END.

Myungsoo shivered as a cold drop of water fell from the sky, hitting him squarely on the face before slowly running down his cheek. He hunched his shoulders, pulling his hood down farther over his head, grumbling to himself as he trudged through the wet.

It had been raining for three consecutive days already, the water falling from the sky in what seemed to be an endless torrent of wet, icy terror. Myungsoo hated the way the rain felt, flooding the ground and causing his clothes to stick to him in unbearable, constricting ways.

He let out an annoyed sigh as another drop of rain hit his face and he looked up, glaring at the sky. A flash of color caught his eye in that moment and he paused, seeing a figure standing in the rain. Her hair was long and it fell over her face as she stood, eerily still in the rain, one hand reaching out to catch the falling drops.

For a moment Myungsoo froze, believing that he had seen a ghost, before he recognized the girl and relaxed. She was standing deathly still, her eyes closed and a soft smile ghosting across her lips. Myungsoo watched as she gently clasped her fingers, enclosing them around the wet and empty space.

Myungsoo could feel his eyebrow raising as he stared at the girl's ministrations. A scoff escaped his lips as he shook his head at her, once again pulling his hood over his head as he continued on his way. He knew about that girl, and he knew better than to get involved with Bae Suzy.

Myungsoo had known Bae Suzy for what seemed like forever, much longer than any of his other classmates had. They has been classmates since grade school, although they had never been in the same class. That changed after high school began. It felt as if every year he would walk into class and see her familiar mop of black hair sitting in the back corner of his classroom.

Myungsoo had never spoken to her before, but he still knew her. Everyone knew Bae Suzy. Bae Suzy who listened to classical music and wrote poetry in her black notebook. Bae Suzy who slept through every lesson yet still managed to get the highest marks in the class. Bae Suzy who seemed to be always walking in a dream as she flowed through life with a lazy smile on her face. Bae Suzy who laughed out loud at the most random of times, and loudly hummed songs to herself. Bae Suzy who had no friends, and yet seemed happier than anyone else Myungsoo had ever known,

It wasn't like anyone hated Suzy, far from it. No one bullied the girl or spread nasty rumors about her. Suzy just liked being alone, and no one cared enough to bring her out of her shell.

<> 

"Did you take a swim on your way to school today?" Sunggyu laughed when Myungsoo walked into class, drenched and soaked to the bone. He rolled his eyes at his friend as he sat down and attempted to dry himself off.

"I saw Bae Suzy outside today," Myungsoo began slowly as he peeled off his slick outer jacket, "She was just standing out there."

"In the rain? I'm not surprised, she's a freak. How does she not get sick?"

"Well," Woohyun interrupted, coming to sit with his friends, "They say that idiots can't catch colds after all."

"The only idiot I see around here is you!" Sunggyu laughed, grabbing his friend as the two began pushing each other around. Myungsoo shook his head at his friends, a chuckle escaping his lips as class started.

Myungsoo noticed that Bae Suzy's seat remained empty, and he couldn't help the gnawing feeling of curiosity that overcame him as he watched the clock, counting down the minutes until it was filled again.

<> 

Myungsoo paused on his way out of school that afternoon, seeing Suzy kneeling outside of the classroom in the usual punishment position, her knees bent under her and her arms raised above her head. She had arrived at school, two hours late, her hair slick with water and completely soaked. The smile on her face remained despite this, even as the teacher yelled at her, reprimanding her for her lateness and giving her two hours of kneeling time as punishment.

Myungsoo watched, amused, as he saw the girl's head lolling around on her shoulders. He chuckled as he watched the girl, able to sleep even in a situation like that. Myungsoo paused, remembering something in his bag, before slowly approaching the girl after finding what he was looking for. His amusement grew and another laugh escaped his lips when he got closer to the girl and saw a small trail of drool sliding down her cheek.

Cute, he thought to himself as he stooped down, leaving a small bottle of strawberry milk in front of her.

<> 

The next day was clear, the rain having stopped for the first time in what seemed to be forever. Myungsoo was in high spirits as he made his way to school, a spring in his step as he hummed a soft tune to himself. The air was cool and crisp and the blue sky was mirrored in the vast puddles on the ground.

