Sunshine Shower Chapter 81

There was no one who made me feel as comfortable as Nam Taeun, but strangely, I didn’t think he had ever had a crush. It wasn’t so much the clarity of his solutions, which were always as precise as if sliced with a knife, but rather the feeling conveyed through his tone.

“Phew, I was a man with many sins,” Nam Taeun said with a haughty attitude. Moon Seoyoon gave a faint smile at his playful demeanor and picked up his bag. He had just thrown away the empty ice cream stick in the trash.

“Anyway, I’m heading out now. You’re not staying in the dorm today, right?”

He wanted to tell him to contact him when he came to the library, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. Even though he knew Taeun’s personality, he didn’t make empty remarks because he thought Woo Yeonjae might dislike Taeun. It was unlikely, but if the two were to meet, it seemed like it would create a troublesome situation in many ways.

‘Woo Yeonjae will be sarcastic……. Taeun hyung won’t be any easier to deal with.’

He didn’t want to get caught in the middle of it, so it was better not to bring up unnecessary comments.

“Ah, Seoyoon.”

“Yes?”

Moon Seoyoon stopped in his tracks.

“When are you moving out this time?”

“Uh……”

Only then did he remember that he would have to leave the dormitory after the end of the semester. The thought of going back to his family home made his head spin.

“I don’t know.”

That was the only answer he could immediately provide.

“Is this your first time here in the middle of the semester?”

“Yeah.”

As soon as they entered the building, a silence fell. Woo Yeonjae took out his student ID and continued speaking.

“Aren’t you also here for the first time?”

“I came during midterms.”

“Oh. Midterms. I see.”

Woo Yeonjae’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was displeased with something. Moon Seoyoon recalled how he had avoided Woo Yeonjae throughout the midterm period. It was a bit embarrassing, but now he couldn’t take back what he had said, so he pretended to check the empty seats and turned his head.

Despite arriving early due to the exam period, most of the seats were already taken.

“Should we sit in an open area……. What do you want to do?”

“You sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

Moon Seoyoon thought for a moment before reserving a seat in the open area. He thought having a partition might make it less distracting to have someone sitting next to him, but on the other hand, sitting in an open space might help him relax. The open space’s unique sense of freedom would likely relieve his tension.

“When will we have lunch?”

Woo Yeonjae asked while checking his phone.

“12:30?”

“Got it. Let’s go out then.”

It didn’t take long to scan their student IDs and go up to the next floor.

Moon Seoyoon sat down in the reserved seat and put down his bag. He could feel Woo Yeonjae sitting across from him.

He thought he had reserved a seat next to him. It was a little surprising, but it seemed less distracting to sit across from him rather than next to him. Sitting next to him might make him more conscious.

Moon Seoyoon took out his tablet and organized the subjects he needed to study in his mind.

There was a distinct atmosphere in the library. The windows were half-open for ventilation, sunlight seeped through, and there was the muffled noise from outside, along with the faint sounds of pencils scratching and pages flipping.

Moon Seoyoon corrected his posture and reached for his water bottle to drink. As he took a sip of the still-cold water, Woo Yeonjae sitting across from him came into his view.

‘It’s been a long time since I saw him wearing glasses.’

His eyesight wasn’t poor. However, he used to wear glasses occasionally while studying, but since it had been so long since those study sessions, he had forgotten.

Woo Yeonjae’s head was tilted, resting on his hand. Sunlight spilled over his glasses, sliding along the curve and finally falling onto his long lashes. His gaze naturally shifted to his high nose bridge and red lips. His hand, with veins showing as he fiddled with his pen, was the next thing Moon Seoyoon noticed.

Noticing the gaze directed at him, Woo Yeonjae slowly lifted his eyes. His long lashes fluttered with the movement. It seemed he had been stared at for too long.

“What?”

His lips moved in a silent question, but it almost felt like he could hear his voice.

Moon Seoyoon shook his head at the quiet question. Perhaps thinking it was a dull reaction, Woo Yeonjae silently smiled and lowered his gaze again. Moon Seoyoon followed suit and lowered his head.

“……”

The minor sounds that seemed like white noise became overly conscious. To be precise, Woo Yeonjae, sitting across from him, became overly conscious. He was supposed to focus on his study materials, but none of the content was getting through.

Should he go to the convenience store on the first floor? It seemed better to get some fresh air. Moon Seoyoon glanced at Woo Yeonjae and then got up from his seat, taking only his phone and wallet.

No one followed him.

Moon Seoyoon hesitated for a moment, then picked up two bottles of water. He thought about buying coffee, but it would be better to have it after lunch. While waiting in line to pay, he noticed a jelly on display. It was from the same brand as the jelly Woo Yeonjae had collected with jealousy, given by Kim Seon-ju.

