fighting the storm
title: fighting the storm
pairing: sehun/krystal
genre: fluff/romance, au
words: ~6100
summary: krystal hates monsoon season. too many wet days, she thinks. not enough dry ones. but sehun, he loves the rain - he says dry heat makes him cranky. "then why do you always carry around that umbrella?" she asks. "in case i run into you."
notes: ...so this actually started out as an original oneshot that i wrote a while ago, but i liked it enough to want to rewrite it and change around the names to make it a fanfic. >.> it's my first attempt at anything like this so i hope it's alright!!
She hated the rain.
It was depressing, really. The dark clouds, the rumbling thunder, the steady stream of water falling from the sky that messed up her carefully curled hair - it made her feel really crappy. That was why she loved living in California, where, for the most part, it didn't rain too often. And when it did, she just stayed inside. It was simple. It worked. She liked it.
So it was really too bad when, right in the middle of monsoon season, her father decided he wanted to “experience his ancestors’ culture.” Before she knew it, her entire family was being forced to move across the globe to the capitol of extreme weather - Seoul, South Korea.
“It’s not as bad as you think it is,” people would always tell her. “Sure, it’s really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter, but don’t worry,” they’d say. “It’ll be a good excuse to buy some cute rain boots.”
But she didn’t want to buy rain boots, even if they were cute. She wanted to stay in California, with her friends and her school and her steady weather.
Unfortunately, she didn't get much of a say in the matter.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
“Krystal, you’re going to be late,” her mother chastised. “Quit sulking and get moving.”
The eighteen-year-old sighed heavily. It was the day that would forever be remembered as “The First Day of Hell” - also known as day one at her new school.
It wasn't fair. It was her senior year; she wasn't allowed to be uprooted. She was supposed to be spending the last eight months of high school with her best friends before they all went off to college, not 5600 miles away sucking up to Korean kids. It just sucked.
“Alright,” Krystal whined. She was not looking forward to her first day. She looked out the window and saw the heavy skies and the puddles of water on the ground and the raindrops running down the windowpane and groaned. It was so gross here.
She braced herself for the walk to the bus stop, which was right down the street from her house and a mere twenty yards away. But to Krystal Jung, it didn't matter how long (or short) of a distance it was, she would still have to walk through the sticky hot rain to get there.
And that wasn't even the worst part - she had to ride the city bus. Their family was too poor after the move to be able to afford more than one car, and her father drove that to work. Her mom was a housewife, which probably contributed to their lack of money, and that left Krystal to take the bus to school.
Sighing, she grabbed her abnormally large purse (which she used in place of a backpack; backpacks were tacky), opened the door, and sprinted to the bus stop.
Seconds later, the bus arrived. She clambered onto it, took a seat in the corner, pulled out her cell phone so she could text her friends in California, and grumbled to herself until she had arrived at Seoul Public High School.
And thus began the worst day of her life.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
It wasn't really all that bad, thinking back on it. By the time a few weeks had passed, Krystal was used to her new classes. She was even growing accustomed to speaking Korean instead of English, and was pleased to find that her accent wasn't too heavy. She had made a few acquaintances, but nobody she could really call a “friend.”
It hadn't rained so much as just the air getting really humid, but it still sucked. If anything, it was worse - she didn't see the point in humidity at all. If it was going to be sunny, then why did it have to feel like the air was suffocating her at the same time? It made no sense.
One wet September morning, Krystal was running especially late to her first period. The bus had broken down a few blocks from the school, and while many people had gotten off and walked the rest of the way to their destinations, she would rather just sit and wait in the busted bus than brave the muggy downpour.
That was a stupid decision on Krystal’s part, because it turned out that she had to run in the rain to get from the bus stop to the school, anyway. The binder she held over her head for protection didn't really help, the flats she had worn that day were soaked and hard to run in, and she was eleven minutes late.
She burst into her Calculus class, breathing heavily, attracting attention from every side of the room.
“Sorry I’m late,” she breathed. The teacher gave her a stern look and she took her seat. She had a feeling that she was going to be marked absent anyway, since generally being more than ten minutes tardy counted as being truant. “Damn rain,” she mumbled.
The boy sitting next to her heard her curse the weather and snickered.
“What?” she snapped at him.
He didn't recoil or frown or any of that, like most people did when Krystal bitched at them for no reason. Instead, he smiled. “You don’t like the rain?” he asked, brown eyes twinkling.
“No,” she said. “It ruins everything.”
“Then why do you live in monsoon central?” the boy inquired.
Krystal scowled. “I don’t know if you noticed,” she said. “But I’m new here. I’m not exactly used to all…this.” She gestured to her frizzy hair and soaking clothes and red face. She probably looked like a mess.
“I know you’re new,” he said. “You’re Krystal Jung, stubborn and perpetually angry with the world. I just didn't know you hated the rain so much.”
“Stub - what? I am not perpetually angry.”
The boy chuckled. “It sure seems that way,” he said.
“It’s just all this stupid contradictory weather that gets me frustrated. And how do you know all this about me, anyway? Who exactly are you?” She had never spoken to him before. She never even spared him a glance, even though they apparently sat next to each other every morning.
“I’m Sehun,” he said with a grin. “Oh Sehun.”
“Well, Chuckles,” she said. Sehun raised his eyebrows at the nickname. “Just so you know, I may be stubborn, but I’m not always this angry. I promise.”
He laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
They had another class together, too. Fifth period Korean Government. Krystal had never noticed before, but Sehun sat in the seat to her immediate left. Apparently it was the doing of lazy teachers who arranged the seats by alphabetical order. 옿, 중. No wonder he knew her name.
“Upset because of the weather again, Krys?” Sehun asked one day in mid-October. The teacher was lecturing some kid in the back of the room for coming to class smelling like cigarettes.
She whipped her head to the side and glared. “No,” she said. He gave her a look. “Well, yes. But don’t call me that. You don’t know me.”
They had brief conversations every morning in math and every afternoon in history, but they weren't exactly the best of friends. All Sehun knew about Krystal was that she had an attitude and that she hated humid weather, and all Krystal knew about Sehun was that he was abnormally friendly and he had a pretty smile.
“You call me Chuckles,” Sehun pointed out. “So I should be allowed to call you whatever I want. And I don’t know you because you refuse to hang out with me.”
“I refuse to hang out with you because I don’t know you,” she countered. Sehun had asked her many times if she wanted to be his partner on various school projects, but she would always insist on doing it on her own. And once he even asked if she wanted to eat lunch with him, but she said no and sat with a group of preppy girls instead.
“Touché,” Sehun said. “But how do you expect to make friends if you don’t let anyone near you?”
“I don't need to make friends,” argued Krystal. “I have plenty back in San Francisco.”
“But this isn't San Francisco,” Sehun pointed out. “It's Seoul.”
Krystal rolled her light brown eyes. “I know that, unfortunately.”
Sehun observed the girl next to him for a moment. It wasn't even raining hard that day, just lightly showering, but she was still all in a huff. Come to think of it, he didn't remember a day where she wasn't upset about something. “At least let me walk you to your next class,” he said suddenly.
Krystal stared at him, a slight frown on her lips. “Why are you so persistent?” she asked.
The boy shrugged. “I just am. Genetics, I guess. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Why are you so persistent? Don’t try to say you aren't; that would only prove it further,” Sehun said.
Krystal reddened. How could this guy she barely knew be so comfortable with the new girl? “I just am,” she said, copying his answer.
