Sunshine Shower Chapter 80

“Uh, hmm, I think that was the name…”

“Seems like something happened between you and Seoyoon.”

When I casually asked, Han Cheolmin glanced around cautiously before waving his hand dismissively.

“No, not at all. Uh, what was it… It seemed like she was drinking with the juniors or something. Haha.”

Pretending not to know, I observed as he tried to lie his way out, assuming I really didn’t know anything. It was pathetic.

“Seoyoon is really good at taking care of the juniors, and she has a nice personality too.”

Woo Yeonjae smoothly pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“By the way, I heard your advisor is Professor Park Seung-min.”

“How did you know?”

“He’s close with my father.”

Han Cheolmin licked his lips, thinking he might be able to get something out of this sudden mention of his advisor. Woo Yeonjae quickly adjusted his slightly furrowed brows. The lingering smell of cigarette smoke rising from the ground, or maybe the stench of garbage around them, made him feel uncomfortable.

“You’ll have a consultation with him soon, right?”

“Yeah, I’m graduating this year… Haha.”

“You know Professor Park is good at placing his students, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ve heard he supports the students who stand out after consultations. His success rate is pretty high.”

Han Cheolmin rubbed the back of his neck again, his slouched shoulders making his intentions clear.

“Professor Park likes honest people.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He’s disappointed with students these days because they speak in circles and don’t show much ambition. He says he prefers students who straightforwardly say they want something and ask for his support because they seem full of spirit.”

Han Cheolmin swallowed hard, his eyes widening like a hungry hyena, thinking there might be something to gain.

“I’m telling you this because I feel bad for any mistake I might have made, so please don’t share it with the other seniors.”

“Of course!”

“Oh, and…”

Woo Yeonjae lowered his eyelashes as if pondering something. A cigarette butt crushed under a dirty sneaker caught his eye.

“Professor Park really likes sweet desserts.”

“Desserts?”

“Yes.”

Trash belongs buried in more trash.

“I think you understand what I’m trying to say…”

“Yes, yes, I get it.”

Han Cheolmin awkwardly tried to pat Woo Yeonjae’s shoulder, wiping his hand on his pants first. Woo Yeonjae subtly turned his body, pretending to move, causing the hand to freeze mid-air before returning to its place.

“Thanks, Yeonjae!”

“No problem. Anyway, I have an appointment, so I’ll be off. I just came over because I saw you from afar.”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.”

Woo Yeonjae nodded slightly and slowly walked away. The lingering cigarette smell in the air had put him on edge.

Once he left the alley, he could finally breathe somewhat cleaner air.

If I go in now, the cigarette smell might stick to me. Instead of going straight into the café, Woo Yeonjae stopped in front of the building. He could see Moon Seoyoon busily moving around through the glass window.

“Seoyoon doesn’t seem to smoke these days…”

He wasn’t sure. Moon Seoyoon was out of his sight during the week, and she could be smoking with someone else like that day.

The sharp scent of smoke still clung to him, plunging his mood into the depths. As irritation started to rise, Woo Yeonjae bit the tip of his tongue. He could taste a faint hint of blood from the repeatedly bitten and sore flesh.

Just as he was thinking of composing himself and going inside, his phone rang. Seeing that the call was from Professor Park Seung-min, Woo Yeonjae answered it.

“Yes, Professor.”

— Yeonjae, I saw your message.

Professor Park was more like a friendly neighbor than a professor. Even though Woo Yeonjae avoided taking any classes taught by him to avoid complications, they were quite close due to frequent interactions.

“I haven’t seen you at all this semester, so I was wondering how you’ve been.”

— I’m the same as always.

“You’re going to be busy soon with job counseling.”

A sigh could be heard from the other end.

— These days, students are so confident. Tsk tsk, none of them know how to be humble. What I hate most are those who mistake arrogance for confidence. The girls don’t do it, but the boys, they…

Woo Yeonjae chuckled quietly.

“Maybe this semester you’ll find a student you like.”

— Who knows. I just hope they don’t try to suck up by bringing me food. I absolutely hate that.

“People still blatantly try to curry favor like that?”

— Don’t even get me started. It’s a pain just to keep a straight face.

A short conversation followed.

— Anyway, let’s meet up when you have time.

“It’ll probably have to be after the semester ends. It wouldn’t look good if people start talking.”

— Okay. Got it.”

“Please go ahead.”

