off the table, jung sungchan ✓

(2) rain and jacket

第一年

Previously sleepy, my droopy eyelids widened in surprise, alarmed by how fast the weather had shifted. The sky suddenly rained cats and dogs, and I was totally unprepared for the heavy downpour. Right, how could it slip my mind that the weather in Seoul can be really unpredictable sometimes? I made a small run towards the nearest shelter of a bakery, sheltering my head with my palms, silently praying I won't be in a huge mess. Unfortunately, I still do.

Unknowingly, I let out a small complaint about my soaked shoes and my uniforms, the fact that I wasn't wearing any outerwear made me groan even louder. I worriedly looked up to the sky, frustrated over how disastrous my first day of school at Yongsan High was.

"Great, the rain won't even stop for at least twenty minutes." I rummaged through my bag, still magically hoping I brought an umbrella to school this morning. "And as expected, I forgotten my umbrella."

"Lee Aera?"

From the half-opened bakery, a tall figure came out, beaming widely as he walked towards me. He gave me a small excited wave. It feels like a slow-motion video, where he effortlessly looked so gorgeous and I feel like the street lamp last night didn't give his face justice. Now that I see him with a clearer sight, I must say he's indeed extraordinarily handsome. Everything about him is just a medal every mother will brag about for the rest of their life. His hair, his skin, his eyes, his body proportion— they all gave a magical touch to him. "Sungchan?"

Somehow, a part of me felt extremely relieved to know I had someone I recognized in my new school. "You're attending Yongsan too?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I do."

"Is this coincidence or destiny that we're meeting each other again?" A toothy grin rolled across his lips and I felt myself slowly being insecure about his whole being. It took him a few seconds to process the aftermath of my drenched state and he looked extremely frantic when he panicked. "Oh my god, you're soaked!"

I lightly cackled, "Glad to see you here and yes, that's the price for not checking the weather forecast."

He looked down at his torso before taking off the jacket he was wearing and offering it to me. "Here, wear mine instead. I insist."

I looked down on my sloppy self and accepted his offer with much hesitation. His black varsity jacket was a bit too long and Sungchan lightly laughed while pointing out the oversized jacket I wore. The difference between our heights made the jacket, a robe for me to wear. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes when he pointed it out. "Are you sure you're a high school student? With that height, you can't even ride a roller-coaster. "

I shot him a glare and scoffed, "Yah, I passed the chart. Do you have a death wish?"

His laughter softly grew louder. I comfortably joined in. Ladies and gentlemen, I might have found myself my very first friend in a city I initially refused to reside in.

"The rain won't stop any minute soon, want to share an umbrella with me?"

Sungchan offered an umbrella to share with me.

"Sure."

We walked to school with dry uniforms and wet shoes. My first day was already disastrous but Sungchan made it tolerable and I would always be thankful for that.

*

A girl with light pink hair plopped down on the empty seat next to me, pulling down the headphones that she tapped with a lot of Doraemon stickers, and offering a hand to me as she introduced herself. "You must be the new kid, I'm Shin Ryujin."