Blessing in Disguise

Chapter Thirty-Six

Yunjin

9/19/2020

The first day of senior year was here, and for Yunjin, it came with a whirlwind of excitement and nerves. College applications, essays, decisions—they all loomed ahead, each choice feeling huge and life-changing. She'd finally decided to apply for early decision to Cornell SC Johnson School of Management. It felt like the perfect place: close enough to home, with one of the top business management programs in the country. Just thinking about it filled her with a rush of possibility and hope.

Today, she was excited to share the news with Y/N. He'd always been her biggest cheerleader, and telling him felt as significant as making the decision itself.

Yunjin sat at her desk, cozy in her favorite hoodie—the oversized gray one Y/N had let her "borrow" a while back. The sleeves fell over her hands, and she tugged them down absently, relishing the faint scent of his cologne that lingered. Her hair was piled into a messy bun, a few loose strands framing her face, and her black-rimmed glasses perched comfortably on her nose as she reviewed the notes she'd made. She'd even managed a rough draft of her essay, and a stack of printed pages lay scattered across her desk.

Across the room, Y/N was on the carpet, one of her guitars balanced on his knee as he strummed a quiet, unfamiliar melody. His fingers moved easily over the strings, and Yunjin felt her heart warm at the sight. Seeing him there, so at ease in her room, filled her with a sense of contentment. In moments like these, everything felt beautifully simple.

"Hey," she finally spoke, breaking the comfortable silence that filled the room. "I, uh... I have something to tell you."

Y/N looked up, pausing his strumming to meet her gaze, a curious smile forming as he watched her. "Yeah? What's up?"

She tugged at the sleeves of his hoodie, a hint of nervousness mixing with excitement. "I've decided... I'm going to apply early decision to Cornell." She let the words settle, feeling a strange mix of vulnerability and pride. "It just... feels like the right place."

A wide grin spread across Y/N's face as he set the guitar down and leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Cornell? Jen, that's amazing!"

Her heart swelled at his reaction, and she smiled shyly. "Yeah, it just feels right. They have an amazing business program, it's close enough to home... I think it's where I want to be."

He nodded, his gaze full of warmth as he listened. "Sounds perfect. And, just so you know," he added with a grin, "wherever you go, I'm going, too."

She blinked, surprised. "What?"

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. I mean, my commitment to USC was only verbal, so it's not set in stone or anything. If you're going to Cornell, I'll just flip it. Easy decision."

Yunjin's mouth fell open, her heart racing as she processed what he was saying. "You... You'd really do that?"

"Of course." He shrugged, his smile softening. "Cornell's getting a package deal. You and me. I can't just let you go off on this college adventure alone."

She laughed, though she felt a tear prickling at the corner of her eye. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Ridiculous in love," he corrected with a smirk, making her blush. He reached over, gently patting her knee. "Plus, I'd miss my hoodie way too much if you were too far away."

She shook her head, pulling the sleeves even farther down her hands. "Nice try, but this one's mine now."

He chuckled, his hand moving to the stack of pages on her desk. "So, is this the essay?" he asked, flipping through the papers with genuine interest.