Sunshine Shower

Moon Seoyoon expressed his feelings frankly. Woo Yeonjae frowned, seemingly displeased with the compliment about being pretty. His eyebrows, darker than Moon Seoyoon’s, scrunched up.“You’re the one who’s pretty.”“No, you’re prettier. Even the boys in our class say you’re the prettiest.”From a child’s perspective, Woo Yeonjae was indeed pretty. He’s popular now, but he’ll be even more so when they start elementary school, right? Feeling a bit like he might lose his best friend, Moon Seoyoon pouted.“When we start elementary school, you have to stay best friends with me.”“I don’t have any friends besides Moon Seoyoon.”“Then what about your kindergarten friends? Seungwoo and Jaeyoon?”“They’re just kids I know.”Moon Seoyoon grinned again at the immediate response. It was an answer that satisfied a child’s innocent possessiveness.“Okay. Then I’ll only be friends with you, Yeonjae.”“Then are you mine?”Mine? After a moment of contemplation, Moon Seoyoon nodded. It wasn’t wrong since they were best friends.“Promise, then.”Woo Yeonjae extended his pinky finger. Moon Seoyoon hooked his pinky around Yeonjae’s slightly longer one.“Promise.”While staring intently at his face rather than their linked fingers, Woo Yeonjae suddenly leaned forward. With a smacking sound, a soft sensation touched his lips. Why on the lips instead of the cheek today? Moon Seoyoon widened his eyes and asked.“Why did you kiss me on the lips?”“You kiss like this when someone is yours.”“Really?”Oh, I see. Moon Seoyoon registered this new fact in his mind and briefly kissed Woo Yeonjae on the lips, just as Yeonjae had done. Woo Yeonjae, not expecting the sudden kiss, blinked a few times before stepping back and covering his lips with the back of his hand.“Why? Oh, the rain stopped.”The rain that had been falling just a moment ago had ceased. Excited at the thought of playing, Moon Seoyoon grabbed Woo Yeonjae’s hand and pulled him along.“Yeonjae, look! There’s a rainbow over there!”As if the rain had never fallen, a large rainbow was spread across the blue sky. Moon Seoyoon pointed at the rainbow with a bright smile. He loved everything—the fresh smell of the grass after the rain, the cool, calm air, and the hand he held tightly.His bright smile gradually faded over time. What his mother’s illness had taken away was more than just her vitality.“Seoyoon, I think you need to practice a bit more. This isn’t good enough.”His father, looking tired, took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. Unable to bear looking at him, Moon Seoyoon lowered his head towards the piano. The neatly arranged white and black keys made his head spin.“I know you’re troubled because of your mom, but you need to do well to make her happy. The Central Competition is coming up soon.”“Yes, I’ll do my best.”He wondered if he ever really had any talent. The more his father’s hand patted his shoulder, the smaller Moon Seoyoon felt.“Right. I believe in you, my son. You’ll be a middle schooler next year, so you need to work hard. I wish I could have sent you to an arts middle school… but the chairman insisted. At least we got you a good teacher.”The chairman referred to Woo Yeonjae’s father. Though he ended up going to a regular middle school instead of a prestigious arts school as planned, Moon Seoyoon felt relieved. Playing the piano had long since become a matter of habit rather than passion. Competing with enthusiastic and ambitious children was increasingly exhausting.“Shall I play it again?”Moon Seoyoon began pressing the keys out of habit. Still, he was grateful to have Woo Yeonjae as a refuge by his side.“Hey, Moon Seoyoon.”School had just ended, and he was about to head to his lesson. Moon Seoyoon stopped organizing his backpack and looked up. An unfriendly classmate leaned against the desk and made a circular motion with his fingers. What was that?“Have you ever masturbated?”“What?”Moon Seoyoon frowned, wondering if he had heard wrong.“I mean, I was just curious if someone who looks like you even does it.”What does appearance have to do with masturbation? Confusion was quickly replaced by annoyance. Even though it was the age when middle schoolers might act out, he hadn’t expected someone to ask such a question to his face.“Why is Jin Hyun so curious about whether Moon Seoyoon masturbates?”Before he could respond, a shadow fell over the desk.“Oh, Y-Yeonjae.”The classmate looked startled, likely due to the arm casually draped over his shoulder in a friendly gesture. Standing next to Woo Yeonjae, he looked like an elementary school kid. Even considering they were still growing, Woo Yeonjae was a head taller than their peers.