29 mai 2020

29 mai 2020 is the date of Jungkook and Namjoon’s graduation from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, a public milestone that closes their university years while exposing the private grief Jungkook still carries. At 15:47, as the graduates gather on campus, his diploma ceremony becomes both a celebration of how far he has come and a reminder that his mother is not there to see it.

Date and Setting

The novel places the scene on Friday, 29 mai, at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. Jungkook adjusts his tie before leaving the room, and Shelby helps him put on his gown and mortarboard. Their easy teasing about his formal appearance gives the preparations a familiar intimacy, but Jungkook is eager for the ceremony to be over.

The graduation takes place in one of the campus parks, where chairs have been set out for the families and other guests. Jungkook and Namjoon join the graduating students; Shelby and the other women sit among the spectators. The setting shifts the focus from the private struggles that have shaped their university lives to a public rite of completion.

Jungkook’s Graduation

Although Jungkook has spent three years accustomed to attention at Ares Garden, this occasion unsettles him. The audience is made up of families gathered for their children, and the ceremony’s personal significance leaves him visibly stressed. Shelby watches him closely as he waits to be called.

His achievement is shadowed by his mother’s absence. Jungkook wishes she could be in the audience, smiling proudly, and regrets that he has no information about her after her departure. The scene does not resolve their separation; instead, it places that longing alongside the diploma he has earned despite everything that has happened to him.

When the dean calls his name, Jungkook rises, receives his diploma, and shakes the dean’s hand. He then returns to Shelby and his friends. Sunmi embraces him in tears, while Shelby meets his gaze with a smile and a wink. Her small gesture and Sunmi’s embrace make the achievement a shared moment of recognition, even with his mother missing from the crowd.

Namjoon and the Next Step

Namjoon graduates as well, receiving applause and a collective embrace from those close to him. Sunmi congratulates both young men, making the ceremony a milestone for their friendship as much as for Jungkook’s individual journey.

The day’s celebration has already begun with the students receiving their results: Shelby congratulates Jungkook, then rushes to her friends when they learn they have advanced to their second year with an exceptionally high average. That evening, the group celebrates at De Luca’s and raises a toast to the next stage for Jungkook and Namjoon, who are leaving university. The date therefore marks not only the end of their studies but the threshold of whatever comes after them.