What the heart wants

Chapter 57

Mina begins to read the neatly scribbled lines, as she holds the paper in her trembling hands.

Dear Mina,

You made me promise I'll tell her I love her. I don't know where to start so let me go to the very beginning.

You asked me why I always stared at the rain.
It was raining when I first met her. I was talking to Jeongyeon.

Mina's brows creases with confusion. If Nayeon was talking to Jeongyeon then who was the girl in the rain she always spoke about?

A taxi arrived behind us. Another trainee shouted a new recruit had joined. So I went to the balcony to have a look. There was this girl playing with the rain drops, holding her umbrella, wearing a red jumper and blue jeans. I've never seen anyone enjoy that weather so much. I've never felt something warm flutter in my chest before that. Then I saw her face. Her beautiful freckled face. And then she smiled. A dazzling gummy smile. Every time I look at the rain, it reminds me of her. It reminds me of that moment. It reminds me of you, Mina.

Mina blinks back the tears in her eyes. Nayeon is talking about her, not Jeongyeon or anyone else. She's talking about her like she's the most beautiful girl in the world and her hand trembles even more that she almost lets the paper slip.

Nayeon opens the envelope, her touch tender and delicate as if she's holding the younger girl herself.

Nayeon-chan,

You've never asked me for anything, except for the one wish that I tell her I love her.

There are so many things I remember vaguely from my first day at Sixteen, like meeting Chaeyoung, the smell of coffee, the sound of rain. But the only thing I remember vividly is you. I was walking to the lobby when I heard commotion in the first floor balcony. You were about to fall off it and my heart almost leaped to my throat. Jihyo pulled you back just in time and you stood there scratching your neck, giving her that dazzling smile of yours. The rain I loved so much blurred around me as your beautiful face was the only thing I could see.

I've loved you since that day Nayeon-chan.

Nayeon flutters her eyes shut. She's not sure if she's dreaming because this doesn't feel real. She feels like someone is going to wake her up any moment and then the disappointment is going to hit her brutally.

Mina, you know I almost fell off the balcony trying to get closer to you. I fell in love hard and fast at first sight that I wasn't even aware that I was standing on the first floor. If Jihyo hadn't pulled me back on time, Nayeon-chan would have long been Nayeon-gone.

Mina chuckles as she reads the letter. She wipes the tears that's falling with the back of her hand as she recalls that day.

I don't like rainy weather Mina, but I see your face in every single drop, that's why I can't stop staring.

Mina's lower lip quivers at the weight behind those words. Like a land hit by hurricane, those words hit her heart and destroy every single insecurities she's had.

Everyone says that I'm cheerful, easy going but did you know I couldn't utter a single word in front of you? If you hadn't approached me for taking a picture, I'd have never had the courage to talk to you.

Mina bites her lips as her glistening eyes lingers on that letter, as her mind travels back to the particular moment.

Nayeon-chan, I would have never had the courage to talk to you, but I was going back home and I didn't know if I'd ever see you again. I wanted to take a picture with you so I could always keep you with me. I was absolutely terrified when I approached you because I had done nothing like that in my life, but what terrified me even more was the thought I could forget your face. That, I couldn't live with.