Under the Umbrella

"Are you sure it's okay? I mean I could stay here with you."

"Unnie, you wouldn't want to cancel your date with Donghae-ssi, would you?"

Yoona scratched her head. "Um, no. But if I explain, I'm sure Hae will understand."

"Come on, unnie. I wouldn't want to be the reason for you not to see Donghae-ssi. Geez, I can take care of myself. I'm just going to finish my essay." Seohyun reasoned, trying to change her friend's mind.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine here without me?" She asked again. Seohyun just sighed. Seriously, her friend can be too much sometimes. "I'm not a kid anymore, unnie. May I remind you that you're only a few years older."

Yoona giggled. "Fine fine! Good luck with that."

"Bye. See you tomorrow. Have fun with Donghae-ssi!"

And with that, Yoona left.

Seohyun just smiled to herself as she opened her books and began writing on a piece of paper. Finally, some peace and quiet. I'm definitely going to need this. 

Today was a typical school day for her. Right now, she had to write an essay which was due the day after tomorrow, so Seohyun chose to stay in the library for a while to brainstorm.

Hmmmm... What's good to write about? I don't want to be redundant anyways. Lemme think. Seohyun clutched her head to think more.

--

A few hours passed, and Seohyun wasn't satisfied with what she wrote.

"Aigoo. I don't like this one bit. My mind's all blank. I don't want to let my professor read this pile of rubbish. What am I going to do now?" She complained to herself. Seohyun's been at it for hours. Yes, she managed to start up with some meaningful introduction to her essay yet when it came to the middle, her mind immediately went blank.

She really couldn't find the right words to briefly explain her idea. With a little more thinking, she just shrugged the old one and started to think of something new to write.

Her assignment was to write a literary essay for her Literature subject. Seohyun had ideas in her head but she doesn't know how to express her ideas into words, plus she always gets stuck in the middle of it all and ends up crumpling the paper and write another one.

Groaning in frustration, she complained again. "I can't go home empty-handed like this."

"You could always go for a walk to refresh your mind." A male voice said, startling her. Seohyun's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the stranger. "Whew, you scared me there."

"Sorry about that. I just came to remind you that this is a library. Remember, unnecessary noise is not allowed. Plus, you might want to pick up those crumpled pieces of paper." He whispered, doing the job for her.

"Oh, not at all. Um, I should do that. That's my trash anyway." She quickly stood up from her chair and began picking up the papers on the floor.

He stood up and read her work. "This is actually nice."

"Um, it isn't really that good. I can't let anybody read this pile of rubbish. And you can't go reading somebody's work without permission." Seohyun quickly snatched the paper from his hands and threw them in a trash bin. Sighing, she went back to her usual spot, thinking. The man just scratched his head, muttering an apology.   

Seohyun giggled a little. "Oh. No need. I just can't think straight with my essay unfinished. I don't like any of the ideas I'm having right now."

He sat down on the chair across her. "Then, you could always just leave for a moment and go for a walk, like I said."

She merely smiled as she gathered her things and stood up. "That is a great idea."

"Would you like me to accompany you? I'm on my way outside anyway, plus I could help you think up of possible topics for that assignment of yours." He offered.

"Sure, why not?" Seohyun couldn't bear rejecting his offer.

--

As soon as they were in front of the school gate, it was already raining hard. Seohyun frowned as she fixed her scarf on her neck. "Why does it have to rain? Geez, I don't even have an umbrella."

"I do." The male said, putting on his coat as he took out the umbrella from his bag. "For emergency purposes, I suppose."

In an instant, Seohyun beamed. "You're a lifesaver!"

He only looked away from her to hide his slightly flustered face. "Um, you're welcome."

--

"Oh, you should've seen his face when we scared him. God, that was priceless."

Seohyun just kept laughing all throughout, clutching her stomach. "Oh my, ouch ouch! I can't imagine it hahaha!"

It took a few minuted before she calmed down, as she gulped down a mouthful of water. "Wow, it's been a long time since I laughed this much."

"Well, I'm glad I made you laugh like that." He said, still looking away from her. "So, got any ideas about your essay lately?"

Seohyun crossed her arms. "Well, I do have some things in my head right now, but I still feel that something isn't right. I can't say that I could express them into words with just my mind. It doesn't have any 'umph' in it, you know?"

He slowed down his pace. "Let me guess, you like reading books right?"

"How did you know? You're not psychic are you?"

"No. The way you speak, and the way you express your thoughts, kind of makes it a dead giveaway, I suppose. I mean, reading does have a knack on improving your vocabulary, plus it can broaden your imagination."

Seohyun only giggled at how eloquent his statement was. "So you're a bookworm too?"

He immediately shook his head. "Nah. I get lazy easily. I prefer something more visual, like taking pictures, for example."

She watched him adjust his glasses. "So you like sceneries a lot?"

"Well yeah. It makes me feel relaxed. I sure love nature's work of art."

Seohyun took the camera from his bag and positioned is in front of them. But she inquired first, "Um, do you mind? Well, I'm quite scared I'll break it."

He only smiled at her, a sign that it was okay to him. Seohyun looked at the camera and began counting. "Are you ready? One, two, three, say kimchi!"

As soon as she pressed the shutter button, she flashed a small smile. 