Sehun grinned. The bell rang, signifying the end of class.
“Come on,” he said, standing up. “I'll walk you to Biology.”
How he knew her schedule, she had no idea, but it was sort of sweet so she agreed and went with him anyway.
He was pleased.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
“Krys!”
Krystal turned around, searching for the voice. It was a Saturday and she was in downtown Seoul, trying to find where her Dad’s car was parked so she could get home. It was, surprisingly, a fairly nice day out.
“Krystal!”
Finally, she spotted Oh Sehun, jogging and waving and smiling as he approached her.
“Chuckles?” She was a little surprised to be seeing him outside of school.
“Hi,” Sehun smiled. “What are you doing wandering the city by yourself?”
Krystal felt embarrassed. She didn't want to admit to him that she was sort of lost. “Uh,” she said. “I was shopping with my family, but my parents went to buy birthday presents and told my sister and me to stay away, but Jessica ran off mumbling something about a hot guy.”
“So…you were ditched.”
“Pretty much,” Krystal sighed. “And I looked around on my own for a while, but we were supposed to meet back at the car at three, and it’s…2:49 and I don’t remember where we parked.”
Sehun couldn’t help it. He laughed.
Krystal frowned. And to make matters worse, a small drop of water landed on her nose. The look of horror on her face caused Sehun to laugh even harder. “Great! Now it’s drizzling, too. I hate my life,” she pouted.
Sehun rolled his eyes. “You’re such a drama queen,” he said. “I’ll help you find your car. Was it in a garage or parked on the street?”
She was grateful for his friendliness at that moment, even if it was a little annoying how relentless he was. “The street,” Krystal said. It started to rain a little harder and she cringed.
“Alright,” Sehun said. “What kind of car? And do you remember what sorts of shops were around when you got out of it?”
Krystal sidestepped so that she was underneath an awning. It was better than standing out in the now harsh precipitation that made her skin crawl. Sehun shook his head and followed suit.
“It’s a dark red Acura MDX,” Krystal explained. “And I don’t remember what was around, except the bubble tea shop right across the street where I bought this.” She gestured to the drink she held in her hand.
“Well, that doesn't help much,” Sehun said. “There’s a bubble tea shop on pretty much every street. How far away was it?”
“I don’t know!” Krystal threw her hands up in frustration. “I don’t remember. What are you even doing here, anyway? Are you stalking me?”
“No,” Sehun said. “I happen to live two blocks down. Now come on, let’s just start looking around. If you see anything familiar let me know, okay?”
Krystal said nothing but began walking alongside him, anyway. She wasn't happy with the rain beating down on her, but Sehun was nice enough to notice and gave her his big jacket to hold over her head.
“I don't have an umbrella with me,” he said. “Otherwise I’d lend you that. I didn't think it was going to rain today.”
“Me either. Otherwise I never would've agreed to go out.”
“You're never going to get used to it here, are you?”
She shook her head.
“You know it’s not so bad once you get to know the place. I’ll have to show you around sometime,” Sehun said casually.
Krystal looked at him, perplexed. Was he offering to give her a tour of the city? They barely even knew each other! “You mean like visiting all the palaces and Namsan Tower and the World Cup Stadium? Because my Dad already made us do all that crap, and it wasn't that fun,” she said.
“No, not that,” Sehun said with a laugh. “That’s touristy stuff. I’ll take you to all the real cool places in Seoul.”
Krystal snorted. “Okay, if you say so,” she said. “Hey! I think that’s my dad over there!”
She broke into a run and started waving frantically at her family. Her sister stood stoically in the rain, getting soaked, while her mother was sitting in the car and her father was under an umbrella, beckoning at her.
“There you are,” her father yelled over the wind. “Why haven't you been answering your phone?”
“I’m sorry,” Krystal said as she caught her breath. She came to a stop in front of her sister, and Sehun nearly collided with her because she halted so suddenly. “I left my phone at home so it could charge.”
“Well, we have to go; you have an appointment in twenty minutes,” Mr. Jung stated. He then seemed to notice his daughter’s companion. “And who is this young man?” he asked curiously.
“What? Oh,” Krystal said. She was still using his jacket as a hood. “This is Ch - Sehun. He’s in my math class. He helped me find our parking spot.”
“I see,” her father said. “Well, thank you for showing my helpless daughter around, Sehun, but we’ve got to go now. Say goodbye, Krystal. Jessica, get in the car.”
Jessica stopped staring into space and climbed into the vehicle. Krystal blushed slightly at the tone her father was using with her and gave Sehun back his jacket.
“See you,” she said.
“Bye,” Sehun grinned. Krystal got in the car and her family began to pull out of the parking space. “And hey, don’t forget about our plans!” he shouted after the moving vehicle. “You're going to get that tour whether you like it or not!”
Krystal would've stuck her head out the window and yelled back but it was raining and she didn’t want to get wet. Instead, she just sat in her seat and shook her head with a smile.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
The entire senior class was going on a fieldtrip.
It was November, and it was raining, and it was seven thirty in the morning. Krystal, exhausted after a poor night’s sleep, tumbled off the school bus and joined the group of girls she’d come to be acquainted with as they started walking around the market.
There were three of them, and they were all a bit annoying. Qian was talkative and material and cared only about herself; Sunyoung was sweet but unnecessarily cheerful all the time, and Jinri was quiet but judgmental and seemed to hate everyone who wasn't as pretty as she was.
Krystal only hung out with them because she didn't want to seem like a loser with no friends. They didn't really pay much attention to her, but she didn't mind. At least they let her sit with them at lunch and walk with them to classes and hang out with them on field trips.
The girls talked loudly and walked around the kiosks they’d probably seen a thousand times having grown up in the city and Krystal walked alongside them, silently surveying the different displays. An hour into the trip, the group got bored of the area they were in and migrated out into the open, where a large fountain was set up and several young kids were running around. There were even some interesting looking buildings a few blocks down, and it looked like there was some sort of festival going on there.
Krystal would've loved to get a better look around, but it was raining and the girls seemed to only want to sit on the grass and gossip. They didn't appear to be the least bit unsettled by the water pouring from the sky.
She didn't want to sit in the damp grass, so she stood next to Qian and company instead, occasionally contributing to the conversation but mostly just zoning out and wishing it would stop raining. She was listening in on Sunyoung’s ramble about some soccer player when suddenly an umbrella was over her head.
“In need of assistance, milady?” Oh Sehun bowed.
Krystal turned to him with eyebrows raised. “What?” she asked, amused.
Her “friends” noticed Sehun's arrival, but continued their conversation after giving him one shameful glance. It seemed that they did not deem him worthy of their attention.
“You looked bored and aggravated,” he said with a grin, completely disregarding the trio of girls’ cold attitudes. “I came to rescue you. Want to hang out with me and my friends?” Sehun looked behind him at a group of teenage boys. They were jeering and laughing and making kissy faces in the pair’s direction.
Krystal didn't particularly want to hang out with them. “They look kind of…obnoxious,” she said.
“Yeah,” Sehun shrugged. “They are. But I have an umbrella!” He wiggled the contraption to emphasize his point, causing rain drops to splash off the sides and hit him in the face.
Krystal laughed. “Looks like you need it more than I do,” she said.
Sehun looked at her curiously. “Oh, really? I'll just take this back then - ”
“No, wait!” Her death grip on the umbrella was terrifying. “Please let me use it.”
