant nothing - just figures on a screen. Then Haerin gasped.
"Level 6," she whispered. "The highest possible..."
The café erupted into chaos. Hyein's screech made several customers jump. Hanni nearly dropped her phone trying to capture everyone's reactions. Danielle's cheer came through so loud it distorted the speaker.
"PERFECT SCORE ON THE WRITING SECTION!" Hyein was now doing what could only be described as a victory dance between tables. "OUR BABY IS A KOREAN LANGUAGE GENIUS!"
"Inside-" Haerin started automatically, but she was wiping tears from her eyes.
"This calls for celebration!" Hanni declared, finally lowering her camera. "Dinner tonight?"
"Actually..." I stared at the scores, at tangible proof that impossible things could become possible, "I need to finish something else first."
The SNU graduate school application had been sitting in my drafts folder for weeks, waiting for these scores. Now, with trembling fingers, I began to fill in the final details.
My friends gathered around as I worked, each offering their own form of support. Haerin proofread every section with careful attention. Hyein provided enthusiastic commentary on each accomplishment I listed. Hanni documented the process while simultaneously texting updates to Danielle.
Three hours and countless revisions later, my cursor hovered over the submit button.
"Wait!" Hyein dug something out of her bag - the matching headbands from the TOPIK exam day. "We need our LUCKY CHARMS!"
Looking ridiculous but feeling braver, we all donned the headbands. Even Danielle put on one she'd apparently had shipped to Singapore.
"Ready?" Haerin asked quietly.
Click.
Application submitted.
"Now we celebrate?" Hanni asked, already reaching for her phone to make reservations.
"Now," I stood up, gathering my things, "I need to do one more thing."
They followed me back to my dorm, where I finally opened my desk drawer. The winter photo album sat exactly where I'd left it three months ago, waiting for the moment I'd be strong enough to look back.
The first photo - Minji catching my lonely café days, before we'd met. The last - us in the snow, believing love was as simple as being in the right place at the right time.
"Her latest exhibition opens this weekend," Haerin said softly. She'd been keeping track, even if I hadn't. "In New York."
"I know."
YOU ARE READING
Lost in your lens - NewJeans' Minji x M!Reader
FanfictionOne year at SNU (Seoul National University) as an exchange student leads you to join a... interesting study group. Being a foreign exchange student in Seoul wasn't high on your list of life-changing experiences. Armed with decent Korean and a schola...