Woo Yeonjae pressed the corner of his phone screen, which had turned black. Since he was attending Korea University’s business school, it wasn’t likely that his job prospects would be hindered, but if he fell out of favor with his advisor, things could get tough in many ways.

This should be enough to mess him up. Just as he turned with a bored expression, his eyes met a familiar face through the glass window. Moon Seoyoon raised a new drink in her hand as if inviting him to come and have it.

‘To think someone wanted to hit such a sweet person…’

Woo Yeonjae smiled lightly with just his eyes and calmly walked over.

Indeed, it was better for Moon Seoyoon to live within the fence he had built.

* * *

“Hey, puppy.”

Moon Seoyoon stopped packing his bag and turned around. He heard the sound of the door lock opening, and sure enough, Nam Taeun, who had just returned from the convenience store, was holding an ice cream in his mouth. He rummaged through the plastic bag and handed Seoyoon a melon-flavored ice cream as if offering it to him. Although it wasn’t something he particularly liked enough to buy for himself, it seemed rude to refuse, so Moon Seoyoon took the ice cream.

“What happened with that guy?”

“That guy?”

Seoyoon felt a moment of panic, thinking he might be referring to Woo Yeonjae. The soft ice cream was crushed between his teeth.

“You know, the crazy guy who wears his varsity jacket in this weather. The one we ran into at night before. You know, shorter than you.”

“Oh…”

Only then did Han Cheolmin come to mind.

“Nothing really happened. He’s a senior, so there’s no chance we’ll run into each other.”

“Really?”

Nam Taeun threw the ice cream stick into the trash and plopped down on the bed with a thud.

“I was just asking, just in case. Guys like that can be shady and start acting up long after the fact.”

“He seemed really drunk that night. I doubt he’d even bring it up because it would be too embarrassing. Anyway, we won’t run into each other, so it’s fine.”

“Well, that’s a relief. But where are you going? You don’t have work today since it’s the weekend, right?”

“The central library. Aren’t you studying for your exams?”

“You’re hitting me with that out of nowhere.”

Moon Seoyoon laughed as he bit off another piece of the ice cream.

“Maybe I should follow you to the library.”

It was obvious that he was just saying it. If he was good enough to get into the dorms, his grades were probably good, but Seoyoon had never seen him go to the library.

“You’re just saying that, but you won’t go. And I’m going with a friend.”

“A friend? Who?”

Nam Taeun asked nonchalantly, then squinted as if suddenly recalling something, giving Seoyoon a suspicious look.

“It’s him, right? Woo Yeon…jae?”

“It’s Jae, not Je.”

“Puppy, sometimes you really scare me.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I’ve thought about this since I was in the military. You look so soft, but when you’re determined, you’re really ruthless.”

It was hard to keep up with Nam Taeun’s words. Why was the conversation about Woo Yeonjae suddenly turning into talk about how ruthless he was? Moon Seoyoon glanced at the time while finishing his ice cream. He felt pressed for time, having stopped to snack in the middle of packing his bag.

“Why are you suddenly talking about me being ruthless? No one’s ever said that to me before.”

“No, you really are. How can you spend every day hanging out with someone you like? Even going to the library together?”

“Isn’t it weirder not to hang out together? And if you like someone, wouldn’t you want to be around them?”

Of course, Moon Seoyoon didn’t go to the library with Woo Yeonjae purely for that reason. While the desire to be together was part of it, the bigger reason was the habit they had developed over the years.

‘The central library?’

‘Yeah, I hadn’t been there since freshman year, but the school library is actually pretty nice.’

‘Let’s go together, then.’

In his memory, Woo Yeonjae didn’t particularly like the library. Even though it was a clean space with no food allowed, it was still a public area full of people.

‘You’re going to the school library?’

‘You said you were going.’

‘I did, but…’

‘Are you abandoning me now? You didn’t used to be like this back when we wore uniforms.’

‘It’s not that. You just don’t like libraries.’

‘It’s boring studying alone.’

Since they had always studied together, refusing would have felt strange. Besides, it wasn’t as if he could say no to studying in the school library, which was open to all students.

‘Alright, then.’

That’s how the plan was made, almost by accident.

“Is that so? I’d be too nervous to concentrate.”

Nam Taeun stroked his chin, tilting his head as if he was seriously considering it.

“I’m used to it because we’ve been doing it since we were kids.”

In fact, studying was better. Concentrating on the book to avoid thinking about Woo Yeonjae actually improved his focus.

“You’ve never had a crush, have you?”

Moon Seoyoon asked, staring intently at Nam Taeun.