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Chapter 228: Again After Rainfall (4)

“For real?"

“Crying during the presentation? What?”

“Ah, stop it, really... Ah, geez..."

As the students teased Hee-Su, he lowered his head and covered his face with his arms. However, covering his face didn’t stop the tears; his shoulders were shaking incessantly.

“I really... really think it was a good decision to apply for this program. I really mean it. It was so much fun."

“Great. It seems like Hee-Su has built a lot of fond memories and friendships. Right?"

Hee-Su nodded and buried his face in the desk while sitting down. Joon-Hwan smiled wryly and belatedly patted him on the back.

After Hee-Su, it was Joon-Hwan\'s turn and then Daniele\'s. After that, the other friends shared their thoughts in turn, and now it was my turn. “Next is Hyun-Woo’s time to speak."

“Okay.”

As I stood up, the gaze that had briefly turned toward Kun-Ho now shifted to me. I thought I had gotten used to being the center of attention, but it felt more embarrassing to receive familiar stares.

“Um... I\'ve been a trainee since I was very young, so everything from school life to hanging out with friends was new and exciting for me. I\'m so glad I could make many memories with you all, and I\'m sad to be graduating. However, I look forward to continuing to meet you all. Thank you for everything, guys."

“Let’s give him a round of applause! Next is Yoo-Joon. Try to talk as long as Hyun-Woo did. Got it?"

“Oh no, how can I?" Yoo-Joon stood up and exchanged jokes with Kun-Ho.

“I\'m in trouble. Hyun-Woo has said everything I was thinking."

“No choice then. Let\'s just say something on the spot."

“Um, honestly, it feels like it is ending too quickly, and I\'m sad. Being here is like going back to school and playing with friends. Sometimes, I even forgot we were filming. I purely enjoyed it."

Even Yoo-Joon felt embarrassed to talk like this with so many friends staring, so he quickly finished and sat down. Kun-Ho looked somewhat unsatisfied but let it slide.

Everyone finished sharing their thoughts one by one. Just then, the bell signaling the end of the first period rang. However, Kun-Ho did not leave the classroom and proceeded with the next agenda.

“Now, only the distribution of diplomas remains. Well, usually at graduation ceremonies, parents come to celebrate, right? But since they can\'t make it today—"

Unlike real high school graduations, most Memory High students\' families couldn\'t make it, so the management decided not to involve the parents at all.

“It would be sad to send you off without a single bouquet on such a day, right? So, I prepared this on behalf of your families.”

Kun-Ho opened the classroom door.

“Wow, what\'s that?"

“Senior is awesome."

There were as many bouquets prepared at the door as there were students.

“Teacher, did you buy those with your own money?" asked a student in the front jokingly. Kun-Ho smiled and said, “Of course, I bought them with my own money. It could be seen as the end of filming, but for you guys, it\'s the start of a new chapter of life. I prepared this to celebrate. Now, let\'s start distributing the diplomas. Come forward when your name is called."

The distribution of diplomas started. Kun Ho called each person\'s name and handed out diplomas and bouquets. The students, who went up without much thought, strangely had complex expressions upon receiving their diplomas. Even Goh Yoo-Joon, who went first according to Korean alphabetical order, was no exception.

“..." Yoo-Joon returned to his seat and looked at his diploma for a while. After that, he abruptly closed the cover and laid his head on it.

“Yoo-Joon. Hey, you are not crying, are you?"

“You are not crying, right? Right?”

I awkwardly patted his back in panic, but Yoo-Joon shrugged off my hand and said, “Stop it. I\'m not. Hey, but it feels really weird."

“You are really not crying? Don\'t cry. It hurts my heart."

“What the heck?” Yoo-Joon still had his head down but turned slightly to look at me. Ah, he was fine.

“That\'s good then." I awkwardly stopped patting his back.

“Suh Hyun-Woo."

“Yes." After waiting for a while, it was finally my turn, and I slowly walked up to Kun-Ho. I was just supposed to receive it, but I felt nervous...

Kun-Ho chuckled softly and patted my shoulder. “Chin up, Hyun-Woo."

In the midst of this, he didn\'t forget to advise me to ensure my face would be captured on camera. I lifted my head and looked at him.

“Here\'s your diploma. Suh Hyun-Woo, you are an alumnus from now on. Congratulations on your graduation."

“Thank you."

After receiving the diploma and bouquet from Kun-Ho, I instinctively looked at the diploma like the other kids. My name was at the bottom of the paper—Suh Hyun-Woo.

Ah, this was why. This was why everyone felt so strange.

It was a diploma neither Goh Yoo-Joon nor I ever thought we\'d receive, having dropped out of high school for our dreams. All the students at Memory High had their own reasons for not having a diploma until now. As a result, we all had a complex emotion that couldn\'t simply be expressed as happy or sad. It was truly a mixed feeling.

I returned to my seat and stared at the diploma for a while. Overwhelmed by an inexplicable surge of emotion, I covered the diploma and lay my head on the desk. Then, a hand came over my back and creepily stroked it. Goh Yoo-Joon seemed to have been waiting for it.

