Day 9 Cloytober: Rain
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In the early morning, a group of angels were bent over the clouds, sprinkling buckets of water into the white clouds, filling them until they were sufficiently puffy before sending them away.
Another group was sharpening the lightning bolts until they were smooth and perfect for when they shot them across the clouds to release the water their fellow angels had stored. An hour later, a deep rumbling could be heard even in heaven, an indication of the rain shower that was set to happen soon.
"It's going to rain today." Ri Jeong Hyeok smiled.
"Ah...those humans are going to be miserable today." Angel Kim stated. "The rain to devils is like catnip to kittens. Some of them go downright crazy with their pranks in such a weather."
"Are you sure?" Ri Jeong Hyeok looked doubtful, for he couldn't quite imagine Seri going "crazy" as his friend described.
Sure, she could get rather dramatic, and some may say, exuberant, but Seri has been more than tolerable so far. They have established a good working relationship and from there came a deep-seated understanding of the other's likes and dislikes.
It was why he was doubtful...Surely Seri was above playing meaningless pranks on the humans?
In every aspect, Ri Jeong Hyeok's verdict was right, because the devil in question had glowered at the skies when she noted down the darkening edges of every cloud. Already, she was cursing the heavens for scheduling a rain shower when the weather had been perfectly warm for the past week.
Nothing made her more miserable when she was cold than when she was damp and cold. To her, the rain was exactly that and Yoon Seri despised that.
There was nothing to celebrate over getting her precious heels and newly groomed wings wet for. Before her day could begin, Seri was already dreading it. Even the fact that she was meeting Ri Jeong Hyeok soon did nothing to soothe her irritation as she left hell with a huff, wrapping her hands tightly around a blood-red umbrella.
Back in heaven, some of the angels were already squeezing the rest of the water out of the clouds as Angel Ri flew down with Angel Kim.
"It's true." His friend claimed. "Those devils don't even work on rainy days. It's as if those are the days where they take a break and wreak havoc on the universe. Just wait and see, Angel Ri. It's going to be chaos today."
Not convinced, Angel Ri simply shook his head and flew down to earth to meet Yoon Seri at the oak tree they always met before work.
And boy was Angel Kim right about the havoc. The minute the angels landed that morning, they had been attacked by the devils who thought it would be a genius prank to create huge puddles of water throughout Seoul. Angels and humans alike tripped over these puddles, resulting in drench clothes, squishy shoes, and inevitable frustration.
It was no wonder some humans despised the rain.
The devils were certainly making the dreary weather incredibly miserable for everyone.
But despite the havoc around him, Ri Jeong Hyeok was quick to realise that Seri was not amongst the devils pulling pranks wherever they went. A sense of relief so profound filled his chest when the angel realised he was right about Seri.
But where was his devil?
Glancing around, Ri Jeong Hyeok became worried when Yoon Seri wasn't at the oak tree and sprinted off without another word. He couldn't comprehend why his heart was racing now, but he knew he had to find her soon.
Somewhere deep down, Angel Ri didn't like it when Devil Yoon was out of his sight.
What was this exactly? Was it a stirring of affection or an acknowledgement of love?
Either way, Ri Jeong Hyeok was desperate to find Yoon Seri. Fast.
Perhaps naturally, his inner compass was oriented towards her heart, because it didn't take too long for Ri Jeong Hyeok to find his devil partner.
She was there, standing right next to a flower shop, with a red umbrella cushioning the raindrops and keeping her dry. Her beautiful, eyes, which reminded Ri Jeong Hyeok of the deepest soaked soil on such a rainy day, were cast upon the dark heavens. The way she was glaring daggers at the skies had Ri Jeong Hyeok chuckling softly as he walked up to her.
"Good morning, Seri-ssi." Ri Jeong Hyeok greeted her calmly, although she was currently seething in her heels.
"Good morning? How is anything about this morning good, Captain?" Seri gestured rapidly to the skies.
"The weather has been perfect so far, and then boom, you angels decide it is a fantastic time for rain," Seri spoke sarcastically, rambling on and on about the horrid weather.
That was until she finally turned to acknowledge her angel partner and noticed how drenched he was. With his hair sticking to his forehead and his wings weighed down heavily by the downpour, Ri Jeong Hyeok was drenched from head to toe. Beads of rainwater sat on his bare skin, dripping down sensually down to the ground.
"How does he still look like he has just walked out of a fashion magazine when he is drenched like a wet puppy?" Seri wondered to herself.
Gulping, Seri had to force herself to focus as she quickly pulled him under the umbrella with her. Although they couldn't get sick, the feeling of being drenched must feel rather dreary even to the embodiment of pure light that was Angel Ri.
