Sunshine Shower

The place they arrived at was a pork intestine restaurant. It was a place that had all the elements that Woo Yeonjae disliked: the distinct smell permeating throughout the shop, drunken people shouting loudly, and everything else.“Is Woo Yeonjae being particular about cleanliness again?”Kim Hyunseung, who brought Woo Yeonjae all the way here, was impressive.“Auntie, five portions here! And please give us only two bottles of beer!”As soon as they sat down, they quickly placed their orders.“I don’t recall being particular about cleanliness.”Woo Yeonjae sat down beside him and muttered. As soon as Moon Seoyoon, who came in last, sat down, the basic side dishes began to be served.“You frowned as soon as you came in.”“It must be Kim Hyunseung’s misconception.”“Hey, this place is damn good, isn’t it? Moon Seoyoon likes it too.”Moon Seoyoon, who didn’t have any particular preferences, took out chopsticks and handed them to his friends. It was a restaurant they occasionally visited with Kim Hyunseung. Even after nearly two years, the pork intestine restaurant they visited was still bustling with customers, making the surroundings noisy. Moon Seoyoon felt a little relieved that it was a noisy place rather than a quiet one. He wondered if he overreacted to the situation.“Really? I haven’t been here with Moon Seoyoon.”“Yes, yes. What would the refined young gentleman know? We used to come here often. Got it?”As soon as he finished speaking, a sizzling plate filled with pork intestines appeared. Kim Hyunseung swiftly grabbed the tongs and skillfully grilled the intestines.“Is that so? Why were you two hanging out alone?”Woo Yeonjae, drinking water, narrowed his eyes thinly. Kim Hyunseung was disgusted by the sight of only one corner of his mouth rising slowly.“What are you saying? The guy who didn’t even show his face when Moon Seoyoon went to the military. And don’t smile like that. It’s creepy because it’s so forced. Ugh, saying that word to a guy gives me the creeps.”“Have you guys really not seen each other in a long time?”As Moon Seoyoon poured beer into the glasses, he asked with narrowed eyes, like someone witnessing a strange sight. Although he had heard Kim Hyunseung say that it had been a long time since he had seen Woo Yeonjae, he couldn’t help but wonder if they hadn’t seen each other at least once.“So, shall we catch up while we’re at it? Starting with Woo Yeonjae.”“Well… Chasing after Moon Seoyoon?”Woo Yeonjae chuckled, his eyes crinkling. Kim Hyunseung, who had known him for a long time, didn’t give any suspicious looks at Woo Yeonjae’s comment about chasing after his friend. He just shrugged, nodded a few times, and resumed eating.“Yeah, that’s right. Moon Seoyoon’s yours, totally.”“Yeah. Moon Seoyoon’s mine.”“Moon Seoyoon’s dad has arrived.”It was Kim Hyunseung who placed the pork intestines on Moon Seoyoon’s plate as they talked about this.“Are you getting along well with your girlfriend? What’s her name… Kim Sunju, right?”Moon Seoyoon, who had paused with the chopsticks halfway to his mouth, forced himself to move his hand again.“She’s not in Korea right now. She was supposed to come next week though.”“Oh, really? Haven’t you been together for a long time? You’ve been dating since we were twenty.”So, his girlfriend now was his girlfriend back then. It was a new piece of information. Moon Seoyoon smoothly put the pork intestines into his mouth. He had to do something, or it would surely get awkward. Thankfully, it was food that wouldn’t make strange sounds even if he chewed for a long time.“Well… I’m twenty-three now.”“It feels like we just became adults, but now we’re twenty-three after finishing military service. Hey, then are we all going to the same school this time? I’m going to live near the main gate. How about you guys?”“I moved to an apartment this time.”Moon Seoyoon had seen the place too. The moment he opened his eyes on Woo Yeonjae’s bed remained vivid in his memory.“Oh, the newly built one? You wouldn’t have a housewarming… not with agoraphobic Woo Yeonjae. And you, Moon?”The flow of thought was just about to switch to earrings in the apartment. It was fortunate that the conversation topic flowed back to me before I could dwell on unnecessary thoughts. Moon Seoyoon made an effort to answer, trying to shake off distractions.“I’m in a dorm.”“A dorm?”The person to respond wasn’t Kim Hyunseung but Woo Yeonjae. Naturally, the gaze shifted to him. When their eyes met, Woo Yeonjae, with a crooked tone, slowly and deliberately asked, “Why are you living in the dorm, Seoyoon?”There was a strong undertone of incomprehension in his low-pitched voice. Caught off guard by the unexpected cold attitude, Moon Seoyoon blinked, not knowing what to say.