As the rain pours over the district, Wonyoung pulls on the strings of the window blinds, revealing the night sky filled with falling droplets of water.

Glancing further, she sees the lights of the opposite house still . Particularly Minju's room.

It was nearing midnight but she couldn't seem to sleep. Wonyoung just wanted to enjoy the sounds of splattering rain. She loves the smell of rain. It's therapeutic.

Times like this make her imagination run.

One bedroom, one person. All you hear is the calming raindrops on the window sill. It couldn't get more peaceful.

Rain reminds her of a person.

A girl she always associates with rain.

Flashback 3 years ago...

A lady opens the door of an academy art room, peeking in to see a student still in the midst of her artwork. "Wonyoung-ah, your mom told me she can't pick you up today. What should we do?"

The middle school girl lets out a small sigh, disappointed. She just moved back to Korea but her parents aren't always present.

The teacher glances out the window. "It's going to rain..." She tries to figure out a way to send the girl home.

"I'll find a way home myself," Wonyoung told her.

"Really? You're okay with that? I know you've just moved here. I'm just worried you might get lost."

The girl nods. "I can do it." She smiles, assuring the lady. "But I want to finish this first." She points at her painting that was almost done.

The lady understood and left her to do what she wants, telling her to get home safely.

A few minutes after she left, the door opens once again. Wonyoung looks over her shoulder to see a girl entering. She looked as if she were finding something.

"Are you looking for something?" She has never seen this brunette before. Expected since this is her first week back.

The girl looks at her. "Umbrella," she said. "It's raining."

Wonyoung looks out the window, nodding slowly. She goes back to her painting as the girl scampers around.

"I swore I left it here..." She mumbles, looking at the shelves where students hang their bags and other belongings.

Wonyoung watched her for a while, inevitable since she was distracting her. "What's the colour of your umbrella?"

"Light green. It shouldn't be that difficult to find." She sighs, standing up. Wonyoung left her canvas, going next to her.

"Wow, you're tall." The girl was a little awestruck, not knowing she was given that height since Wonyoung was sitting down. She herself isn't gifted with height like hers.

Wonyoung smiles, looking above the shelves. "Is it small?" The girl nods.

She walks to the other side, tiptoeing. Once a light green umbrella comes into her sight, she stretches over for it.

When the girl sees a glimpse of it she says, "Yeah, it's this one." She was worried the latter might fall but manages to fling the umbrella out.

Wonyoung hands it to her, wondering why it was so high up there. Doesn't look like this girl is able to shove it up there either.

"Thank you." The girl did a small bow and left the room just like that.

Wonyoung watched her dash across the hall. "She's fast for someone that small." She mumbles, going back into the room.

...

Wonyoung walks down the flight of stairs after completing her painting, towards the entrance of the building.

She then notices the same girl standing out at the door, looking in the rain with the green umbrella in her hands. She didn't leave yet?

Wonyoung opens the door, catching the attention of the girl. "You're still here."

The brunette sighs, shaking her head. "No use for a broken umbrella." She swings the green umbrella by the string. "I'll just have to wait till the rain stops."

Wonyoung sees the girl covering her ears. She wondered why. A second later, a loud clash of thunder greeted the sky.

She's afraid of thunder. Wonyoung looks at the umbrella she brought with her. Pastel pink. "Where do you stay?" She didn't mind some company.

"It's fine. I live quite far although it's a walkable distance. You can go ahead."

Wonyoung wondered why she gave the answers she never asked for. "Where do you stay?" She repeats, earning a brow raise from the girl.

She answers, "About three streets away from here."

"Behind Seogyo Elementary?"

"How do you know?"

"You said three streets."

"Ah..." The girl nods slowly. "Yes."

"I live around there. Do you want to come with me?" Wonyoung opens her umbrella that could possibly fit two people.

"You sure?"

Wonyoung nods, putting the umbrella over her. "Let's go."

The girl hops in as they walked under the rain. She decided to carry her bag in front of her. Her frantic movements were the opposite of Wonyoung's.

"What's your name?" The girl asks, realising she hasn't.

"Jang Wonyoung."

"Jang Wonyoung..." She nods, never hearing about her in the area before.

"You?"

"Ah, me? Kim Minju."

