Sunshine Shower

“Ah…”It was an unexpected situation. Since tomorrow was the weekend, he assumed they would meet over the weekend, and his premature assumption seemed foolish.“Why?”Moon Seoyoon was unsure whether to brush it off as nothing or be more assertive. Normally, he would have easily conceded to Woo Yeonjae, but now he wanted to resolve the issue between them as soon as possible.“Tomorrow is the weekend. Won’t we meet on the weekend?”“We’ll meet today and tomorrow,” Woo Yeonjae said nonchalantly while looking at his phone.It felt intrusive to even ask if he had time, as if stepping into the girlfriend’s territory.“Why.”“Huh?”“Do you finally feel like hanging out with me?”Moon Seoyoon’s lips moved slightly. It was the last chance to keep the issue buried a bit longer.“…I have something to say.”But it was a problem that couldn’t be postponed forever. Woo Yeonjae’s gaze slowly shifted towards him, showing he knew exactly what the topic was.“Oh, something to say.”“…”“Hmm, got it.”His gaze flicked back to his phone, and his fingers moved a few times. Moon Seoyoon felt a pang of guilt towards Kim Seonju, realizing that he was keeping Woo Yeonjae from meeting his girlfriend.“Is it okay not to meet your girlfriend?”Unable to hold back, Moon Seoyoon asked.“You shouldn’t ditch a childhood friend for a girlfriend.”Woo Yeonjae frowned as if wondering what kind of nonsense he was spouting. The laughter seeping out between his lips sounded vague.“So, you’ll ditch me if you get a lover?”“What are you talking about?”Moon Seoyoon’s face involuntarily crumpled at the ridiculous statement. He thought he might be making the same expression as Woo Yeonjae.“Isn’t that so? You’ve already ditched me.”The latter words, mixed with laughter, sounded like a light-hearted joke.“So.”Woo Yeonjae’s gentle voice continued smoothly.“Where do you want to go?”The car stopped at a spacious, open area. Since there was a quiet park nearby, a few parked cars were visible here and there. Most of them were probably empty, with their owners out enjoying the spring breeze.“Let’s go somewhere quiet to talk.”“Oh. Do we need to go somewhere quiet?”Woo Yeonjae chuckled as if he found it amusing and drove the car to this place. It was a decent spot for a conversation. It was more comfortable to talk in a quiet place than in a bustling area.He had to pay more attention to controlling his expression and it was difficult to change the subject, but he still wanted to have a calm conversation.“You said you had something to say. Go ahead.”“Our conversation from last time…”Even though he had imagined and prepared for it countless times overnight, his heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest. Moon Seoyoon fiddled with his fingers, thinking it was an acceptable habit to show his nervousness. After all, anyone would be tense when coming out to a friend about liking the same sex.Just don’t get caught lying, he repeatedly reminded himself.“You asked me if… I like men.”“Yeah.”Moon Seoyoon took a small breath and turned his head towards Woo Yeonjae. Woo Yeonjae had his arm resting on the steering wheel and was leaning his head on it. His expression was completely blank.“That’s right.”“What do you mean by ‘that’s right’?”Under the persistent questioning, Moon Seoyoon tried to blink regularly.“I don’t know if I only like men…”It was hard to get the words out, but he managed. He hadn’t lied yet, so he could still bear it.“I like someone, and that person is a man.”“Sigh…”Woo Yeonjae let out a long sigh and slowly straightened up. His dark eyes, as if suppressing something, slid sideways before slowly returning to their original position.“Who is it?”“It’s someone you…”He was momentarily at a loss for words. Moon Seoyoon lowered his gaze briefly. Nam Taeun’s voice, telling him never to get caught, echoed in his ears.“…don’t know.”Fortunately, he could look Woo Yeonjae in the eye again when he continued speaking. Silence fell, and the car was filled with a quiet stillness.“…”Woo Yeonjae said nothing. The only sound in the silent car was the faint noise of him tapping the steering wheel.The small noise that had cleverly masked the heartbeat loudly echoing in his ears soon came to an abrupt stop.“Who is this person I don’t know?”Moon Seoyoon’s heart, which had been racing, suddenly dropped at the dry tone of Woo Yeonjae’s voice. He almost preferred the agitated voice that had asked if he liked men.