A/N: Italicized words are flashbacks. Normal ones are set in the present.

Leaves of different shades of orange, red and yellow fell slowly to the ground, aesthetically as if it were in slow motion. The sun hid behind sheets of clouds, its concealed brilliance evident only in the light background of the sky. It was officially autumn, and you were seated on a playground’s swing alone.

Deep in thought with a tinge of melancholy, you glanced at the other swing, only to be disappointed that no one’s there. You badly miss him – your one and only friend.

***

“Hey, you, the daughter of the robber,” the voice paused, “Jung Sooyul.”

The person who called your name bent down in front of you and involuntarily, you winced. You didn’t dare to look up. You’ve had enough of the humiliation and bullying. You were tired and he could be one of them – those people who were heartless and judgmental. You swung yourself slightly, as if you were deaf and ignored him.

Suddenly, he reached out a hand and held out a handkerchief. Shocked and confused, you took a glance at him, eyebrows knitted, adorning a quizzical look. What met your eyes took you aback – he was staring at you intently that you had to look away. Seeing your tears, he gently wiped them and inserted lose hair behind your ear.

Saying nothing, he stood up straight and just when you thought he was finally leaving, he settled on the swing next to the one you were on. What was he doing? Is he one of those fake friends you had who gave you false promises and ended up betraying you, and worse, bullying you? You’ve had enough. Being a loner was better than to have such cruel friends.

Your thoughts were cut short when the boy spoke again. “By the way, I’m Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun. Let’s be friends,” he held out his hand towards you for a handshake.

Your brain took time to process what he just said, half happy and half afraid of it – happy, because he was the only one who asked to be your friend after knowing about your father’s robbery, and afraid, because he might be like the others who were pretentious and fake. You still hadn’t moved, eyes still wide with shock as you stared right at his beautiful brown orbs.

“Hey, I’m not bad. Don’t be afraid of me,” he spoke with a smile. You were immobile for a moment, but all the pent-up emotions came rushing through. You pulled him into a hug, swings clashing against each other, but that didn’t really matter. You needed someone right now.

You knew he was shocked by your sudden bold action, but he didn’t push you away. He didn’t care if his uniform became your towel. He hugged you tight in his embrace, patting your head lightly, hushing you.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I promise,” he said softly. It made you cry even more. You never met a stranger and felt comfortable like this before. It was as if there was some kind of magnet that pulled you towards him and you didn’t know why.

“If you want to cry, cry a river now. But I don’t want to see you crying again, arasso?” For the first time, you felt safe. For the first time, you understood the word ‘trust’.

Rain started to pour, but he didn’t let go as you continued to cry. No words were exchanged, but somehow, in some way, you understood each other.

***

A hot tear rolled down your cheek, which you quickly wiped away.

“Hey, babe,” you heard Kai’s voice and whipped your heard towards him. He gave you a warm smile as he approached, stopping right in front of you. You smiled at him, grateful for his presence now, and for the last five years.

“It’s about to rain, I think we should head back now. Eommonim might be waiting,” he pulled you up to stand, his voice so gentle as he spoke, and put his arm behind you as you two walked home.

You met Kai five years ago as you were working in Seoul. He stayed by your side ever since then, and you both recently got engaged. The wedding will be held in the States where Kai’s family resides, and days from now, the two of you will be leaving the homeland. But before you leave, you wanted to spend time in your home town with your mother who, unfortunately, won’t be able to go. It was worrisome to leave her alone, especially that you were the only child and your father died in prison.

“Aigoo. Don’t worry about me; I’m as strong as a horse. I’ll be alright here. I’m giving son-in-law my trust,” your mother smiled. She was the same as always, only with a few more wrinkles and a little thinner.

Your mother pulled Kai away to talk about matters she didn’t want you to hear outside. Leaving them alone, you went inside the house and climbed the staircase. The second floor of the house was dusty and abandoned, as your mother hadn’t been sleeping upstairs due to her age since you left for Seoul. You saw a door with a wooden plate hanging on it, scribbled messily with your name. You smiled. You were ten years old when you placed the name plate there. Slowly, you opened the door.

