Sunshine Shower

“Did you wash up?”Moon Seoyoon asked the simplest question as he followed Woo Yeonjae inside. As they got closer, he felt a slight warmth. He wondered if the fever was severe, but hesitated to touch and check.“Just now.”“Ah… I thought so. You didn’t respond when I called you from the first floor earlier.”“Were you worried?”Woo Yeonjae turned around and smiled slowly. Seeing the slight curve of his eyes made Seoyoon feel that his concern was unnecessary. Yeonjae wasn’t someone with a weak constitution who would easily collapse, so he felt he had worried too much.Seoyoon had become sensitive to health issues ever since his mother’s death. Unknowingly, it seemed to have become a trauma for him, and even if he knew it was nothing serious, he felt scared whenever Woo Yeonjae was sick. He felt embarrassed for worrying unnecessarily this time as well, but he was relieved that Yeonjae hadn’t collapsed.“If you’re not worried when your friend is sick, are you even human?”“Oh, then I must not be human. I don’t really worry about anyone except Moon Seoyoon.”Even though he knew it was just a habit of speaking, Seoyoon felt a conscious tension in his fingers. The plastic wrapped around his joints felt like it was tightening around his chest, not his fingers. Trying not to dwell on it, he replied appropriately.“Don’t say that in front of Hyunseung. He’ll get upset.”“Kim Hyunseung always gets upset at the slightest thing.”“Don’t say that either.”As Seoyoon frowned, Woo Yeonjae chuckled quietly. His dazed eyes glanced down. It seemed like he was asking what was in the plastic bag.“Pears.”“Pears?”“I heard they’re good for colds. I thought about getting porridge, but since it’s late, you might not eat it… Do you have a fruit knife?”On his way to catch a taxi, Seoyoon had stumbled upon a fruit shop. Despite passing by the area countless times, he had never noticed the shop before. At that moment, he was debating whether to head to Woo Yeonjae’s studio or return to his dormitory.He came out to the main street instead of calling a taxi in front of the café for that reason. He had spent hours thinking about it but still hadn’t made a decision by closing time.It was all coincidental—finding the fruit shop, remembering that pears were good for colds, and seeing the basket full of seasonal fruits.“There should be one in the kitchen. Did you bring them for me?”Woo Yeonjae peeked into the plastic bag and chuckled. A droplet of water hanging from his hair fell onto the white plastic and eventually hit the floor.“I’m going to wash my hands, so dry your hair quickly. You said you had a cold, right?”“Mm, I should follow your advice.”As Seoyoon watched Yeonjae walk away with the pears, he headed towards the bathroom. Contrary to his expectations of warm steam enveloping him, the air was cooler than he thought. Cold water flowed out as he turned on the tap.He looked up after washing his hands for a long time, feeling awkward, and met his reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t a bad expression.‘It might be better than I thought.’His worries about feeling awkward when meeting Woo Yeonjae face-to-face seemed pointless now.Perhaps because Yeonjae was a patient, seeing him in person was bearable. The words telling him not to express his feelings hadn’t hurt as much as he thought, but the wound was still his to bear. For now, he was just satisfied that he didn’t feel awkward around Woo Yeonjae.“Let’s not show it.”Muttering as if making a promise, Seoyoon turned off the water. He didn’t know if he was promising not to show his feelings or not to show his hurt, but even he couldn’t identify the object of his resolve.As useless thoughts crowded his mind again, he shook his head and dried his hands. He noticed the damp bathtub from a distance. It wasn’t like Yeonjae to leave things messy after a shower; he must really be sick.Thinking it was no big deal, Seoyoon left the bathroom.There was no sound, so he turned towards the kitchen and saw Woo Yeonjae, still with wet hair, slicing the pear.“Why aren’t you drying your hair?”“I’m done.”Why is the patient slicing the fruit? Seoyoon didn’t understand why Yeonjae was being stubborn instead of drying his hair. He wanted to take the knife from him and push him to dry his hair, but he was worried Yeonjae might get hurt, holding a knife.No way.It wasn’t until he saw the nearly peeled pear that Seoyoon realized why Woo Yeonjae had taken the knife instead of letting him do it. The realization was so ridiculous that Seoyoon let out a small laugh.“Hey. It’s been years since I quit playing the piano.”