CHRYSALISM: THE AMNIOTIC TRANQUILITY OF BEING INDOORS DURING A THUNDERSTORM

The everyday appearance of a torrential shower could get tiresome for even someone who admires rain, and as for someone like me, it was certainly becoming unbearable.

Hence after a prolonged week of heavy rain showers every day when the sky finally showed its felicitous appearance, I was more than thankful, but it was also a weekend and I didn't have anything better to do anyway. Why was it that Mother Nature had such a grudge against me to make me go through a wet and not-so-pleasant ordeal on the days I had work and university?

To divert my attention from the ruminations I usually get on insipid days like this, I had invited my two friends to form a study session at home.

"How come you don't have anything except for kimchi in your refrigerator?" Changkyun came back from the kitchen with two jars in both of his hands, giving me a questioning look.

Except that this was anything but a study session.

"Mom sent me those. I need to go grocery shopping soon." I was leaning against the wall, sheets of papers and notes, and my laptop sprawled across the floor. He shrugged and trudged towards the kitchen again.

"At least we have ramen!" Hanbyul shouted from back there. She had revealed my stack of instant food. I could hear Changkyun making a cheering sound.

Suddenly everything felt very vapid and hollow. The problem with spring, no, it was summer almost, that when it didn't rain, the weather would be scalding. It was annoying both ways, to say the least.

The other thing irritating was that whenever I had a busy week, after would come a time like today when I ought to be resting, only to realize I had other works pushed up for moments like this and that would make me want to procrastinate even more.

"I swear if I fail Mrs. Hans course this semester," Changkyun said. Both of them revisiting my room and then they took seats on the floor. Hanbyul placed an opened can of soda in front of me, both of them had theirs in their hands already.

"Thanks." I took a sip, my eyes averting to the side when my phone laid, the screen lighting up in an upcoming text. There was a sudden jolt of curiosity within me, albeit, that vanished when I realized it was from one of those credit card companies.

The dull sigh that came from deep within wasn't concealable. The room was silent because both of my friends were busy gawking at me.

"What?" I asked, despite knowing what was to come.

"You're lovesick." Hanbyul deadpanned, Changkyun resorted to going through his notes.

"Well, he just hasn't texted yet today that's why I...," I trailed off.

Slowly my days were getting occupied with Wonho and only now that I was thinking about it, last week every day I had either seen him in the university, or he had come by my workplace to borrow a book, on top of that we had been frequently texting. Though the conversation wasn't much and was mostly us suggesting books, movies, and songs to each other, and talking about the magazine or the weather, and boring stuff like those.

Even those were not as boring with him. One day I was even smiling ear to ear texting him how big of a BTS fan Hanbyul was and how she was crazily singing one of their songs in our almost empty club room to get rid of the boredom, and he was telling me how much he liked some of their songs too, and the next thing I saw was Hanbyul quietly giving me the eye just like she was now.

"Yeah, you don't have anything to say on your favor now." She gave me a knowing look.

Before the argument could meander further, there was a knock on the door. Unusual for me, because I rarely have anyone coming by unless it was my mom or dad with their kimchi supply of, but they always announced their visits. And the other two trespassers were sitting before me.

"Lord, did he miss you so much that he dropped by all of a sudden?" The brunette laughed loudly but her voice was low, Changkyun muttered in reply that Wonho wasn't like that.

"The door's open!" I shouted and immediately pushing the door slightly away to the side emerged a tall, skeletal figure.

"Oh." I could imagine Hanbyul's face falling without even looking at her.

It was Hyungwon, the tenant from the second floor. "I'll come by later," he meekly uttered.

"Did you want to tell me something?" I had straightened my back by then, my bones cracking after the muscles were finally stretched after so long.

"Y-yeah." The tall boy quickly glanced at the two who were both staring at him intently. "I haven't seen you around. We can talk later when you're free."

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Changkyun asked him and for a short second, I noticed a puzzled look flash by Hyungwon's nervous features.

"Yeah. It feels like I've seen you somewhere before too," Hanbyul said, eyes scrutinizing the stranger in the room. Then a gleeful smile appeared on her face and she snapped her fingers in the air. "I remember you! From the hospital, you fainted because Sunny sprayed pepper on your face!"

"I did not!" I protested.

"She didn't," Hyungwon too said at the same moment and our voice was in unison.

Hanbyul first looked at him, then at me, and at him again. "Oh," she replied. "It's a nice coincidence to see you here again!"

"Nice to see you too," Hyungwon said back but then he fell quiet, and both of my friends were just staring at him, I suppose to hear some kind of introductory words.

"Ah, he's Chae Hyungwon. He's the same age as Wonho." I figured out that I should work as a middleman anyway.

Hyungwon finally got out of his trance and as he saw those two politely nodding their heads to him, he gave them a short bow too.

"Have a good day, Changkyun and Hanbyul-sshi." He locked both of his hands in front of him, intermingling his long fingers together. With a curt glance my way he disappeared after closing the door behind him.