The sound of raindrops dripped rhythmically against the red umbrella, as though the drops were dancing to the beat of the wind. With Angel Ri's gentle warmth emanating off him in waves, Devil Yoon felt a sense of calm surround her for the first time that day. Even with his wet skin soaking the sleeve of her twilight blue dress, Seri didn't mind it one bit as they stood side by side with their arms touching between them.
Truly, the umbrella wasn't massive enough to cover them both even though their arms were pressed together. But it didn't seem like Ri Jeong Hyeok was bothered by the excess rain dripping onto his right shoulder, for he was more concerned about keeping Seri dry.
Taking the umbrella from Seri, the angel tilted the umbrella ever more slightly towards her, sensing that the devil didn't quite appreciate the rain.
"Why weren't you at the oak tree?" Ri Jeong Hyeok spoke with a tinge of hidden concern.
"Trees are a bad place to be around when it rains. A year back, my colleagues came up with an idea to shake the rainwater off the trees to prank unsuspecting humans hiding under them." Seri explained.
"To be honest, it was a meaningless suggestion. Which human in the right mind would stand under a tree when it rains? That's how you die from a lightning strike."
Laughing softly, Ri Jeong Hyeok couldn't help but agree with Seri's logic.
"What is it with devils and rain?" He asked curiously.
"Well, most of us find joy in watching humans grumble. I get where the fun is but not when it rains. I hate the rain." Seri huffed to prove her point.
"Why?"
Why indeed.
"It's wet, it's cold, it's miserable to name a few. What's there to like about the rain?" Seri grumbled.
Not to mention, whenever it rained, it only reminded her how alone she truly was even in hell. On rainy days, it was cold, but the fact that she didn't even have someone to keep her company through the ravaging thunderstorms or keep her warm only made her feel lonely.
She never told Ri Jeong Hyeok that. He simply didn't need to know. But the intuitive angel could see right past Seri's crumbling façade instantly and nodded thoughtfully at that.
What was there to like about rain? He would have to show her what was so beautiful about it.
Looking around, Ri Jeong Hyeok observed the humans braving through the relentless downpour closely. Some were rushing for shelter while others walked languidly in the rain, immune to the dreariness of the skies.
And then there were those who embraced it. Those were the ones who could feel and comprehend the beauty of the rain, the ones who Ri Jeong Hyeok had been on the lookout for.
"Watch." Ri Jeong Hyeok coaxed her gently when a human walked past them.
"He's smiling..." Seri noticed. "Why?"
Instead of responding, the pair continued to watch the human quietly as he kept his umbrella and stretched out his arms wide. Seri was just about to throw in a snide remark when the man shouted with joy, twirling around with his face lifted towards the sky.
"That man lost his wife last year." Ri Jeong Hyeok began, while they continued to observe the man celebrating in the rain. "On her last day, it rained just like that."
"Why would he be happy? Wouldn't the rain remind him of the day he lost her?"
"They had no regrets, Seri-ah. He misses her and the rain does remind him of her but in a different way from what we imagine. Somehow, the rain makes him feel closer to her. To him, this is his wife's embrace from heaven."
Just like that, Seri's heart was moved by the human's story. Although she held some reservations about the dreary weather, she continued watching the humans as Ri Jeong Hyeok pointed them out to her.
There was a child in a yellow raincoat and the cutest boots splashing around the puddles on the ground. His laughter had drifted over to them, chasing away the gloom hanging over Seri's head as he ran to another puddle to make a bigger splash.
There was a couple who raced across the rain together because they didn't have an umbrella. Despite the unforeseen situation, they laughed it off when they found shelter, finding humour in the drenched state of their partner as they embraced each other with the rain as the backdrop.
There were many more of such scenes that revealed the beauty of rain layer by layer, a sentiment that Seri quickly became oddly fond of now that she had someone to share the moment with.
Rain wasn't simply a wet drop that tumbled from the skies. It was a hug, a love letter, a child's playground, a couple's memory, nature's music and so much more. Even the streetlights were painted differently by the rain, much like how the leaves would collect those precious dewdrops, magnifying the divine beauty of nature.
Each drop was sacred, giving life to a world that needed nourishing. It washed the world of its dirt, giving sustenance to the soil such that earth could grow. It deepened the colour of the universe and even grass took on a glossier hue in acceptance of heaven's gift to earth.
It was why Ri Jeong Hyeok loved the rain, and Yoon Seri was beginning to see its beauty too.
Now, their memories of the rain would contain each other too.
The sun radiating off a beautiful woman's face? That pales in comparison to the gradual upturn of Seri's lips as she held out her palm to embrace the rain for the first time.
Next to her, Ri Jeong Hyeok did the same. The devil and angel turned to study each other, sharing a new moment of acceptance together, not knowing that beneath all that, they were falling for each other bit by bit.
"Ri Jeong Hyeok, thank you for showing me the beauty in life."
"Always, Yoon Seri. Always."
You have shown me how beautiful life is as well.