Chapter 160
A few days ago, I successfully completed a solo V App broadcast for my birthday without any major incidents.
During the one-hour live session, I spent some time speaking in English or Japanese for the foreign Airies, and I even sang a short song.
Of course, I kept my voice down to avoid disturbing my neighbors since it was late.
In fact, my singing was so quiet that the Airies watching the broadcast couldn’t hear well, so I promised to officially cover the song and upload a video on YouTube if possible.
And today was Gyun Seong-ha’s high school graduation day.
Gyun Seong-ha, dressed neatly in a wool coat over his light blue shirt and white jacket, which gave a fresh feel to his Han Arts high school uniform, already looked slightly nervous.
‘Should I have given him some calming medicine?’
Gwak Sang-hyun was holding onto Gyun Seong-ha, explaining various things.
“When you go up there, you’ll have a brief interview, so think about what you want to say beforehand.”
“Yes.”
“Your parents and family are all coming, right?”
“Yes. I told them to come a bit early because it’ll be crowded.”
The entire ride to school, Gyun Seong-ha remained silent.
I wondered if he had close friends at school or if he had many memories from attending diligently for three years.
Whichever it was, as someone who had dropped out of high school without much thought, I couldn’t quite relate, but I was pretty sure he would cry today.
The graduation ceremony I had only heard about was much more hectic than I had imagined.
Since I was officially listed as having graduated from this school last year, I tried not to show too much curiosity while looking around.
The school building was quite large, and as expected of a school with many celebrities, a proper photo zone was set up.
There were many journalists with official press badges, and even more fans with huge cameras.
Although this was a personal event as a student rather than an official schedule as an Orca member, it didn’t look good to see fans flocking in like that, no matter how dedicated they were.
“Please give us a heart.”
“This time, to the left.”
After a now-familiar photo time, we entered the auditorium where the graduation ceremony would take place. Only students and pre-distributed ticket holders, such as students’ families or acquaintances, could enter, so the ceremony proceeded smoothly.
Gyun Seong-ha received an award for academic excellence and a special merit award.
“Special Merit Award, 3rd year, Class 2, Gyun Seong-ha. This student has been exemplary in his school life and has greatly contributed to the school’s honor through his entertainment activities, thus serving as a role model for other students, and is awarded this certificate.”
Thanks to his height, Gyun Seong-ha stood out among his friends as he received the certificate from the principal. People applauded enthusiastically.
I could frequently hear the playful voices of students cheering on Gyun Seong-ha, which suggested that, contrary to his surprisingly shy personality, he had quite a few friends at school.
Among the recipients of the special merit award were Oh Hyun-jin, who had recently debuted with Hunt Red, and Ji-oh, whose real name is Go Kyung-yoon, who debuted with Liftin.
Like Gyun Seong-ha, both Oh Hyun-jin and Go Kyung-yoon had debuted less than a month ago, so it seemed that the special merit award was given to any entertainer regardless of their level of recognition.
Perhaps due to their busy schedules from their recent debuts, or to avoid the chaos inside the hall, neither Hunt Red nor Liftin members seemed to have come.
I later heard that Liftin decided not to attend since their schedule overlapped with Ok Do-yoon’s graduation at another school, and Hunt Red couldn’t come due to other commitments.
Well, anyway, seeing a piece of trash on a good day ruined my mood.
* * *
With the closing speech, all the formalities of the Han La Art School’s graduation ceremony ended smoothly.
But the ceremony didn’t end there.
“Now, we will enjoy the celebration performance prepared by Han La students.”
From now on, there were congratulatory performances prepared by current students and graduates.
The hosts were a male and a female student from Han La, currently active as idols, who had just moved up to the 3rd year.
The celebration performance included students performing a lively musical and a dance club showcasing an impressive dance performance, but what drew the most interest from the students was undoubtedly the performance by active idols.
“Please give a big round of applause to the two students who showed us a wonderful stage.”
“Next up. We have a group with no less than three members from Han La.”
As the male student hinted, sporadic shouts of “Orca!” erupted among the students.
“Yes. It’s finally time for freedom. Here’s Orca!”
Without any further delay, the female student announced Orca.
Whether it was because there were three Han La graduates in the group or because familiar idols were performing, the students welcomed Orca more enthusiastically than ever.
Orca, dressed in school uniforms, quickly took their positions on the darkened stage.
On Raon and Seo Moon-gyeol wore the same Han La uniforms as Gyun Seong-ha, while Ban Yo-han and Kang Ji-woo wore the uniforms of their respective high schools as stage costumes.