"That was awkward!" Changkyun exclaimed after a short moment had passed. "Is he really okay? Healthwise?" The boy looked a bit concerned. "He looked pretty dead in the hospital, and he doesn't look any better now too."

"He will get around." I scratched the top of my head, wondering whatever it was that Hyungwon wanted to say. If it was him inviting me for a housewarming party, I surely would be declining, but he probably was too lonesome to throw parties.

"Is he a student like us?" Changkyun asked.

"I don't know. I haven't really asked him."

Hanbyul was twirling a tendril of her long hair with her index finger, thinking deeply to herself. "I don't remember telling him our names. Did you tell him?"

He had definitely called out their names, he did, but no matter how much I thought about it I couldn't recall me telling him anything about them. We never really had a big conversation. I didn't even know where he had come from, what he did for a living, who he was.

"Should have we asked him to have ramen with us?" Byul spoke again, turning towards Changkyun for an answer and then at me.

"You know it's too hot to have ramen," Changkyun retorted scuffing a hand on the back of his neck.

The AC was turned off because I was too focused on saving the electricity bills. The warmth of the rooftop seeping in through the walls was getting to me. I closed off the book that was in my hand and put it down. "Do you guys want to get ice cream or iced coffee somewhere?"

"Please for the love of god, yes!" Chankgyun dramatically let himself fall from the sitting position.

The rest of the day was spent outside, we studied a bit in the café and horsed around. We also had dinner and then we separated. I reckoned that I spent money eating outside when I barely spend any on laundry, house chores, or bills. None of that bothered me much anyway. I was finally feeling lively when I was walking back home, the wind was riling up a bit, perhaps another stormy night it would be. Stormy nights always brought me a good sleep.

The weather had devolved into a chillier one and I was about ten minutes away from home when I realized it was slowly starting to rain in pitter-patter. My calculation was wrong, I couldn't avoid getting wet before reaching home.

I could run, but I didn't feel like it. The streets in this area were always devoid of people at this hour. I quickened my pace and about three minutes later I saw a figure hastily approaching me with a big umbrella on their head.

It didn't take me long to recognize that it was the second-floor tenant. I didn't know if he would walk past me, probably he would, as he was hurrying. But he stopped right in the middle when we met face to face, and he held the umbrella above my head.

His face looked even paler in the streetlights. I was suddenly taken back to the night I had met him for the first time, it was exactly around here somewhere. The only differences were that he had approached me from the back and I was scared for my life for no reason.

I wasn't feeling one ounce of fear this time. Recalling the past event I wondered why I had never asked him the reason he was following me the other day.

"Hi," I spoke first.

"This is your umbrella," he said out of context.

I looked up to observe the colossal shade saving us from the rain. I also had noticed that the raindrops were getting harsher, the sound of them falling on the asphalt louder.

"I did give this to you," I remembered. "Weren't you going somewhere?"

He shook his head to the sides indicating a no. So we started to walk home together, side by side. His thin hand was gripping on the handle of the umbrella tightly and I decided not to take it from him for now. He was more than a head taller than me, and I was a midget next to him. Thankfully the umbrella was big enough for both of us to fit nicely with room between us, another reason we weren't getting wet was he was too thin.

"Were you looking for me to give back the umbrella?" I asked. We were by then, below the staircase of the building. The yellow lamp by the ancient front gate was creating a golden glow on his face.

He was silent, as usual, and I thought maybe he wouldn't speak and I was going to ascend the stairs before him.

"It's something else." His voice was groggy, the capricious weather getting to him. Although it added a nice ring to the sound of the rain.

He averted his gaze, a troubled expression marring his face. I was getting a bit impatient with him mulling on his words. What could this be anyway?

"You are wearing that watch again today," I commented, my eyes on the leather straps on the hand that was gripping on the handle.

His wrist was almost like a stick, only skin and bone, but the watch fit nicely there. As if it was made only for him to wear.

The watch had intricate designs in it, patterns in black on the sides. There were four crowns now that I had fully noticed, who knew why it needed four crowns to handle the watch. A side of the watch showed the numbers 2017, indicating the year, the other side held hands that continuously moved with the night flowing on. It was almost midnight. The crystal of the watch was hazy with time, fissures on it. I couldn't look away, as if I was under a spell, there were also tiny hands below the moving hands that divided minutes and seconds into smaller proportions.

"This watch can control time," Hyungwon whispered.

The rain had stopped fully. I could hear the ticking sound of the watch and his heart beating rapidly, almost matching the rhythm.

"I came from the future to find you, Ch-," he stopped, adding a hesitant pause, then continuing on. "Moon Sun Hee."

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A/n: oh sorry did I make you anxious?

LOVE KILLA! Love killa killed me omg! The whole fatal love album is such a bop?? It's a masterpiece. I really loved how they made references to all my favourite psycho movies in the MV.

What's your favourite song of the fatal love album??

I'm still having a hard time finding one. For now I love beast mode, gasoline and sorry I'm not sorry!