The Girl With The Iron Will

No Loose Ends

"I'll search the universe, until I can find you again. I won't let go, even the smallest memories."

EXO, Universe

"It really is weird without having Chen here with us," Se-Mi said, holding the gold trophy in her hand, "He was helping us so much to prepare for the performance."

Song Joon looked down at his trophy. "And he was our biggest supporter, too," he said with a sad pout, "Wouldn't have thought I could even get a trophy, what more first place."

I linked my arms through theirs. "Chen wouldn't want us to be sad, that's for sure," I told them, "I told Minseok about it, I'm pretty sure he's told Chen by now."

Song Joon whistled. "Must be nice to have a senior like Minseok. We'd all kill to have a friendship like that."

Se-Mi coughed into her hand. "Says the guy whose cousin is the main vocalist for Beast," she commented, "Seriously, Song Joon, you can't really complain."

The three of us laughed as we got offstage.

Senior year had finally come to an end, and the graduation ceremony had been the cherry on top.

In all honesty, there wasn't really much to look forward to; the performance segment would have been the pinnacle of every senior's dream, due to the fact that EXO would have been here as mentors.

But since the departure of Kris, they were no longer at Gang-do, and that wasn't the only bummer of the year.

Ji Yoon had been crying in the morning, following news that Luhan, who, had in an unexpected turn of events, had filed a lawsuit to nullify his contract, the same way Kris had done. As soon as she found out she burst into sobs during the valedictorian speech, and had been inconsolable since then.

After the ceremony and its customary rite of passage – and by this I mean saying goodbye to my friends and having last inside jokes with the teachers – I wandered around the campus while waiting for Ji Yoon to finish taking her billionth picture with her friends.

My mother had returned to her office after the ceremony, leaving me completely free to say my final farewell to the place I had called a second home.

The locker hallway was its usual self, filled with its fair share of students, and I had a little smile on my face as I walked in my graduation robe, knowing I would not have to take my things from locker, which was now empty.

I stared at the emptiness, wistful.

Soon, someone else would have this little space, with a new combination code. Whoever it was, they would come back to it day after day, stuffing their books because they'd be too lazy to lug them back home.

If they were lucky, they'd receive love letters and roses and chocolates on White Day.

If they were unlucky, they'd find death threats slipped in through the little gap of the locker.

You've served me well these past few years, my friend.

I turned away from the locker, saying hello as familiar juniors bid their greetings, taking my time as I headed to the archery range.

It was empty, as I found out.

Just for fun, I took a bow and some arrows, walking to my favorite range, and proceeded to shoot until I was satisfied.

I walked to the target board, hands running over the thick foam which was filled with pierced holes. I lost count the amount of times I had spent my tumultuous days here between or after class, letting out my anger as I nocked arrow after arrow on my bow.