The Real Us

. chapter 24 .

Rain fell around them as the two stared at each other. Park Sunghoon brushed the wet hairs from the girl's face and swiftly lifted her in his arms. 

The male gently sat Kim Taeryoung on the top stair step as he felt a guilty pang in his stomach. This was all his fault.

Just as the boy had been about to give up looking for her and go home like all the other students already had, he stepped on something. He looked down to see a piece of folded, colored paper addressed to none other than Kim Taeryoung. He knew who had to have done it. Nobody else would have reason to do such a thing against such a perfect girl. 

He glanced at the girl who was still hugging her knees, and shivering a bit too. The male grabbed the girl's wrist as he led her down the stairs and to his locker. He opened the locker door to find one letter, addressed to Park Sunghoon from Kang Jiyun. 

He felt his ears turn red with anger as he read the name. He crumpled the letter into a compact ball and threw it in the trash can behind him. 

The boy pulled out a navy blue hoodie from his locker and handed it to the girl. "Put this on."

Taeryoung hesitated for a second before taking it. The monotone voice the boy had used made her wonder if he was upset with her. She took her soaking wet uniform blazer off and put on the boy's hoodie instead. It was oversized, but it worked.

"Sunghoon?" the girl broke the tense silence as the two listened to the sound of the rain, now dying down outside. 

"Hm?" the boy shut his locker and turned to the girl.

"How did you know where I was?"

The boy looked at her. He couldn't help but feel a slight smile forming on his lips, seeing her in his hoodie. "I found the note."

The girl let out a soft 'oh' before she turned her attention to the rain that had almost completely stopped outside. 

"Let's go before it gets heavier again." The boy suggested as the two began walking side by side. He felt relived that she was ok.  All he wanted to do was hug her and tell her how happy he was, but he was too shy to.

"What?" the girl laughed seeing the small smile forming on the boy's lips.

"Nothing," he quickly looked away from her as he felt his ears turn red from getting caught. 

"Are you teasing me?" she pouted as she stuffed her hands into the hoodie's pockets.

"What if I am?" the male turned to her and leaned down, smiling at her cute pouty expression. 

"H-hey!" Taeryoung hit the boy's shoulder with her hand, forgetting it was bruised and scratched from having hit the door with it. 

The male grabbed her wrist and looked closely at the girl's hand with his brows furrowed in worry. "Hey, why didn't you tell me this happened?" he looked disappointed as he grabbed the girl's wrist and picked up his pace. "Is your family home?"

"No, not right now." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"Then I'm taking you to my house first." 

Taeryoung didn't say anything and just continued following (or more like being dragged by) the boy. After a couple minutes, they reached a modern looking, white house. The boy unlocked the door and pulled the girl inside.