//

at first glance, for sure, i thought i had seen a goddess. trust me when i say she’s a beaut, this kim minjoo— the real epitome of celestial. 

it just so happened that i had forgotten to bring along an umbrella on a fateful wednesday evening. the inclement weather had me shivering from head to toe, and i wasn’t even out there in the showers yet. the constant buzzing of the rain was daunting to my ears, as if that of a static.

i stood at the foyer of the school, perturbed and alarmed at the rate of the amount of torrential rain pouring from the doleful clouds. believe it or not, there were still some (crazy) students who sprinted out of the school at full speed; either they were impatient or... well, impatient.

their audacity had me bewildered to say the least. can you believe i actually contemplated to run in that one hell of a downpour? i was pretty sure that i would be soaking wet the moment i step foot outside of school.

at that moment, all that occupied my mind was going home, where my gaming pc awaited for my grand arrival. but of course, mom wouldn’t be pleased if she was greeted with her daughter completely drenched. she’d go ballistic if i ever entered the house dripping wet.

so i spent a prolonged amount of time standing idly at the foyer, watching students leave one by one as if they were an endless string. 

time passed but the rain hadn’t subsided the least bit, the downpour remained uproarious and overwhelming. i was also starting to get impatient that i started rotating my ankles and jumping slightly on the spot, ready to battle against the unforgiving rain as adrenaline started pumping in my veins.

just before i could sprint outside towards my probable demise, a demure voice so gentle and as smooth as silk called out to me. (i never thought my name could roll off someone’s tongue so heavenly.)

“sakura sunbae...” 

at the call of my name, i halted my little warm-up session and froze in my spot.

, they must’ve seen all that...

embarrassed upon getting caught doing something silly, i released a nervous chuckle before i turned around fully...

...only to be greeted with the divine sight of a literal pink-haired goddess smiling so shyly yet so tenderly. my eyes traveled to the umbrella clutched in her right hand before going round as i studied her god-like features. yes i am exaggerating, but i am purely stating a hundred and ten percent truthful facts, mind you.

my flabbergasted expression must have overwhelmed the beaut infront of me since she started shifting her weight under my intent stare, her cheeks turned a shade of crimson red and her eyes darted everywhere as if panic-stricken. 

instantly, i snapped out of my trance and impulsively bowed 90 degrees to deliver my apologies. the way i stared must have definitely made her uncomfortable with the way she fidgeted just then... i reprimanded myself internally for coming out as a total creep infront of the girl.

“ah- sorry for s-staring! i just couldn’t help it since you’re so gorgeous-“ 

wait.

i cupped my mouth with my hand as i looked back up, that last sentence came out unconsciously and it spouted out before i could catch myself. great, talk about good first impressions.

if the beaut was red before then she’s much, much redder then that i actually got worried if my blabbering caused her to be sick, sick of my impulsive nature. (i would be.)

“sorry, that came out a little... creepy.” i scratched my ear out of nervousness, chuckling humorlessly as my eyes traveled to her shyly. 

“um i-it’s fine, sakura sunbae. thank you... for the compliment.” she said in a mousy voice as she flashed a small smile.

you see, the irony is that, the skies were crying and that alone drew the gloom out in everyone. (i should be too.) yet her simple and lovely smile was completely enough to turn my whole day around. the clouds were grey and dull but in her smile, i saw vibrant colours.

the sight had me gulping unknowingly, and i had to fake a cough to snap out of my daydream state (yet again).

“how’d you know my name?” i asked, feeling rather curious but also amused that the pink-haired beaut knows of my name. 

(i sort of am flattered but you didn’t hear me say that.)

this time, her glossy lips parted before closing a few times and i noticed that her grip on the umbrella tightened. she couldn’t seem to meet my eyes right then and the corner of my lips tugged a little at the adorable sight of this gorgeous girl whose name i have yet to know of.

she tucked her hair behind an ear, and i could clearly see how the tips of her ears were as red as tomatoes.

“i have... friends who know you. i learned about you from them. you were also the senior who everyone labeled as ‘flash miyawaki’ after you ‘unexpectedly’ won a 400 metre race during the sports carnival a month back.” she explained and i couldn’t hold back a gasp when the damned sports carnival was mentioned.

