Sunshine Shower Chapter 85

Moon Seoyoon glanced sideways at the person driving. He had planned to take his own car after visiting his family’s home, but because of a sudden lie Woo Yeonjae had told about his whereabouts, he ended up riding back with him. Since there was still time until Sunday, he’d have to think a bit more about where to move the things he’d taken out of his dorm room.

He found it frustrating that he was now reconsidering an issue he had been so firm about at the start of the semester. He kept trying to justify it, thinking that it wouldn’t be a problem as long as they had separate rooms. He wasn’t sure if the discomfort came from his strained relationships with others or from his desire to stay close to Woo Yeonjae.

‘Probably both.’

But one reason surely held more weight than the other.

With a quiet sigh, Moon Seoyoon leaned his head back against the seat. The best way to push down the emotions that had slipped out while playing the piano was to focus on the new problems that had arisen.

Just as he was lost in these tormenting thoughts, as if to hurt himself, Woo Yeonjae spoke up.

“It’s fine if we go to the studio apartment, right?”

“…Are you talking about me?”

“Yeah.”

Moon Seoyoon, still resting his head against the seat, turned slightly to glance at Woo Yeonjae. Ever since the piano performance, something felt subtly different, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed. His expression and voice were the same as usual, but there was an unfamiliarity that was hard to shake.

‘Am I just imagining things?’

Playing the piano often brought out deep emotions, and of all things, the piece he had played carried the message of loving as much as one can.

Moon Seoyoon was vaguely familiar with the poem by Freiligrath that the song was based on: “Strive to let your heart burn, to hold onto love, to cherish that love.”

He had no intention of comparing his insignificant one-sided love to the grand words of a poet, but knowing the story behind the piece must have caused him to be swept up in those emotions without realizing it. The saying that love changes the way you see the world came to mind, and he wondered if that’s why Woo Yeonjae seemed different to him now.

“You also moved your shift to tomorrow, right?”

Since he didn’t respond immediately, Woo Yeonjae spoke again. Their eyes briefly met and parted as if entangled for a moment, and Moon Seoyoon found himself fiddling with his fingers nervously.

A feeling similar to the excitement he had felt when he first started liking Woo Yeonjae seemed to stir inside him. It was a fresh, almost embarrassing emotion for a grown man to experience, yet it reminded him of that day seven years ago, making his heart race.

There was no fox rain that day, nor was Woo Yeonjae the one who played the piano, but strangely, the two moments overlapped in his mind.

“…Alright.”

Perhaps that’s why he so easily agreed to Woo Yeonjae’s suggestion. Even if it was just his own meaning attached to it, he wanted to hold onto that fleeting moment from seven years ago for just a little longer.

It had been so long since he’d felt pure affection without any worry, anxiety, or inner turmoil. Knowing it would only get harder from here, he wanted to be selfish, just for today.

Even if the excuse was the piano.

Later, while taking off his shoes neatly at the entrance, Woo Yeonjae once again leaned into his hair.

“Are you a dog? Why do you keep sniffing me?”

“I like the smell of your cologne.”

“You sure don’t sound like it.”

His voice was dripping with sarcasm. As Moon Seoyoon entered the living room, he ruffled his hair in frustration. He regretted not washing it after the first teasing from Nam Tae-eun, even though it had seemed like a hassle at the time.

Was the scent really that strong? After hours had passed, his nose had likely adjusted, so he couldn’t detect anything artificial. Still, he worried that the scent might have been bothersome to others during the exam.

“Is the smell really that strong?”

“It reeks.”

“Ugh, I guess I’ve been a nuisance.”

Even if the scent wasn’t overly artificial, it would still have been tough for someone who didn’t like the smell of cologne.

“Go shower.”

Woo Yeonjae jerked his chin toward the bathroom. Seeing the slight grimace on his face, it was clear that the scent was genuinely unpleasant. Knowing how particular he was about cleanliness and that he only used specific scents, Moon Seoyoon nodded.

“Got it.”

So he doesn’t like this smell. Instinctively, he brought his sleeve to his nose. While he didn’t think he’d be buying cologne anytime soon, he made a mental note to avoid scents like this one if he ever did.

Because Woo Yeonjae wouldn’t like it.

As always, he took a lukewarm shower and came out to find Woo Yeonjae sitting with his legs crossed, tapping his foot lightly. His fingers drumming on the armrest suggested he was deep in thought. What could he be thinking so hard about?