It was in front of one of these puddles that Myungsoo saw Suzy's familiar form. She was stooping down, long hair tucked behind her ear as she stared intently down at the puddle by her feet.

His curiosity got the better of him, and Myungsoo found himself slowly approaching the girl, his footsteps making soft indents into the wet ground. Before he even reached her, Suzy looked up and her lips spread into a smile when their eyes met.

"Hello."

Myungsoo paused at the sight of the girl. He had never heard her voice before, and the sound made him freeze in his steps. He had always imagined Bae Suzy's voice to be high, bubbly, like all the other frivolous, flamboyant girls at his school. Instead her voice was lower, more rough, but still soft. It sounded real. As if Myungsoo was talking to an actual person, rather than the air headed dolls he was used to.

He realized that he had taken too long to respond as he snapped out of his reverie and stuttered out, "W-what are you doing?"

Suzy smiled up at the boy who blushed in embarrassment at the stupidity of his own question. She looked down to give the boy a break and a soft laugh escaped her lips. "Come and see." she said simply, motioning to the spot beside her.

Myungsoo hesitated for a moment, as he stared at the odd girl before him. He wasn't sure what he was doing, he wasn't sure why he was doing it either. Why would someone like Kim Myungsoo talk to someone like Bae Suzy? He hesitated, but before his mind had even registered what was happening, he found himself stooping down beside the girl. Suzy flashed him another smile before motioning with her head towards the puddle at their feet. "Watch."

A soft breeze blew around them, rustling through Myungsoo's hair as he stared down at the puddle, unsure of what he was looking for. He looked at Suzy, confused, and she chuckled at him in return. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"What?"

"The ripples of course!" Suzy laughed again as she looked down. Myungsoo followed her gaze and sure enough, he saw delicate currents that ripped through the still water. Myungsoo paused before he looked back up at the girl in bewilderment. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, he heard a familiar voice calling his name. He looked behind him to see Sunggyu and Woohyun waving towards him, their surprised expressions evident to Myungsoo even from the distance. Suzy smiled at Myungsoo again, "You should go, your friends are waiting." She said calmly, not looking up from the puddle.

"R-right." Myungsoo stuttered as he stood up and awkwardly walked away from the girl.

"Were you just talking to Bae Suzy?" Sunggyu and Woohyun both asked him at the same time as he approached them, the bewilderment evident in their faces. Myungsoo nodded at them slowly as a soft smile began pulling at the corner of his lips, causing his two friends to look at each other, eyes wide in surprise. "Well, what did you talk about?"

Myungsoo paused for a moment before he broke out in laughter. "Ripples."

<> 

Myungsoo began paying special attention to Bae Suzy since then. He noticed certain things about her, how she never wore makeup, how she twisted her hair through her fingers whenever she read. He took note of the way the corners of her eyes crinkled when she smiled, and the way she never held herself back when she laughed, allowing her gums to show whenever she found something so funny that her body would shake with laughter. He noticed how she used a watch rather than a phone to check the time, and he noticed how she used a CD player instead of an iPod to listen to music. Myungsoo noticed how anything and everything fascinated the girl, and that she took interest in the most mundane things in life. Suzy intrigued Myungsoo, and he slowly but surely found himself gravitating towards her.

Myungsoo saw her familiar figure as he walked home one day, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips as he approached her. She was sleeping, her body resting against the trunk of a tree, and her legs were crossed beneath her. Myungsoo smiled as he stooped in front of the girl, a wide smile spread across his face.

"It's rude to stare, you know?" Myungsoo jumped in surprise when the girl opened her eyes, a mischievous fire lighting up within them. "Can I help you?" she asked coolly as he straightened himself up awkwardly, looking away as he cleared his throat.

"Who was staring?" He muttered awkwardly, staring at anywhere other than the girl as he scratched his head in embarrassment. She laughed at him before patting the spot next to her against the tree.

"Come sit." Myungsoo moved without hesitation this time, sitting down next to the girl who flashed him a wide smile. He blushed when he realized that their arms were brushing against each other, and he looked away from the girl.

"Why are you always outside?" He asked awkwardly, his voice beaking. He blushed an even deeper shade of pink, and he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Suzy smiled, pretending not to notice the boy's mistake as she leaned her back against the tree and shut her eyes.

"Listen."

