Sunshine Shower Chapter 93

Moon Seoyoon was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected response. He hadn’t anticipated that Woo Yeonjae would bring up his call partner at this timing, and the fact that it was Nam Taeun only deepened his discomfort.

“What’s with calling people ‘bastards’?”

He tried to divert the topic by saying something unrelated instead of answering.

“You’re dodging the question…”

Woo Yeonjae’s cheek twitched, and he frowned as if suppressing irritation. The suspicion that had crept in when he first found out about the phone call solidified the moment he realized Moon Seoyoon was trying to change the subject. The annoyance that had been gnawing at him expanded, swallowing his patience.

“What do you mean dodging? Are you a kid? You keep saying ‘bastard’ this and ‘bastard’ that, so of course I’m saying something. Speak nicely.”

A dry laugh escaped through his lips.

“There you go again, talking nonsense. Are you someone I don’t even know?”

Whether it was because Moon Seoyoon had hit the mark, his long lashes trembled in flustered confusion.

“Why are you hiding it? Is it someone you can’t tell me about?”

“It’s not that…”

At his faltering voice, an image came to mind. But saying it “came to mind” didn’t seem accurate since it had been circling his head all along—a guy with bleached blonde hair, smoking a cigarette with Moon Seoyoon. Instantly, Woo Yeonjae’s mood plummeted.

Why do they keep meeting?

He didn’t care about Nam Taeun’s reputation. Woo Yeonjae only trusted what he saw with his own eyes, not what others said. Nam Taeun was someone who had taught a younger guy to smoke and casually groped another man’s butt like it was nothing. He couldn’t understand why Moon Seoyoon would keep meeting such a sleazy guy, especially behind his back.

Ridiculously, only one word dominated his mind: cheating. It wasn’t a word reserved just for romantic relationships. For Woo Yeonjae, the fact that Moon Seoyoon was meeting someone else while lying to him felt like a betrayal.

He likes me, so why is he meeting another guy? Is it just out of habit from the past? I don’t think I haven’t satisfied him…

Although he had never slept with anyone else and therefore had no point of comparison, Woo Yeonjae knew without a doubt that his physical chemistry with Moon Seoyoon was amazing. It wasn’t just in his head; Moon Seoyoon had moaned and whimpered every time they were together.

If someone you like is already giving their body to you, why would they keep meeting other guys? It made no sense.

“So, it’s not that?”

Woo Yeonjae asked again after waiting a few moments in silence.

Recently, he had been making a conscious effort—to not selfishly cling to Moon Seoyoon too much.

Even though he felt a sense of joy when he realized how much control he had over Moon Seoyoon’s emotions, there was also an underlying frustration. The more Moon Seoyoon gave him, the more Woo Yeonjae felt the need to restrain himself and keep things in check.

Woo Yeonjae knew his limits well. To avoid overflowing, he had to suppress his emotions.

“I don’t have to report to you about every single person I meet, do I?”

“What…?”

The words were calm and clear, but for a moment, Woo Yeonjae doubted if he had heard correctly. His lips twisted. I don’t have to report to you about everything? It was something he never expected to hear from Moon Seoyoon.

“I said I’m just meeting a friend… Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know them, so it’s hard to explain in detail.”

“And why can’t you explain?”

“It’s just… Isn’t it too much to share every little thing with a friend?”

An unknown heat surged through Woo Yeonjae, turning his vision red. He swallowed his breath and slowly opened and closed his eyes, trying to keep the dark emotions bubbling inside at bay.

He bit down on his tongue and ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair, messing it up. His veins popped out on the back of his hand from the force he applied.

“Ha… Damn it. Am I just a friend to you?”

The last thread of patience that held him back from grabbing Moon Seoyoon snapped. His jaw tightened, and curses he couldn’t suppress slipped out between his lips.

Ha. Another dry laugh forced its way out.

Moon Seoyoon was treating him like he was just another guy.

“I mean, you’re my closest friend. What else would I call you?”

Moon Seoyoon added a single adjective, looking up at him with a calm gaze.

Why does my Seoyoon never seem to understand me in moments like this?

His entire body felt like it was on fire, and his rationality began slipping away. He instinctively reached out to grab Moon Seoyoon, but then he caught sight of the hand holding the perfume bottle he had given him. Under the white lights, that hand looked so pale and delicate.

