030 | Rain & Red Ink

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The rain started sometime between first period and lunch—soft at first, then steady. By the time school let out, the world outside was blurred behind grey clouds and dripping windows.

Jiwon pulled her hoodie tighter around her shoulders as she stepped under the eaves. Jungwon was already waiting at the gate, umbrella in hand.

“You came prepared,” she said, nudging his side.

“I always am,” he replied with a tiny grin, holding it over both of them. “Ready for study day?”

“I mean… ‘study’ is a loose word, but yes.”

They walked together through puddles and soft wind, their shoulders bumping occasionally. Jiwon’s fingers were cold, so Jungwon quietly took her hand into his pocket.

“I read somewhere rainy days make you feel closer to someone,” he said casually.

“Where’d you read that?” she asked.

He tilted his head. “Probably… a fortune cookie.”

She laughed. “Romantic.”

-

At Jiwon’s house, the warm scent of hot chocolate filled the air while books, highlighters, and half-written notes covered the living room floor.

Jungwon sat cross-legged, squinting at a worksheet.

“Why is this math question speaking another language?”

“That’s just calculus,” Jiwon said, chewing the tip of her pen. “It’s always rude.”

Jungwon tossed his pencil down. “Let’s just skip it and start a bakery or something.”

“Jungwon, we’d go bankrupt in a week.”

“Okay, true. Maybe I’ll just marry rich.”

“Excuse me?”

He smirked. “Relax. I already found someone.”

Jiwon’s cheeks warmed instantly.

“You’re such a flirt,” she muttered, flipping her textbook to hide her smile.

“No,” he said, voice lower. “I’m just honest with you.”

The room fell quiet again, save for the tapping of rain and the occasional scribble of pens. Their arms brushed now and then—tiny, unspoken moments that felt like confessions.

Eventually, they took a break. Jiwon laid back on the carpet, her notes spread out like fallen leaves. Jungwon watched her from where he sat, pen resting on his lip.

“You know what I like about you?” he said suddenly.

Jiwon raised an eyebrow. “My winning personality?”

“Well, yes. But also—” he reached over and poked the side of her notebook “—you draw little hearts next to your important notes.”

She swatted his hand. “They help me remember things!”

“Are you going to draw one next to my name?”

“Only if you behave.”

He laughed, full and real, then lay down beside her. Their heads were close now, hair nearly touching. The ceiling above them flickered with shadows from the storm.

“Wanna stay like this forever?” Jungwon whispered.

Jiwon tilted her head toward him. “And skip math forever?”

“Exactly.”

“I’m in.”

They didn’t kiss this time. They didn’t need to.

Some moments are quieter than others, but no less loud in meaning.

And in that stillness—rain falling steadily, hearts beating close—Jiwon realized something:

This wasn’t just a new chapter.

It was the kind of story you want to reread. Again and again.

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