The next time Choi Seunghyun saw Lee Seungri was another month after.

He was heading back from an exhibition of a new up-and-raising abstract artist when it started raining, Seunghyun usually didn’t like rain, but having seen such amazing artwork that evening had made him so satisfied that he didn’t care for the raindrops that starting pelting down heavily onto his windscreen. That was when he saw Lee Seungri.

Seungri was standing outside his closed cafe, taking shelter from the sudden change in weather, Seunghyun saw him sigh as he looked up and reached his arm out, letting the heavy rain soak his sleeve.

It felt like déjà vu.

*****

Choi Seunghyun stepped out of a library with a shiver. It had been one of the coldest days Seoul had seen that Winter, snow was falling, but the study rush during the final exam period had students within the campus too busy to be appreciating the snow.

All but one student, it seemed.

Seunghyun stopped dead on his tracks as he caught sight of a familiar figure.

Lee Seungri was standing just outside the glass doors of the main library building, seemingly enchanted by the falling snow as he reached out his hand and let the snowflakes fall onto his woollen mittens.

“Do you have an umbrella?”

Seungri turned around at the sound of his voice, unfazed by his sudden appearance, he had met Seunghyun several times already, having been dragged out by Kwon Jiyong multiple times. He remembered Seunghyun as a quiet person, but not unkind.

He smiled, “Yes.”

Seunghyun raised an eyebrow, Seungri was carrying nothing but two textbooks which he hugged to himself.

“Where are you going? I can walk you.” Seunghyun offered as he took his umbrella out from his bag.

Seungri blinked at him and paused for a moment before shaking his head.

“It’s okay. You go on your way first.” He bowed his head at him politely.

Seunghyun stared at him for a long moment, “Are you sure?”

Seungri nodded firmly.

“Ok, see you later then.” Seunghyun opened his umbrella and made his way out, turning around to look at the younger boy who gave him a small bow again.

As soon as he walked out of sight, Seunghyun ran.

The young boy at the convenience store counter didn’t even lift his head from the manga he was reading as the door was pushed opened.

“Excuse me.” Seunghyun walked to the section beside the counter and knelt down beisde the rack.

“Yes how can I help?” The boy seemed a bit annoyed that he had to put down his manga book, but still maintained his manners as he stood up and greeted him.

“Which umbrella is the best?”

“Huh?” The young store clerk couldn’t help but to be confused seeing the tall man wearing an expensive coat- with a logo that he recognized only from the fashion magazines his sister reads, kneel down in front of the umbrella rack while giving him one of the most helpless looks he's ever seen a customer give him, “Can you please recommend me one quickly? Someone is waiting for me.”

When Seunghyun ran back to the library with a brand new umbrella in his hand, Lee Seungri was still standing there. Seunghyun’s couldn’t help but to grin in relief as he stopped to catch his breath, opening his mouth to call out the boy’s name.

“Ya! Lee Seungri!”

A figure jumped onto Seungri’s back, clinging onto him with his chin poking into the Seungri's shoulder. He shrugged the person off with a small frown. “I told you to stop calling me that, I have a real name.”

Kwon Jiyong laughed, seemingly amused at the younger boy’s reaction.

“Wae? I don’t want you to get you confused with Seunghyun hyung, Seungri’s a cute name right?”

Lee Seungri looked at him wordlessly, but stubbornly.

“Fine fine. Seung~hyun~yah~”

Lee Seungri looked away, “Lee Seungri is fine.”

Jiyong grinned victoriously, reaching out his hand to ruffle the younger’s hair.

Seungri dodged his head out of the way, which somehow made Jiyong more amused rather than angry.

“Why’re you standing here? Did you not bring an umbrella?” Jiyong asked after Seungri took a step back to distance himself away.

Lee Seungri stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. Jiyong’s hair was black now, last week it was still blonde.

Seungri shook his head. “No.”

“Pabo.” Jiyong laughed reaching out again, this time Seungri didn’t back away. Kwon Jiyong ruffled his hair with satisfaction.

“Should I be a nice hyung and walk you then?” Jiyong flashed his teeth at him as he opened his umbrella. It was a pocket umbrella, much smaller than the brand new one Seunghyun had in his hand.

Lee Seungri stepped under Kwon Jiyong’s umbrella with a side glance at the older boy. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to…” He murmured quietly, earning another laugh from Jiyong. “Aigoo, so cute our Seungri.”

