2021.
W. Like summer rain
* All copyrights for this work belong to me, and any infringement will be dealt with vigorously. If you discover any plagiarism, please let me know. Enjoy my small, belated gift. *
* The font size changed in the middle and then returned to normal. No matter how many times I changed it, it was the same. Please understand. *
Swaaaah-
Taehyung opened his eyes slightly and looked around. The classroom was quiet, almost everyone had left. Heavy rain was hitting the old windows. Did he fall asleep during class again and still be awake? Taehyung rubbed his eyes and got up. Looking at the clock, it was 5 PM, a long time after school. He couldn't remember when he fell asleep. As he moved his legs, the bag hanging on the hook next to his desk swayed and creaked. He suddenly remembered his grandmother's words that the rainy season was almost here. Has it already started?
“I don’t have an umbrella.”
It's a common occurrence, but today, unlike other days, it rained a lot and heavily. The water droplets hitting the window hard were making me very angry. Taehyung raised his hand and roughly straightened his messy hair. I have to do something, whether it's porridge or rice, to get home. With that thought in mind, Taehyung got up, slung his empty bag around his neck, and walked out the classroom threshold.
The hallway was pitch black. Normally, the lights were turned off in the hallways at this hour, and with the rain, it was pitch dark, almost eerie. Taehyung slowly looked around. Sometimes, at times like these, he would see the top students staying behind to study. To make matters worse, he hadn't even brought his wallet and couldn't buy an umbrella at the store, so he planned to borrow money and buy an umbrella if there was even one kid left.
“Is there no model student today?”
Even though he went around the first half, there wasn't a single person left. Well, even if he said the first half, there were only two classes with fifteen students each. Still, for a school located in the countryside, there were quite a few students. Moreover, since this was a high school, it had been a long time since there had been this many children staying in the countryside instead of going to the city, and it was said that it had been a hot topic among the adults for a while. Anyway, there were no children left to study now. Taehyung let out a small sigh and headed towards the stairs. He thought about leaving his name and buying something on credit, but considering the personality of the grandfather guarding the store, it was an action he would never dare try.
“Is it a typhoon?”
Taehyung muttered softly as he came down to the first-floor common entrance. If this isn't a typhoon, then what is? If I were to go through this spectacle naked, I'd be helpless and have just taken a bath. Taehyung blamed himself for foolishly sleeping through it. Since it's the rainy season, the rain probably won't stop.
"taehyoung kim?"
“Huh? Why you.”
I was blankly watching the playground turn into a mud pit when I heard a clear voice behind me. It was a voice that pierced my ears. Even at first glance, it was my class president's voice. I turned around and saw a girl, also wearing a summer gym uniform and a cardigan over it, looking at me. What brought you here at this hour? It had been over two hours since school ended. Then, Taehyung's eyes turned to the red umbrella quietly held in the class president's hand.
“Don’t you have an umbrella?"
"huh."
“Then do you want to use it together? I’ll take you home.”
“Oh, that would be great.”
A red umbrella, neither too big nor too small, opened. A girl who was the class president was holding the umbrella, but then she stopped for a moment and handed the umbrella handle to Taehyung. Taehyung, who was doing something, immediately interpreted it as her saying that he should hold the umbrella because he was taller, and quickly took it.
“It might not be that big, so it might be uncomfortable, but it’s better than nothing right now, right?”
"huh."
The two stepped into the water together. As soon as they left the building, a tremendous sound rushed toward the umbrella. They were close enough to hear each other's breathing, but it was all drowned out by the sound of the rain. The two passed through the school gate and naturally headed left.
“How are you, Grandma?”
"what?"
“I wonder if Grandma is doing well!”
“Oh, uh.”
“How are you?”
"uh!"
