The rain was coming down in big grey lines splitting the air in small sections that went from clouds to earth yet were so small no one could even notice them and the rain ended up weaving a curtain that was impossible to look trough.

The puddles in front of you, right where the roof of the bus stop ended, grew bigger and bigger and you just casually looked at the small bubbles forming in the water after each new raindrop hit the surface of the puddle, making it grow some more. Colorful umbrellas started to crowd next to the bus stop and soon the bus came and just like everyone else, you folded your umbrella and got in but after your first step in to the bus, you wished you could rather stay in the chilly autumn air.

The bus felt more like a sauna – it was overheated and you could swear that it was nearly suffocating. Removing your scarf and warm autumn coat did not help. The conditioner above your seat blew hot air and you turned it of as fast as possible. Drinking water didn’t help either and you gave up the fight with suffocating heat that made your stomach to do a flip as soon as you tried it all.

With a sigh you put your headphones on and took the book you were currently reading from your bag and tried to cut of the world, which in this case what not your noisy family you usually faced at home, but the almost crowded bus full of chatters and people using the precious and so lacking air in the small space. Luckily, no one was sitting next to you and you had some sort of freedom, but it didn’t last long.

The bus stopped not too long after starting the ride, right next to a bus stop literally in middle of no where, as there was forest on both sides of the highway. Someone came in but you didn’t register it until a gust of fresh air reached you, carrying a strong scent of rain with it.

You looked to your right, to see who was sitting next to you, just to quietly thank the stranger of bringing a little bit of rain with him and making this tormenting ride a bit easier, but as soon as you looked at the stranger your stomach did another flip.

Like a mirage from your wide-awake dream he was sitting next to you. His relatively long, caramel blond hair were put in a bit messy pony-tail and were dripping wet, as he obviously didn’t have an umbrella. His jacket was almost as drenched as his hair and spread a somehow pleasant scent of rain and forest, at least you thought so.

Your staring turned out to be to obvious and he turned to look at you and said something but for strange reason you couldn’t hear what exactly he was saying, you just saw his lips moving and though you focused all of your obviously lacking concentration on them, you could not figure out a single word – you couldn’t even hear a thing.

It seemed that he understood that you can’t hear him and sighed, at least for you it looked like he sighed. His sigh turned in to a small smile and he leaned closer to you, making you to freeze at the very moment. With one swift move, he pulled out one of your earphones and smiled.

“Now can you hear me?” he asked, his voice sounding exactly the way it should, proving that he is not a mirage brought in by rain or created by your overheated head.

You nodded and he returned to his previous position – casually resting his back against the back of the seat, but this time looking at you.

“So, what are you listening to?” he asked as if it was a completely casual thing to ask and your throat suddenly went dry, you forget the performer of the song and the title of the song – everything just slipped from your mind in a mere second and you could have bet that you looked like a deer in a spot light.

“I… don’t remember…” you stammered out, making him to look at you as if you were joking.

“Then how about I listen and try to guess?” he said, after realizing that you really did not remember. You nodded and handed him the earphone he had pulled out just minutes before.

He leaned a bit closer and started to listen to what ever was now playing, after taking the earphone. A small smile appeared on his lips and he hummed along with the melody. The performer, the song – it all came back to you as soon as he started to hum and you just wanted to slap yourself – how could you forget that?

“That’s a good song.” He said. “He’s improved a lot after this, but I think you know, as it seems you remembered him now.” He continued and you just nodded.

The song changed and he leaned against the back of the seat, keeping the earphone and focusing his eyes somewhere in front of the bus trough the windshield.

“Ouh.” He gasped, after you had stared at him for a moment or two. “I guess you want this back.” He said and was ready to return you your earphone but you shook your head.

“It’s ok.” You said with a shy smile and tried to return to your book, ignoring the fact that he was just centimeters away from you; that you were connected with him with the thin wire of your headphones.

You stomach started to do flips again, but this time you were sure they were not because of the heat in the bus.

“I might be too curious…” he suddenly spoke and you looked up immediately, as you have been trying to read the same sentence again and again for ten times already. “..but, what are you reading?” he had leaned a bit closer to you again and you felt the air getting heavier, regardless the still fresh scent of rain coming from him.

“ 'South of the Border, West of the Sun' by Haruki Murakami.” You said surprisingly clearly and lifted the book to show him the cover.

