"Iet's meet again - in the middle of a spring fused storm"

Her yellow outfit shines golden in the morning sun - a perfect mix and match between her pants and her blouse makes her overall fashion neat and although she is always brimming with confidence, this adds up to her layers of charisma.

Her hair is long - highlighted in brown but doesn't seem to bother her eyes - which is the most delicate part of her existence - shining and hazel. Probably the second most beautiful set of eyes in my world. The crowned belongs to a certain past.

Bumping with her in the way, I couldn't help but start apologizing her. Due to a late lunch, I am on the clock for my next class - anthropology to be exact. So, without even proper apology, I have to sprint to the building and funnily, I find her doing the same thing.

It turns out we belong to the same section. We talk about each other a lot that day - learning new interests and maybe forgetting that the professor in front exists. It is the story of how I become friends with the most popular girl on campus - well two mistakes here.

First , she wasn't popular back then. She was just transferred in and was still settling in and at the time when people were beginning to notice her, yet she was oblivious.

And second, I said we become friends. It might be true for her, but those feelings dig up a little more than that for me.

After being renowned , the girl receives so many friends. Her locker is full of letters and sweets every evening and her dance club performance is the most voted campaign of the university history. There is even a Chaeyoung Jjang club for god's sake. Yes, she did skyrocket in popularity. Not too surprising since she has that personal magnetism to fit in.

Having plenty friends mean less time for me as we begin to meet each other less common than usual. It is understandable. It is also my fault for not being able to be completely honest whenever I am around with you.

She does not completely throw me out by the way. She still talks with me unchanged just like our first time - but when I attempt to flirt at her - her expressions always stiffen and learning from her body language - she sometimes might despite being too close with me.

She must have her reasons. I am never a popular boy so I cannot reimagine her life at all.

It is the anthropology class, and the professor is already starting to begin the class by checking role calls. The seat beside me is still vacant as she as usual is late to show up.

It has been two days since the rainy day. Or it has been two days since I haven't met her so I couldn't lie but I miss her. No matter she is forcing or not, I want to talk and spend some time with her. Although the unexpected happened at the other day regularly changes my circadian rhythm - with me often longing for the quiet girl.

When the teacher is halfway through the names, she enters hurriedly and sits beside me her usual space. I smile at her as a welcoming sign, but she seems to be too much in rush to notice.

"Your badge is upside down" - I point while warning her. She looks at me and the silver name badge pinned into her chest after - which is a few degrees tilted. She smiles at me and refixes it. Now the letters are in right position.

"Lee Chaeyoung"

.....

We do talk a while after the class. And she does apologize for missing out on the appointment. She promises me to go somewhere again the other time but concerning her schedule I do not think there will be another chance for us alone.

I bid her goodbye as I head to my tennis practice when she goes to meet with her friends.

And the situation, I call it an "old man's knit"

An old man is knitting a present for his beloved wife. But he was never a good knitter, nor was he trained proper techniques for it.

He spends a very long days of hard work. The knit does not match the standard of his wife since it is too incomplete, too many flaws as well as improper techniques. But since this takes almost a week, an old man doesn't want to throw the knit away either. But if does throw away, he doesn't want to give his wife nothing other than his knit. He also doesn't want to spend another long array to get a new one as it is uncertain that the probability will not turn out bad.

At the end, he just keeps the ugly knit, doesn't dare to give his wife or attempt a new session.

Does this story remind you of something? Yes indeed.

It is very frustrating.

.....

Let me tell you a funny thing. There is no rainy season in Korea. But it is far from meaning it doesn't rain in here. It rains suddenly at most unexpected moments. Sometimes, it could be in the middle of the hellishly hot summer or in the bright spring to cause chaos among people hugging the blossoms. It even separates dates by pouring down at the worst time possible. Familiar?

The forecast doesn't warn a slight and it is in the middle of the spring - a season renewed for how beautifully sketched the clouds are. But right now, all I could see is black madness-coated clouds roaring down bickering rain. It seems even more intense than the last day - as it brings both wind and thunder. Luckily, it is weekends, and I am free of any chores to do away from home. So, although the stormy weather bothers my comfort, I take it as an opportunity to relax myself for an extent since so many things have happened lately.

Well, at least that's what I though

4 in the evening. The wind and the rain send shivers down the bone. I could barely hold my umbrella as the weather keeps insisting on knocking it off my palms. If I weren't wearing a layer of raincoat, I would have been soaking wet by now. Carrying my leather boots, I slowly make my way through flooded pavements.

"Hansol - shit! What kind of dog brain you have? " - I curse myself as I voluntarily torture my body. I put myself in the risk of potentially getting either fever or cold, but I forget an important documents at my school locker and I need the piece as soon as possible.

School isn't too far from home, so I choose the walking way. Another mistake. I thought I could run fast and get stuffs over as soon as possible but in reality - in order to maintain balance and walk around the paddles, one has to even slow down his usual pace.

The roads are lonely as I only have thunderclaps roaring to cheer me on. I locate my locker and retrieve the document. It is problematic indeed but at least all I have to do is return to walk and thus I can drink something warm and watch a movie.

.....

What's one thing you still like about rainy days? Well, whenever it rains, she comes out to me.

I hold my umbrella high and wide to shelter both bodies from water. I look down at the shorter girl as she lifts her face to do the same - both of us almost drenched with wetness - her worse. But this moment, the buzzling noises I once hate sound like the perfect melody for a climatic drama scene.

She breaks the silence - saying "thank you" - her eyes shuffling a lot that making me unable to guess if she recognizes me or not.

"Chaehyun right?" I ask her gently - my voice shaking with cold. She nods - before looking away.

