Sunshine Shower Chapter 127

“Did you just say, ‘Don’t come in’?”

Moon Seoyoon calmly repeated the unexpected rejection. He hadn’t thought he’d hear something like that here. Even though there was no chance of running into anyone else, since there was only one unit on this floor of the studio apartment, the doorway wasn’t exactly an ideal place for a conversation.

“Guess you don’t really feel like talking.”

Then again, he had shown up unannounced.

“Anyway, thanks. Just tell me where the piano is, and I’ll take care of it myself.”

Even though they had parted ways, he was the one who came back to see him again. Just as he was about to turn around, Woo Yeonjae grabbed his arm.

“Fine. Come in.”

When Seoyoon looked down at the unexpectedly strong grip, the hand that had been tightly holding him slowly let go. Woo Yeonjae muttered a low curse and then turned and disappeared into the apartment.

Why did he change his mind all of a sudden? Despite the confusion, Moon Seoyoon wiped the tears from his cheeks and followed him inside. The entrance, which he had passed through every day for the past two months, felt so familiar that the path inside didn’t feel strange at all.

When he took off his shoes and entered, he saw Woo Yeonjae standing in the middle of the living room, looking unusually uncertain about what to do.

“How did you know about the piano?”

Seoyoon immediately asked. Woo Yeonjae looked down at him for a moment before slowly responding.

“The piano has a unique serial number. I asked them to let me know if it ever came up.”

His fingers instinctively clenched, and when he gripped his sleeve, he felt the dampness—a remnant of wiping away his tears.

“How did you know my father was going to get rid of it?”

“I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?”

Then why would you do something like that? The question must have shown on his face because Woo Yeonjae answered smoothly.

“Just because.”

It was a simple answer.

“I figured it’d be better if I handled it before anything happened.”

Seoyoon’s lips moved slightly.

“Why?”

Why on earth? There was no reason for Woo Yeonjae to go to such lengths for him. Who was he to deserve that?

“Why?”

Instead, Woo Yeonjae tilted his head slightly and repeated the question. His face genuinely showed that he didn’t understand why Seoyoon was asking for a reason.

“Seoyoon, do I need a reason to take care of you?”

To go to the trouble of taking a piano he never played and keeping it safe would obviously require a reason, wouldn’t it? The fact that it was an expensive item was secondary. No matter how beautiful it looked, to someone uninterested, it was nothing more than a bulky piece of decorative baggage. So why go through all that?

“Would you want some other guy playing the piano you used?”

Woo Yeonjae murmured as he ruffled his hair. Whether it was because his forehead was now fully exposed, or because Seoyoon had stopped crying, his sharp features came into focus. He looked even more fierce than before, with tension so palpable that anyone could tell his nerves were on edge.

“So you’d cry and scream looking for it?”

Since Seoyoon had come here over the piano and burst into tears as soon as he arrived, Woo Yeonjae’s words might have been right.

“Even if you had told the professor to get rid of it, I still would’ve taken it.”

His muttered voice became so calm that it almost sounded like he was talking to himself.

“That way, you wouldn’t regret it later.”

It was an excessive level of consideration for a friendship.

Seoyoon knew that this was how Woo Yeonjae had always been. He also knew that this behavior didn’t apply to their other friends—just to him. Even so, he had never really thought it was strange. It had been that way since they first met when they were six years old.

Woo Yeonjae’s care for Seoyoon had always felt completely natural.

“Naturally.”

There shouldn’t have been anything “natural” about relationships, yet he was only realizing that now.

“Was it because it felt so familiar?”

It was only after distancing himself from Woo Yeonjae and gaining an objective perspective on their relationship that Seoyoon began to understand things.

“Woo Yeonjae.”

Seoyoon parted his lips.

“Don’t tell me you really…”

But his tightly closed lips swallowed the words before they could come out. It didn’t seem like something he should say so recklessly.

After staring into Woo Yeonjae’s dark eyes for a long while, Seoyoon exhaled slowly. His thoughts on the piano and Woo Yeonjae bounced around like staccato notes, making his head spin. He needed a moment to breathe until he could think clearly again.

“Yeah, really, what?”

When Seoyoon didn’t continue speaking after a long pause, Woo Yeonjae, apparently out of patience, whispered softly.

“…No. I’ll just wash my face and be right back, so wait here.”

