"I'm never going to use an umbrella unless I'm sharing it with someone I am going to spend my life with."

That is what Sana had told herself since she was five. 

But she never knew what exact essence it made, she just knew that she was going to share it with someone she is going to spend her life with in the future. It was silly, no, even beyond silly, but what's a 5 year old girl's got to lose?

Now that Sana's already reached the 17th year of her life, she still hasn't bought an umbrella. What she promised to herself when she was younger carried on to her teenage years.

"Oh man." Sana grunted to herself as she stared at the sky above her. To say the least, the sky was gloomy, with rain threatening to grace the barren land soon. And at times like this, Sana regrets to have promised her self that she'd never touch an umbrella.

Barely even a minute later, when Sana has decided to trudge down the road, the rain did fall—ever so dramatically.

And so Sana braved the rain, clutching on to her shoulder bag and hugging her plastic folder (thank God for waterproofed folders) against her chest. However, her uniform got wet, hair stuck like glue to her face, breathing heavily exaggerated, and her steps started to get uneven.

She was so, so sure she was going to get the scolding of her life once she gets home. Her mom has told her time and time again to bring an umbrella along, rain or shine, day or night; but hard-headed Sana wanted to keep her pride and belief over everything else.

"Silly child."  Her mother would sigh and put away the umbrella that once again Sana had rejected. "You're going to get sick because of this silly belief of yours."

With a resolute face, Sana says, "I can always wear a rain coat."

But like always, Sana would forget about the existence of the rain coat and would come home wet. By the next day she would have a cold.

"Of all the days, it just had to be today." Sana gritted her teeth as she dashed carelessly against the rain. Her shoes were getting soggy by the second and to make things worse, her sight was fogged—she never saw how there was a rock on the road. The sequence that followed was Sana tripping over it, a dangling gasp left hanging in the air, and Sana falling to the ground with her face first.

Well, that was embarrassing.

Sana pushed herself up, not minding the pain that crept through her body.

"Damn rain," she seethed. 

As soon as she stood erect, she suddenly felt a sharp pang on her knees. Turns out she had scraped it and badly had to seek immediate aid. Tears started to form on Sana's eyes, the pain stung so bad that she couldn't ignore it. Today just had to get worse for her.

"Excuse me?"

After hearing those two words, Sana suddenly couldn't feel the rain drops hitting her body, but oddly could still hear the sound of rain rapping against the ground. She slowly opened her eyes, one at a time, and was greeted with two wide brown ones staring directly at her. 

Someone had offered to share their umbrella with her.

"Are you okay?" the stranger asked. There was worried laced on her tone. Sana was left speechless for a moment and was unable to move. The stranger started to scan Sana's body for any injuries while still keeping the umbrella above them.

It was a bright yellow umbrella and wide enough to shield them both from the splatter of the rain.

"I - I'm okay," Sana muttered.

She was lying.

1. Her knees were aching.
2. She's standing under an umbrella with a complete stranger.
3. Her pride was at stake.

"Your knees are bleeding!" the stranger—who had hair with a shade of orange tied up in a pony tail —exclaimed. "Let's take you to the school clinic, can you walk?" she asked as she offered her arms for Sanato grab on. 

"Y—you'll get wet," Sana muttered, tentatively hovering her arms around the girl's thin and pale one.

"It doesn't matter, we need to get going. Grab unto me," she said with urgency. She didn't even pause in between words.

Sana linked their arms, and as she walked, she leaned more towards the girl as her knees started to burn. It wasn't how she pictured out how her first use of the umbrella would be, with someone who she doesn't know or recognize (but apparently is from the same school as she is, judging by her uniform), and her limping around with teeth clenched together due to the pain.

But she doesn't have that much choice, does she?

...
 

"It's a good thing you came to the clinic right away," the nurse, Miss Hwang, said. She had finished dressing Sana's wound and had taken a short break. "The stitches might leave a mark when the wound will heal, but it wouldn't be that much." 

Sana nodded and pulled the blanket around her more.

"Thank you, ma'am," she said.

