“Listen, Y/N…” Jae started. “Not to be over dramatic about this, but I’m frankly worried.” You looked away from your collection of lip balm that you were dotingly arranging on your dresser.

                “What do you mean?”

                “At this point, I’m ready to stage an intervention.” She said with a sigh. “There are more lip balms there than you could ever use up in a life time. Have you ever even finished a tube?”

                “Once!” You immediately replied. “It was my favourite vanilla flavoured one. It was my go to when I was hungry in class.”

                “I’m not sure that’s healthy. Tell me you at least throw them away once they’re past expiration date.” She looked genuinely concerned for you. You instinctively shielded your children from her judgemental eyes.

                “M-my mother forced me to, yeah. But I didn’t use the ones that were past their expiration. They just smelled so nice. And the tubes were so cute.” You turned around to pick up the cutest one. “Look at this one! It’s so small. And it smells so good.”

                “I can’t believe we’re having a conversation about lip balm.”

                “You initiated it.” You reminded her, putting the tube back. “Plus, I just appreciate the small things in life.”

                “I’m sure your future boyfriend will be glad.” She giggled in an attempt to taunt you. Not about to fall for it, you get up and finish putting clothes away in your closet.

                “Sometimes I forget you’re an adult. This is one of those times.” You said and Jae kicked your calf from the bed in protest.

                “Well. Me too.” She admitted and got up. “Once you’re done, we should visit that park your grandmother was talking about. The one with the swans?”

                “Sure.” You put your last pair of shorts away and turn around. “Just let me do something with my hair. It still hasn’t recovered from the flight.” You finger a few locks and sigh at how dead they looked. “I’ll just tie them up.”

 

The sun was hidden behind a thin veil of clouds. The wind did nothing to change that either, since the sky was grey as far as the eye could see. Despite that, it wasn’t too cold out. Stuffy more than anything. The air was thick and uncomfortable, almost like wearing a second, polluted skin.

                “I’m not a fan.” Jae commented, as you both looked at the distinct lack of swans in the pond and lack of anything particularly exciting other than a few pretty bushes.

                “Yeah.” You agreed. “I mean, it has its charms.” You vaguely waved your hand around. “Here and there…”

                “Does it, Y/N? Does it really?”

                “Yeah… Not really.” You admitted. “At least I tried to see the positive.”

                “At least you tried.” Jae nodded and patted your back. “Should we go to a café before it rains? Something about polluted rain just really makes my skin crawl.”

                “Agreed. Though a brought an emergency rain coat, just in case.” You patted your handbag and Jae frowned.

                “How does a rain coat fit in that?” She asked incredulously.

                “Modern technology.” And a lot of stuffing into a tiny plastic ball. “Let’s go.” You tugged on her sleeve and the both of you made your way out of the park and back on the busy streets. After a little bit of meandering, you found a nice and cosy café with gentle lights. The moment you pushed the door open, the smell of coffee beans, chocolate and other nice things pulled you in. It was such a contrast to the smell of the city air, you let out a small sigh of pleasure. “I love this.” You whispered to your friend and she nodded. You both took a seat near a window and relaxed.

                “You’ve got some money, right?” Jae asked, flipping through the menu.

                “Of course.” You replied with a grin. “I have my credit card and a few thousand wons. We should be covered.”

                “Hey, since we didn’t have lunch, let’s eat something now.” She suggested. You flipped through the menu and shrugged.

                “Sure, but I’m not down for anything too heavy. I’m still stuffed from breakfast.”

                “I’ll have fries. I’m still not used to Korean food.” She stood to go place the order and you grabbed her sleeve.

                “Make it two. And get me vanilla chai.” Your friend rolled her eyes at you.

                “You’re so basic it hurts.”

                “Says the girl who ordered fries. I would have been cool with anything.”

 

The drinks came first and you enjoyed a sip of your chai. The café had a lovely atmosphere with not too much noise, though chatter could be heard. You decided to take note of it, as it wasn’t too far from your grandmother’s apartment and it could potentially be a nice place to come and study or spend some quiet time. People came and went. Your fries arrived and you and Jae made small talk.

                “Oh.” Jae suddenly said, putting her fries down. “It’s raining.” You turned your head and noticed people rushing to take out umbrellas and running into shops or under bus stops.

                “Hah.” You snorted, eating another fries. “Guess who isn’t going to get wet thanks to her super planning skills.”

                “Both of us?” Jae gave you puppy eyes.

                “Nice try. You should have taken that ridiculous umbrella of yours.”

