His eyes are tangled in that one particular piece. The white T-shirt on the display as he thinks; It would look nice on her. 

The sun is up and today is just the perfect day to stroll around, with someone. But that someone is the one thing that Seungyeol doesn't have. The fact that the summer day is still on and he still have five days left to not be able to see her in person is what brought him to be alone on the myeongdeong shopping district, as he keep on visiting any store that he think it reminds him of her.

“The line is clear so why do we hesitate,” He turns his head to the right, to the person who said what is written on the shirt nonchalantly. “That sounds like something that I would say”

Cause It is. “Hey,” Seungyeol greets.

“Hey! Never thought that I would find you here too” She grins. Her eyes squint when she put on her smile, and it is something that he likes the most. It makes him turn away, but then looking back again as he would like to see more of it. “You like that? Do you want me to wrap it for you?”

She is almost as tall as he is, her height reaches his nose, even when she only wears a plain converse. Her hair is as black as her eyes and it reaches slightly longer than her shoulder. Her lips are always red, with or without lipstick, but mostly without it anyway, and her nose is just right to be pinched out of cuteness. She is the personification of the word yeppeo and Areum. 

“Eh?” He shakes his head a little, gathering his sense. 

“I work here, pabo” Her hands point at the name tag on her left chest ; Yoo Mirae. “So?”

“Aah,” Seungyeol finally gets it. “Part time?”

“Yes,” 

“Ooh,” As always, his vocabulary are leaving his head once her presents are caught by his eyes. He becomes mute, he becomes the self that he never realized. 

Mirae grabs his hand and drag him to the rack of shirts just right next to the display. “Maybe you can check on the size first, then bring it to the cashier or just bring it to me, how about that?”

Again, he just nods and instead of looking at the rack or the clothes, his eyes are still on his right hand, where a moment ago, one of his silent wishes finally came true. 

“Lee Seungyeol?”

“Ne,” He brushes his hand, “Ah, yes, yes, that will do”

She shakes her head, then throws one last smile before walking away. “Well, you better buy something or else my boss will think that I’m just slacking around with a boyfriend”

“Boyfriend??” As expected, the word boyfriend is just too much for him. But when he turns around, she is no longer be seen. 

 

******

 

I think we have the same size of shirt. He chose the exact same shirt as what is on the display mannequin. He looks at the mirror, then looking around, wishing that she will appear somewhere between the racks. Will this look good on her?

“Looks nice on you” Just then she passed by. “Oh, I forgot to tell you that if you buy two of the same shirt then you’ll get five percent off discount for the second shirt” But in midst of seconds, she goes into the back of one of the racks. “So I suggest you get one for your girl too, couple shirt is the thing, you know” But despite unseen self, her voice is still crystal clear.

“So stingy, only five percent?”. He chuckles as in the end, he accepts the deal. 

“Ya, it’s limited edition you know!” Mirae popped her head from the back, making Seungyeol startled for a bit. “And those two are the last stock of that print. So do you still want it or not?”

Seungyeol raised an eye, “What if I’m not?”

“Then I’m going to put it on the bottom rack and make sure that no one would buy it until I got my paycheck” Her hands are folded together to let him know just how serious she is. 

“Then I’m buying these two, for sure” He sticks his tongue out first, just because he have to, before he goes to the cashier.

 

*******

 

“The total is 50,000 won,” The cashier lady cheekily announce. To guess, she is probably only a year or two older than Seungyeol and for that, her Inner noona comes out. “This would look nice on you” she folds it carefully, or it seems to be so. Her flirty gazes are obvious, even for Seungyeol to notice. “Two? You must be close to your brother”

Seungyeol get his wallet and takes the exact money as what the cashier said. “Hahaha, no its for my girlfriend” Or soon to be. He looks down. I hope.

“Unnie this guy is very popular at school,”. He looks up again, and Mirae is already standing across the counter. “Hey, I was kinda joking when I say that it's good for couple shirt, isn't it a bit too… Emm.. How do you say it…”

“Not cute for  a couple shirt?” The unnie helps.

“Yes! Exactly!” Mirae exclaims. “But anyway, thank you for shopping, hope your girl likes it!”

He just nodded and sighs. Just before he believes that he caught her eyes dropping.

 

*******

 

Within hours, the sunny sky turn into a dark cloudy one with water pouring hard from above. Myeongdeong becomes a bit lonely, since everyone prefers to stay inside. It is the first ever rain on that summer period and no one really sees that coming. But luckily for Seungyeol, he is just the type of guy who always bring enough money to buy an umbrella. 

Him, standing in front of one particular store alone is really a view of those who passes by. With his sky blue rolled sleeve shirt and jeans, he is like a live mannequin of the store, if only his converse is not ruined by the splattered mud. But at least the rain is not that cold. 