Myungsoo paused as he stared at the girl before him, and he slowly followed her instructions. He leaned back against the tree and shut his eyes. He felt his eyebrows furrowing when nothing happened, and he shifted himself, shuffling around in his seat.  "Shh.." Suzy whispered, her fingertips ghosting across Myungsoo's forearm. "Don't move, just listen." Myungsoo paused at the girl's words, and he felt himself relax under her touch. The two sat together in silence, and Myungsoo listened.

He heard the sounds of birds chirping, and the light tinkle of a wind chime. The soft buzz of a bee rang near his ear, and the distant shout of students from the school came traveling to him through the air. He could hear the sounds of traffic, the bark of a dog, and the rattle of a bike, the soft ding of its bell ringing out as it sailed past. He could feel the sunlight ghosting across his skin, and the breeze blowing softly through his hair.

"Doesn't the wind feel like an old friend, whispering a secret in your ear?" Suzy asked him softly. She was sitting right next to the boy, and yet in that moment Myungsoo felt as if her voice was miles away. He nodded slowly, opening his eyes to see Suzy smiling back at him. "Well, now you know."

<> 

Myungsoo began noticing things. He noticed how the stars always shined brightest at 11:57, every night. He noticed how the sun would cast a shadow across the ground whenever the dusk came, and that it would accompany him like a lost friend as he walked home. He noticed how the sky was always beautiful after it rained, clouds littering across the surface like the flower petals that floated down to the ground in the spring, and he noticed the soft ripples that billowed out through the countless number of puddles that surrounded him.

All because of Bae Suzy. She was a strange girl, that Suzy. She soon began approaching Myungsoo, in the mornings, in the afternoons, anytime and anywhere. She addressed him comfortably from the beginning, like an old friend that Myungsoo never knew he had. Myungsoo found it hard to keep up with her at first. Suzy wasn't afraid of anything, and she wasn't shy either. She didn't seem to know the meaning of personal space either, or so Myungsoo thought.

But he didn't mind, in fact that was what he liked about Suzy. He liked how headstrong she was, how straightforward her actions were. She was blunt and said things without thinking, but she never regretted the words that left . She accepted things the way they were, and she would never over think anything. She let the pieces fall as they would, and she learned to step around them. In that way, she was the complete opposite of Myungsoo.

"You talk too much, you know?"

"And you talk too little." She would respond, flashing him her signature smile.

Suzy was just that type of person. She acted like summer and walked like a storm. Her smile was the rain and her laughter was a hurricane. She carried the sky on her back and the wind in her hair, and she brought sunlight down into Myungsoo's life.

"This is yours." She said to him one day, handing the boy a white handkerchief. She laughed at the confused expression Myungsoo shot her, and she smiled. "It fell from your clothesline and I picked it up this morning."There was a pause as Myungsoo stared at her, and she laughed again. "I'm not a stalker, I swear." The look on Myungsoo's face didn't go away and Suzy laughed again, her gums showing in amusement. "You've probably never noticed but, we've been neighbors for a long time."

"No way." Myungsoo said, his eyebrows raising. "You lie."

"Scout's honor," Suzy said solemnly, her eyes wide as she raised her hand up to salute him.

"Since when?"

"Since I moved here back in the third grade. I also sat in the seat behind you for seven years, but I guess you didn't notice that either." Suzy's face erupted into laughter as Myungsoo gaped at her. "Well it's okay, I never spoke to you before so it's only natural that you wouldn't remember."

"There's no way." Myungsoo pouted, furrowing his eyebrows. "There's no way I wouldn't notice you."

"It doesn't matter," Suzy said, her laughter stopping as she smiled at the boy, "Just as long as you notice me from now on."

<> 

It was raining when Mungsoo stepped out of his house, and he looked around at the windows close to his, wondering which one belonged to Suzy. He still couldn't believe that he had always been so close to the girl and never knew. He paused when he saw her, Suzy's back facing him, and he smiled as he ran up to her, raising his umbrella over her head.

Suzy opened her eyes when she no longer felt the raindrops hitting her face, and she smiled at the boy. "Hello, Neighbor Boy. You're up early today." Myungsoo shrugged as he stepped underneath the umbrella with the girl, their arms brushing.

"Why don't you ever use an umbrella?" he asked her absentmindedly as he pulled her wet hair back away from her face. "You're going to catch a cold one day."

