Sunshine Shower

There was a long line in front of the ticket machine. As Moon Seoyoon scanned the menu, he nudged the person next to him.“Woo Yeonjae, what are you going to eat?”“Ah…”It seemed like Woo Yeonjae was in the middle of sending a message, as he slowly took his eyes off his phone.“What about you?”“I’m just getting the set meal.”“Me too.”“Got it.”The line moved quickly. After efficiently purchasing his meal ticket, Moon Seoyoon entered the cafeteria, with Woo Yeonjae following close behind.“When’s the last time you ate at the cafeteria?”“This is my first time.”“What?”“Why are you so surprised? Weren’t you the one who always ate out with me during our freshman year?”It wasn’t wrong, but he hadn’t expected that Woo Yeonjae had never tried the cafeteria food. While he stared at him with curious eyes, their turn arrived. After receiving his meal, Moon Seoyoon found an empty seat and sat down. Woo Yeonjae took the seat across from him.“I should’ve chosen something else.”“Why?”“I just remembered how picky you are.”“Do I seem like a pampered prince to you?”Woo Yeonjae laughed softly as he casually took a bite. Even though he did seem like a pampered prince, Moon Seoyoon just picked up his spoon instead of answering. The meal tasted exactly as cafeteria food should.“It’s not bad. I should’ve eaten here more during freshman year.”“…I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like your type of food.”“Just…”Woo Yeonjae’s lips curved into a long smile.“It reminds me of when we were in high school.”It felt strange because he was thinking the same thing.It was right after their last class on Monday. Just as he was about to return to the dorm, his phone rang. It was Kim Hyunseung.— Hey, Moon!Before he could even open his mouth, a cheerful voice greeted him.— I heard that bastard Woo Yeonjae broke up with his girlfriend?How did he find out? Moon Seoyoon glanced at Woo Yeonjae, trying to gauge his reaction. Their schedules were different, so they hadn’t had many chances to be together this late, but somehow, Woo Yeonjae was standing next to him now. Fortunately, the call wasn’t on speaker, so he didn’t seem to have heard it.“Uh, yeah…”Moon Seoyoon responded vaguely.— Let’s go drink.“Suddenly?”— We need to tease that bastard Woo Yeonjae. Plus, heartache should be drowned in alcohol. You’re in front of the business building, right?“You want to start drinking now?”— Isn’t that obvious? I’ll head over there, so wait for me. I’m almost there!Before he could even reply, the call ended. Moon Seoyoon stared blankly at the now dark screen.“What is it? Isn’t that Kim Hyunseung?”“Yeah, but…”Woo Yeonjae tilted his head slightly. Should he say this? Moon Seoyoon frowned slightly as he shoved his phone into his pocket.“Did you tell him about the breakup? He said we should go drink.”“Now?”“Yeah, he’s on his way to the business building.”For a moment, Woo Yeonjae’s dark gaze shifted past his shoulder.“Hey! Moon Seoyoon! Woo Yeonjae!”Without even looking, he could tell what kind of expression Kim Hyunseung had. He was sure it was full of mischievous intent, eager to tease Woo Yeonjae.“There he is, our Hyunseung.”Woo Yeonjae smirked thinly.The bar was so noisy it was almost overwhelming, probably because it was near the university. Moon Seoyoon sipped his beer quietly, listening to Kim Hyunseung talk. The atmosphere wasn’t one where he could easily join in.“Man, those bastards really piss me off.”Kim Hyunseung, who had been loudly celebrating Woo Yeonjae’s breakup, started talking about his department once the alcohol kicked in, and now he was swearing. It seemed he had seen a lot of things while working in the student council.“They act all tough with me, thinking age gives them some kind of authority. Ugh… being older doesn’t make them better.”As he drank faster, the pace at which he consumed soju bombs also increased. The moment his glass was empty, it was refilled.“Hey, Moon. Don’t ever join the student council, got it?”“I’m going to be a junior next year, so why would I? It’s more surprising that you started doing department activities right after getting back from the military.”“I didn’t want to either, but I got dragged in as a fill-in. But seriously, how is there not a single normal person there? I should’ve bailed when I realized I was just a replacement.”Moon Seoyoon suddenly realized that he had never dealt with someone truly difficult before. Annoying people were an inevitable part of life, but he couldn’t recall ever being entangled with someone so unpleasant that it made his skin crawl. The same was true at the cafe. There were troublesome customers, but perhaps because it was near the university, truly terrible people were rare.“Woo, what would you do?”“About what?”Woo Yeonjae replied indifferently, taking a sip of beer.“You’re really good at screwing people over behind their backs. You’re probably the best in the world at instigating others to mess with people, Woo Yeonjae.”“Are you trying to paint your friend as a terrible person, Hyunseung?”