Sunshine Shower Chapter 91

It took less than 20 minutes for the two grown men to move the luggage. It was while Moon Seoyoon was staring at the dorm growing distant in the rearview mirror.

“They said the bed is coming today.”

Woo Yeonjae remarked casually.

“Oh, did the delivery guy contact you?”

“Yeah.”

“Perfect timing.”

Moon Seoyoon thought of his father. When he mentioned that he’d stay with Woo Yeonjae instead of moving back home, his father had ordered him a bed, telling him to sleep comfortably.

‘The professor ordered you a bed?’

‘Yeah. The delivery guy should come in a few days.’

‘Well… got it.’

His father had looked somewhat displeased, likely because Moon Seoyoon hadn’t gotten the landlord’s permission to move such large furniture beforehand.

“Seriously. Too bad. If you’d come a few days later, I could’ve let you sleep in my bed.”

“What are you talking about?”

Not wanting to be unsettled by a simple joke, Moon Seoyoon distracted himself by mentally picturing where his bed would go.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Trying to focus on something else, a sudden question popped into his mind. It was surprising he hadn’t thought of it earlier.

“Why didn’t you tell me there was an empty room?”

“What?”

Woo Yeonjae responded while turning the steering wheel.

“I’ve been sleeping in your bed this whole time.”

Moon Seoyoon knew that the apartment had multiple rooms, given its size and layout, but he wasn’t the type to snoop around someone else’s place, investigating how each room was used. If he had known there was an empty room, he wouldn’t have shared a bed with Woo Yeonjae on the night he showed up sick.

“Now you ask?”

Woo Yeonjae scrunched his nose as if frowning, then let out a chuckle.

“I was worried you’d be uncomfortable.”

Moon Seoyoon couldn’t admit that he had been uncomfortable, so he shifted the blame, only to meet Woo Yeonjae’s quick glance with his dark eyes.

“Drawing a line now, huh…?”

“…”

“The bed’s big, and it’s not like we haven’t shared it before. What’s the problem?”

If Woo Yeonjae asked what the problem was, Moon Seoyoon couldn’t really answer. Saying something now would only make it seem like he was suddenly conscious of the situation. They weren’t in a romantic relationship, and being self-conscious between two men would seem strange.

Even if Woo Yeonjae knew that Moon Seoyoon liked men, it wouldn’t change anything. The word ‘conscious’ didn’t really fit their childhood friendship anyway.

“And here I thought you were heartless, Moon Seoyoon.”

Instinctively turning his head at Woo Yeonjae’s sudden complaint, Moon Seoyoon saw his friend’s faintly frowning face.

“You were going to go sleep in another room while I was lying there sick?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“I’m so upset; I might have to cry today.”

As his frown softened and a playful smile tugged at his lips, Moon Seoyoon gave a faint smile and leaned his head back against the headrest.

“And now you won’t even sleep next to me anymore.”

There was something oddly ambiguous in his tone, but that was just Woo Yeonjae’s usual way of speaking.

The car smoothly came to a stop at a red light. The sound of his fingers tapping the steering wheel a few times was followed by a lighthearted voice that drew Moon Seoyoon’s attention.

“You’re going to work today, right?”

“Yeah.”

Just like in the first semester, he was working part-time on weekdays. But this time, he’d extended his hours to include daytime shifts, not just evenings.

“Let me know your work schedule.”

As the light turned green, the car started moving again. Moon Seoyoon asked back absentmindedly.

“Why do you need my work schedule?”

“What do you think?”

His dark gaze briefly landed on Moon Seoyoon before shifting away again.

“I need to know so I can plan.”

* * *

Wondering what Woo Yeonjae meant by ‘plan,’ Moon Seoyoon found himself spending the day following his friend’s lead, before he could even question it.

Opening a can of soda, he poured the fizzy drink over some preserved lemon slices, reflecting on his recent daily routine. It wasn’t anything grand. On weekdays, when he wasn’t working or on free weekends, he either studied or killed time chatting idly with Woo Yeonjae. Then, he worked in the afternoon and evening.

‘I thought Woo Yeonjae would join a study group… Well, he doesn’t really need one.’

Stirring the drink to mix the lemon preserve and soda, Moon Seoyoon called for the vibration buzzer. He’d gotten used to the job enough that working while lost in thought wasn’t hard anymore.

In just a month, Woo Yeonjae would be starting his second semester of his third year. Most students would be preparing for job hunting by joining study groups, but that wasn’t necessary for him. Woo Yeonjae would have already made his own plans for post-graduation, and since his move to the U.S. was set, his path was different from that of most of their peers.

‘From what his uncle said, he’s probably leaving right after graduation.’

