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Living the life of an idol was hard, especially as a soloist with no members to rely on or seek help from when it came to dealing with the tough netizens. That was exactly Ning Yizhuo’s issue, without adding on the fact that her ‘fame’ was in the hands of people not even from her home country. One positive thing she got out of dealing was such hardships was learning how to appreciate the rain.
Sadly, living in Seoul meant that rain came at random times, and the only time it was somewhat consistent was the end of June. Thankfully, it was the beginning of July, though.
Every time it rained, Yizhuo liked to go on long walks around her neighborhood streets or around the park. It was part of her process to heal whatever wounds she may have that time from personal problems or whatever the public was at her throat for. It’s not like she was a problematic person, she was just a huge perfectionist that always looked for the negative things people said about her to improve, and sometimes it had a greater effect than intended. The current ‘problem’ was a little mistake she made when singing a song she worked very hard on at a free public event. She just pressed the wrong key on the piano and suddenly, she was a shit artist.
That was one of the things that hurt her the most. It was a song she had written about feeling lonely due to the harsh live style she was living in just because it was her dream to become a singer. Yizhuo wasn’t sure if the rain was actually going to help solve the problem this time. She had wandered off her neighborhood and the opposite direction of the park long before she realized the rain had gotten a lot stronger than she thought it was supposed to be.
The singer obviously started to panic, being too frozen up to attempt asking for help from the few speeding cars driving by since they were probably rushing home and had no time to help her either way. Looking up at the sky, she realized that the rain wouldn't stop any time soon and she couldn't just wait it out at a bus stop. Maybe she could've asked for some help by knocking on one of the nearby houses if she had realized her irregular breathing fast enough to calm down and maybe NOT pass out as she did on the random neighborhood sidewalk.
Giselle, on the other hand, hated the rain. She thought God was evil for making such a good thing so scary. Why not just let water fall for the plants without the thunder and lightning? Actually, she just hated it because it reminded her of the horrific fireworks her neighborhood used o set off next door to her childhood home, either way, she tried to distract herself as much as she could if there was to be a storm. That’s exactly what she was going to do today, her headphones were already on her head playing her favorite songs and she was just about to close the curtains in her living room when she noticed a girl standing just a few feet away from her window.
The girl was looking up at the sky, but her body was moving as if she was gasping for air. Giselle questioned if the girl was okay and her question got answered right away when said girl dropped to the floor, passed out.
Giselle began to panic. She didn’t know if to call an ambulance or the police. What if the girl was going around robbing people and she happened to pass out after being chased? What if she was going to kill Giselle? What if she was on some drugs and just passed out high? Or what if she really needed help and the reason she passed out is medical? Was she supposed to just go outside and wake her up? If she did, what if she got hit by lightning and they both just die in front of her house? Giselle does not want to die while wearing her baby-pink pajamas…
So many possibilities were rushing through the woman’s head, she was probably close to passing out herself. The right thing to do was to bring the girl inside, but what if she was actually dead and Giselle gets framed for murder if she brings her inside. After many minutes of internal struggle and time wasted, she decided to look at it as a positive thing. Maybe this was a sign to get over her fear of storms while ultimately saving someone’s life.
"You got this, Aeri. Thunder hasn't sounded in a bit, just be quick!" Giselle gave herself a little pep-talk to calm her nerves as she opened her door. Looking a the girl, she could faintly see her chest rising and falling meaning she was still breathing, Giselle wasn't going to be framed for murder. "Okay, go!"
As soon as she stepped outside, without a jacket, a loud thunder shook her entire body, causing her to let out a shriek. That didn’t stop her, though, neither did the second clap of thunder that shook the ground as soon as she kneeled down next to the girl. She still couldn’t see her face clearly because of the rain falling on her, but she knew damn well she wasn’t going to be able to carry her inside. There was only one other thing she could do and if any of her neighbors saw her do it, they would definitely think she killed her, and that was linking their arms together and lifting the girl up as much as she could to drag her inside.
Giselle struggled to not drop the girl and give her a concussion as she fully brought her into her home while the thunder kept rumbling. After a couple of minutes, the girl was now laying on Giselle’s couch, drenched and all. The brunette should’ve probably set some towels down, but now she had to worry about whether or not to change the girl out of her wet clothes so she won’t get sick. She came to the conclusion of just taking off the oversized hoodie she was wearing, causing the girl’s hair to move from hiding her face, and Giselle to gasp. Ning Yizhuo was not passed out on her couch.