“Don’t give me that crap. Do you think I don’t know you? I’m seriously pissed off because of those bastards.”“Hmm…”Moon Seoyoon watched Kim Hyunseung, who was getting all worked up, and couldn’t help but chuckle. They knew each other well, having been friends since high school.As they drank, memories of their high school days resurfaced. The music grew louder, and the noise around them intensified. Woo Yeonjae was saying something to Kim Hyunseung while fiddling with the corner of his mouth.Taking advantage of the moment, Moon Seoyoon stood up from his seat.“Moon, where are you going? Are you ditching me too?”Kim Hyunseung, as sharp as ever, gave him a teary-eyed look.“Ditch you? You’re starting to sound like Woo Yeonjae. I’m just going to the restroom. Gonna wash my hands.”“Hey, no matter what, how can you say something so awful? Do you think I’d ever become as heartless as this guy?”Ignoring the banter, Moon Seoyoon headed to the restroom. Keeping up with Kim Hyunseung’s pace had made him a bit tipsy. It wasn’t until the cold water touched his skin that he started to feel clear-headed again.As the buzz began to fade, practical concerns surfaced.When should I return Woo Yeonjae’s car? There’s also the dorm curfew. Since Nam Taeun isn’t at the dorm tonight, there’s no one to let me in.Moon Seoyoon fumbled for his phone to check the time, only to realize he had left it on the table. He needed to find out the time first.After finishing up in the restroom, he returned to the table, turned on his phone, and checked the time. Even if he left now, he’d barely make it.“Ah… Hey, I think I need to go.”“Why!”Kim Hyunseung slammed the table with his fist, looking like he was about to cry.“The dorm curfew is coming up soon.”“You can just sleep at my place. Man, you’re really hurting my feelings.”Kim Hyunseung waved his hand dismissively, as if telling him to stop talking nonsense, and then poured more alcohol into his half-empty beer glass.“Seriously, Moon Seoyoon, you’re being really cold.”Woo Yeonjae chimed in lazily, resting his chin on his hand.“You’re just going to leave us here?”His eyelashes fluttered down as his eyebrows knitted together.“Well, it’s awkward to ask you guys to let me crash at your place.”Kim Hyunseung launched into a speech about how true friendship isn’t about that, and Woo Yeonjae’s voice joined in afterward.“What’s so awkward about it?”“It’s uncomfortable.”“I don’t mind you coming over at all.”Despite the noisy surroundings, Woo Yeonjae’s voice rang out clearly. His half-lidded eyes slowly opened, revealing the irises hidden within.“Stay at my place tonight.”The casual invitation made his cheeks flush.Their destination ended up being Kim Hyunseung’s apartment. It was all thanks to Kim Hyunseung’s insistence that his dear friends needed to know about the awful people he dealt with. The third round of drinks, which began at the apartment, didn’t end until well past 2 a.m.After washing up, Moon Seoyoon found that it wasn’t the apartment’s owner but Woo Yeonjae who was tidying up. Meanwhile, Kim Hyunseung lay on the bed, humming a tune.“Woo Yeonjae, go wash up. I’ll clean up the rest.”“Make Kim Hyunseung do it.”“I don’t see anything dirty about my room right now. Shouldn’t the person who thinks it’s dirty be the one to clean it?”Woo Yeonjae gave Kim Hyunseung, who was still lying down, a look of disdain before heading into the bathroom. Although the apartment was quite spacious for a student’s place, the thin walls common in buildings near universities allowed the sound of the shower to be heard clearly.Despite having said he’d handle the rest of the cleanup, there wasn’t much left to do. Moon Seoyoon took the sorted recycling bags to the corner by the shoe rack, then looked around the room. Kim Hyunseung slowly got up and laid out a mat beside the bed. He also pulled out a blanket that had been stuffed into the closet, crumpled from being left there for so long.“What’s this? You even have blankets?”“Unlike that bastard Woo, I’m a generous guy who often invites friends over.”Kim Hyunseung patted the mat, signaling for him to sit down. After making sure there was nothing else to clean, Moon Seoyoon sat down. Grumbling about how annoying it was to wash up, Kim Hyunseung sprawled back onto the bed.“Kim Hyunseung.”He called his name, and Kim Hyunseung poked his head out from the bed. Apparently, the upside-down view wasn’t making him dizzy.“How did you find out that Woo Yeonjae broke up?”It was something that had nagged at him throughout their drinking session. Given how close they were, it made sense for Kim Hyunseung to know, but he was a bit worried that the news had already spread. Gossip like this tends to travel fast, which made him even more concerned.‘Though, knowing Woo Yeonjae, he probably wouldn’t care even if rumors did spread.’Even though the person involved likely wouldn’t be bothered, Moon Seoyoon couldn’t help but feel uneasy about it.“How did I find out?”Kim Hyunseung, lying facedown as if all the blood had rushed to his head, responded nonchalantly.“Woo told me.”