Chapter V- Waiting in the Downpour

"Girl, we gotta go!" her friend rushed her.

"Oh, sorry, Jin. Guess we'll have to continue this later," Claire waved as she walked out of the room.

"Oh, okay..." Jin replied.

 *********************

At last, class had ended, and everyone was heading home, but Jin was preoccupied in his mind, not noticing the time. He was contemplating which of them he should go to after school, for a variety of reasons, he couldn't decide.

One reason was the earlier conversation he had with Namjoon where he told him if Jin liked Claire... It left him wondering why he asked such a random question.

"Could it be... Namjoon's actually got a thing for Claire? Maybe I'm reading too much into this. But the way Namjoon reacted when he saw me with Claire... it was a little too intense. Could he be jealous?"

Jin came to a conclusion that Namjoon did have a thing for Claire. And his earlier conversation was a warning for him not to get close to Claire.

"Does he really think I'd be interested in his girl? I mean, I'm Jin. She's a little too...basic for my taste. Although I'm thankful, she's not my type," Jin muttered to himself.

"He needs to understand, I'm playing fair." He added.

The second reason is that he was deeply grateful to Claire, and he couldn't forget that she'd given him his position.

"I want to set the record straight with Namjoon, but Claire was excited to meet me after class." Jin felt kinda troubled.

"Excuse me..." a random person.

"Huh?" Jin replied.

"Sorry to disrupt you, but class has ended earlier..."

"Huh, what do you mean?!" Jin looked around in disbelief, realizing he and this random person were the only ones left. He checked his watch and saw he'd been there for forty minutes.

"F*ck, why hasn't anyone told me?" he muttered, rushing to get out, worried and flustered.

"•_•" random guy.

He sprinted down the hallway towards the gate, his heart pounding.

"Maybe Claire already left, I guess I'll just have to make it up to her tomorrow..." he thought – Namjoon was probably waiting for him.

Namjoon was actually there waiting for him as he stood by the main entrance, leaning against the corner of the gate, his presence impossible to miss.

"Hey!" A loud shout heard from afar.

"Jin?" A high-pitched voice.

 **********************

"Claire? ... What are you doing here?" Jin was shocked to see Claire but was more concerned that Namjoon wasn't there.

Jin, without thinking, headed towards the back entrance instead of the main—his usual way in and out—only to bump into Claire, who was also making her way home.

"Jin! I thought you couldn't make it. I was so worried! I thought maybe you had an emergency, but you really stood up to your promise!" Claire's face lit up with delight. Her delusion, fueled by his arrival, only grew stronger. "He really must like me that much," she whispered to herself, a giddy smile spreading across her face.

 **************************

On the other hand, someone did arrive to see Namjoon.

"Hey!" A loud shout heard from afar.

"Hey!!!!!" The shouting grew even louder.

"Hey! RM, are you gonna keep pretending you didn't see me?" J-Hope grumbled, a pout forming on his face.

"......." Namjoon ignored him.

"Oh, seems like someone put you in a bad mood," J-Hope chuckled, a playful glint in his eyes as he teased RM.

"Hyeong... his back..." Namjoon's voice was low, a serious tone settling over him.

(Hyeong: Older Brother)

J-Hope's smile vanished as the gravity of Namjoon's words sank in. "When?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Today," Namjoon replied, his gaze distant.

"Did you meet him?" J-Hope pressed, a sense of urgency in his tone.

"No," Namjoon shook his head. "His letter arrived saying he's nearing Seoul."

"Does your mother know?" J-Hope asked, his voice soft.

"She doesn't know yet," Namjoon replied, a hint of worry tightening his jaw.

The air grew thick with unspoken tension. Then, thunder boomed from the sky, a sign that a heavy rain was coming.

 **************************

"Jin, why aren't you drinking your coffee?" Claire asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

They were in a coffee shop, just beside the university. After their chance encounter earlier, Claire had suggested a date, and Jin, with his soft heart, couldn't bring himself to refuse, especially since he owed her.

"Let's go on a date, Jin...?" Claire boldly stated.

"Huh? What-wait..." Jin.

Originally, he had planned to meet Namjoon, but he hadn't found a moment to talk to her because Claire had been chattering non-stop. Then, just as suddenly as it began, a heavy downpour hit, and Claire, ever the pragmatist, suggested taking shelter inside the cafe. He was caught in the downpour, forced to follow her inside without a chance to decline.

