Years passed by pretty quickly for both of them. Joy became a diplomat, going to different countries from time to time, while Sungjae became a game developer. It had been around 7 years since that time, that graduation that ended everything between them. Sungjae never had the guts to message her on social media while Joy did every thing she can to avoid having contact with him. 

"What?" Joy asked on the phone. She was talking to Wendy. "A reunion? But like, it hasn't been a decade since we all last saw each other. It has been like only... 4...5...6...7! 7 years since our graduation. What's this all of a sudden? Oh... Some kind of special celebration of our school? I'll try to come then. Oh, I'm in Thailand right now. You're still in France? I'll see you in Korea then? Okay. Yeah, I'm excited to see him again. I missed Korea. Oh, I have a lot of paperwork in my hands now. I'll talk to you when I can. Okay, bye." 

Joy typed her report on her laptop. She lived life as she seemed fit. She was done with playing safe, with putting a lot on stake, and so, here she was, a woman of the modern age. She worked a lot to eat, to travel and give herself the best in life. She deserved it. She knew she did. She worked hard to get her bachelor's and master's degrees. She owed it to herself that she was where she was at that moment, a representative of South Korea in foreign affairs. Her name might not be famous for folks outside politics but everyone in her field knew of her. 

"I'll just schedule my flight for this Saturday," she whispered to herself," The last meeting is on Friday so I have the rest of that day to get ready." 

It had been lonely, if anyone would ask her. She transferred to Ehwa before taking her master's degree in Yonsei. It was competitive, to maintain a scholarship in those schools. But she did it. She climbed to the top with the help of her family and friends. Every time she recalled her high school self, she would only laugh. She didn't need any man to succeed. She was fine by herself. She knew how to take care of herself. She wasn't ready for relationships. She wanted to secure a stable job, a stable income, before getting a stable partner. 

Meanwhile, in South Korea, there was Yook Sungjae. He obviously hadn't slept for a while. They were working on a new game, a lot of programming. They needed to meet the deadline. He worked in Seoul, sometimes he would go to Busan or to Jeju for meetings. Or sometimes, he would go to Incheon. But most of the time, he was in Seoul, in a room which smelled of coffee, with people who lacked sleep like him. 

As he tapped the various codes he was assigned to, he remembered what Hyuk told him the last time he saw him. He invited him to the reunion. Sungjae wasn't sure if he was going to go. He did have fun during his high school years but there was this haunting guilt still following him. He wasn't sure at how he'll approach Joy. He never heard from her ever since their 2nd year in college. He wasn't sure what happened to her. He only knew that she pursued her studies in Ehwa and that she studied in Yonsei. That was about it. 

"Hey, Yook," his coworker slid his chair near Sungjae's," Look at this, this chick's making waves in politics."

"I swear if that's just one of the pretty faces you like so much," Sungjae paused when he saw the girl's face," That's the girl I told you about, the girl I rejected."

"Your loss, dude, seems like she's going into the UN. Plus, she's a beauty," he whistled," Do you think she has a boyfriend?" 

"Knowing her? I guess she's even engaged at this point." 

The next week, it was the start of the 50th anniversary of their school. There were a lot of people there, from different batches and different generations. There were even families who went there who were all from that school.Sungjae was there early, mainly because his sister kept pestering him to go there early. He already met up with Hyuk, Jungkook and his other friends. He had not seen Joshua for some reason, also Joy even though her friends were already there. It was only around 5 minutes before the start of the program and yet, she still wasn't there. He wondered if she was too busy to attend the reunion. 

"Joy!" 

Sungjae turned his head when he heard Yeri exclaim in relief. Joy looked so tired. She seemed like she came from a meeting. She looked so beautiful, prettier than a picture could ever get. Aside from what she was wearing, she still looked the same. He wondered if he should say hi or anything. Minutes after Joy arrived, Joshua did too. He suddenly became suspicious. He wondered what really happened after he called for Joshua. 

After the program, Joy greeted every single one of her friends. She even gave Jungkook and Joshua a hug. She still seemed so bright. She finally looked at him. He expected a shrug or a glare, but instead, she smiled at him. Maybe working for a lot of international agencies made smiling something so natural to do. Sungjae took a deep breath in before approaching her. 

"Hey," he awkwardly said," I see you're successful."

"You are too," she looked at him," I hear of your name from my coworkers. You're from a famous company."

"Did you get settled already? I noticed the ring on your finger," Sungjae pointed out.

"Nope," she shook her head," This is just a ring I got from my first boyfriend. I keep it whenever I'm nervous."

"Are you nervous right now?" 

"What kind of girl wouldn't get nervous in front of the guy she once liked?" She was so cute, Sungjae thought. 

"We're adults now. Wouldn't seven years be enough to make yourself less nervous?"

Joy shrugged. 

"Do you want to have some coffee after? I mean, if like,you're not busy," Sungjae was not going to back out at that moment. He knew he was ready for her. He knew he could take care of her. She looked single. She seemed so. He was hoping she was. He didn't want to let her go again. Someone like Joy won't appear in his lifetime ever again. 

"I prefer spending more time with my family while I'm in Korea. I'll be staying in Europe for a while," Joy answered. Sungjae looked so sad after hearing it. She then chuckled. "But I guess I can squeeze you in, Mr Game Developer."

"Really?" His face lit up. 

"But I have to warn you," she hit his arm jokingly before gesturing that she had to go," I'm not ready for a relationship now."

It felt nostalgic. But Sungjae didn't want to go back in time. He just needed to win her heart, just like she tried in the past. She gave him a second chance. He won't waste it. No, not again. He won't waste any time while he has her there. Every minute will be precious. Every word spoken will repeat in his mind. Maybe this was how Joy felt back then. He guessed it was only fair that she'll treat him the same way as he did her. 

But like her, he won't give up until she's his.