Sunshine Shower

“Oh, oh. Long time no see, Yeonjae.”Han Cheolmin’s face suddenly brightened, as if he had sobered up.“I didn’t know you’d come to the orientation.”“I didn’t even get to greet you, Sunbae-nim, since I didn’t know you were here. I thought you’d be busy with job hunting. My thoughts were short-lived.”As Woo Yeonjae engaged Han Cheolmin in conversation, their classmates glanced at each other before starting to chat among themselves. The awkward atmosphere at the table quickly turned lively.“Yeah, yeah. Attending department events can give you more material for your resume…”“Ah, I see.”With impeccable posture, Woo Yeonjae casually replied as he swept away the beer glass Moon Seoyoon had been drinking from with his finger. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he naturally cleared his throat and picked up the beer bottle on the table.Han Cheolmin flinched as if startled, his shoulders trembling. He looked like a frightened turtle.“Why are you so surprised? If someone saw, they might think I’m going to smash Sunbae-nim’s head with this.”He chuckled softly, tossing out the joke in a friendly tone.“Would you like some more drinks?”“No, I think I might be drunk so it’s okay…”“Why?”Although Han Cheolmin awkwardly chuckled and shook his head, Woo Yeonjae casually cut him off. Despite the trailing words, his voice sounded more playful than rude, overflowing with coquettishness.“You were curious about how the taste changes when a pretty boy like me pours the drinks, right?”“No, Yeonjae. That’s…”Han Cheolmin gulped down his embarrassment. He hadn’t expected to hear that.If the guy sitting next to him just a moment ago appeared demure borrowing words from the girls, the man in front of him boasted a flamboyant appearance. One might have mistaken him for a celebrity at first sight. Why had he even come to university, one might wonder. It wasn’t until learning about his background that Han Cheolmin felt somewhat reassured. Yet, if not for that, he might still have such thoughts.That he had spoken of drinks being poured by pretty boys in front of Woo Yeonjae. As soon as he realized his mistake, a sense of impending doom washed over him.“Oh. Moon Seoyoon is pretty, but maybe I’m not.”As Woo Yeonjae let go of the beer bottle, he immediately picked up the soju next to it. With a faint vein bulging on the back of his hand, the cap fell off with a clatter.“Huh?”Ignoring the other’s intentions, Woo Yeonjae began pouring soju into the empty beer glass. Han Cheolmin instinctively grabbed the glass on the table. His pride was hurt, but with Woo Yeonjae staring at him so intently, it was now difficult to retreat.“Haha. You’re… even prettier.”Han Cheolmin thought being called pretty by another man was an insult. His grumbling about being pretty to the guy who played the piano was also intended to insult his handsome appearance.However, strangely, Woo Yeonjae’s use of the word ‘pretty’ didn’t feel offensive. Whether it was because of his tall stature and well-built physique or his inherently glamorous aura, it felt more like an assertion of masculine confidence rather than an emasculation. It was like not saying a predator lacks masculinity.“Oh, it seems I’m even prettier in Sunbae-nim’s eyes.”Woo Yeonjae nonchalantly lowered the soju bottle onto the table, his voice laced with playful sarcasm.“Then, please enjoy looking at me. I’m curious how much better the drink tastes when a pretty boy like me pours it.”In his leisurely tone mixed with sarcasm, Han Cheolmin licked his dry lips and lowered his gaze. The transparent liquid filled the beer glass to the brim. The shape that soared above the rim like a water droplet was on the verge of spilling at any moment. The liquid, smelling of disinfectant alcohol, was enough to soak not only his fingertips but also his entire palm if it moved even slightly.Even though it wasn’t explicitly insulting, his body froze. When he managed to lift his head, his eyes met with a chilling gaze behind lowered eyelids.“People can be damn… annoying.”The voice that seeped through the parted lips still sounded affectionate.“Don’t even think about eyeing Moon Seoyoon.”Tap. A smooth finger lightly touched the glass. The cheap liquid overflowed, staining the white palm damp. It coincided with Woo Yeonjae’s smiling face adopting a friendly expression.***Moon Seoyoon roughly tidied his wind-blown hair and walked inwardly. When he returned after cooling off the situation with Woo Yeonjae, there was one empty seat. It was where I had been sitting. The only difference was that Woo Yeonjae occupied the adjacent seat, not an uninvited guest.