Echoes of the Rain

Music room

As I was busy organizing the books, Yohan suddenly appeared beside me, holding a can of orange juice.

"Here, this is for you," he said, handing it to me with a smile. Before I could even think of rejecting it, he had already walked over to Jiho and handed him another can. Without waiting for either of us to respond, Yohan quickly left the shop.

I sighed, feeling the cold can in my hand. I walked over to Jiho and held it out to him. "I don't want to drink this. Here, take it."

Jiho looked at me, puzzled. "Why? Yohan gave it to you with good intentions."

"I don't care about his intentions. I just don't want it. You can take it," I insisted.

Jiho shook his head. "I don't drink orange juice. You can throw it away if you don't want it."

Throw it away? How could I throw away something so expensive? If I sold it, I could easily get 300-400 won, which would be enough to buy some of my daily necessities. Without saying anything else, I put the can in my locker and returned to work.

As my shift ended, I gathered my things from the locker. I noticed the can of juice still sitting there. I hesitated for a moment before picking it up and slipping it into my bag. I couldn't waste something like this. With that, I left the bookstore and headed home, thinking about how every little bit counts in my life right now.

The next day, the election for the head girl began, and the whole college was buzzing with activity. I placed my bag on my desk, noticing that Jiho was already there. I turned to see that Yohan's bag was also on his desk. With an hour left before class, I decided to roam around the college.

As I wandered, I heard music that was so mesmerizing it felt like each note was pulling me in. I followed the sound until I found myself outside the music room. Inside, Yohan was playing the piano. He didn't notice me standing there, completely lost in the music. It was beautiful, and I found myself captivated by the melody.

Suddenly, my phone rang, breaking the spell. The music stopped, and Yohan finally noticed me. I fumbled to answer the call-it was my landlord.

"Why don't you pick up my calls, you brat? I gave you this room because you seemed like an innocent person, but now I know your true colors!" he shouted.

"Sir, please keep your voice down," I replied, trying to stay calm.

"Keep my voice down? Today I'm coming to your house."

"What? Why? Didn't I tell you I'd pay the rent next week?"

"It's not about the rent. I've got a buyer for the house you're living in. If you don't pay, I'm selling it to him."

"Okay," I said, feeling defeated.

When I turned around, Yohan was still standing there, watching me.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"What do you mean?" I snapped back, trying to mask my embarrassment.

"Oh, you didn't notice... your speaker was on," he began, but I cut him off.

"Did you hear it?" I asked, my face flushing with shame.

"No, not really, not all of it," he replied, though I knew he'd heard everything.

Feeling utterly humiliated, I quickly exited the music room. Yohan called after me, but I didn't want to stop. I couldn't bear the thought of him knowing about my struggles.

I entered the classroom, trying to compose myself, but Yohan followed me, calling my name. The room fell silent as everyone's attention shifted to us.

"Yuri, stop!" he called out, panting slightly as he caught up to me. I could feel all eyes on us, making the moment even more uncomfortable.

"Why didn't you stop when I was calling you? You're really fast... you should consider taking part in the running competition. I guarantee you'd win first prize," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

*If the first prize is money, I'd definitely consider it,* I thought to myself.

Yohan came closer and casually sat on my desk, looking at me expectantly. "Water," he said, his voice still a bit breathless.

Jiho, sitting nearby, offered him a bottle of water without a word. Yohan took it, drank deeply, and then exhaled, regaining his composure.

"Let's talk outside," he suggested, but it wasn't really a suggestion. With everyone staring at us, it was too embarrassing to refuse, so I reluctantly agreed, saying, "Okay."

Just as he was about to lead the way out, someone called Yohan for some business. Before leaving with the other boy, he turned back to me and said, "Wait for me after college ends."

And with that, he walked away, leaving me standing there under the curious gazes of my classmates.