05

A few minutes after settling on her supposed desk, Ahreum sighs in relief when the headache goes away. Her head is placed gently on the table to avoid the prickling ache to come back while she stares outside the window. Her mind is filled with endless school work she has to do for being absent the other day, a few concerns about her still going fever, and then there's the new senior in school. She goes into conclusion that Tzuyu is a nice girl—and a very pretty one at that, almost thinking that Ahreum herself is older if only her friends didn't tell her that morning that she is a senior. With that another sigh goes out of and she closes her eyes.

Ahreum wakes up from a nudge on her arm, thanking her classmate and at the same time the teacher comes in. She sits straight on her chair with a pen skillfully spinning on her fingers. The teacher in charge starts to take out different colored chalks and the lesson of the day begins.

Just like the first day a student comes in, this time not Jaehyun but Ten. He has his own admirers thanks to his artistic skills and beathtaking smile and his business in the room is to inform something to the teacher. After that he exits with a smile directed to the class and the afternoon resumes normally.

"I told you to bring your umbrella." Mrs Lee scolds over the phone as Ahreum stands under the waiting shed. She stares in jealousy at her classmates bidding her goodbye with their umbrellas on top of their heads. There are also other students who are groaning in misery having the same situation as her but that isn't a great thing. "How are you supposed to go home? I need you to help me with dinner tonight."

"Yeah, sorry about that." She gives a chuckle. The mother cannot do anything but tell her to come home safely after the rain. "What a nice day to be alive and be sick at the same time." She grunts.

Time passes by, the school slowly being isolated with a few people here and there. Ahreum moves from her spot to sit on the bench next to the main doors of the building and plays with her lower lip stuck in between her teeth.

"That was a nice routine, man!" Ten chuckles all the while fixing his shoes to get going. He spends an hour or two in the dance studios of the school being a part of their famous dance club. Dancing is his passion. It's his way of releasing stress and expressing his happiness. His club mate claps him on the shoulder before he goes with his own umbrella, running as the rain pours hard and heavily.

"How am I supposed to go..." He taps his feet on the wet ground. He pushes the main doors open, stretching a hand out to feel the rain on his hand and he brings it back again. "I guess I have to wait then."

He times himself for a few minutes but the rain continues to pour and he groans in pain. It's already past 6 and it's getting dark because of the thick clouds, and he is contemplating if he should just run for his life or spend a few more minutes to let the rain slow down. He leans on the pole of the waiting shed, taking his phone out to play games.

"I seriously don't know. It's either you tell oppa to get me, or dad himself, or I let myself be shot with tears of water coming down from the sky and be sicker than I am today." He puts his phone down and looks to his side where a bench, and a girl is talking with a hand over her ear. "Mom! I told you I forgot to put it in my bag this morning—fine. The rain's slowing down so I guess this will do."

Ten watches as the girl stands, positioning her bag on her head and sprints away. He lets himself gape away at her retreating figure and being the kind soul he is he opens his umbrella ready to catch her as the rain suddenly falls hard again.

"Wait!" He is struggling with two bags on his shoulders while he runs toward the girl. Using an umbrella results to no use at all as the rain continously slaps his face. He hisses and wipes his face for a few times, still chasing after the girl who is already by the gates. "Wait!"

She stops running and turns around at the same time Ten manages to put the umbrella on top of them. He pants heavily, his wet bangs plastered on his forehead and they cover his eyes. Ahreum doesn't recognize him at first but when he stands and looks at her her eyes widen a bit.

"That was such a dangerous thing to do." He stares at her. Ahreum just turns around with her bag still on her head, then steps out of the umbrella but not without slipping on the way. Ten puts a firm grip on her forearm and he sighs. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"This is very nice of you but..."

"But?" He leans forward. Both persons are aware that they are standing under the hard pouring rain with a portion of their shoulders and backs being drenched. Ten doesn't get an answer so he puts his hand on her forearm again, pulling her with him to who knows where.

"W—What are you doing?" She panics. She tries to break free from the grip but it is solid enough that she cannot get away. "Can you please let me go?"

"I will, if you stop running away." He shrugs. Ahreum throws her other hand in defeat and mumbles a fine, Ten slowly releasing his grip and the both of them stand facing each other. "Do you live far away?"

"I live a few minutes away." She looks elsewhere. He nods and tilts the umbrella to the direction of the rain, sacrificing himself to shield her more.

"I'll take you home. Where do we go?"

"What? No! It's fine, I—" The heavy rain doubles its impact, her voice slowly drifting because of the strong sounds. By now Ten is wet from head to toe and he silently cries because his books and notes are wet and he just has to scan them once he gets home because he has a test coming up.

Screw you, rain!

"I'm taking you home, okay?!" He shouts a bit. She shakes her head and he cannot help but roll his eyes. "No buts, Ahreum! Now where do we go?!"

"H—How do you know my name?!"

WHAT?!

"That's not even important—" Ten's slowly losing his patience. He spots another shed and pulls her with him, the both of them standing far away from each other like drenched puppies. Oh my god! I think I'm going to die early. He looks down. His body is starting to ache from exhaustion and the coldness of the wind isn't helping at all. Maybe if I didn't help her—

—I could've been home by now! Ahreum crosses her arms. As said she is still running down from a fever and she feels herself shake, sneezing rarely as they stand under the shed. She secretly looks at the guy besider her and she cannot help but feel guilty. Who wouldn't? He is being generous but she's shaking him away. She turns away when he looks at her and again, she feels guilty because he is wet all over. The rain isn't giving them any mercy at all.

Ahreum's phone vibrates but she doesn't pick the call. She's too tired and too miserable and she feels like crying because she feels hot. Very hot.

If I wake up like a zombie tomorrow I'm going to kill myself. Ahreum whines internally. The rain is coming to a slow, steady pace and Ten opens the umbrella again while shaking his head from left to right. Droplets smack Ahreum on the face but she doesn't notice them because she is staring at the boy who is standing close to her all of a sudden.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter