Sunshine Shower

No one woke up early that morning. Woo Yeonjae had taken medicine and slept after his fever returned, while Moon Seoyoon had only fallen asleep at dawn after anxiously keeping vigil by himself.“Moon Seoyoon. Feel this.”“What…?”Still half-asleep, Moon Seoyoon barely managed to lift his eyelids. This was the third day he had been staying at Woo Yeonjae’s apartment, but he couldn’t understand why the familiar scent of the space hadn’t faded. The familiar scent made him feel drowsy all over again.Struggling to keep his eyes open, he saw Woo Yeonjae bending over him. A hand suddenly slipped under the blanket and grabbed his wrist. The cold touch made Moon Seoyoon shiver involuntarily. Soon, he felt the rough texture of skin against his palm.“What is this…?”“It seems like my fever’s gone down.”“Let me see.”Half of his sleepiness vanished instantly. He forced himself to sit up and met Woo Yeonjae’s gaze. It looked like he was kneeling beside the bed. Moon Seoyoon compared the temperature by placing his free hand on his own forehead.“I feel like I’m hotter than you.”Maybe it was because he had just woken up, but he felt warm all over.“Did you catch my cold?”He joked playfully, and Woo Yeonjae suddenly reached out, not to his forehead but to the back of his neck. The cold touch on his bare skin made Moon Seoyoon recoil, his shoulders tensing up in surprise. Whatever sleepiness remained vanished in an instant.“You’re just hot from waking up.”Woo Yeonjae’s fingers playfully teased the hair at the nape of his neck before pulling away.“Get up. Let’s have lunch.”Before Moon Seoyoon could even complain about the sudden touch on his neck, Woo Yeonjae had already turned away. He found himself absentmindedly scratching the skin where the cool touch had lingered. It felt like his cheeks were heating up, as if he had indeed caught a bit of Woo Yeonjae’s cold.“Ha…”It wasn’t until he was fully awake that he realized he had spent a second night in Woo Yeonjae’s apartment. While he wasn’t surprised by the presence of clothes, he hadn’t expected there to be underwear, too. Technically, it was new underwear, so calling it “his” felt a bit misleading, but given the situation where he had run out of excuses, he couldn’t find a way out.In the end, Moon Seoyoon once again found himself lying stiffly next to Woo Yeonjae.‘I guess I’m lucky I stayed…’Just when Woo Yeonjae had seemed fine, his fever spiked again during the night. It wasn’t severe enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, but Moon Seoyoon was relieved that he could be there for him while he was sick.Nothing could be worse than being consumed by loneliness while ill.“…”Suddenly, someone’s face flashed in his mind. Feeling that the thought might spiral into something gloomy, Moon Seoyoon shook his head and swung his legs off the bed. The hair that Woo Yeonjae had playfully tugged at swayed with the movement.“What’s this? You’re going to do it?”As he walked to the kitchen, a familiar figure came into view.“You said yesterday that you wanted kimchi fried rice.”“I didn’t mean for you to make it.”“I know. It’s simple, so I’ll make it.”Moon Seoyoon hovered around Woo Yeonjae. Since he had no interest or skill in cooking, there wasn’t much he could do to help. Watching Woo Yeonjae skillfully stir-fry the ingredients brought back childhood memories.“This reminds me of the old days.”“When?”Woo Yeonjae glanced at him with just his eyes.“When we were nine, I think? Anyway, when we were little. I visited your house and said I wanted kimchi fried rice, and you made it for me.”“I burned it all.”“And then we got scolded by your dad.”Looking back, they were probably scolded not for burning the frying pan but for playing with fire unsupervised. It just so happened that his father had been out at that time.“But now, you don’t burn it.”“You don’t have to say it—I know I’m good at it.”“Oh, really? I didn’t know. You never ask me to make it.”“I would if we ever had time to eat together at home.”“Then come over more often.”Moon Seoyoon hadn’t expected him to say that. He replied a beat later.“…Okay.”“You want a fried egg, right?”Woo Yeonjae asked as he walked over to the fridge. There was a hint of satisfaction in his softened gaze.“Yeah.”