Woo Yeonjae watched stubbornly as Seoyoon walked towards the bathroom.

“…”

Finally, his dark, lifeless eyes fell to his own hand. His trembling fingers came into view, but he didn’t feel any particular emotion.

Suddenly, the moment he had grabbed Seoyoon’s slender wrist flashed in his mind. He had grabbed him countless times before, but today was the first time it felt this real, this vivid. It meant that this was the real Moon Seoyoon, not a dream.

“Ha…”

With a sigh of relief, Woo Yeonjae slowly walked towards the kitchen. If he didn’t do something right now, he felt like he’d barge into the bathroom and grab Seoyoon again. The desire to confirm his presence gnawed at him.

But he knew he needed to be cautious. If he acted too abruptly, Seoyoon would get scared and run away.

Can’t scare him. Woo Yeonjae opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. Since he’d made him cry again, he figured he should at least give him some water. As he slowly poured it, the faint trembling in his hands annoyed him.

The reason for his body being in such bad shape was obvious. It had been days since he’d eaten or slept properly, so of course, he wasn’t in good condition. The lack of sleep had sharpened his nerves.

The last time he had gone to the boxing gym to blow off steam was several days ago. He hadn’t attended any of his classes and had holed himself up in his studio apartment ever since.

He stared at his trembling hand with a detached gaze, almost as if observing someone else. After watching it for a long time, he finally began to realize that Moon Seoyoon was in the same space as him.

If this were a dream, he wouldn’t be shaking like this. He would have acted immediately to satisfy the long-suppressed desire without hesitation.

Woo Yeonjae took a deep breath, forcing himself to remember constantly that where he stood right now was reality, not a dream.

He knew it well. Even without him, Moon Seoyoon would live peacefully. Regardless of whether he had a proper guardian or not, he was an adult, had strong support from his maternal family, and his personality naturally drew people to him. If he didn’t thrive, that would be the real anomaly.

But for Woo Yeonjae, it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t live without Moon Seoyoon. Losing his course would mean losing his life.

His constant attempts to control the situation likely stemmed from the instinctive fear that without Seoyoon, he’d no longer function as a person. He had suppressed his formless desires, endured and controlled himself, all because a scared Seoyoon would run away.

Sometimes, a child’s intuition is sharper than any adult’s.

So, he couldn’t afford to lose him. He had to do everything he could to behave as nicely as possible.

Just as Woo Yeonjae, gripping the cup, took a step forward, he staggered and stopped.

“Ah, fuck…”

Suddenly, dizziness overtook him, snatching away all his senses, replacing them with a pounding headache. His hand, aiming to set the cup down on the table, failed to function in his blurred vision. The cup, full of water, fell to the floor with a sharp crash and shattered into pieces.

As his body refused to cooperate, even the speed of his blinking slowed. This allowed him to clearly see the startled expression of Moon Seoyoon, who rushed over. Seoyoon’s lips moved, but without hesitation, he turned away.

He’s running away.

The moment he saw Seoyoon’s retreating back, only one thought flooded his mind.

He’s sick of seeing me like this. That’s why he’s running away.

Woo Yeonjae couldn’t think of anything but the need to stop him.

Even as his mind felt like it was melting, Woo Yeonjae tried his best to stay rational. He planned to beg—just this once, to ask for forgiveness. He’d explain that it was an emotion he didn’t realize he’d learned from Seoyoon, which was why he hadn’t understood it until now. That he liked him.

Seoyoon had a soft heart. If he used the piano as an excuse, he might at least consider it for a moment.

Woo Yeonjae moved without thinking.

“Woo Yeonjae, are you crazy?”

He didn’t care about the sensation of water-soaked glass shards piercing his skin.

“Where are you going?”

As he tried to approach, it was Seoyoon who suddenly rushed over and grabbed his arm.

“Are you seriously out of your mind…?”

“Where are you going, Moon Seoyoon?”

Despite Seoyoon’s tight grip, Woo Yeonjae repeated the same question, undeterred by the pain.

“What are you talking about? Where would I go?”

“Are you sick of me?”

His body felt heavy, like soaked cotton weighed down by the rain. Woo Yeonjae lowered his gaze. He saw Seoyoon’s long fingers gripping him tightly. It was Seoyoon holding him—not someone else.