Snow Flower (TAEUN)

Serenity

The floors of Gangnam High lay still as night. Windows were shut, lights were off, and desks lay vacant. Not a single soul walked through the corridors. Every inch of the building lay lifeless. Every room except the main hall.

Today was a special day for many special people; graduation day.

Cue We're All In This Together Graduation Mix (once a wildcat, always a wildcat :'>)

The hall was decorated with ribbons of red and gold. A crowd of bouquets decorated the center staircase of the stage as a crimson red carpet draped below it, flowing its way to the entrance. On both sides of the carpet, thousands of tiffany chairs pervaded the wooden floors. Robes of red sat on top of them, bright smiles plastered on every one of their faces as they eagerly await the declaration of becoming high school graduates. They had come far and struggled through many trials and tribulations to be where they were and where they would be in the coming months.

As the valedictorian, Naeun had to prepare a speech for her peers. She was nervous, of course, but it was nothing compared to the speech she had to make under the presence of a judge and a feisty lawyer.

So much had happened since the day of judgment: she was the talk of the school for weeks! News spread like the plague. It hadn't even been a week since the trial, yet nearly everyone in school knew who Naeun was. Some pitied her while others looked up to her but a small handful of them envied her as well. Not only did she have a secret fling with L, but Naeun was now dating the most popular guy in school. Many delusional admirers believed Taemin was only dating her out of pity or that he was dared to date her, but their childish beliefs shattered when Taemin surprised her with a huge birthday party at the cafeteria, filling the place with balloons, confetti, and a large strawberry shortcake for her to devour. Afterward, he asked her to be his prom date. The memories made the brunette smile. As Headmaster Han was finishing his speech, she felt a tight squeeze on her hand.

"Good luck," he whispered. Naeun squeezed his hand back, mouthing a 'thank you' before climbing up on stage. She heard her classmates, especially her class, plus three more, whistling and screaming her name. She appreciated their cheers as it helped calm the typhoon within her. Lightly tapping the microphone to double-check it was working, Naeun began her speech.

"For many of us, we were told that high school would be the most important year of our future." She thought back to the time when everyone crowded themselves with papers and books, pens and markers, and notes and flashcards. "We were also told that it would be one of the best years of our lives to create memories of our youths," and looked at the group of friends whom she had grown to love and cherish.

"I'm pretty sure most of you focused on the second point rather than the first," she joked, and small peals of laughter filled the room. 

"We often wonder what the future holds for us now. A few of you may have had everything settled which is a great thing, but for most of us, it remains a mystery and that's okay too. This is our time to be adventurous - to try new things; to get out of our comfort zone and expose ourselves to what the world can hit us with." Her confident, determined expression softened as she locked eyes with the boy she loved.

"This is our time to become better than who we were then. Made mistakes? Made irrational decisions? That's okay! That's the road to strength. Though it saddens many of us to leave the building that built our foundations, let us also welcome the beginning of a new story in our lives and live every moment of it with a gracious heart. Congratulations class of 2021; we did it!" she squealed and everybody rose in applause.

"Students," Headmaster Han spoke. Despite being headmaster at Gangnam High for almost twenty years, the step of letting his students whom he had watched over and grown in the last four years made his heart heavy. "Please rise," and they rose. "Move your tassels from right to left," and all hands were lifted to do so.