Even if he spoke a little softly, his words wouldn't be conveyed. Taehyung walked a little faster. He said he would take me home, but he couldn't ask for that much. He was only going to ask me to go as far as the fork in the road where the paths leading to his house and this child's house diverged. As his footsteps quickened, he could feel the breathing of the person next to him becoming heavier, enough to cut through the sound of the rain.
“Kim Taehyung, just a moment.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Is there something urgent?”
"no."
“Then let’s go a little slower, or do you want to stop somewhere? I’ll buy you ice cream.”
“I wonder.”
The two soon headed to a small, neighborhood hole-in-the-wall shop. It didn't sell much, only ice cream. The city's snacks were out of reach. But for the kids who had grown up here, it was a treasure trove. And one of those kids was Taehyung and the kid next to him.
“What should I eat?”
"I know."
Their eyes scanned the refrigerator busily. After a few minutes of deliberation, the girl chose chocolate-flavored ice cream sticks. She smiled happily as she took two out, but a large hand quickly stopped her white hand.
“Song Joo-ah, I don’t really like chocolate.”
"to?"
“That, that, that strawberry, not chocolate. I like strawberries.”
Taehyung let go of Jooah's wrist and grabbed the strawberry yogurt flavored ice cream. Jooah blinked and came back after paying, and the two sat down side by side on the table set up in front of the store. It was more comfortable than expected because there was even a tent to protect them from the rain. When he was young, this table seemed so wide, but now it looks quite full with just two people sitting on it. Taehyung smiled unconsciously and opened the packaging.
“I didn’t know you hated chocolate.”
Joo-ah said, taking Tae-hyung's wrapping paper and putting it in the trash can. Tae-hyung hesitated and then nodded briefly. But Joo-ah didn't stop there and opened her mouth again.
“During the sports day, didn’t you eat the chocolate you received?”
“I didn’t eat it.”
“I haven’t seen it thrown away.”
“I almost always took it home and gave it to my grandmother.”
"ah."
I sat quietly and briefly reflected on the day. If anything, it was the lunchtime consultation. I hadn't responded to my homeroom teacher's question about the university and major I wanted to pursue. Taehyung sat quietly beside me, watching Jooah smear chocolate on her lips. Since she was little, Jooah had always been upright.. When kids in the neighborhood got hurt while playing together, it was Ju-ah who immediately informed the adults, and it was also Ju-ah's role to look after the younger kids so they didn't cause trouble at village events. Naturally, she took on the role of a teacher to her peers in the neighborhood when they entered elementary school, and from middle school onwards, she took on the role of class president. It was an unspoken rule among the neighborhood kids. It seemed like Ju-ah's words were followed for some reason. Besides, her grades were always in the top tier, if not the best. She probably had a college she wanted to go to. In the class president election that took place in her second year of high school, everyone put Ju-ah forward without any objections. A child who was acknowledged by everyone. That was Song Ju-ah.
“Look at the rain, it really must be the rainy season.”
"I know."
On the other hand, Taehyung himself was nothing special. He was an introverted kid with no presence among the kids since he was young. Nothing more, nothing less. And it was easier for Taehyung himself to be like that. If there was something I wanted to do, would I be given the chance? It was a question I wanted to ask my homeroom teacher today, but I couldn't and we ended the consultation. But even if I had said it, I probably would have been scolded. For a kid with low grades to say he wanted to do something. It would have seemed a little pathetic.
“Oh, you had a consultation today. How was it?”
"uh?"
“Did you have a nice conversation with the teacher?”
Taehyung slowly shook his head. It wasn't anything good to say. He had only been told to think about his college major quickly. For a moment, his expression hardened. Jooah looked at Taehyung like that and then cautiously opened her mouth.
“Did you tell the teacher about the sculpture?”
Taehyung jumped up from his seat faster than anyone else. He stared at Jooah. Taehyung's eyes were filled with confusion. His eyes were filled with panic, confusion, and fear. Despite Taehyung's reaction, Jooah remained calm. She even continued speaking.