All the worrying thoughts came rushing to her head again, this time even worse since she could get sued and she’s broke and needs money to pay for her college. She didn’t even know much about the singer passed out on her couch, her friend Minjeong was the one that was a big fan, but maybe she would find it in her heart to not sue Giselle if she woke up and thought the wrong thing. “I hope you don’t get me in trouble, Ning Yizhuo.”
Despite being scared, Giselle still did her best to dry and keep the passed-out singer warm. She managed to slide a towel underneath her, take off her wet shoes, and wrapped her in a blanket after she dried enough with a couple of hot packs in case she was at risk of catching a cold, which, she probably was.
Not knowing what else to do with the storm still going on, Giselle decided she should go back to her routine of blasting music and reading a book. She took a seat near the end of the couch where Yizhuo’s feet lay, made sure they were well covered, before opening her book and pressing play on her music, figuring the other girl would be out for a little while.
Sure enough, Yizhuo was dead-asleep for three hours. The storm had calmed down to just rain but it was now 10 PM and freezing outside.
The singer groggily mumbled, adjusting the extremely soft blanket up to her shoulders. "M-mom? My head hurts."
Instead of being met with her mother's soft voice, she was met by a high-pitched shriek. Yizhuo was startled and immediately sat up on what she realized was on an unknown couch, looking up only for her eyes to meet the eyes of an unknown, and surprisingly loud, woman. "W-who are you? Where am I?!"
"You!" The unknown girl points a spatula at Yizhuo from the kitchen. "Sorry for screaming but you passed out outside and I couldn't leave you out there to die. I promise I didn't kidnap you, please don't sue me!"
The singer furrowed her eyebrows, “Why am I wet?”
“It was raining outside!”
“Oh,” Yizhuo nodded her head, instantly regretting it because of the sharp pain she felt. “T-That makes sense…”
“That makes sense?!” Giselle asks loudly again, running out of the kitchen and to the small hallway leading somewhere else in her home. She made her way back into the living room after a couple of minutes with a small first-aid kit and what seemed to be a change of clothes. “Let me take care of your wound and then you can go change or even take a shower or something. I would’ve changed you, but we don’t know each other and, as I said, I don’t want to get sued.”
Yizhuo did as she was told so Giselle was able to treat whatever had happened to her head. The word wound made her remember why she was out in the rain in the first place and immediately her mood was dulled again. The rain didn't help this time because of the huge interruption, but it wasn't the unknown girl's fault, it was her own.
“Do you want to talk about why you were out in the middle of a storm?”
“I was just out for a walk… I didn’t know it would rain…” Yizhuo lied, not really knowing what to say to not make the mood awkward. “I don’t mean to sound like a snob or anything, but do you know who I am..?”
Now it was Giselle’s turn to not know what to say. This moment could lead to her actually getting sued, but telling the truth was better than lying. “Ah, don’t worry… I do know who you are, but please don’t think I kidnapped you. I don’t have the money to deal with legal problems if you sue me.”
The singer tried her best to hold in the giggles she wanted to let out but failed. She laughed at the brunette’s concern, “W-Why would I sue you for helping me? Hahaha~”
Giselle felt the tips of her ears turn red, mumbling, “You better not.”
“Is that a threat, Miss..?” Yizhuo tilted her head slightly as she asked the teasing question, making the other girl instantly shake her head. “Thought so. What’s your name, by the way?”
“Giselle.”
“Nice to meet you, Giselle. I’m Yizhuo.”
“I already said I know who you are… maybe I should call an ambulance… Maybe you got a concussion and you forgot to sing now, too.”
“Hey!” Yizhuo turned to lightly slap Giselle’s arm, who just stuck her tongue out at her. “You’re strange, Giselle.”
Once Yizhuo turned to face the opposite way again, Giselle gave a sweet smile. She had never been this close to a celebrity but it was good to see that the one she was with right now wasn’t stuck up or rude like people portray artists to be off-camera. What she didn’t believe, however, was her reason for being out in the storm. The weather people had been talking about how there would be a storm all week and she just didn’t know?
“Surprisingly, Yizhuo decided to take Giselle’s offer for a warm shower and change of clothes which left the apparent, after a quick Google search, older girl alone to listen to some of Yizhuo’s song while she finished up a meal. Lucid Dream was one she had already heard, a nice song to vibe with, however, Egoist was the one that made her have a doubletake after her cooking was done and the song started. “This is good…”
“Thanks. I wrote it myself.”
Giselle jumped back from her phone at Yizhuo’s unexpected voice. Looking up, she saw the younger girl in the sweats and shirt she let her borrow, looking smaller than ever even though she was slightly taller than her for sure. “Yes, I know… One of my friends is a big fan of yours. She would die if she was here right now.”