“Aaah! I dont bring my umbrella!”. Seungyeol take a look on who’s next to him, on the person who stand in front of the store entrance. “And I kinda need to go home early— eh? Lee Seungyeol? you still here?”

“Ah, yes” He nods and move closer to her, “Where do you live?”

“Not that far from here, 15 minutes of walking I guess” She answered. As she looks closer to Seungyeol, she realizes something. “You know you can always wait inside, it's not like you have to pay for standing”

He just nods and smile. “You were mopping the floor, do you really want me to make you stay longer?”

She shakes her head. “Thank you, it's very sensible of you” 

“That’s just the beginning” His lip twitches and form a warm smile that is hidden under the umbrella. “Come on, let me walk you home”

Mirae tucks her hands into her pocket. “And then what should I say to your girlfriend?”

He doesn't need words for a reply to her question. One thing that he needs to do is lean his umbrella to her side, protecting her from all the small drops and instead, letting himself to be soaked by the rain. “If you don't want to share then at least hold on to my things” He gave her the shopping bag which he just got earlier from the store behind Mirae. 

“Are you kidding me,” She jumps to his side all with the umbrella and the bag, not letting him to be touched by the rain more than he already is. “It's very nice of you, but if I were your girlfriend, I don't think I would like to have you acting this sensible to other girl” She hands back the umbrella and the bag. “Wait, that is very selfish of me… whatever, is not like we get to share boyfriends and girlfriends, right?” She claps, agreeing to her own statement and then run away from the scene.

“Ya!” Seungyeol is startled. Mirae just ran away from him, together with the rain. “A— Aish! that girl! Ya! Wait!”

 

******

 

“Are you crazy?” Seungyeol catches her by the hand, pulling her backwards so that she’ll stand under the umbrella. “What if you got cold??”

“That's the consequences of not bringing an umbrella, right?” She turns around, facing him, “You’re a nice guy, a very sensible one, but thank you, I can go home by myself” her eyes are straight to his, she is being truthful. “Just tell her I say hi—“

“What girlfriend,” He stops her from turning around “I don't have one”.

Her eyes squint again, but this time, it's because of the confusion. “You don’t?”

“I don’t,” Seungyeol just mutter and then give her the umbrella. He is now the only one who face the rain. “Sorry if I make you uncom—“

“Let’s just share” Mirae take a step forward, raising the umbrella to get Seungyeol’s head under it. “But I’m going home first, how about that?”

“Yeah, sure”

 

******

 

 

“What?? Mom??” She almost screams at her phone. “You forgot to leave me the key?? Aish… fine… I’ll wait for you” Mirae quickly drop the call and sit on the porch. By then, at least they don't need an umbrella to cover their head from the water drops. “I planned to let you change your clothes inside, but I guess today is not your lucky day” She sulks. 

Seungyeol kneels and then sit next to her. “The rain is making me sleepy”

“Really? It's actually relaxing you know” She leans on the wall and looking straight to what is in front, to the empty street. “Instead of sadness, the rain reminds me of happiness. There's nothing deep about it, its just that… I usually receive good things during raining days”

He listens to her, to every word that she says. 

“It's like a certain luck, ” she crosses her legs and sit in a more relaxing way. Breathing in, breathing out. Closing her eyes and just enjoying the sound of water hitting the ground. “Achoo!”

Without hesitating, Seungyeol opens the paper bag and take a piece of the white T-shirt. He uses it to dry her hair, gently. “What luck,”

Mirae realizes the fabric on her head, 

“I like you” Just like that, he let out his thought and heart to overcome the moment.

Mirae moves her hands to her head, and stopping his hand from taking care of her hair. “Lee Seungyeol—“

“Arrrgh! Ottoke!!” He exclaims, biting his lips and looking up. “I planned to say it in a more… comfortable way but— ah…. never mind…” His face is all red, up to his ears.

She waits for him to put his head down, “Seungyeol,”

And so he does, putting his head down and turning it to her way, to her eyes. “I planned to give the shirt in a box, with a ribbon, along with a box of chocolate later on your birthday, but then, you get it as a towel for your hair” He is fully aware of the blushing cheek, of the gummy smile that he can't hide but nevertheless, he enjoys looking at her face and flows his thought about her. “It kinda fails anyway, I wanted it to be a surprise, but I guess I need to find another surprise”

They both don't realize just how close their face are from touching each other’s. Probably don't realize just how intense their eyes are, when it rests into each other’s too. And for Mirae, she definitely don't realize that she is no different than seungyeol, in term of having a face as red as the  valentine roses. 

“Yoo Mirae I like you,” He makes sure she understand him, she gets what he truly means. And to lean closer, closing the leftover three inch gap of their faces is the last move that he has in mind. Capturing her soft lips, gently feeling it with his and asks her for letting him conveying his feeling, through the most honest way he can. Through a kiss, a very sincere one.  "And because of that, I won't hesitate anymore"