Sunshine Shower

Woo Yeonjae stood with his arms crossed, staring at the entrance of the dormitory. Occasionally, people who tried to look inside through the heavily tinted windows would be startled, but it was something he was used to, so he didn’t think much of it. He glanced down at his watch to check the time. The minute hand indicated it was around the time Moon Seoyoon should be coming out. If he still had the habit of leaving thirty minutes before class, he would be stepping outside soon.Bored, Woo Yeonjae uncrossed his arms and began tapping the steering wheel with his left hand. At that moment, a familiar figure emerged from the entrance. Just as he was about to get out of the car, he suddenly froze, as if caught in a trap.“…….”A man he had never seen before put his arm around Moon Seoyoon’s shoulder. They seemed quite close.Who is that? There was no need to rack his brain. Woo Yeonjae knew all of Moon Seoyoon’s acquaintances. In fact, anyone close to Moon Seoyoon was inevitably someone in his own circle. The fact that he didn’t know who this was meant that he was an outsider.Realizing this, his breath stopped momentarily.‘You’re unnecessary.’Just like that moment.“Hah….”With a frustrated sigh, Woo Yeonjae ran a hand through his hair. The reason he didn’t get out of the car was because of a promise he had made a long time ago with a pinky swear.He managed to suppress his urge to confront them, but his irritated gaze remained fixed on the unfamiliar man.“How did our Seoyoon come to know such a thug?”The man didn’t look decent at all. His bleached hair and rough appearance didn’t match Moon Seoyoon’s neat demeanor in the slightest.A roommate? Woo Yeonjae quickly dismissed the thought. Moon Seoyoon was slow to warm up to people. Like many kids, he was sociable and easily made friends when he was younger, but as he grew older, he built walls around himself. So, it couldn’t just be a simple roommate.Woo Yeonjae pondered what to do. His long fingers tapped the steering wheel rhythmically, contrasting with his cold expression.I shouldn’t mess this up. Just as he decided to gather his patience and wait, the man with his arm around Moon Seoyoon’s shoulder grabbed his white cheek, making him look directly at him.The noise from his tapping abruptly stopped. At the same time, an intuition struck him. He had known Moon Seoyoon for 17 years. If he didn’t recognize this face…“Ah, what a shitty feeling.”It was someone who knew about the 1 year and 6 months of Moon Seoyoon’s life that he didn’t.Woo Yeonjae immediately got out of the car. It didn’t take long, but when his feet hit the ground, all he could see was Moon Seoyoon. Where did he go? His dark eyes scanned the surroundings. Seeing the dormitory’s automatic door close, he guessed they had gone inside.Instead of walking over, he decided to wait for Moon Seoyoon. He had parked the car deliberately on the path to the business school, so eventually, they would come this way.As he watched the approaching figure, the memory of Seoyoon passively accepting casual touches overlapped with the present. Suddenly, Woo Yeonjae wondered if Moon Seoyoon’s compliant acceptance of the man’s touch was his fault.It was Woo Yeonjae himself who had made such touches feel like an everyday occurrence for Moon Seoyoon. He had been the only one to approach Seoyoon in this way, not so that others could do the same. But he never expected another person would also touch him.“I should have warned him.”For once, he felt a slight regret about his past actions.Unlike others who walked while looking at their phones, Moon Seoyoon walked upright. Finally, noticing the gaze upon him, he turned his head. His eyes, usually gentle in curve, widened slightly in surprise.“Woo Yeonjae?”Moon Seoyoon narrowed his eyes instinctively, surprised to see Woo Yeonjae in front of the dormitory instead of a lecture hall. He thought he had seen wrong. He had prepared to encounter him in class but never expected to see him outside the dormitory. After the initial shock, he wondered, why is he here?“What are you doing here? Why did you come?”“I came out early, so I thought we could go together.”“Don’t we see each other in class?”