“Sit down. I’ll have it ready in a minute.”It wasn’t like he could help anyway.Moon Seoyoon sat at the table and watched Woo Yeonjae move skillfully. Wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, every movement of his arm revealed the flexing of his muscles. Feeling oddly self-conscious, Moon Seoyoon lowered his gaze and fidgeted with his fingernails until a plate suddenly appeared in his line of sight. It was kimchi fried rice topped with a perfectly cooked sunny-side-up egg.“Thanks for the food.”Woo Yeonjae sat across from him. Seeing his bedhead made Moon Seoyoon chuckle without realizing it.“What?”“Your hair’s a mess.”“Says the person who’s not much better.”Moon Seoyoon shrugged as he carefully broke the yolk of the egg perched on top of the kimchi fried rice. The soft yellow flowed smoothly out.There are moments when you suddenly become aware of things, like the passage of time.Unlike the dormitory, the comfort of a cozy sofa and a large TV turned out to be a problem. It wasn’t until after sunset that Moon Seoyoon realized how much time had passed.“What time is it?”“A little past 8.”After dinner and watching a movie, it was already this late.“Are you heading back?”Woo Yeonjae leaned back as he asked. Since Moon Seoyoon was sitting on the sofa while he was on the floor, their eyes naturally met when Moon Seoyoon looked down.“Staying the whole weekend is a bit…”“What are you talking about? The weekend’s practically over. We have the same class first thing tomorrow. Just sleep here and go with me.”He wasn’t wrong. The weekend was almost over. At this point, insisting on returning to the dormitory seemed more suspicious than anything, so Moon Seoyoon nodded and sank deeper into the sofa.“Sure, why not.”At this point, whatever happens, happens.As soon as he agreed, Woo Yeonjae got up. Moon Seoyoon glanced at his movements before turning his gaze back to the screen. A new movie was just starting.Instead of fast-forwarding, he watched the opening in silence. Woo Yeonjae returned soon after, holding a wine bottle and glasses.“Wine?”Moon Seoyoon asked, eyes wide, as Woo Yeonjae set the slender bottle on the table.“It goes well with the movie.”“Have you seen it?”“Yeah.”“Should we watch something else? It’s no fun watching something you’ve already seen.”“I don’t mind. You’ll like it.”“Really?”If Woo Yeonjae said that much, it meant it was probably to Moon Seoyoon’s taste. He stared blankly at the screen until he felt the sofa sink slightly beside him as Woo Yeonjae took the seat next to him.“But can you drink?”“It’s just wine. I didn’t take any medicine today.”That made sense. It wasn’t like he was drinking hard liquor, so wine should be fine. Moon Seoyoon hesitantly accepted the glass. The transparent glass was slightly warm, probably from Woo Yeonjae’s touch.“Moon Seoyoon, you should drink it while I’m being generous.”“When have I ever acted expensive?”“If I hadn’t asked you to stay, you would’ve left me here.”The hint of hurt in his voice was clear as the red liquid poured into the glass. Since that had indeed been his plan, Moon Seoyoon had nothing to say and instead focused his gaze on the wine bottle. Upon closer inspection, the label looked familiar.“Is this the wine we drank last time?”“Yeah. The one I drank while crying because I didn’t get my flower shoes.”“You didn’t cry. I drank the whole thing myself. And I did say I’d give you a birthday present.”Woo Yeonjae chuckled lazily and took a sip of the wine. Moon Seoyoon followed suit, bringing the glass to his lips. The sweet flavor seeped into his tongue.“It’s good.”“Told you you’d like it.”The conversation gradually faded into the background as Moon Seoyoon sipped his wine and focused on the movie.The movie was ordinary if you called it ordinary, special if you called it special. It was a romantic film centered around piano music, with a serene soundtrack and picturesque scenes set in France. The visuals were as radiant as the summer sun.Moon Seoyoon quietly followed the rhythm of the piano. A familiar melody flowed from a white grand piano placed in the middle of a garden. The thought briefly crossed his mind—who puts a piano in a garden?—but it was undeniably a beautiful scene.“Doesn’t it make you want to play the piano again?”At the sudden question, Moon Seoyoon turned his head. Woo Yeonjae’s gaze was fixed not on him, but on the grand piano in the movie. The scene transitioned to dawn, casting a blue light across his face. It was only when Woo Yeonjae noticed him staring that his dark eyes rolled over to meet his. The red liquid trapped in the transparent glass slipped past his slightly parted lips.