Rain, Rain

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.

I just wanted to get home. Having to attend college was one thing, and taking that bus back to my tiny, rickety old apartment was another thing. It took a good hour just to get anywhere close to my apartment, with all of the stops beforehand. Half of the time, the darkness of my eyelids closing would come faster than the sun setting when I had to ride it. The only thing that brought me to see that the sun had set was the kind bus drivers around Seoul bothering to ask any other passenger on there to wake me up. If nobody else was on, they would even wake me up themselves. I had learned a decent amount of things on that bus. One Ms. Kim, recently divorced, has a son 'about my age'- perfect marriage material and the most lovely voice. Her friend, Mrs. Jeon, brags of a better son, lightly bickering about who was more attractive. Of course, there were a few sadder stories I had heard on that bus. Little Amy Smith who had flown here all the way from somewhere in Idaho had lost her brother to bullying a year after getting here. Mr. Park has to go home to a wife ten feet under the screen of alcoholism and the most foul language to match up with the stereotyped drunk. Part of me hates it. The other part feels as if it's another home.
Today, sitting on the bench and leaning against the back, I held my bag in front of me, bus pass clutched tight in my hands. The bus should come soon. But I looked up at that 'just light enough' sky, and the clouds that littered it, soon turning that lovely baby blue into the most hideous color of puddles of muddy rain water-- the type that even the most naïve of children wouldn't stomp through. Not even a toe would dip into it. Closing my eyes tight enough to see the firework spots, I could hope for the best. I could just hope for that rain to go away. I just want to get home. I just want to go home, postpone my homework until tomorrow morning, curl up under that thin thing I call a comforter, and sleep like there's no tomorrow.
I keep thinking this to myself, burying my face in my bag, tugging my beanie down just a little further on my head. Then, there it was. Drip...drop. Drip, drop...drip...and repeat. I gave out a groan, rather loud and giving a clear vibe of negativity. "Why does the bus have to be late? Shouldn't it be here? I didn't even bring an umbrella." I quietly grumbled to myself. With my eyes closed, I lifted my head, banging it on my bag. What I didn't expect was an answer.
"It's supposed to come at 5:30 today. Mr. Choi had to go to his sister's wedding today, so Mrs. Woo is going to be driving today. But she always drives a little slow. If you're nice enough and she knows you, she might even let you on for free." A deep, smooth, and somewhat careless voice spoke up to me. When I opened my eyes and looked around, the first thing I noticed was a figure next to me. When I turned my head, he was staring straight at me, holding his bookbag in his lap like me, except for his legs were crossed Indian-style on the bench. May I also note that I got a great view of his face, considering it was a bit too close for my liking. Brownish hair, slightly faded out where I could see it-probably from dyeing it- held back with a snapback. Wide, deep brown eyes with the smallest hint of aegyo sal underneath. His nose had a slight arch to it, but the noticable part was that tiny brown dot at the tip of it. His lips...whoever this kid was, needed to back up, wipe that look off of his face, and give a reasonable explanation as to why the earth made him with the most captivating lips. When I didn't speak up about anything, this most surprising, rectangular, gleaming white thing showed up on his face...his smile. With a chuckle and an outstretched hand, he murmured. "Kim Taehyung. I've seen you around campus. You really need to wear something other than beanies. Try a tiara, or like...a snapback." The boy across from me spoke casually, as if we had known each other for ages.
Dare I question how long he's been sitting here? No- he's answered withot me speaking up. He had been there for a good ten minutes, thinking I was sleeping. May as well carry on. "Uh...I'm Y/N. Do you normally ride the bus at this stop?" I asked, furrowing a brow.
Taehyung, as he introduced himself, shook his head. "No. I ride the loop before this. But I wanted to go and get boba, so I asked about today's schedule. Here I am. Ta-da!" The grin stretched wider if that was remotely possible. I was in between the choices of running away or ignoring him when I heard a rather large shuffle of things and an umbrella was opened up over both of our heads as we sat down, the umbrella's handle resting in between us, held where the edge of Taehyung's knee touched my leg. "What's your major? I'm in the music department. It's fun. Expensive, a pain on my mother's wallet and my sleep schedule, but fun." He hummed in a singsong voice. Could this kid be any friendlier? I just didn't...get him.
"Ah, uhm...I major in Psychology. I wanted to be in the Music department, but I'm just scared nothing would work out." I admitted, before laying down the question, 'just how old are you' and giving my age of nineteen.
"Nineteen. It's your first year here? Or your second? It's my second. Kinda scary, even now." Taehyug chuckled, his eyes turning into half-moons as he did so. I nodded in agreement, as it was also my second year at this college. Hearing the screeching of tires and the splash of rain water onto the sidewalks in front of our feet, I looked up to see my bus. Taehyung held the umbrella up enough as we stood, walking me to the door and stopping long enough to fold up the umbrella before stepping in behind me. I wholeheartedly expected him to go off as we got inside and ready to sit down. Against my wishes, I was squished into the seat space for two, Taehyung leaning against me and giggling like a small child before scooting back a bit. Everything on the both of us was drenched, even though we were only exposed to the rain for a short amount of time. The thunder had already started, the muddy color of the sky turning into the color of blueberries. But not the lighter blueberries. These were the darker blueberries that your parents always had to tell you 'they're okay, Y/N. They're not rotten'. But Taehyung looked at it and called it beautiful. In that moment, I found myself nodding and agreeing, slightly closing that gap of space between us. I guess that was just how it was. Kim Taehyung might be like a magnet.