“It’s strange, I came to like rainy days

I find you next to me.”

- The Sound Of Rain, Younha

-

     The next day, Jongin says he doesn’t need to be accompanied again since he has memorized the way, and Seah fakes a proud smile. It wasn’t raining when he left, and Seah spies him from her unit’s window, looking at his every movement on the building’s parking lot, until he couldn’t be seen anymore.

     We should have been going together under the umbrella like yesterday. We should have been sitting beside each other in the subway. We should have been going home together at the end of the day.

     Seah rolls around on her carpet, and whines to herself.

     I want to go with you.

     She spends the day being bored, only went outside once for grocery shopping, and wasting time by watching movies and TV. In the evening, she gets a call from Baekhyun.

     “Seah, I’m coming home late tonight. My team will have dinner together.”

     “Okay, be careful of the rain, oppa. How about Jongin?”

     “I’m bringing my umbrella, don’t worry. Well, I don’t know about him, go call him yourself.”

     Seah stays still after ending the call. Calling Jongin? But he’s going to directly go home, no? He should be the one who calls if he goes home late. Is he going to think Seah is giving him too much attention by calling first? Is he going to think weirdly about this?

     “This is. Just. A freaking call.” Seah clutches her phone, staring at the name ‘Kim Jongin’ on her contacts list. “Baekhyun oppa tells me to. I’m only going to ask if he’s going to come home late too. Yes.”

     Seah rolls around again for the nth time on her carpet, and throws her phone to the sofa. She kicks the air, and whines a cry.

     Damn it, Kim Jongin.

     She decides not to call, and just waits. Nearing 6 PM, Jongin hasn’t come home, and there’s no call. Seah is wandering in the living room, looking at the rain outside. Is he trapped in the rain? Or is he going out with his friends? Why doesn’t he give a call to tell her?

     Seah grabs her phone, and takes a deep breath as she touches the ‘call’ button and puts her phone on her ear.

     One dialing tone.

     Two dialing tone.

     “Hello?”

     “Hello. Hey.” Seah closes her eyes as Jongin’s voice is heard. “Um… You’re coming home late?”

     “Yeah, maybe for a bit.”

     “Why? Are you having dinner outside?”

     “No… Actually I’ve ridden the subway, but I’m still staying in the station because of the rain.”

     “What?” Seah looks at the shoe shelf, and finds the umbrella. “Ah, why are you not bringing the umbrella…”

     Jongin laughs from the other end of the phone. “It’s okay, I’ll wait for a bit more.”

     “No, this is getting late. I’ll come pick you up, so stay there.”

     Seah hangs up, and she slowly laughs to herself awkwardly.

     Song Seah, you’re really lovestruck, aren’t you?

     She shakes her head repeatedly, grabs her jacket, and goes out with the umbrella. She’s practically running to the subway station, and finds Jongin there. She smiles to him, but she thinks belatedly that her smile is too bright for greeting someone she hasn’t met for just less than 12 hours.

     Thankfully Jongin greets her with a smile just as bright, and he immediately goes to her side as soon as he sees her. “Let’s go home.”

     Seah’s heartbeat instantly goes on uncontrollable mode when Jongin’s tall figure walks beside her. They don’t talk much on the way home. Inside the building, when they got out from the elevator, they spot a delivery man carrying a big box pressing Seah’s doorbell repeatedly.

     “Oh, ahjussi, that’s my home.” Seah half-runs to the man while smiling, knowing what the box is. “Jongin, just get inside first, I need to sign…”

     Jongin nods and gets in after Seah unlocks the password of her unit, and Seah stays outside for awhile to accept her package. Jongin looks at her curiously as she gets inside, all smiles, while carrying the big box.

     “What is that?” he asks.

     “This is from my father. He practically lives in Japan so he sends various things to me every—“

     Seah trips on Jongin’s shoes on the entrance and falls, and the big box flies away one meter in front of her. Seah limps on the floor, unable to say anything. Jongin runs to her, just as shocked. “Oh God, Seah, are you okay?”

     Seah swiftly nods, though still blanking out because of the shock. Jongin takes off her shoes, and lifts her up. She thinks he’s only going to help her stand up, but he goes on to carry her, bridal-style, and heads to the sofa. Seah’s eyes widen as Jongin carries her body as if she weighs a feather.

     “Wait, wait, let me down, I’m okay, really!”

