The rain came down in a steady hush, as though it meant to seep into everything—city streets, concrete buildings, even the tender buds just beginning to open on the trees. People hurried along the sidewalks, hiding beneath umbrellas, quickening their steps to escape the soaking sky. Those without shelter lifted their bags over their heads and dashed through the rain, splashing as they ran.
Amid this gray, rain-blurred scene, a single yellow umbrella stood out.
It moved back and forth through the puddles, playful and careless, its owner splashing along as if the rain were nothing more than a game. She walked like a child at play, unconcerned with the world around her. A gray woolen hat sat snug on her head, glasses fogged slightly, a thick sweater layered over leggings, with cotton shorts worn on top. Most curious of all, blue plastic bags were tied neatly over her shoes, shielding them from the deepening puddles.
As she stepped straight into another puddle, a voice called out from behind her.
"You're not a kid anymore, still playing in puddles like that..."
She turned around. Seohun stood there beneath his umbrella, watching her.
She broke into a smile and walked toward him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Seohun gestured with a tilt of his head toward a small sign. It read: Internet Game Café.
"Ah," she said, nodding.
Then she smiled wider—far too wide—and looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Seohun asked.
Before he could react, Nau Rin spun her umbrella. Faster and faster it whirled, flinging rainwater outward. Droplets scattered wildly, splashing onto Seohun's face and soaking into his clothes.
"Hey—stop it!" he shouted, stepping back.
She didn't. She laughed, spinning the umbrella even harder, delight written all over her face. Then suddenly—her smile faded. She caught the sharp change in his gaze and immediately prepared to run.
Seohun dropped his umbrella and chased after her.
"This isn't summer rain—it's April rain!" Nau Rin cried as she fled. "Do you want to freeze to death?!"
She didn't get far.
Seohun caught her, grabbed the umbrella from her hand, and flung it into the branches of a nearby tree. It snagged high above them. Nau Rin stared up at it, then down at her soaked clothes, her lips pressed into a tight, indignant line.
"I told you to stop," Seohun said with a shrug as he picked up his own umbrella. "You just wouldn't listen."
Suddenly, Nau Rin's face went serious. She stepped toward him, her pace quickening.
Seohun stiffened.
"Don't come any closer," he warned.
In the midst of their wild chase, a sharp snap! rang out.
Both of them froze and looked down.
At their feet lay an umbrella, its ribs bent and broken, its purpose already lost.
Just then, Minho and Taehyun emerged from a nearby building, umbrellas raised against the rain. The moment they saw Seohun and Nau Rin—soaked through, water dripping from their clothes—they stopped in stunned silence.
Seohun ran a hand through his wet hair, pushing it back, while Nau Rin slipped her glasses into her pocket and looked calmly at the two of them.
From Minho's lips came a short sound of disbelief.
"…Seriously."
And then—without another word—Minho and Taehyun bolted in opposite directions.
Seohun took off after Minho. As he ran, he deliberately stamped down hard into a roadside puddle, sending a splash of water flying like a missile toward Minho's back.
Minho lifted his umbrella behind him like a shield, glancing over his shoulder as he fled.
Taehyun wasn't as lucky.
As he ran, his foot slipped, and just as he struggled to regain balance, Nau Rin caught up to him. She tilted her umbrella, letting the collected rainwater pour straight down the back of his neck.
Taehyun's scream pierced the street, echoing between the buildings.
Before long, it became impossible to tell who was chasing whom. The four of them gathered in the middle of the street, splashing water at one another, running in circles, laughing and shouting like children with no concern for anything else.
Each falling raindrop seemed to carry their laughter with it, stirring the reckless energy of youth.
Seohun's white shirt clung tightly to his body, soaked through, while Nau Rin's cheeks flushed pink as rain struck her skin. Yet none of them noticed the cold. Though drenched to the bone, this moment felt warmer than anything else.
Finally exhausted, they gathered beneath the two remaining umbrellas, standing close together.
At last, they split into pairs and began walking home, shivering as the cold rain continued to fall.
Minho muttered under his breath, casting Seohun a sharp glare.
"You two are seriously hopeless. Wasn't it enough to get yourselves soaked? You had to drag us into it too."
"I'm a victim too, you know," Seohun defended himself.