Only now did Seohyun notice that he wasn't someone she actually knew. As the silence went by, she took this time to observe him more. He was about Donghae's age, maybe younger. He was only a few inches taller than her and behind his glasses were his eyes of dark brown, to which she found really fascinating. His hair was a bit messy but it framed his features really well.

Despite the nerdy look because of his glasses, she found him really handsome.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing her staring at him.

Trying to sound normal, Seohyun merely smiled as she returned his camera to him and extended her hand. "Um, I don't think we have properly introduced ourselves yet. My name is Seo Joohyun, by the way. You can call me Seohyun."

"Um, Cho Kyuhyun." He was a bit taken back, but he eventually took the camera from her and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Just then, a car came approaching them fast. Kyuhyun, out of instinct, wrapped his arms around Seohyun and shielded her from the water the car unknowingly splashed on the sidewalk. He shivered at the contact of ice cold rainwater on his back.

Seohyun, who was too surprised, looked up to him. "Oh my, are you okay? I'm sorry. You're already wet, and your camera..."

"No, it's fine. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold, plus this one is waterproof." Kyuhyun reasoned, still oblivious of the proximity of their faces.

She was as stubborn as ever. "I'm glad. But I wouldn't want you to catch a cold either, and it's all my fault."

Snapping out of his trance, Kyuhyun finally noticed that he was still hugging her, so he awkwardly let go of her. Looking away, he was about to say anything, when he suddenly sneezed. Seohyun only looked at him with concern. "See? Now you have a cold."

Kyuhyun only hid his anxiety with a small smile. "Don't blame yourself. A little cold won't kill me."

Seohyun beamed. Regaining back their composure, Kyuhyun asked, "Where's your house? I better get you home. I think this rain won't stop any sooner."

She merely nodded as they both walked in silence through the rain.

--

As soon as she got home, Seohyun excused herself from eating dinner and went straight to her room.

Events a while ago were still glued in her mind. To think that she only wanted to finish her homework, it all happened in a blur. She didn't expect meeting him at all, and he even tried to help her think up of ideas.

Today's events led her to her desk. In a span of a few hours, she was finished with her essay.

Under the Umbrella

Not bad. She thought. It had a nice ring to it. She got to thank Kyuhyun for that.

Her thoughts drifted to her new friend.

Seohyun didn't know how it happened, but in a span of a few minutes, she instantly grew comfortable in his company. Kyuhyun was someone who was willing to listen. She found herself anticipating tomorrow, for she might see him again.

Then she instantly reddened when he shielded her from that car. At first, she was too startled to even say anything, but feeling his warmth made her feel safe. She felt something tug into her heart thinking about how their bodies touched at that time.

No, it definitely wasn't love at first sight, she thought. But she has taken a certain liking to the guy.

Seohyun merely smiled. Who knew liking someone you just met is possible?

--

Kyuhyun was in his studio, dipping the photo paper into some kind of liquid. His smile never faltered as soon as he got home.

He didn't expect to even meet her a while ago. All he did was observe her from afar, taking some photos of her.

No, he wasn't a stalker, but he had a habit of taking some stolen shots from people, specifically from Seohyun.

Honestly, he has been feeling this way ever since he first laid eyes on her. During the first day of school, he was doing his usual stuff, taking some stolen shots, until his camera lens drifted to  a freshman girl. He felt his world stop for a while as his mind registered the newbie.

Truly, Seohyun was just so beautiful. There she was, wearing their school uniform, with her long brunette hair cascading to her back, walking towards the school building with a small smile on her face.

She was alone at that time. He wanted to approach her but Kyuhyun didn't want her to think he was some crazy stalker.

But this was the first time he felt something for a girl. One can call it a love at first sight but he knew better than to believe in that pile of crap.

He didn't know what it is, but it certainly made him happy. Holding her in his arms in the guise of shielding her from the rain made his heart beat in his chest like crazy.

It was evident that he was filled with unusual ecstasy today when he got home. He hung the photo paper up and clipped it. His studio actually composed of stolen shots of hers and some other people.

Seeing his latest shot, he couldn't contain his smile. 

Looking at her small smile, Kyuhyun could only say, "Who knew that I met you today huh? Who knew that I had the chance to meet the girl that I really like?"

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but  a thousand words wouldn't be enough to explain what he's currently feeling right now.

Kyuhyun definitely would treasure his first picture with Seohyun. He is definitely looking forward to meeting her again tomorrow.

Who knew a simple walk in the rain with the two of them sharing an umbrella would lead to something more? 

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Author's notes:

I actually wanted to do something simple, and this is how it turned out. I'm used to writing SeoKyu in relationship, SeoKyu fluff but I'm gonna say this again, too much fluff is so cliche I wanna gag. I prefer writing SeoKyu friendship ya know? I think their interactions are more meaningful. Plus, Kyuhyun makes a good knight-in-shining-armor ne? xD

I apologize for some OOC-ness though. I kind of interchanged their personalities here, but I tried my best to keep them in character. I hope that wasn't much of a bother to ya.

Well, that's it for the second story! I'm thinking of making the third story a continuation of this one, but personally, I prefer keeping it that way. I hope y'all like it though. It looked like an open ending to me. But meh, I still like how it turned out! xD

Well, I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful feedback on the first story. Now, I would loooooove to hear your thoughts~ Please tell me what you think! And no silent readers por favor? 8D