Your bedroom looked the same as it used to be, the only difference being the dust and the obvious lack of maintenance. You walked towards the dresser and brushed your finger against the top, despite the dust gathering on your fingertips. You finger stopped as it bumped something. Lowering your gaze, you saw a familiar blue ribbon barrette lying there. You lightly picked it up, blew the dust off and watched its simple yet distinguishable details. Then you remembered.

***

“When it rains, meet me here, arasso? I’ll be waiting for you at the swing.” You smiled as you remembered his note to you. You were looking out the window and rain was gently pouring outside. Beaming with excitement, you grabbed your umbrella and left for the playground.

You had to admit, your life changed since you met Baekhyun. He stopped your pessimistic attitude. He stuck by your side as hard as mighty-bond glue. You two were inseparable.

When you reached the playground, he wasn’t there. Your mood dropped a little, but nonetheless, you sat on the swing and waited.

You were staring to lose hope when a pair of cold and wet hands covered your eyes. “Yah! Who are you? I know judo!” you bravely said as you tried to pry the hands off your eyes.

“Soo Yul-ah, I have a surprise. But first, I need you to close your eyes,” hearing his voice, your face drew a smile and you nodded. He removed his hands from your eyes, and you obliged with his request. You suddenly felt your hair being moved. You were dying to open your eyes, but you patiently waited for his signal.

“Open your eyes,” he said. You slowly opened your eyes and reached for whatever he placed on your hair.

“You like it?” he bent so that he was eye-level with you. Speechless and incredibly happy, you just gave him a bright smile.

“They say rain is a blessing and when it rains, we should make happy memories,” he said while looking up and started walking, not caring that rain was soaking him. You looked at him worriedly. He was surely going to get sick.

“Byun Baekhyun! You’d get sick,” you ran over to him and hovered your umbrella over both of you. Your umbrella was small, and two people under it meant that you two were inches from each other. Why was your heart beating that fast? Worse, he bent down and you didn’t know how to react. You were young, fifteen to be exact. Many things were running through your mind as you stared at him, bashfully.

He smirked. “I’m already soaked, so there’s no use hovering the umbrella over me now. Are you worried I’d get sick?” he asked you. You just glared at him, not sure where the conversation was heading.

“Then don’t be, because you’d get sick, too,” he mischievously grabbed your umbrella from your hand and threw it elsewhere, instantly soaking you in rain.

“What did you just do?!?”

“I tossed it elsewhere,” he answered sarcastically as he put on an innocent look on his face.

“Yah! BYUN BAEKHYUN!” You started chasing him all around the playground. Luckily, there was no one around to witness how playful and immature 15-year old teenagers can be. You two ended up panting really hard and soaked in rain.

“Thanks,” you smiled. Somehow, he made you day much better.

“For what?”

“For everything,” your eyes were tearing up, not in sadness, but with overwhelming gratitude. Why were you so sensitive? It made you look like a cry-baby, but you can’t help it. Baekhyun pulled you into a warm embrace. Your tears were his weakness.

“You won’t leave me, right?” you suddenly asked out of the blue.

He pulled you closer and hugged you tighter. “Hush. Don’t cry. I’m here, see? I won’t leave you. NEVER.”

***

You felt a tear roll down your cheek. ‘Stupid tears, why do you fall every time? He left me. He disappeared. Why are you crying for him?’ You were mentally scolding yourself for crying. A knock on the door brought you back to the real world.

“Babe, dinner’s ready,” Kai spoke softly behind the closed door.

“Okay. Wait for me downstairs! I’ll be down in a bit,” you said to him. He left with an okay and you turned to the mirror to fix yourself.

It was a day before you and Kai would be leaving. Thinking of making the most out of it, you were spending the day roaming around the town that you’ll surely miss. Kai was driving his blue convertible, with you beside him, happily chatting and enjoying your last moments in the country.