“Your grandmother came last time and told me to eat some melon, so I went in for a bit and saw your room.”
“Okay, that’s it.”
"huh."
Taehyung quietly bit his lip. He felt complicated, even though no one could see it. He couldn't finish the ice cream he was eating and let it fall to the floor. Taehyung's hands were shaking just enough to be imperceptible.
“If you went into art, you could have continued on, but why didn’t you tell your teacher? I thought you would pass the art school practical exam.”
"no."
“What is it? This is the first time I realized that there are so many knives needed for carving.”
“I said no.”
Taehyung carved. He'd engraved wood, ice, fabric, the walls of his house—anything he could carve or carve, and he'd be absorbed in it. He couldn't quite pinpoint when it all started. Perhaps it was because he was so young, but aside from the first time he picked up a knife and made a small boat, his childhood memories of carving were mostly vague. But he persisted. Even on days when he'd been cremated, on days when the leaves crunched as he walked, on days when white-winged cotton balls fell from the sky, on days like today when waterfalls gushed down. Taehyung always carved quietly. Some days he'd make something huge, others something as small as a keychain. As he crafted, piece by piece, time flew by. And Taehyung loved that feeling. He hadn't even realized how he'd started, and now he was at the age where he had to decide his future. Honestly, going to college wasn't entirely impossible, but Taehyung lacked confidence. His work lacked the message his other works conveyed. He hated that.
“I don’t really do sculptures with all my heart.”
“Really? You seemed really energetic.”
"what?"
“Huh? Oh, you have a wave sculpture.”
"tide?"
“I made waves by carving the top of a cube.”
"ah."
“It was so beautiful, it seemed like it was really alive and moving.
Ju-ah's eyes sparkled, reflecting the sunlight that was slowly beginning to appear. The clouds were now slowly revealing the sunlight. Was it just a passing rain? Tae-hyung didn't take his gaze away from Ju-ah's eyes.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I think your teacher would definitely support you if you decided to go to college as a sculpture artist. You haven’t shown your work to anyone yet. You haven’t even started yet.”
“No, I.”
“There are bound to be areas where you’re more confident than others. If you don’t have one yet, you just have to find it. You have a talent for bringing sculptures to life. I think that’s truly remarkable. Your sculptures, how should I put it, feel like breathing life into a piece of wood.”
“Carving isn’t just done on wood.”
“That’s what I mean.”
“Anyway, I don’t really have any plans to do anything.”
“Should I at least give up after starting? If I keep retreating like this, what else are we going to do? The Kim Taehyung I’ve seen so far isn’t like this. Where did the Kim Taehyung go who used to follow us to the end, no matter how hard it was?”
"no."
“I know it’s embarrassing to suddenly do this. But I felt like if I left you like this, you wouldn’t be able to do anything on your own. I usually say that you should leave these kinds of worries and growth alone, but I’ll help you just this once. I’ve known you for years, so this much is okay, right? You’ve been so guarded all this time that we haven’t really spoken properly. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a conversation like this.”
Joo-ah turned her head towards Tae-hyung, who had been mumbling on his own, and stood up. But the moment he tried to continue the conversation, Joo-ah froze.
Taehyung was really close.
“Why? Keep talking.”
“No, why are you so close? Are you angry?”
“Do you think you’re angry?”
It was a truly fleeting moment. Taehyung's lips instantly covered Juah's and then pulled away. Even after pulling away, the distance between them was still close. Juah tried to open her mouth, but Taehyung was faster. Taehyung held Juah's hand tightly, which was held upside down, and smiled brightly. Then, with his other free hand, he reached for the bag on his back and opened it. There was a front pocket made for small items. Taehyung's hand went in and out. What he held in his hand was a keychain with a small piece of wood attached. The shape of the wood was a wave. Juah couldn't make a sound, but her mouth opened quietly. It was the giant wave sculpture she had seen when she went to Taehyung's house. It was exactly the same, as if it were a miniature. Taehyung said quietly as he handed it to her.