“as a matter of fact, i had to-“ i caught myself before i could spout nonsense without thinking again.

and this time, i’m glad i did because i merely participated in the carnival since i was forced too (courtesy of a certain freaking duck since i lost a bet). everyone, including me, expected myself to come in last place since i wasn’t very athletic (have you seen the way i run?) but right before the race, my stomach taunted me.

a dreadful kind of taunt, it just had to act up right before the damn race. i wasn’t able to take all the clenching in my gut and i was highly impatient so i ended up dashing to the finish line before heading straight for the washroom. (the rest remains history.) 

i received a gold medal for the first time in my life and it was with regards to sports, how the hell can that not be my best day ever?

“nevermind, that information is better left unsaid.” i stated quickly before dropping my arms to my sides.

for a good five seconds, we stood there facing each other. i had my head tilted and kept blinking in confusion because i had no idea of her intentions of greeting me in the first place.

i guess it must have slipped her mind, but eventually she jolted back to reality and hastily brought up her umbrella with a slightly quivering hand.

“oh- i almost forgot. i noticed you’ve been standing here for quite some time, sunbae. i assumed you don’t have an umbrella and the rain doesn’t seem to be calming down anytime soon so... i’m willing to share.” and then she gave me a bashful smile that my heart sort of did something, it tickled.

not only is she a goddess, but also my saviour. the smile on my lips stretched, and i felt giddiness budding in my core. part of it was because i finally have a ticket way home but most of it was feeling honoured to be able to share an umbrella with this beaut. 

“well, i appreciate your concern. though i would like the know the name this dearest hoobae who’s kind enough to offer me so.” i a little.

if someone like her acknowledged someone like me, then i wondered how i had never seen or passed by a pinkette whenever i strolled around the school. her hair colour definitely stood out and sure there were also a few others who sported the same hair colour but i found it weird how i never once came across this beaut. (also, she rocks that hair colour.)

“sorry, i forgot to introduce myself... i’m kim minjoo, a second year, class 2-2.“ the girl stated and i could see how she was grimacing to herself since she knew she should have introduced herself earlier. 

her blatant nervousness caused her to almost drop her umbrella but she quickly caught it while stumbling forward before catching herself. i elicited a chortle upon her clumsiness. she looked up at me with pursed lips, and i immediately noticed how they were plump and rosy.

“well kim minjoo, you’re sort of clumsy too, i noticed.” i pointed out and laughed a little. 

but it seemed as if my statement caused her to be a little upset with how she fixed her gaze on the linoleum floor, her face beet red with embarrassment.

“y-yes, i get that a lot.”

“don’t worry, that’s a compliment. your clumsiness appeals to me, i find it adorable. if anyone says otherwise, i’m not afraid to throw hands!” i exclaimed sincerely as i pretended to be in a fighting stance.

my silly antics worked its magic and soon, there was an amused grin plastered on her lips, the redness on her cheeks didn’t seem to go away but to me, it made her look all the more lovely and charming.

“so uh, let’s go?” i vocalised, making it sound more like an uncertain question rather than a declaration.

she nodded stiffly as a response before she opened the flower-embroidered umbrella. and we stood beside each other rather awkwardly, exchanging unsure glances.

“do you want me to hold it or...?” i spoke up to break the abrupt silence, bringing a hand up to hold the umbrella but she shook her head.

“it’s fine, sunbae. i’m taller so...” she pointed out.

i gasped dramatically, knowing what she was hinting at but i knew she hadn’t intend to offend me or anything. but the mischief in me decided to a little. so i clutched my chest to feign being offended upon her words, my eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

“what is this? are you clowning my height? tsk tsk tsk...”

minjoo started waving her free hand infront of her to deny my deliberate assumptions frantically and i couldn’t help but release a light chuckle.

“n-no not at all! i was just suggesting t-that-“

“kidding kidding, i was playing around with you, min.”

it must have been my imagination but i thought i saw her reacting oddly when i called her by the new found nickname i made for her. truthfully, it came out naturally, i didn’t even realise that i called her that until after i saw her fleeting reaction. by odd, i meant her breath sort of got caught in , it seemed.

but she was quick to recover and gave me an upset expression with pinched lips. 

“sunbae, you’re mean...” her shoulders slumped and i guess it was better to stop teasing her since her confidence might just vanish with the amount of times i was clowning her. 

so i flashed her my charming grin.

“and you’re very kind. not every junior would be so generous to do what you’re doing.”

upon my statement, her lips twitched and i assumed she was holding back a grin. she muttered a small thanks and i ushered for us to be on our way.

the walk to the bus station was constrained, mostly because the umbrella barely fits for two and as a result, we had to stand shoulder to shoulder. even