A/N: Hey there everyone! Thanks for subscribing. Here's the first chapter for you. I'd love to get some feedback from y'all so leave comments! Enjoy!

Word count: 1,683 words

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Monday. Morning.

Kim Nayoung was never the type to make friends. Or at least she told herself that she wasn’t because even if she tried to be friendly (and believe her, she really did try), people would all end up drifting away from her, one way or another. This is based on experience.  Maybe there was something about her that made people want to leave (something that was not known to her). Maybe those people she tried to befriend are just really mean and shouldn’t even be called humans. Or maybe she just wasn’t meant to have people by her side. Maybe she was meant to be alone, to go solo. She believed this to be the case since she was in elementary school, had accepted it by the time she was in middle school, and convinced herself that the only way to go was to raise cats on a cabin in the woods when she was in high school. But all of that changed one rainy day during her first year in university. She met someone that made her believe otherwise.

Today seems similar to that day with the rain falling heavy – no intention of letting up in the middle of summer. But it feels entirely different too. Back then, the rain brought to her a sense of relief, of hope. But now, as she watches it wash down dirt from the sides of the tall buildings with acid and hit the ground without mercy, drenching everything it could touch, all she could feel is regret.

She thinks about this as the rain fills the gutter with streams of water, carrying whatever it could down the drain to be gone forever, never to resurface again. She wishes that the rain could take everything she and her ever shared too, through the gutter and down the drain. She wishes that the rain would drown everything, even her. But all it ever does is make her aware of how much soaked she is at the moment, standing by a bus stop ten miles away from home.

Her waterproof carrier stands next to her, lucky to be, well, waterproof, unlike her who is soaked down to her soul. Two soggy bus tickets are in her clenched hands with whatever details printed on it too smudged to be read, to be understood.

Understood. She thought they had an understanding. She thought they had something worth protecting.

They were supposed to be dropped off here after the reception but she had to go alone, on her own because she couldn’t stomach seeing that look of pity on her brother’s face (there was no way she was asking him to drive her). They were going away on a holiday together as one, as two halves of a whole but now she wonders if there’s even a half left of her because she knew she took everything with her. They were going to start anew but what is there to start when she didn’t even try taking the first step with her? They were going to be with each other forever or so Nayoung thought.

Because she's nowhere to be found. She's not even answering her phone. Who knows if she's on a plane heading away from South Korea or not?

The important question is: how could she miss it? Lee Suhyun was never going to settle with her. Not when there’s Lee Haein to come back to. Time and time again. But Nayoung loved her so she bet on her with everything she had - try her life savings which she used up to finance the wedding Suhyun didn’t even show up for, the honeymoon she’s going on alone now, and the apartment they were supposed to live in to start off their married lives.

They had five years’ worth of memories, of being together and now… there’s nothing. Nayoung is alone again. Naturally. Like she was always meant to be.

Nayoung drops her hand to her side, lets the rain-sodden tickets fall to the pavement as she also lets the warm tears roll down her cheeks. It was not hard holding them back in front of her family and friends (especially, when her brother, told her that Suhyun’s runaway letter was found in her hotel room). She knew then that she had to be strong because people were watching her. She didn’t want to see her mother cry. She didn’t want her father to say ‘I warned you, Nayoung’. She didn’t want to see people feeling sorry for her. She had that to hold on to. But now, she doesn’t. No one’s around to see her. No one’s around to feel sorry for her. This has become so much easier.

She’s alone, standing under the rain, not knowing what to do. She figures she could just cry now. If this is what she gets for falling in love, she’ll probably just cry. If this is what she gets for gambling on happiness, she’ll just cry.

She hears footsteps behind her but she doesn’t care. Sure, it's a public place. People are bound to come. But it's raining. So whoever it is won't notice that she's crying. Whoever it is won't probably even talk to her. Everyone is a stranger.

But she was wrong.