Suzy shrugged, grinning up at Myungsoo before she ran away from him, out from under the umbrella and into the rain. "Don't you think things are more fun this way?" She called to him, her laughter ringing out.

Myungsoo frowned at the girl, running up to cover her with his umbrella again. "What's so fun about getting wet and sick?" He murmured as he wiped her face with his sleeve. Suzy said nothing, her face scrunching up into a frown as Myungsoo dried her cheeks and they made their way to school in silence.

She paused again when the school's entrance came into sight, and she smiled up at Myungsoo. "Maybe the reason why I never use an umbrella is because I'm waiting for someone to stand in the rain with." Myungsoo blinked at her for a moment before she laughed, running out from under his umbrella once again to dash off in the direction of the white building.

<> 

"'I'm sorry that I'm both your umbrella and the rain...'" Myungsoo recited monotonously as he sat in an empty classroom, waiting for the rain to subside before he made his way home.

"It's fine, because I love the rain." He looked up at the sound of Suzy's voice, and he frowned at the girl when she sat in the seat across from him, dripping wet. "What are you reading?"

"Where have you been?" Myungsoo asked, ignoring the girl's question as he handed her his handkerchief. "You'd probably know if you had actually come to class today."

Suzy giggled at the boy's words as she dabbed at her face with the handkerchief, "There's so many other things to be doing instead of school. I feel like I can't think in here."

"Not that you do much thinking to begin with," Myungsoo sighed, looking back down at the book in his hands. "You're always dozing off in here."

"You would know." Suzy responded cheekily as she smiled at the boy, distracting him from his reading. "Why are you always watching me."

"Because I pay attention to things that interest me. You should try it sometime."

"I pay attention to things too!" Suzy pouted, mockingly frowning at the boy in front of her.

"Do you?" Myungsoo asked coolly, bringing a bottle of strawberry milk to his lips so he could take a sip.

"Of course I do! I know all kinds of thi─" Suzy paused, not finishing her sentence as she stared at the boy with wide eyes as he drank his milk.

"What?" He asked her when he noticed her gaze, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing." Suzy answered, as her lips pulled up into a smile and she began laughing at the sight of the bottle in the boy's hands. "Nothing at all."

Myungsoo frowned at her, shaking his head as the girl began laughing harder and harder, clutching her stomach in amusement. "Childish." He muttered under his breath.

"You like strawberry milk, huh?" She asked, her eyes sparkling as she laughed at him again.

<> 

There was never a boring moment with Suzy. She brought out the beautiful moments in life, and Myungsoo never regretted approaching her that day after it rained. Myungsoo was perfectly happy with being friends with Suzy. He didn't mind that people whispered behind his back, or that they giggled whenever they say the two of them together. He just didn't care. Or so he thought.

It was just a normal, rainy day. Suzy had ditched school as usual, to stand in the rain or do whatever it was that she did, and Myungsoo was sitting with his friends. There was nothing different about that day, nothing odd, until Sunggyu had opened his mouth to ask him the question that he had never wanted to hear.

"So, you and Bae Suzy have been pretty close lately, huh?" He had asked awkwardly. Woohyun had quieted down at his friend's words and had looked down at his fingers, while Myungsoo just looked up normally, like he always would.

"Yeah." He answered simply, not seeing what the problem was. The look that Woohyun and Sunggyu shot at each other didn't go missed by Myungsoo, and he had cocked his head to the side, not understanding the situation.

"But... Why?" They had asked him, worriedly.

Myungsoo had remained quiet, but some part inside of him seemed to have opened its eyes. Since then he noticed the looks that people shot him, the hushed whispers. He noticed how odd the entire situation was. Kim Myungsoo and Bae Suzy talked to each other. They were friends. He didn't know how it happened, but before he had even realized it, Myungsoo had begun avoiding Suzy.

A week passed in which nothing happened, and Myungsoo had been able to remain relatively calm throughout it. He avoided Suzy, and he didn't approach her. He remained with his friends, never once leaving their side. All was well, until she approached him one day. Myungsoo had been with Woohyun and Sunggyu, conversing about some mundane topic, when suddenly his friends had grown quiet, looking up apprehensively.

