The ten-year reunion came and went, and before I knew it, summer had quietly slipped away.
Autumn arrived, bringing me back to the familiar rhythm of work and everyday life.
One afternoon, a message notification popped up on my phone.
It was from Boldoo, one of my high school classmates.
"Hey, Gerlee! How have you been? Is work going well?" he asked before getting straight to the point. "Gantulga is looking for your phone number. Do you still have the same one?"
I frowned.
"I'm doing fine," I replied. "Work keeps me busy. But... why does he need my number?"
"No idea," Boldoo answered. "He said he wanted to ask you something about enrolling his younger sibling's child in kindergarten."
For some reason, irritation rose inside me.
"Tell him I'm not giving it to him."
Before Boldoo could say anything else, I ended the call.
A few minutes later, he called again.
I ignored it.
Not long after that, another classmate tried to reach me through a video call, asking for my number on Gantulga's behalf.
I refused again.
That evening, an unfamiliar number appeared on my screen.
After hesitating for a moment, I answered.
"Hello?"
A familiar voice came through the phone.
"Hi, Gerlee... It's Gantulga."
My heart skipped a beat.
"How have you been?" he asked gently. "How's work? How's life?"
"I'm doing well," I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. "It's the usual... work and home."
He chuckled softly.
"You have no idea how much trouble I went through just to find your number."
I couldn't help smiling.
"Really? Where did you get it?"
"I have my ways," he replied teasingly.
Then his voice became more serious.
"I was hoping we could meet sometime. There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"Actually..." he hesitated. "I wanted to ask you something first."
"Go ahead."
"My younger sibling is trying to enroll their child in kindergarten. Do you happen to know anyone who could help?"
Relieved that it wasn't anything complicated, I answered honestly.
"I might. Which kindergarten is it?"
He told me the name.
"I know someone there," I said. "Let me make a few calls and see what I can do."
"Thank you."
For a brief moment, silence filled the line.
Then he spoke again.
"There... is something else."
His voice sounded quieter this time.
"I've been living alone for two years now."
I froze.
"I divorced my wife."
The words caught me completely off guard.
"It's been difficult," he admitted. "I heard... that you're single now too."
Another pause.
"So... would you be willing to meet sometimes? Just to talk?"
Outwardly, I frowned.
Inside...
My heart was already racing.
Instead of letting him see that, I covered my feelings with pride.
"What exactly are you thinking?" I asked coldly.
"Don't tell me you still have feelings for me after all these years. Stop dreaming."
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
There was a long silence.
Finally, he laughed awkwardly.
"I'm sorry. You misunderstood me."
"I wasn't trying to pressure you."
"I just thought... since we're both living alone now... maybe we could be friends."
"If you're uncomfortable with that, then forget I asked."
Before I could respond...
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone.
Somehow...
I found myself hoping it would ring again.
Instead of feeling relieved, I felt disappointed.
Why did I say that?
Why couldn't I just answer honestly?
Nearly an hour passed before my phone finally rang once more.
It was him.
"Hello?" he said cautiously.
"Are you still angry?"
I sighed.
"I'm not angry."
"Then why did your voice sound so cold?" he asked with a nervous laugh. "Honestly... I got scared and hung up."
This time, I smiled.
"I guess... I was a little upset."
"Thinking about everything that happened back then brought back memories I thought I'd forgotten."
He sounded genuinely confused.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't remember hurting you that badly."
He sounded genuinely confused.
"What do you mean?" he asked softly. "I don't remember hurting you that badly."
I let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
"You really don't know?"
"No."
"Then maybe it's time you did."
He immediately replied, "Where are you? I'll come to you. Let's talk face to face."
"I'm still at work."
"I'll pick you up when you finish."
...
When I walked out of the kindergarten that evening, his car was already waiting outside.
He rolled down the window and smiled nervously.
"Get in."
Neither of us spoke much during the drive.
Instead of going somewhere crowded, he drove to a quiet riverside where only the sound of the flowing water disturbed the silence.
He turned off the engine and looked at me.
"So..."
"What happened back then?"
I took a deep breath.
"It wasn't about one thing."
"It was everything."
I looked out the window, gathering the courage to revisit memories I had buried for years.
"You remember the love letter?"
He nodded.
"You told everyone that I had asked you to date me."
"I never did."
His eyes widened.
"I... thought..."
"You thought wrong."
"I never confessed to you."
"I never asked anyone to give you that letter."
"It wasn't my choice."
The words I'd held inside for more than ten years poured out all at once.
"After that day, everyone at school knew."
"The older students laughed at me."
"The younger students laughed at me."
"Whenever I walked across campus, people whispered behind my back."
I forced a smile, though my chest tightened as the memories resurfaced.
"Some boys would ride circles around me on their bicycles just to mock me."
"Others flicked cigarette butts at me."