“How about you?” Yizhuo asked, taking a seat on the small kitchen island to face Giselle who had a confused look on her face. “Are you a fan? Is this laid-back personality just an act?”
“No!” Giselle shook her hands and head to deny her words. “I mean, I’ve heard your music and I liked it, but I don’t see you and want to date you or anything. And I surely do not want to marry you either. Please, don’t sue me…”
Yizhuo was cackling by the time Giselle was done rambling. Even if she was the type of fan she said she's not, Yizhuo would've stayed as long as she could. Giselle was probably one of the prettiest girls she's ever seen. "You ramble too much, it's so cute. I won't sue you if you share some of that delicious-looking pasta you're making there, Miss Giselle."
The girls ended up sitting at Giselle’s small dining table eating delicious post-storm chicken alfredo. Yizhuo had a small meal before going on her walk, but as soon as she took her first bite, it felt as if she had been starving with how good it was. Speaking of the walk, it wouldn't leave Giselle’s mind and it was itching her to ask again. "Yizhuo, I really don't mean to pry but you already said you're not suing me so, might as well. Are you sure there was no other reason you were out in the storm? Maybe I can help you with whatever it was?"
"I was honestly just going for a walk to relieve some stress and completely forgot about the storm," Yizhuo looked down at her almost empty plate almost as if she felt ashamed of her doing, but it was actually for what she was about to say. "As for helping me... You already are and you will be i-if you let me hang you with you for a while longer."
Silence.
-
The rest of the time Yizhuo spent in Giselle's house went by too quickly for both their liking. The younger girl ended up staying the night resulting in them pulling an all-nighter just talking and watching movies. It was insane how comfortable both girls got with each other in such little time. Yizhuo told Giselle about her adventures as an artist and in return, the elder told her about her adventures in school and the funny drama that came with it.
Yizhuo had to admit the little break she took seemed to have made her forget the situation that got her there in the first place. Giselle, on the other hand, had developed a warm feeling in her chest after hours of hanging out with Yizhuo. She even told her bout her fear of storms that almost made her not save Yizhuo in the first place, but she still went through.
The following morning they both woke up sprawled in odd positions on the couch. Yizhuo, after convincing Giselle that they weren't going to get in trouble if she stayed a little longer, stayed to make breakfast for the brunette as thanks. Needless o say, it was delicious and Giselle begged Yizhuo to become her personal chef. However, all good things come to an end, and the singer had to leave eventually.
"Thank you for saving me and letting me stay, Giselle," Yizhuo played with her bracelet while bashfully looking down. She didn't want to say goodbye to the little imaginary world she and Giselle seemed to have created during her stay.
"Ah, it was no problem," The brunette smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I just hope you don't get in trouble for disappearing all of a sudden... And that you don't forget me..."
Yizhuo bit the inside of her cheek as if she was holding back a scream at the older girl's cuteness. She was sure she wasn't going to forget her girl even if she wanted to. "I promise I won't, for both things! I'll even invite you and Minjeong to one of my shows as proof soon."
Soon after that, Yizhuo was long gone. Giselle spent the next half hour after that sitting on her couch rethinking her life and how she spent the last twenty-four hours of her life with a well-known celebrity that left a warm feeling in her chest even when she was gone. She wasn't the type to crush easily, or at all really if that's what that was, but Yizhuo's effect on her was greater than intended for sure. Little did she know the younger girl had the same feeling and was scolding herself for not even getting her number.
She didn't get in trouble for her little disappearance, if anything, her label was more than pleased to give her a break before she started her second tour soon. That meant if she wanted to figure out whatever she was feeling towards Giselle, she'd have to do it quickly if she wanted to see her again before she left the country.
It was easier said than done. Honestly, Yizhuo has had crushes before, but they were all usually on men and never fell through. Having a crush on another girl was no different in her opinion, but it was still a new feeling. Giselle had made her feel a million times happier than anyone else ever has in just a couple of hours so, that had to count for something. The only problem, not to get ahead of herself, was how the public would react if anything got out.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" Jimin asked the spaced-out Yizhuo from the kitchen of her apartment. "You should've brought something to eat, by the way. I refuse to cook right now."
"You can barely even cook," Yizhuo replied in a monotone voice, her eyes not leaving the black TV screen in front of her.
If Jimin didn't know how hyperfocused her best friend could get sometimes, she'd be freaked out, but instead, she just decided to continue to joke around with her to hopefully distract her from whatever was going on. "Just wait till I get myself a cute girlfriend!"
