“I’m going guys! Don’t stay too late! See you tomorrow.” JR said, as he zipped up his jacket half-way, grabbed his umbrella and waved goodbye as he walked out of the practice room. NU’EST, JR’s dance group, has been staying in after school hours to practice for a competition they’ll be joining in a few weeks. They’ve been practicing for three hours non-stop and finally decided to call it a night.

JR pushed the door open and stood there for a moment. He raised his hand just a little over the area the shade protected and felt the drops of rain fall on his hand. He withdrew his hand and shook the droplets off. He opened his umbrella and stepped out, making his way to the bus stop.

JR loved the rain, and it hasn’t rained in a few weeks, so he walked slowly, savoring the moment. He hummed a simple melody as he walked through the puddles. It was already dark and the way the lights shone through the rain was beautiful.

JR reached the bus stop and stepped in the dry spot the shade provided. He pulled his umbrella to a close and shook off the water. He checked the time, and if the bus follows the schedule, he still has fifteen minutes before it gets there.

He sat on the bench, waiting patiently. He started tapping his foot and nodding his head, replaying what they were practicing earlier in his mind. A yellow sports car just passed by in front of him, and sight of the beautiful vehicle immediately caught his attention and his eyes automatically followed it as it disappeared down the road. Though his eyes were fixed on the road, he noticed a familiar plaid skirt through his peripheral vision. He focused his attention on that and it confirmed that the girl was wearing the uniform from his school. It was too dark to see the girl’s face, and the way she was looking at ground while walking wasn’t any help either. But something else caught JR’s attention. The girl was wet. She was walking in the rain, like she didn’t give a damn if she was soaking wet or whatever.

Instinctively, JR opened his umbrella and rushed to the girl. As JR neared her, he noticed it wasn’t just any girl, it was his best friend.

“Yoorin? Yoorin-ah!” JR quickened his pace and immediately shielded the girl from the rain. “Yah, Yoorin-ah.” JR said, as he grabbed the girl’s wet shoulder. Yoorin stopped and looked up, giving JR a faint smile. “JR…”

“Yah. What are you doing walking alone in the rain?!” JR said, as he dragged her towards the safety of the dry bus stop. He closed the umbrella and pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket and started drying Yoorin’s face. “Don’t you have an umbrella with you? Why didn’t you go home with Nami? Did you leave school just now? Aish. Look at you. You’re soaking wet.”

“Ani, I left school on time, but decided to stay at the park for a while. But it started raining.”

“Why didn’t you go home at once? It’s been raining for more than an hour already.” JR said, as he grabbed Yoorin’s hair and started squeezing the water out as gently as possible.

“But, I like the rain.” Yoorin said it so faintly, it wasn’t even audible.

JR noticed Yoorin wasn’t her usual self. He let go of her hair and faced her.

“Yoorin, is something wrong?”

Yoorin didn’t respond and continued looking at the ground. She hasn’t looked up or faced JR since they got to the illuminated bus stop. JR pulled Yoorin’s face up and was surprised to see Yoorin’s red eyes.

“Yoorin, are you sick?”

Yoorin smiled. “Isn’t the rain wonderful? Walk in the rain and no one can tell you’re crying. It’s amazing, just like magic.”

JR’s face fell. “You… cried? What’s wrong? What happened?”

Yoorin looked down again. “I… failed.”

“What?”

“I failed.” Yoorin said, looking back up. She smiled, but a tear escaped her eye, and JR surely didn’t miss it.

“I didn’t get into the college I applied for, the one I really wanted to go to. I failed.” She kept her smile, but more tears just kept falling.

“Yoorin-ah…” JR didn’t know what to say. JR moved forward to give his best friend a hug, only resulting for her to back off into the rain.

“Yah. You’ll get wet if you hug me.”

JR walked out into the rain, letting the water fall freely on his head and everywhere else on his body. “Now I’m wet too. It doesn’t matter.”

“What are you doing?!” Yoorin said, as she pushed JR back into the shaded bus stop. JR grabbed Yoorin’s hands and pulled her into a hug. Yoorin was trying to escape.

“Let go, you’ll get wet!” Yoorin said, squirming in JR’s arms. She was still crying, and JR hugging her like this wasn’t really helping it to stop.

“Ssh…” JR shushed, rubbing Yoorin’s back and resting his head on hers. “Cry.”

Yoorin was no match for JR’s well-built arms and eventually gave up. She rested her head on JR’s chest and let the tears flow.

Yoorin sobbed, and her feelings got the best of here. “I’m not stupid right? You think I’m smart enough, right? Why didn’t I get in? I did my best. Why wasn’t it enough?! I studied so hard!”

JR just continued to Yoorin’s back with his hand. “Yoorin-ah, you’re not stupid. You’re smart. You did your best and that’s great, but I guess XXX university just isn’t for you.”

“But I’ve been dreaming to go to that college!”

“Yoorin, you have to understand that not all dreams come true. There are a lot of other universities there that I know you will be able to enter with ease.”

“I know, but… After failing this one, it feels like it’ll be hard to pass the others.” Yoorin said between sobs.

JR grabbed your shoulders and made you face him. His eyes directly staring into Yoorin’s. “Ani. Come with me.” In one swift motion, JR grabbed Yoorin’s hand and dashed off, leaving his umbrella.

“Yah, you left your umbrella! What are you doing?! You’re gonna miss the bus!” Yoorin huffed, trying to catch up to JR’s running speed.

“That’s not important right now. Right now, you need to know you can do it,” JR said, looking back at Yoorin and giving her a smile that could make girls swoon.

A few minutes later, Yoorin found herself standing next to her best friend, facing the beautiful view of the Han River. The rain has minimized to a mere drizzle.

“JR, what are we doing here?” Yoorin said, looking up at JR.

JR let go of Yoorin’s hand and walked closer to the river. He raised his two hands to his face.

“NAN HAL SUISSEO~!” JR shouted. He then looked back at his best friend and smiled. Yoorin smiled through her tear-stained face. JR did it again which gained a slight laugh from his best friend.

Before JR could go for a third try, Yoorin marched up next to him.

“NAN HAL SUISSEO~!” She shouted.

JR laughed at her. Yoorin shouted three more times before she and JR began to laugh together.

“Feeling better?” JR asked.

“So much. Thank you, JR. You’re the best.” Yoorin answered, engulfing JR in a warm embrace.

JR smiled and hugged her back. “Anything for you.”