Since he wasn’t planning on heading to the bedroom, Moon Seoyoon naturally approached him. Just as he was about to ask what he was thinking, Woo Yeonjae slowly turned his head.

“Moon Seoyoon.”

“What?”

He responded in his usual tone, as Woo Yeonjae had called him in his usual voice.

“Do you want to?”

Woo Yeonjae asked lightly.

Thud. The sound of the expensive leather creaking under his short fingernails followed his question.

“What?”

Even though the object of the sentence was omitted, Moon Seoyoon wasn’t so clueless as to not understand what Woo Yeonjae was asking. Still, the suddenness of the question caught him off guard, and he blinked in surprise.

Although there had been a few moments of subtle tension between them since the first time they slept together, they hadn’t shared physical intimacy again. Naturally, since Moon Seoyoon had never initiated it.

“I’m turned on.”

Even in response to his incredulous reaction, Woo Yeonjae’s voice remained calm.

“…What did you say?”

“You turn me on.”

“Suddenly?”

A dumb question slipped out. His head was full of confusion, and the question was half-reflexive. Why all of a sudden?

Of course, Moon Seoyoon was attracted to Woo Yeonjae, so it was natural for him to feel sexual desire. But Woo Yeonjae wasn’t like that. He treated love as nothing more than a byproduct of the reproductive instinct, so it was highly unlikely that he had suddenly developed romantic feelings.

However, Moon Seoyoon wasn’t naive enough to believe that sexual desire only arose from affection. So when Woo Yeonjae said he was aroused by looking at him, he knew it was purely about lust.

But still—why, all of a sudden? He couldn’t figure out the reason.

“It’s not really sudden.”

Thud. The sound of fingers tapping the leather sofa echoed again. The surrounding silence made the small noise seem disproportionately loud. His tension spiked, and his breathing felt tight.

“I’ve been turned on since you were playing the piano.”

He couldn’t quite pinpoint which part of that made Woo Yeonjae aroused.

There were only a few vivid memories from that moment, like the way his eyes had seemed unusually sharp.

“I’m just asking. I’m not trying to force you.”

“What if I say no… would you do it with someone else?”

Another dumb question. Woo Yeonjae frowned, seemingly sharing his thoughts about how ridiculous it sounded.

“Moon Seoyoon, are you treating me like a promiscuous bastard?”

There was a slight, almost irritated edge to his tone.

“If someone’s going to use it, the dildo has to be clean, right?”

A playful smirk tugged at his lips, a hint of mischief slipping through.

“I can just take care of it myself.”

At the word “take care of it,” Moon Seoyoon had another dumb thought: Would he do it while thinking about me?

He still couldn’t quite grasp why Woo Yeonjae had been turned on by the piano playing, but it didn’t seem like an empty comment. It was the first time Woo Yeonjae had openly said he was aroused, so he likely wasn’t lying.

While Moon Seoyoon was still lost in his dumb thoughts, blinking in confusion, Woo Yeonjae slowly got up. As he pushed himself off the armrest, the sofa made a tight squeak. The previously silent air suddenly felt tense and heated.

“I’m going to take a shower. If you want to, let me know.”

He was so close that a slight movement would have made their fingers touch. Moon Seoyoon could only stare up at Woo Yeonjae blankly. His gaze wandered, as if searching for something, before his cheeks scrunched up slightly in a frown.

“I’m not going to force you if you don’t want to, so don’t run away.”

With that, Woo Yeonjae left, leaving his words behind. Even though they had been standing close enough to see each other’s expressions clearly, not a single touch was exchanged as he smoothly walked away.

It wasn’t until the familiar scent of cologne had faded that Moon Seoyoon turned around. All he could see was Woo Yeonjae’s broad back as he headed toward the bathroom.

“Why all of a sudden…”

He no longer had the presence of mind to even sit back on the sofa.

Even though he didn’t understand why Woo Yeonjae was turned on by him, part of him thought he might know the reason. Perhaps it was because it had been their first time.

The saying that “once you do it, your eyes open” came to mind. It was something he’d heard in the military. Nam Tae-eun had scoffed, saying only guys with small dicks say things like that, but there were still a few comrades who stood by that comment. Moon Seoyoon had never cared much about other people’s sex lives, but seeing how some agreed with it, it didn’t seem entirely wrong.

Maybe Woo Yeonjae, being a man, was turned on by the fact that they’d had sex for the first time.