Four years passed until you found yourself at the airport again, rolling your luggage behind you as your headed towards the exit. You eagerly glanced around for a familiar face and when you finally saw them, you couldn't help but squeal in delight.
"Mom!" you exclaimed and hurried towards her.
She smiled broadly as she hugged you tightly. "Oh, I missed you so much!" Then she let go and took a step back to admire you. "Aish, look at how my beautiful daughter's grown."
"Mom." you groaned while blushing and looking away. Seeing no one else around suddenly made you think of the last time you were here.
On the day that you left, you thought you had lost your best friend. So it was a shock to you to see a message from him two days later, telling you to not overwork yourself and to make sure you ate well. You had cried in relief. You instantly messaged him back, promising to do what he said. Then the two of you fell back in to a comfortable routine. Mostly messages but a few phone calls every now and again. You never brought up how hurt you had been that he didn't say goodbye. Best not to ruin the peace.
"Come on. Let's get you home." your mom said, breaking you out of your thoughts.
Smiling at her, you grabbed the handle to your luggage and followed her outside.
When you arrived home, your gaze wandered to the house next door. Just like the last time, some part of you was hoping to see him run out the front door. You were sure you told him you were coming home today, and he did say he was excited to see you. Maybe he was busy and you would see him later.
Loud squeals caught your attention and you gasped as a group of people rushed out of your front door. Your friends surrounded you, taking turns giving out hugs and saying how much they missed you. You laughed and replied that you had missed them as well. Then you were swept inside to see that the living room had been decorated with balloons and streamers. Plates and bowls of snacks covered the coffee table. There was even a little cake with the words 'welcome home' written on it.
"Guys!" You felt yourself blushing, completely in disbelief that they had gone to such effort.
"Ah! I'm so glad you made it. Honey, look who's here!"
You turned around to look at your mother but your gaze landed on the person beside her. The sight of him took away your breath. All you could do was stand there frozen in place and stare at him. He wore a simple shirt and jeans, yet somehow he still looked refine. Sophisticated even. Maybe it was the way his hair was styled neatly in to place. He had grown a couple of inches too. If it wasn't for the smile on his face, you wouldn't have believed that the man standing in front of you was the same boy you used to know. It seemed like they were two different people.
"Are you that surprised to see me?" Youngjae laughed.
Feeling yourself blush again, you shook your head a bit to collect yourself. "Uh... yeah. Sorry."
He moved forward and hugged you, which you returned as you caught a whiff of his cologne. Then he pulled back and held up a small food container. "My mom sent me over with cookies. Thought maybe you'd miss them."
That made you smile and you swiftly took the offering from him. "Definitely. Thanks."
He laughed once more, causing you to chuckle as well.
"It's so nice to see the two of you together again." your mother commented happily. She took a hold of Youngjae's arm and gave it a pat. "Come help me get the drinks."
"Okay mom." he told her before giving you a sly wink. Then he followed her in to the kitchen.
You rolled your eyes, but part of you was happy to see that not everything had changed. He was still the same goofball. Your gaze lingered on his retreating back before you forced yourself to look away and pay attention to your other friends.

Later that night, after everyone had gone home, you wandered outside. You examined the tree house for a bit before giving the rope ladder an experimental tug. When it held, you carefully climbed it and went inside the little house.
Not much seemed to have changed, perhaps just looking a bit more worn. It seemed like it was still in good condition and you wondered if your mom had Youngjae's father check it like she had said she would.
You eyed the spot where Youngjae had been the last time you were up here. The memory of the last time the two of you were here entered your mind. Then you dismissively shook your head. Why do you keep thinking about the past? Of course, you knew the answer to that
Suddenly a noise caught your attention and you looked over to see two bottles rolling in to the tree house. A second later, Youngjae hoisted himself up on to the landing.
"Surprise." he said with a grin as he entered the tree house. He seated himself across from you before grabbing the bottles and twisting the caps off.
He handed one of them to you and when you took it, you realized an alcoholic beverage. "Oh, wow." you commented with a giggle.
"What? We have to celebrate." he chuckled as he clinked his bottle against yours. "Welcome home." Then he took a drink.
Those words pierced through you and you swiftly took a drink from your own bottle. Glancing around, you said, "Can't believe this is still here."
"Yeah." he agreed as he looked around as well. "Haven't been up here in forever."
You absently nodded your head while avoiding looking at him. As the silence stretched on though, you couldn't help but turn your gaze to him. He had his eyes closed and his head tilted back, completely relaxed and at ease.
"This is nice." the male commented.
Relaxing yourself, you let out a small sigh of content. "Yeah."
Neither of you said anything while both of you drank your drinks, giving you enough time to think. It wasn't until you finished off the last drops that you realized that Youngjae was watching at you.
One corner of his mouth lifted, giving him a lopsided grin. "So, you ready to tell me what's wrong?"
Your mouth dropped open a bit in surprise, then you quickly closed it and swallowed. Dread ate at you but you knew what you needed to do. "The company wants me to keep working for them."
His grin grew bigger. "That's great!"
"Except," you continued, "I'd have to stay there."
"Oh." he uttered as his smile faded away. "For how long?"
You winced and looked down at the wood floor in guilt. "At least a year, maybe longer."
Youngjae didn't say anything, and you wondered if he was going to yell at you again. But then he finally asked, "Is that what you want?"
Surprised, you looked up to meet his gaze. He sat there expectedly, as if waiting for you to answer.
"Well... I mean..." You sighed heavily. "Yeah, I do. I really do. And it's basically like mini-promotion. The team I'd be working with is great, my co-workers in general are amazing, and I just... It's exactly what I've always wanted to do. How can I turn it down." Your shoulders slumped as you sighed yet again. "But... I do miss home. And my parents. And I... I don't know. I think..."
You trailed off as you stared at Youngjae. The look he was giving you made your heat thunder in your chest. His soft smile did nothing to hide all the pain and sadness in his eyes.
Without saying anything, he moved towards you. His lips touched your cheek, giving you a gentle, lingering kiss until he finally pulled back moments later. "Take the job." he quietly told you. Then he took your empty bottle away from you.
You watched as he tossed both bottles over the edge of the tree house before he climbed down the rope ladder. Only then did you let out a shaky breath you hadn't realized you were holding

You shuffled into the kitchen through the back door, still dazed about what happened. You didn't even notice your mother sitting at the table until she said your name.
"Oh, hey." You shook your head, trying to compose yourself.
"I saw Youngjae leave the tree house earlier."
"Uh... yeah. He..." The knowing smirk on the older woman's face made you gasp. "Mom?!"
She chuckled before sighing. "It was the day after you left. I went out to do some yard work and heard him up in the tree, crying his heart out."
Feeling your legs grow weak, you dropped down in to the chair next to her. "He was?"
"Yes." she assured you. "I suppose that's why he didn't want you to leave. He thought he was losing you." She reached over and clasped one of your hands in hers. "I told him that if he truly cared about you, he would want you happy no matter what. And that he should always be there for you and support you."
You thought about the first message he had sent, telling you to take care of yourself, and how relieved you had been. Your eyes watered as you said, "I thought I had lost him too."