Done with her run and heading for home, Ren tried to wipe the rain off of her face when she saw a hooded figure from the opposite side of the street coming towards her. 

Wondering if it was already safe to cross, she saw that the traffic light was still red, so she looked back at the stranger who was seemingly unaware of this. Hmm, he probably couldn't see the walking signal with all this rain. 

Ren took a step forward and waved at him, motioning for him to stop and go back. The stranger,  staring straight at Ren, however, just kept on walking. 

Suddenly, Ren saw a car speeding from the right towards the figure. Ren frantically waved at the stranger. The stranger waved back but still kept going towards Ren. 

Ren broke into a run and started heading towards the stranger who abruptly froze as he realized that Ren was going to crash into him. Closing her eyes, Ren pushed herself into the stranger with all her might and held onto him as the car sped towards them and they both fell near the sidewalk.

Coming to, Ren wondered where the faint scent of vanilla was coming from and why she felt warm even though it was the middle of November. Opening her eyes, she realized that she was still on top of the stranger, with his arms wrapped around her and her hands pushed against his chest. 

Shocked at being in such a close distance with the stranger, Ren cleared her throat and immediately got up. As the man tried to stand, Ren saw that the stranger's black baseball cap, knocked off by the impact, was lying on the ground. 

She picked it up, handed it over to him, and for the first time, took in the profile of the man whose life she just saved. 

He was about six feet tall with a strong build, wearing a basic, black jacket and jeans, and surprisingly still with a face mask on even though the rain was pouring heavily. 

"Gwaenchana?" He asked as he stood up, towering over Ren.

"Miss, are you okay?" He asked again, as Ren continued staring at him, wondering if she just heard him ask "are you okay" in Korean. Her limited Korean was thanks to Aemee, who has been sprinkling Korean in every conversation.

Getting a hold of herself, Ren replied, "Yes, I'm okay, perfectly fine." Feeling relieved from having avoided danger, Ren turned to the stranger and asked sharply, "Mister! Are you crazy? Why did you keep crossing? I was motioning for you to go back but you waved back instead and kept walking towards me?"

The man kept staring at Ren, about to speak, when she suddenly asked, "Are- are you okay?", noticing for once the blood on the man's hands and arms. 

Ren's eyes grew wide as she asked again, "Mister- are you okay?" The man winced in answer, as he started to feel the sting from his wounds that came from crashing onto the rough asphalt.

"Hey, look, I can get you to the hospital and we can have them take a quick check," Ren offered, worriedly gazing at the scrapes- which looked pretty serious and like a lawsuit in the making.

"It's okay, I'm fine. I don't need to go to the hospital," the man said, shaking his head anxiously.

"Are you sure? It won't be a problem at all. The hospital is quite a few blocks away but I can call a cab now," Ren insisted. The man shook his head and looked as if he was about to go.

"Okay, how about this- we can go to my apartment, and I can at least get you something for the bleeding? It will be quick, five minutes tops", Ren suggested, after going through different calculations in her head on what would be the best way to solve this.

The stranger looked at Ren like she was out of her mind, inviting a random guy to her place. 

Ren sighed as if it were no big deal and listed off the things why, "It's no big deal. Firstly, I have someone I message every hour who will make sure to contact the police if I miss doing it even once. Secondly, my whole floor is rented to a group of gangsters who I am quite close to and check in on me when there's an unfamiliar face. Lastly, I know Krav Maga."

Ren, keeping her eyes focused on the stranger, asked, "So, are you coming?"

The stranger reluctantly agreed, seeing the determination on Ren's face.

Grabbing some bandages and antiseptic while waiting for the kettle to boil so she can make some tea, Ren hurried out of the kitchen and went into her living room, where the stranger was sitting. 

As Ren carefully cleaned the wound and applied the bandages, she could feel the stranger's gaze on her, making her feel uncomfortable in the silence.

"All done," Ren said abruptly, trying to break the stillness. With that, the stranger looked away and looked at his bandaged hands and forearms.

"Look, I- I'm really sorry I lashed out on you earlier. It was probably this whole near-death experience thing just kind of getting to me," Ren said sheepishly, offering him a cup of the freshly brewed tea. "The name's Ren by the way."

"Thanks", the stranger replied as he took a sip. "Kai," he said in exchange.

Ren looked at Kai, finally seeing his face clearly for the first time. His mixed western-Korean heritage showed through the soft but solid expression on his chiseled features. He had short, mildly tousled light brown hair, a pointed nose and full but masterful lips. 

Kai's piercing green eyes settled on her and Ren held her breath as she took in the intensity of his gaze. But then-

Kai faints.