WWBU - 13

Even at school, she decided she needed to keep her distance. After much deliberation during class, Hyun-soo concluded that she should create some space between herself and Yoon Guk.

As the dismissal bell rang, students poured out of the classroom like a receding tide. Guk, too, grabbed his bag and disappeared without so much as a glance back. His abrupt departure suggested he was still upset about their earlier argument that morning.

Hyun-soo, intentionally taking her time packing up in hopes of avoiding him, finally looked up once she was sure everyone had left.

“They’re all gone.”

Staring at the back door through which Guk had exited, Hyun-soo let out a deep sigh. She was now alone in the classroom.

With Young-mi busy elsewhere and Juyeon having left early, Hyun-soo naturally found herself walking home alone. As she stepped out into the deserted schoolyard, she glanced around aimlessly. A group of students played basketball in the distance, but their chatter barely reached her ears. The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if submerged in silence.

Scrolling absently through photos on her phone, Hyun-soo suddenly noticed the tip of a familiar pair of sneakers in her line of sight. Her stomach churned slightly—it was unmistakably his.

“Get on.”

Leaning against the wall by the back gate, Yoon Guk straightened his parked bicycle. The sharp clink of the kickstand being lifted echoed louder than expected, as though brushing aside something within him.

“Why... why are you still here?”

Before she could finish her question, Guk closed and opened his eyes, clearly understanding what she meant to say.

“What’s with the sudden question?”

His expression seemed to ask, We always walk home together, don’t we? And he was right. But today, she had deliberately delayed leaving, thinking he would have already gone ahead. Did that mean he had been waiting for her this whole time?

“Hurry up and get on. With your leg like that, how do you expect to walk?”

Guk slung her bag over his shoulder and mounted the bike. If Hyun-soo sat behind him, they could glide home comfortably, just as they had done every morning. But...

Hyun-soo took a step back.

“I’m sorry. You go ahead on your own.”

At her words, Guk turned his head slightly to look at her.

“My leg will heal soon, and I think it’s better if I just take a taxi for now. You understand, right?”

“...”

“...”

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.”

And that was it. Contrary to her expectation of a longer argument, it ended just like that. Without another word, Guk started pedaling.

“Huh...”

His strides were as confident as ever, and the bike quickly picked up speed, carrying him farther away in the blink of an eye. Watching his shrinking figure, Hyun-soo couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

What was this unpleasant feeling? She had gotten exactly what she wanted—so why did she feel this sticky, unsettling emotion?

“…Excuse me, student!”

“Yes?”

“I called you several times. Where should I go?”

“Oh...”

Hyun-soo, who had been lost in thought in the backseat of the taxi, awkwardly laughed. She hadn’t heard the driver’s question because she’d been preoccupied with her strange emotions.

“Where to?”

After giving her home address, the driver perked up, recognizing the neighborhood. True to his word, the taxi, which had been moving slowly, now sped up.

The scenery outside the window blurred as they drove. Hyun-soo stared blankly for a moment before losing interest and leaning back against the seat. For some inexplicable reason, her mood felt unusually gloomy.

---

Nearly two weeks had passed since Hyun-soo and Guk began commuting separately. Because of Guk’s newspaper delivery part-time job, they rarely crossed paths in the mornings, but after school, they inevitably kept running into each other. Whether it was while grabbing their bags, stepping out of the classroom, or leaving the school gates, their encounters were unavoidable.

And today was no different.

As the final class ended, students were met with an unexpected downpour. The gray clouds that had loomed since morning had finally unleashed their fury.

While some students who had brought umbrellas went on their way, others hesitated, stomping their feet in frustration as they gazed helplessly at the sky. Amidst this chaos, Hyun-soo, Young-mi, and Juyeon stepped forward.

“Did you bring an umbrella?”

“Yeah, I did. What about you?”

“Me too. It was cloudy this morning, so my mom told me to bring one.”

“Same here. Good thing I listened.”

“What kind of rain is this? So intense.”

“It’s summer. This is how it is—unpredictable.”

The three chatted casually as they pulled out their umbrellas—red, yellow, and purple. Each umbrella was a different color.

“We’ll have to go to the bookstore another time. There’s no point going today.”

“Right. If we get soaked, the books will be ruined.”

“True. Let’s just head home.”

At Hyun-soo’s suggestion, the other two nodded. Young-mi and Juyeon opened their umbrellas and stepped into the rain. Pitter-patter, the sound of raindrops hitting the thin fabric was loud and steady.

“We’re heading out. Be careful on your way home. Text us later.”

“Okay, see you.”

“Bye.”

“Bye-bye!”

Young-mi and Juyeon, who lived in the same direction, disappeared into the colorful array of umbrellas, leaving Hyun-soo alone. Glancing up at the sky one last time, Hyun-soo hastily unfolded her red umbrella. And then—

“Huh?”