“It’s cold if you walk. Get in.”Woo Yeonjae nodded toward the car and got in first. Moon Seoyoon hesitated but eventually opened the door and got in as well.He had two days, but after being sick all weekend, he hadn’t figured out how to face Woo Yeonjae. Even with more time, he doubted he would have reached a conclusion, but that didn’t make this situation any less awkward.The car was warm. Instead of starting the engine, Woo Yeonjae handed him a disposable takeout cup from the cup holder. Moon Seoyoon, caught off guard, instinctively opened the lid to check the contents. Inside was a tea bag of an unknown type.“Are you feeling better?”“I’m okay now. I took medicine and slept all weekend… Did you buy this for me?”“Who else would I buy it for but you? I bought coffee and got it along with that.”“Thanks. I’ll drink it well.”Woo Yeonjae had always taken care of him whenever he was sick, so it wasn’t new. Still, it amused him how he always felt happy with these small acts of kindness. Moon Seoyoon sipped the tea cautiously, trying to hide his feelings.“Did you put ice in it?”The tea was lukewarm for something from a cafe. Considering the car was filled with the aroma of coffee, it didn’t seem like it had just cooled off.“Someone has a cat’s tongue and asked for ice.”Woo Yeonjae didn’t start the car but instead turned his body to face him. Moon Seoyoon gripped his cup tighter at the natural reply, showing just how well Woo Yeonjae knew him.“Moon Seoyoon.”The calm voice dropped slightly. Feeling guilty, Moon Seoyoon pretended to sip his tea and looked out the window.“Who was that?”He expected questions about his family or a phone call he made in his sleep, but this was unexpected. Who was what? The question confused him, making him turn to Woo Yeonjae.“Who?”“The guy you came out of the dorm with.”“Ah…”It took him a moment to realize he was talking about Nam Tae-eun. He thought the timing was just lucky, but Woo Yeonjae must have been waiting if he saw him leaving the dorm.“Roommate. He moved in on Friday.”Moon Seoyoon answered lightly since there was no reason to hide it.“Since when did you get so close to someone you’ve known for just four days?”“What are you talking about?”A hand suddenly pressed against his cheek. Thinking something might be on it, Moon Seoyoon reflexively touched it with the back of his hand. If Woo Yeonjae had pulled his fingers away, he would have brushed his cheek with the back of his hand to remove whatever was there.But the hand stayed, and the warmth from his fingers spread across his skin. Trying not to show his surprise at the sudden contact, Moon Seoyoon awkwardly lowered his arm.“Why? Is something on my face? Stop pressing. It hurts.”“You’re not answering.”Woo Yeonjae squinted his eyes. Despite his downcast eyebrows making him look dejected, there was a fierce glint in his eyes. His fingers pressed into Moon Seoyoon’s cheek briefly before relaxing.“What?”“You don’t look like just roommates. Since when did you walk around with your arm around someone you’ve known for just a few days?”It wasn’t like they had their arms around each other; Nam Tae-eun had casually draped his arm over his shoulder. Then he had grabbed his cheek, making jokes about his round eyes before bursting into laughter. Suddenly, Nam Tae-eun remembered he had left his phone inside and ran back into the dorm.The image of him explaining in such lengthy detail was amusing. Moon Seoyoon casually responded as if it was no big deal, saying that it would all be resolved if he just explained about Nam Taeun.“He’s an older Hyung we’re close to.”“…Hyung?”“He’s older than us. Oh, and we served in the military together. We were right next to each other in the barracks. That’s how we got close.”“I didn’t know you had other close friends. You never told me, making me feel really left out…”Is it necessary to introduce a new friend to other friends when you become close with someone? Since all his acquaintances overlapped with Woo Yeonjae, he wasn’t sure what the usual practice was, and for a moment, he wondered if he had done something wrong, making him reflect on himself.“I don’t know all the people you’re close to either.”“I only have you, Moon Seoyoon.”The hand pressing against his cheek finally withdrew. His trailing voice and the playful glint in his squinted eyes suggested he was teasing.