It was a rainy day.
The rain poured ceaselessly as if a hole had been torn in the sky, and thunder rumbled endlessly, as though the heavens were enraged.
Beneath the downpour that seemed to wash away the sweltering summer heat, a man walked carefully through the forest.
He didnât seem to mind the rain. He simply walked, slowly, endlessly, as if searching for something.
His soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to his body.
But the man didnât care about his clothes. He only wished that the thing inside wouldnât get wet.
Holding it carefully in his arms, he continued walking for a long time.
He walked and walked, until he passed through the grass and finally spotted a massive tree.
âââ¦Haah.â
He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He had found what he was looking for.
After wandering for nearly half a day, he had finally found it.
âââ¦What are you doing here?â
Suppressing his relief, he let a hint of sharpness creep into his voice.
He couldnât help it. He wasnât calm enough to speak gently just yet.
At his question, the woman sitting under the tree, her head buried in her knees, slowly lifted her head.
âââ¦Why did you come looking for me?â
She asked bluntly.
Though her head was raised, her gaze did not meet his.
He knew she was deliberately avoiding looking at him.
Watching her in silence, the man reached out and tucked her wet hair away from her cheek.
She could have pushed his hand away, but she didnât.
ââItâs cold.â
At his words, the woman scoffed.
ââCold? Werenât you the one who said it was too hot in summer?â
âââ¦I didnât know it would rain.â
He wasnât some god. How could he have known?
If he had known it would rain, he wouldnât have let her run off like this.
ââNo, thatâs just another excuse.â
The man suddenly found it absurd and shook his head.
Then, he carefully took something out from his embrace.
He pulled out a piece of cloth and placed it over the womanâs head, gently patting it into place.
It was meant to dry her off.
And in the moment when their gazes couldnât meet because of the cloth, the man spoke.
ââIâm sorry.â
âââ¦.â
ââI admit that I spoke too harshly. I shouldnât have said that to you.â
âââ¦.â