“Oh! Are these yours?” She looks up to see a girl, shorter than her, standing next to her, holding up the bus tickets she dropped in one hand and a yellow umbrella in the other.

“They're wet but I bet we can still use them.” The girl smiles at her. Her choices of words seem suggestive but Nayoung can't even answer right now. (She was having a moment here and this girl is interrupting.)

For a second, Nayoung just looks at her. She has on a huge backpack. She’s dressed quite warmly, prepared for the weather when she didn’t even bother checking the forecast. The girl looks like a traveler.

She seems to take Nayoung’s silence for offense and she lowers her eyes, shuffles in her feet shyly.

“I don't mean to be rude but… I lost my ticket somewhere. Lost the receipt too. I don't really want to buy another one because that's just a waste of money.” She looks at the tickets in her hand before she continues. “I happen to be going to the same place as you. And I’ve been watching you standing here for over two hours now so I'm wondering if you're waiting for someone. You have two tickets, after all. But…” She trails off.

“You can have it. I don't want it.” Nayoung quickly says, wipes her eyes with her already wet sleeve. “It's yours.” She says firmly, looks at the girl.

“I only need one though.” The girl says, inclines her head to the side.

“You're right. I was waiting for someone. But they're not coming so I probably shouldn’t go either.” Nayoung’s voice breaks and she looks away. It’s inappropriate to drag someone (whose name she doesn’t even know) into her misery.

“You can have it. Both of it.” She says, clearly this time. The girl just looks back at her for a minute, a scrunch visible between her eyebrows as she does. Nayoung wonders if she’s already being pitied.

“I appreciate your generosity, really. So, I’ll say thank you first. Thank you.” The girl finally speaks after what seems like an eternity of awkward silence. (Why can’t she just go so Nayoung can cry to her dying heart’s content?).  “But again, I only need one.” The girl continues and Nayoung almost whines out loud.

One of the tickets is back into her hand as the girl firmly wraps her own hand around Nayoung’s clenched fist. She blinks back at the girl in surprise. Maybe it’s because she’s been standing under the rain for so long and she’s really cold now but the girl’s hand is really warm.

“So, here’s the deal.  I don't know you and you don't know me but it just so happens that I have two bus tickets now when I only needed one… I guess that means you're coming with me, huh? You spent money on these. It’d be a waste not to use them.” The girl smiles at her and Nayoung doesn’t understand how or why she doesn’t even put up a fight when the bus rounds around the corner and the girl pulls her along to get on board.

Maybe she’s too shocked to fight because no one’s ever done something like this to her before. Well, there’s also a good chance that she’s being kidnapped but it all feels too… natural?

“The travel time is approximately two hours.” The girl says as she pushes Nayoung to sit on the back row, next to the window. She passes Nayoung her carrier then busies herself with her own backpack.

Nayoung’s still speechless as she watches her pull out a towel from her backpack and then drapes the said towel over Nayoung’s head.

“I'll let you use my towel for now. Thanks for the ticket.” The girl says in a cheery voice then leans back comfortably on the seat next to her.

“I don't understand.” Is all Nayoung could say when she finally finds the ability to speak.

The girl takes her time answering, yawns.

“What don't you understand? Me lending you my towel? I guess I just don't want you to catch a cold.” She says with a shrug.

“Not that. Why are you doing this? Who are you?” She had a ton of questions but she throws the ones at the very top of her head first.

“Oh, that. I'm just naturally friendly.” The girl turns to her, starts to help her dry herself with the towel. “I'm Sejeong, Kim Sejeong. What's your name?” Getting asked throws her off guard. The touch and the proximity too.

But she answers just the same. 

“N-Nayoung. Kim Nayoung.”

“I see. It’s nice to meet you, Nayoung. Let's talk later, okay?” Sejeong leans back on her seat again and closes her eyes. “Do me a favor and wake me when we get there.”

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A/N: Oh, and a word of warning to the newcomers. I tend to write drama. Rollercoaster drama.