     “Do you know what makes me concerned? You let out no sound! You did this that time too. You didn’t scream, you didn’t even shriek or something. Rather than making people not worried, it feels uneasy instead.” Jongin says, his expression is anxious.

     Seah clearly smells the mix of his perfume and sweat in this position. “That’s my habit, though—oh my, really, let me down, my feet are okay.”

     “Hey, I’ve read somewhere that it’s not good for your heart. Then how are you going to handle amusement park rides? Are you still not going to say anything? What if I do this?” Jongin swings her body to the left and right repeatedly, and as expected, Seah stays silent, albeit now she can only wrap her arms around Jongin’s neck and buries her face on his chest.

     “S-stop, please.”

     Jongin laughs, and finally puts Seah down to the sofa carefully. Seah is half-glaring at him, and he only keeps laughing as he sits beside her. “You should let your adrenaline flow, you know.”

     Seah can still smell his body’s fragrance until now. “I just don’t like to scream… I hate noise. Or panicked sound.” Seah says.

     “Why? Is there a story behind it?”

     “Not particularly, I just don’t like that kind of situation. Some people often let out unnecessary over-reacting sound, that’s the one I hate most.” Seah shudders.

     “But still, it’s okay to scream sometimes. What if you get on a rollercoaster?”

     “Why are you so curious with that…”

     “How about haunted house? Do you want to go to one? My town has a really scary one.”

     “AH!” Seah protests, and jumps on her seat. Jongin devilishly laughs.

     “That’s it, let it out!” he stands up and takes the box from Seah’s father. “What’s inside?”

     “This.” Seah turns cheery again, and opens the seal. “This is my monthly treat from my father.” half of the box is filled with Japanese candies and snacks, and the other half is books and movies.

     “Oooh.” Jongin marvels at the sight. Seah takes out a biscuit pack and gives it to Jongin.

     “For now, here, I’ll give you more later.”

     Jongin chuckles. He opens the package when his expression changes. “Your father is in Japan, your mother is out of the town, and your brother is studying far away… Are you okay with being alone?”

     “Baekhyun oppa and you are here though.” Seah answers simply.

     “But how about when we go home? What if nobody knows you’re in trouble because you didn’t scream?”

     Seah rolls her eyes. “That wouldn’t happen. It’s not that I don’t scream, I choose not to.”

     “Even if you don’t scream, let me know if something happens. While I’m here, I’ll take care of it.”

     Seah clumsily looks at the content of the box after Jongin said it, unable to lift her head. “You really don’t have to… But thank you.”

     “That’s the least I can do after freeloading in this house, though.” Jongin eats his biscuit. Seah laughs, and open a pack for herself.

     “How was your practice today?”

     “So far so good. I have a great team.”

     “What dance are you practicing? Can I see it?”

     “There are three performances I’m preparing, a solo dance, group dance, and couple dance. Which one do you want to see?”

     Seah’s heart sank when she heard ‘couple dance’. “Uh… Realistically, the solo dance.”

     “Okay.” Jongin takes out his phone from his jacket, and scrolls through his music folder. “This one.”

     Seah expected the music to be an upbeat one, usual dance-ish music, but the sound coming from Jongin’s phone is not what she anticipated it to be. It’s a slow melody, contemporary, and Jongin starts moving his body. Seah is not sure whether he’s doing ballet or something of that kind, but she’s just mesmerized to see him moving in grace, limberly, with the music. The music ends after two minutes, and Seah claps, completely enthralled.

     “Wow. Whoah. That was amazing.”

     “Thank you.” Jongin goes back to his seat and smiles. “If you want to see it, I have the group dance and couple dance recordings in my pho—“

     “Later.” Seah fakes a smile. “It’s better to see it live. How about you shower now, and we’ll eat dinner afterwards?”

     “Okay.” Jongin gets up, and leisurely walks towards his room.

     “Oh right, I’m going to Apgujeong tomorrow, can we go together in the morning?” Seah asks expectantly. “I’m going to buy something there…”

     “Sure.” Jongin answers, oblivious.

     Seah smiles as he disappears to the left side of the apartment. She raises a book from his father to the air, and hits her forehead with it. Lame reason, Song Seah. But it worked.

     She goes to her room, and covers his mouth with a pillow to make her happy laugh unheard.

     Now I need to think on what to do so I can also go home with him too tomorrow…

-

“It’s funny, I want to walk under the rain…”