"it's a shame."
"what?"
“I hid it and tried to give it to you properly.”
“What is that?”
“You waited for me at school on purpose.”
"uh?"
“You waited outside the whole time after seeing me sleeping.”
“No, isn’t it?”
"fool."
"what!"
Taehyung chuckled beautifully. And Jooah paused. Even though Taehyung was small, seeing him laugh out loud like this was rare. Even I, who had been watching him since he was little, had really only seen it that much. A big smile, or a loud giggle. Taehyung only showed me laughter when I was truly happy. And the first time Jooah saw it was probably when I gave him candy as a gift when I was little. And in a way, this was only the second time. As the grades went up, seeing Taehyung laugh became as difficult as picking stars from the sky. So I was worried that something was wrong, but I never thought I would see it like this today.
“Are you feeling good?”
"of course."
“What is it?”
“First kiss.”
This time, it was Joo-ah who suddenly got up. When Joo-ah got up, Tae-hyung also got up.
“A keychain, that’s the gift I want to give.”
"... huh."
“And Song Joo-ah.”
"huh?"
Joo-ah raised her head absentmindedly, and Tae-hyung continued on. But this time, Joo-ah was quicker, pressing her finger to Tae-hyung's forehead to stop him. When she failed to approach, Tae-hyung furrowed his brow. Looking at Tae-hyung, Joo-ah spoke cheerfully.
“My lips are expensive.”
“What is that?”
“If you want more, tell your teacher tomorrow that you will be taking the art test.”
“Do you hate me?”
“Why don’t you like me, you idiot?”
“Then since when have you liked me?"
Joo-ah closed her mouth for a moment. She was wondering how she could say something to make this puppy give up and listen to her. But the variables here were endless. What kind of wolf cub would emerge from that innocent smile? Joo-ah furrowed her brow slightly, then relaxed it. Then she slowly spoke.
“Why did I wait for you today? Now listen to me.”
“Let’s date.”
“You idiot, your confession timing was wrong.”
“Why, let’s date.”
“Are you going to take the art school practical exam?”
“Let’s date.”
“You must not give up on the piece.”
“Let’s date, okay?”
“Okay, let’s stop and go.”
“Dating, huh? What?”
“Aren’t you going?”
“Song Joo-ah, you!”
“Come with me tomorrow when I go to the teacher’s office to talk to the teacher. Who knows where you’ll end up next?”
"yes yes!"
Joo-ah looked up at the clear sky. It was very clear. Tae-hyung's large hand, quietly reaching out from behind, felt warm. When she turned around, he was wearing a rare, faint but definite smile. This feeling wasn't something that came out of nowhere. Tae-hyung knew that, and Joo-ah knew it. It was just that she had been so wary of herself that she didn't notice it. That's all.
No one knows the depths of the sea well. And to young students, who are full of things they don't know and things to learn, even they themselves are the sea. But we are not afraid of the sea. Because once you become familiar with it, the sea is more interesting than anything else. That's how we understand it. The me who is, the me who loves others, the me who will move forward. The moment we understand it, we realize that there will be more things we want to do in the future. And we slowly share the beautiful feelings that we have harbored for a long time with those around us. When it started, that doesn't matter at all. After all, everyone's time flows differently in the sea. Just focus on becoming familiar with yourself and moving forward with interest.
Two children, shyly holding hands, entered the alley. The boy still held the red umbrella, useless now that the rain had stopped. And the girl walking alongside had a soft, delicate wave design on her bag. The air between them was cool and comfortable.
The waves are free, and I like you.
To me, who lived like flowing water, you are
It is a mysterious creature that penetrates the deep sea without any disturbance, no matter how great the storm.
In the cool summer of eighteen, when the rainy season is approaching.
Suddenly, of course.
I have the same beginning as you.
Thank you for reading. I'd appreciate a little encouragement or comment. :)