Sunshine Shower

Woo Yeonjae was no different than usual. Despite pressing him about liking men, he now acted as if such a conversation had never happened. He spoke, laughed, and behaved just as he always did, so Moon Seoyoon found himself behaving no differently either.“Sigh…”That didn’t mean he felt at ease.‘I’ll talk to you later. I’ll wait until you’re ready.’Moon Seoyoon knew for sure. Woo Yeonjae was just waiting.He was quite patient, so he might wait longer than expected.Even so, the situation of having to confess hadn’t changed. He didn’t intend to confess his feelings, but the thought of having to admit he liked men made his stomach clench.“I’m hopeless too.”Sitting on the bed, he leaned back. Soon, he felt the mattress give way and the soft blanket under his back. In the quiet dorm room, the only sound was his faint breathing.Moon Seoyoon stared blankly at the plain ceiling, blaming himself.Even after being caught by Woo Yeonjae for liking men, he was still wondering why the earrings were at the apartment. It was a trivial issue, which made it worse.Was he consciously diverting his attention to another issue to avoid the inevitable confession? Or was he genuinely curious because Woo Yeonjae was involved? His mind was a mess.Worrying about such a trivial matter felt foolish.“What should I do?”He had no idea how to start the conversation with Woo Yeonjae.Since his liking men had been discovered, at least he had to make sure Woo Yeonjae didn’t find out that he was the one he liked. But how? His nerves were already frayed, and he doubted he could manage his expressions after admitting he liked men.The answer was obvious without much thought.“I can’t.”While tormenting himself with an unsolvable problem, he suddenly heard the sound of the keypad. Moon Seoyoon moved his eyes toward the entrance. Soon, the front door closed, and the hallway light turned on, revealing Nam Taeun, looking exhausted.“Oh, you’re back from your part-time job?”“Do you know what time it is? Don’t tell me you still haven’t finished your assignment?”“I just sent an email to the professor. I’m proud of myself for finishing the project with those lousy team members, Seoyoon.”Nam Taeun exaggeratedly lifted his chin, basking in self-praise. He had been complaining about his terrible group members since the start of the semester, but somehow he had managed to finish.“Finally? You worked hard.”“Yeah, it was tough. How are your group members? Aren’t there a lot of group projects in business?”“My group members are doing their part.”“Having good group members is pure luck. Look at me, finishing the project just a week before midterms because of those idiots. Ah, time flies so fast.”“Yeah.”Midterms were already next week. As soon as the cherry blossoms that had bloomed so brightly fell, the exam schedule rushed in. In a way, it was fortunate it was exam time.Pretending everything was normal with Woo Yeonjae was only on the surface. With a lingering issue between them, no matter how hard Moon Seoyoon tried, he couldn’t act like nothing had happened.So he used studying for exams as an excuse to flee to the library after their classes together. Woo Yeonjae seemed displeased by his obvious avoidance, narrowing his eyes, but he didn’t hold him back. He was clearly giving him time.At the library, Moon Seoyoon buried himself in the reading room, trying to focus on studying until it was time to go to the café. It wasn’t hard to concentrate on studying. When he wanted to avoid something, he found it easier to focus on other tasks, and he was grateful for the immediate work at hand.“I wish the exams would never end.”Hearing his mumbling, Nam Taeun lightly kicked his calf hanging off the bed as he passed by.“Lucky you. I wish the semester would end already.”“Hyung. It’s been less than two months since the semester started.”“Honestly, two months is enough for one semester, right? Once you get a job, there are no breaks.”Chuckling, Nam Taeun joked as he grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom, saying he needed to freshen up. Moon Seoyoon watched him go and then turned his head back to the ceiling.He was probably the only one wishing the midterms wouldn’t end. The thought of having free time after the exams made him anxious.“Sigh…”Moon Seoyoon closed his eyes with a sigh. He knew that closing his eyes wouldn’t make his problems disappear.* * *“Have you been waiting?”He stopped in his tracks. As soon as he submitted his exam and left the classroom, he saw a familiar face. Woo Yeonjae was leaning casually against the quiet hallway wall, holding his phone, possibly texting his girlfriend.“We were supposed to have lunch with the professor today, right?”“Oh, right. Today.”As soon as his last exam was over, he had a lunch appointment with his father. The suffocating meal where he couldn’t avoid Woo Yeonjae was already making him feel nauseous.“If we leave now, we’ll be on time.”“…How was the exam? Was this your last one too?”It felt awkward to walk in silence, so Moon Seoyoon brought up a safe topic.“I’m not sure since someone didn’t study with me.”“…What do you mean?”After quitting piano, he had always studied with Woo Yeonjae. In high school, they would study at his house every weekend, sometimes even spending the entire weekend together in the guest room. This habit continued through college, becoming so routine that he didn’t even notice it.Moon Seoyoon realized that this was the first exam period he had spent without Woo Yeonjae.“We’ve always studied together. It’s boring doing it alone; I missed you.”“Our majors don’t even completely overlap…”Just as he was mumbling, their steps stopped in front of the car. Moon Seoyoon glanced inside as he got into the passenger seat. If the white earring had fallen, it would be noticeable yet somehow easy to miss.“Do you know where the restaurant is?”Not wanting to continue the study conversation, Moon Seoyoon quickly changed the subject.“We’ve been there a few times together.”“Really? I couldn’t remember just from the name.”“It’s a Korean restaurant.”Having been to so many places together, no particular one came to mind immediately. Perhaps it was also because he didn’t care much about food.“It’s been a while since we last saw the professor.”Remembering the lie he had told about visiting his family, Moon Seoyoon fiddled with his bag, staying silent.“Today, when we meet the professor, I should tell him to give you to me.”His wandering fingers froze. Moon Seoyoon discreetly observed Woo Yeonjae. Though he could only see his profile while driving, his usual smiling eyes were there.Even though he knew Moon Seoyoon liked men, why would he say something like that? Although it was just a manner of speaking, he must realize that such a comment could be misunderstood given the situation.Was he trying to make him feel at ease, or was he in denial about Moon Seoyoon’s feelings, acting as if nothing had changed? It was hard to read his intentions. When he had denied it, Woo Yeonjae had pointed out his habit of lying, leaving him speechless. Now, with these remarks, it was difficult to understand what Woo Yeonjae wanted.Was it just a manner of speaking? The Woo Yeonjae he knew was never one to act simply. However, habits can slip out unconsciously. So, it was something to let pass. But his mind couldn’t rest easily. He found himself overanalyzing every word Woo Yeonjae said.“Wait a moment.”Unable to think of a reply, he just moved his lips when the car gently came to a stop. Woo Yeonjae left the driver’s seat with just a word to wait.“Sigh…”Relieved to be alone, Moon Seoyoon sighed deeply without realizing it. His eyes instinctively followed Woo Yeonjae’s retreating figure. Even from a distance, he was conspicuous as he headed into a pharmacy.Was he sick? Moon Seoyoon belatedly recalled Woo Yeonjae’s face. He hadn’t dared to look directly, but his impression had seemed sharp. Given Kim Sunjoo’s recent comments about his bad mood, it seemed clear he wasn’t in good condition.When the pharmacy door opened again, Moon Seoyoon quickly turned his head to avoid looking. Shortly after, the driver’s seat opened, and a white bag landed on his bag with a thud. The pharmacy’s name was written in blue ink.“What’s this?”“Drink it.”Woo Yeonjae gave a simple reply and started the car. Confused, Moon Seoyoon fiddled with the somewhat heavy bag before checking its contents.It was digestive medicine.