“Whether Moon lives in a dorm or not is none of your business,” Kim Hyunseung smoothly interjected while wrapping his own lettuce wrap. Then, after stuffing his mouth with the wrap, he mumbled something incomprehensible with his mouth full. Though the exact meaning couldn’t be discerned, it sounded like a nagging remark.Even as the person next to him poured out a fervent lecture, Woo Yeonjae didn’t withdraw his persistent gaze. Under the obvious pressure to respond, Moon Seoyoon subtly avoided eye contact and handed the water bottle to Kim Hyunseung. It wasn’t because he found it difficult to answer but rather because it was difficult to meet Woo Yeonjae’s eyes, especially when he was staring so blatantly with a clear purpose.“I commuted in my first year, so I’m just trying out the dorm,” Moon Seoyoon said, bringing a plate of seasoned pork intestines to his front plate. He piled hot vegetables on top of it, which was so appetizing that he immediately put it into his mouth. Even though he deliberately ate slowly to stall for time, he didn’t expect the crooked gaze to relent.Perhaps because he was only conscious of Woo Yeonjae, the belated sensation of his mouth being excessively hot came. Unable to spit it out, he frowned and tried to drink water, but the cup was empty. Woo Yeonjae, sitting diagonally across, reached out and handed him his cup. Moon Seoyoon hastily took the water and drank it.“It seems like Moon Seoyoon really likes it here. Even though he can’t eat hot food well,” Kim Hyunseung commented, furrowing his brows as if I were the one who was hot all over, and nudged Woo Yeonjae with his elbow.“Because I hate the dorms,” Woo Yeonjae replied promptly.“Why? Honestly, there’s nowhere as good as the dorms. They serve meals morning and evening punctually, and they even provide snacks during exam periods. It’s too much hassle to cook for yourself if you live alone.”“It’s a hassle to share a room with someone else.”“Woo Yeonjae, do you happen to know this word? It’s ‘community living.'”“What’s community living?”Woo Yeonjae twisted his lips at Kim Hyunseung’s interjection. He pressed the pork intestines between his long fingers, not even putting them in his mouth.“It’s uncomfortable to share the bathroom, even more so if your lifestyles don’t match… And just sharing space with others is gross. What if they’re dirty?”“Wow, when will this guy’s agoraphobia ever get fixed? Moon, did he used to be like this since he was young?”“Woo Yeonjae has always been picky.”Moon Seoyoon responded as if answering a newly asked question, then took another sip of water.While it wasn’t severe enough to be called agoraphobia, Woo Yeonjae had always detested sharing things with others since he was young. Instead, he became more intolerant as he attended school and grew older.He seemed to vaguely understand the reasons for his opposition to dorm life. It also seemed he wouldn’t understand the decision to endure discomfort for the sake of sharing space.“So, are you really going to move into the dorms?”The conversation circled back to its origin. Unable to avoid the answer this time, Moon Seoyoon wiped the beer glass with a napkin before speaking.“The applications are already closed… and I thought it might be okay to experience dorm life while attending university.”“But it’s a shame. Moon, you’d probably have fun living alone. But why don’t you live alone?”“Because of the professors?”Woo Yeonjae hit the nail on the head. Kim Hyunseung, who had been drinking hard, now nodded as if he understood.“Wow, Woo Yeonjae, sharp. Can’t live alone because of the professors. Man, your father is really something. How can he be so consistent?”“He’s always been like that… You both know. Our father’s personality.”Moon Seoyoon chuckled lightly as he drank his beer. Woo Yeonjae, his childhood friend, knew it without saying, and Kim Hyunseung, who had known him for quite some time, also knew his father’s personality well. Thanks to that, it wasn’t difficult to be honest.“And it’s just uncomfortable being at home, so I want to move out. It’s more comfortable for me.”“Huh? Why? What’s wrong?”Moon Seoyoon realized only then that Kim Hyunseung was unaware of his father’s remarriage.“Oh, you didn’t know. My father got remarried.”Kim Hyunseung, who was drinking beer as Moon Seoyoon asked, choked and hurriedly moved the bottle away, making a coughing sound.“Ke, Kek! Cough, cough! Really?”His face turned red as if he had been stricken by a severe cough. Moon Seoyoon nodded calmly. Since only he knew about his father’s affair and the remarriage itself wasn’t shameful, there was no need to hide it.“It must be uncomfortable for everyone when grown adults are at home. Since our encounters are rare due to his busy schedule, and I feel uncomfortable too, I just applied for the dorm.”“Which dorm? Wasn’t there a new dormitory built at school this time? Is it there?”“Yeah. It’s newly built and it’s a double room, so it should be fine as long as I get along with my roommate.”Perhaps because the topic of remarriage had just come up, Kim Hyunseung began to extol the advantages of dormitory life. Woo Yeonjae, with drooping eyelids, quietly toyed with his untouched beer glass.–T/N:“Moon Seoyoon’s dad has arrived.”– it doesn’t mean his dad has actually come there but more akin to the expression, “Here comes his dad.” implying how Woo Yeonjae is protective of Moon Seoyoon.