[Han Inaya's POV ]
I was trying to find out the truth... the truth hidden behind those guarded walls of silence.
I knew my grandparents wouldn't tell me anything even if I asked a thousand times.
They would just brush it off, pretend as if they never heard me, or worse divert the topic with a forced smile.
That's why I needed to search their room.
Maybe, just maybe, I'd find a clue...
something that would lead me one step closer to the answers I had been seeking.
I won't stop. No matter what.
I will find the truth.
I let out a deep sigh, my thoughts weighing heavily on my chest.
But for now... I had another task.
I came out to the plaza to buy vegetables.
Last time, when I came here with grandma, the market had almost run out of everything.
This time she wanted to send Eunwoo with me again.
But after a lot of pleading, repeating again and again that I'm not a child anymore, she finally gave in.
I'm twenty one for heaven's sake!
I can go out alone.
I don't need someone glued to me 24/7 like a shadow.
Sure, I get into trouble sometimes.
But it's not like I go searching for it, right?
I just have this special, unbreakable bond with trouble it loves me wholeheartedly.
I rolled my eyes at the thought and let out a tiny chuckle.
I was walking through the busy market lanes, choosing some fresh vegetables and comparing their prices when suddenly...
A soft, cool drop of water touched the back of my hand.
I froze.
I slowly looked up at the sky.
Thick black clouds hovered above, and within moments, it started to pour.
It was raining.
In an instant... it was like something inside me loosened.
My heart, which had been clenched for days with stress and unspoken worries, suddenly felt light.
I closed my eyes.
Let the rain fall.
I didn't care if people around were rushing to take shelter, holding their baskets, covering their heads with scarves, or whispering how strange I must've looked.
I didn't care.
Not in this moment.
Not now.
The smell of the rain as it hit the dry earth... the cool drops dancing over my skin... the tiny breeze that flowed past my face it was all so magical.
So calm.
So peaceful.
I lifted my arms slightly, letting the rain soak me.
I spun slowly, smiling, as I let myself melt into that feeling.
The tension I'd been holding... the heavy weight of secrets and confusion... they all started to fade, drip by drip with the rain.
In that moment, I wasn't Han Inaya the girl stuck in her own questions.
I was just a girl...
Living...
Breathing...
And feeling the softest, most tender kind of love
The love of the rain.
It felt like nature itself was hugging me gently, wiping away my stress, and telling me,
"You're okay. You're doing fine."
And for the first time in a long time...
I believed it.
[Jeon Jungkook's POV ]
I was looking everywhere...
Every corner of the plaza, every shop, every crowd
Just hoping to catch even a single glimpse of her.
But I couldn't find her.
Each step I took filled me with more disappointment than the last.
My eyes, once eager and restless, now dropped to the ground, heavy with the weight of unmet hope.
A sigh escaped my lips.
I turned around, slowly walking back towards the barracks, a dull ache forming in my chest.
And just then-
A raindrop landed on my cheek.
I looked up.
The sky had opened its arms-
And within moments, rain began to pour.
Everyone around me started running for shelter.
Shouts, footsteps, umbrellas opening, people covering their heads and rushing for dry corners.
But I stood still.
I didn't move.
Not even an inch.
And that's when my eyes...
Saw her.
Not just a glimpse.
Not a passing glance.
But the whole of her
Clear. Present. Alive.
As if time had paused only for me to see this moment.
Inaya.
She stood in the rain
No umbrella, no hurry, no worry
Just her, soaking in every drop, like it was her first rain.
Her head tilted slightly upwards, her arms raised to the sky, and the softest smile dancing on her lips.
She twirled gently, letting the droplets kiss her skin, her long hair now wet and falling beautifully around her.
Her eyes were closed, but her face...
Her face held so much peace.
So much innocence.
So much... light.
I couldn't look away.
I couldn't even blink.
She looked... breathtaking.
No, more than that.
She looked like a dream I never knew I had until now.
Like a scene pulled straight out of the softest parts of my heart.
So pure.
So gentle.
So beautifully untouched by the world's chaos.
In that moment, she wasn't just a woman in the rain.
She was the only thing I could see.
And I...
I fell deeper.
Her joy, her calm, her connection to something beyond this world it was mesmerizing.
It wasn't just beauty.
It was grace.
It was something I could never explain in words, no matter how hard I tried.
My heart rested the moment she smiled.
That smile...
I wanted to protect it.
I wanted to shield it from anything cruel.
And right then, I thought
If I had to stand by her side and give up everything...
I would.
Without hesitation.
The rain started to slow down, fading into a soft drizzle.
But I didn't move.
I didn't speak.
For that one whole hour,
I just stood there
Watching her.
And loving what I saw.
She then slowly walked away... her steps light, unaware that I was watching every move of hers like a silent shadow.
The rain had softened now, just a quiet drizzle lingering in the air.
She moved towards a small corner an alley at the end of the plaza calmly dusting off her soaked hair and adjusting the wet fabric clinging to her frame.
And I
I followed her.
I didn't think twice.
I didn't stop myself.
My feet moved on their own, as if drawn by an invisible thread that only connected me to her.
I was behind her now quiet, barely a breath apart.
Her back was still facing me as she fixed her drenched, patting her clothes, trying to gather herself.
Then slowly
She turned.
And for a second, her body froze.
She flinched lightly, surprised to see me standing so close, right behind her.
Our eyes met.
There was a slight hesitation in her gaze soft, confused, and questioning.
And I...
I was mesmerized.
This close... I could see her clearly.
The raindrops resting on her lashes, the softness of her cheeks, the way her lips were slightly parted as she breathed.
I had never...
Never felt this way before.
This intensity.