“Is it a good book?” he asked looking at the cover for a moment and then back at you.

“Well, it’s easy to read. But all of his books are easy to read, so… Well, I think it’s a good book.” You said, trying not to say something extremely stupid or on the other hand, something too complicated, as you tended to do that.

“I should find more time to read.” He sighed with a small smile and leaned back again, this time closing his eyes and quietly, nearly inaudible humming along with the song that was playing.

You put the book away, as you knew that reading was not an option right now, and looked out the window but instead of scenery flashing behind it, you concentrated on his reflection in it.

For certain songs his lips curled in to a small, cat like smile, his fingers dancing on his knee. For some he just sat still, as if he was truly asleep or rather enjoyed every single note. You felt a bit like a creep but at the same time as an extreme coward, as you couldn’t come up with a single decent thing to say and all possibilities of conversation you had replayed in your head for thousand times now seemed too lame to even try, so you just sat in your seat quietly, watching him trough the window, wishing for the ride to be endless, so that you could take courage and speak. But the ride ended.

Your stop was the next one and you gathered your things, leaving the earphones the last ones to put away. You gently tapped on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at you.

“Is your stop next?” he asked to which you nodded. “What a coincidence – mine too.” He said and stood up, as the stop was few meters away and you followed him.

It was still raining outside and you prepared your umbrella but he just put on the hood of his jacket, which wasn’t much of a help.

The streets seemed dead, as there were just few people rushing to hide from the rain and you felt like a fool, walking trough the downpour with your rather small umbrella and him – getting even wetter next to you, his bangs sticking to his forehead, raindrops rolling down his temples (first time you regretted for not taking the big umbrella in the morning).

“This is were we part.” He said, stopping in front of a building which actually didn’t have anything important in it, as far as you knew.

“Will I meet you ever again?” the question left your lips before you could understand how incredibly stupid and cliché it was.

“Who knows.” He said with a smile and waived a quick goodbye before disappearing in the building.

You stood in the rain for few more seconds, looking at the building and then turned away, walking toward your destination, damming yourself for being a scardycat as a chance like this would never occur again.

~*~

1 year later

~*~

The rain was coming down in big grey lines splitting the air in small sections that went from the clouds to the earth yet were so small no one could even notice them and the rain ended up weaving a curtain that was impossible to look trough.

The puddles in front of you, right next to your feet where your umbrella couldn’t protect them, grew bigger and bigger and you just casually looked at the small bubbles forming in the water after each new raindrop hit the surface of the puddle, making it grow some more.

More and more colorful umbrellas started to crowd next to the bus stop and soon the bus came and just like everyone else, you folded your umbrella and got in, sighing in relief as there were plenty of empty seats which was rare in afternoon Seoul busses – that you had learned during the half year of your stay.

You took a seat next to the window, put your headphones on and took out a book out of your bag. You had read it before, but somehow this autumn you wanted to re-read it again. The book was easy to read and you liked it, so it was a safe choice.

The bus started to move and you didn’t even notice how it stopped and took on few more passengers, still leaving plenty of free seats, yet someone sat next to you, bringing a long a fresh scent of rain and city with him. The scent seemed familiar- different in a way but familiar, so you raised your eyes from the book and looked at the one sitting next to you.

And there he was again – his hair now black and short, but as wet as previous time, his jacket this time more suited for a weather like this, but he still didn’t have an umbrella.

You took out your earphone and looked at him and with no surprise he turned to look at you.

“What are you listening to?” he asked with a small smile.

“It’s an old, but good song form someone who now is in a completely new level. I think you might know him quite well.” You said and smiled in return, as now you remembered the song that was playing – the same song as year ago.

“I might be too curious, but the book your reading – is it good?” he asked, still looking straight at you – not even glancing at the book in your lap.

“I’ve read it once and if I’m re-reading it, I guess it’s good. Beside it’s easy to read – like all books by Haruki Murakami.” You said and put the book in your bag along with the earphones.

"I should really find more time for reading." he said and leaned against the seat.

“When is your stop?” you asked, breaking the dejavu of your meeting.

“None of the ones this bus has. And yours?” he asked in return.

“The next one.” You said with a smile.

“What a coincidence – mine too.” His lips curled in to his infamous cat like smile and you smiled back, as this time you had your big umbrella with you.