They say once the grim reaper sets his eyes on you, you see him everywhere.

Heavy rain battered upon the ground as if the gray skies were in mourning. The fresh smell of dirt and water stained the air, enveloping the whole city in a feeling of nostalgia. The city fell silent as if the words and laughter of all were washed away by the rain. Chaerin stood under the tattered awning of the 24-hour convenience store, which had gone brown with age, muttering a curse under her breath. Her black hair that she had straightened first thing in the morning was frizzy and tangled, and the horrid humidity was causing her light eyeliner to begin to bleed. A cold bottle of water paired with a packaged rice ball rolled inside the plastic bag that hung from her arm. It was already getting late, and the remaining colors of the gloomy sky seemed to bleed off of their canvas, revealing an impending darkness. 

She sighed and waited for yet another ten minutes, seeing if the rain would let up anytime soon. Of course, knowing her luck, it seemed to worsen with time. According to her phone, the bus had passed by five times already. The service would stop soon for the day. She muttered yet another curse as she wrapped the plastic bag tightly around her arm twice, positioning herself into a new stance. She had no choice but to make a run for the bus stop which was nowhere in sight. She raised her arms above her head in a feeble attempt to block out the rain and gave one last sigh.

Then someone stepped out of the convenience store from behind her and opened up a black umbrella. The man was cloaked from head to toe in raven black. He was dressed in almost a formal manner, as if for a funeral. A black fedora sat idly in his left hand. The man’s skin was pale like ivory, and his lips a soft shade of pink. His expression was grim, and his dark brown eyes seemed to harbor heartache. His black hair was short and neat, with a simple fringe stopping right above the bridge of his sharp nose. The man was breathtakingly beautiful, yet something about him seemed immensely sad. He seemed quite young, perhaps in his early twenties. He gazed at Chaerin in complete silence for a brief moment, before extending the umbrella above her head. He stepped closer to her, and gave her a small smile.

“Caught in the rain?” His voice was deep and rich, yet soft and airy at the same time. It was indulgent; music one could listen to on endless repeat.

A shiver ran up her spine as she stared at the man, unable to muster a word. Now that they were face to face, it was unmistakable. They had met before. And for some reason, looking at him made her heart ache.

They stood in silence, gazing at each other, and all that could be heard was the sound of rain.

 “I’m sorry—Have we met before?” she asked him awkwardly, despite already knowing the answer.

He shook his head slowly and dug into his pocket, producing a packaged rice ball. An exact replica of the one in Chaerin’s bag. “I just swung by because I was hungry. And saw you stranded in the rain, so thought I’d give you a hand.”

“I saw you at the café. About a week ago. You were there, I swear. You handed me napkins to clean up my coffee.”

He gazed at her intensely for a moment before breaking into a light laugh. “Perhaps.”

His answer was unsettling. She raised a brow and took a step backward. “Who are you?”

He shrugged. “A soul, like you.” He motioned towards the rain and then looked at his watch. “Were you going to accept my offer? I have a meeting to attend at nine.”

“Oh—y-yeah. Thank you.”

The two walked together in silence, both submerged in their own thoughts.

Complete darkness announced the arrival of night as the street lamps began to turn on, dimly lighting up the path ahead. The wet sidewalk seemed to shine, reflecting the warm light.  

“So, where are you headed?” He murmured quietly, breaking the silence.

“I have a bus to catch. Bus number 13. And you?”

His lips pursed tightly together in a deep frown. His brows knit together in what seemed to be a sudden bout of frustration. In reality, it was concern.

“Why not take another bus?”

She frowned. He had ignored her question and replied with one of his own. "Well, it's the only one that goes to my neighborhood. Especially at this hour. I'm thankful that it's still running..." She trailed off as she eyed her watch. 

"Bus 14," The man stated simply. 

"Bus 14...?" Chaerin repeated, a tinge of annoyance now present in her voice. 

"Yea. I recommend you take that one home. Although it's a bit of a walk home, it's... safer." 

Chaerin's heart skipped a beat. In that very moment, she was frightened—not by the stranger himself, but by his words. It was almost as if he were... implying something. But she couldn't wrap her head around it. A nervous chuckle sat at the tip of her tongue. 

Her phone lit up with a text message from the bus service. The bus would be arriving in 5 minutes. In short, she would miss it if she didn’t start running. She held up the phone for him to see.

"It's Bus 13. It's arriving soon. I'm sure Bus 14 is great and all, but I think it'll be better to just catch this one." 

A sigh caught in his throat as he shook his head ever so slightly. "Take Bus 14 home. It'll arrive soon and then you'll be on the way." 

She furrowed her brows in confusion. “Is there a reason you keep on telling me to ride Bus 14?” 

“I just have a..." there was a long pause. "A bad feeling," he finished. 

She shook her head. “Bus 14 would be the same thing as walking home. Look, I really appreciate your help—thank you—but I have to get going.” She stepped out from under the umbrella, only to be pulled back by a hand grabbing hers.  

“Take bus 14,” he urged, his voice more forceful than before.

Then he realized what he had done. The Grim Reaper had held hands with a human.