“Chaerin, has Seunghoon come home?” Dara asked as soon as she stepped into apartment 102.

Chaerin closes the door and follows Dara to the living room. “Not yet. It seems like today he will go home late.” Her eyebrows frowns slightly as she watches Dara.

“You’re having a cold, huh? Your voice is nasal.”

“Yes,” murmured Dara lethargically. She had felt the cold symptoms since this morning and had taken medicine, but it didn’t affect her because her condition didn’t improve. She exhales hard and sits on one of the sofas on the living room. She props up her elbows and complains, “How is this?” She turns to Chaerin and realizes that her neighbor is already well-dressed.

“Do you want to go?”

Chaerin looks at her reflection in a round mirror hanging on the wall. “Yes. I’ll have dinner with friends.” After her hair is considered perfect, Chaerin turns to look at Dara. “Anyway, why are you looking for Seunghoon?”

Dara stands up and approaches Chaerin with a sulky expression. “I want to ask him to change the light bulb in my apartment.”

“Oh,” Chaerin muttered while nodding. “Which light bulb?”

“Living room.” Dara has never replaced a light bulb and Chaerin is the same. All these time they always ask for Seunghoon’s help to do the work. That is the advantage of having a brother. He can be asked for help.

“Seunghoon hasn’t come home yet,” repeated Chaerin. “What about Jiyong?”

Dara shakes her head. “He hasn’t come home yet.”

Chaerin clicks her tongue. “Where are all the men when needed?”

“There’s Grandpa,” said Dara, smiling amused as she remembered Grandpa Shin. “But I can’t  ask him to climb the stairs to replace the light bulb.”

Chaerin chuckles. “That means you have to wait for one of the two young and strong men to go home. There’s no other choice.”

“But, Chaerin, my apartment is pitch black,” Dara groaned. She doesn’t like darkness. She is afraid of the dark. Indeed, she is 25 years old, but what can you do? Until now she still has to turn on the small light when she sleeps.

“Don’t exaggerate it,” Chaerin said while wearing her jacket. “Only your living room is dark. Your bedroom isn’t.”

“Do you want to go now?” asked Dara in an anxious tone.

“My friends have been waiting,” Chaerin said. She walks to the window and pushes aside the curtain.

“There’s still heavy rain outside,” Dara said, hoping Chaerin will wait for the rain to stop so someone will accompany her here.

“I can bring an umbrella,” Chaerin said, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s not good if I arrive late.” She walks to the door and puts on her shoes. Then she turns and adds, “Of course you can wait here if you want.”

“Chaerin, wait a minute!”

Right at that time the 200% song by Akdong Musician sounds so loudly. Dara’s ringtone. She quickly answers. “Hello?”

“Dee!” There’s a cheerful voice on the other side against the background of the sound of rain.

Dara’s eyebrows raised. “Jiyong?”

“Dee,” Jiyong called once again. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“What happened to your voice?”

“Only a little cold. What’s up?” Before Jiyong can answer, Dara continues, “Ah, I know. Every time you want to ask for help, you always call me Dee.”

“Bingo!” Exclaimed Jiyong happily. “Even though it’s only two weeks since we became neighbor, it turns out we can understand each other already. I’m so glad.”

Dara laughs blandly. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

“Dee, you know it’s raining now?”

“Yes.”

“I just got off the bus and now I’m sitting at the bus stop.”

“Then?”

“It’s raining very hard.”

“Then?”

“Isn’t that clear? I don’t carry an umbrella and I’m freezing. I’m tired of waiting for the rain to stop. Plus the rain won’t stop.”

Jiyong pauses and clears his throat. “So, can you pick me up?”

“Pick you up?”

Jiyong hurriedly corrects, “Delivering an umbrella for me. Can you? Please? I’m willing to accompany you throughout Christmas... oh wait, you’ll go home to Busan on Christmas Day, right? Then I’ll accompany you on Christmas Eve next week if you want to deliver an umbrella for me.”

Dara doesn’t take long to think. “Wait there. I’ll come.”

“What’s wrong with Jiyong?” asked Chaerin who apparently hasn’t left. She is surprised to see Dara hurriedly puts her shoes back on.

“He forgot to bring an umbrella and couldn’t walk home because of the heavy rain,” explained Dara quickly.

“So you want to pick him up?”

Dara nods. “The sooner he gets home, the sooner he can help me put up a new light bulb.” Then as if she has just thought of something, she adds grumbling, “And not because I wish he will accompany me on Christmas Eve."

***

Jiyong sits on a long bench available at the bus stop while watching the rain fall heavily. There’s no way he can walk home without making himself soaked from head to toe. Of course if he accepts his Uncle’s offer who wants to lend a car for him, he doesn’t need to jostle on the train or bus and doesn’t need to be wet. But it’s okay. This is what he wants. He exhales and notices the white steam coming out of his mouth like cigarette smoke. He shivers in the cold. Earlier he had called Dara and the girl said to herself if she was willing to come pick hi, up. So Jiyong only needs to wait patiently.

A bus stops at the bus stop and some passengers go down while holding their umbrellas. Jiyong grimaces. It seems that only he himself didn’t prepare the umbrella. In the past he never needed an umbrella. He always drove his own car wherever he went. He watches the people who had just come down from the bus opening their umbrella and immediately walk through the rain. Return to their homes.

There’s only left a man in a long brown coat who is opening a large black umbrella. Jiyong glances at the man standing beside him. He looks young, maybe the same age as Jiyong, with black hair cut short and neat, and a tall body. People who see him will surely think that man is friendly. Feeling disrespectful because of glaring at others, Jiyong turns his face back to look at the rain outside. He glances at his watch and sighs once more. Where is Dara?

“Excuse me.”

Jiyong turns his head. The man whom he glared at earlier is staring at him doubtfully.

“Kwon Jiyong?” The man asked still in a hesitant manner.

“Yes,” Jiyong murmured in surprise. How can that person know his name?

The doubtful wrinkles on the brown coat man’s face disappear. His face turns bright and he approaches Jiyong. “Jiyong! It’s you. At first I wasn’t sure. Wow, you’ve changed.” Seeing Jiyong, who is still busy remembering, he adds, “You’ve forgotten me? It’s me, Seunghyun.”

“Seunghyun?” Jiyong muttered with a frown. Then slowly his mind remembers a short-haired boy who is very interested in biology. Jiyong’s eyes widen happily. “Choi Seung Hyun! God! Long time no see. It’s nice to see you again. How are you?”

***

Dara walks quickly while trying to whistle to cheer herself up, but to no avail. Cold weather and flu make her whistle