Sudden Shower – 1

After the first week as high school students.

The classroom, where everyone had been awkwardly watching each other, had long since turned into chaos as if it had never been otherwise.

It was a time when people were busy forming groups with those who shared their hobbies or trying to create groups, and I was no exception.

Fortunately, thanks to having a friend with unnecessarily wide connections like Yoon Do-hyun, I was able to make new friends without much difficulty.

However,

“Hey, Woo-jin. When your girlfriend comes to Korea later, could you introduce us to her friends just once?”

“Yeah, me too! Me too, me too!!”

Ye-rin doesn’t have friends.

Of course, like me, Ye-rin had many casual friends, but according to Ye-rin herself, she didn’t really have close friends except Han Se-ah. And even Se-ah already had someone.

“…Why?”

“Your profile picture is of your girlfriend, right?”

“That’s right?”

My current messenger profile picture was of Ye-rin wearing a white sweatshirt and jeans, which she had sent me a few days ago.

Ye-rin would occasionally ask me to set a photo she liked as my profile picture.

At first, I somewhat resisted, not wanting to use Ye-rin’s solo photos as my profile picture for others to see, unless it was a photo of us together.

But Ye-rin was so cute when she threw a tantrum, puffing up her cheeks and saying that having her photo as my profile would keep foxes away from me, that I couldn’t help but comply with her request.

What foxes? I was already bewitched by a nine-tailed fox, so what could mere foxes do?

As photos accumulated one by one, my profile had reached a point where it was hard to tell if it was mine or Ye-rin’s.

Of course, Ye-rin’s profile picture was of me too, and it was the same situation.

“From what I’ve seen in photos, she’s obviously super pretty, right? According to Yoon Do-hyun, she’s even prettier in person than in photos.”

“Wait, that was really your girlfriend’s photo? I thought it was some celebrity.”

“She is my girlfriend.”

“You know that pretty girls hang out with other pretty girls, right?”

“What do you…”

I was about to say “nonsense,” but.

Thinking about it, I recalled that Ye-rin and Han Se-ah’s friends were all quite attractive, so I couldn’t refute it.

When I closed my mouth after trying to counter, my friend grinned as if he had expected it.

“Han Woo-jin’s girlfriend is pretty, and pretty girls hang out with other pretty girls. Therefore, by syllogism, your girlfriend’s friends must be pretty too.”

I couldn’t believe the sight of these two guys with their hands clasped in prayer, bowing their heads to me saying “Please-!”

…This guy has a talent for making nonsense sound plausible.

“No way, man. I don’t want to pressure her, and if things don’t work out between you and the friend you’re introduced to, it would just be awkward for my girlfriend. Figure it out yourself, that kind of thing.”

“If I could figure it out myself, would I still be single?”

“Why do you pour salt on my painful wounds…”

Though I felt a bit sorry seeing my friend complaining that I should have just said so, I couldn’t help it.

High school first year.

As if to prove it was a time when interest in the opposite sex increases explosively, all the boys talked about among themselves was girls.

In the past, if a boy played with a girl,

People would tease him saying, “Hey, he’s playing with a girl!” But now.

It had become a time where they would say, “Hey, he’s playing with a girl…” with envy.

“Ah, I want to have sx-“

“Agreed. I want to kss-“

When three male high school students gathered like now, such words were as common as saying they wanted to eat.

“You crazy bastards. Stop saying stuff like that in the classroom.”

“Guys like you and Yoon Do-hyun don’t understand our feelings…”

The words “that’s why you don’t have girlfriends” almost escaped my lips.

But seeing them sweeping with empty eyes, I held back, afraid that those brooms might come flying at me.

Sigh, let’s just finish cleaning quickly and go home.

The weather, which had been perfectly fine until this morning, was now gloomy and looked like it would pour rain soon.

“Hey, don’t you think Jang Min-seo is pretty too?”

“Agreed. She’d be much prettier if she’d just lose those glasses.”

“Could this be her low point?”

“But I’m not really into girls with strong personalities…”

“Mmm, that’s true. Ah, when I saw Kwon Ji-hye with her hair down today…”

Aren’t these guys going to clean?

I turned around, wondering what they were doing at the back of the classroom.

Now the two of them were ridiculously evaluating the appearance of the girls in our class, chatting and giggling with serious expressions about who was what and why someone wasn’t suitable.

“…Hey. Don’t you think they have eyes too? Let’s just finish cleaning and go.”

Listening to these guys talk, I was afraid someone might hear and think I was part of their group.

“What’s wrong with us. What’s wrong!!!”

“Just because you’re fit, do we look ridiculous to you, huh!!!”

“Yes, you look ridiculous, so let’s finish quickly and go.”

At my words, the two guys screeched like zoo monkeys that hadn’t received bananas, but when I didn’t react, they soon began cleaning.

“Hey, but isn’t Lee Yu-ri the prettiest in our class?”

“Totally agree. There’s something about her face and figure that’s amazing. Plus, doesn’t she seem like she might give it up if you do well?”

“Whack, you crazy bastard. I thought the exact same thing!”

