"The rain fell, so you don't have to worry." /Youjin/

Chapter 22

Youjin sat on bench in the park. The same park Eunbin fell asleep in. He was staring at the photo Yejin gave her. It was a family photo of his family when he was five. His grandfather took him and Yejin to a waterpark. He kept resounding his grandfather's words that day.

'The same boiling water that hardens the egg softens the hard potato. You can never change your nature but you can always choose your surroundings.'

He ran his hand on his hair in frustration. He knew Yejin meant to make him forgive his father. His nature. Family was someone he couldn't get to choose when he was born. He knew that too well. But he was hurt so bad. It was no big deal for him to do his father's works. All he ever wanted to hear was a warm appreciation, which nothing he would get from him.

He shook his head and looked up. But he saw Eunbin stood near the bench. He wiped his eyes, thinking he might be hallucinating.

"Eun...bin?" He slowly asked in case he was talking to his hallucination.

She scoffed. "Why? Do you think I'm not real?" She sat next to him. "Why you're here anyway? Aren't you busy you said?"

He kept staring at her in disbelief. He poked her cheek. "It's really you."

Eunbin blushed by his touch. She awkwardly tried to remove his hand away from her face in case her heart would explode any seconds. "W-w-why? Should I go instead?"

"No! No, no, I didn't mean that. Just sit here, it will help me if you stay." He stared at her nervously.

"I just wanted to say thank you for last night."

His expression softened. Out of the sudden he remembered Inhae's text to her. "Have you talked again with him?"

She nodded. "I just talked with him before I came here, and I wanted to come here because I want to say goodbye to this bench."

"What did he say?" He knew something had happened.

"My hunch was right after all. Our paths are only crossed for a long while. It's time to walk my own path." She flashed a sad smile. "Enough about me. What about you? You seem frustrated a while ago."

"Well...it's my pathetic life." He stared into void. "I feel like no one is sincere towards me. I'm glad I met you, though. And my four best friends.."

"You mean 'four freakishly gigantic, model-like' best friends?"

He laughed shyly making his eyes almost disappeared. "You can say it that way. They're not that gigantic, really."

"Because you're part of that gigantic ones....." She side-eyed him. "Imagine if I were to join them."

He laughed harder.

"But what is it? That makes you think only your four friends...," she hesitated and blushed, "...and me, are the only ones sincere toward you?"

"You're weirdly sincere toward me." He smiled at her. "That night when you got excited knowing I'm a lactose intolerant like you, I wondered why such small thing made you that excited. Before you, when I meet new people they only get excited after knowing my house address. Or when they know I'm from a wealthy family."

Eunbin sat quietly and couldn't seem to fix her gaze. "Thanks, I guess..."

Then she noticed a photo under where Youjin sat. "You're sitting on something..." She tried to take the photo but he was heavy. She tickled him so he could move but he didn't budge.

"What are you doing?" He grabbed her arms so she stopped trying to take the photo.

Her face was too close from him that made her recalled last night when he kissed her. In panic, Eunbin tried to move her arms but his grabs were stronger. "I-I'm....photo..."