"I was laughed at almost every single day."
"I went through more than you could ever imagine."
He stared at me in complete silence.
His face slowly lost all color.
"I..."
"I didn't know."
His voice was barely audible.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
I laughed quietly.
"Tell you?"
"How could I?"
"You were the person who embarrassed me the most."
"How could I possibly come to you for help?"
He lowered his head.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Finally, he looked back at me.
"I'm sorry."
His voice trembled.
"I truly didn't know."
"If I had known..."
He stopped, unable to finish the sentence.
"I never realized I'd caused you that much pain."
He swallowed hard.
"I know this apology comes far too late."
"But... would you forgive me?"
I smiled sadly.
"The past is already over."
"Whether I forgive you or not won't change what happened."
He nodded slowly.
"I understand."
"But even if you can't forgive me..."
"I hope you'll at least accept how deeply I regret it."
His sincerity caught me off guard.
Then he asked quietly,
"I always thought you started dating Tushig after that."
"Weren't you together?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"We never really dated."
"He only pretended to be my boyfriend."
"What?"
"He knew I was being bullied."
"He wanted to protect me."
"So he acted like we were dating."
Gantulga closed his eyes.
"So that's why..."
"I kept picking fights with him."
I nodded.
"Exactly."
"When I heard you were bullying him..."
"That was the moment I started hating you."
The confession hung heavily between us.
He didn't argue.
He didn't defend himself.
Instead, he simply lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
"I've spent years thinking I understood what happened."
"But today I realized..."
"I knew nothing."
The sun slowly disappeared beyond the river as we continued talking.
For the first time in years, there were no misunderstandings.
No pride.
No anger.
Only honesty.
When the sky had grown completely dark, he drove me home.
As I stepped out of the car, neither of us mentioned what would happen next.
We simply wished each other goodnight.
...
The following day, he didn't call.
He didn't send a single message.
Oddly enough, I wasn't upset.
After finally saying everything that had been buried inside my heart for over a decade, I felt lighter than I had in years.
And yet...
A small part of me wondered if I had been too harsh.
Maybe...
I shouldn't have said so much.
That evening, just as I was thinking about him, my phone rang.
It was Gantulga.
The moment I answered, I could tell he had been drinking.
His voice was slightly unsteady.
"Gerlee..."
"Please don't misunderstand me."
"I've been thinking about everything you told me."
"I can't stop blaming myself."
"I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you."
"I'm sorry I never noticed what you were going through."
"And even though we weren't together..."
"I'm sorry I never cared enough to ask if you were okay."
His voice broke.
"If... after today... you decide you never want to speak to me again..."
"I'll understand."
"But before that..."
"There's one thing I have to tell you."
I held my breath.
"When I saw you again at the reunion..."
"The moment you got into Otgonbayar's car..."
"I fell for you all over again."
He laughed softly at himself.
"When we drove back to the city, I kept regretting that I hadn't asked for your phone number."
"I couldn't stop thinking about you."
"I kept wishing..."
"Just one more time."
"If only I could see you one more time."
"That's why I searched everywhere until I finally found your number."
"I just wanted another chance to meet you."
Warm tears blurred my vision.
I hadn't expected those words.
Or perhaps...
They were exactly the words I had waited to hear for so many years.
I wiped away my tears before answering.
"I..."
"I need some time."
There was a gentle smile in his voice.
"I understand."
"I'll wait."
"And somehow..."
"I believe your answer will make me very happy."
The call ended.
I remained standing there, my phone still in my hand.
For the first time in years...
The door to my heart had quietly begun to open again.
After the call ended, I remained standing there, my phone still clutched tightly in my hand.
The night was quiet.
Only the cool autumn breeze brushed gently against my face.
Tears continued to roll down my cheeks.
For years, I had imagined countless times what it would feel like to hear those words from him.
Back then, as a sixteen-year-old girl, I had dreamed of a confession that would never come.
I had waited...
I had cried...
Eventually, I had convinced myself to let him go.
Yet life had a strange way of bringing people back together.
More than ten years later, after we had both experienced love, marriage, heartbreak, and loneliness, fate had crossed our paths once again.
This time, he was the one reaching out.
This time, he was the one asking for another chance.
I didn't know whether I was happy, afraid, or simply overwhelmed.
Perhaps...
It was all of those emotions at once.
I wasn't ready to answer him.
Not yet.
The scars from my past had not completely healed, and I couldn't allow myself to rush into another relationship simply because my heart had started beating faster again.
I owed myself that much.
Still...
For the first time since my divorce, I found myself smiling without realizing it.
As I looked up at the night sky, a thought quietly crossed my mind.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
First love doesn't disappear.
Sometimes it simply waits for the right moment to find its way back.
With that thought warming my heart, I closed my eyes and took a slow, deep breath.
Whatever the future held...
I was finally willing to give happiness another chance.