Ten years ago...
"Jungwon wait up!" the girl called out as she struggled to keep up with him. The taller boy was running too fast, unfortunately leaving her to trudge along from far behind.
He faced the girl, chuckling lightly at the way she pouted her lips while glaring at him, clearly annoyed. He slowed down his tracks to stop infront of the familiar wooden bridge as he waited for her to catch up before they decided walk side by side.
"It's not my fault your so slow." He reasoned.
"Hey," she said as she wacked his arm, "that's only because you got a head start."
"Sureee."
Iseul didn't reply as something had caught her attention. She found herself admiring the bright orange fish in the river below. She noticed the way they swam around, hiding occasionally under rocks only to be found by their kind - as if they were playing hide and seek.
She chuckled as she noticed one of the fish getting it's tail tuck under a medium sized pebble.
Poor thing. She thought to herself.
Han Iseul was a very sophisticated girl for her age. She was very shy and although everyone admired her for her thoughtfulness, she didn't have many close friends except for Yang Jungwon, who she grew up together with - probably because they were next door neighbors.
She loved nature very much. Most of her free time was spent outdoors. She loved the cool breezes, the soft whisper of grass as the wind rushes by, she loved picking colorful flowers in spring and eating ripe berries. Ever since she was a kid at such a young age, she had learned to romanticize her life and always find the beauty of it.
But of course she didn't spend all of her time appreciating mother nature and her gifts, she also found herself growing fond of reading.
She loved to read. She especially liked romance. She loved the way they described the certain feeling in fairy tails. She envied the devotion the characters had for each other. She admired how strong their love was - to the point they would willingly do anything for their significant other.
She too wanted a prince charming that wound climb the highest mountains, sail the wildest seas and tame the wildest storms for her. She wanted someone who would stay loyal to her throughout every second of the day.
Some people might find this funny. A young girl like her? Already familiar with such a strong emotion? Already dreaming of the day where she might experience it? Iseul knew love wasn't perfect. She knew that in reality, it wasn't that easy to find someone who could fully devote themselves to you. She knew that love was a war.
It wasn't oblivious to the girl love could ruin you. It could do horrible things to you. It could cause agony, pain, hatred, depression and gloominess. It could turn you away from the world and manipulate you - betray you and make you go against your own being.
It was like grapes. Sometimes super sweet for some but for others, extremely sour - bitter even.
But that didn't stop her. Despite all the negativity and unfortunate possibilities, the girl always looked for the beauty in things. She always found herself on the bright side. She had hope.
And what gives her hope you might ask?
Simple. Obviously it was -
"The dandelions Iseul!"
Ah. Dandelions. Probably Han Iseul's most favorite thing to ever exist. The little girl had an uncompetitive love for the plant.
She smiled brightly as she found herself rushing to the field Jungwon had discovered a few months ago. A dandelion field. She loved it so much and she will forever be grateful for the the boba eyed boy who had discoverd it for her.
You see, there used to be a small batch of dandelions that grew in Iseul's backyard. She loved them so much and would always blow on them making wishes whenever she could.
But unfortunately, one day when she was playing with Jungwon he accidentally ran over them causing the plants to die. Iseul was very upset but she forgave him anyway because she knew he had no bad intentions and did it on accident.
Even though Iseul had completely assured him it was fine, he still felt guilty. He knew how much she had loved the dandelions and that she couldn't find them anywhere else.
So to make it up to her, he decided to look for more.
Being the adventurous boy he was, it wasn't very hard. While strolling through the town looking for any signs of dandelions growing by, he came across a small path which led him to a forest.
Strolling down the path and into the forest, there was a clearing with some mouth watering berry bushes growing around. A few steps ahead, there stood a wooden bridge with a fascinating river underneath.
The clear water was an alluring aqua color and there were light green lily pods floating at the surface. In the water you could see the grey pebbles along with the bright fish swimming around.
Growing by the bridge, there were also some fresh flowers. There were Lillie's, Lilacs, Daisy's, Daffodils, Petunias and many more. There were also Tulips but they only sprouted in Spring.
But that wasn't what caught the little boys attention. What was tho, was what was across the bridge. There was a wide spread out field.
A field of dandelions.
So after he showed his best friend what he had found, they visited the magical spot everyday and named it theirs. The little girl was beyond happy.
They would pick flowers, taste the sweet berries, sometimes they would even feed the fish and if not just simply watch them.
But of course, they would mostly occupy themselves with the dandelions.
The brunette girl bent down and picked a dandelion, admiring the small plant as she grinned. From afar, Jungwon watched her as she twirled the dandelion in her fingers.
"Hey Iseul," he softly called out to the girl. She hummed in response as she faced the boy.
"Are you going to make a wish?" He asked as he had noticed that she had been staring at the dandelion for a while.
Iseul simply shook her head as she let the dandelion go, watching as the wind took hold of it and guide it away.
"I'm pretty sure I've made way too many." She chuckled. Jungwon nodded in agreement, but then another thought entered his mind.
"But if you were to make one what would you wish for?" He asked curiously. Everytime the two would come here, she would always wish on a dandelion. Most of times, she told him what her wish was. It caught him off guard with her answer as this was her first time not making a wish. It had made him wonder what she would have wished for if she did.
Did she possibly run out of wishes?
Iseul went quiet as she already knew the answer of this question, having thought of it multiple times. She looked once again at the boy, their brown irises making contact for a split second before she faced the field once again.
With that, she started walking back to the bridge they came from - not bothering to answer his question. Jungwon quickly caught up with her as they crossed the wooden planks together. Jungwon noticed this but didn't bother her about an answer
What would I have wished for?
The girl looked to her side as she admired his features. The way the wind teased his brown hair, the way his eyes were focused on the berry bushes ahead of them, the way his lips curved as he whistled a soft tune.
She let out a sigh and smiled brightly, crossing her arms behind her back before facing the front once again. As they reached the clearing, Jungwon began to pick some berries, collecting them in the pockets of his jacket.
If only you knew Jungwon,
Iseul crouched down as she began to pick some too, handing all the ripe ones to Jungwon as he thanked her for each. She examined how he carefully dusted each one before picking off the stems and then put them in his pocket. Chuckling lightly, she continued to help him pick berries as they talked about random topics they each brought up.
I would have wished for us.