July 24th

Chap. 4

I thought a walk might help me calm down, so I decided to go out. I had heard that stores stayed open late in Korea, so I wanted to try it out. I didn't really know where to go, so I just decided to wander around. Seoul was really quiet at this hour; it was oddly soothing.

I found my way to a convenience store and entered, not really knowing what I was doing. I wandered into the aisles, trying to find something warm to drink. After 10 minutes of intensive searching, I finally found what I was looking for. It was a lot easier than what I had imagined - I thought it would take me at least an hour to find my way around. I paid for my drink and headed back out.

I was walking unhurriedly when rain suddenly started pouring hard. My phone had run out of battery hours ago and I didn't know where to go as my clothes were getting soaked. I liked the rain and the soothing sound of the droplets colliding with the pavements, and the cold that my body always felt would make me remember that I was alive. I don't know how to explain it, but even though my body was trembling from the cold, I was feeling peaceful. The feeling of inner peace only lasted for a few minutes though, as the more time I spent in the rain, the more soaked my clothes became, and soon my lips had turned blue from the cold.

I found a corner and crouched down. I was shaken by the thought of not being able to find my way back. I was starting to get anxious, my chest started to ache, and my breath shortened and fastened. I tried to focus on the consoling sound of the rain, but to no avail. I lowered my head as tears were drooling down my face. I really wish the boys were here right now...

My thoughts were interrupted by a dog's barking. The dog threw itself at me as if trying to calm me down which resulted in a small laugh for my part as I started to gently pet it. The dog was oddly friendly and seemed to like it.

"What are you doing here? Where's your owner?", I asked aloud, and, as if to answer my question, a girl wearing a black raincoat appeared.

"Berry! What are you doing? It's raining hard we need to go back inside!", she paused to look at me, "Hi! I'm so sorry about my dog... She's not usually that friendly towards strangers..."

"Oh n-no problem! I really l-like dogs!"

"My name's Helena by the way, what's yours ?"

"My n-name is Ch-Chloe."

"Can I ask why you are outside by this weather?"

"I got lost while on a walk and my phone ran out of battery." I managed to say between two rapid breaths.

"You're not from around here then? Do you want to come to my hotel room to dry your clothes? You could charge your phone there? It's not far from here"

Am I in a K-drama or something? First the guys, and now this stranger is asking me to come in her hotel room... This is . It can't really be happening right? I must be dreaming... And the craziest part is that I am going along with it...

I accepted and followed her and Berry into their hotel. It wasn't until we had reached the place that I realized she was Chae's sister. "OMG, I didn't recognize you but you're Helena, right? The famous singer? Like, the one who produced "Impeccably Green" ????"

"Oh yes that's me! I can't believe you know who I am..." she said, blushing.

"Omg I love your song!!! That's why I thought I recognized your voice! And your dog as well!", we both laughed, "Wait! Is it still okay for me to come with you?"

"I'm not gonna let you get soaked just because you know who I am.", she laughed again and we went to her room.

"You're a bit stronger than me, so I don't think my clothes will fit. I think I saw some of my brother's clothes that I took by accident. There's the shower and you can borrow this towel." She handed a towel to me and went to look for her brother's clothes. She came back with a light purple hoodie, a white shirt, and a pair of shorts. "Sorry..., that's all I have."

"No no it's perfect thank you so much! I hope your brother won't mind me borrowing his clothes... "

"Don't worry, he never wears purple anymore anyways, even though it's his favorite color. He just doesn't want to admit it 'cuz he's scared people would make fun of him for it."

"What? No way! Just because he likes purple?? Purple is a beautiful color!"

"I know right?!! Oh, and you can charge your phone here!" She showed me to a socket.

"Thank you again so much!"

I headed for the shower with the clothes Helena had lent me. I showered quickly as I didn't want to be too much of a bother. The clothes looked a bit baggy on me, but they felt so comfortable that I didn't mind. I got out of the bathroom to find Chae and Helena talking.

"She went out for a walk and now she's not answering her phone! What if she's been kidnapped? She's just moved to Seoul; she doesn't know the city yet!"

"Chae?", I interrupted him, "What are you doing here?!"

"OMG thank god you're alright!" He quickly moved towards me before hugging me.

"Ow you're squeezing me... I can't breathe." I could feel my cheeks burning up; I was blushing.

"Oh sorry!" he said while taking a step back. "Are you okay? We were so worried! I tried to call you, but you didn't answer!"

"Sorry... my phone ran out of battery..." I went to check on my phone; I had 10 missed calls. "But... Weren't you sleeping when I went out? And who's we? Are the boys awake as well??

Helena was observing the conversation without saying anything, even though she looked just as lost as I did.

"James saw you leaving. When we woke up this morning you weren't there, so we got worried!"

"This morning? What do you mean morning? What time is it??"

"It's 5:30AM!"

"So, you're telling me I've been in the rain for almost 2 hours? Woah, I didn't realize it was that long!"

"OMG 2 hours ????" Helena and Chae both yelled.

Chae turned to Helena like he had just remembered she was here.

"Oh right! Why are you here Chloe? Do you know my sister?"

"Berry wanted to go out so I accompanied her and that's when I found Chloe on the floor. I wasn't gonna let her outside, so I invited her to come in. You guys know each other?"

"Yeah! She works with us!"

"Oh! Is she the French girl you told me about?"

"Yes, that's her."

"Humm... Why are you guys talking like I'm not there...?" I desperately wanted to ask Helena what Chae had told her, but I was too tired to do so.

"Oh, that's right! We should head home otherwise the boys will keep worrying."

"Sure! It was really nice meeting you!" I said, waving Helena goodbye.

"The pleasure was mine! I hope we can see each other again in other circumstances this time."

We both laughed.

Chae and I headed home where the boys were waiting for us. By the time we arrived there, all the boys had fallen asleep on the couch, although the sound of Chae and I coming home woke them up. They all came to hug me with their half awaken faces,

"Thank god you're okay!" James said in his usual deep voice.

"Should we try to get more sleep? We don't have anything planned until 3PM." Chae asked.

We all agreed to it and went back to sleep, and since I was exhausted from staying in the rain, I fell asleep rather quickly.