Sunshine Shower

“When did I say that? If I said it directly, it must have been today, but it was hard to guess the timing.”“I got a message during lunch.”Only then did it start to make sense. So, when I was checking my phone at the main building, it was because Hyunseung contacted me.“Of course I knew. How else would I have known? And a true friend drinks with you when you’re heartbroken. Isn’t that what brotherhood is all about?”“But you seemed pretty happy that Woo Yeonjae got rejected.”Kim Hyunseung chuckled.“Thanks to that, it’s nice to have drinks with the three of us again. It’s been a while since we all got together.”“That’s true.”“No matter how close you are with people from college, high school friends are different. And if you want to talk trash about people from the same department, you have to meet up with you guys.”No wonder his complaints went on so long—he must have been holding them in for a while. I was suddenly relieved that I didn’t head back to the dorm. If I had, Hyunseung would’ve felt hurt and sulked.“Oh, right. Moon. This is your first time at my place, isn’t it?”“Yeah.”“I was going to find a bigger place, but I kept putting it off, and it got really hard to find one. Woo Yeonjae was disgusted the first time he came here. You should’ve seen his face.”Wait, Woo Yeonjae has been here? Moon Seoyoon widened his eyes.“Isn’t today the first time Woo Yeonjae’s been here?”“No, he comes by sometimes.”“Really?”“Yeah, he even came by late at night once.”At this unexpected news, Moon Seoyoon trailed off with an “Oh….” Woo Yeonjae usually avoids going to other people’s houses, let alone studios. Even back in freshman year, he would politely decline invitations to stay over and would head home instead.“That worked out for me too, since I could tag along and leave.”It was especially surprising because Woo Yeonjae usually hated Hyunseung’s lifestyle.Suddenly, I wondered if Woo Yeonjae had changed over the past two years. Even today, instead of calling a cab to go back to his officetel, he said he’d stay at Hyunseung’s place. Maybe he’s loosened up a lot more than I realized.Moments like this made the gap in our relationship feel real.“Are you surprised?”“To be honest, yes.”“Of course, you wouldn’t be Woo Yeonjae’s friend if you weren’t so particular.”“I don’t think it’s that extreme…”“What do you mean? You two are more alike than you think. Sometimes I see Woo’s habits in you, and it freaks me out.”To think I share habits with Woo Yeonjae—that’s the first I’ve heard of it.“I have the same habits as Woo Yeonjae?”“Yeah. What was it again… Hang on, let me think… Oh, that…”“Or maybe you’re just a slob, Hyunseung.”Woo Yeonjae, now towel-dried, stepped out of the bathroom with not a drop of water on him.“Hey, all done, Mr. Clean.”“You should shower too.”“When I’m with other people, I just go to bed without washing up, but I shower because of you.”Grumbling, Hyunseung slowly got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom.“Are you really going to sleep here?”Moon Seoyoon asked, as if to confirm. The question didn’t seem to please Woo Yeonjae, who frowned slightly.“Why wouldn’t I?”“I mean… Hyunseung isn’t exactly known for keeping his place clean.”From the bathroom, a voice yelled, “Moon Seoyoon!”“What, you expect me to leave you and Hyunseung here and go home? So you two can hang out without me?”Woo Yeonjae furrowed his brows and pouted slightly.“It’s not like we’d hang out without you.”“You’ll just talk behind my back with Hyunseung when I’m gone. The two of you.”Once again, a voice shouted from the bathroom, “Yeah, that’s right! So go home!”“Why would we talk behind your back?”Woo Yeonjae tilted his head as if signaling for him to move aside.“You two hung out a lot before I left for the military. Didn’t you meet without me to talk about me? From now on, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”There were quite a few times when I met Hyunseung without Woo Yeonjae, but that was only because Woo Yeonjae hated noisy places, not because we had any other reason to meet without him. He knows that too, but he’s clearly saying this on purpose.Though I shot him a look of disbelief, I still shifted slightly to the side. Woo Yeonjae naturally lay down in the empty spot and reached out to tap the space next to him, signaling me to lie down.Instead of lying down, I just sat there idly. Even though we slept together last night, comparing this narrow spot to a large bed wasn’t exactly the same. The mat was so cramped that if two grown men lay down, even the slightest movement would make them bump into each other. There’s no way I’ll be able to sleep here.