Sunshine Shower

Group projects are something everyone dreads, but if there’s anything worse, it’s a class where you have to form the groups yourself. Although Moon Seoyoon was quite familiar with group projects to the point of being sick of them, coming back after a leave of absence made it hard to form groups as easily as he did in his freshman year. While he recognized a few classmates, they were already clustered with their own close friends, making it difficult for him to join in.“Oppa, hello. Have you decided on your group yet?”Just when he decided to gather the leftovers, Seo Jieun approached him.“Hi. No, not yet.”“Would you like to join us then? We have exactly three people.”Behind Seo Jieun, there were two unfamiliar faces.“I’d be grateful if you let me join.”Moon Seoyoon accepted without hesitation. He wasn’t one to be bothered by freeloaders, preferring to handle any extra work himself rather than wasting time getting upset.“No, we’re the ones who should be grateful. I heard from Yeonjae oppa that you’re really good at studying. We’re very focused on maintaining our grades, so we wanted to team up with someone competent.”Although he had heard Woo Yeonjae asking Seo Jieun to look after him, he hadn’t expected her to relay such details. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Moon Seoyoon managed a weak smile.“This is Kang Sooha, a sophomore in the science department, and this is Park Yeoon.”“Hello, sunbae-nim.”“Hi there!”Kang Sooha bowed deeply and used a very formal tone. Moon Seoyoon nodded back awkwardly. Having overly polite juniors was somewhat burdensome.“We’re all in the student council, so we’re the closest. Please feel free to speak casually.”“Ah… got it, thanks.”“Sunbae-nim, is it okay if I call you hyung?”“Feel free. You don’t need to be so formal.”“Oh, then I’ll call you hyung! Some people mind though, so I wasn’t sure.”Kang Sooha glanced around, cupping his hand around his mouth as if sharing a secret. Given the chaos in the room after the professor dropped the group project bomb and left, it was unlikely anyone else would hear them anyway.“Oppa, are you busy? We were thinking of deciding on the presentation topic today.”Park Yeoon stepped in to organize things. As soon as she spoke, Moon Seoyoon checked his phone for the time.“I’m free for about an hour. After that, I have to go to work.”“You have a job? Where do you work?”“I know! He works at a private café near the main gate, right?”“Uh… how did you know?”“I pass by there often. I’m not a regular, but I’ve been there a few times.”“Why don’t we just decide on the topic at the café then? Is that okay, oppa?”“Sure, that works. Let’s head to the café.”Feeling a bit relieved, Moon Seoyoon moved with his juniors and sent a message to Woo Yeonjae.[Can you make time when I go home?]It was pointless to worry about whether to ask or not. The answer was always the same.It seemed they weren’t just paying lip service about their dedication to grades; the topic and role distribution were settled in no time. Once that was done, the conversation naturally shifted to more personal matters.“Jieun told us you’re close with Yeonjae hyung, right?”Kang Sooha sipped his iced chocolate through a straw, now exuding a cheerful, youthful aura despite his earlier formal tone. Moon Seoyoon still had a vivid image of him brightening up when he mentioned buying coffee and desserts for them.“We’ve known each other since we were kids.”“So you’re childhood friends, right?”Curious, Park Yeoon joined the conversation.“Yeah, I’ve known him since before we started elementary school, so we’re childhood friends. But why do you ask?”“I’m just curious. Yeonjae oppa seems to know a lot of people and gets along with everyone, but he doesn’t seem to have any really close friends.”“Most of his close friends joined the army around the same time.”Moon Seoyoon answered while stirring his tea. Starting with himself, Kim Hyunseung, and others, all his friends enlisted in the military, so it made sense that younger students, only twenty-one, wouldn’t know this.“Oh, that explains it. Anyway, I was surprised when he suddenly asked me to look after you. I haven’t known him that long, but he doesn’t usually say things like that.”“Yeah, I was shocked when he showed up at the after-party for the general meeting. He said he came because of you, right?”“He came because of you? That explains it.”The chattering voices mixed together. It had been a while since Moon Seoyoon experienced such a lively atmosphere, so he just listened quietly.