Sunshine Shower

“Moon Seoyoon, I hardly recognize you anymore. You used to be recognizable even from a distance.”“Why are you here?”Moon Seoyoon furrowed his eyebrows unconsciously. He couldn’t understand why Woo Yeonjae was attending second-year major classes.“Why am I here? To take my major courses.”“That’s not what I meant. Why are you taking this major? What were you doing in your second year?”Woo Yeonjae chuckled, widening his lips. Along with it, his cheek pressed against his hand rose sharply.“I didn’t purposely avoid it.”His lips moved slowly, revealing an unexpected reason.“Moon Seoyoon, I’m responsible for this.”Responsible? Moon Seoyoon furrowed his brows again, this time in confusion.“What responsibility?”“I persuaded you to major in Business Administration and brought you here.”Finally, Moon Seoyoon understood the reason behind Woo Yeonjae’s talk of responsibility. It wasn’t entirely untrue since Moon Seoyoon had followed him in applying. But even if Woo Yeonjae hadn’t persuaded him to join him in college, Moon Seoyoon would have still chosen the same major.It wasn’t because he wanted to be with Woo Yeonjae in college. On the contrary, Moon Seoyoon knew well that it would be even more challenging to be with him after becoming adults. Many things would change once they became adults.Woo Yeonjae would probably find a girlfriend with whom he would have a deeper relationship, and he might eventually get married. Moon Seoyoon wasn’t foolish enough to choose the same major just because of the possibility of being together for a few more years.But he didn’t have any particular goals for himself either.At the age of sixteen, Moon Seoyoon stopped playing the piano. Playing the piano had been intertwined with his life for so long that his oldest memory was of touching the keys. Perhaps because of the traces left by those years, it wasn’t easy to yearn for something else after just three years.After quitting the piano, the direction of life was no more than a single droplet of rainwater being pushed around by the rain. There was no clear destination. It was just that Woo Yeonjae was the stream guiding him.There had been light regrets about whether it would have been better to go to a different department after discharge, but in any case, the responsibility of choice rested solely on Moon Seoyoon himself.“What do you mean it’s your responsibility? I wrote the application. Besides, my father had something to say, and anyway, I would have ended up here.”Moon Seoyoon calmly dismissed the responsibility while looking at the slightly crumpled eyes from the slap on his cheek. A raindrop falling from the sky couldn’t be held responsible for its path. Without a stream to guide it, it would dry up in the sun, leaving no trace.“You said you were going to the teaching college, and you did.”As if peering into his soul, Woo Yeonjae gently teased with a glint in his eyes. Moon Seoyoon couldn’t deny it immediately. If Woo Yeonjae had wanted to attend the teaching college, Moon Seoyoon might have applied there too. After giving up studying in the United States, Woo Yeonjae had only one goal, so it was a pointless assumption.“Well, Moon Seoyoon does seem more suited to be a teacher.”As Moon Seoyoon remained speechless, Woo Yeonjae continued teasingly.“Still, it’s pretty hurtful to say it’s not because of me…”“….”“If I had insisted that Moon Seoyoon should go to art school, you would have started preparing for the art school entrance exam.”“Do you want to die?”It was a sarcastic remark, knowing about his aversion to art. When Moon Seoyoon frowned, Woo Yeonjae straightened up with a chuckle.“Also, why didn’t you mention that we were taking the same classes? We talked about our schedules when we met last time with Hyunseung.”The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. It was absurd that he had forgotten to mention it despite the ample time and opportunity to do so. It was inexplicable why he was surprising people now.“Surprises are fun.”“Since when did you like surprises?”The Woo Yeonjae Moon Seoyoon remembered was a decidedly strategic individual. Unlike him, who vaguely and hazily thought about how things might turn out, he preferred to move under the thoroughly laid-out plans he set for himself. It was strange because people’s personalities don’t suddenly change.Oh. Could it be because of his girlfriend…?The thought flickered through Moon Seoyoon’s mind for a moment. Even though he had never been in a relationship, surprises weren’t uncommon among lovers.In an unexpected place, and in a class that took up three hours a week, suddenly encountering a lover wouldn’t be unwelcome. While three hours might not seem long among lovers, it felt like an eternity to Moon Seoyoon.Upon careful consideration, two years of dating were enough to change many things. The idea of Woo Yeonjae, whom I didn’t recognize, sitting beside me made me feel a bit strange.“I remembered when I visited the café where you work last time.”