Sunshine Shower

“I’m not really sure.”Perhaps it was the alcohol, but his head felt a bit hazy. Moon Seoyoon took a sip from the wine glass, a habitual action, and fell silent for a moment.Just because he quit playing the piano didn’t mean he stopped completely. Suddenly changing his focus to studies made it hard to keep up, so he didn’t have time to continue playing. But occasionally, he still touched the keys. In hindsight, it might have been an escape. When he played the piano during difficult times, he could immerse himself in the melody he created, if only for a moment.Even at twenty, he occasionally played the piano.“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I played. Obviously, I couldn’t play while in the military… and I hardly ever go home these days.”It had been just over two years since he last touched the keys. He found it amusing that the time since he last saw Woo Yeonjae and the time since he last played the piano were nearly the same.“I don’t think I’ve ever felt the urge to keep playing or regretted quitting.”“Then that’s that.”Woo Yeonjae’s gaze shifted back to the movie. Moon Seoyoon turned his head to follow.“My hands might be too stiff to play now.”Of course, he had no intention of comparing himself to when he was at his peak. It had already been seven years since he quit playing piano, so he probably couldn’t even pretend to play.‘7 years…’It was a long time. So long that it was surprising his feelings hadn’t completely worn away.If emotions could harden like hands, his feelings might have turned to stone by now. If that were the case, maybe they would have eroded away bit by bit.“If I just touch the keys, my hands will probably move on their own.”A low reply came back to his muttering. Woo Yeonjae’s voice blended with the piano melody in the movie.“Yeah.”In the end, the heart was no different from the piano.Even if one day it hardened like a rock, a single small word from Woo Yeonjae, a tiny action, would melt it again and keep the one-sided love going.So, unrequited love was just like a habit.Something ingrained in the body, impossible to resist.* * *Woo Yeonjae glanced down at the person sleeping on his bed before stepping out into the living room. He had figured the strong wine might make them fall asleep, and he was right.He picked up a phone with a familiar touch. It was Moon Seoyoon’s phone. Although it was locked, unlocking it wasn’t difficult.‘Hyung.’The voice he had heard in his sleep yesterday morning still echoed in his ears.‘Hyung, you hardly come home on weekends, so what are you talking about?’After that came the sound of a door closing.Woo Yeonjae bit his tongue and started moving his fingers. Sure enough, when he checked the call history, there was an unfamiliar name.Taeun HyungAmong the contacts saved on Moon Seoyoon’s phone, this was the only person Woo Yeonjae didn’t know.‘But I like older guys.’Without hesitation, Woo Yeonjae opened the messaging app. He checked the messages with unflinching hands. As he scanned the text with a slanted posture, a new message popped up.[Little pup. When are you coming? Hyung is lonely.]His red lips curled slightly.Woo Yeonjae smirked coldly. His finger pressed the delete button without a hint of hesitation.* * *Moon Seoyoon leaned back against the soft headrest. After drinking wine and watching a movie with an empty mind, he had crawled into bed in a daze, leading to a good night’s sleep. Still, he felt slightly fatigued, perhaps because he had been subconsciously tense.When he glanced at the driver’s seat, he noticed the familiar sight of fingers tapping the steering wheel. Sensing his gaze, Woo Yeonjae’s eyes shifted in the opposite direction, following a polite voice.“Here are the two drinks you ordered, sir.”“Thank you.”Moon Seoyoon accepted the carrier from Woo Yeonjae. The car began to move smoothly.“Thanks for the drink.”He nudged his vanilla latte as he spoke. Woo Yeonjae laughed lightly, as if amused by what he heard.“You’re always so considerate.”“What?”“Other people just drink without saying anything.”“…Comparing me to Kim Hyunseung is a bit much.”When he replied with a somewhat serious tone, the laughter grew a bit louder.“But why coffee? You don’t usually drink coffee.”“I just felt like something sweet today. Chocolate drinks are too sweet.”The carrier held Woo Yeonjae’s Americano and his own vanilla latte. In fact, Moon Seoyoon didn’t drink coffee often. Even when he did, he preferred Americano over lattes, but for some reason, he craved something sweet today.“Has your taste changed since you started working at a café?”“My taste hasn’t really changed… but that could be why I’m drinking something I don’t usually have.”After a brief pause, Moon Seoyoon continued. It didn’t seem entirely wrong.Some people like to challenge themselves with new things, while others prefer what is familiar. Moon Seoyoon was the latter.As a child, he had a lot of interests and would easily try new things, but ever since his mother’s illness worsened, he strangely began to prefer only familiar things. The more familiar something was, the quicker he could make decisions, and that habit seemed to have become a part of his preferences.Even with small things like drinks, it was the same. Moon Seoyoon would only choose the tea or coffee he had already tried.