The city did not care that they were trying to be responsible.
The city only cared that it was raining.
Cars crawled like tired animals, brake lights glowing red through the sheets of water. The hotel awning behind them looked warm and safe, like an exit they could choose again if anything went wrong, but NC was already moving forward, phone in hand, eyes sharp.
"We're going back now," NC said.
JP stared at the road like it had insulted him. "Back to the chaos."
Cherry said, "Yes. Back."
TZ adjusted his hood and nodded once. "Let's move."
Jihye shivered and pulled her sleeves down over her hands. "My hair is going to hate me."
Anna didn't complain. She just stepped closer to NC, the way she always did when NC became the group's spine.
XH stayed half a step behind Kitty as they moved toward the curb. Rain hit his face hard, cold enough to sting. Kitty's hair clung slightly to her cheek. She brushed it away quickly, then immediately stopped when the wind pushed it back again.
XH held his jacket up instinctively, shielding her for the few seconds it took them to reach the curb.
Kitty glanced at him. "You're going to get soaked."
XH nodded. "Already."
Kitty's mouth softened like she almost smiled, but she didn't fully allow it.
JP noticed anyway.
JP always noticed.
He leaned toward TZ and whispered, "They have a vibe."
TZ whispered back, "Stop talking."
JP nodded like he understood, then whispered again anyway. "It's romantic rain."
Cherry snapped without looking back. "JP, shut up."
JP grinned. "Yes, ma'am."
NC flagged down a passing rideshare that Andrew had pre-arranged, the kind with a driver who actually responded to messages instead of disappearing when the rain got loud. The car rolled up slow, wipers squeaking, windows fogged slightly from heat inside.
NC opened the door and spoke quickly. "We're going back to the embassy driveway loop. Main building. Pickup cluster. You know."
The driver nodded. "Yep. It's a mess there."
NC said, "We know."
They piled in.
The inside of the car smelled like warm fabric and citrus air freshener. Everyone was damp. Everyone was too close. Everyone was trying not to turn their irritation into drama.
JP sat in the middle seat like a martyr and complained immediately. "This is what suffering feels like."
Cherry replied, "You're alive. That's enough."
JP sighed. "Harsh."
TZ leaned his head back and closed his eyes briefly, not sleeping, just resetting. Anna sat quietly, hands folded, gaze steady. Jihye held her phone but didn't film. Even Jihye knew some moments weren't content.
Kitty sat near the window, watching rain blur streetlights into long streaks. XH sat beside her, close enough to feel her shiver when cold air slipped in through a door seal.
He didn't say anything about it.
He just shifted slightly so his shoulder blocked the cold draft.
Kitty didn't move away.
That was the part that scared XH more than anything.
Not the storm.
Not the traffic.
The ease.
The way closeness was becoming normal.
NC's phone buzzed again.
She answered immediately. "Andrew."
Her voice stayed calm, but her eyes tightened slightly. "We're on the way. Two minutes. Where are you."
She listened, then nodded. "Okay. Keep them under cover. No wandering. I'll start the group call once we reconnect."
She hung up.
JP leaned forward. "Group call is happening."
Cherry frowned. "Why are we doing that again."
NC looked at her. "Because June asked, and Andrew thinks it keeps the group connected."
Cherry muttered, "June always asks."
Kitty's fingers tightened around her souvenir bag.
XH noticed, but he didn't comment.
Because he didn't know whether Kitty's reaction was jealousy, guilt, or something else that didn't have a name yet.
The car turned a corner and the embassy grounds came back into view, behind the iron gates. The lights looked warmer now against the storm, like the embassy was pretending it could still be a safe pocket.
The driveway loop was worse than before.
Cars were stacked in awkward angles.
Staff in vests waved people around like they were directing a flood. A reserved SUV sat with hazard lights blinking, barely moving. People clustered under the awning, shoulders pressed together, umbrellas dripping, phones glowing.
The driver let them out near the curb.
"Good luck," the driver said, not joking.
NC nodded. "Thanks."
They stepped out into rain again.
This time the rain felt like a wall.
It hit their faces, their shoulders, their backs. Wind pushed it sideways. Thunder rolled so close the sound vibrated in the pavement.
JP flinched and then pretended he didn't. "I hate this."
Cherry snapped, "Move."
They rushed toward the embassy awning.
