Work Text:
Inspired by this prompt on X.
Title from The Ataris' song.
The cozy venue buzzed with chatter and laughter as Pledis High School alumni filed in. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room. The tables were adorned with delicate floral arrangements, and the smell of freshly baked goods wafted from the buffet table. Chan and Seungkwan, who had spent months planning the reunion, meticulously curated the guest list.
"Name tags, please!" Seungkwan chirped, standing at the entrance with a clipboard in hand. He greeted each guest with his signature bright smile, though his eyes darted toward the list every so often to check who had yet to arrive. Beside him, Chan adjusted his blazer, his easygoing demeanor hiding the stress of orchestrating such a grand event.
"Look at you two," laughed Bora, their former class president, as she handed over her RSVP card. "Still the dream team after all these years!"
Chan grinned. "And you still know how to rally people together, Bora. You should’ve been in PR."
She chuckled. "Close enough—lawyer, actually. But where’s the star of the night? Isn’t Jeonghan supposed to be here by now!"
"Right here," came Jeonghan’s familiar voice as he sauntered in, arm-in-arm with Seungcheol. The two looked as polished as ever—Jeonghan in a tailored suit and Seungcheol exuding quiet confidence in his crisp dress shirt.
"Still together, huh?" Bora teased, though the fondness in her tone was unmistakable.
"Stronger than ever," Seungcheol replied, placing a kiss on Jeonghan’s temple. "Wedding’s next year. Save the date."
Cheers erupted, and a flurry of congratulations followed. As Jeonghan and Seungcheol moved to greet old friends, Chan leaned toward Seungkwan.
"One power couple accounted for. Now, where’s the rest of the gang?"
Before Seungkwan could reply, the door opened again, and a familiar face stepped inside. "Sorry I’m late," Joshua, or Jisoo as many still called him, announced with an apologetic smile. He looked travel-worn but happy, his suitcase rolling behind him. "I came straight from the airport. Just landed from LA."
The group erupted in warm greetings as Joshua joined them. He explained how he had just landed a position as an English professor in Jeonju after years of studying and working abroad.
"Fourteen hours of flying, and you still look this good?" Jeonghan teased, pulling Joshua into a hug.
"Jet lag hasn’t hit yet," Joshua joked. "But give it an hour."
"Glad you made it," Seungkwan said warmly, handing him a name tag. "Wouldn’t have been the same without you."
Joshua’s presence added to the growing energy in the room as everyone settled into their seats.
The venue came alive with stories and laughter. Updates were exchanged, memories relived, and teasing banter flowed freely. Wonwoo, sitting with Seungcheol and Jeonghan, quietly discussed his latest game development project, a thriving career that felt inevitable to anyone who remembered his gaming obsession in high school.
"Remember how you used to beat Seungcheol at every game?" Jeonghan teased.
"Used to?" Wonwoo smirked. "He still won’t win."
"Hey!" Seungcheol protested, earning laughter from the table.
At another table, Jun basked in the attention of several former classmates who were thrilled to see the now-famous actor. "I can’t believe you made it this big, Jun," Minhee, one of their old dance club members, gushed.
Jun waved it off with a laugh. "I still don’t know how it happened. Just got lucky, I guess."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Minghao interjected from his seat beside Jun. "You worked hard, and you deserve every bit of it."
Minghao himself had become an art curator, a career that seemed tailor-made for his refined taste and passion for aesthetics. "By the way," he added, "I’m inviting everyone to an art gallery near here after the party. Some of my pieces are on display."
"Count me in," said Vernon, now a music producer, who had been catching up with Minghao. "Always knew you’d end up doing something like this."
"Speaking of creative pursuits," Seungkwan said, rejoining the conversation, "Seokmin’s running late because of rehearsals. He’s got a big project coming up—Xcalibur. Isn’t that exciting?"
The mention of Seokmin drew a collective murmur of admiration. "He was always the loud one in class," Jiyeon, a former theater club member, said fondly. "Makes sense he’d be on stage."
✧༺♥༻∞
As the night wore on, Seungkwan tapped his clipboard with a pen, his lips pursed in concentration. "Okay, so far, we’ve accounted for almost everyone," he announced to Chan, who was flipping through a schedule on his phone. "But we’re still waiting for three—Jihoon, Soonyoung, and Yeji."
"Typical Jihoon," muttered Saehee from a nearby table. She had been a quiet, observant presence back in high school but had become surprisingly talkative tonight. "He never liked these kinds of things. I’d be shocked if he actually shows up."
"True," Seungkwan agreed, "but I still had to invite him. You never know."
"Speaking of invites," Yumi, the former cheerleader, leaned in with a conspiratorial smirk. "What about Soonyoung and Yeji? Are they still together? They were so lovey-dovey back in the day. Always holding hands, sharing snacks, acting like they were the main couple in a K-drama."
"They’re probably still together," Jiyeon chimed in from her seat across the room. "I mean, didn’t Mingyu work with Yeji on a few projects? You would know, right?"
Mingyu, ever the charmer, glanced up from taking selfies with a group of giggling classmates. "Oh, Yeji? Yeah, we’ve done some shoots together," he said, his grin widening. “One of the best in the field.”
"Not surprising," Yumi said wistfully. "She always had that star quality, even in high school."
