The Senior Got Wet in the Rain
The senior got wet in the rain. The sky that had been bright and clear was now overcast. It was still the hour when sunlight should have been streaming down, so it was more accurate to say the weather had taken a turn for the worse. While they toured the school and chatted about this and that, even the clouds seemed to have raced by. Has that much time really passed…? As the thought crossed his mind, Jinwoo realized the reason: he was with Eunbyul. Simply being beside her made the time enjoyable. And because their conversation flowed so naturally, it felt like the hours flew by several times faster than usual. That time was happy, yet he also felt a pang of regret at the thought that this special event would soon end. He almost wanted to complain to the grandfather clock wizard for casting some kind of spell.
“Whew~ I really walked a lot today.”
Eunbyul stretched her arms high above her head. The school uniform that no longer fit her adult frame clung tightly to her body, so Jinwoo quickly turned his head away. She loved teasing him, yet she had a strangely defenseless side. This was one of the new things he had learned while on this date with her.
“Thanks for going along with me. It wouldn’t have been much fun without you, Jinwoo.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
The time they had spent together must have been meaningful, because Eunbyul’s expression had grown noticeably lighter. Seeing her in a school uniform was a special event for Jinwoo. Still, he hadn’t forgotten that she had deliberately worn it for research purposes. If it helped Silverstar’s work even a little, he was happy to do it anytime. Since he had been chosen after so long, he wanted to carry out his role perfectly today.
“Wow, this is still here.”
“Huh? It’s an alley.”
“You know this place too, Jinwoo?”
“It’s where the troublemakers used to smoke, right?”
The narrow path behind the school led outward. Even though it connected to the outside, neither outsiders nor school staff had any reason to come all the way here when the main gate existed. Because of that, it was treated as something of a lawless zone even by the school.
……Looking at it now, it’s just an ordinary path.
When he was young he had thought of it as a place he must never enter. Now it looked completely normal. The scary delinquents who gathered here had simply been kids who got together to smoke and fool around. Seeing it as an adult, he found it almost funny that something so trivial had once frightened him.
“This path used to scare me so much when I was little.”
“You too, sunbae?”
Eunbyul gave a small, slightly embarrassed nod. It was an unexpected story. The Eunbyul in Jinwoo’s school memories was someone no one would dare to bother. It didn’t mean she had done anything bad. If he had to describe it, she had felt like a sanctuary. Someone excessively beautiful simply wasn’t a target for attacks.
“There aren’t any streetlights back here, so it gets incredibly dark at night.”
“Ah~ that’s true.”
Being behind the school, the building lights barely reached. At night it was so pitch-black you could hardly see in front of you. Even now it felt a shade darker than the surrounding area.
“……It was after late-night self-study, and it was raining. All the other kids got picked up by their parents, but I hated the sight of it, so I stubbornly came this way instead.”
Eunbyul smiled bitterly. Looking back now, it had been a foolish thing to do. But at the time it had felt like an important way to protect herself.
“Walking this path alone in the dark was terrifying. I kept wishing someone would walk beside me. But I knew there wasn’t anyone like that, so I felt so pathetic that tears came.”
Everyone had at least one bittersweet memory from their school days. For Eunbyul, this alley was apparently one of those poignant places.
She forced a smile and turned to Jinwoo.
“Ah, sorry. I suddenly brought up something a little heavy, didn’t I? I’m fine now! Shall we walk this way once?”
In response, Jinwoo slightly extended his elbow toward her. It was clearly an invitation to link arms.
“Uh…? Jinwoo?”
“……If the current me is okay with you, I’ll stay by your side. My body may be lacking, but I’m still a man, so I’ll do my best to escort you properly, sunbae.”
His face flushed with embarrassment, yet he kept his arm extended, offering those considerate words until the end. Just accepting that heart made Jinwoo’s chest grow faintly warm.
“……Then, may I borrow it for a little while?”
With clear, bright eyes, Eunbyul slipped her arm through his. Even though he had offered first, Jinwoo’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might explode. Her arm was so slender. From this very arm, stories that had moved tens of thousands of readers had begun. He wondered how that was possible, yet at the same time felt proud that he was one of those readers—and that he could add even the smallest bit to her new story.
The two of them walked forward with slightly awkward expressions. Their steps and the way their bodies moved felt clumsy. Their hearts were racing wildly, so the darkness around them didn’t even register. Perhaps that was why the alley they walked again as adults no longer felt frightening the way it had when they were students.
While they walked arm in arm, they finished touring the entire school. Eunbyul looked like she wanted to go inside the building too, but that was simply impossible. Still, the way she diligently jotted notes in her pink notebook suggested the trip had been fruitful.
“I think the background research is mostly done now.”
“Was it enough material for the novel?”
“Yes!! It helped so much! This is all thanks to you, Jinwoo! Thank you for keeping me company!”
When she smiled so brightly, Eunbyul was almost unfairly beautiful. Just seeing that smile blew away all the day’s fatigue. He would gladly do this a thousand times over.
“Mmm, then I should give it to you soon.”
“Huh?”
While Jinwoo was blankly repeating the question, Eunbyul had already pulled a box from her bag.
“Here. A surprise gift.”