“You’re still blushing. Did the wind hit you?”Woo Yeonjae gestured as if urging Moon Seoyoon to come closer. The classmates occupying the table had seemingly become intoxicated by the alcohol, loudly chatting among themselves. There was no sign of the guy who had been blabbering about how drinks taste better when a pretty boy pours them.“Where did he go?”Moon Seoyoon asked as he took his seat.“Hmm. Maybe to the restroom.”Wouldn’t he be back soon? Subconsciously scanning the surroundings, Moon Seoyoon was taken aback as Woo Yeonjae took the glass in front of him and confidently stated:“He probably won’t be back.”It was a casual tone, but the certainty in his voice was unmistakable.“Well, that’s fortunate… But why did you take my glass?”Moon Seoyoon looked at Woo Yeonjae’s hand with surprise as the glass was unexpectedly snatched away. He wasn’t particularly fond of drinking, so even though he had no intention of drinking more, now that the uninvited guest had disappeared, he thought it would be better to socialize with his classmates.“Just stop drinking.”Woo Yeonjae lightly shook the glass as if joking.“I’ll drink this one.”Even though the classmate who had poured the drink was now quite tipsy, it still seemed better to empty that glass.“You’ll be drinking too much if you finish that.”“It’s just one glass.”“I know your drinking capacity.”It was puzzling why he suddenly started talking about drinking capacity. It’s not like we were at the same table, and even Moon Seoyoon himself couldn’t remember how many drinks he had consumed.“Just give it to me. I’ll drink it.”No matter how much he thought about it, Moon Seoyoon didn’t feel like he would get drunk from just that one glass. He reached out his hand, meaning to quickly take it back.“Hmm.”As Woo Yeonjae stared intently at the hand that had approached, he only lifted his eyelids slightly to gaze at the owner of the hand. Amidst the bustling atmosphere, a brief silence descended. Unable to bear the persistent gaze, Moon Seoyoon glanced away for a moment, and at that moment, Woo Yeonjae moved his arm.The beer he had been pouring sloshed over the loose lips. Moon Seoyoon could only watch with wide eyes, unable to blink, as the Adam’s apple moved slowly up and down. He was taken aback as he had never anticipated that Woo Yeonjae would drink the alcohol.In reality, it was almost impossible not to be aware of one’s unrequited love interest. Moon Seoyoon knew this because he was aware that Woo Yeonjae had gently refused the glasses offered to him over the past few hours.“Why are you drinking that? I brought tea.”The hand that neatly put down the glass moved slowly, and the back of the hand brushed against the lips. Moon Seoyoon opened his mouth, trying not to be conscious of Woo Yeonjae’s slightly moist lips. Other than that, he couldn’t find anything else to say.“Who’s insisting?”“Well, you said you don’t get drunk that easily, right?”“You can thank me tomorrow.”Instead of responding, Moon Seoyoon furrowed his brows for no reason and looked down at the glass of water. The warmth that had just cooled down was rising in his face again. Fortunately, his cheeks tended to redden easily when he drank alcohol, so it was a relief. No one would think it was for any other reason.Feeling awkward just sitting there, he drank some water and looked away, and then he saw the beer glass that Woo Yeonjae had just sipped from.The cheap beer, hidden away, seemed to perfectly match his feelings. It was fascinating to see it sway gently with just a light gesture from Woo Yeonjae, eventually succumbing to him.***As soon as he opened his eyes, what came into view was the suitcase left alone on the bed. It was much more familiar than the roommate he hadn’t even seen yet.“I guess he won’t be coming until next week.”Moon Seoyoon muttered to himself like a gum stuck to the bed. Slightly groggy, but his voice was still clear. Thanks to the fact that the drinking session, which almost ended up in overindulgence, ended without any mishaps.“Thanks for tomorrow.”Woo Yeonjae seemed to know why he was thanking him. Judging from his slightly drooping condition, he must have been in no shape to deal with a hangover if he had just had one more drink.Moon Seoyoon picked up his phone to check the time. It was 8 a.m. Tuesday started from the second period, so he had plenty of time to prepare.After a short hesitation, he sent a message.[Thank you.]Not even a minute passed before the phone rang. The problem was that the interval between the message and the call was too short to ignore. There was a conflict between wanting to hear the voice and wanting to avoid it.“Ugh…”