                “It’s not ridiculous. It’s Rilakkuma.”

                “Uhuh. Either way, you should have taken something. My grandma even warned us before we left.” You gave her a little grin and took another sip of your chai. “Too bad, I guess.” A few people entered the coffee shop to take refuge from the rain and they were all drenched.

                “Okay. How about this.” Jae said, finishing her last fry. “I will take your rain coat and run back to the apartment and get us some umbrellas.” You looked at your half empty plate of fries and her finished plate. It was probably the best choice to make but… you liked teasing Jae too much.

                “What if I’m not feeling generous?” You teased, leaning back. Jae batted her eyelashes at you.

                “I’ll buy you a new lip balm.”

                “My orange candy one is running out…” You admitted, pensive.

                “Two tubes. I’ll get you two tubes of your orange candy lip balm.”

                “Deal.” You said immediately, throwing the compact ball that contained the rain jacket.

                “What the heck…” Jae looked puzzled.

                “You tug on that bit sticking out and the jacket is inside.” You rolled your eyes. Sometimes, your friend was a little slow. Jae stood and put the transparent rain coat on. “You look like a giant trash bag.” You commented, eating another fries.

                “Shut up. I’ll be back.” She left the table and jogged out of the café.

 

The moment she had moved, you found yourself staring at a familiar face. You choked on the spicy ketchup and started coughing as you recognised him. Hiding your face as you tried to not die, you hit your chest hard. You saw him get up and place a glass of water in front of you.

                “Are you okay?” He asked crouched by you, patting your shoulder awkwardly. You couldn’t answer for a few seconds, eyes watery and face red. You drank the water he gave you and tried to compose yourself, taking deep breaths.

                “Uh-“ you coughed again “-yeah.” You hit your chest again and wiped your eyes. “Sorry. I was just surprised to see you. And the sauce was spicy.”

                “Oh.” He suddenly looked kind of frightened. “Do you mind keeping quiet?” Thinking he was referring to your coughing, you covered your mouth and nodded.

                “Sorry, I’m better now.” You looked around to see if people had noticed you. A few glances were spared, but that was it. “Sorry. I didn’t expect to see you again.”

                “It’s all right.” He said, standing up and adjusting his cap to hide his face a bit. “But please, I’d rather you didn’t mention seeing me here.”

                “I… honestly don’t even remember you name.” You admitted, embarrassed.

                “What?” He frowned. “Oh, I assumed that… never mind.”

                “You can take a seat.” You said, still catching your breath. He looked a bit awkward, standing there. He looked at Jae’s empty seat and pulled it out to sit in front of you. You didn’t want to prod about why he didn’t want to be noticed. For all you knew, he could be some business man that didn’t want to be recognised here.

                “I don’t remember your name either.” He said, face softening. He’d looked a bit tense, but now he seemed much more approachable. He gave you a small smile. “Maybe we can start over?”

                “I’m Y/N. A pleasure to re-meet you.”

                “Do Kyungsoo.” He extended his hand and you shook. “Likewise.”          

                “How was your arrival?” You asked, trying to make some small talk.

                “It was fine. I’d missed Korea a bit, though I didn’t stay in America for too long.”

                “What were you doing in-…” You immediately saw distress in his face and changed the subject. “It’s my third time here. Last time it was unbelievably hot. I thought I’d die.”

              “I’m not sure which is worse. The rain is nice at first, but it can persist for days. Still, I think it’s preferable to melting.” You both laughed. Somehow, the atmosphere wasn’t as relaxed as in the plane. The plane was something closer to companionable silence. But here, he looked a bit tense.

                “Did you have anything to drink?” You asked. He shook his head.

                “I forgot my wallet at… home.” He hesitated on the word home. “I was praying they wouldn’t kick me out immediately.”

                “I can buy you a drink if you’d like.” You offered, hoping it’d sooth him a little.

                “I wouldn’t want to be an annoyance.” He shook his head.

                “It’s nothing; I feel guilty being the only one drinking and eating.” You gave him a smile and pushed the menu towards him. You did. Your throat was still sore from the spicy sauce and your chai was almost gone. “I’ll order something too.”

                “Uh…” Kyungsoo looked at the menu. “Just hot chocolate is fine.” You went to order the drinks and decided it was best to pay now, just in case. You had enough cash so you handed the bills to the woman with a smile.

                “Your order will be right there.” You nodded and returned to your seat. There was a while where neither of you said anything. By the time your steaming drinks arrived, the air had started to feel a bit awkward. Thankfully, he broke it.

