#boraluv

[boraluv]

picnic in the rain

𐙚 𐙚 𐙚 not totally uninspired by Seokjin's "lovely runner" moment in "Run Jin ep 2" 𐙚 𐙚 𐙚

warnings: none I think!

genre: 1.6k words of silly fluffy musings (banter is not my strong suit, but I'm working at it....)

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It’s hard for you to choose a favorite season. If held at knifepoint, you suppose you’d say summer. The long days, more sunshine than winter, with so many outdoor activities to pick from, tend to win points in the scorecard of your heart. But even so, you admire the variety of springtime flowers, the crisp colors of autumn, and the cozy brilliance of wintertime.

Today is of those late May days - low humidity, a kiss of a breeze, with intermittent clouds that freckle the cobalt sky- late spring, with the perks of summertime. After working overtime last weekend, you have a rare Monday afternoon with no schedules. Feeling untouchable, you packed up a few homemade cookies, your favorite spicy tuna kimbap, and even splurged on some grapes! A picnic in your favorite park overlooking the city is just what you desire today.

Romantising your life may not be practical most of the time, with how busy work and adulting tends to keep you. The spring weather wont last much longer, and you know the humidity will roll in like spring high tides, overwhelming and damp.

More than occasionally, living in such a vast metropolis brings you to tears of loneliness and futility. The anonymity gifts you certain freedoms, but it some days it feels burdensome. The human desire to connect has always been strong in you, and passing so many individuals daily draws out your loneliness. Today, however, the sunshine fills you up with unmatched positivity - and wearing your favorite sundress & flower-embroidered cardigan & cute white tennies, you don't mind being alone. It’s the kind of day where the birds sing songs just to you, the flowers wave like old friends, and cute babies in prams giggle at your silly faces while you wait to cross street corners.

Jazzy music floats on the breeze from a cafe across the street. Sunlight pokes your eyes. The cute straw sunhat you pulled off the top shelf of your closet has more tiny holes than you’d realized, and you wish you’d grabbed a pair of sunglasses to wear under it. Oh well! At least it’s cute and still keeps most of the rays out of your eyes.

Even on a Monday afternoon, the park is speckled with other visitors. Mostly you see parents with children, uncles napping on benches or aunties power walking & gossiping.

You spot a clearing on a slight hill; a large tree provides dappled shade, with a nice patch of sunlight on the edge of the shadows, perfect if you decide you want to warm up in the sunshine. Shaking out the wrinkles (and maybe a stray spider), you flatten out the colorful blue and white striped blanket. You’d thrifted it in college, and over time it’s become too worn to use on your bed or couch— but you can’t possibly bear to get rid of it, sentimental of all the buckets of popcorn and movies watched on this piece of fabric during university years.

Blanket settled and smoothed out (not perfectly, you don’t care that much- it’s not like anyone is going to take photos of you out here!), you set your tote bag down. In a perfect world, you’d be sporting a cute wicker basket. Alas, this is not a Pinterest board, and you don’t have room in your studio apartment for extra items. Instead, you pull your dishes from the Trader Joe’s bag (a gift from your sister, the last time she visited from the States). It’s multipurpose, cute, and ever so sturdy! Pretty cute, too, actually.

Tummy content after finishing up your kimbap, you pop a tart grape in your mouth. The little oblong green fruits aren’t your top choice, but fruit in Korea costs premium, and now anytime you get to eat fresh fruit, you whisper a prayer of gratitude. The firm fruit, popping with tart juice, refreshes you as you lay on the soft blanket.

The best part of a picnic is, of course, the food. But the second best part is always, always getting to enjoy the sunshine and a book! Pulling a worn copy of your favorite classic, paperback cover a bit scratched and the pages dogeared, you flip to the bookmarked section. A pair of light pink headphones have replaced your sunhat, lo-fi beats humming as you immerse yourself in the story.

After a while, you flip onto your stomach, white tennis shoes crossed at your ankles and kicking back & forth ever so often. Immersed in the familiar story, you relax as the sunshine continues to warm up the ground underneath you and the air around you.

An odd sensation, like little ..wet?!… pinpricks, pulls you from sleep. Blinking, you conclude that you must have dozed off!

Head jolting up, you grab your headphones and pull them down to your neck, disoriented. The sound of rain drops on the leaves above turns your face towards the sky, and you realize that the sun, who had earlier so kindly warmed and energized you, has hidden herself like a shy child behind clouds, now threatening to unleash a springtime storm.

“Oh!!” you squeal, quickly marking your book where you’d stopped reading when sleep overtook you. Shoving the book and food containers into your tote, you stand up, careful to not trip over your blanket- the park has mostly emptied out, but you’d still be embarrassed if you tripped and rolled down the hill in your groggy state.

