𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬 ━ rewritten

𝗼𝗻𝗲 ━━ before i reach you

❝ c h a p t e r ━ o n e ❞

The air hung heavy with mist and shades of gray as the city of Seoul welcomed an unwelcome downpour during this time of year. Ha Eun, already fatigued from a day filled with lectures and endless note-taking, found herself dreading the rain. The sudden deluge caught many off guard, especially those who had forgotten their umbrellas. Streets in the district were transformed into wet pathways under the relentless assault of raindrops.

Cold and tired, Ha Eun longed for the comfort of her home and a well-deserved nap. However, the rain threatened to complicate her journey, adding to the already bustling traffic. Amidst the downpour, she spotted the bus station and a young man taking refuge under the protective roof.

The young man, seemingly untouched by the rain, had dry hair and was engrossed in music playing on his smartphone. A few inches taller than Ha Eun, he gazed out onto the streets of Gangnam.

"Man..." Ha Eun mumbled, wiping rain droplets off her bag. "Why is it raining all of a sudden?"

Seeking shelter, she positioned herself near the bus station, noticing the young man already taking cover. As she turned to get a glimpse of him, recognition struck.

"That's the guy from the elective class!"

Following Korean customs, Ha Eun bowed her head and offered a greeting. However, the man remained unresponsive, his focus fixed on the flowers across the street.

Feeling a bit ignored, Ha Eun decided to poke his arm to grab his attention. Successfully breaking through his musical cocoon, he took out his headphones.

"Hello," she repeated, offering a small smile.

He didn't utter a word, but at least he nodded in acknowledgment. Given that they shared a class, Ha Eun attempted to initiate a conversation.

"Are you taking the bus here?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded shortly.

"Are you going home?"

"Yes," came another brief reply.

Ha Eun, growing slightly irritated with his curt responses, couldn't help but wonder, "Is he a 'Yes Man' or what? Leaving me just hanging there..."

As they both gazed across the street at the flowers, a sudden impact on Ha Eun's head interrupted their conversation.

"Ah?!"

Looking up, Ha Eun noticed the roof of the bus station sagging under the weight of accumulated rainwater. Droplets began leaking, signaling an imminent collapse. Panicking at the thought, Ha Eun moved closer to the man next to her, realizing the roof was on the verge of tearing apart.

"Argh, it's bothering me."

Taking the initiative to avoid the impending disaster, Ha Eun inched closer to the man, standing just an inch away. Moments later, the roof burst open. Closing her eyes in anticipation of being drenched, Ha Eun opened them to an unexpected scene.

Her hand rested on the man's shoulder, and her head was pressed against his chest. Surprisingly, neither of them was wet. The man had held his umbrella over both of them, leaving them both blushing.

Shyly, Ha Eun jumped away from him, overwhelmed with embarrassment. "This is nuts... So embarrassing. He must think I'm a weirdo."

Her face flushed, hair covering her cheeks, Ha Eun debated whether to apologize or not, anticipating a typical "yes" response.

Meanwhile, the man noticed Ha Eun's wet shoulder and instinctively moved the umbrella closer to cover her. Still contemplating her decision, Ha Eun finally gathered the courage to apologize for the awkward situation.

"Umm... Hey..." she began.

Just as she was about to speak, a blue-colored bus pulled up to the station, and the man stepped onto the steps, taking the umbrella with him. He left without uttering a word, leaving Ha Eun standing beneath the broken roof, getting wet once again.

And there she was, drenched and blushing, wondering, "What's up with him?"

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┏━━━━━ •◦இ•◦ ━━━━━┓

𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. built on simple actions.

┗━━━━━ •◦இ•◦ ━━━━━┛

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As the man settled in the back row of the bus, he couldn't help but reflect on the shared umbrella with Ha Eun.

"Ah... I should have given the umbrella."