Downpour | Kim Taehyung

preface

I could remember it all clearly. The sky was painted with hues of white, blue and orange that day. Perhaps a little too sunny for my liking.

We had just moved to a new neighborhood and my mom had told me to come with her so we could greet our new neighbors. And so I did.

When I first saw you, I had to hide behind my mom, taking a peek sideways, too shy to show myself.

"Aw, she's cute." I heard the lady, your mom, coo as she chuckled playfully.

My mom tossed a look over her shoulder, and smiled at me assuringly. "It's fine, Kyungmin. Don't be shy."

Slowly, I tilted my head sideways, although I still clutched on my mom's shirt.

"Introduce yourself, Taehyung."

You stepped forward, making me anxious. Perhaps it could be because I had never made a friend before. Not to mention, a boy.

But when you showed me that wide, rectangular smile of yours, it felt different. Like all the uncertainty that held me back suddenly wore off.

"My name's Taehyung," you greeted cheerfully. "Let's be friends."

And I guess, that was where it all started.

~*~

During preschool, we'd play hide and seek under the heat of the sun, not caring if we had gotten all sweaty.

I'd always pick a hiding place which, I suppose, was hard to spot because our playmates always ended up getting bored, and so they'd abandon the game at some point, not bothering to find me anymore.

You, however, would continue to look for me.

And unlike all of them, not once had you ever failed to find me.

One time, there was this kid in class who kept teasing me just because one of my front tooth had fallen off.

When you had seen me crying, you immediately asked me why. All it took was for me to point who the kid was for you to punch him in the face.

Your mom got called to the principal's office, and I was really terrified that time to had caused you trouble.

But when I saw you the following day, you only smiled at me. The same smile that said everything would be okay.

"He deserved it," you simply said.

When we were in middle school, we'd always walk home together and you'd treat me ice cream whenever I felt down, especially when I had gotten a low mark on my test.

But the ice cream wasn't what made me feel better, you know. It would always be when you'd boast about how good in class you were, and you'd tell me, "You should try to be like me."

It always earned you a smack in the gut, but you'd just laugh it off and mess with my hair.

Perhaps we always did a lot of things together. You'd always stand behind or beside me when we'd walk home, listen to my nonsense whenever I just wanted someone to hear me out, knock some sense to my mind whenever I was about to do something stupid, and back me up just whenever I needed an excuse to our teachers, and sometimes even to my parents.

Ah, and you'd always say, "This is the last time I'm going to lie for you." But it was so funny how you always seemed to forget you ever said that.

People said we were inseparable, and maybe I had believed them.

I did.

Yet, one day, you left, and ever since, I never heard from you. And I hadn't gotten the chance to know why, ever.

But now you're back — like heavy rain, all so suddenly.