𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 || 𝗡𝗜-𝗞𝗜 ✓

[ 21 ]

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- THE DOWNPOUR
━━━━┅━━━┅━━━━

( ! THE CHARACTERS' PERSONALITIES ARE NOT REAL, BUT MADE UP ! PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ! )

As dark clouds formed in the sky and the wind blew harder and harder, tons of raindrops suddenly poured down from the sky.

Everyone who was in the park squealed and quickly ran, with their coats on top of their heads for shelter, away to the closest stores they could find to wait there for the rain to pass.

Small children did not cooperate with their parents and decided to jump into the puddles. Their light blue jeans got dirty from the mud and refused to leave the playground.

The wind was getting stronger and the breeze was cold. Trash cans were blown over and women who had their hair loose got all their hair in their faces.

Everyone ran past her, bumped into her with their shoulders and pretty much pushed her over.

She sighed deeply and sat down on the nearest bench she could find, looking up at the sky and letting the raindrops fall in her face.

She didn't realize it, but her body was shivering from the cold. She didn't have a coat on, she had forgotten it, so shivering in the cold was the only option.

And, of course, letting the downpour soak her.

The sun disappeared two seconds later behind the dark blue, almost gray, clouds. Not a ray of sunshine was visible anymore and the park had now become a kind of abandoned place.

In the distance you could still hear children screaming from the fun they were having by stomping in the puddles, but no streetlight was on because it was only noon.

She breathed in deeply and then out before looking down again. She wrapped her arms around herself to give herself warmth, but she remained cold.

All she had on, on the other hand, was her school uniform. A long-sleeved white blouse and blue skirt with a pair of tights underneath.

The wind blew through her hair, which had become wet from the rain. It looked like she had been in the shower with clothes on.

"Hyejin!"

She looked up when she heard her name echoing through the park. Quickly she looked around to see who was calling her name, but it was too dark to see anyone else appear as well.

Suddenly she felt the rain falling on her stop, while in her eyes she could clearly still see the raindrops hitting the stones of the path.

Hyejin looked up and saw above her the inside of an umbrella. She looked behind her and saw Sunghoon standing there, holding an umbrella. The umbrella that was above Hyejin her head.

"Hold on," Sunghoon said to Hyejin as he handed his umbrella to her.

Hyejin took it gently, protecting herself from the harsh downpour.

Sunghoon meanwhile took off his coat, seeing that Hyejin was completely soaked. Quickly he gave his coat to her before taking the umbrella from her again and holding it over her head. "Put it on," he said.

Hyejin smiled shortly at him and put on his coat. Finally some warmth.

Sunghoon sat down next to Hyejin on the bench and patted her back a few times. "Everyone is worried about you," he began as he looked at Hyejin, who was staring at her feet. "You left all your things at school and you didn't come to class. Are you okay-"

"I'm fine," Hyejin interrupted as she also looked at Sunghoon. Both made eye contact for a moment, but Sunghoon interrupted it by looking away. "No one needs to worry about me. I can take care of myself-"

"But you are not an adult yet, Hyejin," Sunghoon interrupted Hyejin this time.

She gulped and sighed, shaking her head.

"I know you, Hyejin. For as long as I've known you, you've never been able to take good care of yourself," Sunghoon said as he put his hand on Hyejin's knee. Hyejin looked at it and tears formed in her eyes. "Look at you now though!" He continued, "You're all soaked because you left your coat at school."

Sunghoon sighed when Hyejin didn't answer him. He rubbed his thumb over her knee, where he had placed his hand earlier. "I'm here for you," Sunghoon said, "Always."

Hyejin looked up at Sunghoon, again they had eye contact. Without even a single second of hesitation, Hyejin wrapped her arms around Sunghoon. "Thank you, Sunghoon."

Sunghoon smiled as he patted her back a few times with the hand he had placed on her knee earlier, his other hand still holding the umbrella above the two of them.

Hyejin interrupted the hug and smiled back at him.

She couldn't be more grateful for someone like him.

"Sunghoon! Hyejin!" Another voice echoed through the dark park.

In the distance, a group of 5 people came running towards them. They became more and more visible as they approached.

They were Jungwon, Sunoo, Jay, Jake and Riki. All soaked by the rain.

The last person she would have preferred not to see.

He didn't even want to see her anymore, so Hyejin didn't understand why he would still come.

When they reached Sunghoon and Hyejin, Riki stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry-"

"Bullshit," Hyejin shouted as she slapped his hands off her shoulders with her cold, wet hands.

Everyone around them was shocked by her response.

Riki took a step back and sighed deeply.

"Did something happen between you two?" Jake asked, "I thought you two got along so well."

"Me too," Jungwon and Sunoo replied at the same time.

Hyejin rolled her eyes. "Apparently I do everything wrong after all," she said as she stood up. In the process, she almost bumped her head against the umbrella Sunghoon was holding. "I thought you hated me, Riki. That you never wanted to see me again."

Hyejin's voice cracked due to the sadness she was feeling at the moment.

Riki didn't know how much she loved him. From the very first moment; from just that short eye contact.

But according to him, everything was a lie.

And now he felt guilty. Seeing how Hyejin now looked pale because she had caught too much cold and how it looked like she had been in the shower gave him a huge feeling of guilt.

So he was here to apologize, but Hyejin just couldn't accept it.

Maybe it was still a bit much to process.

Jungwon looked up at Riki, then at Hyejin, then back at Riki. "Did you seriously say that?" Jungwon asked surprised.

"What?" Riki said, coldly.

"That you hate Hyejin? Never want to see her again?" Jungwon repeated what Hyejin said earlier, "Are you crazy?"

Riki chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "What do you mean by crazy?"

"Don't you know how much pain Hyejin had to go through to let Sunghoon go? She dropped Sunghoon for you. Don't you know how much she loves you!" Jungwon shouted at Riki, who was staring at him nonchalantly.

"You kissed her," Sunoo also blended into the conversation, "Did you mean it, or was all of that a big fat lie?"