A/N: I'm profoundly sorry for any inconvenience caused, I'm new to the platform and still struggling with somes features. Thank you!
SANA
I couldn't just ignore him. Watching him, I always wondered how someone could have such a beaming smile and yet look so sad at the same time. That was my first impression of Ji-Hoon.
It was one of those rare, sunny afternoons where the world felt just a little lighter. The Park was alive with laughter and chatter, the kind of noise that makes you feel everything is okay even if it isn't.
I was sitting on a bench, letting the warmth of the sun soak into my skin when I saw him. Short, tousled hair styled in a casual yet chic fashion, slightly messy but perfectly groomed, smooth, fair skin with sharp jawlines and striking eyes. He was standing in the middle of a small crowd, juggling oranges while a group of kids squealed with delight. His laughter was loud and unrestrained, the kind that makes you want to laugh along even if you don't know the joke.
"Watch this!" he said, tossing an orange high into the air, spinning dramatically on himself, and catching it behind his back. The kids erupted into cheers, clapping and jumping up and down like he'd just perform a miracle. I couldn't help but smile too. There was something magnetic about him, something so full of life that it was hard to look away.
But then, for the briefest moment, it changed. His smile didn't exactly fade, it just…shifted. His eyes, crinkled with laughter a second ago, softened into something else. Something heavier. He glanced down at the orange in his hand, turning it over slowly, as if he wasn't seeing it at all.
It was such a small thing, that flicker of sadness. Maybe no one else noticed it, but I did.
And then, just as fast as it came, it was gone. He tossed the orange back into the air with a grin, earning another round of applause from the kids. I thought that was the end of it, until he turned and caught me staring at him. Our eyes met and I panicked, looking away too quickly. I knew my face was red, just from the heat emanating from it, but it was too late.
"Enjoying the show?". His voice carried easily the distance between us, warm and teasing. I blinked, startled. "Oh, I, uh…". Words failed me completely. I wished the earth would have swallowed me then so I could hide my embarrassment.
He laughed, running a hand through his dark hair. "It's okay. I don't charge for spectators. First one's free." That eased my embarrassment a bit, and I felt my lips twitch into a smile despite myself. "Good to know." "Ji-Hoon," he said, walking towards me with an easy confidence, and tossing me the orange he still had in his hand. "Sana," I replied, surprised that I'd said it without hesitation.
He studied me, his grin softening into something gentler, and my heart skipped a beat. "Well, Sana, you've got a good eye. Most people only see what's on the surface."
He didn't explain what he meant and I didn't ask. But as he turned back to the kids, his shoulders sagged ever so slightly, like the weight of the world had settled back on them the moment he walked away. I wanted to call out to him, to say something, but I didn't or I couldn't? Instead, I sat there, holding the orange he'd given me. I couldn't help but wonder who he really was, and what he was hiding behind that beautiful, yet sad smile of his.
Later that day…
It was a raining, the kind where the gray clouds seemed to press the world into silence. I was sheltering from the rain under an old building with a leaking roof, that let the drizzle soak into my coat, when I saw him again. He stood a few feet away, leaning against a tree with a broken umbrella that barely shielded him from the rain.
For a moment, I thought he was crying. But when I looked closer, I realised it wasn't tears, it was just the rain on his face. My feet moved on their own, I don't know what made me call out to him. Something about the way he stood there, lost and yet so calm, made me feel like I needed to.
"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here any longer," I said, my voice cutting through the steady patter of rain. He turned to me, startled, as if he didn't notice me there. Then, he smiled, a small, tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Maybe that's the point?" he said softly. I hesitated, unsure of what to say. The rain fell harder soaking through my coat, but I didn't move. "Do you always hang out in the rain like this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light. He chuckled, a low and quiet sound. "Only on days like this." "Days like what?" he glanced back at the sky, then at me. "Days that make you feel like the rain is the only one who understands." Something inside me stirred at his words.
For a moment, we just stood there, the rain falling around us. I thought about walking away, again. But instead, I stepped closer, holding out my right hand, while the other gripped the orange he gave me earlier in a pocket of my coat. "Nice to meet you, Ji-Hoon." He held my gaze for a few moments and again, I felt my heart skipped a beat, no, maybe two. "…likewise, Sana."
I didn't know it yet, but that was the moment everything changed. Under the sun, then under the rain, was the beginning of everything. The beginning of finding him, of loving him, and everything that came after.