‘I wonder if he threw it away.’

He didn’t like it, so he didn’t think he would have eaten it, but it also seemed unlikely he would have thrown it away. It was hard to imagine him casually throwing it away, remembering how he had talked about jealousy over just a jelly.

‘He might have thrown it away since we broke up.’

By the way, who was the person he met last time? His thoughts trailed off into useless musings.

“Ha……”

A quiet sigh escaped without any break. It was exhausting to replay old events and assign meaning to each of Woo Yeonjae’s actions.

“Shall I ring you up?”

The kind inquiry pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Oh, yes.”

Moon Seoyoon handed over his card along with the bottles of water. It seemed better to quickly go and focus on studying rather than getting lost in random thoughts.

As he got off the elevator and turned the corner, he saw Woo Yeonjae. Even among the crowd, a man standing alone in the quiet hallway was instantly noticeable. At a glance, he was holding a coffee from the convenience store. The first thought that crossed Moon Seoyoon’s mind was wondering if he wouldn’t drink that. The reason he hadn’t bought coffee earlier was partly due to Woo Yeonjae’s picky tastes.

Woo Yeonjae, who had been staring at the coffee as if trying to decipher something, soon tossed the item into the trash can.

“Why are you throwing that away?”

Surprised by his sudden appearance, Woo Yeonjae slowly turned around, slightly narrowing his eyes. Even with glasses on, his expression was clearly visible.

“It’s trash.”

“It’s new, isn’t it? What if there’s a drink inside and you throw it away?”

Moon Seoyoon leaned his head toward the trash can. It seemed like there were some words written on a Post-it. As he tried to see what it was, Woo Yeonjae tugged at his clothes as if they were dirty.

“I already threw away the contents. Where are you coming from?”

“From the convenience store. This is yours.”

“There’s a vending machine here. Why did you go all the way to the first floor?”

“Just to get some fresh air. I couldn’t concentrate.”

Moon Seoyoon handed one of the water bottles to Woo Yeonjae and answered vaguely. He didn’t intend to chat here, so he was about to suggest going inside when his phone, held in his hand, lit up. Instinctively, he checked the message.

[Let’s have a meal after the final exam.]

It was from his father.

With the upcoming break and having to return to his family home, there was no excuse to refuse. He pondered how to reply when he felt a hard touch on his shoulder. Glancing down, he saw Woo Yeonjae peering at the message with a playful look, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Is that from the professor?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come along too.”

“To our home?”

“Yeah.”

As if the matter was settled, Woo Yeonjae slowly pulled away. Moon Seoyoon glanced at him, looking briefly at the edge of his glasses before asking.

“I’m sure my father would welcome you if you say you’re coming, but… why suddenly?”

“Just. It’s been a while since I’ve been to your family home.”

I wonder if it’s okay. For Moon Seoyoon, having Woo Yeonjae accompany him was more convenient. Like the last meal, his father’s attention would be on the person sitting next to him, not on him.

“Want to check out your room after a long time?”

“There’s nothing to see.”

It was an ordinary room, not much different from when he was in high school.

It felt strange to push away a friend who wanted to come, so after a brief moment of hesitation, Moon Seoyoon wrote a message.

[I’ll bring Yeonjae along.]

Was that too abrupt? He wondered how to rephrase it, but before he could, a hand reached from behind and pressed the send button before he could revise it. Frowning in disbelief, Woo Yeonjae chuckled.

“I also have something to say to the professor.”

He must be suggesting a meal with the professor. Moon Seoyoon thought nothing of it and sighed.

As soon as he entered the reading room and sat down, Woo Yeonjae began packing his bag. Moon Seoyoon, who was about to turn on his tablet, just watched him blankly. If he was planning to leave, he would have mentioned it before entering; it was puzzling why he was packing up suddenly without any warning.

Instead of leaving the reading room, Woo Yeonjae came over and put his bag down beside him. It seemed he had changed seats while Moon Seoyoon was at the convenience store.

“Why are you here?”

Moon Seoyoon whispered in a small voice.

“To have a bit of a partner feeling with Moon Seoyoon after a long time.”

Woo Yeonjae answered with a nonchalant smile. It felt like an odd term, and he couldn’t even remember the last time he had heard it.

Still, remembering the days when they wore school uniforms, a small laugh escaped his lips. Moon Seoyoon, unable to stop himself, smiled and slightly moved his stuff to the side.

As he started organizing the remaining major materials on his desk, he suddenly felt a cold touch on his hand. Reflexively, he pulled his hand back and checked the desk. There was a slight dampness, as if drops of water from a beverage bottle had trickled down and collected there.