"The rain fell, so you don't have to worry." /Youjin/

Chapter 28

[early dawn, Deokjeokdo]

Yejin just finished picking the vegetables from the garden. She occasionally checked her watch since the first boat was leaving on 6 am, in 20 minutes to be exact. The reason she was being anxious was that she was afraid Youjin couldn't make it to Eunbin's graduation day today.

"I can finish the rest, Miss." Mr. Choi approached her and took the basket on the ground. He started to pick the peppers and some eggplants. "I will have these vegetables traded and have the ingredients for today's foods ready."

She took off her gloves and nodded to him. "I have something that keeps me distracted. I have to check it. I'll be back."

Yejin ran into the house and smelled freshly brewed coffee. 'Is he awake?' She walked to the kitchen and found Youjin leaning on the counter. The kitchen looked so tiny when he was in it. "You're not leaving?"

He turned his head to see Yejin. "Ah, you're here." He poured some coffee into Yejin's mug. "Here, have some. I just brewed it."

She took the mug but the more impatience she became with his attitude. "I asked you. You're not leaving??"

Youjin sighed and took something out from his pocket. Her cash she gave few days ago. He returned it to Yejin. "I don't need your money. Use it for your own, don't mind me."

"So you're not leaving?" She asked the same question the third time. But this time, Youjin's facial expression responded to her question.

[N Girls University, late morning]

The graduation day was crowded with lots of people. Proud parents or grandparents, dragged uncles and aunts, forced-to-come cousins or little nephews, from friends to partners, all gathered in front of the main gate of the graduation hall with flowers and presents in their hands.

Around 11 am, the gate was finally opened and the graduates were coming out, earning cheers from everyone. The students started to look for their family once they stepped out. But Eunbin just slowly walked and let the others passed her first. When she came out from the hall, she didn't know whom she had to find.

Fifteen minutes had passed and she started to feel tired and sat alone on her usual bench by the tree. She observed happy faces that filled the yard.

"I guess I should be that happy." She said to herself and took out her phone to take a graduation selfie. She lifted her phone angle and adjusted the filter. Snapped one photo then she checked it. There were two people.

She quickly turned around. "Yoo Yeeun you bitchhh!!! I thought you're not coming!!!" Eunbin quickly jumped to hug Yeeun who was smiling cheekily at her. She was with Haejun.

"How come I'm not coming, you weird wench!" Yeeun hugged her back. She brought her a flower bouquet and a paperbag with a gift in it. "Here. Sorry we're late. There was a queue taking this bouquet. But it's pretty, isn't it?" She raised both her eyebrows up and down.

The bouquet was indeed pretty. Eunbin smiled at her and hugged her again. "How come you're rarely keeping in touch with meeee," she glared at Haejun, "you're stealing her from me, you cute-puppy-eyes."

Haejun flustered but managed to congratulate Eunbin. "I'm sorry. I just want to make the most of my time before it gets hard to meet her once I debut." He softly smiled at Yeeun. "And congratulations for your graduation. Please help Yeeun to graduate as well."

"And what's in it for me?" She started to make a deal and three of them were laughing when Haejun noticed a group of people approached them.

"Eunbin noona?" She knew that voice and quickly turned around to see him.

"Taeyong?" She smiled and saw the four guys came for her with small bouquet in their hands.

"We're here. So hard to find noona in this crowd." Jaehyun whined. He gave her the flower. "Here. Congratulations. And you look pretty today."

Yuta and Mark gave their flower as well. "Wait!" Yuta realised. "That means we can pinch noona's cheek now, right?"

"And who are you four might be...?" Yeeun approached them.

"We're in a band called NCT. I'm Taeyong, the vocal and guitar, Jaehyun is also guitar, Yuta is bass, and Mark is drum." He introduced themselves briefly. Yeeun's eyes were scanning four of them, who were nervous.

"They're one of Inhae's bands. I'm working with them for the album artwork." Eunbin added. Yeeun nodded.

"Permission granted. You four are cute, you can pinch her cheeks to your content." Said Yeeun to the four. Eunbin widened her eyes in disbelief.

Yuta and Jaehyun raced to pinch Eunbin's cheek when tall shadows hovered them four. They stopped momentarily as Eunbin looked behind them closely.

"Noona, congratulations!" Inseong yelled and gave her a bag of present. "I feel like a present is more convenient for you." He hugged her.

"Congratulations! You look good when you let your hair down." Seungjun stepped forward and hugged her. "Sorry, I woke up late and have nothing to bring."

"You guys are here!" After Inseong, Eunbin got greetings and hugs from Jihun and Heejun as well. "How did you know? .....Ah, Youjin told you, right?"

Jihun nodded. "He did tell us."

The four NCT were amazed with her tall friends that they couldn't keep their mouth shut. Eunbin laughed at their reactions and started to introduce everyone to one another.

"Let me see, ...seven, eight, Yeeun, Haejun....there are eleven of us, we can't fit the bench, so let's sit on the grass." Eunbin initiated.

Haejun quickly took something out from his large backpack. A picnic mat. "Yeeun and I went on an indoor picnic yesterday and this mat is still here." He set the mat on the grass.

"An..." Heejun, Yuta,

"...indoor...." Inseong and Jaehyun,

"....picnic??" Taeyong, Seungjun and Jihun, asked at the same time.

Yeeun and Haejun looked at them weirdly. "It's our code for jjimjilbang (korean sauna)."

The eleven people started to laugh nonstop while placing themselves on the picnic mat.

"So, noona." Jihun suddenly became serious. "If I have someone who wants to see you, will you meet him?"

Seungjun checked his phone and typed something, almost like answering a text.

"You mean like, Youjin?" She asked. Everyone became curious.

Jihun nodded. He called someone on his phone. "The bench by the tree." And hung up.

She didn't believe him that Youjin was here so no high expectations. "Do you really have to pull on a joke on my graduation day?"

"Who is Youjin?" Taeyong asked.

"Just someone." She quickly replied.

"Just someone? Really?" Someone tapped her head. She looked up. It was Youjin, smiling at her. "Happy graduation, Neighbour."

Eunbin stood up and poked his arms. "It really is you. But I thought you were..."

"I have these four best friends of mine who are willing to pick me up from the island and drive here. Even though I was the one who parked the car." He explained but he kept his smile on display.

Yeeun was startled but she felt touched by the situation and Haejun quickly patted her back.

"Here. My gift." Youjin gave her a keyring. "So our keys won't get swapped again."

She took the keyring but felt like no such thing would happen since he didn't live next door anymore. "It won't get swapped."

"Says who?"

"Because you don't live there anymore."

He smirked. "I'm moving back to that flat, Kwon Eunbin."