XH held his jacket up again for Kitty, but the wind was too strong. The rain got in anyway. Kitty's lashes were wet. Water slid down her cheek. For a second, it looked like tears.
It wasn't.
But it could have been, and that thought made XH's chest tighten.
Under the awning, Andrew was waiting.
He looked more soaked than before. His suit jacket was damp, his hair messy, and his smile was tight like he was holding stress in place.
"There," Andrew said, relief flashing for a second. "Good."
NC stepped forward. "Status."
Andrew pointed toward the cluster. "SUV is here but stuck. I have people from other majors and a few embassy staff trying to clear the lane. Also Thoon and SRM are still in the waiting cluster."
JP groaned. "Why is fate like this."
TZ muttered, "Ignore them."
Andrew's eyes flicked to JP. "You okay."
JP nodded dramatically. "I'm suffering."
Andrew laughed softly, then his face tightened again. "We need to move the second group soon. The gate is clogging again."
NC looked at the cluster of stranded students. They were tired. Wet. Annoyed. Some were laughing too loud to hide nervousness. Some looked scared.
Not because they were in danger.
Because storms and crowds made people feel trapped.
And trapped feelings always turned into bad choices.
Andrew gestured to the side. "We're going to do this in waves. NC, start the group call now. It might calm June down and keep eyes on everyone. Also, if anyone tries to start drama, having people watching makes them behave."
Cherry raised an eyebrow. "Public shame tactic."
Andrew didn't deny it. "Yes."
NC exhaled once and opened her phone.
She clicked into a group call app and started adding names.
June.
NS.
Cherry.
Cherry, in the same place, looked at NC like she was confused.
NC frowned. "Not you. The other Cherry."
Cherry rolled her eyes. "Of course."
Kitty's chest tightened slightly.
XH's stomach tightened too.
Because the moment June and NS entered the screen, the day stopped being just a festival memory. It became a live wire again.
NC pressed call.
The phone rang.
One ring.
Two rings.
The screen lit up and June's face appeared first.
June looked indoors. Bright lighting. Clean background. Her hair was tied back, greenish highlights visible even through screen blur. She wore a serious expression that didn't match the casual nature of a call.
"NC," June said. "You're out there."
NC tilted the phone so June could see the awning, the crowd, the rain. "Yes. Embassy day. It's ending. We're in pickup chaos."
June's eyes sharpened. "It's raining hard."
JP leaned into frame and yelled, "It's a monsoon."
June blinked. "JP."
JP grinned. "Hello, your majesty."
June ignored the joke. Her gaze moved past NC's face, scanning the background like she was looking for something specific.
Kitty felt that gaze land on her.
Kitty didn't move. She didn't wave. She stayed calm, but her heart thumped once, hard.
June's eyes then flicked to XH.
XH felt it like a spotlight.
Not hostile.
Just intense.
June's voice softened slightly. "XH."
XH nodded. "Hey."
NC adjusted the phone again when another face joined.
NS.
NS appeared on screen with a dim background, like he was somewhere private. His hair was slicked back in the new style, skin fade visible. He looked calm, but his eyes were sharp.
"NC," NS said. "You're still there."
NC replied, "We're leaving now. Andrew's here.
We're regrouping."
NS's gaze slid across the frame.
It landed on Kitty.
It landed on XH.
It landed on JP and TZ.
It paused.
Just long enough.
XH felt his stomach tighten.
Kitty felt it too, the way her shoulders stiffened slightly.
NS's mouth twitched like he almost smiled, then he didn't.
June asked, "Where are you exactly."
NC replied, "Driveway loop, east gate side. It's chaos."
June's eyes narrowed. "Are you safe."
JP leaned into frame again. "No. We're dying."
Cherry elbowed him hard.
JP yelped. "Okay. We're safe. Mostly."
Andrew's voice cut in from off frame, polite but firm. "Tell them we're moving now."
NC nodded and lifted the phone slightly higher. "We're moving in waves. Andrew arranged rides. We'll update once we're out."
June's gaze didn't move from XH. "Good."
Then June's eyes flicked to Kitty.
Kitty's throat tightened.
June didn't say anything, but her stare did. It was that quiet kind of pressure. The kind that didn't need words.
NS's voice came calm. "Show us the place. The embassy looks huge."
NC rotated the phone, giving them a slow pan of the grounds, the iron gate, the warm lights, the rain-shined pavement, the staff in vests waving cars forward.