"Suh Hyun-Woo, you are not crying, are you? Don\'t cry. It breaks my heart."

Geez.

He was so annoying. I glared at Goh Yoo-Joon, who was mockingly repeating the words I had said.

“Don\'t make me angry," I grumbled.

Seeing my expression, Goh Yoo-Joon chuckled quietly.

The distribution of diplomas was over. Now, it was truly the end. The filming at Memory High was soon to conclude.

"Everyone truly worked hard. Congratulations on graduating once again. As this is just the beginning, I sincerely hope only happiness and good things come your way. That\'s all. Class president."

“Attention! Let\'s salute the teacher."

“Thank you for everything, teacher! Wowwwwww!!!"

With that, the filming in the Memory High classroom came to an end.

***

Just because the classroom filming was over didn\'t mean all the shooting for Graduating was done. There was one last interview after the graduation, and I heard the cameras would also accompany us to the dinner.

Usually, my interviews were conducted in sets with Goh Yoo-Joon, but today, it was done solo.

- Congratulations on your graduation, Hyun-Woo.

“Thank you."

- How do you feel? You couldn\'t speak properly earlier because your friends were around, right?

“It feels... really strange. Receiving the diploma is weird, and having school friends is surprisingly amazing."

- Why is it amazing?

“I\'ve been a trainee since elementary school, so I\'ve never attended school properly. Yoo-Joon was my only friend, and now, to think that I could have fun with so many friends in such a short time is just awesome."

Thinking about how we all became friends through the shooting and realizing that moving forward, we might not see each other often—and certainly not at Memory High—filled me with boundless sadness. Memory High was such a special place, and it was truly bittersweet to leave it behind.

“I\'m really grateful for this incredible opportunity. I don\'t think I will ever forget this experience, truly. It has brought me so much happiness."

"...Cut! Well done, Hyun-Woo."

The interview wasn\'t very long since it needed to capture everyone\'s thoughts. I then thanked the entire filming team and left the interview location. Su-Hwan and Goh Yoo-Joon, who had been waiting for me, leaned against the wall outside the classroom. When they saw me coming out, they approached me.

“Is it over?"

“Yeah, it\'s over."

Su-Hwan then returned my diploma and bouquet he had been holding.

“Wow, so this is really the end," Goh Yoo-Joon said while looking down at his bouquet. His voice was laden with lingering feelings, and I felt the same way.

“You both did great. Let\'s take a picture against this wall for a moment."

“Okay."

After taking a photo to post on BlueBird, Su-Hwan let us say our goodbyes to our friends. Hee-Su was off to a part-time job, Daniele to a photo shoot, and Joon-Hwan was being picked up by his parents, so there wasn\'t much time for lengthy farewells.

We took a group photo at the suggestion of Joon-Hwan\'s parents, and then we quickly parted ways after promising to meet up again for dinner.

“We will be leaving now. Let’s head to the dorm first."

“Okay."

As our car drove out of the gate, I watched the school grow smaller in the distance before finally turning away.

***

“Ah, our Memory High beauties have arrived!"

“Hello!"

“Ah, Director! What\'s with \'beauties\'? Is that still a thing?"

“Oh, do they not use \'beauties\' anymore? What\'s the term these days?"

After the shoot wrapped up for the evening and we got word that the set was ready, we arrived at the dinner venue to find the film crew already in high spirits, cracking open bottles. We exchanged greetings with the crew and had some small talk before heading straight to where the students were gathering.

“Did you make it? Hyun-Woo, you look a bit swollen. Did you sleep?"

“I did. I was so tired when I got home. Hee-Su, did you just finish your shift?"

“Yeah. I only helped out during the evening shift so I could join tonight\'s dinner."

When we arrived and saw so many people here, we were a bit worried, but it turned out Hee-Su and the others had saved seats for us.

Goh Yoo-Joon and I took our seats across from Hee-Su, Joon-Hwan, and Lee Cheol-Min. Daniele came running from afar and shouted something indistinct with a bottle of alcohol in each hand. As soon as I saw the bottles, I immediately turned to look at the others.

“Hey, let\'s not drink alc—"

“Woo! Joon! Are you ready?!"

“Ah! How long has it been since I drank with friends!? Hey, gather your glasses. I\'m an expert at mixing bomb shots."

At Hee-Su\'s words, Lee Cheol-Min started quietly collecting glasses with a small smile.

‘Are they planning on drinking to oblivion today?’

We were not supposed to join them.

As Goh Yoo-Joon and I exchanged glances and steadied ourselves, the already tipsy Director suddenly stood up with a glass in hand. “Alright! Kiddos! Everyone has drinks in their glasses, right? Let\'s make a toast!"

One side was busy making bomb shots, and the other was gearing up for a toast.

“Can we order soda instead?" I asked.

We had to stay sharp, or we\'d quickly become part of the merry drunkenness.