Asclepsius

A sigh of relief slipped past my lips as I leaned back in my chair. Four years. Four exhausting, beautiful, chaotic years. And somehow, I had actually made it. University was over. South Korea, the place that had once felt impossibly far from home, had slowly become a second home. The unfamiliar streets had become familiar. The language that once sounded like a blur had become something I could understand. The faces around me had gone from strangers to friends, and the campus I had once been terrified of leaving behind was now nothing more than a collection of memories. Tonight was our graduation dinner. The restaurant was ridiculously fancy, the kind of place where even the water glasses looked more expensive than my entire wardrobe. Soft golden lights hung above us, reflecting against polished tables and enormous windows overlooking the city. Music played quietly in the background while my classmates laughed, took pictures, exchanged hugs, and made promises about keeping in touch. Some of them were staying. Some were going home. And some were about to disappear into completely different corners of the world. I looked around the table, taking it all in. This was supposed to be the moment I felt free. Instead, my stomach was doing gymnastics. "What am I even going to do now?" The thought had been circling my head for weeks. University had given me a timetable, assignments, exams, deadlines and a clear destination. Now? Nothing. No syllabus. No professor telling me what came next. No familiar classroom waiting for me on Monday morning. Just the terrifying blank page called adulthood. "Hey, Am." I turned my head. Liz was staring at me, her eyebrows knitted together. "What's wrong?" I quickly shook my head. "Nothing." She narrowed her eyes. That look. The I know you're lying look. I sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm just worried about what I'm supposed to do after this." Liz waited. "I have to find a job. I have to start earning. I have to figure out where I'm going to live, what I'm going to do, what comes next..." I paused, glancing around the table. "Everyone seems to have a plan." Liz burst out laughing. I frowned. "What's so funny?" "You." "Me?" "Yes, you." She pointed her fork at me like she was about to deliver a very important lecture. "You're a topper, remember? You survived four years here and somehow came out with your brain still functioning. You're going to get a job." I rolled my eyes. "That's your motivational speech?" "Yes." "Terrible." "And yet," she said smugly, "you feel better." I couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto my face. "You are such a medicine, Liz." She grinned. "I gotcha." I laughed, finally allowing myself to relax. For a moment, I forgot about jobs. Forgot about resumes. Forgot about the terrifying uncertainty waiting beyond graduation. Tonight was about us. Our ridiculous little group that had somehow made it through four years together. I lifted my glass with the others. "To surviving university!" Everyone cheered. Glasses clinked. Laughter filled the table. And somewhere between the noise, the photographs, and the promises of we'll definitely keep in touch, I wondered if this was what the end of one chapter was supposed to feel like. Not sad. Not happy. Just... Uncertain. Like standing at the edge of something enormous without knowing whether to be excited or afraid. I looked out through the window at the glowing city. Maybe tomorrow, I'd figure it out. Maybe. J-Hope "JIMINAH!" Jimin nearly jumped out of his chair. "Ah! Yeah, hyung? Why are you shouting?" J-Hope stared at him. "Because we've been sitting here celebrating our win, and you've been completely zoned out for the last ten minutes." Jimin blinked. "I'm not zoned out." "You've been staring at the same thing for ten minutes." Jimin's eyes immediately shifted away. "I'm just..." He paused. "...never mind." J-Hope raised an eyebrow. That was definitely suspicious. "Okay..." Jimin picked up his glass, forcing a smile. "Let's celebrate." "Okay," Hoseok replied slowly. But he didn't look convinced. Not even slightly. Jimin tried to focus on the celebration around him. The laughter. The music. The congratulations. The victory. Everything should have been perfect. And yet, his attention kept drifting toward the same direction. Toward someone sitting across the restaurant. A girl he'd noticed earlier. He didn't know her name. He didn't know why he'd noticed her. He only knew that, every once in a while, his eyes somehow found their way back to her. And every time they did... He couldn't quite look away. Jimin shook his head and quietly laughed at himself. What am I even doing? Tonight was supposed to be about celebrating. So he lifted his glass again. But before he could take a sip, Hoseok leaned toward him. "Jimin." "Hm?" "You're doing it again." Jimin froze. "Doing what?" "Staring." Jimin immediately looked away. "I wasn't." Hoseok smiled knowingly. "Sure." Jimin groaned. "Hyung..." Hoseok laughed and raised his glass. "Come on. Forget whatever you're thinking about." Jimin looked toward the window. Then, almost unconsciously, toward the girl again. For just a second, their eyes met. His heart skipped. She looked away first. Jimin quickly lowered his gaze. Maybe Hoseok was right. Maybe he was imagining things. Maybe this was nothing. Just one ordinary night. Just two strangers sitting in the same restaurant. Two lives that had crossed for a few seconds without either of them knowing what it meant. He smiled faintly. Then raised his glass. "To tonight." Hoseok clinked his glass against his. "To tonight." Neither of them knew it yet. But sometimes, the most important stories begin on completely ordinary nights. And sometimes... The beginning doesn't feel like a beginning at all. It just feels like a glance.