“Oh, God. It’s raining.” Sunggyu mumbled. He was busy with some journals on his hand. He would not let these journals wet, would he? They were his hard work. He took many times to find them. If they were not related to his lecture, maybe he did not need to worry like this. He could not put them in his bag because his bag was full for other journals. He sighed. He looked around and realized that many people ran in the rain and some of them stayed here.

Sunggyu was in front of a minimarket. He has bought some instant ramyeon for dinner. He would do his assignment tonight and he was not in the mood to cook food beside ramyeon. He thought ramyeon would be the best. He was just stuck here. He needed to go home, now.Oh, come on, rain. Can you just stop? Sunggyu sighed once again. He was just thinking about his assignments as a girl reached the minimarket’s door after running in the rain. Sunggyu glanced at the girl, he glanced at you. But after that, he started to think about his assignments again.

Rain was falling harder.Sunggyu looked up at the sky. It seemed that the rain was not going to stop. Uh, this is bad. He had no time. Should he run in the rain to reach his flat? No, his flat was so far. He would be drenched and the journals would be wet. Oh, think another idea, Sunggyu. Sunggyu was mad with himself. He heard the door was opened. He glanced at the door. He saw you smiling with an umbrella in your hand. Did she just buy an umbrella? Oh my, why didn’t I think of it from the beginning? Sunggyu cursed himself.

“Are there many umbrellas inside?” Sunggyu asked you all of sudden. You looked at him and bit surprised. Of course everybody would be surprised if a stranger talked to them.Sunggyu got it.

“I think I have bought the last one.” you replied.

“What?”Sunggyu glanced at the door. Why must this minimarket have few umbrellas? “Are you sure?” he asked you.

You raised an eyebrow and looked irritated. “Why must I lie to you, Ahjussi? You can go check it if you want.” You pointed the door.  Sunggyu widened his eyes. Wait. Did she just call me Ahjussi?He didn’t believe he looked too old. Sunggyu looked at your face. You looked like a high schooler, but maybe he was wrong. And you just recognized him as an Ahjussi? Uh, he did not like that fact.

“It’s rainy season anyway. Maybe that’s why no much umbrellas left.” You shrugged.

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you have bought the last one?” you were dumbfounded.

“Of course! I said you can go checking it.” you pointed at the door once again.

“Wait here.” Sunggyu told you before he pulled the door open. You just shook your head.

---

Sunggyu did have some arguments with the minimarket’s employees. They really did not have any umbrella left and Sunggyu stubbornly said that they must save one in their supply room. The employees shook their head in unison and said once again that they had no more umbrellas. Sunggyu sighed and glanced at the door. By the glass door he could see you waiting for him. You tried to see what he did and talked to the minimarket’s employees. Of course you could not hear anything, but you could see Sunggyu’s upset face.

She’s so lucky, he thought. She got the last umbrella. And it looked so fine. Sunggyu never cared about kinds of umbrellas, but he thought that the umbrella you just bought is different. It was so simple, plain. He seldom saw plastic umbrellas.

“You find one?” You asked Sunggyu as he went out 5 minutes later. Sunggyu frowned.

“You’re right. No umbrellas left.” He said in bored tone.

“I’ve told you.” You said.

“I thought you were joking.” He said honestly.He glanced at the minimarket’s door. He could see the employees looking at him through the glass door and they looked confused. Why should they plaster that expression? Sunggyu then looked at you. “Or you don’t really know about the supply.”

“This umbrella is the only one in the shelf, so I think it’s the last.” You tapped your umbrella.

Sunggyu shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right.” he looked down at his journals in his embrace. He then looked around and it was still raining hard. He could not go home, couldn’t he?

“I’ll go home. I have to get home before dark.” You said suddenly.

He turned his head and faced you who were ready with your umbrella. You were about to walk in the rain and he was still standing there and looking at you. He widened his eyes seconds later.

“Yah! Wait!”

You stopped on your tracks. It was all written on your face that you were confused. Sunggyu blinked many times seeing your expression. He got an idea, but he thought it was not a brilliant one. And maybe she won’t like this, he thought.

“Ah Agassi, can you share your umbrella with me?”

---

“Aish, can you walk slowly? I’m bringing heavy books here.” Sunggyu mumbled. You pretended to not care. You both were walking in the rain together. At first you did not agree with his brilliant idea, sharing your umbrella. But finally he found you nodding lazily and looked unhappy. Well, you have nodded and said yes, so you agreed. Actually Sunggyu felt that he forced you to share your umbrella. Oh, he was too much. He only thought about his journals, how to save them from rain.

“I do walk slowly.” You emphasized your words, and without looked at him. You just looked at the street. Sunggyu frowned.

“You have to put the umbrella high above our height.” He protested again. Yes, your height was about his neck and you put the umbrella above about your height. It made him have to shorten his body. It was not good though. He had to shorten his body while he was bringing heavy journals in his embrace and he had to look at the road too. And you just walked a bit fast, it made him getting some difficulties.