“I know, it’s been eight years. I was the first to know, apart from the professor. How could I forget?”“That’s not the point. Why are you doing it? It’s okay if I cut myself.”“I don’t want you to get hurt, so I’m doing it.”The pear, cut into even pieces, was neatly arranged on the plate.“And Moon Seoyoon, you suck at peeling fruit.”He couldn’t argue because it was true.“…I’m not making a patient do the work. Just dry your hair quickly.”Feeling embarrassed, Seoyoon mumbled, and Woo Yeonjae handed him a piece of pear. Seoyoon shook his head. He had bought the fruit because he heard it was good for colds, not to eat it himself. He didn’t feel like eating it at this late hour. Not insisting, Woo Yeonjae took back the piece and bit into it.“I’ll eat and then dry it.”“You’re supposed to be sick.”“It feels like I’m better now that Moon Seoyoon is here.”“Don’t say such nonsense.”Seoyoon hesitated for a moment but then placed his hand on Woo Yeonjae’s forehead. It was hot, clearly hotter than his own temperature. The contrast with the cold water droplets that had fallen from Yeonjae’s hair was stark. While the droplets carried a chill, his palm felt only heat.“You have a high fever.”“If it bothers you, you could dry my hair.”“Are you a child?”“Mm. Then I’ll eat and dry it, teacher.”Even a seven-year-old wouldn’t whine like this. Although he sighed at Yeonjae’s playful attitude, he felt it would be more comfortable to dry Yeonjae’s wet hair than wait for him to finish eating a pear.“Where’s the hair dryer?”As if expecting this, Woo Yeonjae laughed, taking another bite of the pear.The warmth of Yeonjae’s body against Seoyoon’s legs felt hotter than the artificial breeze from the dryer. As Seoyoon lowered the dryer, he looked down at the obedient crown of Yeonjae’s head. Unless Woo Yeonjae was sitting on a lower surface like now, it wasn’t easy for Seoyoon to look down at him.Usually, Seoyoon had to look up at Yeonjae. Standing next to him often made Seoyoon feel shorter, though he was nearly 180 cm tall. Even as an adult, Yeonjae was still taller than most, so to look down at him, Yeonjae had to be sitting lower, like now.Come to think of it, he probably needs to take his medicine. Did he already take it? The fever seemed unusually high.Woo Yeonjae kept eating the pear, seemingly unaware of Seoyoon’s concern.“How did you catch a cold? You don’t usually get sick.”“Hmm. Maybe because I got stood up….”Seoyoon’s heart sank involuntarily. He recalled the image of Yeonjae getting out of the car without hesitation. What was the weather like that day? He remembered getting out of the passenger seat briefly, but he couldn’t recall the weather. He only remembered his fingertips feeling cold.Seoyoon parted his lips, suspecting it might have been because of him, but Woo Yeonjae leaned his head against Seoyoon’s thigh. Though sitting with his back to him, Yeonjae’s tilted head allowed their eyes to meet.“I got dumped.”Oh, right. They broke up. Even though he had known this for a while, it felt real only now. Pretending it was new information would be obvious, so Seoyoon replied honestly.“Seonju told me.”“Seonju?”Woo Yeonjae slowly raised his head and turned to face Seoyoon while still sitting on the floor. They were now fully facing each other.“Why Seonju?”Leaning against Seoyoon’s right thigh, Woo Yeonjae rested his face on his arm.“Huh?”Is he mad I mentioned her name? Not knowing the details of their breakup made Seoyoon cautious with his words. As he looked down at Yeonjae’s slowly fluttering eyelashes, Seoyoon mustered the courage to ask a question he had kept buried deep inside.“Why… did you break up?”It was an inevitable question.“Why do you need a reason to break up?”Is that so? Not having experienced a relationship himself, Seoyoon couldn’t understand the issue. He instinctively played with the strands of hair scattered on his thigh. The warmth on his fingers made him wonder if it was due to the prolonged exposure to hot air or the rising body temperature.“Is that why you got sick…?”The muttered words slipped out before he could stop them. He was about to pull his hand away in embarrassment when Woo Yeonjae leaned his head further into Seoyoon’s lap.“Want to comfort me?”So it was something that needed comforting. Seoyoon bit his tongue and struggled to suppress the emotions welling up inside. It was strange to see Woo Yeonjae in need of comfort.How do you comfort someone who’s just broken up with their girlfriend? Especially when they’re sick because of it.“So, how should I comfort you?”Despite the turmoil in his heart, his voice flowed smoothly. He suddenly felt thirsty.“Why? Moon Seoyoon has a great way of comforting people.”