On a Rainy Weekend (1)
I called Lee Yuyeong right away.
“Hello! Taeyang, is that you calling me right now?”
Her loud voice burst through before the ringback tone even finished.
“Hey, cut it out. What did you say to my sister?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Her voice sounded genuinely baffled. Did she really have no idea?
“You told her whether I'd accept it or not.”
“Oh? But Taeyang, you took the cookie...”
It gave me chills. If she was making a fuss over just that one thing, she was scary enough that I wouldn't dare give her anything else.
“That was just to shut her up. The shapes are random anyway, so I had no idea it was a heart.”
“Oh, really?”
Once I finished explaining, her voice filled with disappointment.
“I got all excited over nothing, huh.”
“Yeah, so calm down.”
“I saw that message saying to remember me and thought you wanted me to think of you.”
“...That message is printed on all the packaging.”
I was so flabbergasted I could barely get the words out. She was even reading meaning into that?
If I hadn't said something quick, who knows how far her imagination would've run.
“Um, so... Taeyang.”
Her cautious follow-up made me tense up again.
“Yeah, what?”
“That... school trip we went on together, how was it for you? I had a great time.”
To be honest, Lee Yuyeong hadn't been that much of a hassle, surprisingly. Choi Gahee had been so overwhelmingly intense that she'd taken up all my attention. Yuyeong... well, it was annoying how the others kept trying to pair us up. But considering she'd looked out for Cho Yuli too, I felt a bit grateful, so I shouldn't be too harsh.
Of course, I'd still turn her down.
“Hmm... honestly, it was just okay.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I never felt like it was fun hanging out or that it was exciting or anything.”
“If I try harder...”
“No, Yuyeong, I said this was your last chance.”
She really knew how to play on guilt trips. If I try harder... Anyone hearing that would think I was gaslighting her.
“Sorry, but I'm just gonna reject your feelings. Sorry, Yuyeong.”
I cut her off cleanly. This wasn't some out-of-the-blue declaration like cutting ties—it was a firm rejection in a clear situation.
She was still at Yandere Stage 1, so if I explained it well, she'd be a little clingy and bummed but back off eventually.
Lee Yuyeong forced a bright tone, trying to sound upbeat.
“Got it, Taeyang. If that's how you feel, nothing I can do about it.”
She was backing off surprisingly easily? But right as I thought that, she made another proposal.
“Let's just be friends from now on.”
It was that pleading tone, like that much is okay, right? I shot it down once more.
“Only if we can go back to normal with no more of this stuff, just pure friends.”
A long silence followed.
“Yeah, I guess it must've been uncomfortable.”
I'd clearly warned her this was her last chance. No backtracking now.
“...Sorry for everything up till now.”
Her voice sounded like she was holding back emotions, forcing the words out.
“...Can I ask one last thing?”
“Sure, anything.”
Maybe because I'd been so ruthless to the end, I felt a pang of pity and decided to answer whatever I could.
“That time... when you turned down Eunju's confession...”
“Yeah.”
“I happened to overhear what you said.”
I could guess what she was getting at. Time to clear up that misunderstanding from back then.
“You said there was someone on your desk who bugged you.”
“Oh, that?”
I'd just looked away from Ha Eunju because it felt awkward making eye contact while talking, but Yuyeong must've thought I'd shifted my gaze from my desk to hers.
“Who was it?”
“My sister.”
“...What?”
“She has these awkward moments sometimes, and I wanted to look out for her. That's why I said I couldn't go to the same school as Eunju.”
“...You turned her down because of your sister?”
“Just so you know, I'm turning you down for a different reason.”
Better clarify that upfront, or Yuyeong might spin some weird theory involving my sister.
“...So everything up till now was just me imagining things.”
Once she pieced it all together, Lee Yuyeong said,
“Taeyang, I'm really sorry for all this time.”
“It's fine.”
“No. You hate obsessive people, right?”
How'd she know that? Did my sister tell her? That would explain why Yuyeong mellowed out after their one-on-one chat at the amusement park café. Well, she exploded again over Eunju during sports day, but still.
“I'll be careful from now on. Have a good weekend.”
“You too, Yuyeong. See you Monday.”
Click. The call ended.
“Maybe I should shower and go for a walk.”
It wasn't sunny, just overcast, but I felt like stretching my legs a bit.
———
Patter-patter. The sudden downpour showed no signs of letting up once it started. My sister and mom hadn't said much, just told me to come back safe, so I figured it'd be fine. Thanks to that, I ended up running home soaked to the bone without an umbrella.
“Of all times, it hits when I'm all the way in the next neighborhood over.”
The wet road was slippery, so I had to run carefully to avoid falling, which slowed me down.
“Taeyang!”