“Aish, you’re too noisy.” You rubbed your ear with your free hand. He frowned even more.

“I’m not!”

“You are!”

Sunggyu looked away.He felt these journals getting heavier after your little argues. He sighed and tried to hold his anger. He was easy to get angry anyway. But this was not the right time to become angry. Yes, all he thought was his journals. He did not mind going through this rainy day with you. His shoes were getting wet because of water puddle. And your quick steps made it even worst.

“Yah! Walk slowly!”

“Cannot hear you~” you sang.

He got annoyed. He was about to protest again as you cut him off.

“By the way, where do you wanna go?”

“Huh? Ah, the station.” He replied. He realized you speak to him not in annoyed voice anymore. Weird girl, he thought.

“It’s still far from here.” You mumbled. Sunggyu frowned.

“I’m sorry to give you trouble, Agassi.” He said. “I didn’t really want to do this. But, yeah.” He shrugged. He felt bad to you.

“Oh, no need to worry. It’s okay.” You answered him. You even put the umbrella above your heights. Sunggyu could see the road clearly, and he did not need to make himself shorter. He smiled to himself.

“I dunno why, but I rarely see plastic umbrella.” He said, changing topic.

“Oh, really? Many people have it, I’m sure.” You replied as you two stopped for a while because of the traffic light. He could see many cars and trucks, and he saw you taking a deep breathe while looking a spot on the street. You looked a bit scared. It was weird for Sunggyu, but he did not ask you anyway. You then shook your head, like you have argued with yourself, bit your lip and said,”I like it, plastic umbrella.”

“Why do you like it?” he asked as the light changed into red. He saw you smiling and shrugging.

“I don’t really know why I like it. I always like plastic umbrella. It’s always nice to see raindrops fall onto it.” You pointed at the umbrella above you both. Sunggyu then looked at it. He felt that you were right. It looked nice. You both reached a bus stop when a bus was coming. There were many people waiting for the bus. They looked relieved and some started to shut their umbrellas. They were ready to get in the bus. And Sunggyu could feel that one person was restless.

You stopped walking, Sunggyu either. You looked at the bus and then at the people. You looked very worried. He did not get it. Before he could open his mouth to ask, you said.

“Take this umbrella with you!” you suddenly handed him the umbrella while he was still bringing his books. He had trouble in holding in it. He widened his eyes.

“YAH!”

“This is the last bus for this evening! If I don’t get in it, I cannot get home!” you hurriedly ran to the bus door. Sunggyu was still confused.

“Yah, what about your umbrella?” he shouted. You stopped, turned back and smiled at him.

“It’s okay.” You then turned around and got in the bus. Sunggyu widened his eyes even wider.

“Yah! Wait!”

The door was closed. Sunggyu could see you waving at him inside the bus. Sunggyu was still dumbfounded as he saw your bus going far. He looked at the umbrella. Oh My. He just got a plastic umbrella from a stranger girl.

---

It was raining outside. Sunggyu instantly looked down at a plastic umbrella near his chair. It had been three days after your meeting. He wanted to give the umbrella back to you, but he did not know what to do. He did not know where you lived. He has thought about this along these three days that maybe he would meet you if he passed the same street, or went to the same minimarket. Okay, he has not tried that idea. He did not know he would meet you again or not, but he had to try it.

With a plastic umbrella, yours, he walked in the rain. Actually everyday he always took a shortcut to arrive in the station quickly, but that day he did not take it to come to the minimarket. He seldom passed that street and today he passed it in case to find you. He did remember your face clearly, but when he looked around, he did not find you. This is stupid though, he thought. He was not sure he could see you again. He sighed as he felt the rain getting hard and the weather getting colder. Finally he went to the minimarket. He himself did not know why he pulled the door. He did not really want to buy anything.

“Welcome! Happy shopping!” an employee greeted him. It was the same employee that has talked to him three days ago. Sunggyu just bowed a little and started to wander around the minimarket. Not many people came to this minimarket. The costumers were maybe just himself, an old lady and a high school boy. The other two have finished shopping and they came to the cashier. This minimarket also had no many employees. He just saw two employees, as he could tell. Not many employees for today, huh? He thought. Okay, he must not be thinking about that. He then started to be busy choosing some chips as he saw the same employee whispering to his partner. Sunggyu furrowed eyebrows in confusion. Those two employees looked at him secretly and kept whispering. They looked so enthusiastic. Are those boys talking about me? Sunggyu thought. Even boys like to gossip. He rolled his eyes.

“Would you like to have anything, Sir?” one of the boys asked Sunggyu when he reached the cashier. Still furrowing eyebrows, Sunggyu shook his head.

“No.”

The boy nodded and started to sum Sunggyu’s chips. The other boy looked at Sunggyu intently, like seeing something in Sunggyu’s face. That boy looked confused and scared at the same time. Yah, what is this boy doing?

“What’s wrong?” Sunggyu finally spoke up. Annoyed expression plastered on his face. That boy looked even confused.

“No-nothing, Sir!” he answered, stuttering.