********************

"It's pretty late, I'm sure he had gone back now," Jin thought as he sighed, looking outside the window.

"?" Claire.

"Ugh, I really wanna laugh at his face... I never thought he was so easily jealous," Jin chuckled, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"Ooh, he smiled! He's probably just shy and nervous around me..." she thought, a confident grin spreading across her face. "Jin..."

Jin hears her voice, responds, "Uh, yeah," a fake smile on his lips.

"You haven't answered my question yet," she deliberately asked.

"Oh... sorry, what was your question again? I was lost in thought," Jin stammered, an awkward laugh escaping his lips.

Claire also laughed, "You're funny."

"•_•?" Jin.

"I can tell you're quite anxious right now," Claire said with a smirk.

"You do?" Jin was slightly shocked.

"Yes, someone is on your mind," Claire guessed.

Jin was alarmed.

"You can't get them off your mind, and you're constantly reminded of them. It makes your heart ache..."

Jin felt nervous, "Wait, she knew about Namjoon?"

"...And warm at the same time. They make you flutter, and you're anxious and nervous to talk with them. You're afraid that you might leave a bad impression and..." As she emoted with each word she spoke, she was convinced it was her who was on Jin's mind.

"W-wait... what are you talking about?" Jin flushed, confusion evident on his face. "There's something wrong with the last part," he thought to himself.

"Weren't you thinking about 'me' the whole time?" Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.

"Hold on! What makes you think that?!" Jin exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief.

"You've got it all wrong," Jin explained, shaking his head. "I don't like you, Claire. You're just a friend to me."

 ********************

Earlier that evening, back at the main entrance, J-Hope and Namjoon continued their conversation, the weight of the news still hanging heavy in the air.

"RM, a heavy rain is coming. Let's go," J-Hope said, gesturing towards the window where dark clouds gathered.

"I'm staying. You go first," Namjoon replied, his gaze fixed on the entrance.

"C'mon, man. The main entrance isn't exactly a place to blow off some steam. We should go for a bar," J-Hope chuckled, giving Namjoon a nudge.

"I'm waiting for someone," Namjoon replied nonchalantly, his tone unreadable.

"Oh, really? Is it a lover?" J-Hope laughed, his teasing tone light.

"It's Jin," Namjoon replied, his gaze flickering to Jhope.

J-Hope's laughter died down, replaced by a suspicious smile. "Why?" he asked, his voice low.

"Something personal," Namjoon replied, his tone clipped.

J-Hope fell silent, his eyes narrowing as he watched the rain begin to pour heavily.

"I'll go first then," Then Jhope left without looking back.

"?" Namjoon.

 ********************

"Didn't you sit down next to me because you liked me? And aren't you here because you promised to take me on a date? And weren't you running earlier because you wanted to see me? Deliberately choosing the back entrance, which is nearest to my home, hoping you'd get a chance to bump into me. So what the h3ll are you even saying that you don't like me?!" Tears streamed down her face, her voice trembling with a mix of hurt and anger.

"What?! You're being delusional..." Jin sputtered, trying to lower his voice but still sounding shocked.

"Me! I'm delusional?!" Claire screamed, her voice echoing in the otherwise empty cafe.

"Claire, hear me out, please. Let's not make a bigger mess, okay?" Jin took a deep breath, his voice calming. "I'm sorry if I sat down next to you, I just wanted to make a friend. Second, I'm repaying you, that's why I'm here. And also, you suggested the date. Third, it was a complete coincidence that we happened to bump into each other. The truth is I had a plan with Namjoon to meet after class..."

"Namjoon...?" Claire listened intently, her expression a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

"Yes, and since I arrived late, I thought maybe you already went home. So I was hoping to make it up to you tomorrow and meet with Namjoon today. Surprisingly, you were there, and Namjoon wasn't. That's the whole truth." Jin was very serious.

Claire went silent, her head bowed low. She sat frozen in her chair, a statue sculpted from heartbreak. It was clear, she was deeply hurt.

"Claire?..."

Jin, filled with deep regret, sat down next to her, his hand gently reaching out to touch her shoulder. He accompanied her in her silence, "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

The rain was relentless, a never-ending downpour that grew stronger and heavier with each passing second.

Namjoon waited patiently for Jin in the heavy downpour. Time passed, and the sky grew darker, but Namjoon's persistence only grew stronger, even though he was wet and cold.

...****************...

...End of Chapter 5...

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