Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The sound of rain beating hard against the window announced the morning, instead of
the usual crow caws I always heard. It was even before the alarm set for 7 AM could go
off. Rubbing my heavy eyelids, I sat up. My black hair, neither short nor long, flowed
loosely over my forehead. I looked outside. Raindrops were smearing and running
down the dust-filmed window. The scene beyond was entirely gray.
*It's raining.*
A thought surged through my still-sleepy mind. It looked like it would rain for hours, so
there probably wouldn't be any morning training. Ever since the reports about the
youth football team's training conditions came out, the coach had established a policy
that training would be cancelled on rainy days unless otherwise announced. So, there
was no need to leave early. Thinking that, I still set foot out of bed.
The damp wooden floor creaked with each step. The moist floor clung to the soles of
my feet with every step. The two-story building, likely built over 50 years ago, offered
little protection from the winter drafts. In the summer, it was filled with an unpleasant,
musty smell of old wood. I had spent my whole life in this old house, lucky that
bedbugs hadn't even appeared.
I carefully went down the stairs. In the living room, a vodka bottle my father had left
unfinished was rolling on the floor. The harsh, transparent liquid had stained the living
room carpet black, enough to make my nose sting. It wasn't clear if he had even fallen
asleep; his tousled head wasn't visible on the sofa. He probably didn't even bother to
check the laundry hung out in the backyard. Bending over, I picked up the vodka bottle
and went straight out the back door. Gathering the soaking wet clothes hung on the
line into my arms, I tossed the bottle into the recycling bin and came back inside.
The living room clock pointed to 7 o'clock. My heart grew urgent. If I didn't leave soon, I
might miss the subway at 'that' time.
Shoving the laundry into the washing machine, I hurried to the bathroom. In less than
10 minutes, I finished my shower and picked up my school uniform to put on. After
roughly drying my hair, I laced up my sneakers. Grabbing my umbrella, I took out my
keys. In my haste, I dropped the keys twice. Picking up the dirt-covered keys, I locked
the door and checked my phone. If I ran quickly to the station, I might just barely make
it.
"I'm leaving." I said the greeting to the empty air where no one would see me off. I
turned around. I slowly started moving my legs. I stomped on the ground harder than
when I ran on the field. The umbrella was getting in the way, so I eventually folded it neatly, put it in my bag, and ran.
I entered the subway station, getting soaked by the rain. My wet school uniform clung
unpleasantly to my skin. Droplets fell from the ends of my black hair, which was wet
and stuck together in clumps.
There weren't many people on the platform heading towards the outskirts of London.
Standing at the very end of the platform, I looked down at the ground. The yellow
letters warning to be careful of the gap between the platform and the train were
etched into my vision. It was a phrase I'd seen my whole life.
*I know that without you telling me.*
On rainy days, I tend to think a lot. Being stuck on the bench instead of being a
naturally gifted player, feeling like I never quite fit in because I'm mixed-race—it all
highlighted the distance between me and everyone else. Feeling inexplicably bad, I
covered the yellow letters with my shoe.
A short while later, a stiff, dry announcement sound echoed. The sound of the
approaching subway grew gradually closer. Soon, a damp wind blew as the subway
came to a stop. Staring at the pitch-black gap, about a hand's width wide, I waited for
the doors to open.
*Will he be here?*
Thinking that, I raised my head. In the very last car of the subway, which was more
crowded than usual, the blond boy I was looking for wasn't visible. A wave of
disappointment washed over me. Feeling like the reason I ran here in the rain had
instantly vanished, I let out a disappointed sigh.
"What are you doing?"
The voice came from the left. I shifted my gaze slightly.
"Not coming in."
I saw a white wrist clutching a bag strap, leaning against the left side of the subway
door. I also saw long fingers with beautifully prominent knuckles. A straight nape,
bright blond hair, and striking, vivid green eyes that caught the eye.
*Ah, he's here.*
A blush slowly spread across my face. Forgetting to even breathe in, I blinked. Blood
rushed rapidly through my entire body, which had been growing cold. Feeling instantly
warmer, I froze solid. Only just before the subway doors closed did I snap out of it and hurriedly move my
feet. My bag almost got caught in the doors. Damn. It's bad enough that I need to show
only my best side, but it seems I made a fool of myself first thing in the morning,
making the back of my neck turn even redder. "Did you sleep well?"
Trying to smooth things over somehow, I greeted him. The pale face, showing little
change in expression, stared back at me. He's pretty today, too. Gazing blankly down
at the boy, I had that thought.
"Yeah."
The voice that came back was dry. After that, the conversation died, but I didn't mind.
Nathan was just like this.
Standing without holding onto anything, I repeatedly gripped and released my bag
strap. Only the sound of the moving subway echoed quietly. Amid the noisy silence, I
worried that Nathan might hear the sound of my heart.
A few minutes later, the subway stopped. Pushed along by the crowd, I ended up
pressed right up against Nathan. Hastily raising a hand, I braced it against the space
above Nathan's head. Nathan, who was shorter than me, silently glanced upward
slightly. His long, permed eyelashes were dazzling. "Sorry."
My voice came out cracked. I forced myself to look away from Nathan's nape, whiter
than plaster, which my eyes kept drifting towards.
"Uh."
His deadpan voice made it difficult to gauge his mood. He probably doesn't like it. I
closed my mouth. Feeling sorry that my wet uniform might touch Nathan, I tried my
best to lean back. In the process, I bumped into someone else again and lost my
balance.
It was Nathan's white hand that caught me as I staggered. A surprisingly large hand for
his size grabbed hold of my uniform. Our eyes met. Green eyes like summer leaves
held me squarely. Worried that my reflection in those eyes would show I was blushing,
I held my breath again.
"Be careful."
With those words, his hand let go. I barely regained my balance. My insides fluttered as
if I'd swallowed a butterfly. This side of him was nice.
Unexpectedly kind... Nathan White. That was the name of the Beta that Alex Yeon, an Alpha, had had a crush on for two
years.
Subway Station
It had been raining the day I first met Nathan, too.
It was the last Saturday in September. The sky, beginning to transition into autumn,
was sulkily overcast. Central London was turning a dull, grayish-black, and more people
were wearing coats.
Walking among people who didn't look back, I received a text. It was just as I had
reached the subway station. It was the day I had, at my father's insistence, just
undergone the tryouts for the local football team, Bans FC. Right on cue, raindrops
began to fall. The contact was from my mother.
The message informing me of the divorce ruling was calm and dry. Seeing each other
once a week had gradually become more sporadic, until eventually we only met about
once a month, so it was an expected outcome. Even to a fifteen-year-old boy's eyes, it
was clear that my mother and father were completely finished.
But it wasn't something I could resent. As the business began to decline, my father
started to change. The man who had come alone from Korea, having established a
considerable foundation in the printing industry, couldn't adapt to the rapidly changing
trends of London. Becoming obsolete due to digital platforms, the printing machines
became less useful than before, and the foundation he had invested a fortune in
became useless. And so, the man started drinking. It was a common story, not even
worth hearing more about.
As the days he drank increased and even the money my mother earned started going
towards alcohol, the situation changed. The country woman from Salisbury who had
fallen in love was gone. Finally, on the day my father first shouted and raised his hand,
my mother started living separately. And the end of that was today.
"Don't contact me unless it's necessary."
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