“Seoyoon.”

His arm, which had been extending toward Moon Seoyoon, stopped abruptly, as if a brake had been applied. Woo Yeonjae held his breath and carefully chose his words. The seething anger that gnawed at him had to be swallowed down.

I can’t scare him. He’s just a kid. He bit down on his tongue again, tasting the faint metallic tang of blood that filled his mouth.

“I… to you…”

He paused for a moment.

Moon Seoyoon stared at him without blinking. Seeing Woo Yeonjae react so strongly over something as simple as a weekend plan was unfamiliar. But the confusion quickly gave way to regret.

Maybe I should’ve just said I was meeting Jua instead. One of the things Woo Yeonjae hated most was lying, and now that he had lied to his face, it made sense that he was angry. If I was going to lie, I should’ve at least picked one that wouldn’t hurt his feelings.

“I think I told you… I’m pretty jealous.”

The next words took Moon Seoyoon by surprise. He blinked.

‘You know I’m jealous, don’t you?’

He clearly remembered the moment Woo Yeonjae had said those words. It was a fragment of the past that had been haunting his thoughts just a few weeks ago.

“Guess that didn’t mean shit to you, huh.”

Woo Yeonjae’s eyes, which had been looking down at him, were half-hidden by his slowly closing eyelids. Despite the bright living room, the pitch-black darkness outside made his dark pupils seem cold. After briefly lowering his gaze, Woo Yeonjae frowned, turned his back, and walked away.

Moon Seoyoon could only stare blankly at his retreating figure, unable to do anything.

He’s angry at me.

The familiar texture of the perfume bottle seemed to crawl up from his palm into his chest. His heart felt like fragile glass, frozen in delicate weakness. It looked tough on the outside, but it was so fragile that the slightest pressure would shatter it.

And everything hidden inside would spill out.

* * *

“You’ve finally lost it, huh.”

Nam Taeun, who had just downed a shot of soju, gave a harsh assessment. It was the reaction Moon Seoyoon had expected, so he chuckled and took a shot of soju himself. As usual, the disinfectant-like alcohol taste wasn’t to his liking.

“I thought you’d gone back to your family’s home. Never imagined you’d move into that bastard’s officetel.”

At the word “bastard,” Moon Seoyoon was reminded of Woo Yeonjae, who had also called him a bastard just a few days ago.

Since that day, they’d been in a strange cold war. Since they only spent time together in the mornings during the weekdays, not much had changed outwardly, but the awkward tension lingered.

They weren’t kids in middle or high school, and both knew they needed to resolve this. But every time he thought of Woo Yeonjae’s cold expression, it made it difficult for Moon Seoyoon to approach him. Was this what a fight felt like? He had no memory of fighting with Woo Yeonjae before, so the situation left him confused.

“It feels different from the few clashes we had last semester…”

Back then, it had been a one-sided interrogation, but this time, Moon Seoyoon felt like he had been the one who said the wrong thing to Woo Yeonjae.

In truth, it wasn’t fair to blame Woo Yeonjae. He had always asked who Moon Seoyoon was spending time with, even as a child, so this time it was probably just another casual question. Yet, feeling guilty, Moon Seoyoon had unnecessarily built up a defensive wall. He felt sorry about it, but at the same time, he was frustrated with himself for not being able to speak up.

“How did you even come up with that idea?”

Moon Seoyoon shrugged silently, spooning pineapple-flavored ice cream into his mouth. He didn’t want to explain; it felt too pathetic to admit the real reason.

“What’s a rich kid like you missing, that you’d end up living there, of all places?”

“What rich kid? And my father won’t let me live on my own.”

Nam Taeun raised an eyebrow and furrowed his brow.

“That’s odd. As far as I know, Moon Seoyoon has already completed his military service. Was my bunkmate in the barracks not Moon Seoyoon but Moon Namyoon?”

“That’s not funny.”

Nam Taeun’s reaction was understandable. It was rare for a father to refuse to let a grown son, especially one who had already served in the military, live independently. Moon Seoyoon had an inkling of the reason, but he wasn’t about to bring it up. The thought alone was exhausting.

“But he’s fine with you living with that guy?”

“He’s known him for a long time.”

Moon Seoyoon gave a vague response, not wanting to get into the details of why his father was so lenient with Woo Yeonjae specifically.