The sky outside Aera's window was painted in gentle blue and gold, the kind of early summer light that made everything feel a little slower, a little softer.
She sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, a light sketchbook resting on her knees. The page was meant to be for the rain project - a brainstorm, a story idea - but somehow, without really noticing, she'd drawn a figure. A boy, sitting by a window with an umbrella resting beside him. His eyes were downturned, thoughtful.
She blinked.
"…Oh."
It looked strangely like Daewon.
Before she could overthink it, a soft knock came at her door.
"Aera, you want some snacks?" her brother called. "You've been in there forever."
"I'm okay!" she replied quickly, flipping to a new page.
But before her brother walked away, he added, "Midterms are coming soon. Don't stay up too late."
She smiled faintly. "I know."
A little while later, her phone buzzed.
[Kang Daewon]
Hey. Mr. Seo said we need to make real progress by Monday.
Can we meet somewhere tomorrow?
Aera hesitated for a moment before replying.
[Yoo Aera]
Sure. Library near school? Around 2?
His reply came a few seconds later.
[Kang Daewon]
Yeah. I'll be there.
She stared at the screen a moment longer, before slowly setting it down.
The next day, Daewon arrived at the library ten minutes early, nervously fidgeting with a small paper bag in his hand. He almost didn't bring it - it was silly, maybe even childish - but he did anyway.
Inside the bag was a tiny eraser shaped like a blue raindrop.
He spotted Aera at a corner table, already setting up her notebook. She looked up and smiled lightly when she saw him.
"You're early," she said.
"So are you," he replied, taking the seat across from her.
They worked quietly for a while, papers scattered between them as they jotted down ideas and pieced together the story they'd agreed on - a quiet tale about a rainy afternoon that brought two people together.
At some point, Daewon cleared his throat.
"Hey… I, uh - here." He pushed the small paper bag toward her.
Aera blinked. "What's this?"
"Just a… little thing. It reminded me of our project."
She pulled out the tiny eraser and let out a small laugh - not teasing, but soft, like a secret.
"It's cute," she said. "Thanks."
And just like that, something invisible but warm settled between them.
As they packed up later, Aera stood up first, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"Same time next weekend?" she asked casually.
Daewon nodded, a little too quickly.
"Yeah. Definitely."
They stepped out into the fading daylight. The sun was dipping low, the air warm and still. They didn't walk the same way home, but they lingered a little longer than they needed to.
Aera gave a small wave. "See you Monday."
Daewon lifted his hand in return. "Yeah… see you."
And as she walked away, he smiled to himself, just a little.
Daewon kicked off his sneakers at the doorway and called out, "I'm home."
From the living room, a voice chirped back, "Oppa's back~!" His little sister, Kang Hari, bounded toward him in her pink hoodie, a mischievous grin already blooming on her face.
She narrowed her eyes playfully. "You smell like art room. Did you fall in love with a paintbrush or with someone holding it?"
Daewon groaned, slipping past her. "Don't start."
"Wait, wait," she teased, following behind. "Didn't you have a project today? Was it with a girl?"
Daewon tried to stay silent, but the way his ears turned pink betrayed him.
Hari gasped dramatically. "It is a girl! I knew it! Is she pretty? Do you like her?"
He turned around, pointing a spoon at her from the kitchen drawer. "Eat your snack and leave me alone."
Hari just giggled, grabbing a rice cracker. "You're blushing! You never blush. I'm telling Mom."
"You better not," Daewon mumbled, flustered but smiling despite himself.
Later, as the house quieted down and he finished his shower, Daewon lay in bed with his arms folded under his head, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts wandered back to the moment Aera laughed softly when she looked at his sketch. That brief glimpse of her smile felt... different. It stayed with him, tucked in like a folded note in the corner of his heart.
Across Haneul-dong, Aera stepped out of the shower, drying her hair with a towel. Her older brother, Yoo Jihoon, peeked into the hallway.
"You're late," he said. "Stayed at school?"
"Project," Aera replied quietly, padding to the kitchen to pour herself some warm barley tea.
Jihoon leaned against the fridge, watching her. "You seem... a bit lighter today."
She looked up at him with a small, confused smile. "Do I?"
"Yeah. I can always tell. Something good happen?"
Aera thought of the pencil sketch, the gentle way Daewon offered it without saying much. She imagined it tucked between her notebooks, safe and unseen.
"Just... school stuff," she said softly, sipping her tea.
Jihoon didn't press. He only smiled faintly and ruffled her damp hair on his way out. "Okay. Keep smiling like that. It suits you."
Aera watched the steam rise from her cup. Her heart felt warm. She didn't say it out loud, but in her chest, the memory of a boy sketching her in silence bloomed like a soft petal beneath rain.
That night, Daewon rolled over, reaching for his phone on the nightstand. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of his desk lamp and the hum of early summer insects outside the window. He opened LINE, thumb hovering uncertainly before tapping Aera's name.
She was online.
He typed, erased, then typed again.
Daewon:
Did you get home okay?
A few seconds later, the dots blinked. Typing.
Aera:
Yeah. You?
Daewon:
Mhm. My sister won't stop teasing me though.
Aera:
Teasing? About what?
He paused, grinned, then took the risk.
Daewon:
She thinks I have a crush on my project partner.
The dots paused. Then started. Stopped again.
Aera:
...Do you?
His heart jumped. He stared at the screen, suddenly feeling very warm under his blanket. Then he replied.
Daewon:
Maybe.
The dots didn't appear at first. His stomach twisted a little. But then -
Aera:
Tell her she might not be wrong then.
Daewon bolted upright in bed, eyes wide.
Daewon:
...Seriously?
Aera:
Seriously.
A long pause.
Daewon:
...Do you remember that day with the umbrella?
Aera:
Of course I do. You saw me.
Daewon:
I still do.
This time, the reply took longer. His chest beat like a quiet drum.
Aera:
I don't mind being seen. By you.
Daewon laid back down slowly, blinking up at the ceiling. His hand rested over his chest, trying to steady the strange flutter there.
They didn't say anything else after that.
But both fell asleep with a small, secret smile under the soft night sky of Haneul-dong, where the stars twinkled gently - like quiet promises.