Just the ride wiped her out. It wasn't even the heavy knapsack on her shoulders or the thick cardboard box on her arms. The mindless thrum of the train on its tracks, the bland blue sky rolling in the distance, and the slight ebbing of buildings to trees and rural town sent all her energy pooling to her feet. She caught some sleep on the train too, resting her weight against Rin's shoulder and never minding if he complained or not. It's kind of his fault she was stuck in this death ride back to his district.

It happened innocently enough. She bumped into him on her way back to her parents' house on the day after their last exams. One mishap led to another, and the next thing she knew, she had an umbrella held over her head as she wrestled with her luggage in and out of public transportation. That day had been sucky at best—she felt like nothing really went her way—and Rin showing up was the last saving grace.

She remembered how he glanced out of the bus' window, the sound of rain pelting the glass in rapid succession floating above the manic honking and people chattering. Umbrellas popped in the air as commuters went on their merry way, unburdened by any luggage and lost best friends. He whirled back to Hye-jin and said, "Absolutely not."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, he grabbed her hand and led her out of the bus. They pulled her bags out of the bus' compartment and ran towards a nearby shed. It's impossible to share an umbrella so they just dashed through the curtain of sharp droplets. Hye-jin remembered it to be cold. Her sleeves stuck to her arms and her hair clumped in disgusting mats at the back of her neck.

Rin wasn't doing so well either. His hair stuck to his forehead, dripping rainwater into his eyes. His hoodie was equally soaked. He shivered. "You should have stayed back in the campus," Hye-jin remembered saying. "You're not due to go home until the next week."

"Look at that. It's pouring," Rin jerked a thumb at the worstening weather. In the distance, a huge clap of thunder followed a faint streak of lightning. "No way I'm letting you travel on your own."

Hye-jin raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because I'm a girl?"

Rin had never looked at her more seriously than he did then. "No. Because you're Hye-jin," he said. "And we're friends."

Suddenly, it wasn't so freezing anymore.

"R-right," Hye-jin clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. "Let's just go."

And they stumbled home dripping like soggy guksu, much to Eomma's chagrin. They never really heard the end of her sermon as she paraded around the house, talking Hye-jin's ears off. Appa glanced away from the TV for one minute, saw Rin, and proceeded to join her mother in the scolding. Are you bringing home boys now, Hye-jin-ah?

All of those happened in straight Korean, even when her father got into Rin's face and started questioning him about his intentions, his family history, and his investment portfolio. That was the first time Rin gained her respect for standing there the whole time and enduring. Perhaps the fact he understood nothing helped.

After the confusion has been cleared and her father has calmed down, her mother served Rin reheated gimbap and told him to eat up to his fill. And then there was the matter of lending Rin dry clothes. In the end, he ended up one of her father's old varsity hoodies while his clothes dried in the washer. As if to make matters worse, her mother felt bad about sending Rin away in the middle of the night, so she insisted he stay.

Hye-jin messaged him the next day long after he left and told her he made it home. She apologized for her parents' behavior, and all he replied to her were three laughing emojis. She couldn't muster the courage to ask him what he was trying to say. Rin was an enigma, and she didn't know what went through his mind during his stay in her house. Did her father scare him? Was her mother too pushy? Was the house clean? Did he have a good sleep on the couch when they had nowhere to put him but there?

Not to mention they made Rin cook lunch and grill eel. What would his mother say if she learned how her parents treated her son?

It would be shame, to say the least, that made her tell Rin she was returning the favor and helping him move his things out of the dorm. He didn't respond right away, which was a bit weird. He usually replies within thirty minutes. When he did, it was just three thumbs up emojis. What's up with him and threes, anyway?

That's how she ended up lugging his bags into public transportation the same way he did for her. The only difference this time was the sun beating down on them. There was no sign of rain any time soon. Should she have waited a few more days instead of insisting on doing it as early as she did?

She woke up with a light tap on her shoulder and Rin's face blocked most of the sunlight streaming from the train's windows. "That's our stop," was all he said. It was enough to get her back to her feet and clamber after him.