                “Thanks. I was starting to get chilly.” He gave you a small smile, his wide eyes twinkling and you couldn’t help but smile too. You hadn’t noticed he was wet from the rain.

                “Oh, I should have a cloth in my bag.” You said, looking for the square of pink towel you usually kept with you. You weren’t good at a lot of things, but you were great at making sure you had everything you needed.

                “I’m fine, don’t worry. I think I’ll have to head out in the rain again soon anyway. I can’t stay hidden here forever. I have people waiting for me at… home.” Again, you couldn’t help but notice his hesitation when using the word.

                “Oh.” You put your bag down. “I understand. Your friends weren’t too upset you didn’t spend the flight with them?”

                “Not really. I mean, one of them was sad he’d missed the opportunity to nag me. But I think he had more fun with Chanyeol than with me by his side.” He laughed silently. There was something soft about his expression. It seemed neither of you really knew how to continue the conversation. Drinking in silence some time passed before he spoke again. “Um. Tell me a bit about yourself.”

                “Oh.” You laughed. “There isn’t much to know. I’m half Korean. I was born and raised in America. I’m 21. I’m not in university yet.” You thought of something funny to add. “Oh, and I have an addiction to lip balm, according to Jae.” On cue, you pulled out a stick and applied it delicately. He let out a slightly startled laugh.

                “Isn’t there an American TV show about that?”

                “Lip balms? If so, I need to know.”

                “No, no.” He giggled, surprising you. “About odd addictions.”

                “Ooh, right, right! I think I watched an episode about a girl who was obsessed with pink. It rings a bell.” You took a sip of the chai and asked, “Any strange addictions I should know about?”

                “Murder…” His face fell, becoming dead serious and your eyes locked. For a moment, you didn’t know what to do, or if you should look away until Kyungsoo gave you a big smile and finished his sentence. “Murder Stories. TV shows, Movies and such. Though I prefer the non-supernatural ones. Thrillers.”

                “Oh.” You burst out laughing. “You scared me for a moment. Have you considered acting?” His face had been perfectly emotionless, yet creepy. Just enough to chill your blood. He snorted loudly.

                “Can’t say that I have.”

                “Pity.” You said, glad the mood had lifted. “Any good TV shows to recommend?”

                “Murder mysteries?”

                “Yup, I don’t know much about the genre.” You admitted. “So if you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear.”  He gave you a long look, as if he were hesitating, a small smile playing on his lips.

                “Hmm. I’ll have to think about it. What genres do you like?” He asked you.

                “Well, I studied film in high school, so I’m sort of into the classics. Italian films especially. Oh, and musicals. Though I’ve only seen a few live.” You said regretfully and his face lit up.

                “Oh, I love musicals. I-…” Just as he was about to finish his sentence, Jae burst in, wet as could be.

 

“Bad idea, it was a bad idea.” Jae said, shivering. “I didn’t know the rain would be that bad.” She stood at your table, holding two umbrellas. “Hello, by the way.” She nodded at Kyungsoo and he nodded back.

                “Oh, Jae. This is Kyungsoo. We met in the plane.” You decided to introduce them to each other quickly, in case you ever met again.

                “Hi, I thought I recognised your face.” She gave him a bright smile before turning to you again. “Did you pay?”

                “I did.” You nodded and turned to Kyungsoo, who looked uncomfortable again. “Hey, maybe we can lend him an umbrella?” He said he had people waiting. Plus, you couldn’t help but think it’d be a nice way to meet again.

                “Don’t worry about it.” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “I’ll be fine.”

                “You’re already wet. And you could get sick.”    

                “But how would we get the umbrella back? I don’t think your grandmother would be too happy if you lost it.” Jae commented. You were about to ask for his number, before realising how that sounded and immediately back tracked.

                “He can just leave it with the owners of the café next time he passes.” You said affirmatively, taking the umbrella from your friend and handing it to the young man.

                “It doesn’t bother you?” He asked, taking it delicately from your hands.

                “Not at all.” You said with a smile. Jae didn’t seem convinced, but didn’t protest. “We should all get going then.” You both got up and all three of you walked to the door and out into the streets where the rain was still pouring. Bowing your heads at each other, you said goodbye. “It was nice seeing you again.”

                “It was.” He agreed and you turned, going in opposite ways. “Oh, wait.” He called. You looked back at him. “As for recommendations, try watching a TV show called ‘Hello, Monster’. You should enjoy it.” There was something about his smile that made you frown and you nodded.

                “Got it. I’ll watch it. Bye!”