The boy chuckled. “We’ll just have to share,” he said as he ducked under the umbrella, his shoulder brushing hers. Krystal blushed slightly at his close proximity, not because she liked him or anything but simply because he seemed so comfortable with the physical contact. “You sure you don’t want to stay with your…friends?” Sehun asked.
Krystal looked back at Qian and Sunyoung and Jinri, sitting there on the grass chatting about hot guys. They didn't even seem to care that she wasn't joining in on their conversation.
“I’m sure,” she said with a sigh. Maybe hanging out with obnoxious eighteen year old boys wouldn't be as bad as hanging out with bitchy eighteen year old girls.
Sehun grinned and pulled the umbrella (and with it, Krystal) towards his friends.
“Gentlemen, I bring you Krystal Jung,” Sehun introduced with a flourish. His friends, all four of them, snickered and stared at the girl before them.
“Oh, so you’re the new girl that Sehunnie- ” A hand was slapped over the dark boy’s mouth. After a second of surprise, he ripped Sehun’s arm away and laughed. “Dude, relax, I was just going to say has calc and gov with,” the boy said.
“Sure you were,” Sehun said, wiping his hand on his jeans. “Krys, this is Jongin.”
The boy with the bronze skin smiled and held out his hand for her to shake. She took it, surprised by his politeness.
“Wow,” Jongin said, taking notice of her fingernails. “A French manicure. This girl is something else, isn’t she? Not your usual type, Oh- ”
“And these guys are Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol,” Sehun cut off his best friend completely. Jongin frowned and Krystal laughed.
A boy with round eyes and full lips, another with shaggy hair and a boyish smile, and a ridiculously tall blonde all greeted her with an enthusiastic grin and a handshake, leaving her very confused. Since when were teenage boys so nice?
“Nice to meet you,” she said.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
Krystal spent the entire rest of the day with Sehun and the boys, and surprisingly, she had fun. The fieldtrip itself was sort of a waste of time (nobody really knew the real purpose of the trip), but it was preferred over doing actual schoolwork. After the long day of running around the city attached to Sehun and his yellow umbrella, Krystal was convinced to sit with them during lunch for the rest of the school year.
“You better not back out on your pinky promise,” Jongin threatened on the bus back to the high school. “You’re the only girl cool enough to get an invitation to sit with us.”
“More like the only girl crazy enough to accept one,” Baekhyun joked. Krystal laughed and shook her head.
“I don’t know how you managed to convince me to befriend your hyper buddies,” she said under her breath to Sehun, who sat next to her.
“I’m persistent, remember?” he said.
Krystal rolled her eyes. “Right,” she said. “Genetics. I remember.”
“You know you want to sit with us,” Sehun stated. “We may be obnoxious, but we’re so much more fun than Song Qian and her clones.”
“I hate to say it, but you’re right,” she admitted. “But hey, just because I've agreed to sit with you guys at school doesn't mean we’re suddenly the best of pals. You've still got to earn my friendship.”
“I won’t have any problems with that,” Sehun said. “After my tour of the city you’ll be so amazed by my wonderful intelligence and talent that you’ll regret not making me your best friend sooner.”
Krystal scoffed. “You’re so full of shit,” she said.
Sehun smiled. “Yet another thing we have in common,” he countered.
The way he had her figured out so well made her spine tingle. Maybe being best friends with him would be interesting. She’d have to find out.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
Krystal quickly learned a lot about the five boys she’d agreed to sit with for the next few months. She already knew that Sehun was the outgoing one. It wasn’t long before she found out that Jongin was the loyal one, Baekhyun the funny one, Kyungsoo the smart one, and Chanyeol the video game junkie. They were all pretty dorky, and they were more than just a little obnoxious, but they were nice. And they were cute.
They were cute as in…sort of adorable. None of them were really hot, per se, just, well, charming. (Except maybe Jongin, but even if you thought he was hot, the minute he opened up his mouth you changed your mind.) She enjoyed hanging out with them more than she thought she would.
“So, I ordered my copy of Black Ops 2. Once it comes in the mail one of you guys have to play co-op campaign with me all the way through. Who’s it gonna be?” Chanyeol asked one day at the lunch table.
“Me! Actually, I take that back. I vote Krystal,” Baekhyun said.
“What?” She had no idea what Black Ops 2 was. She figured it was a video game of some sort, since that seemed to be all Chanyeol ever talked about.
“You want to play, Jung? It’s fun. Trust me.”
“I don’t think she’ll be able to play all the way through without getting bored,” Jongin laughed. “You better just let Baekhyun play with you.”
“No,” Chanyeol whined. “Baek is a glory hog and a backseat driver. He’s the worst person to play cooperative story modes with because he never listens to what I have to say.”
Baekhyun shrugged. “I can’t help it if you don’t know what you’re doing half the time,” he said.
“Kyungsoo-ah, you play,” Chanyeol begged.
Kyungsoo lifted his head from behind the thick book he was immersed in. “Huh?” he asked. “Oh, no thanks.”
Chanyeol continued to whine and Jongin continued to laugh at him for the next five minutes while Krystal zoned out. Sehun was up in the library printing something out for a homework assignment, and she still wasn't as close with the other boys as she was with him, so she didn't contribute much. It wasn't until the weather was brought up that she made an effort to chime in.
“Wow, it’s actually really nice out today,” Baekhyun commented. “I guess monsoon season is basically over.” Krystal looked out the window, a bright smile on her face, and saw that it was indeed a nice day. It was cold, but the sky was clear and there wasn't a drop of rain in sight.
“Yes!” she shouted. “Thank the lord!”
Jongin gave her this incredulous look and Baekhyun just stared. Kyungsoo continued reading his book. Chanyeol smiled.
“Why are you so excited?” Jongin asked. “Oh, yeah. You have this weird aversion to any type of weather other than boring and mild.”
“I do not,” she protested. “I just hate the humidity and the rain. It’s annoying and gross.”
“See, that’s where we get confused,” Chanyeol said. “If it’s nice out, then you’re forced to actually get up and do something. But if it’s raining, you can just stay inside and play video games all day.”
Krystal rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t play video games,” she said. “And I’m not quite as lazy as you boys are. I actually like going outside. That is, if it’s dry.”
Baekhyun shrugged. “We can’t help it,” he said. “We’re Seoul boys, born and raised. The rain is what we’re used to at this time of year. We've grown to love it.”
“Well, Chuckles is a Seoul boy and he doesn't love rain. He hates it, just like me,” Krystal stated. “So there.” She had to resist the urge to stick out her tongue. Hanging out with the guys so much was bringing out her childish side.
“Chuckles?” The confusion on Jongin’s face was clear. “Oh, you mean Sehun. I forgot you guys have weird pet names for each other. But anyway,” he ignored the protesting look on Krystal’s face, “he doesn't hate the rain. He loves it more than any of us.”
It was Krystal’s turn to be confused. Oh Sehun didn't love the rain - he hated it. That was why he was always carrying that umbrella. That was why whenever she was walking to the bus stop, or to the store, or to anywhere and she would run into him (which was a lot lately; it seemed that everywhere she went he was there, too), he’d be under that yellow umbrella of his. And then, if they weren't in a hurry, he would offer to share with her and they would walk and talk and stay dry together, because they hated the rain. It was what they did.
“What? No he doesn't,” Krystal said. What Jongin said made no sense. If Sehun didn't hate rain, why did he own that god-awful umbrella? And why did he always have it with him? And why, pray tell, did he laugh whenever she complained about the bleak skies as if he knew and understood?
