Characters: Minzy and Daesung

It’s raining again.

I stared out the window of my classroom and saw the rain beating on the glass windows. I hate it when it rains. It always seemed to me that the sky cries when it happens. The rain drops looked like tears and I started to wonder if angels do cry.

I tried listening to the teacher having another boring lecture but my mind started to wander. I started to think what our dinner will be, if my dad will be home just on time for dinner, if I could sneak outside again with my boyfriend, Daesung. I laughed at the thought and stopped when our teacher looked at my direction. I tried to look interested in the topic but only Daesung was on my mind. I smiled as I remembered how we met.

I was a transferee and had no friends. Everyone treated me like an outcast. Then one day, while I was walking down the corridor, someone called my name. “Ya! Gong Minzy!” I turned to see who it was; it was one of the most popular guys in the school, Kang Daesung. I was surprised more than anything because I didn’t know that someone at the school, besides the teachers, knew my name.

Daesung walked right up to me and said, “Do you have an umbrella?”

I nodded and he said, “Great! You can send me home then!”

What?! Send you home? Who do you think you are? I thought while I tried to process what he just said. Daesung then grabbed my bag, before I could even object and we walked home together. I felt like I was in a dream.

Daesung was not popular because of his looks. Sure, he’s good looking but so are other guys. What made him stand out was his perky and bubbly attitude which makes everyone laugh. And I would have to admit, I got a little crush on him. So with him under an umbrella was a dream come true.

I was surprised when we stopped at my apartment building. I was even more surprised when I learned he lived in the same building with me. From then on, we became friends and eventually, we became more than that.

Daesung and I were teased by everyone; they say we look like twins especially when we both smile. Because of him, I had every reason to smile and I’m thankful for it. On our 100^th day as a couple, we gave each other a handmade bracelet. Daesung placed his at his left wrist and mine on my right wrist, and with that simple token, we strengthened our bond as a couple.

The only time I got angry at him was when he forgot our anniversary. I got so mad at him, I ran into the rain without any umbrella. I heard him call my name, but I was so mad I pretended not to hear him, then I heard a loud crash.

My day dreaming was interrupted when the bell rang. I idly stood up and checked my umbrella. It was there and I decided to go home early. My mom was getting worried these days, and I don’t even know why.

The rain was getting heavier by the minute, and like typical high school kids, some didn’t bring their umbrellas. The exit of the school was crowded and while I was making my way to the front, I heard two girls talking about the guy who directs traffic in front of our school.

“Look! It’s raining and he doesn’t even care,” one of the girls said. Her friend looked at the guy’s direction and said, “Poor ahjusshi. I wonder if he’s still in his right mind.”

The girl looked at her friend and said, “Do you know why he’s like that?” Her friend shook her head. I stopped to listen. I always saw that ahjussi. Rain or shine, he’s there, directing traffic. The girl was wistful as she told the story.

“Once, when he was still in high school, he loved a girl so much. But then one day, when it was raining, the girl was hit by a car. Since then, he’s been in front of this school doing that. He always has that stupid grin when it’s sunny and when it rains, he cries.”

There he is, standing in the rain, directing traffic. Someone would think that his tears would somehow be masked by the rain, but his face says it all. It showed regret and pain for the love he lost. And I found myself empathizing with him.

The rain looked like it would only be heavier the longer I wait, so I tried my luck and went ahead. When the light turned green, the ahjusshi raised his red flag to the motorists and let the students pass. As I passed, I noticed his tears streaming down his face, blending with the rain pouring endlessly. But that’s not the only thing I noticed. In his left wrist was a handmade charm bracelet, the same with mine and Daesung. And that was when it all came back to me.

 I was the one killed in that accident. I’m merely a ghost and that ahjusshi who directs traffic was Daesung, my Daesung. Time has stopped for me but it had moved on for him. I’m still the cutesy teenager he knew, but he aged and I didn’t even recognize his face. Until now.

Tears began to fall from my eyes, just like him. I wept for him just like he wept for me all these years. I reached out to touch his face. “Oppa,” I call out to him. He stopped crying, as if he can see me infront of me, as if he can feel my hand against his cheek. For a moment, it was back to what we were back then—teenagers who had everything they wanted and never thought of anything else.

“Mianhe, oppa,” I said. There were a lot of things I wanted to say to Daesung, but that was the thing I wanted to say to him the most. I made him suffer. My memories stopped him from moving on. Tears flowed again on his face, and Daesung said, “What are you saying sorry for? You’re the best thing that happened to me.”

“I love you.” I said.

“I love you too,” he said. “My love for you hasn’t changed.” He showed me his left hand, and I saw the ring he was supposed to give me on the day of our anniversary.

“Me too.” And I leaned towards him to give him a kiss, the last kiss we’ll ever share. And with the kiss witnessed by the tears we shed and the raindrops, we said our goodbyes but promised to cherish the memories we have of each other.