As I have nothing to give you, I give you my heart (IU Verse Book#1)

Chapter 28

     Jieun tossed and turned on her bed, unable to go to sleep. She would have been able to fall asleep easily but she had taken a nap all afternoon, so she wasn't tired at all. She would have used her phone to pass the time but she forgot about it in the living room. She wanted to go and grab it, but who knows? What if Jihyuk had decided to come back inside, she would have to confront him. She wasn't ready for that yet. Jieun groaned and buried her face in her pillow. Why did he have to come here? Why didn't he just sign the resignation letter, take his severance pay, and walk out of her life? Why did he have to come back now that she had finally made peace in letting him go, only for him to barge back into her life, making it harder for her to let him go again? She had made sure Hanteo and Seri got the message and told them to do what she asked, but it seemed like either they hadn't done what she asked, or they failed to prevent Jihyuk from coming to find her. She sighed. It's no use dwelling on this anymore, he was already here. She needed to come up with a plan to convince him to leave Jeju, and eventually, leave her. 

     She stood up from her bed. It's no use in trying to sleep anymore. She wasn't tired and she was feeling restless. Sitting outside taking in the fresh air would do her good, even if she has to confront Jihyuk. She made up her mind as she left the guest room, took her phone that was on the couch, and went out to the front porch. She spotted the tent a few feet away from her and imagined Jihyuk sleeping in it. She finally took notice of the chilly air and a few seconds later, she began to feel small droplets on her head. She heaved a sigh. So much for taking fresh air. As she was about to head back inside, a sudden realization hit her as she looked back at the tent. He must have fallen asleep if he didn't notice that it was going to rain soon. With reluctance, she approached the tent slowly and stopped in front of it. She debated whether to call his name or not, but decided to just unzip the tent. If he's fallen asleep, there's a small chance that he can hear her. As she unzipped the tent down, she was surprised to see that it was empty. More droplets were falling onto her, as she zipped the tent back up, still in her crouched position. 

     She then no longer felt water dripping on her form. The world around her still seemed to be cold and dark as she lifted her head to find Jihyuk kneeling beside her with an umbrella above her. This felt like deja vu to her. And not just the first time when he held out the umbrella for her when she was crying for her late friends, but it felt like there was something more to it.

     "What are you doing out here? You're going to catch a cold." His voice lay concern, and Jieun swallowed the thick lump in her throat. She had missed him worrying about her; she had missed him. Instead of telling him so, she glanced up at the umbrella in his hand, only to find out that it looked familiar. And then it clicked her. No, it can't be. "Where did you get that umbrella?" She asked, not tearing her eyes away from it. Jihyuk followed her eyes and looked at the umbrella, and a look of panic was written on his face. Jieun could see it even in the night. Her breath hitched. Could he be?

     "Let's get you outside before you catch a cold." She let him help her up and led her back into the house. Once Jieun was inside, Jihyuk went back to pick up the tent. When he returned, he shook the umbrella to dry it, feeling Jieun's eyes on both him and the object. It couldn't be, right? It's not like it's the only umbrella in the world. But she vividly remembers that her umbrella was unique. It was a clear-colored umbrella, just like thousands of other umbrellas out there, but there was a symbol on top of the tip that made it unique. It had the initials LJ written across the tip. She had picked it out coincidently when she and her grandma were out buying an umbrella, and she had bought it because it has the same initials as her name. And now that they were both inside, she could make out the initials of the umbrella in his hand.

     He put the umbrella down and turned towards her. "What were you doing out there in the rain?"

     She tore her gaze from the umbrella and looked at him. "I went outside to get some fresh air. I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "And that's when I noticed that it started to rain, and I thought you were still in the tent. Where were you?" It was her turn to ask.