"That's actually what I was thinking about..."
Jimin gasped, taking a seat next to the younger girl, "Don't tell me you finally found me a girlfriend. I've been begging you for so long!"
Yizhuo scoffed, snapping out of her trance and pushing her best friend. "You're annoying so no. But... I think I may have gotten one for myself."
If Jimin wasn't weirded out before, she sure as hell was now. Never in her life did she think she would hear her best friend say that she was romantically involved with another girl. "The rain really got you sick this time, huh? What is that supposed to mean?"
Yizhuo chuckles nervously. She hadn't told Jimin about why she disappeared last weekend for the same reason of her best friend probably scolding her for being careless with the situation. Jimin was older and a lot taller than her, so she was scarier than anything else in the world when mad. If she wasn't Yizhuo's right-hand woman and producer, she would probably be her bodyguard or something. "Storytime..."
Jimin reacted just as Yizhuo expected; with violence. Well, not really violence, but she did get baby-punched a couple of times. "Not only did you risk your life getting sick, but you risked it again by staying in a stranger's house! Are you insane, Ning Yizhuo?"
"Please! She was like a little kitten! She couldn't hurt me even if she tried!" Yizhuo said through her laughs of fighting her best friend off. "I swear she was just as gentle as you're being with me right now. Get off, there's more to the story."
Yizhuo proceeded to tell her what happened during her stay at Giselle's house. There was a certain sparkle in her eyes Jimin had only seen when she was performing for her fans, not speaking about someone she didn't really know, although she claimed she knew everything she needed to know during her little stay. Anyone would be able to see the singer had it bad for that Giselle girl.
"Are you sure you might like her or do you just have a case of Stockholm Syndrome?"
"This is literally why you're single. You're useless!" It was Yizhuo's turn to hit her best friend. "Just give me my advice so I can go plan on how to find her."
"Clearly I'm not the only useless one here, you didn't get her number! But fine," Jimin sighed, leaning back on her advice speech. "I say you figure out your feelings the best you can before doing anything drastic. I can see that you may really mean what you're saying and feeling, but it could've also been an 'in-the-moment’ situation. Consider her side too, then find a way to contact her and get your girl. Keep rejection in mind too, though, because you never know but you have a way with words so, who knows."
"You're right, that's what I was doing and I've fully decided I want to try and form a relationship with her. I just- What am I supposed to do when the public finds out or something? You know how I am with negativity..."
"You can't let it get to you!" Jimin placed a comforting hand on Yizhuo's back. "Everyone's coming out these days and the general public is becoming more accepting by the minute. If anything, certain people will be proud to have such representation by a well-known artist."
Jimin was right; she always was. That's why that next day, Yizhuo was taking a taxi to where she knew she could find Giselle. She didn't get her number but she remembered the name of her college and her only option, to see her as soon as she could, was to show up there and find her. Little did she know it was going to rain that Thursday too.
Giselle on the other hand did know it was going to rain but forgot, how ironic. She was just exiting her last class with a gushing Minjeong linked to her arm telling her about some drama she binge-watched last weekend. She hadn't told her best friend about what happened yet, and she wasn't planning on doing it if it was just a one-time thing.
"-and he even pulled out her chair for her, which I usually think is stupid, but they somehow made it seem so cute," Minjeong squealed as she squeezed Giselle's arm in excitement. "How was your weekend, though? No trouble with the storm?"
"You're becoming soft, Minjeong," Giselle teased her younger friend who pouted, "And no, no problems with the storm. I really just listened to music and made myself some pasta."
"That's good, you're like a huge baby when it comes to storms," The younger girl teases back, "Speaking of storms, you're gonna be on your own again, friend. I have a project to finish for the arch in like ten minutes at the library."
Giselle stopped in her tracks, eyes wide when she remembered it was going to rain today again. "Holy shit, I forgot to bring an umbrella and I walked here."
Yizhuo didn't forget her umbrella, or well, she did but she took Jimin's before she could even realize she was gone. Giselle's college campus was a little bigger than she thought it would be, come to think of it, she had never been on a college campus so she probably looked stupid walking around asking where the accounting department was. So far she had gotten two wrong directions and she was honestly starting to lose hope of finding the building, but she had to ask someone one last time. Yizhuo saw two girls with linked arms walking and decided they looked friendly enough to ask. "Excuse me, do you know where the accounting department building is located?"