"It's big," NC said. "Three acres, easy. Lots of games. Treasure hunt. Hot chocolate. Dunk tank."
June's eyes flicked. "Dunk tank."
JP laughed. "I got dropped."
NS's mouth twitched. "Good."
JP pointed at the phone. "You enjoy my suffering."
NS replied calmly, "Yes."
Kitty's chest tightened again.
XH felt his own emotions shifting, small irritation rising in his ribs.
Not because NS joked.
Because the joking had edges.
Because everything had edges now.
NC's voice stayed bright, trying to keep this a normal call. "We also helped a lost toddler find his mom."
June's expression softened for the first time. "Really."
NC nodded. "Yeah. It was… intense."
Kitty spoke quietly, surprising herself. "He was scared."
June's eyes flicked to Kitty. "You helped."
Kitty nodded once. "We all did."
NS's gaze stayed on Kitty for half a second longer than necessary.
Then NS said, smooth, "Good job. That kid got lucky."
XH felt the word lucky land wrong.
Like NS was using it for something else too.
Andrew waved at NC. "Now. We have a gap. We move."
NC lifted the phone. "Okay. We're walking to the SUV. Stay on call."
June frowned. "In the rain."
NC nodded. "Yes."
JP shouted toward the phone, "If the call cuts out, blame the sky."
June replied, "It will cut out because you're loud."
JP gasped. "She knows me."
They moved out from under the awning.
Rain hit the phone screen.
NC shielded it with her hand while walking.
The call stayed alive, but the audio crackled occasionally.
XH walked beside Kitty, closer now because the crowd forced it. Their shoulders brushed again. Kitty's hand briefly touched his sleeve as she avoided a puddle.
June saw it.
It was tiny.
But a live call makes tiny things look bigger.
June's jaw tightened slightly.
XH felt it without seeing it. He felt the air change in his head. Like the call had made the world more dangerous.
NS saw it too.
NS's mouth stayed calm, but his eyes sharpened.
Cherry walked behind, muttering, "This is a mess."
TZ stayed near JP, guiding him around puddles.
Jihye stayed close to Anna and NC, watching the phone like it was a bomb that might explode.
Andrew walked ahead, waving at the SUV driver.
"Okay," Andrew said loudly. "This SUV takes four."
NC stopped. "We have six."
Andrew exhaled. "We'll rotate. This SUV will take the first four to a safe pickup point, then come back for the last two. The second vehicle is still stuck."
Cherry snapped, "We can't keep rotating forever."
Andrew looked at her, calm but firm. "We rotate until everyone is out."
NC looked at the group, making quick decisions like she was doing triage.
"First wave," NC said. "Me, Anna, Jihye, Cherry."
JP protested, "Why do the girls leave first."
Cherry glared at him. "Because you're loud."
JP replied, "That's discrimination."
TZ muttered, "It's survival."
Kitty blinked. "What about me."
NC hesitated, then looked at Kitty's damp face. "Kitty, you can go first too if you want."
Kitty's eyes flicked to XH.
XH felt it like a question.
Kitty's voice came quiet. "I'm fine."
June heard that through the phone and narrowed her eyes.
"Why is Kitty staying," June asked calmly.
Kitty's cheeks warmed. She didn't answer fast enough.
NC answered for her, trying to keep it normal. "Because we need two people to stay behind for the next rotation."
NS's voice came smooth. "Who's staying."
NC's mouth tightened slightly. "XH and Kitty. And JP and TZ. That's four. The SUV takes four now, then comes back."
June's gaze snapped to XH. "XH, you're staying."
XH nodded. "Yeah."
NS leaned slightly closer to his camera. "Stay under cover."
XH's jaw tightened a fraction. "We will."
The first wave moved into the SUV quickly. NC climbed in first, phone still on the call. Anna followed. Jihye squeezed in with her bag. Cherry slid in last, expression irritated.
NC lifted the phone to show June and NS that they were inside. "We're moving. Stay on call."
June nodded. "Okay."
NS's voice stayed calm. "Don't drop the phone."
NC laughed once, strained. "No promises."
The SUV door shut and the vehicle pulled away slowly through rain.
That left XH, Kitty, JP, TZ, Andrew, and a handful of stranded students under the awning, waiting for the SUV to return.