“What are you talking about?”Woo Yeonjae chuckled lightly, as if recalling that memory. It was only after seeing his smooth smile that Moon Seoyoon understood the meaning. It seemed to refer to the day they met after two years, about two months ago. Just thinking about that moment still made his heart pound.When someone hugged him from behind, it was normal for his hands to move instinctively. The reason he couldn’t do it was because he immediately sensed that it was Woo Yeonjae. Besides, there was no one else but Woo Yeonjae who would hug me so warmly, and more than anything, the scent of his cologne carried by the wind was familiar.“You looked relieved as soon as you saw my face, even though you were furious.”“…Why would I be furious?”I should be furious. Moon Seoyoon, who was about to retort momentarily, closed his mouth. It was strange to get angry over not contacting each other after the graduation ceremony; it was equally strange to feel disappointed over just one visit between friends who weren’t even lovers.“I still don’t know.”With a playful tone and a mischievous glint in his eye, Woo Yeonjae trailed off.“I’ll let you know when you give me the flower shoes. When will that be?”Laughter and playful banter revealed a mischievous streak. Moon Seoyoon laughed along with him, playing along.“I’ll give it to you on your birthday. Choose one.”It seemed like he was intentionally talking about flower shoes after returning from the military. Despite all the talk about flower shoes, it ultimately boiled down to a birthday gift conversation. Exchanging shoes on birthdays had been an implicit agreement since the age of fifteen.“Is everyone here?”As the professor entered the classroom, the somewhat tense atmosphere gradually began to settle. Moon Seoyoon immediately turned his head towards the front. A faint sigh escaped only after Woo Yeonjae’s gaze moved away.Two years was too short a time to change the professor’s teaching style. Moon Seoyoon absentmindedly put the syllabus into his bag after pondering the contents of the orientation that hadn’t even lasted an hour. It was fortunate that there were no group projects.“Oh, hello, oppa!”Someone approached the desk at that moment. Seeing someone warmly greet Woo Yeonjae, it seemed like they knew each other.“Hello.”“Are you really taking second-year major classes? It’s been chaotic since you started this class.”“It’s a bit strange for a third-year to jump into a major. I’m taking it with a friend.”His gaze naturally shifted at the mention of the word ‘friend.’ Moon Seoyoon awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth.“Oh! You’re Moon Seoyoon Sunbae, right? You returned to school this semester. I’m Seo Jieun. I’m a sophomore majoring in this subject.”“Oh… You’re the one who invited me to the group chat, right?”“Yes, that’s me. And please, drop the formalities. I’m just twenty.”“Ah, got it. Thanks for the invitation yesterday.”The sophomore group chat that had been invited just yesterday came to mind. They must have received the number from the department office, and since she was the department head, she was probably the one who invited them. There was so much conversation flooding in that Moon Seoyoon had only glanced at it briefly and left it alone, so there wasn’t much that stuck in his mind. It must have been the same on their end, so it was surprising that they recognized me as Moon Seoyoon.“No, it’s nothing. It’s just something the department head usually does, you know.”Seo Jieun leaned forward, gripping the desk with both hands.“Are both of you coming to the freshman orientation?”“It’s a hassle.”Woo Yeonjae replied dryly, shifting his slow-moving gaze. Moon Seoyoon hesitated for a moment at the questioning expression, then gave the answer Seo Jieun was looking for.“We should go to the orientation.”He wasn’t particularly fond of department events. Even as a freshman, he only attended events that were deemed necessary, and otherwise, he didn’t bother taking up space. While he got along reasonably well with his peers, he tended to avoid unnecessary drinking gatherings. The lively atmosphere of such gatherings made him uncomfortable, and it wasn’t difficult for him to decline when Woo Yeonjae also often skipped them.Ideally, he would have preferred to skip this orientation as well, but now that he had just returned to school, he felt he should at least get to know some of his classmates’ faces. He couldn’t keep holding onto childhood friends forever.“Oh… Thank you so much, senior. If there are too many absences, I’ll get scolded.”“If Moon Seoyoon goes, I’ll go too.”Woo Yeonjae interjected lazily. Seo Jieun widened her eyes in surprise at Woo Yeonjae’s unexpected participation and sought confirmation once again.“You’re coming?”“I’m counting on Moon Seoyoon to sell his face for me.”–T/N:It’s not literally selling his face but the expression used was, “얼굴 좀 팔게” which means to show off his handsomeness to promote oneself or someone else. The meaning of the flower shoes expression can be found in the first chapter.