On Rainy Day

No one knew how this feeling began, or when it started filling in the heart of this popular schoolboy, he goes by the name Daniel Ahn. Or you could just call him Niel to his favorite nickname.

He was a well-known boy to the whole school, thanks to his presented soccer talent. He was the soccer team captain. And not like other famous boys in those fanfics, Niel was one warm-hearted and nice friend to everyone.

He had a beloved family, a best group of friends, a good brain, and moreover, he was loved because of his nice treatment he always showed people around him.

He had experienced love before. To be honest, twice. His first love was a noona next-door, who happened to had married last year. And his second love, which he believed to be his last love was Haneul, a girl next to his class.

She was just a normal schoolgirl, with an average family, which she had to work to support it. Everyone knew her as Yoon Haneul, a girl with the best heart-stealing smile. And that’s just it. She wasn’t got notice for more than that.

But to Niel, she was the best in everything.

“The way she looks through the canteen for any available spot is just too adorable, the way she jots down notes in her class is unexplainable, the way she always greets people with her smile though they don’t even know her is unbelievable, the way she has her hair tied into a messy bun is y to me” Niel explained his feelings to his friends for the first time after 6 months. 6 months he had tried to control his fluttering feeling for her.

Chunji shook his head, he rubbed on his arms with a scowl, what he had just heard caused him to have goosebump.

“Gosh, you sounded like a love-sick, hyung” Ricky quickly added before Chunji smacked on Niel’s head for telling such a cheesy story.

Niel rolled his eyes, but he admitted it, he did sound like a stupid love-sick.

“Yeah … and I don’t even know if she knows me” Niel mumbled, a strain of disappointment slipped out of his lips.

ChangJo patted Niel’s back in comfort, he did know how this feel like, he used to love-sick a girl from another school, and the missing he had for her was worse than this.

“Everyone knows us, Teen Top. Of course she does know you, our talented soccer captain, Daniel ~” L.Joe sang, he seemed excited about this, for no reason.

Niel sighed for the tenth times already. When it came to soccer’s plan, or anything related to soccer, he had always been the fastest in giving out ideas; but now when a girl appeared, he stuck in his own game.

“Yoon Haneul is not like other girls. She will never care about famous boys like us. All in her mind is studying, family and working” Niel stated, he seemed know her better than anyone did.

Chunji once again grunted in disgusting. “Ew, that’s enough ! I can’t stand hearing these greasing love-story. Girls come to us, not us chasing girls !” he dramatically swung his arms in the air and made some X-crosses as a no.

All of the boys ignored his outburst, even Ricky didn’t care about Chunji. CAP, who had kept quiet the whole time observed Niel’s face before opening his lips.

“Like you said, she doesn’t care about us. Then how could you get to know her ? I mean, we don’t care about girls either, except ChunJi” CAP crossed his fingers and firmly looked at Niel.

ChunJi shot the leader a look, but no one cared again.

A small, happy smile lingered on Niel’s lips. He broke into an embarrassing smile before starting the begin of his love.

|One day in Octorber, which was also a rainy day. Niel had practice for his upcoming match with the school in Busan. Not until 7 in the evening when he and his team decided to call it a day.

The school was soundless and humid for a rainy night. He couldn’t see much but darkness and a blanket of thick rain. Niel heaved a heavy sigh as he looked at the bad weather in front of him.

“I hate this season, rain and practice have never been best of friends” he muttered hatefully as he reached an arm out and touched the cold rain with his index finger.

The coldness sent by the raindrops made him flinch in surprise. “Whoa ! Cold !” he squeaked and quickly pulled off before he turned into ice. Winter was coming and he was playing in the rain, bad idea after all.

One by one, his teammates bid goodbyes to him and went off with their own girlfriends, who came over with their umbrellas.

Niel cheerfully waved goodbye and watched as all of his friends leaving him back at the school.

“Tskk, and none of them bothered to ask me if I wanted to share their umbrella” Niel thought in slight envy. He wanted to have someone to care for him like that too.

Thinking of caring person, he suddenly thought of Ricky, who was a mischievous but still caring boy. He rang his number and waited until a loud voice picked it u.