“Um, yeah, he does,” Baekhyun said. “I think we know him better than you do, Krystal.”
“But - ”
“Who are you guys talking about?” Sehun appeared from absolutely nowhere and took his seat next to Krystal. In one of his hands was a packet full of freshly printed papers and in the other he held a Mountain Dew. “Me?”
“Yeah, you,” Kyungsoo said, taking a brief break from his book to speak for the first time in a while.
“Oh,” Sehun smiled. “Cool. Am I allowed to ask why?”
“We were just telling poor little confused Krystal here that you love the rain,” Jongin said. “She is having a tough time grasping the concept.”
“Why?” Sehun turned to his new friend. “Because you hate it so much? I have a tough time grasping that concept. The rain is so pure and…invigorating. How could you not love it?”
Krystal gaped. “So Jongin wasn't lying? You really do love rain?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Sehun said with a nod. “The fact that I sort of hate arid, desert-like weather probably helps a bit. The dry heat makes me cranky.”
“It’s true,” said Baekhyun. “The five of us went to Mexico once over summer break, and the whole time he wouldn't stop complaining about how much he was going to get sunburned and how much he hated - ”
“Then why do you carry around that umbrella all the time?” Krystal interrupted. Baekhyun sighed, as if he was used to being cut off. Jongin snickered at this.
His answer was simple. “In case I run into you,” he shrugged.
He had said it so casually, as if it meant nothing, but Krystal couldn't help but feel differently. If he really did carry that umbrella around just for her, then that meant…what did it mean? That he liked her? Or that he was just a really nice person? She didn't know, but it made her blush none-the-less.
Krystal wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she stayed quiet. Sehun flashed her one of his gorgeous smiles and stole one of the french-fries off of her plate.
Krystal ignored Jongin’s fake gagging and Chanyeol’s sly smile as best she could, and all the while kept telling herself that Sehun was probably just being extra hospitable towards the new girl.
Yeah, hospitality. That was it.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
As soon as she found out Sehun had been carrying that stupid thing around just for her benefit, she went out and bought her own umbrella.
It was pink, and it had flowers on it, and it folded up into a cute little travel case for easy transport. It was so much nicer than Sehun’s old thing and much more practical. Plus, this way, he wouldn't have to lug around that ugly hunk of metal and material anymore. He did love the rain, after all.
She didn't know why she was so peeved about the fact that he actually liked rain. Maybe she was stupid for not realizing it sooner, but he just never said anything about it so she just…assumed. She liked knowing things about him. It pissed her off that she had “known” wrong for so long.
Krystal walked silently down the sidewalk, pink umbrella over her head, bubble tea in hand. She had been walking around the city a lot lately. Even if the weather was crazy and unpredictable, their house was right up the hill from one of the biggest shopping districts in the area and she got bored easily. Plus, she almost always ran into Sehun (who lived in a cramped apartment with his mom and sister right smack dab in the middle of all the action) and found something to do while out.
Her father always told her to be careful, but it wasn't like she was going to get raped or mugged or anything. Sure, Seoul was sort of sketchy in some parts, but not the parts she was roaming around in and she never went out alone at night, like the stupid female leads in all those dramas. She wasn't that dumb.
That day, Krystal was finishing up her bubble tea and getting ready to go buy a new one when she heard a familiar (slightly lisped) voice. The tone in which it was speaking, however, was unfamiliar.
“What the hell is this?” Sehun exclaimed.
Krystal turned around to face him. He was sopping wet, probably because he wasn't actually using the umbrella he held at his waist, and he looked confused.
“What?” Krystal asked.
He made grand gestures with his hands, almost whacking himself in the face with his giant umbrella in the process. “Why do you have your own? I thought we were supposed to share!” He was referring to the umbrellas, of course.
Krystal shrugged. “You don’t have any use for an umbrella, and I hate to make you carry something around when you aren't going to use it, so I bought my own. Is that a problem?”
He frowned. “Yes,” he said. He stealthily and quickly snatched the pink flowery contraption from Krystal’s hands, closed it, stuffed it in his back pocket, and covered the protesting teen girl’s head with his umbrella instead. “Much better.”
“What the - Chuckles, give that back. It was twenty thousand won!”
“Twenty thousand won? Why would you pay so much for a stupid umbrella?”
“Because I needed one,” she explained. “Duh.”
“You don’t need one,” Sehun said. “You have mine. And you don’t even really need that; you could just walk in the rain like a normal person.”
“Um, just so you know, that’s not normal. At least not where I’m from,” Krystal rolled her eyes. “Why do you care so much, anyway? Why won’t you just let me use my own umbrella?”
“I think it’s pretty obvious,” Sehun stated. “I want to share with you.”
“But why?”
“Because I like you, Krys. As more than a friend. I’m pretty sure you figured that out already,” he said.
Krystal blushed. She had guessed that he felt something for her that went deeper than friendship, but she hadn't wanted to acknowledge it because she wasn't sure if she felt the same way. Sehun was great, sure, but…he was part of her new life. And she was supposed to hate everything about moving to Korea.
When she didn't say anything, Sehun sighed and continued. “And I’m pretty sure you like me too,” he said, looking her straight in the eye. Boy, he sure was confident.
That pissed her off. She ripped the yellow umbrella from his hands and stalked a few feet away angrily. “Well, you’re wrong,” she said. Her voice wavered a little on that last word. Was he wrong?
Sehun frowned. “Am I really?” he asked, stepping closer to her. “Well, that’s too bad.”
She had a feeling he didn't believe her. Krystal whipped around so that she was facing him. “It is too bad, because you’re really nice but I don’t like you that way. Come on, Oh Sehun, whatever gave you that impression? I hate everything about this place. I hate that there’s no mild days; I hate the rain, I hate - ”
He wasn't listening. He decided to cut her off by swooping down and pressing his lips to hers, causing her to drop the umbrella. She responded by standing with her lips against his for a split second before she pushed him away.
“What are you doing?” she asked, embarrassed.
“Trying to change your opinion on the rain,” he shrugged casually. “Well, that and your opinion of me.”
She stared at him. “Well it’s not working,” she huffed.
“Really?” Sehun asked, brows furrowed. “Most girls would kill to be kissed in the rain. Let me try again.”
“What, Sehun - ”
He kissed her again, softly. “Is it working now?” he asked, that stunning smile dancing across his face.
She shook her head. “No,” she whispered. It was a little hard to breathe with him so close to her. Plus, she didn't want to admit it, but his evil scheme was kind of effective.
“Hmm.” She should have known he would do what he did next. He was known for being persistent, after all. He kissed her for a third time, this time harder. “Now?”
When Sehun still didn't respond, he stuck to his mantra: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Another kiss. “Now?” Kiss. “Now?” Kiss. “How ‘bout now?”
“Sehun,” she groaned in irritation. She was losing will power. If he tried anything more she’d probably give in, and she didn't want to lose that easily.
He mistook her moan for one of pleasure (or did he?) and kissed her once more, a real kiss this time, causing her stomach to do flips and her heart to pound. This time, she couldn't bring herself to pull away.
When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead on hers and nuzzled their noses together a little. “Did it work?” he asked excitedly, as if he were a young child asking if his toy was fixed.
Krystal reddened. “…I still hate the rain,” she murmured.
Sehun laughed wrapped his arms around her. She hesitantly snuggled into his chest.