They walked away side by side, Kwon Jiyong leaning the umbrella towards the younger boy so half his own shoulder was covered in snow, after some distance, Lee Seungri took the umbrella from his hand and leaned it away from him instead so it covered all of Kwon Jiyong, who laughed and pulled closer so they were both sheltered from the falling snow.

Seunghyun stared at the umbrella in his hand, unopened and unused.

For the remainder of that Winter, he had brought that umbrella everywhere with him, just in case.

*****

“Lee Seungri.”

“Lee Seungri!”

Lee Seungri didn’t even flinch as he still stared at the rain.

“Yah! Lee Seungri!!” Seunghyun yelled, his deep voice booming across the sound of raindrops hitting the concrete ground.

Lee Seungri turned around in confusion, looking around at the dark rainy street that stretched before him.

Seunghyun rolled his window down further as he pulled up closer to the entrance of the cafe.

“Where are you going, I’ll give you a ride. ”

Lee Seungri blinked.

Before he could shake his head, Seunghyun had already jumped out of the car and ran around to his side, pulling the car door open.

He stared at Seungri as rain pelted down, making his perfectly slicked back hair fall across his forehead, “Let’s go.”

-

Lee Seungri shifted in his seat as Choi Seunghyun reached out and turned up the air con.

“Where do you live?”

“Sillim-dong.”

“Are you cold?”

Seungri shook his head.

Then the car fell quiet, Seunghyun pondered for a moment,

“You took so long to see me.” He gave him pointed look, and Seungri was again reminded of a wounded puppy.

“Sorry…”

“I haven’t been called that in a long time.”

Seunghyun paused for a moment before realizing what he meant.

“You mean Lee

Seungri?”

He nodded.”

“Oh…..Don’t you like it?”

Seungri didn’t say anything.

After a long while, he opened his mouth hesitantly, “You….do you all still keep in touch?”

Seunghyun’s jaw tensed as he nodded. “From time to time.”

“Oh…”

“How is everyone?...” Seungri looked out of the window at the pelting rain, before asking again, “Kwon Jiyong, how is he? He must be busy right?.....”

“He’s good.” Seunghyun replied shorty, “Super rich, super famous.”

So don’t worry about him. He wanted to say.

The rest of the car ride was silent.

As he pulled up to the younger man’s complex at his directions, Seunghyun turned to look at him. The raindrops were still clinging to his eyelashes, Seunghyun fought away the urge to reach out and wipe them away.

“Lee Seunghyun….”

The younger man widened his eyes slightly at him.

“I’ll call you that from now on, ok?” Seunghyun beamed at him proudly, “Seunghyun.”

Lee Seungri smiled at the older man who was looking at him like a kid looking to his parents for praise.

“It’s ok, Seungri’s fine. It must be weird calling your own name.”

Seunghyun frowned, “No.” but after a moment he nodded, “But if you like, I’ll call you that then..” He smiled proudly again. “Lee Seungri.” He tried, savouring the taste of the name on his tongue.

Seungri raised his hand into an ‘ok’ sign.

“Lee Seungri, I gave you a ride today, so next time, let me win the lucky draw next time.”

Seungri couldn’t help but laugh lightly, “It’s called a lucky draw, I can’t rig it.”

Seunghyun’s smile fell. “Oh.”

“But when you come again, I’ll secretly give you another stamp on your loyalty card, ok?”

Seunghyun’s smile immediately returned. “Ok, remember that.”

Seungri nodded and undid his seatbelt before snapping his fingers like he realized something.

“Ah-” He opened the car door and jumped out before Seunghyun could reach for the umbrella lying on the passenger seat.

“Wait here.” Seungri instructed him before running into his small complex.

Minutes later, he emerged again, holding a box he hugged it to himself to shield it from the rain as he ran to Seunghyun’s car.

He knocked on the window to which Seunghyun rolled down.

“I almost forgot, this is the chime you wanted." He slid the box through the window into Seunghyun’s grasp.

“Be careful on your way back.” He said to him before turning and running back into the rain to his complex.

Seunghyun stared at the box in his hands, quickly rolling the window back up so it didn’t get any wetter.

He turned back and carefully placed it on the passenger seat with two hands as if it was the most expensive piece of artwork he had ever bought.

The box lay quietly next to the black umbrella.

Seunghyun’s mouth slowly curled into a smile, then a grin, then he sat there, laughing like a fool as he stared at the plain cardboard box.

Then he drove back home, an apartment right above his gallery, next to Lee Seungri’s cafe.