You were looking side to side when you saw a familiar woman bringing a basket, walking alone on the sidewalk. Curiosity filled your thoughts as you told Kai to park the car. You got off and headed towards the old lady, Kai tailing behind you. He seriously had no idea what you were up to, but he followed.

“Aunt Hyun Mi?” you said as you approached the old lady. She turned to you, and instantly her face wore a shocked expression as she stammered “S-soo Yul-ah.” She was Baekhyun’s mother and you haven’t seen you in years! You hugged her instantly. “Eommonim, how have you been?” you asked her and confused Kai was giving you a questioning look.

“Are you asking me, or Baekhyun?” Mrs. Byun’s voice wasn’t as cheery as you remembered, but she was still a mind reader. You fell silent, mouth agape at the loss of words. Kai went to your side, afraid that you’d shed tears. Mrs. Byun stared at the male.

“By the way, Eommonim, this is Kai, my fiancé,” you politely introduced, knowing that Kai had already connected the dots.

“Hello, young man. It’s nice to meet you,” Mrs. Byun smiled at him then turned to look at you. “Follow me,” her voice was sad once again then she started walking. You gave Kai a look. He nodded and you both followed Mrs. Byun.

The latter led you to none other than her home. Baekhyun’s home. Your heart sank. If he was there, you would surely break down. The elder ushered you and Kai inside, and without further ado, she told you everything, starting from the day he disappeared. The rain started pouring as you talked. After leaving you alone with your thoughts for a moment, she then told you to follow her upstairs. You obliged and held Kai’s hand in yours tightly, holding back tears.

Mrs. Byun opened a bedroom door and led you inside. There you saw a thin, pale man lying under the covers, looking out of the window. He was still breathing, thank God! He didn’t seem to hear your entrance. You felt tears cascading down your cheeks as you let go of Kai’s hands and went towards the bed. Kai thoughtfully stood a careful distance behind you, observing.

Baekhyun’s gaze fell on you. “Soo Yul.” He managed to give a small sincere smile, unlike the bright ones he had before. “Long time no see.”

You reached for his hand and held it tight. “Why didn’t you tell me?” your tears were overflowing. “I missed you badly, don’t you know that?” you tried to keep your voice firm as you spoke with hurt.

Baekhyun extended his hand to your face and wiped your tears. “Hush. I didn’t want you to worry about me. I was supposed to save you, not worry you,” he joked but it didn’t stop the tears from flowing.

You lightly slapped his arm. “Still, you should’ve told me. I hated you all these years for nothing! I- I…” you were cut off when he kissed you lightly.

“I was about to do that a long time ago,” he said weakly. “Sorry if it came late. But I suppose I shouldn’t let anything be left undone until the last raindrop.”

“What are you talking about? Don’t say those things!” you were about to make another complaint when he put a finger on your lips, a signal for you to keep quiet.

Words were not exchanged. You held his hand tightly as you sobbed quietly. Without realizing it, you fell asleep. The rain poured heavily.

“Sorry if I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier,” Kai spoke up after hours of respectful silence and observation. “I’m Kai.”

“K-kai. I want you to take care of her for me. Please? Love her with all your heart. Be her towel when she wants to cry a river,” Baekhyun’s words were confusing, but Kai thoughtfully listened. “I know we just met, and I know I am in no position to say this, but I’m entrusting her to you. Be her happiness.”

You woke up the next morning on a comfy bed. Looking around, you realize that it was your room but there was no sign of Kai. You stood up and walked towards the window. The rain was starting to subside, now merely a drizzle. You looked outside, yesterday’s incident at the back of your mind like a passing dream.

The rain stopped. The last raindrop fell.

The little raindrop fell on the roof, passed slowly, got stuck on a spout, before sliding down and reaching the ground.

