THE VILLAIN HAS NO WAY HOME

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Looming clouds overshadowed the clear sky; a precursor to the untimely rainstorm. Rushed footsteps crowded the sidewalks with people urging them to reach their destinations a little faster to avoid the rain. The bus stopped at the regular stop as transmitters flooded in refusing to wait for the next bus. The ensuing noise erupted into a crackle as the first drops of rain hit the window panes. Hasty shuffles ensued within the bus in search of a lucky umbrella or two.

Dan mi leaned her head against the cool glass with a half-open research paper fluttering on her lap. The page turned to reveal the title of the work," unconditional favourability is a sign of constrained world building from the author." This was her final paper for her semester. She was to submit the paper by the end of the week. She had worked on it for six months for her creativity class. When she presented the idea to her author friend on a whim today, her friend said" So what, if a writer unconditionally Favors one character over another? It's their story anyway." She had tried to argue," It's just not good writing skills if your world setting only favours the protagonists. It makes the characters very flat and 2 dimensional." "So what?" her friend had argued back." It's their world, no? and who even cares about fairness? People just like the protagonists to win always."

Yeah. Who even cared for fairness anyway? Not in stories of people that didn't matter. Just the protagonists were enough. Her whole struggle for half a year felt futile. What was she working hard for anyway?

The bus came to a jerking stop waking her up from her chaotic thoughts. She looked outside to find it raining cats and dogs. She pushed through towards the exit planning to run to any nearby shed as she didn't have an umbrella and then walk home when the rain stops. Before she could disembark from the bus, she saw a figure scuttling near the exit looking for someone. He had a black worn-out umbrella for two in his hands. He was here in a hurry to pick up someone.

Eun Ro's face brightened up the moment he spotted her. He wildly gestured for her to come down slowly and not get wet. The minute she stepped down, she was under the covers of the umbrella. She tilted her head to look at the guy who was busy taking the bags from her hand" Since when were you waiting here?" he paused in his actions a bit as she refused to hand him her research paper and slowly answered," I was here the minute the rain started. I knew you didn't take an umbrella so I hurried over." He flashed her his genteel smile and shifted the things in his hands to hold hers. She lowered her eyes to his wet fingers and squeezed them in a futile effort to transfer some of the moisture. They slowly started walking home.

He had probably sensed her low mod as he chatted away in a frenzy of amusing topics to divert her attention. He knew she was in a terrible mood as the umbrella was tilted more towards her than him. He knew she hated the sticky feeling of wet clothes on her body. Dan mi's fingers slowly tightened on her manuscripts; her fingertips turning a bit red from the force.

They reached the house and Eun Ro quickly gave her a towel to wipe her body. Without even changing out of his wet clothes he went straight to the kitchen to prepare ginger soup for her lest she caught a cold. Dan mi quietly stared at his lean back for a little longer and turned around. Her eyes fell on the fancy bookstand near the entrance wall. The bookstand was the first thing that he had bought for her from his very first income. They also had their first argument in front of this very bookstand. She still remembered in vivid detail as if it was just yesterday. The expressions he had on his face when she had forced him to change his career from medicine to finance. She had thrown down his books and stomped on them. He had stood there, a statue of shock and disbelief. But when she hadn't budged, he had conceded. She was the most important after all.

That was one of their many fights, perhaps not fights but unreasonable temper tantrums from her side and he complied, again and again. There was no bottom line for him when it came to her. She often wondered; how long would he take before he broke. He still loved her more and more each day, unreasonably more than yesterday.