Sunshine Shower Chapter 108

It was only a brief passing shower, not enough to get completely soaked, but they still needed to use the umbrella. If they were headed indoors, it might have been different, but walking in the rain while out for a stroll didn’t quite fit the picture. The rain would stop soon, and since it wasn’t a heavy downpour but just a light drizzle, a little discomfort seemed manageable.

“…”

The issue wasn’t their constantly bumping shoulders, but the noise inside Moon Seoyoon’s head.

Maybe he should’ve just said he would go out alone.

It was too late for regrets now, so Moon Seoyoon quietly swallowed a sigh.

Plop, plop. The soft sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella echoed above his head.

They walked in silence. Since they had only come out to enjoy the sunshine, there wasn’t any specific destination. Moon Seoyoon simply followed the direction Woo Yeonjae led, as he was the one holding the umbrella, and it was only natural to move along with him.

He could feel his sleeve getting damp from the faint drizzle.

The rain started a few minutes after they left the apartment. At first, a few small droplets brushed his cheek, and then the rain began to fall. By the time they went into a nearby convenience store and came out with the last umbrella, it was fully raining. At least the sun still shone brightly through the shower, so they could still enjoy the sunlight.

As they entered the park near the apartment, the scent of damp earth and fresh grass filled the air.

Moon Seoyoon liked mornings after the rain. He loved the cool atmosphere, the intensified scent of the grass, and the slightly damp air, regardless of the season.

As they walked along the neatly landscaped path, he noticed earthworms wriggling here and there. He wasn’t the type to freak out at the sight of bugs, so his only thought was, “Oh, worms,” though he imagined many people would be repulsed.

If they stayed out in the open, they would dry out and die. It was a common sight the day after a heavy rain.

Most people probably didn’t care why worms crawled out of the ground, but for them, it was a matter of survival. Creatures that lived in damp soil could only breathe through their skin. Without lungs, they were fated to live in the moist earth, absorbing oxygen from it in order to survive.

But when a heavy rain flooded the ground, there wasn’t enough oxygen left in the soil. With the air in the earth depleted, the only way to breathe was to surface, even at the risk of exposure.

And if they couldn’t find their way back into the soil, they would die.

Their thin skin couldn’t handle the heat of the sun. Once their bodies lost moisture to the warm, radiant light, they had no choice but to accept death. The price of fleeing their shelter for survival was harsh.

“…”

There were days that often came to mind.

A feverish gaze, a cold hand over it, a messy piano performance, and sunlight pouring over Woo Yeonjae.

Maybe, subconsciously, he had always thought of Woo Yeonjae that way.

Ever since he lost his mother, Woo Yeonjae had been the only person he could rely on, and despite the two years of separation, his tangled emotions had never truly unraveled. Perhaps he had come to believe that, no matter how long Woo Yeonjae disappeared for, he would always be by his side—a person he absolutely needed.

Like sunlight that never truly disappears, even when the night falls or the skies are cloudy. That’s where the delusion had started. The arrogant misconception that Woo Yeonjae would always be there for him.

It wasn’t that he denied Woo Yeonjae was like sunlight to him. He had just come to realize that he wasn’t meant to bask in that sunlight.

He had only come out of the earth briefly to avoid the rain that was his father and the piano, and in his daze, he’d been entranced by the delusion that he could stand fully beneath the sun.

But that wasn’t true. Moon Seoyoon could survive just fine beneath the damp earth. As long as he didn’t reach his limit, he could endure the accumulated rain. He had only surfaced because the weight had become too much, but where he truly belonged was underground.

If he yearned for the sun without understanding his place, he would eventually lose everything and dry up, slowly dying without even realizing it.

The current drizzle was fine. With the damp ground and the cool air, he could bear the sunlight for a little while. But drizzles didn’t last long. After the shower, only the sun would remain.

So it had to stop now.

His unrequited love was of no benefit to either himself or Woo Yeonjae. If he let it continue, it would only end up ruining the relationship they had managed to maintain under the pretense of childhood friends.

He couldn’t allow himself to damage Woo Yeonjae any further.

As Moon Seoyoon walked with his eyes on the ground, he slowly lifted his head. Beyond the transparent umbrella, raindrops slid down as sunlight pierced through. Thanks to the thin umbrella shielding him, he could face the light without being blinded, at least for a moment.