Blanket folded into a manageable size, you lift it overhead. The raindrops fall harder, pelting the ground with juicy thwacks.

“Should I run for it?” you wonder softly to yourself. Grinning, the idea of running through the rain sounds a bit like a scene from a movie. “Why not!?”

With a shriek, you bolt. Puddles have already begun forming on the path, and you weave around them as best you can, avoiding as much mud as you can manage.

Damp hairs kiss your neck and cheeks. Breathlessly, you keep on, even though the skirt of your dress has also begun to cling to your legs as raindrops soak into the hem.

Eyes low and just on the concrete ahead, you realize almost too late the form of another human before you. Black adidas shoes and jeans, also wet for at least a couple inches of hem, stand before you.

Halted, you gaze up, underneath the shelter of your blanket, trying not to pant. A tall, slender guy stares at you, looking a bit amused. His giant umbrella, a cheery yellow, secures a dry perimeter around him. Dark eyes twinkle, and noticing your embarrassment creeping up your cheeks in a rosy blush, his face cracks into a smile. Plump lips show off a stunning set of teeth- you didn’t know it was possible for a human to have such a smile!

“I’m sorry!” you say, “I was running too fast, I’d dint’ splash you at all, did I?”

“No …no, not at all,” he replies. He runs his left hand through his long straight hairs, laughing lightly. “I think you could have really knocked me over if you didn’t see me, though. You looked as fast as a bullet train.”

“Oh, well, the rain caught me out on a picnic… and actually I fell asleep…and woke up to the storm…and decided to make a run for it towards shelter. I must still be waking up, I don’t typically run people down in public parks.”

His hazelnut eyebrows raise in surprise. “A picnic? That sounds fun. I’m sorry it got cut short.”

Motioning to his oversized umbrella, he continues. “I can share, if you’d like? I’m happy to walk you to a convenience store or bus stop. My umbrella is more than large enough for even these broad shoulders.”

You brighten. “My arms would love a break from this blanket, and it’s definitely not waterproofed.” Giggling, you tuck it under your arm and move under the cheery plastic canopy. “Actually, I have an extra cookie!! I’d be happy to trade it for your services.”

“I’m quite good at eating cookies, and would be very interested in this trade,” the man remarks. “But I shouldn’t take food from strangers - my Eomma wouldn’t like that. What’s your name? Mine’s Seokjin.”

You nod. “That’s wise advice. Nice to meet you, Seokjin, I’m Y/N.”

He laughs, the sound pinballing off the interior of the umbrella pleasantly. “Wonderful. Now that we’ve got that settled, what kind of cookie do you have?”

You pull out the silicone stashed from your tote, handing it to him. “Homemade chocolate chip. They remind me of summers growing up, so I made a batch recently. It’s our family recipe.”

His face remains stoic as he bits into the cookie, softened from your afternoon in the sun and warm air. Biting you lip, you watch and wait for the verdict.

“Very good, at least so far.” He comments. A sly look waves over his face. “I need to finish the whole thing before I can fully give you a review.”

“By all means, keep going then,” you respond. “I can’t promise that cookie is the best one of the batch, but it should be satisfactory.”

“You know what would make this really the perfect moment?” Seokjin mumbles, mouth still full of cookie pieces.

“A pair of dry socks?” you respond, laughing and kicking up your very soaked feet.

“Well, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but yes, that definitely wouldn’t hurt,” he says. “But also, some banana milk would just hit the spot. Do you mind a detour to that confidence store?”

He gestures, long fingers sprinkled with crumbs, across the road from the park entrance. The rain has slowed, but not stopped completely, and drops of water cling to the rails on the fence separating the space from the busy street and pedestrians.

“That sounds perfect. Let’s go for it!” In a moment of boldness, you reach up to hold the umbrella over his hand. Blinking slowly, you hold your breath.

“Great. It’s a date,” he smiles back, and pulls you forward to begin crossing the road.

[boraluv]

hey!

INTRO

hi ♡ i'm millie

early '90s baby, always dreaming. lived in 3 countries before the age of 7, and looking at adding another one. 👀 almost always drinking hot tea and chasing sunshine.

it's crazy to be back on this platform. literally was here in HS, and now I'm back with a new acct. apparently this is where my hyper-fixations live. hehe. trying my hand back at writing, so you may just see more of me here as I sort out some drabbles or short series. you can expect to see nothing wild, just fluffy, cozy vibes. likely all very G rated!

anyhow, annyong!! 안녕!

[boraluv]

masterlist

we are ot7 in this house, end of discussion ☺️

ot7 -she's a pro-writer (teaser) Kim Seokjin -picnic in the rain

Jung Hoseok -the last word