When they arrived, his mother popped out of nowhere and rushed to greet her son. Then, her eyes rounded when she saw Hye-jin. And the rest was history. Nobody was yelling. Not one question about her investment portfolio touched her ears. Ichika-san was just pleasant. It's hard to imagine anyone being cross with her. Rin's lucky on this front for sure.

Hye-jin was supposed to go before lunch but Ichika-san insisted on not sending her away with an empty stomach. And the woman could whip up a feast when she wanted to. By the time the clock struck twelve, a spread of food littered the dining table. It resembled the dishes her own mother cooked, and when she tasted it, she felt like a traitor for having a hard time choosing which she liked best between the two.

When they finished, Rin cleared the plates as if by habit and started scrubbing them. Hye-jin rolled her sleeves and bumped him out of the way with her hip. He flashed her a confused look. "Scoot," she said. "I'll soap."

Rin was quick to adjust. Together, they worked in the cramped sink meant for one person. Hye-jin kept her eyes on the task, ignoring the fact how often their elbows often knocked against each other, and how their shoulders were basically touching through their sleeves. How foolish had she become to go into a random guy's house and wash the dishes with him?

But...it's Rin. They've been close for more than a year now, and compared to all the friends she made out of convenience, there's just something different with how she connected with him. They liked the same things and have been able to influence the other to trying so many new things they wouldn't have in their lifetime. It's both wild and boring, and Hye-jin didn't really know how to describe it anymore. It was just her and Rin. Why would anyone need to put a name on it?

She tamped down her thoughts and sneaked a glance at Rin. Past his shoulder, she saw his mother duck out of the way. Hye-jin could only swear she caught a glimpse of a proud smile on Ichika-san's face. That, or maybe she's starting to see things after such a tiresome journey.

Rin trudged past the diamond grilles and into the walled patio at the side of the kitchen. It was supposed to be a recreational space, but Kaasan turned it into a jungle paradise filled with all kinds of flowers, succulents, and ornamentla plants. On his periphery, he spotted more than one white butterfly flitting from petal to petal. Hye-jin sat on the single wooden bench his great aunt used to sit on during the hot summers.

"Here," he handed her a mug of coffee. He made sure to ask Kaasan how to properly make one. Just to be safe. On his way down, he took care to avoid spilling the tea he held on his other hand on himself.

Hye-jin sipped her drink and raised her eyebrows. "Whoa. That's strong."

Rin had no idea what she's saying, so it's impossible to tell if she's impressed or downright disgusted. "Kaasan said it's the best brew in a mile's radius," he said in such a sheepish tone he felt like it didn't belong to him for a second.

"She wasn't lying," Hye-jin answered, gulping at least half in one tilt of her head back. "This is good. Really good."

Relief washed over Rin's system. He didn't even know why. "Thanks for today," he said, bringing his mug to his lips. The earthy taste of chamomile and jasmine coated his tongue the right amount. "Kaasan really enjoyed your company."

Hye-jin downed another gulp. He knew her to siphon coffee like a depraved creature, but never this fast. It's like she's hyperfocusing on her drink to avoid thinking of anything else. "I enjoyed her company as well," she said. "And this is beautiful."

Rin turned away from her face and trained his eyes on the mess of green and other flowery colors. "A bit too chaotic for my taste, but yeah," he said. "It is."

Silence passed between them. Hye-jin broke it first. "I never get to apologize for my parents' behavior when you came over," she said. "At least not face to face. Doing it via message seemed insincere."

Rin would have laughed at her still being hung up about that, but he swallowed his amusement. Maybe it really did bother Hye-jin to a fault. "Is that why you're out here on a weekend, helping a guy move his things out?" he asked. When she didn't confirm or deny, he assumed it to be the case. "I enjoyed my time with your parents too. Your father is a sweetheart."

Her hair almost sliced wounds on his cheek when Hye-jin whirled to him in a flash. "Appa?" she said. "Have you eaten something bad?"

He rolled his shoulders. "I told him I don't really remember much about my own father so I didn't know how to act around him," he said. "I think it softened his meat to a degree."