Moon Seoyoon was curious about whether Woo Yeonjae would attend university in the U.S., but he didn’t plan on asking. If he did, he’d inevitably hear something like, “Why don’t you come with me?”

“I still don’t understand why he gave up studying abroad.”

The quiet mutter was drowned out by the sound of the espresso machine.

Moon Seoyoon still didn’t know why Woo Yeonjae had suddenly postponed his trip to the U.S. From the reactions of his uncle and aunt at the time, it didn’t seem like it was their decision. In fact, they seemed to have almost given up trying to change his mind because of Woo Yeonjae’s stubbornness.

Back when they were younger, he was simply happy and excited at the idea of going to high school together. But looking back now, there were quite a few puzzling things.

‘He must have his reasons.’

It wasn’t something Moon Seoyoon needed to concern himself with. Since it was Woo Yeonjae’s decision, there was no doubt he had a plan. Even his parents had accepted his decision to give up studying abroad, likely because they trusted in his thorough planning.

“Oppa, can you make me one more shot?”

“Sure. Is it for an Americano?”

“Yes.”

Moon Seoyoon quickly prepared the coffee beans. As Song Jua approached with a glass of iced water, a fresh scent wafted over.

“Did you change your perfume?”

Normally, he wouldn’t have paid much attention to something like that. But ever since Woo Yeonjae had shown such a strong aversion to Nam Taeun’s cologne, Moon Seoyoon had started reacting to scents more than usual.

“Yeah, it’s summer now. I changed it for a fresh start. My boyfriend gave it to me. Do you think it’s okay?”

“It suits you.”

“It’s not too strong, right? I don’t want it to be overpowering in the café.”

“It’s fine. I doubt the customers will notice.”

“That’s a relief.”

Song Jua naturally took the espresso shot that had just finished brewing. After confirming the next order, Moon Seoyoon started making another drink.

Perhaps because they had talked about perfume, Woo Yeonjae, or more precisely, his scent, suddenly came to mind.

Recently, he hadn’t had many reasons to go out, so he hadn’t been wearing it. But for Moon Seoyoon, there was always a specific fragrance he associated with Woo Yeonjae. The previous winter, he hadn’t been startled by the arms wrapping around his waist because he recognized the scent even before confirming it was him.

‘It seemed like he was still using it recently… I wonder if he’ll switch it up for summer.’

Though Woo Yeonjae wasn’t the type to collect and hoard, there were always a few bottles of cologne in his dressing room. Plenty of people switched scents depending on the season, so maybe he would, too. Either way, even if he did change his summer scent, it was likely to be similar to what he’d used in winter. As far as Moon Seoyoon knew, Woo Yeonjae’s taste in fragrances hadn’t changed in the past two years.

“He really is picky.”

As he placed the finished drink on the tray, Moon Seoyoon chuckled quietly to himself.

The distance between the café and the apartment was quite far. Moon Seoyoon hopped into the taxi he had called. Since he’d gotten used to driving around and hadn’t used public transportation much growing up, taxis were much more familiar to him than buses or subways. Sometimes, if Woo Yeonjae had business nearby, he’d give him a ride, but otherwise, Moon Seoyoon usually traveled by taxi.

As he was watching the scenery pass by, his phone vibrated softly in his pocket. Thinking it might be Woo Yeonjae, he checked the screen and saw the familiar name “Taeun-hyung.” It was the first time they had contacted each other since the end of the semester.

“Hello?”

— Hey, little pup. How’s life?

Though it had been a while, the conversation didn’t feel awkward.

“Same as always. It’s been less than two weeks since the semester ended, so it’s not like much could change, right?”

It had been almost two weeks since he moved into Woo Yeonjae’s apartment.

Moon Seoyoon leaned his head against the window and smiled silently. Time felt like it was passing slowly, yet somehow it went by quickly. Back when he was living in the dorms, each day felt steady and routine, but lately, that wasn’t the case. By the time he noticed, the day was already over. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he was spending time with someone he liked, though he didn’t have an answer to that question.

“How about you, hyung? Everything the same?”

— Same old, same old.

“Aren’t you busy? You’re in your third year. I’ve seen a lot of students in our department start study groups by then.”

— Look at you, trying to play parent, huh, little pup?

At the teasing remark, Moon Seoyoon’s lips curved up again.

“What do you mean, ‘parent’? I wasn’t nagging. I was just asking.”

— That’s the problem with this country. Why does everyone think there’s a set thing you have to do at a certain age? You need to drop that prejudice about third years having to join study groups.

What followed was a long lecture. As Moon Seoyoon listened to Nam Taeun’s playful rant, he gazed out the window at the passing scenery. It was night, and the various lights shining here and there were beautiful.