Her hand gripped around the plastic handle as the rain fell down from the sky. It was a soft rain, one that almost felt like there was actually no real rain actually falling. She huffed as she wiped the wetness from her cheeks; she wasn’t crying but the rain was falling at such an angle that it managed to gently make it to her face no matter how she held the umbrella. She walked at a steady pace towards the little coffee shop where she was intending on going, despite the grey skies. The sidewalks were empty and the only sounds were her footsteps and the soft pat as the rain landed on the plastic of the umbrella above her.

The coffee shop was as empty as the streets with a few stragglers here and there. She placed her umbrella into one of the umbrella bags and made her way towards her usual booth. It was off in the back of the little store in a sort of dark corner. It wasn’t a normal booth per say; there was a little seat by a window and a low table with a couple of bean bag chairs. Normally, she would hang out there would her friends but they were out of the country on vacation. She bowed to the barista at the front and hurried towards the back.

But she wasn’t alone.

Laying down with his head on the table was a boy, papers haphazardly spread all over the table and the floor around him; a few of them crumpled up. She looked at the sleeping figure curiously and set her bag and jacket down onto one of the bean bag chairs. She experimentally tapped him to no response.

Gaining a bit more confidence she shook the guy, who stirred in his sleep.

“Hey what did I say about-”

Eyes met. One blink. Two.

“Oh. Ah- Well- I’m sorry, I thought you were-”

“Oh, um… You’re kind of in my booth…” She moved her hands to her knees and smiled awkwardly.

“Oh uhm, sorry, did you want me to move? Cause I-” He started to grab his papers up, albeit failing, when she stopped him.

“It’s okay, there’s enough space for the two of us… What’s all this?” She grabbed one of the papers nearest to her and he snatched it from her hands.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She looked down and bit her lip.

“It’s just some lyrics is all.” He gathered the nearest ones into a small messy pile on the table. She let out a small “oh” and reached for a crumpled piece of paper. Her eyes scanned the paper as he was trying to gather up the other papers.

“You know this isn’t half bad…” She turned to him and handed the uncrumpled ball.

“I just made it up.” She shrugged, “well I think it’s good.”

“There’s no substance, it’s all just made up.”

“But that doesn’t mean it isn’t good.”

Stare.

Eyebrow raise.

“Whatever.”

She got up and went over to the counter, returning with two mugs of hot chocolate. She placed down one of the rather fragrant drinks in front of him only to be met with another eyebrow raise. “Drink up,” she pushed the cup a bit more and took a sip from her own drink. “Well if you want to think of… ‘lyrics with substance,’ as you say, then you need to open your mind with a little chocolate.”

He skeptically took a long swig of the drink, letting the warm drink flow down his throat. She smiled and looked outside. “Write about the rain.”

“The rain?”

“Yes the rain.” She pointed to the water-soaked window to further express her point. “Everything is grey, the city, the buildings, the roads, the rain, the peop-”

“Wait, you’re a genius!”

“I am? I mean of course I am!”

“What did you say again?” He reached for a napkin and started to write down the words that she repeated. He scribbled down some more excitedly before sliding the napkin over to her. She read it over, a smiling growing with each word.

“That’s amazing! This is amazing, how did you do that in such little time?” She gawked at him before reading it over once again. He couldn’t help but to smile as well.

Bzzt.

They both looked to the phone on the table. He reached for it and checked the text message. He sighed as he gathered his papers, “I gotta go.” She shifted in her seat, and simply nodded. Once he was all packed up she stood up and packed her things as well. The two of them walked out of the shop in silence and underneath the awning. “Well I guess this is where we part ways huh?” He asked, nudging her with his elbow. She playfully hit his arm. “I guess so…”

Silence.

“It was nice meeting you, uhm-”

“Namjoon.”

“Nice meeting you Namjoon. I hope we can meet each other again and inspire one another once again.” They shared a smile between each other.

Silence.

“Ah I should get going, nice to meet you-” She giggle and shared her name.

Silence.

He slipped a piece of paper into her hand and warned her not to lose it, before walking away in the rain, hoodie pulled over his head. She looked at the paper and smiled.

“Call me Rap Monster” with a number scrawled under it.

She opened up her umbrella and disappeared into the grey fog of the rain.