The call stayed active, audio crackling, but June and NS still listening.
Now, without NC's body physically there, the phone became more vulnerable. It was just her hand holding it. It could tilt. It could catch angles it shouldn't.
And everyone knew that without saying it.
JP looked at Andrew. "So we wait."
Andrew nodded. "Five minutes. Maybe ten. Traffic is insane but the loop is short."
TZ leaned against a pillar and exhaled slowly. "Okay."
Kitty stood close to XH again, because crowds did that.
Wind pushed rain under the awning again.
Kitty shivered.
XH shifted closer without thinking, shoulder angled to block wind again.
Kitty looked up at him.
XH didn't look away.
For a second, everything felt quiet despite the storm.
Then JP ruined it like he always did.
JP leaned in and whispered loudly, "You two are going to get us killed."
Kitty snapped, "JP."
June's voice crackled through the phone. "What did he say."
NS's voice followed, calm but sharp. "JP, shut up."
JP blinked. "Even NS is telling me to shut up."
TZ muttered, "That's how you know you're wrong."
Kitty's cheeks warmed.
XH's throat tightened.
Andrew checked his own phone and frowned. "SUV is turning back now."
Good.
The waiting should have ended then.
But storms don't respect schedules.
A sudden gust of wind slammed rain into the awning so hard it sounded like a drum.
People under the cover flinched.
Someone screamed briefly, then laughed nervously.
Thunder rolled again, close enough to make a baby cry somewhere.
Kitty's breath hitched.
XH felt it and turned slightly toward her. "You okay."
Kitty swallowed. "Yeah. It's just loud."
XH nodded, but his eyes stayed on her face, reading the tension she tried to hide.
Through the phone, June watched.
NS watched too.
And watching does something.
It turns small gestures into evidence.
It turns closeness into a story.
The SUV pulled back into the driveway loop, hazard lights blinking.
Andrew lifted his hand and waved them forward. "Now. Move fast."
JP grabbed TZ's sleeve and yanked him like a child. TZ pushed him forward anyway.
XH stepped forward with Kitty beside him.
Rain hit their shoulders again, cold and heavy.
The SUV door opened.
NC leaned out with the phone, still on the call, face damp, eyes tired. "Quick. Get in. We're going."
XH climbed in first, then Kitty, then TZ, then JP.
As Kitty climbed in, her hand slipped on the wet door frame for half a second.
XH caught her elbow immediately.
Not dramatic.
Just reflex.
But the camera angle caught it.
June's eyes sharpened on screen.
NS's mouth tightened slightly.
NC didn't notice. She was too focused on closing the door.
The SUV pulled away again.
Inside, everyone was pressed close. The air was warm and wet and loud with breathing. The phone call remained open, June and NS still watching, still listening.
NC held the phone between seats, voice strained but cheerful. "Okay. Second wave is inside. We're leaving the embassy loop now."
June's voice came calm. "Good."
NS's voice came smoother. "Glad you're safe."
Kitty didn't speak.
XH didn't speak either.
Because silence was safer than words right now.
Outside the window, the embassy gates blurred again behind rain.
The festival lights faded.
The city swallowed them.
But the call kept them connected, like a thread stretched too tight.
NC shifted the phone, trying to find a better angle.
Her hand trembled slightly from fatigue, not fear.
She was holding too much.
And the phone, like any careless witness, kept recording.
The SUV turned onto a wider road, tires splashing through puddles, and NC exhaled like she was trying to let the day go.
But the day wasn't done with them.
Not with this call still alive.
Not with the storm still rising.
Not with the next chapter waiting to narrow them into one final pickup point where space would get tighter, tempers would get thinner, and the smallest mistake would become a spark.
NC stared at the phone screen at June and NS.
"Hey," NC said, voice softer now. "We'll show you more once we're stable."
June's eyes stayed sharp. "Okay."
NS's smile was faint. "Don't drop the phone."
JP muttered, "Please drop the phone."
Cherry's voice came faintly from NC's side of the call, out of frame. "JP, shut up."
JP sighed. "Everyone hates me."
TZ replied calmly, "We love you. Quietly."
JP blinked. "That was almost sincere."
TZ shrugged. "Don't make it weird."
The SUV drove on.
Rain kept falling.
And the call stayed open, a quiet promise that someone, somewhere, would see what happened next even if the people living it didn't notice until it was too late.