“……Huh?”
This time Jinwoo was so startled he lost his words entirely. He had already received a figure as thanks for helping her when she was late last time. Come to think of it, he had also gotten a character bookmark. After receiving those, another gift?
Unaware of his thoughts, Eunbyul spoke a little shyly.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
“J-just a second.”
Jinwoo fumbled as he opened the box. Inside was a small bottle of men’s cologne.
“I looked it up online and people said this was nice.”
It seemed a much more sensible person had answered her this time. Honestly, he had half-expected another figure.
“But why another gift?”
“Last time was thanks for helping when I was late, and this time it’s thanks for accompanying me.”
“Ah… you really don’t have to thank me so much.”
He truly meant it. Time with Eunbyul was already enjoyable in itself. It might have been a childish thought, but even this kind of formal gratitude made him feel a little sad, as if it created distance between them.
But Eunbyul shook her head.
“No, these things should be done properly.”
“I told you it’s fine.”
“Hehe. Honestly, you were uncomfortable with such a sudden request, weren’t you? It was hard to refuse because I’m your senior.”
“……Huh?”
For a moment Jinwoo felt the conversation had taken a strange turn. Uncomfortable? Refuse? Hard? Those words didn’t belong in the happy memories they had just shared. To Jinwoo, this moment and the time spent with Eunbyul had been genuinely enjoyable. He could even say it was the most fun he had had all year. Yet the way Eunbyul spoke now made it sound as if he had reluctantly helped her.
“You really are kind, Jinwoo. So maybe I unconsciously wanted to act a little spoiled with you. Still, if it was a bother……”
“It wasn’t!”
Jinwoo grabbed Eunbyul’s hand tightly.
“I was happy the entire day! Waiting for you was nice, riding the subway together made a great memory, and looking around the school with you was fun! So don’t worry about it and keep calling me whenever you need to!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Jinwoo regretted them. He had no idea if another chance like this would come, yet here he was asking her to keep calling him. Still, if such a role was needed again, he wanted it to be him. Both as her junior and as a reader of Silverstar. He didn’t want to yield even the smallest part of it to anyone else.
“Ah, um……”
Eunbyul, caught off guard by his strong reaction, couldn’t find her words right away. In fact, this was the first time the always gentle junior had asserted himself so forcefully. The fact that the kind underclassman could make that face and say those words was surprising, and it also made her heart flutter in a corner of her chest. The thrill that came from seeing an unexpected side of someone you were interested in. At that unfamiliar feeling, her face grew hot without her realizing it.
People passing by looked at the pair and chuckled.
“Oh my, look at those two. They must be a high-school couple.”
“How cute~”
Whatever the two of them felt, to outsiders it was simply a sweet-and-bitter page from a young couple’s romance.
Both their faces flushed bright red at the same time. Realizing he was still holding her hand, Jinwoo quickly let go.
“S-shall we head outside for now?”
“S-sure?”
An awkward atmosphere lingered for a while. Inside, Jinwoo wanted to kick himself for what he had said. Why had he gotten so worked up and spoken like that? He could have said it in a calmer, more sophisticated way! He thought the mood would improve with time, but the awkwardness continued even after they got off the subway and kept walking.
I can’t even start a conversation! I didn’t properly thank her for the gift either. Ah, God! Please do something about this!
Perhaps the divine realm that usually stayed silent had heard his prayer.
-Drop. Drip.
“Huh?”
“It’s raining.”
“Uwaaaah! The forecast said it would be clear today!”
Jinwoo and Eunbyul ran hurriedly to the bus stop. There was nothing they could do about the sudden shower, so they ended up looking like drowned rats. Eunbyul made a tearful face as she looked at her thoroughly soaked uniform.
“Sigh, I finally got to wear it again and now I have to wash it right away.”
“Y-yeah……”
Jinwoo tried his hardest not to look at her. The wet uniform created quite an embarrassing sight in more ways than one. Especially her chest—it had a presence that no girl their age could match.
Wait. Doesn’t that mean other guys can see her like this too?
For some reason he felt he absolutely had to prevent that. Jinwoo immediately took off his outer jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Eunbyul’s eyes widened for a moment before she smiled sweetly.
“O~ Jinwoo has good sense, huh? I was feeling a little cold anyway.”
“Huh? You’re cold?”
“Yeah. I’m shivering a bit. Achoo!”
Eunbyul let out an adorable sneeze. Looking closely, her lips had turned pale blue and she was trembling. Unlike Jinwoo, who had been toughened by working at the tteokbokki shop and exercising, Eunbyul’s body seemed very delicate.
“We should get you home quickly. Where’s your house, sunbae?”
“Way over by the library.”
“That’s pretty far. You’re dripping wet—we can’t even take a taxi like this.”
Jinwoo thought for a moment. Taking the soaked Eunbyul home was the obvious thing to do, but it would take too long. If she stayed like this she would definitely catch a cold. Silverstar catching a cold? If he didn’t know any better it might be one thing, but knowing what he did, he couldn’t let that happen.
“Sunbae, then would you like to warm up at my house before you go?”
“……Huh?”
Eunbyul’s eyes widened roundly, forgetting the cold entirely.