[Neo Zone] Population: 23 Kids

The Final Graduation

The only sounds that could be heard around the abandoned church were goats bleating and a few chickens going nuts in their coop because one of the hens laid an egg and they all felt the need to announce it. Other than that, it was silent. No cars passing by because it was on an unused road, and no people because, again, it was an unused road.

The abandoned church with its stained glass windows and open structure was the only place Mr. and Mrs. Suh would agree to move to with the grandparents. The grandparents had taken a lot of convincing to downsize their farm and move in with their oldest daughter, but after Grandpa fell one day, they decided it was a good idea.

The church had been chosen because it looked really cool. That was the only reason other than the fact that it was still in the middle of no where, exactly where the grandparents loved to be.

It drove Mr. and Mrs. Suh nuts for a few days because of the silence. Something they hadn't heard completely in decades. But that didn't matter right now because the church was empty. Just as the cafe was.

The boys had taken charge of the cafe five years ago, but it's been six years since the idea was proposed. And so far it was going very well. 

Sungchan's parents had flipped out when he said he wanted to become a soccer coach rather than the astrophysicist they had in their mind. It didn't matter when they kicked him out of the house as soon as he graduated because he had always had the cafe basement.

Shotaro's parents had also kicked him out when he said he was going to teach dance lessons at the local studio with Ten rather than become the doctor they were planning him to. Both instances hurt, but they were fine now.

And while Hendery had planned on moving to Somalia to become an actual pirate, he now helped out at the cafe or just hung around.

The only ones that had "real jobs" were Lucas, Sungchan, Ten, Shotaro, Doyoung, WinWin and Jungwoo.

Lucas had been working at a chewing gum factory for the past four years, Doyoung was an HR manager at a local company, WinWin and Jungwoo worked at an animal shelter, Sungchan with his coaching, and Ten and Shotaro ran dance classes.

No one counted Mark's guitar lessons, Taeyong and Jaemin's volunteering, and Kun's small plane flying at summer fairs as actual jobs. They didn't even count working at the cafe as a job, even though pretty much everyone did now that they had expanded and made it so most of the cooking was done in the upper portion of the building and used the ground level as seating.

But that wasn't today's focus. No, today was all about Chenle and Jisung. More specifically, their graduation from high school.

The two walked across the stage that was set up in the middle of the stadium field, receiving their diploma together and blushing at the amount of screaming coming from the stands for them. Well, Jisung was blushing. Chenle was waving like a prince and soaking it all up.

"Copy cats!" Haechan and Sungchan shouted together just so their voices would be heard on the stage.

They were referring to how Chenle and Jisung were crossing the stage together instead of separately. The entire 00 line had received their diplomas at once (with Shotaro even though he wasn't graduating that year from being held back), and they did it again when Sungchan and Shotaro graduated, even though they weren't supposed to leave the stands.

Having to practically drag Chenle off the stage, Jisung and Chenle returned to their spot next to the rest of their graduating class. There was still way too many people to go, and everyone had wanted to leave the moment they got there.

"I'm really glad you were held back a year." Jisung whispered.

"Because I didn't understand Korean even if I pretended for half of it?"

"No, because I would've been doing everything this year on my own. I would've had no friends at prom, no one in the school, no one here to make fun of the principle's make up because she looks like a clown right now. It would've sucked having to do those things on my own."

Chenle scrunched his nose at Jisung's sentiment.

"You're just saying that because you've never done anything on your own."

"Not true, I was an only child for a few years in my life."

"You don't remember any of that."

"Nope."

Chenle playfully rolled his eyes at Jisung, laughing when Jisung nudged him.

"That lady seriously looks like a clown up there." Chenle noted once more, smiling when he saw Mrs. Suh was still taking pictures from the stands.

"I wonder if her makeup will start melting off in this heat."

"Can makeup melt?"

Jisung shrugged, "I don't know, it was just a thought."

The two of them shut up when one of their classmates shushed them, but not before Chenle stuck his tongue out at them. He had been taking advantage of that today, especially since there was nothing they could do about it because he planned on having nothing to do with these people after he left today.

"What's Grandpa struggling to hold?" Jisung asked, squiting at the stands.

"Is that... Did he bring a goat?"

"I think he did."

The two of them shared a bright smile, a scene Mrs. Suh was very proud of to have captured on camera. That was going right next to the one of Chenle sticking his tongue out at another kid on the fridge already filled with pictures and all sorts of things.

As soon as the painfully long ceremony was over, the two ditched their graduation robes right where they were standing and bolted to the stands. They had to go back and put their robes back on because Mrs. Suh wanted pictures of the two of them with everyone, and that was almost as painful as the ceremony.

But at least this set of graduation photos finally got to include a goat. Because what was the school going to do? Suspend them?

Ages because I know someone will ask:

Taeil: 25

95 line: 24

96 line: 23

97 line: 22

Jungwoo: 21

99 line: 20

00 line: 19

01 line: 18

Jisung: 17