The shorter girl of the pair gasped when she realized who was talking to her and her girlfriend, "Oh, my god. You're Ning Yizhuo! I'm such a big fan! Oh, my god. Soojin, hold me I'm going to pass out."
Yizhuo couldn't help but giggle at the girl’s antics. A rambler, just like someone she knows. The taller girl rolled her eyes at the other girl that threw herself into her arms, looking apologetically at Yizhuo, "Sorry, she's very dramatic. We're heading to that building to find a friend too if you want to walk with us."
"Sure! Thank you. This campus is so big," Yizhuo tried to make conversation as they began their walk in hopefully in the right direction. "Do you guys study here, too?"
Shuhua, who was vibrating as she walked like a chihuahua, excitedly rambled an answered this time, "Yes! My name is Shuhua, I'm a second year and my lovely, beautiful, sexy, girlfriend right here, Miss Seo Soojin, is a third-year," there was a small 'yah' that came from the girl next to her, but she continued. "We're going to meet our friend Giselle to see if she wants to get some coffee with us."
Yizhuo's eyes snapped back to the couple next to her as she heard the name Shuhua said. Could it be possible it was the same Giselle she was looking for? "Not to be weird but are you talking about Uchinaga Giselle...?"
Now it was the couple's turn to stop in their tracks and face the singer. Soojin, with furrowed eyebrows, asked the question Shuhua would've asked after giving more unnecessary information. "You're looking for Giselle, too?'
"If we're thinking of the same Giselle, then yes."
"How do you know Giselle?!" Shuhua practically yelled, getting hushed by Soojin.
Yizhuo just awkwardly chuckled, not wanting to expose whatever they had going on just yet. "It's a long story. I'm sure she'll let you know if you guys are friends..."
Knowing Giselle and how much she liked her privacy when it came to what she does with other people, Soojin and Shuhua knew she probably wasn't going to tell them if it was insignificant, but this was a celebrity claiming to know her, not just any other person. "This is crazy."
Before Yizhuo could reply once again, a familiar voice to all three girls only called two of them. The singer guessed that maybe the curve of the umbrella was blocking her face, maybe because she was too busy looking at the couple it may have been lowered, but sure enough when Giselle saw Yizhuo, the first thing she did was run to her like in the movies. The rain was just the slightest bit harder and almost cinematical, the way thunder clapped as soon as Giselle crashed into Yizhuo's arms.
"This is like a movie," Shuhua whispered to Soojin, who was in awe too, "The weather is never on our side what the he-"
"Baby, shut up." Soojin shushed her girlfriend by wrapping an arm around her shoulder to cover her mouth. "Look at them."
Giselle looked up into Yizhuo's eyes, her own being filled with happiness and what seemed to be adoration "You're here?"
"I-I had to see you again somehow, right?" Yizhuo smiled, her cheeks warming up at how close they seemed to be standing. "I have to tell you something important..."
At that, Giselle takes a step back and a worried expression taking over her face. "I didn't get you in trouble, did I? Is your company going to sue me? Yizhuo, I thought you said that-"
"Giselle, shut up!" Shuhua spoke loudly as Soojin struggled to keep her mouth covered but failed, "Just let her speak shhh, shh, shhh!"
Yizhuo and Giselle didn't even turn to look at the couple next to them, not that they needed to because Soojin ended up dragging Shuhua away to give them some space. The singer did get to catch a glimpse of a disappointed Shuhua, though, and couldn't help but giggle at the situation, "You're not in trouble at all, Giselle. Quite the opposite actually..?"
"What do you mea-" Thunder interrupted the older girl before she could finish her sentence, making her jump closer to Yizhuo again. "God, I probably look so stupid right now."
"No, you don't," Yizhuo giggled as she bravely snaked an arm around Giselle for security, "You actually look so cute. And what I wanted to tell you was that I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since that day... I don't know if I read the whole situation wrong because you were being nice but... I may or may not have developed some sort of feelings for you. You don't have to feel the same way but it's just something I had to get off my chest"
Giselle nodded as Yizhuo spoke, which was confusing because how do you just nod to someone’s confession? The older girl was just weird like that though, so Yizhuo just nodded too and waited for a response. "I thought it was just me that felt that and that's why you didn't contact me sooner not gonna lie."
Cinematic, comical, this was a straight-up rom-com they were living apparently. "Oh."
"Are you going to ask me on a date?" Giselle clasps her hands together, beams a smile, and stands on her tippy-toes. If Yizhuo wasn't in deep yet, she sure as hell was now! And, quite frankly, she didn't mind.
"Will you say yes if I do?"
"Obviously!"