"Hey, Neighbor Boy," Suzy had said to him, walking up from behind and flashing him her usual smile, "Where have you been lately?"

Myungsoo was quiet, unsure of what to do as he panicked. Part of him wanted to smile to Suzy, to pull her messy hair back and for showing up late to school again. But another part of him noticed the stares, the hushed whispers. Another part of him was screaming for Suzy to go away, to leave him alone.

He remained still, not moving as an awkward silence developed, and Suzy's smile slowly faded away. She gave Myungsoo a knowing look before smiling at his friends and turning around on her heels to walk away. Myungsoo remained frozen, not seeming to be able to understand the situation. The whole thing had just happened so fact. He was silent, frozen in his spot as he tried to replay what had just happened again in his mind. Sunggyu and Woohyun stared at him worriedly as his eyebrows furrowed, and the older gently nudged his side, whispering into his ear, "You should go after her, Myungsoo."

He blinked, as if recovering from his moment of paralysis, and he nodded at his friend before he ran after Suzy. It didn't take long before her familiar back came into view, and he ran up to her, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around. She remained quiet as he paused, catching his breath and avoiding her eyes.

"Yes?" She asked calmly, her eyes not giving away the betrayal she must have felt.

"I'm sorry." Myungsoo blurted out, not sure of what else he should say.

Suzy said nothing, she just smiled at him. "Sorry for what?"

Myungsoo paused, his breathing labored as his brow furrowed at the girl's question. What was he sorry for? Suzy's knowing look returned at Myungsoo's silence prolonged silence, and she crossed her arms around her chest as she waited for his response. "I'm just.. sorry." He trailed awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

Suzy smiled gently at the boy as she uncrossed her arms. "Wrong answer, Myungsoo." She said softly. "You shouldn't apologize if you don't even know the reason why you're apologizing."

<> 

Myungsoo stopped speaking to Suzy then. It wasn't like she had disappeared from his life, far from it. They still saw each other in class, or on the way to school. Suzy still smiled at the boy encouragingly from time to time, and he would smile back at her, sheepishly. Not much changed in Myungsoo's life. He didn't suddenly become popular the moment he stopped talking to Suzy. He didn't become the hot topic of the school. There was no difference. The only thing that had changed was the silence.

It came to the point where Myungsoo had begun wondering why he and Suzy had even come to this point in the first place. What was it that had bothered him so much? The fact that people were talking behind his back? The fact that they would stare at him? Myungsoo had come to realize how childish he had been, and he had grown to be ashamed of the way he had treated Suzy.

Sunggyu and Woohyun would stare worriedly at their friend, who in turn would stare at Suzy. He stared and he stared and he stared at her, day after day, but he did nothing more. Not even when she looked up to meet his gaze and smile at him, Myungsoo didn't do anything. Sunggyu and Woohyun grew increasingly worried, and had even taken to approaching Suzy themselves.

"Myungsoo knows what he's doing," She had said simply to them. "Just let him be who he wants to be."

And so, time passed. Sunggyu and Woohyun had learned to get used to their friend when they saw that he was happier with his life. And Myungsoo was happy. He had learned to become a person that he was proud of, and to not let the opinions of others affect him or his life. He had learned to appreciate the little things, and to not take anything for granted. All thanks to Suzy. Still, Sunggyu and Woohyun couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something was missing, that Myungsoo still wasn't complete in a way.

And Myungsoo wasn't complete. Not yet, anyway. He was waiting, waiting for someone or something.

It was a normal day, no different from any other. Suzy had, as usual, ditched class, and Myungsoo had been dozing off in his seat. He had perked up immediately when he heard a familiar noise, and his face broke out into a grin when he saw that it had begun raining, for the first time in what felt like forever, outside of the school window.

He had jumped up, ignoring the sound of his teacher calling out to him as he ran out of the classroom, straight for the main entrance of the school. Finally, what he had been waiting for was here. Finally, it was raining. He grinned when he saw Suzy's familiar figure, standing underneath the balcony, looking out at the rain, and he ran straight for her.

He grabbed her wrist, his breathing labored when he finally reached her, and she jumped at the feeling. Her face spread out into her signature smile when she saw the boy's familiar face, and he grinned back at her before he tightened his hold on her hand and pulled her out into the rain with him.