“If Moon Seoyoon hasn’t jerked off, are you planning to help him out?”“No, that’s not what I meant…”“Oh, really? Then what did you mean? Is he your little toy?”“I just, ow!”With a loud crash, the desk overturned. It was yet another incident caused by Woo Yeonjae, whose mishaps had become countless.Moon Seoyoon managed to get a promise from Woo Yeonjae to stop causing trouble.At sixteen.Moon Seoyoon had lost everything on his long-held list of treasures, except for his childhood friend.“Have you been crying?”“No, I haven’t.”“I wasn’t crying.”Moon Seoyoon mumbled, avoiding his gaze. Woo Yeonjae, who seemed to have forgotten to knock, entered the room unhesitatingly and sat on the bed, still dressed in his outdoor clothes, which was unlike him.“Let me see your face.”“I told you, I wasn’t crying.”It would have been better if he had been lying down, but since he was caught sitting idly on the bed, pretending to be asleep was not an option. When he turned his head away as if to avoid him, Woo Yeonjae casually grasped his cheek to check his face. Their eyes locked momentarily, and Moon Seoyoon’s long eyelashes fluttered in embarrassment. With a pale face, Moon Seoyoon lowered his eyelids.“You were crying.”A large hand soon covered his eyes. The coolness of it absorbed the heat that had built up there.“Cold.”“Feels refreshing, right?”It was a hot summer with the sun blazing down. Even though the air conditioner cooled the air, it couldn’t take away the heat trapped around his eyes.With Woo Yeonjae keeping his hand pressed over his eyes, Moon Seoyoon was able to lean his head against the bed’s headboard. He felt so weak that the pressure from Woo Yeonjae’s large hand was actually comforting.“I had to put an ice pack on my hand because of you, Moon Seoyoon.”“…Really?”“It’s true.”Although he couldn’t see his face, Moon Seoyoon was pretty sure Woo Yeonjae gave a small laugh. With his hand touching his face, every tiny movement was clearly felt.When he was younger, he often wished that Woo Yeonjae would smile more, and perhaps that wish had come true because Woo Yeonjae now frequently lifted the corners of his mouth.“If not me, who else would comfort you?”“True.”It had already been a month since his mother passed away. And Woo Yeonjae was the only person Moon Seoyoon could lean on.Not wanting to show his tears in front of his best friend, Moon Seoyoon habitually bit the inside of his cheek. Showing his crying face at the funeral had been enough. Unlike the other friends who wore school uniforms, Woo Yeonjae had come in a suit and silently offered his embrace to Moon Seoyoon as he cried.“Moon Seoyoon.”Woo Yeonjae’s voice, which had been playful, suddenly dropped to a serious tone. The warm hand on his face was quickly withdrawn. The cold tone made Moon Seoyoon look at him involuntarily.“Did you get hit?”“Ah…”His cheek twitched slightly. He hadn’t expected it to be noticeable and felt embarrassed.“Did the professor hit you?”“I deserved it.”Moon Seoyoon took down the large hand touching his cheek. The wrist he held was warm, unlike the cool palm.“What kind of nonsense is that?”“I said I wanted to quit piano…”“So he hit you because of that?”Woo Yeonjae openly showed a look of contempt. Feeling awkward under his gaze, Moon Seoyoon mumbled. He had never paid much attention to his swollen cheek, but Woo Yeonjae’s anger made him self-conscious.“He must have been angry because I said I wanted to quit after more than ten years. And with my mom passing away, he’s been on edge.”“He should be concerned about your condition first, not hitting you because you want to quit piano.”Moon Seoyoon had always thought it was natural for his father to hit him. He truly believed he deserved it. Anyone would be angry if their child wanted to quit after investing over ten years. So when he got slapped, he kept his head down like a criminal, unable to say anything.“And why is the professor the only one who’s on edge? You’re probably more affected. It’s not like spouses and children are the same… The professor can find someone else, but you… damn, you lost your only mother.”Even though they both lost someone precious, wouldn’t the sadness be the same? He suddenly had that thought, but at the same time, he felt Woo Yeonjae had a point. He was grateful to have a friend who was angry on his behalf.It also made him realize that someone cared for him. His father, the only one left in his family, chose to ignore him due to his overwhelming anger, and his maternal relatives were too consumed by their own grief to take care of him. He thought it was natural to endure it alone, but now he saw he had Woo Yeonjae.“Do you want to come to my house? My bed is big.”