WHEN IT RAINS

𝟭𝟵﹕gotcha!

the rain came down heavier than ever, the storm rolling in with darkened skies.

this time, she was determined to find who it was herself.  she lingered in the lounge, a little further away than usual but somewhere she had clear view of the bin so her eyes could flick to the lost-and-found bin every few seconds. she decided to find out whether it has been taesan, wanting to check his box of the possible suspects first.

she pretended to be scrolling through her phone, but her entire focus was on the entrance. she'd memorized taesan's schedule by now—he always passed through here after his last class. if her theory was right, today would be the day she finally caught him.

a gust of cold wind blew in as the lounge door opened, and there he was. taesan walked in, his hoodie pulled up against the rain. y/n's heart thudded in her chest as she watched him move toward the bin.

he paused for a moment, glancing around the lounge. y/n quickly looked down, pretending to be engrossed in her phone. when she looked back up, she saw it, the faint motion of his hand slipping something into the umbrella's handle.

gotcha.

her feet moved before she could overthink it, and she was standing close to him as he straightened up.

"you're the one writing the notes?" the words burst out of her, louder than she intended.

taesan froze for half a second before turning around, a slow smirk spreading across his face. "and you're the thief who keeps stealing my umbrella."

y/n's face heated, but she crossed her arms, determined to stay firm. "that's not the point."

"oh, i think it is," he said. "you've been borrowing my umbrella all this time without my consent, haven't you? that's a little rude, don't you know?"

"you left it in the bin," she shot back, her voice defensive. "how was i supposed to know it was yours?"

"but i was telling you through the notes that it belonged to me anonymously," he countered, his smirk widening. "so you still took it despite knowing.."

y/n opened her mouth, then closed it, realizing she had no good response. she glanced at the bin, then back at taesan, feeling trapped.

"why didn't you just say something?" she asked finally. "we sit beside each other so you could've told me i was taking your umbrella.."

taesan's smirk softened into something gentler. "because it was fun watching you."

y/n blinked, caught off guard. "fun?"

"yeah," he said, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets. "you're cute when you're determined."

her heart skipped as her cheeks flushed pink a little, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. "this isn't some game, you know."

"isn't it?" taesan tilted his head, his gaze meeting hers. "you've been playing along just as much as i have."

y/n remained silent, unsure of what to respond back with.

"so," he said, breaking the silence, "are you going to give my umbrella back or do you want to keep borrowing it?"

"depends," she said, meeting his eyes again. "are you going to keep writing me notes?"

taesan chuckled, the sound warm and genuine. "guess you'll have to wait and see."

with that, he turned and walked off, leaving y/n standing there, her heart pounding in her chest. she looked down at the bin, then at the umbrella.

maybe she would keep borrowing it, after all.