“Time for Freedom”
Winter
‘Freedom’ was a song that resonated with students about to start anew, and it was especially popular among students looking forward to winter break, so Orca focused even more on their performance.
“Thank you for the wonderful performance. Ah, you were truly amazing. Don’t you think so?”
“Absolutely!”
When the students responded positively in high voices, the members, who had been catching their breath after the intense choreography, smiled in gratitude.
“Then, could we have a greeting and some words of encouragement for the graduating students?”
“Yes. Let’s start with our greeting.”
“On and on ORCA!”
“Hello, we are Orca.”
As the members greeted in unison and bowed, the students cheered enthusiastically once again.
Seo Moon-gyeol was the first to take the microphone.
“First of all, I sincerely congratulate the graduates.”
Among the responding cheers, a shout of “You’re handsome, senior!” could be heard mixed in.
As a fellow student and senior, it seemed that his sharp impression made it difficult for others to approach him at school, but standing on stage as an idol seemed to give them the courage to speak up.
Seo Moon-gyeol, showing his characteristic warm smile to the juniors, continued.
“Last year, Raon and I graduated, and this time, Seong-ha is graduating. With three of our members graduating from Han La Art School, it’s very meaningful and an honor for us to perform at this graduation ceremony.”
Next, the microphone was passed to On Raon.
Although he felt quite awkward about wearing a uniform from a school he never actually attended and saying something that would be meaningful to someone, he managed to deliver the prepared speech smoothly.
Of course, the students were so focused on On Raon’s face that they didn’t hear a word he said.
“Standing next to senior Raon makes me feel… very small.”
“Me too. So, do you have any words you’d like to say to senior Seong-ha who is graduating?”
“Actually, Seong-ha couldn’t take the CSAT last year because it clashed with our debut schedule and the postponed CSAT date. I helped him study hard in between preparing for our debut.”
At the unexpected comment from a CSAT top scorer, the students, who had also suffered due to the postponement caused by natural disasters, let out long sighs of sympathy.
“So, I hope he does well on the CSAT next year.”
“Ah, it looks like senior Seong-ha’s expression just got worse.”
“…”
“Just kidding.”
With a cheerful laugh, Ban Yo-han continued.
“I know that many of you here, including Seong-ha, are walking paths where CSAT scores aren’t that important. I want to say that no matter what path you choose, it’s never the wrong or late path.”
Ban Yo-han’s somewhat refreshing words received great applause from the students.
“Ah, Yo-han, I truly respect you for that. Then, could you give one final word to the graduating students?”
“As you step out of the protective fence of the school that has been your strong support, you will face more difficult and challenging times on your own.”
After taking a shallow breath, Kang Ji-woo continued in a calm voice.
“No matter what trials come your way, I believe that you, who have done well so far, can overcome them. Please face your twenties with courage and passion. Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately, we have to let Orca go after one more performance. Could you introduce the stage you have prepared?”
“As a gift for those graduating from high school, we will perform ‘Present’.”
Orca, performing a 5-member version of ‘Present,’ left the stage amid enthusiastic cheers.
* * *
After the graduation ceremony, the graduates gathered near the auditorium to take pictures together.
I also saw Seong-ha’s family, including his older brother, Gyeon Yoo-seong, who was a swimmer I had only heard about, and his younger brother, Gyeon Ha-ram, who was now in his third year of high school.
Although Gyeon Seong-ha had muscles that could lift both me and Kang Ji-woo at the same time, he appeared relatively slender. In contrast, Gyeon Yoo-seong gave the immediate impression of an athlete to anyone who saw him.
He was the tallest and broadest-shouldered person I had ever seen.
However, perhaps due to his inherently gentle eyes or his casual way of speaking, despite his size, he didn’t come off as very intimidating and felt more like a friendly neighborhood older brother.
Indeed, he was Seong-ha’s older brother.
On the other hand, Gyeon Ha-ram, who had been steadily working as a child actor since a young age, had a clear, smart, and handsome appearance that seemed popular even among same-gender peers.
And unlike his soft-hearted older brothers, he seemed to have a rather cool-headed personality.
Anyway, seeing all three siblings being so distinctly good-looking, I wondered if there was a gene for good looks running in their family. Seong-ha’s parents, who were said to be teachers, had such a plain and good impression that I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to say this, but they looked very ordinary.
It was fascinating that such uniquely individualistic children were born from such a modest couple.
We were talking about going to eat jjajangmyeon together since Seong-ha’s parents had reserved a table at a Chinese restaurant to commemorate the occasion.
[It’s been a while, senior. Could you come to the second floor of the gym for a moment?]
I received a text from an unknown number.
[I have something to discuss about senior Oh Hyun-jin.]