The blue sky gradually turned darker. Small and thin clouds that were once white accumulate to become thicker grey clouds. The sun looked as though it was being engulfed by those clouds. It had only appeared from the horizon an hour ago to signal a new day, but was now hidden from view. Shortly after that, the first few raindrops hit the earth.

In a particular cosy room, the wind made its way in through an open window. The curtain fluttered with the breeze as a few raindrops splattered into the room. On the bed, an elegant figure stirred. A milky hand reached out for a phone on the bedside drawer. The other hand moved strands of hair from her sculpted face. Her eyes opened slowly as it became accustomed to the surrounding. She pressed the ‘Home’ button on her phone. It showed 6:47 AM.

Seo Joohyun calmly sat up on her bed, brushing her hair back with her free hand. She didn’t have to wake up for the next thirteen minutes, but the sound of the rain beating on the window woke her up. Her head turned towards the sound. She stared at the window. It wasn’t until a full minute later that she stood up and walked to the window. She closed it and the fluttering curtain gradually returned to its vertical position.

She continued staring at the same spot. But, it wasn’t what was outside that caught her attention. It was the raindrops that were trickling down the window. Without realising, a tear escaped from her eye. She was surprised of its appearance and quickly wiped it off. She didn’t know what might had cause it, but she know that her heart was telling her that she was feeling down.

She returned to her bed. She looked around the room and realised that her unnie remained undisturbed despite the constant hammering of the raindrops. Her lips curved slightly upwards. Her gaze then fell to her phone. Its notification light was blinking. She unlocked her phone. The screen changed and she was greeted by a chiselled face. The owner’s smiling eyes looking at her virtual self.

The number ‘1’ on her messaging application brought her attention away from the wallpaper. She pressed on it. The message was from the same guy on her ‘Home’ screen. She smiled.

Good morning, Hyu~un :) ..oh it should be good night instead, right? Kekekeke. You must be sleeping now. Just letting you know that I’ve safely landed. Good night, Hyun. Rest well. I’ll do too. Don’t worry :) oh before I forget, I love you :D

It was 2:49 AM when the message was received. She must have been really exhausted to not even realise the incoming message. She would usually be woken up by her notification tone whenever his text messages came in. She smiled again as she re-read the message. She didn’t have to think much for a reply – greeted him good morning, told him to have a good rest too, updated him of her schedule for the day and told him that she loves him too. She was smiling once again as she pressed the ‘Send’ button.

This had been their usual routine every day. Either one of them will text the other one in the early morning, before they go to bed, or when they arrive at or depart from the airport. It wasn’t a promise or something they had to do. But, it was one way to express their love since they don’t get to see each other often. It wasn’t forced upon them. It wasn’t out of habit. It was out of love. Their hands would naturally reach out for the phones and their thumbs would convey their growing love. A text message may seem indifferent and a phone call seems better. But, their line of work wouldn’t always allow the latter. When one is free, the other is busy. They were happy enough to settle with messaging. At the very least, they could still keep in touch with one another.

When Seohyun looked up, she saw a pair of eyes looking back at her. She greeted her a good morning. The latter replied with a smile, pulled up her blanket and went back to sleep. Her unnie will never wake up when it isn’t the time to. Seohyun smiled. They’ve been living with one another for more than half a decade and her unnies never fail to amuse her.

Seohyun pressed her ‘Home’ button once again. The screen showed 7:09 AM. She let out a sigh. She was nine minutes late. She placed her phone back on the bedside drawer and retrieved a book from a shelf. She settled herself back on her bed and began reading her book. It was a start of another day. She was sad when she first woke up. But, a message from a certain someone turned her day around. She smiled.. a smile that would certainly not be missing as long as he has a heart.