"Do you remember me?" I follow up as she responses with another nod. As she unseals her lips to tell me something, she cannot control but coughs heavily.

"Chaehyun are you okay" - her body is trembled by sudden powerful coughs. Standing in the rain for very long without any thick enough clothes strikes her back almost immediately. Her small figure falls on my arms as I grab her gently - caressing her waist to make her feel better.

As the cough diminishes, she pulls herself away from me - this time shyly. "Thank you" - she says it for the second time - this time sounding more friendlier than the first.

"Why ar-" I cut my own question as I don't feel the situation to ask. She is still anticipating by looking at me with those wide eyes. " Never mind" I whisper. I want to inquiry about what she is doing in the rain. The girl was standing in the middle of the rain when I found her - doing nothing except feeling the raindrops with her hands. She didn't have an umbrella nor raincoats and her clothes weren't even thick either. I stopped the thinking for a while but rushed to give her an umbrella. I am honestly intrigued yet during our first meeting, the blonde girl is frustrated by me asking questions. Since it could be concerning something personal either, I choose not to push the door.

She gestures with her head - the edge of her lips forms a small smile. Her first one today and it instantly makes butterflies wake from metamorphosis. Her blonde hair is sparkling with the lingering rain. I have to pray that she is oblivious enough to not notice how much I am in awe with her beauty.

"No Hina?" I change into a comfortable topic as she shakes her head - "dinner".

"Without you" I ask as she nods slowly. Silence bears again since the conversation that is going nowhere is lost in the end. Yet two of us are still willing to stand in the same spot. My hand starts to ache from raising the umbrella.

Without by chance, I find myself staring into her eyes. Or should I say something about her eyes is draining me into it? It's like when Alice makes a dumb decision to jump inside the rabbit hole. Caroline decides to crawl to the other world. From her eyes, I could see serenity of wonderland.

But again, the wonderland I have been before. With today, I am sure that she is the one who I have been searching all along my life. But it bothers me that I meet her in the most complicated directions of life. And secondly, I am not sure if I am just delusional as there is not definite confirmation except from my personal feeling.

I don't know how long it has been already that my eyes have been locked into hers. She never attempts to break the gaze - although her eyes lack passion or emotion. She stands as if she is dancing with the clouds.

"Do you want to go somewhere for shelter" I melt the ice. She shakes her head politely, but I pull her hand towards the nearest coffee shop.

.....

"You must be really cold right?" I ask to her - she is still gulping every last remaining of her hot latte. She looks at you - all surprised but she smiles and nods. "Take this too" I pull in to give my order - hot vanilla latte that has been untouched since its arrival to our table. As she unseals her lips again to refuse my favor, I block - "it's okay. I don't want to drink. And I am not cold either"

She looks at me - her eyes back off from the sudden kindness she receives. I hope there is warmness blooming inside her heart as she thanks me and grabs my glass of beverage.

I could however not help but notice that on her wrist she is wearing a yellow bracelet - plain yet shining prismatically even with room light. I am certain. It is the same one I saw last day.

.....

"I have to get going" she whispers softly as two of you stand in front of the cafe door. Her milky hands still are feeling the raindrops habitually. The dominating rain that even causes major floods is now nowhere to be found as the sun rays create a rainbow in the far somewhere.

"Thank you" she bows to me and rushes in a hurry. Things happen so fast for me and my nervous system to proceed. But when realization hits, I am too late.

"Chaehyun wai-" - although how loudly I scream for her, the figure already becomes one with mist as she diverts into light. So, I do not bother trying it. Yet the emptiness habitudes inside you as you consider how magical the moment before was and I regret that I will never have something like that again.

Or worse, I might never see her again - at all.

.....

Warm shower is what I deliberately longing for right in the moment. As the water heater starts adjusting the balance to create a perfect hot tub , I start to take off my half-wet outfit into the laundry bag. If not the phone inside my pocket rings at the most clutch time possible, my cellphone could end up orbiting in circles getting washed with detergents.

"Hello" - I answer as a pretty voice greets. I do not need to guess who is under that unique tone. From the first word, I know who just call me although I could have just read the contact apparent and save a lot of time.

010-XXXX-XXXX
채영

"Yes? " -

"Hansol-ya - so I am thinking about the last time - and I feel bad - I really feel bad"

"...."

"So, let's meet up again next week? How about that?"

My face brightens after the sudden proposal.

"With your friends? "

"No ! Just you and me - you like it right?"

Suddenly? Yes indeed - suddenly. I am holding my smile like a mad man, but I could feel like I can fly across the entire Asian continent.

"Yes, if course! What day? "

"Hmm. How about Friday? - I am free all day"

"Friday? I may have something to do! But I am free after 12! Is that okay?"

"좋아 ! See you!"

I feel like the happiest leaf in the oak in the moment. Since this is something, I never expect from her - since it comes off very unexpected, I could feel the joy overflowing.

But as soon as my mind crosses upon certain someone, everything becomes difficult.

Why do good things come together at the same time possible? When you cannot enjoy all the good things, do we have to drop one? But how do we choose? "

I cut off my shower thoughts as I dip myself warm into the foam - closing my eyes as I trust destiny to write a script for me.

.....

"Good luck" - the professor says in a satisfying tone - "although you will most likely get it" -

"Why? No one applied?" He improvises and nods to my jokingly comment as we both laugh it off. I leave all my documents and application forms on the office and leaves after formally saying goodbye to him. Viewing the cultural monument in the middle of the school, I wish for me a chance to partake in this.

If destiny is watching this, please leave this in my script. Thank you.

I quietly say to myself as I drag my legs across the building - for some reason - I am feeling very relaxed today.