In this quiet high rise apartment, she was away from the world, never having to leave and never having to see people. From the 15th floor, Mizuhara Kiko could see all of the city she needed to anyways. What purpose did she have to step outside? She saw the people, the shops, and the businesses. Since she had turned 19, she had lived on her own, completely isolated. Her psychiatrist said she had a bad case of social anxiety, and that she might get over it at some point, but Kiko had never believed him.

Every day, her routine was the same. At 8:30, her father who lived in the apartment next to her would lightly tap on the door and place a tray with breakfast outside. At 8:45, she would wake up and retrieve the tray and eat while watching the morning news. At 9:15, she would go to her room and do light exercise to keep herself fit. At 9:45, she would sit down in front of her favorite window with a book, occasionally watching the traffic below her. During the rest of the day, she would cook herself a small meal, watch the evening news, browse the internet, and listen to music. Kiko never strayed from her pattern in the mornings. She varied her afternoon activities depending on the day of the week, ranging from dancing to giving her cat a bath.

Everything in her life was structured and organized, and she wanted it to stay that way.
At 4:37 pm, Kiko was sitting by her window, watching the skyline. Her eyes had begun to droop sleepily from the warm sunlight, when she had a shocking revelation. She sat up straight and alert, trying to confirm the fact to herself. She looked at the date on her watch.

"Today's my birthday." She mumbled quietly to herself. "I am twenty three today."
She hadn't ever given birthdays much thought. It was just another day to her, and besides she didn't want to bring up memories of the past.

            4:45 came around, and Kiko walked silently to her room, picked up a camera off of her desk and returned back to her perch. She ghosted over the floor, not even leaving a trace of her existence. Quickly, she took off the lens cap and gave the glass a wipe with the hem of her dress in a practiced motion. Kiko pointed the camera down the sidewalk below her and zoomed in, waiting for that one moment, that one person. This time of day was the only time Kiko got nervous about anything. She took a few test shots, making sure her camera didn’t focus on the raindrops beading on her window.

            The only person I’ve ever felt affection for. It was true. She didn’t know his name, his occupation, or anything about him for that matter, but whenever she saw him, Kiko was calm and truly happy. Never having a desire to meet him, she took a picture of him every evening when he was walking home. He never walked that way to work in the morning, only around 4:45 did he walk down that street.

            Kiko caught herself from daydreaming just in time so spot him on turning the corner. Every day, he wore a different outfit, never repeating the same combination. Today, he had on a white sweater and black Capi’s. Always Stylish. Kiko looked into the view finder and snapped a few pictures, smiling to herself. As he got closer, she put her camera in her lap. Something was wrong. It was raining, and the man didn’t have an umbrella. Whenever she had seen him, he never once forgot it when it was raining, and yet here he was with no umbrella and walking quickly under the drizzle that fell.

            “He doesn’t have an umbrella.” Kiko looked down at the floor. The fact rocked her to the core. Something had to be wrong. Why did it seem so wrong to her? Before she could think about it, Kiko had grabbed a clear umbrella from her closet and stood at her front door. The only person I’ve ever had affection for, walking in the rain. Swallowing hard, she slowly reached for the doorknob.

            “3, 2, 1,” Kiko opened the door quickly and sprinted out, heading to the stairwell. She ran down the flights of stairs effortlessly, almost as if she were a blur of life, here one second and gone the next. Her fingers gripped the plastic in her hands so hard that they were turning white. I’m outside. I actually did it, all for him. Kiko began smiling, and smiled even brighter as she approached the lobby of the building. With a glance back at the exit of the stairwell, Kiko began to step out of the building, still clutching the umbrella. The tile on the floor was cold against her bare feet, but Kiko smiled even more. She could still feel. She wasn’t dead to the world yet.

            The feeling of rain hitting her head was the first thing Kiko noticed as she got out the door. It was cold, but welcoming. It had picked up since she was upstairs and now fell in large drops that drowned the world. The sounds hit her next. It was disorienting, the cars and noise pollution from the bustling city. She looked around, suddenly scared to be outside. She got a few glances from men and women walking home. Kiko was, after all, bare foot and in a colored sun dress, getting wet when she held an umbrella in her hands.

            Trying her hardest to ignore everything else, Kiko focused on the reason she was outside. Where did he go? Kiko looked around frantically, stepping out into the busy sidewalk. She turned left and ran, desperately trying to find him. Surely, he couldn’t have walked that far in that little time. Kiko gasped for breath as she ran. She was losing hope quickly when she glanced his white sweater.

            “Hey!” Kiko called out to him. She hadn’t talked to another person in the past two years. Just that one word frightened her. Hey. Anyone around her could have responded. She didn’t even know the name of the man she tried so desperately to get the attention of. As Kiko neared him, she called out again. Her breath raced, her feet stung, her skin was cold, but she had never felt more excited and alive. As she caught up with the man, she tapped on his shoulder, making sure he knew she was talking to her.

            “Hey you,” She said again, trying to catch her breath. As he turned around, Kiko felt her heart stop. He was more handsome up close than she ever imagined, and a lot taller. His eyes were on her, actually paying attention to her. The man looked at her, more surprised than anything. “Here.”

            Kiko held out the umbrella, smiling. Short strands of wet hair stuck to her face, and her wet dress clung to her skin. Surely, she knew she was a strange sight, but all that mattered was the man in front of her.

            “What?” He asked, confused at what she just said. He looked her up and down, a little stunned that this was happening. Was she giving him the umbrella when she should have been using it?

            “Take it please,” Kiko looked into his eyes with a sincere look. She had finally met him. Even if she didn’t know anything about him, it had felt like she knew so much.

            “Your umbrella?” He still looked confused. “Don’t you need it?”

            Kiko shook her head.

            “You haven’t ever come out in the rain without an umbrella before, and I came out here specifically to give it to you. Please take it.”

            Kiko bowed a little and looked back up at him. His facial features were well defined, and she felt herself blushing a little. Never once in her life had she felt like this towards a person.

            The man merely stood looking at her. She was definitely a strange character. Was she a fan? How did she know he had an umbrella every day but this one? Slowly, he reached out and grabbed the umbrella, bowing in return.

            “Thank you I guess.”

            Even though he should have, Seong Joon didn’t leave. He stared at the young woman in front of him beaming brightly. Something about her made him want to get to know her more. She was standing in the rain, dressing like a small girl, and handing him an umbrella. Opening the umbrella, Seong Joon stood closer her, making sure to block her from the rain.

            “What’s your name?” He asked.

            “Mizuhara Kiko,” Looking at her feet, Kiko suddenly realized what she had just done. Her face blushed over a bright red. What would he do? It was probably wrong for her to do something like this.

            Seong Joon mouthed her name silently, getting himself accustomed to it. Was she Japanese? She didn’t quite look like it.

            “Can I walk you to where you need to go, Kiko?” He smiled. “It’s the least I could do since you brought me an umbrella.”

            Kiko looked up at him and smiled back, just glad she could make him happy. She merely shook her head and stepped back out into the rain. Bowing again, Kiko took one last look at his eyes.

            “I’m happy I could make you happy.” Kiko waved at him and turned to leave, but stopped. “What’s your name?”

            Seong Joon looked confused again. If she hadn’t known who he was, then why had she given him an umbrella?

            “My name is Bang Seong Joon.” Suddenly, his own name sounded foreign to him, almost as if it had been snatched up. He saw her process and memorize it in her head.

            “Thank you, Bang Seong Joon.” Kiko began to walk off, but got faster eventually running. She had done it. Mizuhara Kiko had walked outside and took a risk, and for that she wanted to dance in the rain, never stopping.