Jung Hwan tried for the nth time to concentrate on writing his paper, but he couldn't help glancing at the clock again.
It was 2 A.M. Why wasn't she home yet?
He tsked as he chewed on his pencil's eraser. Deok Sun must have fallen asleep at the study room again.
The clap of thunder drew his attention to the window, and he saw it was pouring.
"I wonder if she has an umbrella," he thought, then shook his head. This was Deok Sun, of course she didn't.
He turned to his paper, then back at the window, and heaved a sigh of exasperation.
Moments later, he was standing in the rain, tapping his foot impatiently. What was he doing, waiting for her like this? But no matter how much he wanted to just go home and curl up in bed, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, thinking if she had made it home safely.
And then, he heard it. She was cursing at the rain as she ran. She rounded the corner and stopped in her tracks when she saw him there.
He had wanted to give her an earful, make her feel guilty about making him wait in the rain, but all of the words just disappeared as he stared at her, holding her book bag over her head, looking impossibly beautiful even if she was getting drenched by the rain.
Quickly, he cleared his throat and thrust the umbrella into her hands. "Come home early," he managed to say before turning away, and he quickly began to walk away.
"Wait!" he heard her say, followed by her footsteps rushing after him.
He felt the umbrella over his head as Deok Sun tried to shelter them both. They struggled to keep the same pace, as it took her three steps just to meet his single stride.
Finally, he exhaled in frustration and, in one fluid motion, took the umbrella from her while draping an arm across her shoulders. Jung Hwan desperately tried to ignore the electricity coursing through his body and focused instead on slowing down to her pace. He watched their feet as he fell into step with her, and finally, they were walking in sync.
He had to slow down so she didn't have to rush, but part of him felt he was slowing down just so this moment could last longer. Maybe the longer it took, the more this feeling of having his arm around her could be imprinted in his brain. He pulled her closer, hoping she thought it was so he could shield her from the rain better, wishing she wouldn't notice how his heart was about to beat out of his chest.
All too soon, they arrived home and the rain had finally stopped. Jung Hwan closed the umbrella and opened the gate, stepping inside. He heard Deok Sun come in and close the gate behind her, and he made his way up the steps to his house.
"Jung Hwan?" he heard her say softly.
He turned around to look at her, meeting her eyes for the first time since he thrust the umbrella into her hands in the alleyway.
She was staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite place. A mix of wonder and something else. He wondered what she might see on his face.
"Thank you," she finally said with a small smile.
He gave her a tiny nod, and because he didn't trust himself to say anything else, he said, "Good night."
His voice came out a little deeper than he intended, and he flushed in embarrassment.
Clearing his throat, he hurried up the rest of the steps and let himself in. He threw himself on the bed, then closed his eyes, falling asleep to the memory of holding Deok Sun in his arms.