As I ran, drenched from head to toe, an unfamiliar yet vaguely familiar voice called out, making me glance back.
“Oh dear, you're soaked through.”
A woman approached, one hand holding a shopping basket, the other an umbrella.
“Ah, hello. Ma'am.”
Her tanned skin and brown hair braided over one shoulder reminded me of Min Iri. It was Min Iri's mom.
We'd been close when I was little—I used to play at their house a lot—but since they moved, we'd only exchanged greetings once or twice.
“You'll catch a cold like this.”
“I'll be home soon enough.”
Min Iri's mom shook her head with a smile.
“Our house is right up ahead. Come in for a bit.”
“I'm good. My place isn't far.”
I didn't want to impose, especially since I probably didn't have spare clothes there anyway. Plus, I'd just dirty up their entryway dripping wet.
“I just want some time with Taeyang after so long.”
She grinned cheekily and grabbed my shoulder lightly.
“Really, it's fine. I'll visit next time.”
When I refused, she pouted dramatically.
“Now you're turning me down? You used to follow me around calling me 'Mom.' Boo-hoo...”
It was just a slip-up from when I was a kid. Every class has that one or two elementary kids who accidentally call the teacher 'Mom.'
“You still remember that?”
“Of course! You were so cute back then, I thought about adopting you for real.”
She'd always doted on me like this. Embarrassing now that I'm grown.
“Come on, your temperature's dropping. Let's get inside.”
“Huh? Wait—”
She pushed my wet back, nudging me toward Min Iri's house.
“I'm making hamburg steak tonight anyway, so stay for dinner. You loved it as a kid.”
I'm not a child anymore, past the age of falling for food bribes, but when she insists like that because she likes me so much... what can I do?
Pushed along, I decided to rest at Min Iri's for a bit.
“Let me carry that. Give it here.”
“You sure? It's pretty heavy.”
It was hefty when I took it. She'd carried this one-handed all the way from the mart? I knew Min Iri had insane strength, but her mom was no slouch either.
The house was right there, so it didn't take long. Stepping into the entryway brought back the long-forgotten hallway from my childhood. I'd run in and out so often back then, dragging Min Iri out to play soccer in the yard.
“Wait a sec, I'll grab something to dry you off.”
“Thanks.”
I took the towel, wiped my wet hair and clothes, and slipped off my socks.
“Iri! Come down and take this stuff!”
She yelled up to the second floor, but no response.
“That girl... what is she doing?”
Muttering, she picked up the basket again and turned to me.
“Go ahead and shower comfortably. Toss your clothes in the washer.”
“Huh? But my clothes...”
“Something of Iri's should fit.”
Wearing girls' clothes was iffy, but most of Min Iri's were probably track gear, and considering my height and build, it shouldn't be impossible.
...Underwear might be tricky, though. But I could skip that for now—no one was gonna make me strip.
She led me to the shower. Well, "led"—I already knew where it was from memory.
“The house looks just the same.”
“Oh? Disappointed?”
“No way. It brings back good childhood memories.”
“Hehe, I like that you seem the same as ever too.”
Did I really not look any more grown up? Whatever, I let it slide. I'd shoot up unrecognizably in a year anyway.
“Well, you two were always stuck together like siblings back then. Or more like brothers?”
“Yeah. I even called Iri 'bro' sometimes and trailed after her.”
As a kid, I'd called Min Iri "hyung" instead of "noona." She'd just laughed it off. That's why even after transferring, I'd asked why she'd "changed gender." Looking back now, it made sense. We'd even bathed together as kids, scrubbing each other's backs.
Easy to get memories mixed up.
“When we moved back to the neighborhood, I was shocked at how much Iri had changed from back then.”
Her playful personality and casual vibe were the same, but her figure and looks had shifted—a lot. Enough to clearly tell she was a girl now.
“So you see her as a girl now, huh.”
“Pardon?”
“Hehe, nothing. Go warm up with some hot water. I'll bring clothes later.”
“Thanks, Ma'am~”
I stripped in the changing room and tossed my clothes in the washer.
“Hasn't changed here either.”
I'd seen this space plenty while bathing with Min Iri. Though now that we're grown, no chance of that.
To warm my chilled body, I finished undressing and opened the shower door.
Click.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
No, this cliché is way too obvious.
“Ah... you were in here, Sis?”
“...Yeah.”
I locked eyes with Min Iri, who'd been lathering up body wash and turned around.
Of course, the shower wasn't running, so no steam or sound to tip me off from outside. Though I should've noticed her neatly folded clothes on the side.
“Ah, my bad. I'll head out.”
“Okay.”
I said it flatly; she replied flatly.
And then, from beyond the closed door—
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
Min Iri's scream shook the whole house.