“Are you kidding me…? I don’t know? Who is this person I don’t know?”It would be troublesome if Woo Yeonjae started listing names of their friends. The final name would be his.Moon Seoyoon slowly opened his mouth.“We haven’t seen each other in two years. Isn’t it natural that there are people you don’t know?”It wasn’t a lie, so the habit that appeared when he lied wouldn’t show. Probably.“Hah.”It seemed Woo Yeonjae understood the implication. He let out a short, sarcastic laugh.“So…”As his long eyelashes, lowered along with his tone, returned to their place, Moon Seoyoon met his dark pupils.“What kind of guy has bewitched Moon Seoyoon?”It dawned on Moon Seoyoon then. Woo Yeonjae became calmer when he was angry.It meant his voice and actions became quieter, but it didn’t mean the ferocity disappeared. When the habitual smile faded, the atmosphere turned chilly. Moon Seoyoon’s lips twitched. He wasn’t afraid of Woo Yeonjae, just overwhelmed by the situation.“I don’t… understand why you’re angry.”He had to choose his words carefully. He feared Woo Yeonjae might read his habits without even realizing it.“Moon Seoyoon, have I ever been angry at you before?”Moon Seoyoon bit his tongue to swallow the answer of “no.”Woo Yeonjae rarely got angry at anyone. Instead of showing outright anger, he usually masked it with a sarcastic smile, making it hard to notice. The last time Moon Seoyoon remembered seeing raw anger from Woo Yeonjae was when they were in middle school.Even so, having known each other for 17 years, there must have been situations where Woo Yeonjae felt angry at him, yet he had never shown overt emotions. Even as a child, he had never let his emotions get out of control.“You’re not answering. Do I seem angry at you now?”“The person with you is me.”“Yeah. The person with Moon Seoyoon is me.”The spring scenery swaying past his broad shoulders was barely noticed by Moon Seoyoon. He didn’t have the leisure to take in the view. Even moving his head slightly to see something other than Woo Yeonjae was hard. It was too late to avoid his gaze; Woo Yeonjae’s eyes were too persistent.“Then why.”Woo Yeonjae cursed softly, running a hand through his hair. Moon Seoyoon took advantage of the momentary break in eye contact to lower his gaze. He felt so tense he forgot how to move.“I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at that guy you said you liked.”“I don’t understand why you’re angry at him.”A quiet laugh escaped. Moon Seoyoon bit the inside of his lip and slowly raised his gaze. Woo Yeonjae, resting his arm on the steering wheel, was smirking with furrowed brows.“Why do you think, Seoyoon?”“…”“You like men?”A bitter laugh mingled with his breath.“Do you remember when you cried silently because of those guys who harassed you?”It was a story from when they were young. A past that he now considered trivial.He had suffered quite a bit from rumors about his looks and piano skills, but looking back, they were all just kids. They were foolish, acting immaturely over trivial things. The memories of crying in front of Woo Yeonjae were now faint.“What does that have to do with the person I like?”Moon Seoyoon asked without thinking. It really had nothing to do with his feelings for Woo Yeonjae and the forgotten events of the past. The emotions were clear, and there was no need for lies.Woo Yeonjae, who had been scanning his face, let out a short sigh.“Seems like you’re really bewitched, huh?”His gently curving eyes were sharp. Watching his twisted smile reminded Moon Seoyoon of Kim Hyunseung’s words.‘Woo Yeonjae must have been a gumiho in his past life. He has a dark soul. But with that face, he probably bewitched people and took their lives.’Maybe he was really bewitched. The rain outside, the sunlight piercing through the rain, Woo Yeonjae sitting at the piano instead of him, all seemed so beautiful. He had fallen for that kindness.Since he couldn’t give his liver, maybe he had given his heart.“So who is it? If he’s enough to captivate you, he must have made an effort. Right?”Sometimes, not knowing was worse than planning.“I don’t know if I only like men, but I like a man. So, it’s not like I’ve been messing around… A guy who can charm someone just by standing still must be desperate and horny. Am I wrong?”“He didn’t… it doesn’t matter if I tell you, you wouldn’t understand.”“If I wouldn’t understand, why don’t you tell me?”Moon Seoyoon was momentarily speechless.“Is it someone I could find out about if I tried?”