Seungkwan rolled his eyes but kept his comments to himself. Star quality was one way to put it, but to him, Yeji always had a high-and-mighty air that grated on his nerves. It wasn’t insecurity, no matter what Chan liked to tease him about—it was just that Yeji’s "pick me" energy had been hard to stomach.
The conversation shifted to other topics, but Seungkwan’s focus snapped back when the door opened. The room grew quiet as Yeji entered, commanding attention as effortlessly as ever. Her red dress hugged her figure perfectly, and her glossy black hair cascaded over her shoulders. She walked with the poise of someone who knew she was turning heads.
"She hasn’t changed," Seungkwan muttered under his breath.
Chan elbowed him playfully. "You’re just jealous," he teased.
Before Seungkwan could retort, a tiny figure burst into the room behind Yeji. The little girl darted forward and grabbed Yeji’s hand.
"Whoa," Yumi whispered, eyes wide. "Who’s the kid?"
As if on cue, the door opened again, and in came Soonyoung.
"Here comes trouble," Chan said with a grin, walking over to greet him.
Seungkwan, frozen in place, stared at the child.
"Wait," Dahye whispered from a nearby table, leaning toward her friend. "Does Yeji have a secret kid? And with Soonyoung, no less?"
The murmurs spread quickly, and Seungkwan could hear bits of speculation buzzing around him.
"Look at her! She’s so Soonyoung’s daughter!" Dahye insisted.
Seungkwan couldn’t tear his eyes away from the child. She stood beside Yeji, her tiny hand clutching the model’s fingers, and glanced around the room with curious eyes. The little girl wore a black-and-white puffer jacket over a red miniskirt, white socks, and matching white shoes. Her hair was neatly tied into pigtails, and the cold had painted her cheeks a rosy red.
Seungkwan studied her closely, his mind racing. There was something undeniably familiar about her—her chubby red cheeks, her sharp eyes, the dimples that appeared above her mouth when she smiled. She was a carbon copy of Soonyoung.
That’s Soonyoung’s kid, Seungkwan thought, his breath hitching. Whispers began to ripple through the room, confirming that he wasn’t the only one to notice.
“Definitely Soonyoung’s,” one of their classmates said in a hushed tone followed by a nod.
The murmurs grew louder as Soonyoung stepped through the doorway; his grin as bright as ever. Without hesitation, he scooped the little girl into his arms, eliciting a delighted laugh from her. Behind him, Jihoon entered quietly, his usual stoic expression in place.
“Hyung!” Chan exclaimed, rushing over to hug Soonyoung.
“Hey, Chan!” Soonyoung greeted warmly, ruffling the younger man’s hair as he held the little girl close. She giggled, looking up at him with adoration before turning her gaze to Yeji, her expression lighting up as if the model hung the stars.
Seungkwan blinked, the pieces starting to click in his head. Wait. Could this be…? He shot a glance at Yeji, who was smiling faintly, though her expression remained unreadable.
The whispers continued to swirl as Soonyoung carried the child to a nearby table, with Jihoon trailing behind. Jeonghan, ever the opportunist, patted the seat beside him.
“Jihoon-ah, come sit next to me!” Jeonghan said with a wide grin.
Jihoon glanced at the seating arrangement. “Is there an extra seat there, hyung?”
Seungcheol nodded. “There are four empty ones—one next to Jeonghan, and three across from us.”
“Then I’ll sit in front,” Jihoon replied, slipping into a seat across from Jeonghan.
Soonyoung followed, settling into the chair beside Jihoon with the little girl on his lap. Yeji hesitated before taking the spot next to Jeonghan, her poised elegance adding to the air of mystery.
“You came with them?” Dahye asked Jihoon, her curiosity apparent. “Didn’t know you guys were close back then.”
“I mostly annoyed him,” Soonyoung interjected with a laugh.
Jihoon nodded, his lips twitching into a small smile. “He still does. Didn’t think I’d end up stuck with him forever.”
Dahye furrowed her brow, voicing what everyone was thinking. “Huh? What do you mean?”
Jihoon shrugged, his tone casual as he answered, "We’ve been married for six years now."
Gasps erupted around the table as Soonyoung beamed, holding up Jihoon’s hand to show off the wedding band. “And this,” he added, kissing Jihoon’s hand before gesturing to the little girl, “is our baby, Soonji.”
Soonji waved enthusiastically, her dimples deepening as she flashed a bright smile. "Hi!" she chirped, instantly melting the room.
Seungkwan’s jaw dropped as he glanced between the couple and their daughter. What on earth just happened?
Yeji, who had remained mostly quiet, finally spoke. "I’m not her mother," she clarified, her voice calm but firm. "But I am her godmother."
"So, you’re not…?" Yumi trailed off, looking between Yeji and Soonyoung.
"Nope," Yeji said with a small laugh, shaking her head. "Soonyoung and I were never that kind of couple."
Seungkwan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His ever-nonchalant Jihoon-hyung, married? To Soonyoung? And with a child? It was almost too much to process.
"So, uh," Mingyu began, breaking the awkward silence. "When’s the family dance performance?"
The joke lightened the mood instantly, and Soonji giggled, tugging on Soonyoung’s sleeve. "Can we, Daddy?"
"Maybe later," Soonyoung promised, ruffling her hair.
As the conversation shifted back to lighter topics, Seungkwan leaned over to Chan, still reeling from the shock.
"I need a drink," he muttered.
Chan patted his shoulder sympathetically. "You and me both."