The phone buzzed against the table top. Zzz zzz. Two short vibrations; that means it was a text message, she thought.

 

Min grabbed her phone and hesitated for a moment before pressing the home button to have the screen lighted up again. She just had a tiff with her friend and she was afraid of what the reply was.

 

1 new message from Ae Ra, the screen showed. She tapped on the screen, opening up the text massage.

 

Ae Ra: If you’re really my friend then you wouldn’t tell Hans what I did. I trusted u to keep this secret & now you betrayed me. I don't have a friend like you

 

Min’s heart dropped after reading the text. Her friend had just disowned their 7 years of friendship through a text. She punched Ae Ra’s phone number in a swift, memorizing the line of numbers that were engraved in her mind. Even Ae Ra could not remember her own phone number at times.

 

Please answer the phone, please... The words escaped her lips as she paced to and fro the tiny room, her mind racing and stringing words she wanted to say in her mind, waiting impatiently for her friend to pick up the call.

 

After what felt like eternity, Ae Ra finally answered the call but it wasn’t what Min expected. “I can’t believe you’re such a snake. I hate you. And don’t ever call me again,” she hissed into the phone before hanging up.

 

Ae Ra was adamant on ending the friendship and there was no use in explaining anything to her then. Min knew how hot-headed and stubborn Ae Ra could get when she was mad, and she knew how much more disappointed she must be when person who betrayed her was her good friend.

 

People said if a friendship lasts longer than 7 years then it would last a lifetime. 7 years, and I had to screw up right now. Min sighed.

 

 

 

 

Her phone lighted up again and this time there was a series of buzz.

 

3 new messages from Sugar&SpiceGals

Min stared at her phone as the number of messages started increasing before her eyes. Sugar&SpiceGals was the name of their clique’s group chat on Whatsapp.

 

8 new messages from Sugar&SpiceGals

 

Jisu: Cmon Min, I can’t believe you did this

 

Hana: Yeah i’m so disappointed.

 

Soojung: Whatever happened to loyalty???? My

 

.

.

.

 

Hana: Yeah we shouldn’t have listened to Ae Ra and let you in our clique in the first place. Bye

 

Min wasn’t sure what did Ae Ra tell the other girls but they all decided to turn their backs on her as well. Right at the moment the thunder roared and grey clouds rolled into the sky. The sky seemed to be taking pity on her because shortly after it started drizzling. It was as if it was crying with her, and the pitter-patter on the windowsill somehow managed to calm her down. With every second, the rain seemed to wash away a little bit of sadness, a little bit of regret. But the emptiness felt was still too much for her petite body to hold.

 

Since young Min had always loved the rain. She loved it when a bird decides to stop by her window to dry its wet wings. It would always sing her a song as a token of appreciation for its human friend. She loved looking at little kids jumping on puddles, only to get reprimanded by their mums. She loved to look at people scurrying across the streets with hands or suitcases over their heads, finding the nearest building for shelter. The owner of a cafe at the corner of the road seemed to love it too because people always end up buying themselves a hot cup of coffee or toast while waiting for the rain to subside.

 

Wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants, Min head her way down to take a breather. It was July, a wet and humid season in Korea. Too late for cherry blossoms, too early for autumn leaves. The rain seemed to have subsided into a drizzle as she strolled along the shop houses. The tiny raindrops falling at an angle, mimicking the soft snow on a winter December morning.

 

She stopped in front of a local pet fish store.

 

“Offer! Offer! Buy yourself a pet fish! They are many beautiful fishes, come in and buy one home today!”, shouted a staff outside the store. Apparently he had placed an extra order of a new batch of expensive and exotic fishes and were set to arrive soon. The owner was furious at his mishandling and was told to sell away some older fishes quickly to make room for the new batch.

 

Guess I’m not the only one who screwed up, she chuckled.

 

“Welcome miss, please take a look!” he smiled, dimple showing.

 

Min thought the dimple looked really cute on him. He was tall, and had good body proportions. He was lean but strong. She wanted to peep at his name tag but he already had his back turned to her, actively pulling in more customers, hoping they would help him clear off that tank of fishes. She shrugged of the thought and went to look at the fishes.

 

There were rows and rows of fishes. The neon lights placed along the shelves made the entire the fish store look hip and aesthetically pleasing. She squatted beside the tank of goldfishes on offer. There were around 20 in total, swimming aimlessly in that confined space.

 

Her eyes traced the goldfishes. One was swimming along with another, sometimes slightly brushing its fins or body against its partner. A few were near the surface of the water, mouth opening and closing, as if waiting for her to feed them food. And some others swimming around in groups. The red, orange and white on the skin glistened and reflected against the water, their long tails flowing behind making them look like graceful dancers of the water. They were beautiful and lively. But her eyes caught something different.

There was another fish hiding at the corner, looking all lonely and sad. She instantly took pity on it. Although it wasn’t the brightest fish in the school, she was drawn to it. That fish was, in fact, the dullest looking one. It was black with just a few spots of orange. It reminded her of orange streetlamps on the streets at midnight.

 

“How can I help you?” Min jumped at the sound of a guy’s voice. She turned around to realize it was the same staff whom she met at the entrance earlier. He was still smiling.

 

Squatting beside her, he asked,“ So, anything caught your eyes yet?”

 

Kim Nam Joon. She managed to catch a glimpse of his name on the name tag. That’s his name, Kim Nam Joon.

 

“Can I have this fish?” she pointed.

 

“You mean the black one?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

 

“Yes.”

 

“That’s... Interesting,” Namjoon paused. “Why of all this fish? I mean there’s no rule but customers usually want the brightest and most beautiful one.” His voice trailed off, realizing that he had made a senseless remark before his customer. Flashbacks of his boss reprimanding him for being too brutally honest with their customers played in his mind at once and he shook his head to drive it away. , should’ve been more careful with words, he reminded himself.

 

“Of course, you’re right. But what is going to happen to the black goldfish if nobody wants it. Its pitiful,” she continued, “Are they friends?” she pointed at a school of fishes swimming in circles now. “Are they lovers?” she was talking about a pair at the corner, lips smooching.

 

“Then what about that one, its lonely,” she said.

 

Right then Nam Joon felt his heart break. He thought he must be overthinking but those words that escaped her lips sounded so pure yet so forlon. Her heart was beautiful. She was beautiful. And right then he knew she was different. “Its going home with you today,” he smiled.