Wonyoung slightly shifts the umbrella so the girl wouldn't get drenched. It fits them both perfectly, but subtle movements would result in their shoulders getting wet.

"You're painting was nice," Minju said. "I saw earlier."

"Thank you."

"You like painting?"

Wonyoung looks at her as if it wasn't an obvious situation. "It's fun." Minju agrees with her.

"I want to be an artist." Minju smiles. "That's my dream." She sees Wonyoung's little beam and figures she's talking about herself too much.

"Which school do you go to? I've never seen you around before." All Minju knows is graduation is nearing. Whoever stays in this area goes to the same middle school.

"I just moved here."

"From where?"

Minju's the first person who was this curious about her even though they've just met. "United States," she said.

"US? You're not Korean?" She feels so fancy.

"I am. I went there for a while."

"What for?"

Wonyoung looks at her as if she were asking too much. Minju cut back on the questions. "I'm sorry. Is that too much?"

The taller girl smiles. "It's fine. It's just, no one asks those about me."

"Why?"

Wonyoung shrugs. "They just say 'Your mother must be very pretty' or 'You must come from a rich family' when they first see me," she said. "They never ask things. They say what they know."

"Your family must be well known," Minju concluded. "I would've said you're very pretty but thought you might be uncomfortable since you don't know who I am." Wonyoung chuckles at her statement.

"You seem like the quiet type of girl. I've been going to this art academy for a year. With a face like yours, why don't I hear people talking about you?" Minju couldn't quite get it.

Wonyoung didn't know if she should tell her. Her parents own the building of the academy. Because of that, the academy allows her to take private art classes whenever she has the time. That's the reason why no one sees her around.

Would that be too much?

"I guess I'm just quiet."

Minju nods understandingly. Somehow, Wonyoung loved the thought of going home with someone even if it was a stranger. Particularly the comfort this girl gives.

A car suddenly comes to a halt along the road, windows winding down. "Jang Wonyoung!" A guy shouts through the back seat.

Wonyoung turns to see a familiar face.

"Your mom told me to fetch you! It's my birthday today, don't you remember?! Come in! The rain's getting heavier!" Minhyun gestures as Wonyoung looks at Minju.

"You can go ahead." She told the taller girl since they were nearing the street where her house was. "I can just run—"

Wonyoung made her hold onto the umbrella.

"Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

"Hold tightly." The taller girl says before running towards the car. She jumps in, hearing the guy laugh.

"Who is she?" Minhyun asks as Wonyoung gave the girl a wave before the car starts moving. "You're shoulder's all wet." He pats her shoulder in an attempt to dry it.

"I met her at the academy."

"Isn't that your favourite umbrella? The pastel pink one your father gave you."

Back to the present...

Wonyoung looks out her room window once again. To this day, her umbrella has never been returned to her.

She doesn't blame the girl. At that point in time, Minju didn't know where exactly Wonyoung stayed. She could've forgotten all about it.

People tend to forget the people they meet for the first and perhaps last time. Since Wonyoung doesn't step out of the house often in the past, she never knew Minju was her neighbour.

Until she realises they were both going to the same high school. Wonyoung being Wonyoung, she is indeed introverted to people she doesn't know.

She never got the courage to go up and ask Minju for her umbrella, or to talk to her. She didn't know why. Maybe because she's the only child in the family with busy parents.

Or maybe she's just shy.

But she tried talking one day at the start of high school. Unfortunately, Minju completely forgot who she was, only knowing her as the pretty girl of the school.

Dory brain.

Whenever she tried talking to Minju, the latter avoided her. And that's when Wonyoung knew the girls of the school held something against her for being Minhyun's friend.

For no apparent reason.

She didn't think too much about it and just lived her life. But she never forgot about the very day she met Minju. Something about the girl carved that memory in her head.

When life felt like there was nothing to live for, always being alone, Minju appeared and made everything warm just with that smile of hers.

That ten-minute walk that stayed with Wonyoung. The girl that lived in her head ever since then.

A buzz from her phone distracted her thoughts. A message from Minju.

The latter was spamming photos they took yesterday. Wonyoung picks up her phone, looking through the different pictures.

"She could've created a group chat." She stopped scrolling when she sees a picture of four of them. They tried balancing the phone on the edge of the railing to take a g