Chapter 43: Rain Part 1

My eyelids felt heavy.

Sunlight seeped through the gap in the window, tickling my face.

I unconsciously furrowed my brows and turned over in bed.

“…Damn sunlight.”

I pulled the blanket over my head, trying to go back to sleep, but for some reason, sleep wouldn’t come.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

The sky outside the window was clear.

A flawless autumn sky, without a single cloud.

I sluggishly got up to get ready for the academy.

Splashing cold water on my face at the sink, I saw my reflection in the mirror.

I still looked half-asleep.

Ruffling my hair, I put on my uniform, slung my bag over my shoulder, and headed for the entrance.

Just as I was about to open the door—

“Brother!”

A familiar voice called out.

Standing behind me was Kim Harin.

As always, she was neatly dressed in her uniform, holding an umbrella in one hand.

I instinctively frowned.

“…An umbrella?”

Harin extended the umbrella toward me as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Take this! You must!”

I stared blankly at the umbrella in her hand.

‘What? An umbrella… in autumn?’

I looked at Kim Harin in confusion, wondering what nonsense she was talking about.

“The weather forecast said there’s a 10% chance of rain!”

Ah, so this was her overprotective streak acting up again.

A 10% chance meant there was a 90% chance it wouldn’t rain.

And yet, Harin looked completely confident.

I let out an incredulous chuckle.

“10% is fine. It’s basically nothing.”

“You have to be prepared for the possibility!”

Umbrellas are such a hassle.

“If you take one out and it doesn’t rain, you regret bringing it. You might even lose it.”

“And honestly, no normal person carries an umbrella for a 10% chance of rain.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“I really don’t think I need it.”

But Harin firmly grabbed my hand and forcibly placed the umbrella in it.

“Brother, no! If you get wet, you could catch a cold! And it’s bad for your scalp too!”

‘How could someone so small be this strong?’

She had an unexpectedly tight grip.

Holding the umbrella in my hand, I looked at her in disbelief.

“I really don’t need it.”

But she didn’t budge.

Instead, she stepped closer and wrapped her small hands around mine.

“No.”

The umbrella was now firmly in my grasp.

‘Was she treating me like a child?’

I sighed and shook my head.

Harin never backed down in situations like this.

Giving in was usually the easiest way out.

“…Fine.”

Declaring my surrender, I hooked the umbrella onto my bag.

Harin smiled in satisfaction.

Waving cheerfully, she turned to leave.

I watched her go with a baffled expression before stepping outside.

***

On my way to school, I glanced up at the sky.

Clear and bright.

A perfect autumn sky without a single cloud.

I looked around at the other students passing by.

Naturally, I was the only one carrying an umbrella.

For some reason, this felt even stranger.

I had already thought it was odd when Harin insisted on giving me the umbrella over a 10% chance of rain…

But now, standing alone with it, it felt even weirder.

“Overprotective sisters are the worst.”

Muttering to myself, I clicked my tongue.

Hooking the umbrella onto my bag, I sat down in my seat.

Jinyoung glanced at me and spoke up.

“Kim Dohyun, what’s with the umbrella? Is it supposed to rain today?”

“I don’t know. There’s a 10% chance, so… just in case?”

I answered absentmindedly.

“10% means it’s not gonna rain, you idiot.”

Jinyoung smirked.

Exactly.

That was a normal reaction.

He kept eyeing the umbrella before suddenly putting on a serious expression.

“Hey… you’re not—”

Whenever Jinyoung got all dramatic like this, it was usually followed by some nonsense.

And, of course—

“—balding, are you?”

“…What?”

“If you’re this sensitive about rain, that’s the only explanation. You know, wet hair is bad for the roots.”

I was genuinely speechless.

I expected him to say something dumb, but he just straight-up called me bald.

Jinyoung, still looking serious, studied me carefully.

“Or… has it already started? Honestly, if there’s a god, they probably cursed you with hair loss.”

“…Are you insane?”

“Don’t stress. Stress is the number one cause of hair loss.”

“Shut up.”

I clenched my fist, but Jinyoung just laughed and waved it off.

“Ah, I’m just messing with you.”

He glanced at the umbrella again and muttered.

“But seriously, why’d you bring it? Knowing you, there’s no way you packed it yourself.”

I looked down at my bag without a word.

Then, I gave a short answer.

“My little sister.”

Jinyoung immediately nodded in understanding.

“Oh, right! You’re a siscon.”

Ever since I gave Kim Harin a Mochi-kun plushie, Jinyoung had been convinced I was some doting older brother.