“Let’s go on that tour now, shall we?”
pairing: sehun/krystal
genre: fluff/romance, au
words: ~6100
summary: krystal hates monsoon season. too many wet days, she thinks. not enough dry ones. but sehun, he loves the rain - he says dry heat makes him cranky. "then why do you always carry around that umbrella?" she asks. "in case i run into you."
notes: ...so this actually started out as an original oneshot that i wrote a while ago, but i liked it enough to want to rewrite it and change around the names to make it a fanfic. >.> it's my first attempt at anything like this so i hope it's alright!!
She hated the rain.
It was depressing, really. The dark clouds, the rumbling thunder, the steady stream of water falling from the sky that messed up her carefully curled hair - it made her feel really crappy. That was why she loved living in California, where, for the most part, it didn't rain too often. And when it did, she just stayed inside. It was simple. It worked. She liked it.
So it was really too bad when, right in the middle of monsoon season, her father decided he wanted to “experience his ancestors’ culture.” Before she knew it, her entire family was being forced to move across the globe to the capitol of extreme weather - Seoul, South Korea.
“It’s not as bad as you think it is,” people would always tell her. “Sure, it’s really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter, but don’t worry,” they’d say. “It’ll be a good excuse to buy some cute rain boots.”
But she didn’t want to buy rain boots, even if they were cute. She wanted to stay in California, with her friends and her school and her steady weather.
Unfortunately, she didn't get much of a say in the matter.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
“Krystal, you’re going to be late,” her mother chastised. “Quit sulking and get moving.”
The eighteen-year-old sighed heavily. It was the day that would forever be remembered as “The First Day of Hell” - also known as day one at her new school.
It wasn't fair. It was her senior year; she wasn't allowed to be uprooted. She was supposed to be spending the last eight months of high school with her best friends before they all went off to college, not 5600 miles away sucking up to Korean kids. It just sucked.
“Alright,” Krystal whined. She was not looking forward to her first day. She looked out the window and saw the heavy skies and the puddles of water on the ground and the raindrops running down the windowpane and groaned. It was so gross here.
She braced herself for the walk to the bus stop, which was right down the street from her house and a mere twenty yards away. But to Krystal Jung, it didn't matter how long (or short) of a distance it was, she would still have to walk through the sticky hot rain to get there.
And that wasn't even the worst part - she had to ride the city bus. Their family was too poor after the move to be able to afford more than one car, and her father drove that to work. Her mom was a housewife, which probably contributed to their lack of money, and that left Krystal to take the bus to school.
Sighing, she grabbed her abnormally large purse (which she used in place of a backpack; backpacks were tacky), opened the door, and sprinted to the bus stop.
Seconds later, the bus arrived. She clambered onto it, took a seat in the corner, pulled out her cell phone so she could text her friends in California, and grumbled to herself until she had arrived at Seoul Public High School.
And thus began the worst day of her life.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
It wasn't really all that bad, thinking back on it. By the time a few weeks had passed, Krystal was used to her new classes. She was even growing accustomed to speaking Korean instead of English, and was pleased to find that her accent wasn't too heavy. She had made a few acquaintances, but nobody she could really call a “friend.”
It hadn't rained so much as just the air getting really humid, but it still sucked. If anything, it was worse - she didn't see the point in humidity at all. If it was going to be sunny, then why did it have to feel like the air was suffocating her at the same time? It made no sense.
One wet September morning, Krystal was running especially late to her first period. The bus had broken down a few blocks from the school, and while many people had gotten off and walked the rest of the way to their destinations, she would rather just sit and wait in the busted bus than brave the muggy downpour.
That was a stupid decision on Krystal’s part, because it turned out that she had to run in the rain to get from the bus stop to the school, anyway. The binder she held over her head for protection didn't really help, the flats she had worn that day were soaked and hard to run in, and she was eleven minutes late.
She burst into her Calculus class, breathing heavily, attracting attention from every side of the room.
“Sorry I’m late,” she breathed. The teacher gave her a stern look and she took her seat. She had a feeling that she was going to be marked absent anyway, since generally being more than ten minutes tardy counted as being truant. “Damn rain,” she mumbled.
The boy sitting next to her heard her curse the weather and snickered.
“What?” she snapped at him.
He didn't recoil or frown or any of that, like most people did when Krystal bitched at them for no reason. Instead, he smiled. “You don’t like the rain?” he asked, brown eyes twinkling.
“No,” she said. “It ruins everything.”
“Then why do you live in monsoon central?” the boy inquired.
Krystal scowled. “I don’t know if you noticed,” she said. “But I’m new here. I’m not exactly used to all…this.” She gestured to her frizzy hair and soaking clothes and red face. She probably looked like a mess.
“I know you’re new,” he said. “You’re Krystal Jung, stubborn and perpetually angry with the world. I just didn't know you hated the rain so much.”
“Stub - what? I am not perpetually angry.”
The boy chuckled. “It sure seems that way,” he said.
“It’s just all this stupid contradictory weather that gets me frustrated. And how do you know all this about me, anyway? Who exactly are you?” She had never spoken to him before. She never even spared him a glance, even though they apparently sat next to each other every morning.
“I’m Sehun,” he said with a grin. “Oh Sehun.”
“Well, Chuckles,” she said. Sehun raised his eyebrows at the nickname. “Just so you know, I may be stubborn, but I’m not always this angry. I promise.”
He laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
They had another class together, too. Fifth period Korean Government. Krystal had never noticed before, but Sehun sat in the seat to her immediate left. Apparently it was the doing of lazy teachers who arranged the seats by alphabetical order. 옿, 중. No wonder he knew her name.
“Upset because of the weather again, Krys?” Sehun asked one day in mid-October. The teacher was lecturing some kid in the back of the room for coming to class smelling like cigarettes.
She whipped her head to the side and glared. “No,” she said. He gave her a look. “Well, yes. But don’t call me that. You don’t know me.”
They had brief conversations every morning in math and every afternoon in history, but they weren't exactly the best of friends. All Sehun knew about Krystal was that she had an attitude and that she hated humid weather, and all Krystal knew about Sehun was that he was abnormally friendly and he had a pretty smile.
“You call me Chuckles,” Sehun pointed out. “So I should be allowed to call you whatever I want. And I don’t know you because you refuse to hang out with me.”
“I refuse to hang out with you because I don’t know you,” she countered. Sehun had asked her many times if she wanted to be his partner on various school projects, but she would always insist on doing it on her own. And once he even asked if she wanted to eat lunch with him, but she said no and sat with a group of preppy girls instead.
“Touché,” Sehun said. “But how do you expect to make friends if you don’t let anyone near you?”
“I don't need to make friends,” argued Krystal. “I have plenty back in San Francisco.”
“But this isn't San Francisco,” Sehun pointed out. “It's Seoul.”
Krystal rolled her light brown eyes. “I know that, unfortunately.”
Sehun observed the girl next to him for a moment. It wasn't even raining hard that day, just lightly showering, but she was still all in a huff. Come to think of it, he didn't remember a day where she wasn't upset about something. “At least let me walk you to your next class,” he said suddenly.
Krystal stared at him, a slight frown on her lips. “Why are you so persistent?” she asked.
The boy shrugged. “I just am. Genetics, I guess. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Why are you so persistent? Don’t try to say you aren't; that would only prove it further,” Sehun said.
Krystal reddened. How could this guy she barely knew be so comfortable with the new girl? “I just am,” she said, copying his answer.
Sehun grinned. The bell rang, signifying the end of class.
