Another Day, Another Shot

Return on a Rainy Night

PROMPT: Rain

Yoon Se-ri met the man she least expected to see on a rainy night.

RETURN ON A RAINY NIGHT

Yoon Se-ri was waiting at the lobby of her company, Seri's Choice. And just like any other night, she worked overtime. Yes, she was her own boss but it also gave more reasons as to why the boundaries of her personal and professional lives were blurred.

It's the competitive nature within Se-ri. Seri's Choice was her baby. She wanted it to grow and do well. She wanted to prove something -- she wanted to prove that she could make it, not just to the male-dominated business landscape in South Korea (and the world), but mostly to herself. (And mostly to her dumb brothers.)

So Se-ri worked hard until she was able to achieve her first life goal. And once she reached that first goal, it gave birth to many more business and life goals waiting to be achieved as she went through her journey. Given her attitude and personality, there was no doubt she'd be able to nail them one by one.

~

Moreover, it's a certain man who pushed Se-ri to be a workaholic. Best friend? More like a worst friend.

Who leaves without even saying goodbye? It's not as if Se-ri wouldn't understand his reasons for leaving. She's been nothing but a supportive best friend to him. They've known each other for years. They've been through so much together. So it really hurt her that he didn't trust her enough to tell the reason behind his departure. They both know she would've pushed him toward his betterment and growth, even if it meant they couldn't see and be with each other for quite some time.

"Aish, Yoon Se-ri. Stop moping around! Doesn't mean that it's raining, you have to think about gloomy thoughts as well. Move on, you have Seri's Choice to keep you occupied," Se-ri muttered to herself. 'You have a lot of other things to do instead of missing a certain dimpled man,' she kept to herself.

'But I miss him,' Se-ri pouted. Thank goodness no one was around to see her silliness. Or so she thought.

"Aish! Where is Mr. Hong? I want to go home already," Se-ri huffed and stomped her foot to let out her annoyance and frustration. She was like a grown woman throwing a child-like tantrum in the middle of the rain.

Se-ri's impatience could sometimes lead her to make impulsive decisions. She's decisive and thorough when it comes to work matters, but with little things like waiting in the rain topped with tiredness and sleepiness? She could be irrational at times.

But before Se-ri could even take a single step and venture out into the pouring rain -- before her pair of red soled Christian Louboutin heels could even touch the wet pavement, she saw the last person she was expecting to see that night.

'What the hell? Is there a genie somewhere? A fairy godmother?' Se-ri thought. She was just thinking about him, and now he suddenly appeared in front of her? She was gobsmacked, she was happy, but she was also confused.

Most of all, just like what she felt earlier, hurt came flashing back and it was immediately seen in Se-ri's eyes. The twinkle was still there, but you can't miss the hint of hurt and sadness in her eyes.

Se-ri immediately composed herself, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. She didn't want to show him how much he hurt her and how much he could still affect her. But he knew her better than anyone. He could still see right through her no matter how much she tried to hide what she truly felt. All the more reason to regret why he didn't say goodbye to her back then.

Going back to the present, the man shattered the silence surrounding them aside from the soothing sound of the rain. "You still haven't changed, huh? Still impatient as ever," he teased Se-ri. 'And you're still as handsome and as gentleman as ever,' she thought back -- making her more confused with her emotional state.

"How would you know? You haven't been around for years," Se-ri snapped back. The man just accepted her snaps because he knew that he deserved them for what he did to her all those years ago. He knew that behind her strong unaffected facade, she was truly hurt and sad deep inside.

"Come on, let me take you home. Didn't you miss your best friend?" the man asked teasingly again. Hesitating for a few seconds, Se-ri tried calling Mr. Hong again and again. But he still wasn't answering. "Ugh! Mr. Hong! I didn't hire you for nothing."

The man tried his best not to laugh at Se-ri's frustration so he just smiled showing off his deep dimples she loved poking when they were having fun teasing each other back then. He missed her and her stubbornness. But most of all, he missed her charm and strength. He missed her.

They both missed those times more than they liked to admit. They both missed each other more than they liked to admit.

"Ugh! Why is the universe against me today? It's testing my patience," Se-ri huffed in annoyance and frustration. She looked at the man again and eventually gave in to his offer. "Fine," she replied curtly. He just continued smiling endearingly at her.

"But don't think I have forgiven you already. You have a lot of explaining and grovelling to do, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi," Se-ri said with a straight face. "Wouldn't expect anything less, Se Ri-ah," Jeong-hyeok replied confidently.

It's the dimpled smile Se-ri missed and loved so much. 'Oh my goodness! Help me resist his charms, please!' she thought, putting it out to the universe to hear her pleas.

With that, Jeong-hyeok put his other arm that wasn't holding the umbrella around Se-ri's shoulder -- making sure to tilt the umbrella more toward her side so that not even a single raindrop touches her Balmain coat. He didn't even care that his other side was completely soaked already. She's more important.

Now that Jeong-hyeok's back, he made a silent promise that he wouldn't let Se-ri get soaked and get cold in the rain alone anymore. Now that he's back, they'd brave the rain and start their adventure together.