“…”

It was only right for the one who had started this to be the one to end it. If he didn’t say it now, he never would.

“Woo Yeonjae.”

Plop.

The raindrops hitting the umbrella made a pleasant sound. At the same time, Woo Yeonjae’s dark eyes shifted slowly. Noticing that subtle change wasn’t difficult.

Moon Seoyoon had always been watching Woo Yeonjae.

“I’m going to stop now.”

To his relief, his voice came out calmly, as though those years of heartache meant nothing.

“So… you can stop too.”

Woo Yeonjae frowned slightly at the sudden, out-of-context remark. His eyebrow lifted subtly, as if to ask, “What do you mean?”

“What are you stopping, Seoyoon?”

“You know.”

Woo Yeonjae, who had been staring straight ahead, slowly turned to the side. Raindrops that had gathered on the cheap plastic umbrella slipped off with the motion, falling with a soft plop.

They were standing so close, sharing the umbrella, that they could see each other’s expressions clearly.

“…”

The emotion on Woo Yeonjae’s face wasn’t confusion. It was pure helplessness.

Moon Seoyoon fiddled with the wet cuff of his sleeve. Maybe he had expected this. Even after saying such things, Woo Yeonjae wouldn’t deny it by claiming ignorance—he would just look troubled.

Just as Woo Yeonjae knew Moon Seoyoon all too well, Moon Seoyoon also knew Woo Yeonjae very well.

And that was the reason. He couldn’t keep holding onto this feeling any longer.

“I’m going to stop liking you. Let’s end this here.”

With those words, Moon Seoyoon declared the end of their relationship.

* * *

Moon Seoyoon didn’t know Woo Yeonjae.

And no one understood that better than Woo Yeonjae himself.

Moon Seoyoon might have believed he knew his one and only childhood friend well, but in reality, the Woo Yeonjae that Moon Seoyoon knew was nothing more than the surface. It wasn’t that Moon Seoyoon was too naive to recognize his true nature—rather, Woo Yeonjae was simply too cunning at hiding it.

Even his closest childhood friend couldn’t see through to the real him, so it was impossible for anyone else to realize there was more to him.

“Military service?”

Woo Yeonjae frowned. His brows knit together, his forehead wrinkling, and his eyes twitched with irritation. The man sitting across from him seemed surprised by his low, disgruntled response.

“Didn’t you know? Professor Moon said Seoyoon applied for enlistment this time, so he’ll be going in soon.”

There had been no prior hint of this. Woo Yeonjae bit the inside of his lip.

“…His father should pull some strings.”

“Of course. It’s Seoyoon we’re talking about. If he’s going, might as well make it comfortable for him.”

Why didn’t he say anything? While they didn’t share every small detail about their lives, deciding something like joining the military without discussing it seemed out of character.

“If Seoyoon didn’t want to go, I would’ve done everything to prevent it, but I didn’t expect him to enlist just like that. I feel strangely disappointed.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Woo Yeonjae responded slowly.

“Why would he apply for enlistment…?”

It hadn’t been part of the plan.

A faint headache crept in, and Woo Yeonjae twisted his lips slightly. He wondered when Moon Seoyoon would finally bring it up.

* * *

When Woo Yeonjae turned on his phone, the date popped up, marking today as the day of enlistment.

After staying up all night waiting, it seemed pointless now—there had been no call, and there wouldn’t be any contact for the next month.

“Ah…”

A frustrated groan escaped him.

Why hadn’t there been any word? Judging by how quiet the other friends were, Moon Seoyoon hadn’t told anyone.

He pressed the edge of his phone with his fingertip several times before a sudden thought crossed his mind.

They’d been together since they were six years old, so he doubted Moon Seoyoon would suddenly pick up on his intentions, but Moon Seoyoon, for all his gentleness, did have a sensitive side. It was possible he’d noticed that Woo Yeonjae had subtly distanced himself from people around him.

Back in middle and high school, the world was small enough that Woo Yeonjae could ensure that only decent friends surrounded Moon Seoyoon. But ever since they entered university, it was inevitable that different types of people started getting involved. Woo Yeonjae had quietly dealt with the ones who could cause trouble, keeping them at a safe distance, though Moon Seoyoon might have picked up on it.

Had Moon Seoyoon gotten tired of him?

As the thought surfaced, an instinctual realization followed.

Moon Seoyoon had run away.

Perhaps… from him.