Rain-kissed Memories~

Hana stared at the photograph on her desk like it had suddenly grown bigger overnight. Two tiny figures on a playground… a boy and a girl. Something about it made her chest tighten. Who were they? She knew them—or thought she did—but the memory was foggy, teasing her.

“Ugh…” she muttered, rubbing her eyes. Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something important?

Across the office, Jhoon was already at his desk, papers scattered in perfect order. Hana felt that odd pull again—the one she couldn’t explain. Every time she looked at him, it was like a tiny spark lit somewhere deep inside. Weird. Wrong. But… also not.

Before she could spiral, So-mi appeared. Of course.

“Morning, Hana,” So-mi said, her voice sweet but sharp, like sugar-coated knives. Hana blinked.

“Uh… morning,” she replied cautiously.

“I see you’ve gotten close to Jhoon already,” So-mi continued, tilting her head, eyes narrowing just a fraction. “Be careful. Some things from the past… are better left buried.”

Hana frowned. Wait… what does that mean? She didn’t get a chance to ask before So-mi walked off, leaving a strange chill behind.

By lunch, Hana had shoved the photograph into her notebook, trying to focus on work. But every time she glanced at Jhoon, her stomach did a weird flip. He glanced back too—something flickered in his eyes. Familiarity? Memory? Hana couldn’t tell.

He moved around the office like a ghost she almost recognized. Every so often, he’d brush past someone and flinch slightly. Except her. When Hana’s hand accidentally grazed his arm while picking up a folder, nothing. Nothing!

What the heck is wrong with him? she thought. And yet… it was kind of comforting.

So-mi, meanwhile, was in full scheming mode. Whispered words to colleagues, sly comments about deadlines, subtle nudges to make Hana look inexperienced—all the little things that would make life annoying without being obvious. Hana didn’t notice—yet.

After work, Hana slipped out to the small balcony outside the cafeteria, the city gray and quiet in the late afternoon light. Minho joined her, carrying two cups of coffee.

“You look like you’re about to explode,” he said, handing her a cup.

Hana took it, sighing. “I… I found this photo. From my past. It’s… confusing.”

“Confusing how?” Minho asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I… I don’t know yet. Maybe it’s nothing,” she muttered, tucking the photo away. But she knew it wasn’t nothing. It never was.

Meanwhile, Jhoon sat at his desk, staring out the window at the dull skyline. Fragments of memory kept creeping in—small laughs, a tilt of a head, a feeling he couldn’t name. Hana. Her name floated in his mind, like a whisper. He didn’t understand why, and he definitely wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but… she made something inside him stir.

Why does she feel like… home?

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Meetings, emails, small tasks. Hana tried to focus, but the photograph kept whispering to her. And Jhoon… he kept noticing things he shouldn’t—tiny gestures, small smiles, little habits that felt familiar, but which memory refused to name.

So-mi, unseen, watched it all with a faint smirk. Interesting… very interesting. She was already planning her next move.

As Hana packed up to leave, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her past was closing in. And somewhere, across the office, Jhoon felt it too—pulling them together, thread by fragile thread, even if neither of them fully realized it yet.

To Be Continued…

Next Episode: Something in the office forces Hana and Jhoon to interact more closely, memories start surfacing, and So-mi begins actively meddling to throw them off.

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I hope all my readers like the stories I am writing ...

Love from Rahini Basak~

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