“Oii, hyung ?”

Niel lightly rolled his eyes as Ricky had taken him off-guard. “Where are you now, Changhyun ?”

Ricky didn’t say anything for a minute before he warily added, “…I am staying at home, in my bed, under my blanket, with my Pororo on TV, along with a cup of hot chocolate and my Jiijii ! If you are going to ask me to pick you up at school just because of your stupid practice, sorry hyung, I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE !”

Ricky ended the call so fast that Niel didn’t even get a chance to understand where the hell Ricky was in.

“… What ? Yah ! Ricky !! Changhyun !” Niel shouted onto the speaker with narrowed eyes. “Aish, you lazy-. And your Jiijii ? I will make sure to dump that ugly teddy bear of yours into a dustbin the next time I see it ! Grahhh !”He harshly shoved his phone back into his pocket with a sulk.

After 10 more minutes of waiting, the rain seemed turn harder and would never stop in the next one or two hours.

“And on TV this morning, they said today was gonna be a warm, sunny day ~” Niel mimicked the voice of the women on TV with a funny face.

Just then, a low, soft chuckle voiced out next to him. Niel froze at that moment, his mind was filled with thought about ghost and murderer. Just when he exactly felt a presence, or more like a warm heat came from a living being, Niel dared to turn his head.

His eyes were caught by a pair of light brown eyes, his gaze automatically travelled down to that person’s lips, which were curled up into a beautifully shy smile.

“Hi …” that girl let out a soft greeting, which was enough to send Niel up to the ninth cloud.

Niel was unsure about if that girl was talking to him or anyone else, but knowing that there was no one left in this school besides him and this girl, Niel awkwardly nodded his head. “Hi”

Haneul smally smiled, she shifted her weight from this leg to the other, with an unreadable expression, both of her hands were hid behind her back, totally a sight of shy girl.

Niel found her cute in her own way, she was in his school uniform, and the most surprising thing was he had never seen her before, or … he had never noticed her before.

“You are from my school ?” Niel blurted out without thinking much. Haneul smiled instead of showing displease about him not knowing her. After all, she was just a normal girl.

“I bet you had never noticed me” Haneul mumbled but Niel heard it anyway. He blushed in embarrassment. *She had read my mind*

“I-I didn’t…”

“It’s understandable, why must you know me anyway ?” Haneul waved her arm playfully. She was in full warm clothes for this cold, rainy day. But when she turned to look fully at the boy next to her, he was just in his white T-shirt, which he had prepared for practice. On his face was still some stain of sweat due to his hard training, and he was holding a soccer ball with his left hand, putting it on his waist. Niel appeared like a real price, of course, not with that clean image, Niel was just one sporty-prince.

Niel felt cold suddenly and he unconsciously held his hand up and blew onto it his hot breath, expecting to reduce the chili feeling. Moreover, he wanted to hide his threatening blush. He didn’t know why, but his heart was beating crazily because of some stranger. *I don’t believe in love at first sight. Yet, I don’t even sure if this girl is a real person or a ghost* he assured himself with some stupid solutions.

Haneul bit on her lower lips, she didn’t like seeing Niel cold and weak like that.

“Why don’t you stop raining already ?!” Niel frustratedly yelled. He peeked a glance at the mysterious girl next to him, but was greeted by a cup of something, he didn’t know yet.

“W-What ?” he swiftly backed off with wide-eyes.

Haneul didn’t meet his eyes, she kept her head down with a meek peek at him. Niel took a look at an unknown cup. His eyes lightly rounded. It was from his favorite coffee-shop near the school.

Haneul shyly dragged his hand and pressed the cup firmly on it, “It’s for you ! I gotta go !. She looked up, her eyes were twinkling with happiness, Haneul bowed deeply before running into the rain, carefree about her getting wet and didn’t leave behind anything but a cup of cappuchino.

Niel gasped as she had disappeared so fast for him to react. His hand with a cup of cappuchino on it was still hanging mid-air, and he had so many things run around his mind.

“…but, who are you ?”|