The boy who was summing the chips price elbowed the other boy. “Yah, Sungyeol! You scared our costumer!” he said.

“I-I’m really sorry, Sir!” that Sungyeol boy bowed. “But I don’t mean it, really. I just… get curious.” The boy rubbed the back of his head groggily.

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow. “Curious about what?”

“Oh really Sungyeol, you don’t need to say that.” The other boy said. He has finished summing Sunggyu’s chips and he was putting them in a plastic bag.

“But WoohyunHyung, I really get curious!” that Sungyeol boy yelled. “You said you also got curious, right?”

That Woohyun boy looked bored. “I did, but I didn’t get too curious like you.”

“Hey, what are you guys talking about?” Sunggyu interrupted them. Those boys were too busy arguing with each other. “Curious about what? I don’t get it.”

Those two boys looked at each other. They then looked at Sunggyu. Their expressions could not be read. And this time, Sunggyu was the one who got curious. These two boys are so weird, he thought. They were weird from the beginning, from three days ago. They also plastered the same confused and scared expression, but no one of them told him that they were curious. Curious about what, anyway? Did I meet them, or one of them somewhere? Or do I look like someone they know? Or are they my juniors in the university? Sunggyu could not stop thinking about some possibilities.

“Three days ago you came here to buy ramyeon, right?” that Sungyeol boys started to talk. Sunggyu just nodded and waited the boy to continue. That boy swallowed hard. “And then minutes later, you came inside again.”

“So what of coming back? I looked for an umbrella.” Sunggyu got annoyed. This boy did not directly tell him why he got curious. Sunggyu did not like this. Woohyun boy beside the boy looked a bit pale. Why did this boy’s face turn pale?

“That’s the problem, Sir.” Woohyun boy said. Sunggyu blinked in confusion.

“Yes, Sir. We’re out of umbrellas supply. We didn’t get another supply for two days.” Woohyun said honestly. “The supply should be coming three days ago. We waited...”

“…all day long.” Sungyeol added. “The men who brought the supply came next day.”

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow. He needed to get this straight. “You want to say that there were no umbrellas three days ago?”

“We’re out of stock since five days ago, actually.” That Woohyun boy said.

“The girl, she bought your last umbrella, a plastic umbrella.” Sunggyu rolled his eyes. “She told me she bought the last one. It was the only one on the shelf.” Again those two boys looked at each other. They looked even confused.

“So, that’s why you came back again and asked for umbrella?” Woohyun boy tried to make things clear.

“Of course. I’ve told you, haven’t I? You said you had no more umbrellas, and how could she get one?” here they go again, arguing like three days ago. Okay, he could not get this straight. He still could not relate everything. You, no umbrella supply… He still did not get it, why... How could be those things related?

“But, Sir,” that Sungyeol boy said,”no one came.”

“What?” Sunggyu widened his eyes. “What do you mean? What do you mean no one come?”He felt something was not right. A sweat rolled down on his temple.

“There was no girl buying an umbrella.” Woohyun boy explained.

Sunggyu was frozen. “No, can’t be. She did buy an umbrella! A plastic umbrella!” he stubbornly told the boys. The boys looked scared, they seemed like not believe him. “I saw it! I even shared the umbrella with her!”

“But we didn’t see her, Sir. We saw you’re talking out there, but no one was talking to you. You were like… talking alone, talking to yourself.” Woohyun said in a small voice. He shivered as he gave Sunggyu the plastic bag. Sunggyu’s eyes widened even more. Seriously, what is this boy talking about? He meant that Sunggyu could see what they… could not see?

“Besides, we never sell plastic umbrellas.” Sungyeol told him.

Suddenly Sunggyu got dizzy. What is this? What does this mean? He met you, he guessed he met you. No, he did meet you. But why did no one see you? You really bought a plastic umbrella in this minimarket, didn’t you? You did talk to him, didn’t you? You really walked in the rain with him, didn’t you? You really said to him to take the umbrella, didn’t you?

Sunggyu shivered.

If you were not exist, so

who gave him the umbrella?

“It’s said that a year ago there was a girl ran in the rain with a plastic umbrella. She wanted to go to the bus stop, she had to get in the last bus in the evening. She ran quickly in the rain, but when she ran in zebra-cross, there was a car coming and hit her. She flung away about meters and she’s gone straightaway. After that accident, many people around the area often see a pale girl with a plastic umbrella walking in the rain. Our friend, also an employee, often sees her.She is like going to the same way to reach the bus stop.But, when she reaches the bus stop, she disappears. She wants to go home, but she never does. I guess you’re like our friend, Sir. You met her.”

Sunggyu slowly turned his head to see outside. Through the glass door, he could see the wet plastic umbrella on the floor. It was still there. He felt his palm getting cold. He was sure his face turning pale.

I don’t really know why I like it. I always like plastic umbrella. It’s alwaysnice to see raindrops fall onto it.

Something that was in his mind was what if you wanted your umbrella back?

Fin

July 13^th 2012

to : Rabbito, faith-love, woogyuu, b2uty_4ever. Thank you.