Was it a coincidence? As she prepared to open her umbrella, Hyun-soo spotted a familiar figure walking ahead in the rain. Amidst the sea of colorful umbrellas, one round head stood out conspicuously.

The tall, broad back was unmistakably his. But that wasn’t the issue. What on earth was he doing out in this weather, drenched from head to toe?

Without a second thought, Hyun-soo ran toward him, umbrella in hand. Navigating through the crowd wasn’t easy, but she soon caught up to him. By then, he was completely soaked—even his bag was dripping wet.

Instead of saying anything, Hyun-soo silently held the umbrella over him. Startled by the sudden obstruction above him, Guk stopped in his tracks.

“What’s this?”

Pulling the umbrella fabric up slightly to see, Guk turned around. Standing there was Hyun-soo, her face flushed.

“Why are you out here without an umbrella...!”

“What are you doing?”

“What about you? What are you doing in this weather?”

“Why didn’t you take a taxi?”

“That’s because you, you were getting soaked in the rain...”

“I was in the rain.”

Guk stood still under the pouring rain, staring at Hyun-soo as if waiting for her to continue. Flustered, Hyun-soo stammered, opening and closing her mouth several times. Finally, she blurted out:

“If you get soaked, you’ll lose all your hair!”

“What?”

“Do you want to go bald?”

“Kim Hyun-soo.”

“...Why.”

“Is that really all you have to say?”

“What else is there?”

“Fine. Go take a taxi and get home safely.”

“Hey! Hey!”

With a mocking smirk, Guk turned and walked away. Though Hyun-soo knew her words had been careless, she couldn’t help but feel angry that he had left her standing there. At the same time, she was overwhelmed with curiosity about him—his expressions, his emotions, his deepest thoughts. She didn’t even understand why she was so curious, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling.

Deciding to act first and think later, Hyun-soo chased after him. Soon, she caught sight of his retreating figure again.

Without hesitation, she grabbed his wet hand and thrust the umbrella handle into his grip.

“You’re too tall; your arm will get tired holding it. You take it.”

“...”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What about you? Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t know.”

Seeing Hyun-soo’s confused expression, Guk sighed deeply, his breath grazing the inside of his cheek. It was a sigh laden with emotion.

Too tired to argue further, Guk simply started walking again. Hyun-soo followed beside him. Though the rain had lessened slightly, it continued to pour heavily.

“Yoon Guk. Move a little closer to me.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, I said move!”

But not long after, they were bickering again—this time over who should hold the umbrella. Guk insisted he was already soaked and didn’t need it, while Hyun-soo argued he should use it to avoid catching a cold. In the process, both of them ended up even wetter.

“You’re so stubborn. Are you a child?”

“And you’re not? Yoon Guk, you’re more stubborn than I thought.”

“Enough. Let’s rest for a bit.”

“Huh?”

Before Hyun-soo could fully process his words, Guk grabbed her hand and led her somewhere. They stopped under the awning of a café on the side of the street. Though the café was closed and dimly lit, it provided perfect shelter from the rain.

“Why are we here...?”

“The rain’s too heavy. We’ll wait until it lets up a bit before heading out again.”

Indeed, the rain had intensified compared to earlier. It was now closer to a torrential downpour than a mere heavy rain.

“When do you think it’ll let up?”

Hyun-soo cautiously extended her palm outside the awning. Cold raindrops quickly soaked her hand. Guk, who had been brushing his wet hair back with one hand, watched her quietly.

Splash, splash, splash.

The rain showed no signs of stopping. Silence fell once again between the two of them, standing side by side under the awning. The only sound was the relentless patter of rain.

“About this Saturday’s tutoring session...”

Suddenly, Guk’s low voice broke the silence. Hyun-soo, who had been staring absentmindedly at the mist rising from the ground, turned to look at him.

“Yeah? What about the tutoring?”

Guk, who had been staring straight ahead, turned to meet her gaze.

“I have something to do, so would it be okay to reschedule it to Sunday...?”

But mid-sentence, he abruptly paused. Caught off guard by her wide-eyed stare, Hyun-soo blinked rapidly and forced an awkward laugh.

“What’s wrong?”

“...”

Guk didn’t respond. Instead, he set his bag down and began unbuttoning his school uniform shirt. Beneath it, he wore a plain white t-shirt, so it wasn’t entirely inappropriate—but the sudden action startled her.

“Why are you doing that all of a sudden?”

Even as Hyun-soo asked, Guk didn’t answer. He simply draped his damp uniform shirt over her shoulders. Wrapped unexpectedly in his shirt, Hyun-soo was flustered.

“Why... why are you doing this?”