‘The only times I tried something new were usually because of Woo Yeonjae.’That was the case on the day he first drank wine. If someone else had suggested drinking wine instead of beer, he would have refused, but he could easily accept Woo Yeonjae’s suggestion. It wasn’t simply because of his feelings for him. It was just that his only childhood friend was someone he could trust.Moon Seoyoon had a firm belief. It was a somewhat blind belief that Woo Yeonjae, of all people, would never do anything to harm him.“When will you quit your part-time job?”Even though the question was sudden, Moon Seoyoon answered without much thought.“I’ll probably keep doing it this year.”“Probably?”“Next year, I’ll be a third-year, so I have to start preparing for employment.”The car turned smoothly. Worried that the drinks might spill, Moon Seoyoon gripped the carrier a bit tighter.“What about your dorm?”“This year, you mean? I’ll keep living in the dorm for the second semester too. It’s a year-long contract.”A pair of dark eyes glanced at him before looking away.“No, I mean next year. You said you’ll be job hunting. It’ll be uncomfortable to stay at home, won’t it?”It was something he hadn’t really thought about yet. His current roommate was Nam Tae-eun, so things were fine, but he didn’t know who he’d end up with next year. He didn’t have any particular issues with people, but Song Jua’s frequent horror stories about roommates did make him a bit anxious.Moon Seoyoon paused to think.“I’m not really sure yet… I’ll think about it next year.”“Next year?”Long fingers tapped the steering wheel slowly.“Well, there’s no harm in thinking it over slowly.”With those words, the car came to a stop.The lecture hall was as lively as ever. Some juniors who knew Woo Yeonjae approached and greeted him with friendly smiles.“Hi, hyung! How have you been?”“Hey.”“Why did you skip class on Friday? A lot of people were looking for you.”Moon Seoyoon followed Woo Yeonjae and took a seat. Surrounded by the bustling atmosphere of the lecture hall, the past weekend felt distant. It was as if he had been tossed into a separate space and was only now returning to reality.“Self-declared holiday.”Woo Yeonjae casually gave a completely unrelated excuse. It was a blatant lie, but Moon Seoyoon didn’t mind. He had hated showing any weakness since childhood.‘Back then, I thought he was just being stubborn because he didn’t want to go to the hospital.’Looking back now, he wondered if it was because Woo Yeonjae didn’t want to show his vulnerability to others.“Anyway…”That was so like Woo Yeonjae, and it made Moon Seoyoon chuckle.“What?”“Nothing. The professor’s coming. Look forward.”The gaze that had been fixed on him obediently turned forward.He wondered if there was such a thing as an interesting major lecture in this world. He managed his grades diligently and paid attention in class, but that didn’t make it any less boring. As he slightly slouched in response to the professor’s dull joke, Woo Yeonjae scribbled something on his tablet.<What should we eat for lunch?>The handwriting was neat and elegant, almost like cursive. The professor’s joke subtly shifted to a story from his past. Moon Seoyoon wrote a reply below it.<Are you going to eat with me?>A question mark followed.<?><?><You know I don’t have any friends.><You? No friends? You know more people in this lecture hall than I do.><Those are my Hoobae.>It was only after writing the word “Sun” that he remembered Woo Yeonjae had broken up with Kim Sunju. That must be why he wanted to have lunch together. Both he and Woo Yeonjae had free periods during the fourth class, so they were perfect lunch companions.“Sun… cafeteria?”Moon Seoyoon crossed out the word “Sun” and wrote something next to it. There were plenty of restaurants near the main gate, but since it was lunchtime, their one-hour break might not be enough.“Okay.”Their brief conversation ended just as the professor returned to the lecture content.As Moon Seoyoon sipped his vanilla latte, he lifted his head to look forward again. He had ordered the drink because he craved something sweet, but now that he tasted it, it was sweeter than he expected, and he didn’t think he could drink much more. The overwhelming sweetness filled his mouth. The lukewarm temperature was still warm.As he moved his hand to take notes on the lecture, the letters in the corner of the tablet caught his eye. Suddenly, memories of his school days resurfaced. He had thrown away all his textbooks, so there was no way these small traces remained.Hesitating for a moment, Moon Seoyoon turned to the next page. He just didn’t feel like erasing it for some reason.