BETWEEN RAIN AND MIDNIGHT
Rain Of Seoul
The rain in Seoul never came quietly.
It poured against rooftops, rushed through glowing streets, and wrapped the city in silver reflections.
Most people hated nights like this.
But Ethan Laurent loved them.
Name : Ethan Laurent (ML)
Age : 26
Occupation : CEO
Company : Laurent group
Education : Business Administration
Height : 189 cm
Nationality : American
Hobby : writing
(Ambitious and composed, Ethan is the CEO of a top investment firm. Known for his sharp intellect and calm demeanor, sometimes writes, he's driven by results and rarely lets anyone in)
Rain meant fewer people. Fewer conversations. Fewer chances for someone to notice how lonely he really was.
At exactly 11:40 every Friday night, Ethan would enter a small café hidden between an old bookstore and a flower shop.
The owner barely spoke, the music was always soft jazz, and nobody asked questions.
That was why he kept coming back.
He sat by the window, opened his laptop, and pretended to work while secretly watching the rain slide down the glass.
Then someone interrupted the routine.
The Stranger
Ethan looked up, mildly irritated at having his silence interrupted.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
*Looks up*
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
There are other tables.
The stranger smiled faintly.
...
But this one looks less lonely.
The answer caught Ethan off guard.
The stranger standing there was tall, dressed in a dark coat with wet hair falling over sharp eyes. He looked like the type of person who belonged in movies
The kind people stared at without realizing.
But what caught Ethan's eye was his smile.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Rain hammered against the windows while soft jazz played somewhere behind the counter.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
You can sit *Muttered*
The stranger slipped into the chair across from him and placed his camera carefully on the table.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
*Notices scratches along the edges of the camera*
The camera looked like it had traveled everywhere with this gentleman.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
You’re a photographer?
Ethan asked before he could stop himself.
The stranger looked up from the camera resting in his hands, rainwater still clinging to the edge of his dark coat.
A faint smile touched his lips as he glanced toward the café window, where the city lights reflected against wet glass and towering buildings.
His fingers brushed over the camera strap.
...
But sometimes photographs capture buildings better than blueprints ever can.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
That sounds intriguing
Ethan almost smiled at that.
The waiter approached, and the stranger ordered an iced coffee despite the Freezing rain outside.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
That's psychotic. *Muttered*
The stranger laughed softly. Warm. Effortless.
Ethan looked back at his screen, pretending not to care, but he could still feel the stranger studying him.
...
You always come here alone ?
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
*Blinked*
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
You always interrogate strangers ?
...
Only interesting ones.
For some reason, Ethan didn’t ask him to leave.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
*Snorted quietly*
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
You decided that in thirty seconds ?
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
No, Lonely people are always easy to recognize. *Said softly*
That sentence landed harder than Ethan expected.
He looked outside immediately, jaw tightening slightly.
Most people filled silence because they were uncomfortable with it.
This stranger seemed comfortable sitting inside it with him.
After a moment, the boy held out his hand across the table.
The stranger said after a moment.
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
Lucas Moretti.
Name : Lucas Moretti (MC)
Age : 25
Occupation : Architect
Company : Urban Arc Studio
Education : Architecture
Height : 187 cm
Nationality : American
Hobby : photography
(Creative and Quietly confident, Lucas the rising architect known for his modern and emotional designs. Likes photography, values the meaning of everything he creates and never compromises on his vision)
Heart to Heart
The boy held out his hand across the table.
The stranger said after a moment.
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
Lucas Moretti
Ethan stared at his hand for a second before shaking it.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
Ethan Laurent
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
Ethan Laurent *Repeated slowly, like memorizing it*
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
Sounds expensive, like the name of someone who reads tragic novels on purpose.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
I do read tragic novels on purpose.
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
I knew it.
For the first time that night, Ethan laughed properly.
And something in Lucas’s expression softened when he heard it.
The hours passed strangely fast after that.
They talked about everything and nothing at once.
Lucas confessed he took photos of strangers because he liked capturing honest moments people didn’t show the world.
Ethan admitted he wrote unfinished stories he never let anyone read.
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
Rainy nights were made for old jazz records.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
No, they were made for sad indie songs and emotional damage.
At one point, the café lights flickered during the storm, plunging the room into brief darkness.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
*Glances up at the light*
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
*Looking at Ethan*
Lucas was already looking at him. Not casually. Not politely.
Like he was trying to understand every thought Ethan refused to say aloud.
Ethan’s chest tightened unexpectedly.
ETHAN LAURENT (ML)
You do that a lot
LUCAS MORETTI (MC)
Do what ?
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