First Request

Username: dockie8ph
Writing prompt: a long lost love, then found each other again
Kind of ending: definitely, a happy one. Not too much suffering for both characters.
Rate: of course an M..

Tree House

She held her breath for as long as she can.

She felt like she was back in high school once again, along the corridors where he had often picked her up from class. This was not high school, however. And she wasn't seventeen anymore. This was fifteen years after he had left without so much as a goodbye.

She cannot say she was still mad at him. No, that would've made her a sulky thirty-two-year-old and she wasn't sulky. At least not anymore. He left and for good reason. His family moved to Seoul—to the big city—because that was where their family business was. She had forgotten all about him and he probably had forgotten all about her too. 

That was the truth. She hasn't thought about him for the past decade but why is her chest constricting so much when she saw him there—standing and laughing at another childhood friend's joke from across the hall?

That sneaky Bom.

Dara should have known her best friend would have invited everyone she knew in her engagement party. But why didn't she even tell her that he was going to attend? Actually, that was easy to answer. She had made the topic of him leaving such a big topic fifteen years ago. Her best friend probably had thought she would have made a fit if she knew she had invited Hae.

Truth be told, she would have if she was still in her teens. But she was in her thirties. That would be unthinkable. She had other pressing matters to think about—the rose farm, her bills, her little girl Ahreum—and there was no opportunity to think about him at all.  The only concrete memory she had left of him was the very first letter he had written her. She had kept it in her ex-box—that little box which contained little memories of each of her exes.

She hasn't had that much of them. All of them were her past flings and a couple were her blind dates and they didn't really leave her a lot of memories to keep. She had two serious ones after Hae. Jae had left her with nothing but a big headache. That oaf had not left her with something she could put in her box. That vampire-looking bastard had emptied her box and had run off with her savings almost a decade ago. The second one was Joongki. He was the perfect gentleman and he seemed to really love her. But just like Jae, he had given up and left. But unlike Jae who had left her with nothing, Joongki left her with something she cannot fit into that box. He left her with a big and beautiful baby in her belly.

The only thing she had left in that ex-box was Hae's first love letter and that was because it was the only thing that wasn't in the box when she had dumped all of its contents into the fire when he had left Busan. She had that letter in her wallet back then and it was a miracle she had even found it years later when she was decluttering for spring cleaning.

It was for sentimentality, she reminded herself. He was the first love she had lost, after all. And what a shame, she had seen herself marrying him at the tender age of seventeen. That was, of course, a dream she had when she was this disillusioned teen with beating hearts for her eyes. She didn't have time for that kind of love now.

The only love she had left was the kind she had for her four-year-old Ahreum who meant the whole world to her. It was the only love worth keeping.

But it isn't really bad remembering past loves, is it?

"No, it isn't." Someone whispered from behind. Dara yelped and spun around, only to be crushed in a hug by the engaged couple, Bom and Minwoo.

"You talk to yourself a lot. You know that, right?" Minwoo had lifted her from the ground and gave her a sloppy kiss on her cheeks before setting her down the ground. Bom had whisked her away right after, dragging her to the corner of the room to show her the rock on her finger.

The two shrieked in happiness and Dara hugged her friend, truly happy that Minwoo had finally found sense and asked Bom to marry him. They had broken up a month ago because Bom had been dropping all these I-want-to-get-married-already hints and Minwoo just wasn't getting it. He had come running to Dara that night Bom had broken up with him because he didn't know what to do. And of course, as Bom's best friend, she had given Minwoo hell before telling him to get all his together and ask for Bom's hand in marriage.

"I'm so happy for you!" Dara exclaimed, hugging Bom for the nth time.

"Me too!" Bom squealed, looking at her ring once again. A few seconds later, looked at Dara before saying, "I want you to be happy too."

"I am happy." Dara said, untangling her arms from Bom who was now looking at her with worried eyes.

"What should we do with you?"

"Stop that. I am happy. I have Ahreum and the rose farm is doing so well right now. Who would have thought hiding in the greenhouse to cross-pollinate and create rose hybrids would help my business take off?"

"I know, I know. But I'm talking about another kind of happiness."

"Stop worrying about me. I'm perfectly happy with—"

"You need a man. In fact, I brought you one."

"I think I know where this conversation is going and I don't like it a bit. Why do engaged people want all their single friends to be with a man?" Dara wondered out loud, her eyes glaring at Bom who was patting her head and raising a hand to call out someone.

"Stop that!" Dara said, "If you're trying to set me up with Donghae—"

"Oh, you noticed him. It's been fifteen years, eh? Had to take a chance and invite him. He was the one of the first few guests to arrive and the man looks delicious, Dara. You should come up and say hi to him, you know. He asked if you were coming."

"What did you answer him?"

"The truth. Told him, I wouldn't be able to have this engagement party if it weren't for you. I even told him he could stay around and maybe have small talk with you."

"I told you I don't need a man. Especially not the one—"

"Especially not the one who shattered your heart more than a decade ago. I thought you were over him. Him being here isn't bringing any of those innocent feelings back now, is it?"

"No! I've been over him a long time ago. I was just stunned to see him here, that's all. I just don't understand why you're still waving your hand until now to get him to come here. I don't want to be set up, Bom. Especially not with Hae. There's just so much memories there."

"Well, I am not that cruel. I hate to break it to you, but I'm not setting you up with him."

"What?"

"That's right. I'm not setting my best friend with a man who broke her heart. I'm setting you up with him."

"Him."

"Dara, my love, meet Minwoo's college roommate. Ilwoo. Jung Ilwoo. He's a success