This rush in my chest that felt like both peace and chaos at once.
Something was changing inside me so slowly, so silently that I hadn't even realized it until now.
She broke the silence with a soft voice,
"What are you doing here?"
There was slight confusion in her tone, maybe even a little nervousness.
She could clearly sense something by the way I was looking at her with eyes that didn't hide a thing.
I took a step closer.
The narrow alley made the atmosphere feel tighter, like the air itself was holding its breath.
"I... I..."
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
Because how could I put into words what I myself didn't fully understand?
She noticed how I was inching closer, and instinctively, she stepped back.
One step of mine forward, one step of hers backward
Until suddenly
She slipped.
A gasp escaped her lips as her foot missed the ground.
But I caught her
My arms wrapped around her waist in a single swift motion, pulling her against me before she could fall.
Her hands clutched onto me as her eyes squeezed shut, bracing for the fall that never came.
And then slowly she opened her eyes.
And time...
Time stopped.
We were so close.
Breath to breath.
Heartbeat to heartbeat.
Her soft gaze met mine, wide and round like a startled deer.
Those big, innocent doe eyes stared into mine with confusion... curiosity... something unspoken.
A light pink blush dusted her cheeks, mixing with the coldness of the rain that still lingered in the air.
In that moment
The world faded.
There was only her.
Her warmth.
Her breath.
Her eyes, locked with mine, and the silence between us screaming more than any words ever could.
And I...
I didn't want to let go.
Her face was still glistening with soft raindrops
A few lingered on her cheeks, one silently resting at the corner of her lips, another gently trailing down her forehead.
Her hair wet and clinging to her skin framed her face like a delicate painting.
And I...
I was still holding her.
But now...
I had pulled her just a little closer.
I didn't even realize how close we had gotten.
My arms were still around her waist, but one of my hands slowly moved up
Reaching toward her face.
Gently, carefully, I tucked away that single wet strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes.
I just wanted to see her clearly.
To see her heaven like face without anything hiding it.
A heaven...
One I had never witnessed before...
A heaven that, now, existed only in her.
She blinked, her eyelashes wet and fluttering.
She slowly gulped down, holding her breath unconsciously.
She looked so nervous, so still...
Like the smallest sound could startle her.
So I leaned in a little, and whispered softly barely above the sound of the quiet drizzle:
"...Let yourself breathe... butterfly."
Her lips parted gently, and she exhaled, as if realizing she was holding her breath all along.
But now
Now her cheeks had turned a deeper shade of red.
That sweet blush blooming like a rose under the soft touch of rain.
I had never flirted in my life...
Not once.
But right now
Right now, I was about to.
"I... I wanna take revenge... from you,"
I said, my voice low but playful, eyes still locked on hers.
She blinked at me, her eyes wide in surprise.
"W-What revenge...?"
she asked, her voice slightly trembling.
The world around us had disappeared.
No people.
No rain.
No noise.
Just her and me.
And these strange, unfamiliar feelings we were both discovering...
Feelings that didn't need to be spoken to be understood.
I looked into her eyes, completely serious now And said softly
"...Be friends with me."
Her brows slightly lifted in surprise, her lips parted again
"F-Friends?"
I nodded once, smiling a little at her confused expression.
"Yes... friends."
I repeated, slower this time.
Then gently, I helped her stand straight
Though my hands were still holding onto her softly, like I wasn't quite ready to let her go yet.
And maybe...
A part of me truly wasn't.
"...b-but didn't you were-"
She began softly, her eyes still wide in confusion.
But I didn't let her finish.
"I was..."
I cut her off gently, my voice firm but calm.
"But... now I want to be friends with you. Yes or... yes! I won't take 'no' as an answer."
I said that with a soft smile, meaning every word leaving her with no choice this time.
And slowly, I let go of her... completely.
Even though... a part of me didn't want to.
But I knew...
She felt the same confusion, the same chaos inside
Like her heart and mind were trying to understand something unfamiliar yet strangely comforting.
"...O-okay..."
She whispered after a pause.
That one word.
So simple, yet it made my heart flutter.
A smile immediately curved on my lips before I could even stop it.
But before either of us could say anything else-
A loud bark echoed in the alley.
Woof!
She gasped in surprise and jumped slightly, flinching before instinctively moving closer to me again, almost hiding behind me.
Her hands clutched the sleeve of my shirt gently.
I looked down at her and couldn't stop the chuckle that left my lips.
Even the universe or rather, the street dogs wanted us closer.
I welcomed it.
"But... why did you ask to be... friends?"
She asked softly, still close, her voice innocent and curious.
I raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly.
"Just needed a crackhead in my life to keep me entertained."
I said casually, watching her reaction closely.
She immediately looked up at me, half-shocked and half-annoyed.
"Crackhead? Me?!"
She said, eyes wide with disbelief.
I burst out laughing as she playfully hit my arm.
"Oh really? Then you're a monkey! Not less than a crackhead yourself!"
She shot back, crossing her arms dramatically.
I stopped laughing and looked at her like she had just said the unthinkable.
"I'm what?? A monkey?? A week ago you called me a crocodile and now I've become a monkey?"
I said, blinking in disbelief.
She nodded proudly, smirking.
"Yes! You are! And it suits you perfectly."
She teased, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
I shook my head slowly, leaning a bit closer.
"You little minx."
I whispered, eyes locked on hers, smiling softly.
She didn't say anything back just giggled, her cheeks still slightly pink from the earlier moment.
And there we stood...
Under the dim sky, in a quiet alley, hearts slightly lighter than before,
Sharing laughter between soft glances
Unspoken feelings blooming slowly, gently... like the rain that had just passed.
____________________________________________