I looked at him in disbelief.

“How does that make me a siscon?”

Jinyoung scoffed and crossed his arms.

“Dude, just the fact that you bought her a gift makes you one.”

“How is that—? It was just a plushie.”

“Most people wouldn’t buy one.”

“Shut up.”

Jinyoung chuckled and playfully nudged my shoulder.

“Then why’d you take the umbrella, huh? Just because she told you to?”

I pressed my lips together.

‘…Damn. I had no comeback for that.’

Jinyoung smirked as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“See? You are a siscon.”

Jinyoung laughed as he glanced outside the window.

“Look at the sky. Not a single cloud.”

“Yeah… I ended up carrying extra baggage for no reason.”

I sighed shortly.

Tap.

“Alright, class is starting. Quiet down, everyone.”

The Korean teacher tapped the podium.

I rested my chin on my hand and looked out the window.

Clear.

Too clear.

No matter how I thought about it, Kim Harin had made a big deal out of nothing.

Letting out a sigh, I leaned my head against the desk.

And then, a few minutes later—

Drip…

Drip… Drip…

I lifted my head at the sound from outside the window.

It was raining.

‘…What??’

I stared blankly outside.

Just this morning, the sky had been completely clear, without a single cloud.

But now, it was entirely covered in gray.

Raindrops pounded against the classroom window.

“Ugh, where did this rain come from?”

Seo Yuna, sitting next to me, grumbled as she looked outside.

“This is crazy. Why is it suddenly raining?”

“Seriously. What’s up with the weather today?”

Murmurs spread throughout the classroom.

“Shit, I didn’t bring an umbrella.”

“Ugh, whatever. It’ll probably stop by the time school’s over.”

Everyone looked flustered.

But me?

I silently looked at the umbrella hanging from my bag.

The useless burden I was forced to carry.

Now, it had become the most valuable item of the day.

“…Is Kim Harin a god?”

I muttered unconsciously.

At that moment, I felt someone’s gaze from beside me.

Turning slightly, I saw Seo Yuna staring intently at my umbrella.

A strange feeling crept up on me.

“Why are you looking at it like that?”

Seo Yuna was still fixated on my umbrella.

A weird thought crossed my mind.

‘Wait… is she planning to steal it?’

In South Korea, people won’t steal phones or wallets left on a table.

But umbrellas and bicycles? Those are fair game.

A historically proven fact.

I subtly pulled my bag closer.

Seo Yuna looked at me with a baffled expression.

“What are you doing?”

“Umbrellas tend to get stolen easily.”

“…Are you seriously treating me like a thief right now?”

“Well, you never know.”

I replied nonchalantly.

“A girl who doesn’t want her makeup to get ruined might get desperate….”

At that moment—

Seo Yuna’s expression became very complicated.

“…What.”

“What?”

“Did you just imply that I would steal someone’s umbrella just to protect my makeup?”

“I mean, I never specifically said ‘you.’”

“Oh my god, are you insane?”

Her fist suddenly struck my arm.

Thud.

“Do I look like the type to steal someone’s umbrella, huh?”

“I was just saying, just in case….”

“You’re seriously paranoid about the dumbest things.”

“I have my reasons.”

I rubbed my arm where she hit me, speaking casually.

“In Korea, people won’t steal wallets or phones, but umbrellas and bikes disappear all the time.”

“…That’s true, but?”

“You never know with people.”

“This is ridiculous.”

Seo Yuna sighed in disbelief, then rested her chin on her hand and stared out the window.

After a moment, she mumbled softly.

“…I didn’t bring an umbrella.”

I instinctively turned to look at her.

…Wait.

Her tone was way too natural, almost as if she was subtly expecting something.

I let out a short sigh.

“It’ll probably stop before school’s over.”

Seo Yuna glanced at me before letting out a small laugh.

“Yeah, probably.”

“Probably.”

I hesitated for a moment.

Her timing… was way too precise.

She clearly just hinted that she wanted to share my umbrella.

But if I flat-out told her to figure it out on her own—after she helped me out last time during that cringy incident—

I’d be an ungrateful asshole.

I sighed and said, “If it doesn’t stop by then… we can share.”

At that moment, Seo Yuna looked at me briefly before smirking.

“Heh. It’s just a little rain.”

“Then why’d you bring it up in the first place?”

“Just because.”

‘…What kind of psychological warfare is this?’

I couldn’t help but feel like I’d somehow lost.

Outside, the rain kept falling steadily.