“Yeonjae hyung was the one who got rid of that jerk too.”Kang Sooha said, stabbing his cake with a fork. Seo Jieun and Park Yaeun nodded in agreement, their faces showing deep sympathy. Only Moon Seoyoon, who didn’t know the details, looked puzzled.“Jerk?”“There’s this guy who’s unbelievably rude.”Seo Jieun whispered, glancing around the café. Being near the school, she seemed cautious about speaking too loudly.“You probably know him. He caused trouble at the returning students’ table and then ran away after Yeonjae oppa dealt with him.”“Returning students’ table? Oh…”Though it happened just last week, the memory was already blurry. His recollection of the jerk was even fuzzier. He remembered going to the bathroom around that time. Thinking back, he realized he hadn’t seen the guy’s face after returning.“Do you know who he is? He was so annoying.”Seo Jieun stirred her drink with a look of disgust.“At least he left in the middle. If he had followed us to the second round, ugh.”“Yeonjae hyung doesn’t look it, but he’s really strong-willed. Right?”“What do you mean? He totally looks strong-willed. People who look nice are scarier.”Hearing others’ opinions about Woo Yeonjae felt strange. Not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable, Moon Seoyoon chose to stay quiet.“Oppa, do you have a girlfriend?”Seo Jieun asked playfully, tilting her head.“There are a lot of girls interested in you. But you always leave right after class or disappear with Yeonjae oppa, so no one gets to talk to you.”Though it was a burdensome question, it was probably a hot topic for these early-twenty-something juniors. It made sense they’d ask such questions, being at an age perfect for dating.“If they know we’re in the same group, someone might ask me to set them up with you. Is there anyone you’re interested in?”“Ah…”Kids these days are straightforward, thought Moon Seoyoon as he tried to come up with an excuse. If he got caught up in this, he could end up in an unexpected situation someday. It was better to block these questions early.“But I prefer older women.”It felt awkward to talk about his preferences with juniors two years younger than him, but this was the best answer he could come up with. It was better to be briefly embarrassed than to face trouble later.“Oh, hyung. That’s unexpected.”“Older women? So, they’re at least in their fourth year?”At twenty-four, they’d likely be preparing for graduation or already working, making his statement seem like a reasonable excuse. In truth, Moon Seoyoon didn’t have a specific type. After falling for Woo Yeonjae, he hadn’t thought about such things.“I should tell everyone that Seoyoon oppa is adamant about his preference for older women.”Even though it was a lie, he felt embarrassed after saying it. Trying to laugh it off, he pretended to drink his tea and lowered his eyelids, when he sensed someone behind him. He thought it was just someone passing by, but then he caught a familiar scent of cologne. Reflexively, Moon Seoyoon turned his head.“I didn’t know you had a thing for older women, Moon Seoyoon.”Woo Yeonjae leaned over, resting his arm on the back of the sofa.Moon Seoyoon, tying an apron around his waist, headed to the counter. As if she had been waiting for him, Song Jua suddenly held out a tray with an Americano on it.“Why? Didn’t the customer come to pick it up?”“No, your friend is here. There are no other customers, so go ahead and talk. This is what he ordered.”“Oh… Sorry. I’ll finish quickly.”After exchanging a brief conversation with Woo Yeonjae, the juniors left the café just after Moon Seoyoon’s shift had ended. He seated Woo Yeonjae and then went into the supply room. It seemed Song Jua had taken the order while he was changing clothes.“It’s fine. I’ll call you if it gets busy.”He took the tray and approached a secluded spot. It seemed Woo Yeonjae hadn’t come to the café without reason; he was looking at his laptop.“What’s up all of a sudden?”Moon Seoyoon set down the tray and sat across from him. Why did he come all the way here?“I saw your text.”“You could’ve just texted back. You didn’t have to come all the way here.”“Since you won’t hang out with me, I had to come to you.”Woo Yeonjae laughed while sipping his coffee. With his lips hidden by the mug, it was hard to read his exact expression.“I was also curious about how you’re doing at school without me.”