“Come on,” he said, standing up. “I'll walk you to Biology.”
How he knew her schedule, she had no idea, but it was sort of sweet so she agreed and went with him anyway.
He was pleased.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
“Krys!”
Krystal turned around, searching for the voice. It was a Saturday and she was in downtown Seoul, trying to find where her Dad’s car was parked so she could get home. It was, surprisingly, a fairly nice day out.
“Krystal!”
Finally, she spotted Oh Sehun, jogging and waving and smiling as he approached her.
“Chuckles?” She was a little surprised to be seeing him outside of school.
“Hi,” Sehun smiled. “What are you doing wandering the city by yourself?”
Krystal felt embarrassed. She didn't want to admit to him that she was sort of lost. “Uh,” she said. “I was shopping with my family, but my parents went to buy birthday presents and told my sister and me to stay away, but Jessica ran off mumbling something about a hot guy.”
“So…you were ditched.”
“Pretty much,” Krystal sighed. “And I looked around on my own for a while, but we were supposed to meet back at the car at three, and it’s…2:49 and I don’t remember where we parked.”
Sehun couldn’t help it. He laughed.
Krystal frowned. And to make matters worse, a small drop of water landed on her nose. The look of horror on her face caused Sehun to laugh even harder. “Great! Now it’s drizzling, too. I hate my life,” she pouted.
Sehun rolled his eyes. “You’re such a drama queen,” he said. “I’ll help you find your car. Was it in a garage or parked on the street?”
She was grateful for his friendliness at that moment, even if it was a little annoying how relentless he was. “The street,” Krystal said. It started to rain a little harder and she cringed.
“Alright,” Sehun said. “What kind of car? And do you remember what sorts of shops were around when you got out of it?”
Krystal sidestepped so that she was underneath an awning. It was better than standing out in the now harsh precipitation that made her skin crawl. Sehun shook his head and followed suit.
“It’s a dark red Acura MDX,” Krystal explained. “And I don’t remember what was around, except the bubble tea shop right across the street where I bought this.” She gestured to the drink she held in her hand.
“Well, that doesn't help much,” Sehun said. “There’s a bubble tea shop on pretty much every street. How far away was it?”
“I don’t know!” Krystal threw her hands up in frustration. “I don’t remember. What are you even doing here, anyway? Are you stalking me?”
“No,” Sehun said. “I happen to live two blocks down. Now come on, let’s just start looking around. If you see anything familiar let me know, okay?”
Krystal said nothing but began walking alongside him, anyway. She wasn't happy with the rain beating down on her, but Sehun was nice enough to notice and gave her his big jacket to hold over her head.
“I don't have an umbrella with me,” he said. “Otherwise I’d lend you that. I didn't think it was going to rain today.”
“Me either. Otherwise I never would've agreed to go out.”
“You're never going to get used to it here, are you?”
She shook her head.
“You know it’s not so bad once you get to know the place. I’ll have to show you around sometime,” Sehun said casually.
Krystal looked at him, perplexed. Was he offering to give her a tour of the city? They barely even knew each other! “You mean like visiting all the palaces and Namsan Tower and the World Cup Stadium? Because my Dad already made us do all that crap, and it wasn't that fun,” she said.
“No, not that,” Sehun said with a laugh. “That’s touristy stuff. I’ll take you to all the real cool places in Seoul.”
Krystal snorted. “Okay, if you say so,” she said. “Hey! I think that’s my dad over there!”
She broke into a run and started waving frantically at her family. Her sister stood stoically in the rain, getting soaked, while her mother was sitting in the car and her father was under an umbrella, beckoning at her.
“There you are,” her father yelled over the wind. “Why haven't you been answering your phone?”
“I’m sorry,” Krystal said as she caught her breath. She came to a stop in front of her sister, and Sehun nearly collided with her because she halted so suddenly. “I left my phone at home so it could charge.”
“Well, we have to go; you have an appointment in twenty minutes,” Mr. Jung stated. He then seemed to notice his daughter’s companion. “And who is this young man?” he asked curiously.
“What? Oh,” Krystal said. She was still using his jacket as a hood. “This is Ch - Sehun. He’s in my math class. He helped me find our parking spot.”
“I see,” her father said. “Well, thank you for showing my helpless daughter around, Sehun, but we’ve got to go now. Say goodbye, Krystal. Jessica, get in the car.”
Jessica stopped staring into space and climbed into the vehicle. Krystal blushed slightly at the tone her father was using with her and gave Sehun back his jacket.
“See you,” she said.
“Bye,” Sehun grinned. Krystal got in the car and her family began to pull out of the parking space. “And hey, don’t forget about our plans!” he shouted after the moving vehicle. “You're going to get that tour whether you like it or not!”
Krystal would've stuck her head out the window and yelled back but it was raining and she didn’t want to get wet. Instead, she just sat in her seat and shook her head with a smile.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
The entire senior class was going on a fieldtrip.
It was November, and it was raining, and it was seven thirty in the morning. Krystal, exhausted after a poor night’s sleep, tumbled off the school bus and joined the group of girls she’d come to be acquainted with as they started walking around the market.
There were three of them, and they were all a bit annoying. Qian was talkative and material and cared only about herself; Sunyoung was sweet but unnecessarily cheerful all the time, and Jinri was quiet but judgmental and seemed to hate everyone who wasn't as pretty as she was.
Krystal only hung out with them because she didn't want to seem like a loser with no friends. They didn't really pay much attention to her, but she didn't mind. At least they let her sit with them at lunch and walk with them to classes and hang out with them on field trips.
The girls talked loudly and walked around the kiosks they’d probably seen a thousand times having grown up in the city and Krystal walked alongside them, silently surveying the different displays. An hour into the trip, the group got bored of the area they were in and migrated out into the open, where a large fountain was set up and several young kids were running around. There were even some interesting looking buildings a few blocks down, and it looked like there was some sort of festival going on there.
Krystal would've loved to get a better look around, but it was raining and the girls seemed to only want to sit on the grass and gossip. They didn't appear to be the least bit unsettled by the water pouring from the sky.
She didn't want to sit in the damp grass, so she stood next to Qian and company instead, occasionally contributing to the conversation but mostly just zoning out and wishing it would stop raining. She was listening in on Sunyoung’s ramble about some soccer player when suddenly an umbrella was over her head.
“In need of assistance, milady?” Oh Sehun bowed.
Krystal turned to him with eyebrows raised. “What?” she asked, amused.
Her “friends” noticed Sehun's arrival, but continued their conversation after giving him one shameful glance. It seemed that they did not deem him worthy of their attention.
“You looked bored and aggravated,” he said with a grin, completely disregarding the trio of girls’ cold attitudes. “I came to rescue you. Want to hang out with me and my friends?” Sehun looked behind him at a group of teenage boys. They were jeering and laughing and making kissy faces in the pair’s direction.
Krystal didn't particularly want to hang out with them. “They look kind of…obnoxious,” she said.
“Yeah,” Sehun shrugged. “They are. But I have an umbrella!” He wiggled the contraption to emphasize his point, causing rain drops to splash off the sides and hit him in the face.
Krystal laughed. “Looks like you need it more than I do,” she said.
Sehun looked at her curiously. “Oh, really? I'll just take this back then - ”
“No, wait!” Her death grip on the umbrella was terrifying. “Please let me use it.”
