Ch.1010. Under One Umbrella

Heavy rain was soaking the earth, with dust rising from the grassy field.

On such a rainy late afternoon.

We were standing in front of the main entrance.

“Well, shall we go?”

With a crisp pop sound, an umbrella opened—just big enough for two people.

I shifted slightly to the side to make room and swallowed dryly.

Somehow, I ended up sharing an umbrella with a girl from my class.

And not just any classmate, but my future fiancée.

This was probably an event every male high school student would dream of. But now that I was actually experiencing it, I felt anxious, nervous, and a little excited… anyway, that’s how it was.

With a prim expression, Hwa Nabi nodded and then slipped close to my shoulder.

“Y-yes. Let’s hurry.”

Whew, calm down, my heart.

Since umbrellas are designed for one person, not two, the physical distance was much closer than I’d expected.

The space between us was barely enough to fit a fist. At this proximity, I became unnecessarily self-conscious about everything. I’d sweated a lot while cleaning earlier—I hope I don’t smell.

“Let’s go.”

At my signal, we matched our steps and slowly descended the stairs. With our significant height difference, holding the umbrella was entirely my responsibility.

The wind and rain were so strong that I felt I might lose my grip if I wasn’t careful. I tightened my hold on the handle.

“It’s raining really hard.”

This wasn’t just small talk to break the awkwardness—rain was truly pouring down as if the sky had a hole in it. We had to press our shoulders together to avoid getting soaked.

“I think we need to get closer.”

“…Couldn’t you just move closer to me, Siwoo?”

She had a point. It made sense, but somehow it felt like a resistant action.

Moving closer here meant walking with our shoulders completely pressed together.

But such concerns were brief as I watched my shoulder getting increasingly soaked in real time. I realized I couldn’t afford to hesitate. If rainwater got into my wound, it wouldn’t end well.

So I pressed close as she suggested.

Now there was no gap between us. As heavy raindrops pounded the umbrella, a strange atmosphere began to circulate.

What should I say to break this mood?

‘How was your day?’

That would be pointless. She got scolded by the math teacher for arguing with me during first period, and then had to stay behind to clean the classroom—surely it was her worst day since school started.

‘Nice weather, isn’t it?’

“…”

What was that? My second candidate was even less sincere than the first. Saying it would only make things more awkward.

While I was seriously contemplating this—

-Hiccup.

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a hiccup from beside me. I wondered if I’d misheard. My gaze naturally turned toward Hwa Nabi.

“Did you hear something just now?”

“What sound?”

“Something that sounded like a hiccup. No?”

“…Must be your imagination.”

It definitely seemed real to me. But if she says it wasn’t her, then I guess it wasn’t. I probably misheard something due to nervousness.

At that moment, I heard the hiccup sound again.

-Hiccup.

This hiccup was louder than the previous one. I silently looked at Hwa Nabi.

As if feeling guilty about something, she gradually turned her head away, avoiding my gaze.

“Nabi, that was you, wasn’t it?”

“…What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? It was so loud—are you really going to pretend it wasn’t you?”

“…”

Hwa Nabi remained silent at my questioning. But in this situation, silence was equivalent to confirmation.

I was about to say something more.

But at that moment, a question suddenly occurred to me.

Do I really need to do this?

She hadn’t admitted it verbally, but her attempt to hide it suggested she was embarrassed.

There was no reason for me to expose something she considered embarrassing.

“Well, I guess it was just a passing cat.”

“…You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about? You said it wasn’t you.”

“W-well, that’s true. I mean, that’s right. Um…”

Hwa Nabi seemed confused about what she was saying herself.

Her flustered gaze wandered aimlessly, looking for somewhere to settle.

“If it wasn’t you, then that’s that.”

“Uh, yes. If it wasn’t me, then that’s that.”

“Right, so that’s settled.”

What exactly was settled here?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was saying either.

I’d intended to tease her but suddenly became level-headed, and things got awkward all of a sudden.

Hwa Nabi walked with her lips tightly sealed, looking only at the ground, while I walked beside her, matching her pace.

After walking silently for a while, we both opened our mouths at the same time.

“Excuse me.”

“Hey.”

As if the awkwardness wasn’t enough, we even started speaking simultaneously.

Another awkward silence.

Unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, I was the first to break the silence.

“You go first.”

“You can go first, Siwoo.”

“No, you go ahead. Mine’s not important.”

If our words hadn’t overlapped, I would have said something nonsensical like “Nice weather, isn’t it?” Thankfully, that didn’t happen.

Hwa Nabi and I exchanged a few formal courtesies. Then she suddenly cleared her throat.

She spoke while looking at her feet rather than my face.

“Since you told me to go first, and this seems like the right opportunity…”

I couldn’t even begin to guess what she was about to say that warranted such gravity.

Still looking at her feet, Hwa Nabi said to me:

“Um, what you said to me this morning. Is that still valid?”

“This morning…? Oh, could it be.”

There was only one meaningful conversation we had in the morning. She must be referring to when I offered to tutor her.

“Yes. At that time, various things happened and it ended inconclusively. I feel like we didn’t properly finish that conversation.”

