For Jung Eunbyul, life has stopped since she decided to marry someone who wasn’t even part of her life. And there’s no need to ask her how hard her life was after the man she considered as a husband, went away for someone else, leaving her with her only daughter in such a bad condition.

She got fired from her recent job without knowing the reason why, and now she had to look for something new only to support her life with her beloved child.

Eunbyul knew that regretting everything now was as a useless as pouring water into the ocean. So, instead of crying like every woman in this world does, she just sat there calmly and closed her eyes for mere seconds.

She was now at a park near her apartment complex. The last time she went here was when she brought Luna, her daughter, to play sand castle. And it was a year ago.

The park looked exactly same with the one she visited last year, the only difference was the season. She went here with Luna in the hot summer day, while she now was sitting on one of the swings in the cold late autumn.

 Adjusting her sweater, she began inhaling the air.                                                                                                   

 She liked autumn.

 Ever since she met the guy who had changed her life so crazily ten years ago, she had been in love with autumn.

But now, memorizing every part of it was like pouring salt onto the fresh wound. It did hurt herself every time she got to remember his presence. The only guy who could turn her life upside down, yet the one who could bring her happiness she’d been craving since the world began.

If only she could change at least a little bit the condition of her past life, she wouldn’t have ended up being like this. If only she accepted the idea of him bringing her out of the town, she wouldn’t have been living her life so painfully like this.

If only she knew that Baekhyun was the only one who could save her, she wouldn’t have regretted anything now.

And those what ifs would fover stay what ifs, there would be no way to turn back the time.

As the sun began setting and the wind blew even breezing, she searched for something inside her purse only to find a blue envelope that she’d been keeping it since two days ago. Slowly, she opened the envelope and found an invitation.

It was an invitation to attend the school reunion on this Saturday. After taking a look at the contents, she put the letter back to its envelope and thinking whether to come or not.

It had been seven years since she graduated from high school and decided to marry a man her father had chosen to her that now became her biggest regret. And she wasn’t ready to face Baekhyun yet after what she’d done to him. But after all, what’s done is done. She had to face everything which might as well drag her to the better or worse condition, and she knew she couldn’t stay hiding forever like a coward.

Just then her phone started vibrating, signaling there was a message coming. She checked the phone only to find a message from her grandmother telling that Luna ran out the milk. Less than a minute, she already sent back the reply telling her grandmother to wait a little while she shopped at the minimarket nearby.

Leaving the park with heavy thought in her head, she walked to the direction of the minimarket and bought some bottles of milk and headed straight to her apartment where she currently lived with her grandmother and her only daughter.

The thoughts of coming to the school reunion hit her again on the way coming back home, and after having such a serious mental fight, she decided to come despite her lack of self defense when she got to meet Baekhyun.

“What’s done, is done. No need to regret anything.” She said to herself while walking through the long alley.

Everything might as well have changed, but her feelings towards her first love wouldn’t. She still clearly remember the first encouter with Byun Baekhyun ten years ago. The memory could never be replaced with anything, and it would forever remain vivid like it just happened yesterday.

***

Ten years ago...

“Okay class, we have a new student coming from Bucheon.” Said Mrs. Jungah, the homeroom teacher in the early morning of Thursday. It was autumn, and the students were all preparing for an exam so Eunbyul just frowned when suddenly there was a new transferred student entering her class. Everyone was paying attention to the new student who slowly walked beside her teacher with head hanging low. “Now, please introduce yourself, Baekhyun-ssi.” Mrs. Jungah continued, gesturing the petite boy to introduce himself in front of the students.

“My name is... is Byun Baek-baekhyun. I.. I came from B-bucheon. N-nice to meet you all.” The boy stuttered and that was causing the whole class to laugh.

Except one person who stayed remotedly calm.

“Okay everybody stop laughing! Now please open your book page sixty five, we’ll learn about astronomy. And you Baekhyun-ssi, you can sit at the last row beside the window.” Mrs. Jungah pointed to the empty seat beside the window and Baekhyun followed suit.

He put his backpack down the chair because he still hadn’t got a personal locker, and sat comfortably on his new desk. Once he looked at his surrounding with his eyes covered by a pair of thick glasses, everyone was looking at him like he was a funny toy. They obviously made fun of him because of his clumsiness and his outer look. And the boy surely had been thinking about it ever since he hadn’t stepped his feet at the school yet. Because he had made a mental note that wherever Byun Baekhyun goes, there will always be scenes about the bullies and a victim. And of course he played as a victim.

“Just don’t bother them, they will be tired of doing that to you.” Said Eunbyul who had seat next to him without even sparing a look. She was listening to the teacher yet kept paying attention to the clumsy boy who just sat next to her.

Baekhyun blinked rapidly, realizing that there was one person who didn’t mock on him and stayed calm even when everyone was throwing him judging looks, and somehow it made his heart warm.

The second period ended and everyone was preparing for a lunch time. Baekhyun wasn’t an exception, he prepared a lunch box his mom had made for him because he just didn’t know the cafetaria yet, and he could save his money for something else instead of buying an expensive rice box. So, there he was, sitting at his chair to enjoy his lunch before someone coming and dropped his lunch box to the floor. But instead of saying sorry like every human would do when they made a mistake, this person laughed and stick his tongue out while his friend did nothing but mocking.

Baekhyun gripped his chopsticks tightly to prevent him from crying. He couldn’t cry. He wouldn’t ever cry. At least, not now.

He knew that something like this would happen anytime soon but he didn’t expect that he would receive it today.

“Wow, it looks like our new baby has his lunch messed up. Tsk tsk, poor you boy... now you have nothing to eat.” Said the first boy who had a piercing on his left ear. “You even have to clean this thing up before the next period starts. Ugh... how bad is that.” The other guy continued.

They kept laughing while Baekhyun started bending to clean the mess, and it looked like he was kneeling to them so the two bullies laughed even louder. But that wasn’t happening too long.

“Are you guys not ti