“-I haven’t eaten ramen in forever!” Sanha groaned, hugging his bowl of noodles.

“You had some yesterday,” Jinjin frowned.

“Yeah, but in secret,” Sanha retorted, “So that doesn’t count.”

“Jangmi-ah,” Rocky turned towards me, “What are you going to eat?”

I shrugged, slowly withering away under the pressure of so many eyes.

I felt a hand slip into mine, and I looked up at Eunwoo in surprise.

Smiling, he nodded, “You wanted Cold Noodles, right? You mentioned it earlier.”

I nodded a little, thankful that the other boys hadn’t noticed.

The waitress finally arrived, and she was walking as if she was strutting down a runway. I mean, we could all see her skirt was short, but she didn’t have to go flaunt it around. “Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked sweetly, eyeing Eunwoo.

Eunwoo, on the other hand, never looked up, “Uh… yeah… could we get the Cold Noodles? My girlfriend and I want to share.”

I blushed a little at his words. I still couldn’t get used to the fact that I was his girlfriend- I had always imagined myself living a long and lonely life with a hundred cats.

The waitress’s expression turned sour briefly, but then plastered a fake smile across her face, “Of course. Is that all?”

Eunwoo looked up at me, “Is there anything else you want?”

I shook my head.”

“That will be all,” he nodded.

As the waitress sulked away in masked defeat, the rest of the boys at the table burst out laughing.

“Man, did you see her face?” MJ cracked up.

“You were like ‘For my girlfriend,’ and she was like, ‘Oh,’” Jinjin shook his head, grinning.

“Dude, did you not see how hot she was?” Sanha strained his neck to get another look at the waitress.

“Yah,” Rocky slapped him across the back of the head, “He has a girlfriend, idiot.”

“That doesn’t me he can’t notice who’s hot or-”

“I didn’t notice,” Eunwoo cut them off coldly, “She wasn’t attractive.”

The table fell silent.

“All hail the ice prince,” Moonbin muttered under his breath.

“Yah,” Rocky leaned over to whisper in my ear, “How did you manage to get him wrapped around your finger??”

My head snapped over to him, eyes wide and cheeks burning. Now that I thought about it… what did I do? I was definitely less attractive than that waitress, and I never actually went out of my way to make friends… In reality, I was just a pathetic, lonely potato.

“Are you okay?” Eunwoo turned my head to meet his gaze.

“W-what?” my lips parted slightly.

“You look tired. Do you want to go home and rest? I can order the food for takeout-”

I shook my head, “No, I’m fine. I want to stay with all of you.”

Smiling, he ruffled my hair, “You don’t have to.”

Shrugging, I turned away, “But I want to.”

That night, I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. My eyes were wide awake, and all I could do was stare at the shapes in the ceiling. I could hear the midnight rain drumming against the roof, and somehow, that calmed me down. I’ve always loved listening to the rain… I never understood all those silly rhymes asking the rain to leave. I remember complaining to my grandmother about it, and ever since then, we would sing a different rhyme. A rhyme to thank the rain.

I curled up under my blankets, staring out the darkened window as glittering raindrops fell from the sky. “Rain, rain, please, please stay,” I whispered the tune under my breath, “Wash away my sins today-”

BAM!!!

I sat bolt upright, watching the lightning fill up the sky. Yet, just before I settled back down into my covers, a crash from the other end of the hall sent me to my feet. Wrapping a blanket around me, I hurried down the hallway only to stop before Eunwoo’s doorway. “E-Eunwoo-?”

As another crash of thunder rippled across the apartment, a loud thump hit the floor.

Pushing the door open, I hurried inside only to find the boy curled up on the floor. I dropped to my knees beside him, “Eunwoo, are you okay-?”

“Jangmi-ah?” Eunwoo looked up, shaking in fear.

“Are you- are you afraid of the thunder?” I whispered.

“I’m not-” another crash of thunder sent him shaking.

“Shh…” I pulled him close to me, wrapping him up in my blanket, “I’m here.”

“Don’t leave…” he whispered.

“I won’t,” I rocked him back and forth slightly in my arms, “I won’t ever leave you.”

We stayed like that as the storm raged on. The drumming of the rain and the rumbling of the thunder seemed a thousand miles away. With him in my arms, he was safe. I would do anything to protect him.

Eventually the rain stopped, and the night was silent once more. Disentangling myself from his arms, I hauled him back onto his bed and carefully wrapped him in my blanket once more. I smiled a little, watching his chest rise and fall through his sleep. It was precious… so precious. I turned to leave, convinced that he was fast asleep- until a hand wrapped around my wrist pulling me back.

“Don’t go,” he whispered.

I nodded, kneeling beside his bed, “I’m right here.”

I think I was beginning to understand what Rocky meant. I could see it at school everyday, and even just walking down the street it was beyond noticeable. Eunwoo… he was a god in everyone’s eyes. So kind, so smart, so beautiful. Only gods could touch gods, and in a way, gods themselves were lonely. No one felt worthy enough to even talk to them. Where everyone saw him filled with blessings, I saw him empty. Where everyone found him warm like the sun, I found him shivering in the cold. Maybe that’s why… I chose to see him as human, not a god. A friend, not an idol. A child, not a statue. I guess we were both each other’s firsts. He was my first friend, I was his first protector. He was the first to notice me, I was the first to notice his flaws… and accept them. He was my first love… and I was his.