Thinking about it, that was true. Until this morning, Hwa Nabi had been completely distrustful of me, and I had no reason to teach someone who felt that way.

That was definitely the case until this morning. But now, things were a bit different. We had made something like a reconciliation.

The brief emotional exchange we had in the practice room and the infirmary—I don’t know how Hwa Nabi felt about it, but at least I viewed it positively.

Yes, to be more honest. For Hwa Nabi, who seemed too embarrassed to meet my eyes after speaking…

…tutoring was something I could certainly do.

“Why, have you decided to trust me a little now?”

“No, it’s not exactly that.”

“If not that, then what is it?”

“Just… you seemed so wronged, so I’m saying this. If you ask nicely, I might give you a chance to prove you’re first in the class by teaching me—that’s what I mean.”

“…”

Was she drinking alcohol earlier instead of a beverage? I was dumbfounded by this complete reversal of roles.

I’m not some unknown rapper desperate for recognition—what use would proving myself be?

I seriously contemplated the need for retribution. It wouldn’t take much effort to discipline this incredibly impudent female student.

I could just slightly lift the umbrella I was holding.

“Be honest. You’re just saying weird things because you’re embarrassed, right?”

“N-no, I’m not! I’m completely serious. I really think that way, that’s why I’m telling you this.”

If all that rapid-fire speech with reddened earlobes was acting, then Hwa Nabi deserved an Oscar for Best Actress.

“Really? Then I don’t need to teach you. I don’t need to prove myself.”

What’s the point of proving myself when I just get accused of cheating by teachers when I get good grades? This was my genuine feeling.

When I responded indifferently, Hwa Nabi paused momentarily, seemingly trying to maintain a calm expression.

She probably thought I would fall for her provocation if she spoke that way, but unfortunately for her, I’m not that easy.

“Oh, really? Fine then. I don’t care either. I’ll just fail the test, that’s all.”

If you fail, it’s your loss, not mine, right? Are we supposed to share grades just because we’re engaged? Thinking this sincerely, I let out a big sigh.

“Nabi, how much do you know about Chungha Highschool’s system?”

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up? Are you changing the subject?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Stopping on the roadside, I rubbed the back of my neck with my free left hand.

How could I scare this young lady?

After some thought, the method I chose was to deliver the unvarnished truth.

“You know, at Chungha Highschool, if you fail more than two subjects, you automatically repeat a year. It hasn’t been like that until now, but from this year on, they’re going to do it under the pretext of maintaining the school’s academic standards. You know what repeating a year means, right?”

“What do you take me for? Of course I know that. It means not advancing to the next grade… Wait a minute. Repeating a year? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

Hwa Nabi’s objection was justified. Of course she hadn’t heard about it.

After all, the rule that “failing grades result in repeating a year” was a setting that had just been implemented this year.

This was information unknown even to regular teachers except for the head teachers of each grade level, and only I, having read the original work, could know this fact.

“No, what kind of absurd rule is that? What school in the world does that? You’re lying, right?”

-CRASH!

Just as Hwa Nabi finished speaking, thunder struck with perfect timing. It almost created the illusion that the sky was expressing her feelings.

“You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. But I can’t take responsibility.”

“Wait, the source. What’s the source of this information? If you tell me that, I’ll believe you.”

“I said you don’t have to believe me. It’s your choice whether to believe it or not.”

“Aish, Siwoo. You can at least tell me the source. Then I’ll believe you, I said! It’s me we’re talking about, not someone else. I’m your fiancée. Is our relationship so distant that you can’t even tell me that much?”

Thud—it was when I let my guard down. Somehow, in an instant, Hwa Nabi grabbed my right arm that was holding the umbrella handle.

Needless to say, when someone hangs onto you and applies force, it feels quite heavy regardless of their actual weight.

Throwing a tantrum, Hwa Nabi pulled my right arm with both hands. My body, trying to resist this action, naturally tilted in the opposite direction.

“Nabi, wait! Let’s talk after you let go of this. We’ll both fall at this rate.”

“I don’t care! I absolutely won’t let go until you tell me. Do whatever you want, Siwoo.”

It wasn’t just an idle threat—Hwa Nabi, who had seemed to be losing strength, suddenly changed her hand position to an undergrip and pulled my arm toward her.

I don’t know where she learned this. Is it just instinct?

“Hey, Nabi. I’m not joking, I really think I’m going to fall. I get it, so let’s talk after you let go!”

I was genuinely alarmed, which was rare for me.

Falling onto the concrete would definitely not end well. Despite desperately shaking my arm to get her off, Hwa Nabi’s grip showed no signs of loosening.

“No way, if I let go, you’re planning to run away. Do you think I don’t know? You tell me first, then I’ll let go.”

Wow, this is driving me crazy. How do I deal with this stubborn person?

I really was about to fall, no joke. Both my left foot that I was using for balance and my right arm bearing the weight were reaching their limits.

I’m…

fall…

ing…!

“Hey…! You idiot, seriously!”

That was my final cry.

-THUD!

With an untimely splash of water, I felt a sharp pain in my back.