"You should thank her more though." Miss Hwang smiled and gestured to the orange-haired girl, who was sitting by the table. The girl smiled at Sana, and good Lord, her eyes smiled as well, forming inverted crescents that made her look cuter than she actually was. (Not that Sana didn't notice it when she first saw her.) "If not for her, anymore delay of treating your wound would lead to severe infection."

"T—thanks, uhm." Sana started, but stopped halfway realizing she didn't even know who her savior was. 

"Dahyun. Kim Dahyun."

"Thank you, Dahyun," Sana meekly said.

"No problem!" The girl beamed. "Anyone would have helped you if they were in my shoes."

"Anyway, I'll leave you two for awhile. I have to go to somewhere. I'll be back in a bit." Miss Hwang took her coat from the rack. "Dahyunnie, will you be so kind and help me out by giving Ms. Minatozaki her medication?"

Dahyun nodded. "Of course. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory, right?"

"I trust you know the which brand and dosage?" 

"Are you really asking me that, Miss Hwang?" Dahyun asked, stressing out the first half of the sentence. Her lips curled up in a mischevious manner.

"Ah of course." The nurse laughed softly. "I'll be going now."

Sana looked at the nurse and then back to Dahyun. So, they know each other that well?

Dahyun gingerly stood up from her seat and walked towards the medicine cabinet. She started searching through the cabinet, pulling out one compartment after another, and as soon as she found what she was searching for, she walked back towards where Sana was. 

"Here, drink these," she said. Sana looked at her and then took the medicine. "Oh wait. Silly me, I need to get you some water."

Dahyun shuffled to the dispenser and fetched a glass of water. 

"It'll help with the swelling and infection. You know, the medicine." She pointed at the medicine using her lips. "But anyone with the right mind would know that." There was a soft laughter dangling on Dahyun's lips, as if amused by her own joke. She carefully handed the glass to Sana. "I'll give you more of those later, which shall be taken every eight hours for seven days."

"Oh, thanks."

"I'm babbling, forgive me."

"It's fine." Sana smiled. "I sometimes babble too much that my friends want to put a sock on my mouth." Sana then stared at the medicine on her palm before engulfing them in one take. She cleared with the water Dahyun offered her after.

As she settled the glass on the table, she saw how Dahyun was looking at her, with a smile that seemed to be permanently engraved on her face.

Was there something on her face? "Y-yes?"

"Nothing really." The girl shook her head. "I just find it amusing that of all the days that I brought my umbrella it would be today."

Sana blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I was debating with myself earlier if I should bring my umbrella or not since it was all sunny earlier, and the past days too apparently. Having brought it turns out that to be one of the best decisions I've done. Never thought I would have to share it with someone in need." Dahyun chuckled after. She diverted her attention to the window and breathed out softly while placing her palm against her cheek. "Guess you're still stuck with me since it's still pouring outside."

Sana nodded. 

It was the only thing she could do so at the moment.

And she just shared an umbrella with Kim Dahyun.

...

"Why am I not surprised to see you injured?" 

Sana rolled her eyes at Momo, one of the two bestfriends she has. She then limped inside the classroom.

Mina, the last of the bunch, upon hearing what Momo had to say, lifted her head from the book she was busying herself. "Sana-chan?" Mina's eyes went wide as saucers. "What happened?" She went to aid Sana while Momo just sat and watched with amusement in her eyes.

"It's not that I don't care, because I do and you know that, but seeing you limping is really funny," Momo said, barely containing her laughter. She waved her hands in front of her in clear dismissal of Sana's look of judgement. "But really, what happened?"

After Sana had settled on her desk, with the help of Mina of course, she sighed softly. 

"Well dear friends, I tripped over a rock this time and had myself injured. And to make it more dramatic, it all happened under the rain."

Momo inched closer and whispered, "Did somebody see you trip? Because it would be even more fun-"

"Momo!" Mina raised her normally soft voice and smacked Momo on the shoulders. "You're adding fuel to the fire."

Momo sat back on her chair and crossed her arms across her chest. "I was just asking."

"To answer that Momo, yes, someone saw me trip," Sana answered with a sigh, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "Someone helped me to the clinic. An angel, she was." 

