CHAPTER 2: Rain Sound

It was yet another rainy day so your mood had dampened quite a bit. You walked blindly along the streets as your thoughts ran back to days you were there with Daehyun. You weren’t sure why you kept thinking of him. You had tried to move on, but you couldn’t. Perhaps it was the fact that you had spent 12 years with him that had made it so difficult for you to erase him from your life. Perhaps it was the fact that every place that you go could spark off any memory with him, from a simple coffee in the coffee shop to even attending school. You felt yourself going crazy everyday as your mind only thought of him. Your grades were slipping since you often fell asleep in class because you would always be lying down awake each night.

You entered the bookstore where you were working after school and proceeded with your shift quietly. The bookstore was usually quiet, since people don’t really have time to read books anymore. You hated it though, because the peace would only make you reminisce about your times with Daehyun. The bookstore was his parents’ and normally, he would always accompany you on your shifts to cheer you up. It felt like a part of you was missing after he was gone. Your life had been pretty noisy with him around, and then suddenly all the ruckus was washed away in a blink.

Just then, the bell above the door rang and you looked up from your book to see a tall skinny guy entering the shop. He gave you a shy smile as he proceeded to walk around the store, surveying for his next book. A few seconds later, a group of girls clad in school uniforms entered the shop and followed after him with annoying giggles. You leaned forward on the counter and studied him as he intensely eyed the books on the shelves. He didn’t even seem to notice the girls ogling over him.

Bang Yongguk.

You weren’t sure when he first started being a regular in the bookstore, but you remembered when he first sparked your curiosity. After Daehyun’s death, you often found yourself bored at work. You started noticing things you normally wouldn’t and you started being curious about things you normally wouldn’t give a fly about it. You realized after a certain number of visits from him that these girls were actually all his fangirls. You were pretty amused once you had realized that and from then on, everytime he visited the bookstore, you would always stopped to watch the girls’ antics around him.

You smirked once again at the sight. You had heard before of these girls who follow their Oppa around blindly everyday and you had always wondered why they were so free to do that. After half an hour or so, he approached the counter with a few good reads. You silently checked in the books and realized he was staring at you intently.

“Can..I help you with something else?” you looked up.

“Ani,” he shook his head as he averted his gaze elsewhere.

You continued with his books before he added, “Why was the shop closed yesterday?”

You raised your eyebrow at him, which might have caused him to be uncomfortable as he stood back with pursed lips. You took ship card and swiped it before answering.

“I had some matters to attend to,” you answered with a dull voice. “Were you here yesterday?”

He nodded. “I waited for a few hours but you didn’t come.”

“A few hours?” you gasped. “Micheoseo? It was raining so heavily yesterday! Geez, do you like books that much?”

He only laughed under his breath before taking the stack of books he had just bought. You watched as he left the store, happy at his new purchase. You were surprised at the sudden glares from the group of girls that had just seen you talking with him, but you ignored them.

“If you’re not going to buy any books, you can just leave the store now,” you announced out loud.