Childhood friend ran through rain to pick her up — and he's still in love

A guy writes about a girl he's known since birth — they grew up together through elementary, middle, and high school. He wasn't into school clubs, but she did 'shim-ja' (a late-night study program) until 11 PM. One rainy night she texted him asking to be picked up. He was working out and figured he'd catch her at the end of his session, but then realized: her parents couldn't come, one older brother was in the military, the other was away in Seoul for college. There was literally no one else.

He called, but her phone was off. Panicking, he grabbed an umbrella and sprinted to her school at full speed — something he says he'd never done in his life. Mid-run the umbrella kept getting in the way, so he folded it, threw on a hat, and just kept going. He arrived to find her huddled at the school entrance like a wet dog.

He texted 'sorry I'm late' and she looked up — completely soaked, dead-eyed from the cold — and just wordlessly used her OWN coat sleeve to wipe the rain off HIS face. That was the moment. For the first time ever, he saw her as a woman, not just a friend. He says he'd never felt his heart race like that before. 'I'm 22 now, and I still like her.'