Mina inched closer this time, resting her elbows on Sana's desk and her palms on her cheeks. "Thank God such person exists. Who was she? A schoolmate of ours?"

Sana nodded.

"Who?" 

"Kim Dahyun."

Momo tilted her head. "9th grader Kim Dahyun?"

Sana blinked this time. "You know her?"

"Apparently so" Momo nodded. "I often see her at the library, and she's part of the debate club, which I am now part of."

Mina gasped. "No way you're part of the debate club." 

"I'm serious." Momo deadpanned Mina. "I just got in recently."

"Nooo way."

Sana looked at both her friends squabbling and then shook her head. "Okay, you two. Let's get back to the topic. Momo." She turned to Momo. "You know Kim Dahyun?"

"As I've said, yeah I do. But not that much, since I haven't really talked to her. But hey Mina-chan." Momo turned to Mina with a distressed look before continuing, "Isn't she the girl who everyone said has ca—"

Before Momo could even continue her sentence, a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Sana-eonni!"

All heads whipped to the door, and there stood the topic of their conversation all clad up in the same uniform that they were wearing.

Kim Dahyun raised her hands and waved at them.

Momo and Mina turned to look at Sana and gave her a knowing smile, which Sana decided to ignore. She figured smacking both her friends' head could wait 'till later. She tried to stand up to attend to Dahyun, but Dahyun was quick on her feet, who dashed towards where Sana was.

"Hold it right there, Sana-eonni! Don't stand." She put a hand on Sana's shoulder. 

Sana looked up at her and flushed red at how close the younger girl's face was. "H-hi, Dahyun." 

Dahyun smiled before pulling away. She stood straight and then made a polite small nod, acknowledging two more persons. "Momo-eonni. Mina-eonni."

"Hi, Dahyun." Momo smiled shyly and raised her hand for a wave. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Good to see you too Momo-eonni," Dahyun said before turning to Sana. "Anyway, Sana-eonni, how's your injury?"

"I-it's fine. I took the medicine you gave me," Sana said. She wasn't quite sure why she was stuttering, and so she closed and pressed it into a thin line, hoping Dahyun (Mina and Momo, too) would not hear the quiver on her voice.

Mina noticed this however; she elbowed Momo and whispered, "I cannot believe Sana's being all shy today." 

Momo grinned and whispered back, "I know right."

"Oh, before I forget," Dahyun swung her bag to the front and took out a beautifully wrapped lunchbox. "I made this for you. Hope you'll like it, and you can share them with your friends too."

"Thanks, Dahyun." Sana received the pack and placed them on the desk.

"Get well soon, eonni. I'll see you around." Dahyun smiled before skipping towards the door.

Sana sat there in a state of bewilderment. Her eyes didn't blink, and only stared at the door that Dahyun just passed through.

"You know," Sana started when she finally had the courage and the energy to speak. "She shared her umbrella with me yesterday." Her voice was as soft as a whisper, but it was enough for both Momo and Mina to hear it. 

Mina had an unexplainable reaction on her face, mixed with pity and empathy all at the same time. The same with Momo, but the latter was more relaxed.

"You shared an umbrella... with her?" Mina asked to confirm it once again. "But your belief about umbrella and soulmates?"

Sana nodded. She tugged on the ribbon of the wrapped lunchbox and took the linen away. She opened the lunchbox to find beautifully wrapped kimbaps, cut fruits, and even some seasoned kimchi. It was touching, to say the least, that someone who she just met cared for her in such way.

"I don't know how to feel about that, to be honest." Sana sighed. 

Momo looked at Mina this time and mouthed, 'Should we tell her?'

Mina shook her head. Not this time.

...

In the days that followed, Sana, who was initially unaware of Dahyun's existence, often found the girl around the campus. Dahyun sat with Tzuyu and Chaeyoung, two of whom were part of the drama club that Sana was also part of, during lunch. Dahyun also helped out in the office during her vacant time in the afternoon, and Sana happens to visit the said office everyday for extra credit. Dahyun also helped out in the clinic, which might explain how she knew which medications to give. 

Sana was confused, how could she have not notice Dahy