"Wow," she breathed. Her mug was almost empty now.

Rin's fingers tapped against the side of his mug. He had never imagined he would be saying what he's going to say in front of his mother's flowers. His conversation about this day thumped at the back of his head. His online friend, the one who truly listened to him, had encouraged him to relay his feelings when he asked for advice. And now, after making her travel all the way and having her carry his things, he's doing it.

He couldn't have had a better timing, knowing they wouldn't see each other until the next semester started in their new academic year.

"Listen, Hye-jin," he cleared his throat, hoping the tea helped soothe his voice. "I know this has come out of nowhere but I..."

She met his eyes and he could have melted into a puddle right there. As if the tea's warmth haven't really faded, sweat started beading on his forehead. "Spit it out," she clicked her tongue and moved to dunk the last of the coffee from her mug. "It'll be easier for you and me."

"I like you."

Her mug paused halfway to her mouth, her head hanging mid-tilt.

Rin's fingers tightened around his mug, willing the tea's heat seep through his palms to dry the slickness pooling into it. "It's been going on for a while now," he said. "But I...you know. I like you, Joon Hye-jin. I'm sorry for the timing but um..."

His voice died down. He glared at the pebbles embedded into the cement tiles. If only he could figure out a way to remove them from there. A beat. Two.

"So, what do you want to happen?" Hye-jin asked.

Rin blinked. "Um," he said. "I don't really know. What do people do after they confess?"

Hye-jin rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you're hopeless," she said. "Some people give it time to sort their feelings. Then, they let each other know about them. And, if they're lucky, they start dating."

The word sent Rin's stomach roiling. "Dating..." Even saying felt so foreign of a concept. He understood calculus more than that word.

"And you're lucky, Nagara Rin," Hye-jin grinned and Rin's world started spinning. No way. There's no way she's going to say what he thought she would. But the words formed in her lips. The sound reached his ears. The girl he liked literally just said, "I like you too."

"Am I dreaming?" Rin pinched himself.

Hye-jin's laugh stopped him from doing another pinch. "I can assure you," she said. "You're not."

"B-but—"

"I like you and you like me," she jabbed a finger in the space between them. "What more do we have to say?"

Rin pushed his hair off his forehead and it promptly fell back down. "So...are we dating?"

She groaned into her hand. "You can be daft sometimes," she said. "Yes. We are."

Just like that, the weight lifted off Rin's chest and shoulders. A different pressure replaced it, though. He found himself inclining his head ot one side and scratching the side of his face. "Okay, but..." he said. "What do dating people do?"

"Aigoo," was all Hye-jin said before draining her mug empty and standing up. "If I am to catch the early afternoon train and make it home before sundown, I better go."

Rin bobbed his head. He had just gotten himself a girlfriend and now she's leaving again. "Yeah," he said. "I'll walk you to the main street."

"And I still need to log into LOS and catch that holiday quest," her voice was muffled by her motion past the patio doors and the roar of the vaccuum cleaner from the living room. "Maybe I'll tell my play buddy something about my day too."

Rin caught up with her in the ante. "Did you say LOS?" he said. "Since when did you play?"

Hye-jin looked at him like he had just grown a set of spiria ears. "I've been on that game since it came out," she said. "Why?"

"I've been in LOS around that time too," he admitted. "I know it's silly, but I recently restarted the game to explore the other dungeons and to get the limited edition custom builds. They're still putting those out, so I'm curious."

Hye-jin's eyes twinkled. "Omo, same!" she said. "What's your IGN?"

"Uh, KoraChrysvern999?" he replied.

She stilled. "What did you say?"

He knitted his eyebrows. "KoraChrysvern999?" he echoed. He noticed the slack stare Hye-jin was giving him, bordering on fear and wonder. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. Goodness, no," Hye-jin faced him fully and a bright beam erased all traces of any other emotions from her face. "You're not going to believe this."

Rin frowned. "Try me."

She stepped closer and placed a hand on her chest. "I'm ChromeButterfly022."