Just as I thought.

“Haa…”

Was I being too sensitive?

I wasn’t confident. Not confident to keep listening.

I could say she’s pretty. Though I didn’t want to be involved, I could understand.

But saying such things about a classmate we’d have to see for at least a year.

At least by my standards, this crossed the line.

“…Hey.”

“Huh? What? Do you also admit that Lee Yu-ri is…”

“Shut up. Didn’t I say let’s clean quickly? Why are you talking so much? Want to clean with your mouth?”

“Uh…?”

“And. Whether you want to have sx with someone. Or want to kss someone, it’s none of my business and I don’t care. But seriously, can you not do that with our classmates? Aren’t you going to see them tomorrow? I said it earlier. They have eyes too. Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”

“Why are you suddenly acting like this…”

“It’s not sudden. If you can’t act that way in front of them, let’s just clean and go. Please.”

After finishing my one-sided speech and starting to sweep nervously, the other two soon began cleaning silently.

………..Ah. I’ve done it.

Han Woo-jin. Couldn’t you have spoken more nicely?

Did you have to create a situation to redden your face just a week after entering school?

Before getting angry, I felt like I had to speak up.

After getting angry, I regretted opening my mouth.

I didn’t think my behavior was wrong. I just wondered if I could have resolved it more amicably.

As the three of us cleaned silently, we finished in no time.

When I glanced back, the two were still watching me anxiously, so I decided to just go home quickly.

“…I’ll go first. See you tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay. Bye.”

“See you tomorrow.”

After exchanging awkward greetings, I went down to the first floor and as expected.

A sudden shower was pouring down.

I had somewhat anticipated this, seeing the cloudy weather earlier, so I rummaged for the spare umbrella I carried in my bag.

“Excuse me.”

[Seo Ye-rin]

[Photo]

-I’m done with school now. But when I came out, it suddenly started pouring. Must be a sudden shower.

I didn’t forget to send a message to Ye-rin, who would probably be napping by now.

“Excuse me~ Mr. Han Woo-jin…?”

Just as I was about to open my umbrella and leave, someone grabbed my shoulder.

“Who…?”

When I turned around, there was a girl with a bob haircut who seemed familiar.

“Ahaha… did you not hear me?”

“Ah, were you calling me? Sorry. I was texting my girlfriend. But why did you call me?”

“Aha… Ah, I was wondering if we could share an umbrella.”

The girl spread her arms wide as if to show me.

“As you can see, I don’t have an umbrella. I didn’t know it would rain today.”

I thought for a moment before speaking at the girl’s words, who was grumbling under her breath saying she should have listened to her mom.

“I’ll lend it to you for a bit, so buy a plastic umbrella at the convenience store in front of the school and return it. Or just give me the money. I’ll go get one.”

“Eh?”

“?”

“Um, I don’t have a single penny on me right now…?”

I thought she was really pushing it, but I couldn’t say that to someone I didn’t know, so I held back.

“I’ll lend you some money, pay me back tomorrow. Which class are you in?”

“…You don’t know me?”

“…Do you know me?”

My eyes widened at the sight of the girl looking at me with her eyes wide in disbelief.

…She does look familiar, but?

“We’re… in the same class. Even though it’s only been a week.”

The girl said with genuine incredulity.

“…Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

I looked at the name tag on her chest, wondering who she was, and it read Lee Yu-ri.

Lee Yu-ri. Hmm, I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere…

Ah.

So she was the one those two guys were talking about in the classroom earlier.

I realized belatedly.

No wonder she looked familiar, it wasn’t my imagination.

“…Surprise~”

“……..”

“…Sorry. I don’t really remember female classmates.”

More accurately, I didn’t even try to learn about them and avoided them.

“…Why? What, are you gay? What are your girlfriend’s chromosomes?”

“…That’s a misunderstanding. Properly XX chromosomes.”

I sighed as Lee Yu-ri looked at me suspiciously with a “hmm.”

“Never mind. Whether you misunderstand or not, I don’t care, so go to the convenience store. Or I can go buy one.”

“…Can’t we just share one?”

“Unless you turn out to be a man, it’s a no because I have a girlfriend.”

“Heeh… unexpectedly strict, huh? It’s just simply sharing an umbrella.”

“What do you mean ‘unexpectedly’? It’s natural.”

“There are too many people who don’t know what’s natural?”

For a moment, Yoon Do-hyun’s face flashed in my mind, but I quickly forgot it.

“Anyway, if you don’t like it, use someone else’s.”

In any case, Lee Yu-ri in front of me was clearly giving off a brilliant aura that made her look like a social butterfly.

It seemed like she could borrow an umbrella from anyone, not just from me who didn’t even know her name.

“Hmm~ I don’t like that?”

“Why?”

As Lee Yu-ri put her index finger to her lips and said she didn’t like it, I was starting to think this was getting annoying when.

Lee Yu-ri grinned and said,

“Because as someone said, I do have eyes?”

…Shit. Did she hear?

Suddenly I felt like cold sweat was about to break out on my back.