The boy chuckled. “We’ll just have to share,” he said as he ducked under the umbrella, his shoulder brushing hers. Krystal blushed slightly at his close proximity, not because she liked him or anything but simply because he seemed so comfortable with the physical contact. “You sure you don’t want to stay with your…friends?” Sehun asked.
Krystal looked back at Qian and Sunyoung and Jinri, sitting there on the grass chatting about hot guys. They didn't even seem to care that she wasn't joining in on their conversation.
“I’m sure,” she said with a sigh. Maybe hanging out with obnoxious eighteen year old boys wouldn't be as bad as hanging out with bitchy eighteen year old girls.
Sehun grinned and pulled the umbrella (and with it, Krystal) towards his friends.
“Gentlemen, I bring you Krystal Jung,” Sehun introduced with a flourish. His friends, all four of them, snickered and stared at the girl before them.
“Oh, so you’re the new girl that Sehunnie- ” A hand was slapped over the dark boy’s mouth. After a second of surprise, he ripped Sehun’s arm away and laughed. “Dude, relax, I was just going to say has calc and gov with,” the boy said.
“Sure you were,” Sehun said, wiping his hand on his jeans. “Krys, this is Jongin.”
The boy with the bronze skin smiled and held out his hand for her to shake. She took it, surprised by his politeness.
“Wow,” Jongin said, taking notice of her fingernails. “A French manicure. This girl is something else, isn’t she? Not your usual type, Oh- ”
“And these guys are Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol,” Sehun cut off his best friend completely. Jongin frowned and Krystal laughed.
A boy with round eyes and full lips, another with shaggy hair and a boyish smile, and a ridiculously tall blonde all greeted her with an enthusiastic grin and a handshake, leaving her very confused. Since when were teenage boys so nice?
“Nice to meet you,” she said.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
Krystal spent the entire rest of the day with Sehun and the boys, and surprisingly, she had fun. The fieldtrip itself was sort of a waste of time (nobody really knew the real purpose of the trip), but it was preferred over doing actual schoolwork. After the long day of running around the city attached to Sehun and his yellow umbrella, Krystal was convinced to sit with them during lunch for the rest of the school year.
“You better not back out on your pinky promise,” Jongin threatened on the bus back to the high school. “You’re the only girl cool enough to get an invitation to sit with us.”
“More like the only girl crazy enough to accept one,” Baekhyun joked. Krystal laughed and shook her head.
“I don’t know how you managed to convince me to befriend your hyper buddies,” she said under her breath to Sehun, who sat next to her.
“I’m persistent, remember?” he said.
Krystal rolled her eyes. “Right,” she said. “Genetics. I remember.”
“You know you want to sit with us,” Sehun stated. “We may be obnoxious, but we’re so much more fun than Song Qian and her clones.”
“I hate to say it, but you’re right,” she admitted. “But hey, just because I've agreed to sit with you guys at school doesn't mean we’re suddenly the best of pals. You've still got to earn my friendship.”
“I won’t have any problems with that,” Sehun said. “After my tour of the city you’ll be so amazed by my wonderful intelligence and talent that you’ll regret not making me your best friend sooner.”
Krystal scoffed. “You’re so full of shit,” she said.
Sehun smiled. “Yet another thing we have in common,” he countered.
The way he had her figured out so well made her spine tingle. Maybe being best friends with him would be interesting. She’d have to find out.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
Krystal quickly learned a lot about the five boys she’d agreed to sit with for the next few months. She already knew that Sehun was the outgoing one. It wasn’t long before she found out that Jongin was the loyal one, Baekhyun the funny one, Kyungsoo the smart one, and Chanyeol the video game junkie. They were all pretty dorky, and they were more than just a little obnoxious, but they were nice. And they were cute.
They were cute as in…sort of adorable. None of them were really hot, per se, just, well, charming. (Except maybe Jongin, but even if you thought he was hot, the minute he opened up his mouth you changed your mind.) She enjoyed hanging out with them more than she thought she would.
“So, I ordered my copy of Black Ops 2. Once it comes in the mail one of you guys have to play co-op campaign with me all the way through. Who’s it gonna be?” Chanyeol asked one day at the lunch table.
“Me! Actually, I take that back. I vote Krystal,” Baekhyun said.
“What?” She had no idea what Black Ops 2 was. She figured it was a video game of some sort, since that seemed to be all Chanyeol ever talked about.
“You want to play, Jung? It’s fun. Trust me.”
“I don’t think she’ll be able to play all the way through without getting bored,” Jongin laughed. “You better just let Baekhyun play with you.”
“No,” Chanyeol whined. “Baek is a glory hog and a backseat driver. He’s the worst person to play cooperative story modes with because he never listens to what I have to say.”
Baekhyun shrugged. “I can’t help it if you don’t know what you’re doing half the time,” he said.
“Kyungsoo-ah, you play,” Chanyeol begged.
Kyungsoo lifted his head from behind the thick book he was immersed in. “Huh?” he asked. “Oh, no thanks.”
Chanyeol continued to whine and Jongin continued to laugh at him for the next five minutes while Krystal zoned out. Sehun was up in the library printing something out for a homework assignment, and she still wasn't as close with the other boys as she was with him, so she didn't contribute much. It wasn't until the weather was brought up that she made an effort to chime in.
“Wow, it’s actually really nice out today,” Baekhyun commented. “I guess monsoon season is basically over.” Krystal looked out the window, a bright smile on her face, and saw that it was indeed a nice day. It was cold, but the sky was clear and there wasn't a drop of rain in sight.
“Yes!” she shouted. “Thank the lord!”
Jongin gave her this incredulous look and Baekhyun just stared. Kyungsoo continued reading his book. Chanyeol smiled.
“Why are you so excited?” Jongin asked. “Oh, yeah. You have this weird aversion to any type of weather other than boring and mild.”
“I do not,” she protested. “I just hate the humidity and the rain. It’s annoying and gross.”
“See, that’s where we get confused,” Chanyeol said. “If it’s nice out, then you’re forced to actually get up and do something. But if it’s raining, you can just stay inside and play video games all day.”
Krystal rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t play video games,” she said. “And I’m not quite as lazy as you boys are. I actually like going outside. That is, if it’s dry.”
Baekhyun shrugged. “We can’t help it,” he said. “We’re Seoul boys, born and raised. The rain is what we’re used to at this time of year. We've grown to love it.”
“Well, Chuckles is a Seoul boy and he doesn't love rain. He hates it, just like me,” Krystal stated. “So there.” She had to resist the urge to stick out her tongue. Hanging out with the guys so much was bringing out her childish side.
“Chuckles?” The confusion on Jongin’s face was clear. “Oh, you mean Sehun. I forgot you guys have weird pet names for each other. But anyway,” he ignored the protesting look on Krystal’s face, “he doesn't hate the rain. He loves it more than any of us.”
It was Krystal’s turn to be confused. Oh Sehun didn't love the rain - he hated it. That was why he was always carrying that umbrella. That was why whenever she was walking to the bus stop, or to the store, or to anywhere and she would run into him (which was a lot lately; it seemed that everywhere she went he was there, too), he’d be under that yellow umbrella of his. And then, if they weren't in a hurry, he would offer to share with her and they would walk and talk and stay dry together, because they hated the rain. It was what they did.
“What? No he doesn't,” Krystal said. What Jongin said made no sense. If Sehun didn't hate rain, why did he own that god-awful umbrella? And why did he always have it with him? And why, pray tell, did he laugh whenever she complained about the bleak skies as if he knew and understood?