From the other side, Nau Rin shrugged lightly.
"Not me. Seohun started it."
When Nau Rin stepped into her home, the damp scent of moisture and the chill of the outside air followed her into the dark corridor. She let her soaked clothes slip from her body and fall onto the floor. They landed with a dull thud, heavy and lifeless, as though they were no longer hers.
Her entire body felt stiff, the cold biting deep into her bones. She pushed open the bathroom door and turned the hot water tap. Soon, warm water rushed out, and the room slowly filled with steam. White mist rose and spread, softening the space, until even her reflection in the mirror began to fade.
As the bathtub filled, the warm vapor brushed gently against her face. The tightness in her chest—drawn closed by the cold—seemed to loosen, little by little. She dipped her foot into the hot water, slowly.
"Aah…"
The sound slipped from her lips without intention.
At first, it was almost painful. The heat met her frozen skin like countless tiny needles, sharp and startling. But the sensation did not last. Within seconds, the sting softened, turning into a gentle warmth that spread outward, deeper and deeper.
When she finally lowered her whole body into the bath, it felt as though the cold was leaving her at last—peeling away from her skin and sinking quietly into the water below. Her clenched shoulders relaxed. Warmth flowed down to her toes, blood returning, breath returning, life returning.
The lingering chill left behind by every raindrop on her skin was washed away by the gentle waves of hot water. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, letting her body grow heavy, letting go of all tension.
For a moment, she surrendered herself entirely to the quiet comfort of the warmth.
Nau Rin emerged from the bathroom, trailing warm steam behind her. While gently drying her hair, she fixed herself a cup of milk sweetened with honey. Cradling the mug in her hands, she moved toward the small calendar resting at the corner of her table.
One date stood out, circled thickly in red.
There was exactly one month left until the competition.
With her left hand, she reached over and lightly touched her injured right shoulder. She carefully applied a pain-relief patch, smoothing it into place. She knew it would take at least two weeks before it could truly heal.
'How do I let it recover… without stepping away from training?'
The thought lingered, turning quietly in her mind, unwilling to fade.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening, and her mother stepped inside, her arms heavy with grocery bags. When she caught sight of Nau Rin standing there in the hallway, she paused in surprise.
"You didn't go to practice?" she asked.
Nau Rin shook her head.
"I did go," she said. "But the coach told me to rest. He also said I don't need to come for the next month."
She reached out with her right hand to take the bags from her mother, then suddenly remembered. Her hand hesitated midair before she pulled it back, taking the bags instead with her left.
Her mother looked puzzled.
"Why?"
As Nau Rin carried the groceries toward the refrigerator, she answered,
"He said the National Championship is coming up soon, so he won't have time to train me."
Her words sounded calm, but something unspoken lingered beneath them.
Seeming reassured, her mother went into her room to change clothes, then rolled up her sleeves and began preparing dinner. Soon, the kitchen filled with the comforting aroma of hot food. By the time the table was set, her father had returned home from work as well.
Just as the family settled into the warmth of sharing a meal together, Nau Rin broke the gentle atmosphere. She looked from her father to her mother and spoke.
"Dad… Mom… there's something I need to tell you."
Sensing the weight in her tone, her parents set their spoons down and turned their full attention to her.
"I want to take part in the National Youth Championship."
At once, her mother's expression changed.
"A competition?" she exclaimed. "You mean fighting until someone's bleeding? I absolutely will not allow it!" Her voice rose sharply.
Her father, however, remained silent, lost in thought.
"Mom, if I never compete after all the hard training I've done, how will I know where I really stand?"
"I sent you to learn," her mother shot back firmly, "not to go around getting into fights!"
After a long stretch of silence, her father finally spoke.
"I'm okay with it."
The words were short, but unmistakably clear.
Her mother turned to him in disbelief.
"What are you talking about?"
Calm, yet unyielding, he replied,
"We sent her to all those classes and clubs so she could learn how to protect herself. That was the reason from the beginning."
Her mother snapped back,
"Protect herself from what? From what exactly?"
Her father met her gaze steadily.
"From anything."
Her mother stood up from the table, drew in a deep breath, and said,
"I will not accept this."
With that, she turned and walked into her room.