✔ 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇

Chapter 7

Kang Taehyun stood in the front door of Qiqi Entertainment, looking up at the sky. You couldn't see it through the darkness of the night, but thick clouds had gathered and caused a downpour. Taehyun knew that the car was already waiting for him, but he didn't have an umbrella with him and didn't even remember that the weather forecast had said anything about rain.

So the musician had no choice but to walk to the car, passing through the park in front of him.

Taehyun set off at a run after pulling up the collar of his jacket.

But he didn't get far.

After only two and a half meters, he became aware of the pavilion in the park under which a young girl had sought shelter from the rain. It looked as if she was looking for something in her bag, but couldn't find it. And since her red hair was wet, Taehyun assumed that she didn't have an umbrella with her either. Normally, he would steer clear of strangers for professional reasons, especially when he was in public and without his manager. Kai was probably home by now, as Taehyun had stayed late to decode the first song on the USB stick. For his miserable knowledge of Japanese, it had taken him quite a long time to get to the chorus. That was why he had left later and no one was here to accompany him.

And now Taehyun felt a little awkward approaching the young girl.

But at the same time, he was also curious.

"Sorry," he drew attention to himself, squinting slightly because of the rain. "Do you need help?"

The girl lifted her head and stared at his face, startled, her red hair sticking to her forehead. A few drops rolled down her face and she looked like she was in desperate need of a towel. Nevertheless, her appearance had a certain effect on the musician, as he unconsciously straightened his shoulders while he scrutinized her profile. The redhead zipped up her backpack in a flash, as if she thought Taehyun was going to rob her. "Eh-" she stammered, her alert eyes turning away from him as if embarrassed. "I left my cell phone at work and missed the bus," she admitted honestly. After all, he had also asked because she looked like she could use his help. "Could you maybe lend me your cell phone so I can call a cab?"

She clasped her delicate hands and uttered a pleading "Please".

The rain pattered down on the ground and the earth of the park was already completely saturated with water. As soon as the girl moved back and forth, her shoes made a muddy sound.

Surprised, Taehyun raised his eyebrows and then came to her under the pavilion because he didn't want to get completely soaked. "Sorry," he finally replied, "I don't have my cell phone with me right now."

It certainly sounded strange to her ears, but Taehyun detested the ringing of his smartphone.

The strange girl's look showed confusion and she frowned in disbelief. "Oh, really?" she asked, probably finding it hard to imagine that a teenager like Taehyun wasn't carrying a cell phone. Sighing, she rubbed her upper arms, which were only protected by a thin trench coat. A smart brown blouse could also be seen and she could tell that she had already walked through the rain for several minutes until she had found shelter. "Well, maybe that would be better sometimes," she murmured regretfully.