You went downstairs and saw Kai talking to someone on the phone. You smiled at the sight of your fiancé. He ended the call and stared at you with melancholic eyes that you did not catch.

“Hey, what time is it? I thought our flight’s at 8AM. Why aren’t you changed yet?” you came to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, but he was silent.

“I rebooked the flight,” Kai simply said.

“Why? What about our wedding?” you asked him while pouting, but his face looked as if someone drained everything off him.

“His mom called.”

“Whose mom?”

“He’s gone. Baekhyun died this morning,” Kai’s voice was extremely soft and husky as he held back his own tears. You heard every bit of it.

An agonizing moment of realization came like your heart shattering to pieces. Yesterday’s events weren’t a dream. “W-what?” you stuttered as tears fell down your cheeks.

Kai pulled you towards him as you both sobbed. “Why does it have to be him?” you cried in agony against his chest. You didn’t care that your shirts were getting soaked, nor did Kai. He, too, was sobbing quietly, sharing your pain.

You and Kai stayed until Baekhyun’s funeral. It was already the day after his funeral when you and Kai had your bags packed. Many tears were used up. Your eyes were red and swollen. But you stayed strong for Kai as he did for you.

You put on large black sunglasses to cover your eyes after placing your luggage in the car’s trunk. Hugs accompanied goodbyes and reminders before you and Kai drove off. Just seconds after the cab left your home, Mrs. Byun called.

“Soo Yul, honey. Can you drop by before leaving?” her voice was soft and small. You said yes and told the taxi cab driver to drop by the Byun’s. There you saw Mrs. Byun, your Aunt Hyun Mi, standing outside and holding a thick book.

She didn’t allow you to get off the cab. Instead, she just handed you the thick black hard-bound book. She didn’t tell you what is was and all she said was “Take time opening it.”

You and Kai arrived safely. Your wedding was in a few hours and everyone made a fuss about it, extremely hurrying to reach the church in time. Though the preparations were haphazard with the little time, everything about the wedding was simple yet memorable.

You were now unpacking your bags in your new home. It was a simple apartment unit and you loved every part of it – it was home to both of you. You were onto your third box when you hit something underneath.

“What’s this?” you pulled it out and saw that it was the book Baekhyun’s mother gave you after you left. Your hands started to shake as you caressed the worn out leather cover.

Kai noticed your change in demeanor and immediately scooted over. “Babe, what’s wrong?” You didn’t answer him and just stared at the book. Realizing the situation, Kai soothingly rubbed your back and held your hands, “Let’s go sit somewhere comfortable.”

You opened the book together. It was Baekhyun’s book. The book was filled with such amazing literary works – Baekhyun’s works. Each page noted a day, and it started with the day he disappeared. Poems, stories and journal entries filled everything. There were even pictures, some of random things and some yours. You slowly read each page. It was only in literature he expressed how much he loved you and it made you cry. Kai’s eyes were even tearing up, though he tried to hold it back. Baekhyun was a real friend.

You read everything until the very last page. The date noted was the day he died, and it was a letter and a poem written in shaky letters.

My dearest Soo Yul,

Don’t cry, arasso? If you do, I will cry, too. I don’t want tears to cover your beautiful face. Cheer up, you know have two protectors, Kai and me. Please forget about me, but not the happy memories we both shared. Be happy and move on. For only then will I be able to rest in peace. I’m counting on you. I’m using the last bit of my strength to write this to you, so I hope you receive this. Please tell Kai that I’ll beat him up if he makes you cry, arasso? I love you.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
The rain starts pouring
I know it would end soon
The last raindrop falls
The last of me

You cried so hard after reading his last entry. You hugged Kai tightly.

“Hush. I know he’s looking after you. Don’t worry. I’m also here. Like he said, you now have two protectors – one from above and one beside you. Don’t cry,” Kai’s soothing voice made you feel better as he continued wrapping you in his embrace.

You looked at the sky. “Thanks, Baek,” you muttered as you watched the brightest star in the sky.