When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 30

The venue for the reunion was buzzing with laughter and chatter. Seok Kyung, Ha Ya, and I walked through the crowd, weaving past groups of former classmates who looked much more familiar to each other than they did to me.

I recognized faces, sure. But names? That was a different story. Maybe I never bothered to remember them in the first place. Too buried in textbooks, too caught up in trying to survive. And of course, Seok Kyung and Ha Ya weren’t from my department. They were both nursing students, but somehow, they became my closest friends while my own classmates remained strangers.

“Wow,” Seok Kyung muttered, glancing around. “Everyone looks… older.”

“Well, we are older,” Ha Ya pointed out.

“Speak for yourself. I refuse to age,” Seok Kyung huffed.

We passed by a group of people who looked vaguely familiar. One of them, a guy with sharp features and glasses, turned toward us. “Ye Na?”

I blinked. “Uh… yeah?”

A grin spread across his face. “It’s me, Min Joon! We were in the same class.”

“Oh,” I said, nodding slowly, pretending that helped. “Right! Min Joon. Of course.”

He chuckled. “You don’t remember, do you?”

“Not really,” I admitted, offering an apologetic smile. “I… wasn’t the best at making friends back then.”

“Yeah, I remember,” he said, amused. “You were always in the library.”

“Sounds about right.”

“So, what are you up to now?”

“I’m an anesthesiology resident.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Impressive.”

I shrugged. “And you?”

“Still single and working as a researcher,” he said, sighing dramatically. “It’s a glamorous life.”

Seok Kyung snorted. “Sounds thrilling.”

Min Joon grinned. “You have no idea.”

We chatted for a few more minutes before moving on, eventually finding a table to sit at. Seok Kyung leaned in conspiratorially. “Did you see Soo Jin?”

“Soo Jin?” Ha Ya asked.

“You know, the one who always hung around guys and treated other girls like background characters?”

“Ohh,” Ha Ya said, smirking. “The one who thought she was in a K-drama?”

“Yes! She’s here,” Seok Kyung whispered, eyes darting around. “And—oh no. She’s coming this way.”

Soo Jin strutted toward us, her posture oozing confidence. “Oh my god! Ye Na, Seok Kyung, Ha Ya! It’s been so long.”

Seok Kyung immediately turned her head away, pretending to look at something incredibly interesting on the wall. Ha Ya nodded politely but said nothing.

“Yeah,” I said casually. “It has.”

Soo Jin beamed. “You look so different now! What have you been up to?”

“Working,” I said simply. “Residency.”

Soo Jin gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest. “Wow, a doctor! That’s amazing. You must be, like, drowning in work, huh? No time for a social life?”

I gave her a slow blink. “I manage.”

She turned her attention to Seok Kyung and Ha Ya, her lips curving into a knowing smirk. “And you two? Still in nursing?”