The pantry is so quiet; no one's around because it's still working hours. I set my coffee cup down and pressed the button; with a beep, it started, and suddenly, Joohwan's name echoed in my ears.
I wondered where I had heard that name before. His sad eyes and that self-destructive smile—how could someone smile like that when he was about to jump? I still don't understand why I cried for him. It's hard to believe I shed tears for someone I don't even know; even if it was a dream, it felt so vivid. Despite considering myself a kind person, the thought of someone I had never met profoundly affected me.
As I stood by the coffee machine, lost in thought, my phone rang, causing me to jump. Thank goodness it didn't ring during the meeting. I mentally scolded myself for not being more careful. I pulled my phone out of my trousers, and when I saw the caller ID, a smile instantly spread across my face. Choi Ah-in—my best friend. I answered the call quickly, relieved to break the chaos of my day.
"Hi, Ah-in! What's going on?" I said in a playful voice, enjoying the distraction it provided.
"Busy?" she asked, with her voice already teasing me.
"Not too busy for you," I said, with a smirk, knowing she could probably hear the grin in my voice.
I could almost hear her rolling her eyes on the other end. "Yah, Han Sungmin, can't you be serious for once?" Her voice came out sounding more deadpan than flustered.
I chuckled, guessing she was with Hosung at this point. "Sorry, darling, I didn't know you were with your boyfriend. Tell me when he is gone, okay?" I teased, grinning even wider.
"YAH! DON'T BE SO RIDICULOUS!" she yelled, making me wince at the unexpected loudness.
I faked a pout. "Ah, you've broken my eardrums," I said, rubbing my ear, trying not to laugh at her reaction.
"Now shut that silly mouth of yours," she snapped, but I could hear the laughter in her voice, as well as Hosung's chuckles in the background.
"So I called to check on you. You've been quite busy lately, haven't you?" She asked, clearing her throat as if to sound casual.
I arched an eyebrow, feeling something was wrong. "Choi Ah-in," I teased, stretching out her name in a sing-song style. "What's going on?" I quickly switched to a more serious tone, my curiosity sparked.
On the other end, there was a long pause, as if she were hesitant to speak. I could tell she was holding back. You might be wondering what's wrong with a friend checking in on you. Isn't it normal? Yes, it's normal, but not with her, especially when you only met yesterday and see each other almost every day.
But something seemed odd. After all, we were best friends—and troublemakers—back in high school. I knew her well enough to tell when something was up.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she sighed. "You see, Sungmin-ah..." she said, her usual calm tone laced with hesitation. "I need to talk to you about something."
Just then, I noticed a distinct difference in her speech. "Hello, Sungmin," Hosung said with his friendly greeting. Of course. Who else could it be?
"What's wrong with her?" I asked him and turned to the coffee machine, which was just finishing brewing his coffee. I leaned against the counter, trying to get a better read on the situation.
Hosung chuckled lightly at the other end. "She is fine, you know; Actually, there is a high school reunion tonight."
"What?!" I almost yelled, my eyes going wide, hearing the news of the high school reunion. "Why so sudden?"
"It's not so sudden, Sungmin," he said calmly. I heard him take a deep breath and waited for him to continue. "It was actually planned a week ago. "Ah, I thought you'd decline, saying 'work' or some other excuse."
"So, you thought you'd just drop this on me today, out of nowhere?" I clenched my jaw, already feeling stressed from the unexpected news.
"Sungmin, please, just consider coming. It'll be enjoyable to catch up with old friends and reminisce about the good old days," he pleaded, trying to convince me to attend the reunion.
I sighed, torn between wanting to avoid awkward social gatherings, unlike office meetings, and wondering what everyone had been up to since high school.
I sighed, torn between wanting to avoid awkward social gatherings—especially ones outside of office meetings—and the curiosity of what everyone had been up to since high school.
"Sungmin-ah, you know I would never go without you," Ah-in added softly, trying to convince me.
I rolled my eyes, irritation growing. "Don't go; neither will I," I said, my patience growing thin.
"Yah—why?" Ah-in asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
I leaned on the counter, massaging my temples with frustration. "Because, Ah-in, you know how I feel about these kinds of things. I'd rather not deal with the small talk and forced smiles. It's not like we haven't been in touch."
There was a pause on the other end, and Ah-in's voice softened again. "I understand, Sungmin-ah. But it's been a while since we've seen everyone together. Don't you want to see how people have changed? Besides, it will be enjoyable. Just this once."
I sighed, leaning back against the counter, the weight of her words settling on me. Though I wasn't especially interested in how others had turned out, and I certainly didn't want to revisit high school memories, yet...Ah-in was not wrong. It had been about 13 years since our graduation. Perhaps it is okay to catch up with old friends—just this once.
Just... just once.
"Fine," I mumbled, unable to resist anymore. "But only for a little bit, okay? I'm not staying all night."
A triumphant chuckle rose along the line. "Deal! I knew you'd come around."
I rolled my eyes, yet a faint smile formed on the corners of my lips. "Don't get too excited."
"See you tonight!" she said, almost chirpy.
I shook my head as I ended the call, wondering what I was getting myself into. But maybe... just maybe, it wouldn't be as awful as I thought.
It won't be a terrible decision, right?