Rain and Rhythms

He let out a soft laugh and asked, “All the song lyrics are so aggressively romantic. Do you have a lot of complaints about life?”

“Not at all.”

“Tell me your favorite band again.”

“Um, let me think. Oh, Imagine Dragons?”

“Okay. Then play the song you like best from Imagine Dragons.”

“Um… got it. It’s a song I’ve heard from a little while back, though…”

Kora picked up Tristan’s phone, which was connected to the speaker. She opened the Spotify app and searched for the song, then hit play.

It was as if a dreamy intro, like electronic beats echoing in the depths of the water, began to flow. Then the powerful male vocal exploded with cool confidence.

Tristan nodded as if he understood.

“That’s .”

“You know this song too?”

“I always listen to it before big games.”

Tristan’s words made Kora startle for a moment.

She had heard this exact song right before big competitions as well.

‘Of all the songs in the world, they overlap… How weird.’

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the rhythm.

“Focus on the lyrics. This feels like the theme song for every pro athlete out there.”

“…”

Tristan turned the speaker volume all the way up. Then he tapped the steering wheel with his fingers and hummed the song.

His unusually low voice mixed with the sound of rain, making it even more enjoyable.

When the chorus thundered out, he accelerated. Because the car was low-slung, the vibration of the wheels racing over the wet road came straight through.

Kora swallowed hard as her pulse skyrocketed. It felt like adrenaline rushing through her veins, exactly like the lyrics.

‘This is dangerous.’

Kora rolled her eyes sideways and stared at him.

His neatly back-swept black hair, the silver chain necklace gleaming at his thick neck, the bulging veins on the back of his hand gripping the wheel. He was… far too sexy.

In the narrow confines of the car, the thought that even brushing against him could be disastrous made Kora shrink back instinctively.

“What are you doing? You said this was your favorite song.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like a karaoke room.”

“Come on, Kora. Stop being so prim and let me hear your voice.”

At that moment, Tristan poked her in the ribs with his elbow.

Startled by the sudden contact, Kora tried not to show it and glanced out the window instead. He let out a short, mocking laugh.

“You’re no fun.”

“Shit!”

He pressed the gas pedal just enough for the engine to roar, and the car shot forward. Kora’s body couldn’t keep up with the sudden acceleration and slammed back into the seat.

“Drive straight!”

“I’m driving straight. I’m doing exactly what a sports car is made for.”

Kora gripped the seatbelt tighter as the adrenaline surged, swallowing hard again.

‘Yeah, this is dangerous.’

The car that had been racing through the rain finally pulled up in front of Kora’s dormitory building.

Tristan shifted into park, killed the engine, and the music inside the car cut off abruptly.

In the heavy silence, he turned his head and whispered low to Kora, eyes never leaving hers.

“Thanks for tonight. It was fun.”

“Uh, yeah, me too. Thank you for the ride.”

Tristan kept his gaze locked on her, not blinking once. At the same time, his eyes sparkled with something strange, like quiet anticipation.

‘What the hell is this vibe…’

It felt as awkward as the moment after a first date when you’re about to say goodbye.

Kora panicked and fumbled with the seatbelt, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

Before the belt could click back into place, she grabbed the door handle and shoved.

Clunk, clunk.

“…”

The door didn’t move. Panicked, Kora shot him a questioning look.

“…What? The door’s locked. Open it.”

“You don’t have anything for me before you go?”

“…”

His usually husky voice dropped to a dangerously low murmur right by her ear. Slowly, he leaned his massive upper body closer.

Kora’s heart hammered so hard it felt like it might explode. She pressed her back tight against the leather seat and held her breath.

“Why are you—”

In the dim light from the dashboard, his hungry gaze slowly traveled down her face. It passed her forehead, traced her nose, and settled on her lips. Even Kora felt hypnotized and stared back at his mouth.

“…”

His lips, glowing under the cool blue dashboard light, were incredibly alluring. The thought of what it would feel like to touch that soft mouth made her imagination run wild.

Realizing she was having an inappropriate thought, Kora snapped back to reality.

What? Was he about to try a goodnight kiss?

The space between them had narrowed so much there was nowhere left to retreat. She whipped her head to the side and blurted out frantically, “I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you’re having, but we only met today to do the assignment…!”

Kora’s cheeks flushed bright red from all the nervous rambling. His eyes, watching her clumsy defense with obvious interest, darkened for a split second before he suddenly burst out laughing.

Only then did he pull back. His tone turned light and teasing.

“Who said anything? I just want my homework back.”

Kora blinked, then remembered she was still wearing his hoodie.

Embarrassed that she had mistaken his words so carelessly, her face burned.

“Then I could’ve just said it from the beginning…”

Tristan spoke in a hurried voice, reaching for the hoodie Kora was trying to hand over.

“If you’re just trying to make an excuse to get closer to me by giving it back, you can keep it as a souvenir. I won’t mind.”

“You’re dreaming. Just open the door.”

The moment the lock clicked, Kora hurriedly opened the car door and stepped out.

She practically ran through the entrance and up the spiral staircase, key in hand, unlocking her room and stepping inside. The moment her feet crossed the threshold, her legs gave out.

Kora collapsed onto the bed and let out a long sigh.

“Haa…”

The humid air of the rainy night clung to her skin, leaving her body sticky and drained.

She stared blankly out the window at the rain pouring down, as if completely exhausted, when her phone buzzed in her hand.

She glanced at the screen. A message from Tristan appeared.

Hazard

「Photo」

「For the assignment submission.」

「When you’re off guard, the photo comes out great.」

‘Oh right. I completely forgot to take the assignment photo.’

The sent photo showed Tristan’s selfie in the movie theater lobby.

He was smiling, teeth flashing, with his chin slightly raised.

Kora, on the other hand, was holding a popcorn bucket with a goofy grin, eyes looking to the side. His fingers formed a V above her head in the photo. Seeing it, Kora let out a genuine laugh.

“What is this? When did you even take this?”

As she stared at the photo, an odd feeling washed over her.

The two of them in the image looked far too close, like intimate lovers if anyone saw it.

‘Lovers? No way.’

Kora shook her head and set the phone down on her nightstand.

She had no desire to get closer to him, but even if she did, the chances of them becoming lovers were basically zero.

Tristan was a person she had no chance of ever being close to in the first place.

The two of them were on completely opposite paths in life. Their brief meeting was just a rare coincidence where their trajectories crossed for a moment.

Today, Kora had felt the wall between them even in small details, like the way he hadn’t been bothered at all that his Porsche had scraped the side of the car in the parking garage.

If Tristan ever learned about Kora’s situation, he would probably be terrified.