“Um, yeah, he does,” Baekhyun said. “I think we know him better than you do, Krystal.”
“But - ”
“Who are you guys talking about?” Sehun appeared from absolutely nowhere and took his seat next to Krystal. In one of his hands was a packet full of freshly printed papers and in the other he held a Mountain Dew. “Me?”
“Yeah, you,” Kyungsoo said, taking a brief break from his book to speak for the first time in a while.
“Oh,” Sehun smiled. “Cool. Am I allowed to ask why?”
“We were just telling poor little confused Krystal here that you love the rain,” Jongin said. “She is having a tough time grasping the concept.”
“Why?” Sehun turned to his new friend. “Because you hate it so much? I have a tough time grasping that concept. The rain is so pure and…invigorating. How could you not love it?”
Krystal gaped. “So Jongin wasn't lying? You really do love rain?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Sehun said with a nod. “The fact that I sort of hate arid, desert-like weather probably helps a bit. The dry heat makes me cranky.”
“It’s true,” said Baekhyun. “The five of us went to Mexico once over summer break, and the whole time he wouldn't stop complaining about how much he was going to get sunburned and how much he hated - ”
“Then why do you carry around that umbrella all the time?” Krystal interrupted. Baekhyun sighed, as if he was used to being cut off. Jongin snickered at this.
His answer was simple. “In case I run into you,” he shrugged.
He had said it so casually, as if it meant nothing, but Krystal couldn't help but feel differently. If he really did carry that umbrella around just for her, then that meant…what did it mean? That he liked her? Or that he was just a really nice person? She didn't know, but it made her blush none-the-less.
Krystal wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she stayed quiet. Sehun flashed her one of his gorgeous smiles and stole one of the french-fries off of her plate.
Krystal ignored Jongin’s fake gagging and Chanyeol’s sly smile as best she could, and all the while kept telling herself that Sehun was probably just being extra hospitable towards the new girl.
Yeah, hospitality. That was it.
*✲ﾟ*｡⋆*
As soon as she found out Sehun had been carrying that stupid thing around just for her benefit, she went out and bought her own umbrella.
It was pink, and it had flowers on it, and it folded up into a cute little travel case for easy transport. It was so much nicer than Sehun’s old thing and much more practical. Plus, this way, he wouldn't have to lug around that ugly hunk of metal and material anymore. He did love the rain, after all.
She didn't know why she was so peeved about the fact that he actually liked rain. Maybe she was stupid for not realizing it sooner, but he just never said anything about it so she just…assumed. She liked knowing things about him. It pissed her off that she had “known” wrong for so long.
Krystal walked silently down the sidewalk, pink umbrella over her head, bubble tea in hand. She had been walking around the city a lot lately. Even if the weather was crazy and unpredictable, their house was right up the hill from one of the biggest shopping districts in the area and she got bored easily. Plus, she almost always ran into Sehun (who lived in a cramped apartment with his mom and sister right smack dab in the middle of all the action) and found something to do while out.
Her father always told her to be careful, but it wasn't like she was going to get raped or mugged or anything. Sure, Seoul was sort of sketchy in some parts, but not the parts she was roaming around in and she never went out alone at night, like the stupid female leads in all those dramas. She wasn't that dumb.
That day, Krystal was finishing up her bubble tea and getting ready to go buy a new one when she heard a familiar (slightly lisped) voice. The tone in which it was speaking, however, was unfamiliar.
“What the hell is this?” Sehun exclaimed.
Krystal turned around to face him. He was sopping wet, probably because he wasn't actually using the umbrella he held at his waist, and he looked confused.
“What?” Krystal asked.
He made grand gestures with his hands, almost whacking himself in the face with his giant umbrella in the process. “Why do you have your own? I thought we were supposed to share!” He was referring to the umbrellas, of course.
Krystal shrugged. “You don’t have any use for an umbrella, and I hate to make you carry something around when you aren't going to use it, so I bought my own. Is that a problem?”
He frowned. “Yes,” he said. He stealthily and quickly snatched the pink flowery contraption from Krystal’s hands, closed it, stuffed it in his back pocket, and covered the protesting teen girl’s head with his umbrella instead. “Much better.”
“What the - Chuckles, give that back. It was twenty thousand won!”
“Twenty thousand won? Why would you pay so much for a stupid umbrella?”
“Because I needed one,” she explained. “Duh.”
“You don’t need one,” Sehun said. “You have mine. And you don’t even really need that; you could just walk in the rain like a normal person.”
“Um, just so you know, that’s not normal. At least not where I’m from,” Krystal rolled her eyes. “Why do you care so much, anyway? Why won’t you just let me use my own umbrella?”
“I think it’s pretty obvious,” Sehun stated. “I want to share with you.”
“But why?”
“Because I like you, Krys. As more than a friend. I’m pretty sure you figured that out already,” he said.
Krystal blushed. She had guessed that he felt something for her that went deeper than friendship, but she hadn't wanted to acknowledge it because she wasn't sure if she felt the same way. Sehun was great, sure, but…he was part of her new life. And she was supposed to hate everything about moving to Korea.
When she didn't say anything, Sehun sighed and continued. “And I’m pretty sure you like me too,” he said, looking her straight in the eye. Boy, he sure was confident.
That pissed her off. She ripped the yellow umbrella from his hands and stalked a few feet away angrily. “Well, you’re wrong,” she said. Her voice wavered a little on that last word. Was he wrong?
Sehun frowned. “Am I really?” he asked, stepping closer to her. “Well, that’s too bad.”
She had a feeling he didn't believe her. Krystal whipped around so that she was facing him. “It is too bad, because you’re really nice but I don’t like you that way. Come on, Oh Sehun, whatever gave you that impression? I hate everything about this place. I hate that there’s no mild days; I hate the rain, I hate - ”
He wasn't listening. He decided to cut her off by swooping down and pressing his lips to hers, causing her to drop the umbrella. She responded by standing with her lips against his for a split second before she pushed him away.
“What are you doing?” she asked, embarrassed.
“Trying to change your opinion on the rain,” he shrugged casually. “Well, that and your opinion of me.”
She stared at him. “Well it’s not working,” she huffed.
“Really?” Sehun asked, brows furrowed. “Most girls would kill to be kissed in the rain. Let me try again.”
“What, Sehun - ”
He kissed her again, softly. “Is it working now?” he asked, that stunning smile dancing across his face.
She shook her head. “No,” she whispered. It was a little hard to breathe with him so close to her. Plus, she didn't want to admit it, but his evil scheme was kind of effective.
“Hmm.” She should have known he would do what he did next. He was known for being persistent, after all. He kissed her for a third time, this time harder. “Now?”
When Sehun still didn't respond, he stuck to his mantra: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Another kiss. “Now?” Kiss. “Now?” Kiss. “How ‘bout now?”
“Sehun,” she groaned in irritation. She was losing will power. If he tried anything more she’d probably give in, and she didn't want to lose that easily.
He mistook her moan for one of pleasure (or did he?) and kissed her once more, a real kiss this time, causing her stomach to do flips and her heart to pound. This time, she couldn't bring herself to pull away.
When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead on hers and nuzzled their noses together a little. “Did it work?” he asked excitedly, as if he were a young child asking if his toy was fixed.
Krystal reddened. “…I still hate the rain,” she murmured.
Sehun laughed wrapped his arms around her. She hesitantly snuggled into his chest.
“Let’s go on that tour now, shall we?”