Sooyoung stared at the dollops of rain falling from the sky. She was standing under a tree on the side of the road, drenched head to toe from the sudden downpour. Her wet clothes stuck to her body like second skin. She was feeling cold but there's nothing else to hold but the equally cold handlebars of her bike.

A sudden flash of light caught her eye and the branch-like figure of a lightning bolt sparked in the far horizon. She cupped her hand in her ear but the angry growl of thunder still made her jump. The sound was followed by even larger drops of rain.

She groaned and slumped back against the tree trunk. It had been half past seven when she decided to go home. She stepped out of the university building to see the earth being battered by the rain. Blaming herself for trusting the fair weather that afternoon, she waited for the rain to subside. After an hour or so with the rain showing no sign of stopping, Sooyoung mounted on her bike and prepared herself for a long ride home.

Not long after her journey, the rain poured harder. The lonely lamp posts on the side of the road proved no help when the continuous downpour and the suffocating darkness made visibility nearly impossible; forcing her to stop at the nearest tree she could find.

A strong gust of wind blew and the leafy arms of the tree shook, sending sheets of water above her head. She started shivering from the cold, her thin arms wrapping itself around her body in an attempt to keep herself warm.

At that moment, there was nothing else she wished but to go home, wrap herself in a blanket, drink tea, and fall asleep to the sound of raindrops falling on the roof.

The rain lashed harder and Sooyoung found herself wanting to cry. Her digital wristwatch told her it was five minutes past ten already. With the rate the rain was pouring, she'd be lucky if it would stop before midnight.

Frustration, fear, and worry churned in her stomach. It wasn't the first time she went home after sundown --- the first was when Kyuhyun brought her home--- but it was the first time that she was out this late; and on a stormy evening at that. She hugged her knees and curled herself into ball knowing that Changmin and Seohyun would've been worried sick by then.

Changmin!

The thought of him sent her out of her moment of self-pity. Her hands made its way to her bag, blindly scourging the contents for the thing she was looking for. She felt it in her hands before she fully realized it and she let out a cry of relief as she took out her rarely used and obsolete mobile phone. She scrolled down to the first number on her phonebook and pressed the call button.

The other line rang and she found herself smiling as a certain memory flashed in her mind.

"Why isn't my number saved here?" Changmin whined as he scrolled past his wife's contact list. "Appa, Imo EunHye, Choding, Hyosukkie, Hyuk-oppa, Park-songsaengnim, Yul, Yesung-oppa..." He read the names aloud while keeping the phone away from her hands.

"Give me back my phone, Shim Changmin!" Sooyoung jumped and tried to reach the poor object but the boy just raised it higher.

"Yonghwa-ya, Kyuhyunnie..." He scoffed as he finished reading the list and turned the thing over in his huge hand. "Only ten names here? You call this a phone? The unit is also very old. How old are you when you got this? Twelve?"

"I don't need a fancy phone, doofus!" She went around him and tried to reach it from his back. "The signal here is weak and I prefer talking to people personally! Give it back!"

Changmin simply chortled in reply. He typed something into the phone before finally giving it to her.

"There. I saved my number. Call me, okay?" He gave her a naughty wink as the girl basically snatched the gadget from his hand.

"I don't even use my phone and I don't think I'll ever need to call you someday."

Well, who would've thought she'd eat her words?

Her heart thumped faster as the phone on the other line continued ringing. It stopped halfway on it's fourth ring.

"Hello?! Who is thi--- Sooyoung?!"

Changmin's voice floated through the line. His ragged panting told her that he must have ran from where he was to get to his phone.

The mix of panic, worry, and fear in his voice was enough to make her tears spill.

"Min..." she sobbed at the mention of his name.
"Sooyoung! Honey, where are you?! Are you okay? God, why didn't you call me sooner? Do you know how worried I was? How dare you go home this late? Are you out of your mind?!" His tone went from relieved to worried to nagging in a matter of seconds. He was practically scolding her.

Sooyoung sobbed louder when his voice went soft.

"Honey... where are you? Tell me, please. I'll come and fetch you." Desperation and anxiety were apparent in his voice.

She sniffed and looked around her but all she saw were the dark silhouettes of trees against an equally-dark sky.

"I don't know where exactly." She replied weakly. "But I'm sure I have passed my fruit stall already. I took a rest under a tree on the west side of the---"

Her words were cut off as the phone gave a tired beep and the screen blanked out.

Battery empty.

Sooyoung stared openmouthed in shock at the lifeless gadget. She never felt so scared and helpless in her life until that moment.

Tired and battered of the misfortunes that had befallen her, she let the tears roll down her cheeks freely as she rocked herself to sleep. Her last thoughts packaged on a silent prayer hoping that Shim Changmin will find her before she loses her all.

Time seemed to stretch twice longer as she went in and out of consciousness.

It must have been hours, or maybe it had only been minutes, Sooyoung didn't get the chance to know, when the twin bright rays shining from the headlights of a car startled her. She raised her head just as the sound of a door being shut mixed with the loud patter of the rain.

She only saw the silhouette coming towards her but she already knew who it was.

"Changmin..." She breathed weakly, a gentle smile gracing her face.

The sound of the storm seemed to die down when she felt his strong arms wrap around her body. She was shivering and he was warm; dry as the sun-kissed oranges in summer. Sooyoung snuggled closer to him, unmindful of the fact that she was drenching him from all of the water soaked in her clothes.

"Honey, take off your shirt! Quick!"

Normally, she would have argued with him but this time she was too weak to even open .

She slipped off her shirt with much difficulty; the water making it heavier than usual. Sooyoung barely noticed the cruel cold against her skin before she felt the thick blanket Changmin has wrapped around her.

He then as easily swooped her in his arms and carried her swiftly to the waiting car. She could feel the rain splashing around them but none of the drops get through as Changmin carefully shielded her with his body.

Her eyes were closed but her smile was still on as she leaned her head agains