"Seulgi? Why are you still here?"

"U-uh-I-uh" Would it be weird if she said she was waiting for her? Would Irene think she's being too clingy? "I-um-forgot my- uh..umbrella!" Good thinking Seulgi. Good thinking. "Haha. Yea! That's right! I forgot my umbrella so I'm waiting for the rain to die down!"

"Uh." Irene looks at the umbrella that Seulgi has in her hand. The supposedly forgotten umbrella that her forgot to hide when she came up with the lie.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"N-no?" One second. That was all it took for Irene to break through Seulgi's defense. "Maybe?" Hold strong Seulgi. "Finneee. Yes. I was waiting for you. It was raining and I wasn't sure if you brought an umbrella or not. I didn't want you to get wet. I wanted to leave this" she holds up her umbrella "with you but I didn't know where you were at."

Seulgi continues to ramble on and on until Irene's soft giggle boggle her mind and makes her forget what the heck she was even trying to say.

"Thanks. You're such a lifesaver. I didn't think it would rain so I really didn't bring one."

Seulgi's shoulders lift with pride. Heh. She is so glad that her mom reminded her about the weather. She is so glad that she decided to wait. Heck, she is even grateful for Yeri for gifting her this umbrella!

If only she knew that tugged snuggly inside Irene's bag is a perfectly functioning umbrella. If only she knew, she probably would feel something more than just pride.

"Shall we?" But she doesn't know, so she draws her umbrella out like a proud warrior.

Hehe. She feels like a prince charming rescuing the princess from the dragon. But instead of the breath of fire, it is the pouring rain.

Dafuq?

What’s up with this embarrassingly ugly, couple umbrella with red hearts all over?

Polka dots my !

She can already hear Yeri cackling in the background. Hahaha! You actually used the umbrella? What did she say? What was her reaction?

! She can also hear Yeri poking fun at her.

"Y-you see. This thing is not mine!" She waves the ugly thing around trying to explain herself. "Well, technically, it is now. But I didn't buy it! Yeri-"

"Haha. It's cute." Irene grabs the handle and lifts it over their head. "Shall we?"

"It is?" Because that's really not word Seulgi would describe this. You can call it big. You can call it ugly. You can call it embarrassing. You can even call it obnoxious. But if Irene calls it cute..it must be cute right?

Seulgi's smile returns to her face and her shoulders lift back up with pride. Hehe. She guesses that this couple umbrella could be a little...cute.

Never mind! She takes it back. This stupid thing is anything but cute!

Cute is used to describe tiny things that spark joy and warmth. Cute is cuddly and in need of protection.

But this! This giant umbrella! All she wants to do is snap it in half and pull Irene under her branch of protection. Cut away the space and distance that this poorly designed equipment is creating.

"Seulgi? Are you okay? You're fidgeting a lot."

"Yes. No-I" Ugh. How does she tell Irene that she wants them to be closer, that she wants to wrap her arm around her shoulder and keep her warm? "I-I-I wanttoholdyourhand!" It took her a great deal of courage to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

Has Irene always been a giggler? Because the Irene that is rumored is supposed to be cold and stoic, blunt and straightforward, unfriendly and standoffish.

But this Irene that she's with and has been with is anything but. This Irene is friendly and