“My lord, I shall sleep below while you rest above.”Hyunseung, fresh from brushing his teeth and washing his face, bowed politely, extending one arm toward the bed while keeping the other hand on his chest. The “my lord” title directed at Woo Yeonjae made Moon Seoyoon chuckle lightly.“I don’t want to sleep in Hyunseung’s bed if he doesn’t shower.”“What a way to reject someone’s kindness, huh? Moon, do you want to sleep up here?”“I’m sleeping with him.”I thought it would be better to squeeze in next to Kim Hyunseung, so I started to get up, but Woo Yeonjae pulled me back by the arm.“What are you talking about? You clearly want to sleep in the bed.”“Moon Seoyoon, you want to sleep up here?”Startled by the sudden tug-of-war, Moon Seoyoon could only blink in confusion.“We met up to comfort me, and now you’re both leaving me out…? So, I’m supposed to sleep on the floor alone while you two share the bed?”“There he goes again,” Kim Hyunseung muttered as he slipped under the covers.“Whoever lies down last has to turn off the lights.”He still acted like a high schooler.“I’ll turn them off.”Moon Seoyoon, who had been standing awkwardly, straightened up. The hand that had been holding his arm gently let go.The apartment was about the size of two standard studio rooms combined, so it took a few steps to reach the light switch. Moon Seoyoon ignored the intense gaze following him from behind as he found the switch and turned it off. The time to change his mind vanished in just a few seconds.Even with the lights off, he could still feel the gaze piercing his back. With a silent sigh, Moon Seoyoon slowly turned around. Not far away, the sound of rustling blankets could be heard. Judging by the direction, it seemed Woo Yeonjae had lifted the blanket, inviting him to join.“This feels like it’s going to be trouble…”Biting the inside of his cheek, Moon Seoyoon lay down on the floor where the blanket had been pulled back. Knowing Woo Yeonjae, he would have kept pestering until he came over, so there wasn’t much choice. Woo Yeonjae, seemingly expecting him to lie down next to him, gave a quiet, amused smile.“Hey, doesn’t this remind you of our high school days? Like when we went on that school trip.”It seemed like the reunion had loosened Kim Hyunseung’s tongue. The sudden trip down memory lane made Moon Seoyoon try to recall events from years ago. It wasn’t him who responded, though, but Woo Yeonjae.“On the school trip, we all slept in separate beds.”“See? That’s exactly why Woo Yeonjae is such a buzzkill. Moon, back me up here.”“Yeah. It does remind me of the old days.”“High school was fun, though.”“Yeah, it was.”Moon Seoyoon replied in a calm voice. Despite the pressure of exams, high school had been a relatively enjoyable time.“And remember during the sports festival…”As Kim Hyunseung rambled on with idle chatter, a firm warmth brushed against his shoulder. Though it was too dark to be sure, it seemed like it was Woo Yeonjae’s forehead. A slow breath brushed past his ear.He’s asleep. Moon Seoyoon reached out to brush away the messy hair leaning against him, but then slowly withdrew his hand. It felt like touching him would lead to something he couldn’t take back.As Kim Hyunseung’s voice gradually faded, eventually tapering off, he closed his eyes.The sleepless night crept in as sluggishly as the slow breathing next to him.* * *After four days, the dorm looked exactly the same as it had before. The sound of water came from the bathroom, where Nam Taeun was likely showering. Moon Seoyoon dropped his phone on the desk and collapsed onto his bed. Normally, he wouldn’t lie down in bed with his outside clothes still on, but he was too tired to wait for Nam Taeun to finish and then shower himself.‘At least I slept at Hyunseung’s place last night.’If I’d slept in Woo Yeonjae’s bed again instead of just on a mat on the floor, this dorm bed might’ve felt uncomfortable. Even though it was only three days of sleeping in a different bed, I was already getting used to it, which made me feel strange.I stayed up all night last night. As a result, even when Woo Yeonjae leaned into me in his sleep, I was able to dodge him somehow.Moon Seoyoon lay completely still on the bed, replaying last night in his mind.The thick darkness, the outside noises that broke the silence, the restless shifting, and the sound of breathing close by.