The rain poured down endlessly for the whole night. Yu Jin’s eyes were still wide open as she cuddled her soft toy under her soft, warm blanket. She could not get to sleep even though she tossed and turned in her bed for hours.

How could she?

All the things pieced together perfectly but it was not a happy ending. Her father was involved in an affair and her mother was nothing but a third party – a person who destroyed someone else’s family. And that family belonged to her friend, Ki Kwang.

She propped herself up in a sitting position and hugged her legs together, burying her face in her knees in frustration. “Ki Kwang. He must have had it worse than I do. He must be suffering.” Yu Jin tilted her head and sighed.

She could not imagine the pain he had to endure after knowing his… or rather their father had meant to groom Yu Jin instead of him. Tired of all the drama, she left her bed and went over to her window. Despite the heavy rain, she decided to have some fresh air and opened it slightly.

The rain was still pouring heavily. She looked down while crossing her arms and noticed someone outside her house.

With a shocked expression, she shouted, “Ki Kwang, what are you doing there?”

“Yu Jin…” He whispered softly.

Yu Jin took her umbrella along the way and dashed out of her house without thinking. She ran down the stairs with care and stood before Ki Kwang who was drenched in the rain. His clothes and hair were absolutely damped.

She dared not imagine how long he had been standing here. She placed the umbrella in a way that it was fully protecting him from the rain. His expression was dull and pale. They stood in the rain for seconds before Yu Jin started reprimanding him, “Ki Kwang, are you crazy? Why are you standing in the rain like this? You will be ill!”

“Ill? Isn’t it better if I’m ill?” Ki Kwang said in a monotonous tone, “Then I will not have any strength to face this cruel world.”

Yu Jin’s expression turned soft as she felt guilty for yelling at him despite whatever had happened. The last thing he needed was a scolding. “What are you doing here? Do you have something to say to me?” Yu Jin asked tenderly and took his hand, “Ki Kwang, let’s go into my house in case you get sick…”

Ki Kwang gripped onto her hand forcefully and pulled her over into a sudden and tight embrace. Yu Jin was taken aback and dropped her umbrella onto the floor with her body in contact with his. Ki Kwang placed his arms over her and leaned his chin against her hair.

Yu Jin stayed motionless and thought to herself, he must have stayed in the rain for long. His body temperature was cold and he was slightly trembling under the heavy rain.

“Yu Jin,” He whispered her name again, “Stay this way for a while – just for a while.”

Yu Jin relaxed her muscles and closed her eyes. All she could do was to adhere to his little request.

Every rain drop felt like hard water pounding upon their skins with the thunder in the back drop. However, it felt peaceful and nice to be under the rain. A few minutes of silence were broken as Ki Kwang released the embrace and stared into Yu Jin’s eyes.

Yu Jin could not help but blush from his eye contact. She turned away shyly but Ki Kwang tilted her chin back, “Have you ever like me – just a little bit? Have you?”

Upon hearing his question, she had an answer in her heart. All the things Ki Kwang did for her and all the times they spent together were priceless and unforgettable. Even though Yo Seob was the love of her life, she could not deny Ki Kwang was there for her as well. Did Heaven allow them to meet because they were siblings? And to hint that Ki Kwang’s care for her was merely just sibling love?

“Ki Kwang, I’m your half-sister,” She put it across as gently as possible – even though her heart was breaking into pieces and she knew the words she said would break his as well.

Ki Kwang removed his hand away from her chin and his eyes deterred away from her face, as if he had expected such response from her, “Sister… Sister…”

“Would you blame if I did something that you will not approve of?” Ki Kwang asked her. Yu Jin was confused with his words. What was he talking about? He laughed in a mocking tone but it was sad to see, “You will hate me for it.”

He turned serious again.

“But then, you have never loved me in the first place anyway.”

Now, she was also completely drenched under the rain. Suddenly, the sky cleared up and the raindrops slowly decreased and turned to nothing. The last raindrop landed on Ki Kwang’s palm, “Loving you is like trying to catch the rain, don’t you think so?”

Yu Jin clenched her fists tightly and bit her lips. There was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him that a part of her belonged to him and he had a placed in her heart. She could not do so. She would have given him false hope yet again and she did not want his heart to suffer any longer.

He brushed away the raindrop and looked up in the sky, “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way.”

He hesitated for a moment and cupped her cheeks, “Can you smile for me?”

Ki Kwang captivated her heart by giving his signature eye-smile. Yu Jin did not say a word but to give him a genuine smile back. She could not resist giving him one after seeing his smile.

“I may not see this smile ever again.” Ki Kwang commented.

“Ki Kwang, what are you saying? I don’t understand…” Yu Jin interrupted but Ki Kwang placed one finger over her lips.

“Don’t ask.”

Ki Kwang took up her umbrella and gave it back to her, “Thank you, Yu Jin. I’m going off. Goodbye.”

Receiving the umbrella from him, he left. His “goodbye” was definitely not a final farewell but in Yu Jin’s heart, it felt like Ki Kwang was gone – forever.

Forever.