Inside a noisy pub, amidst the chatter of twenty-one-year-olds pretending to be awkward adults, I sat quietly in a corner. Two years had passed since high school graduation, and I had undergone a major transformation. Once I threw away the thick horn-rimmed glasses that used to weigh down my nose, my original features were revealed, giving me a completely different aura.

"Hey, isn't Bohyun the most successful one among us?"

At someone's words, everyone's eyes shifted to one spot. Lee Bohyun was at the center of it. Bohyun, who had always been mature and considerate of others since high school, had appeared today with the title of Department Head at the large corporation her father runs. Although dressed in a formal suit, her eyes remained as kind and warm as ever, making those around her feel at ease. Even at this childish reunion, she was listening sincerely to a struggling friend's story with a gentle smile.

It was then that I slowly raised my head and walked into Bohyun's line of sight. The noisy conversations around us died down as if by magic. The eyes of classmates who hadn't even noticed my existence until a moment ago widened and fixed on me. And Lee Bohyun's fingertips, which were about to set down her glass, stopped abruptly in mid-air. Bohyun's eyes, which always held a kind smile, wavered greatly for the first time. It was the moment she recognized me—not the blurry child from her memories behind glasses, but a complete stranger who had turned into a beauty. Bohyun held her breath and stared at me blankly for a moment, then soon asked quietly in her usual sweet and soft voice.

"Huh? Could you be...?"