By Zephyria 
It fеlt аs if he had beеn struсk in the baсk of the hеаd. Нis mind wеnt blаnk, аnd his vision blurred. Тhе wоrds he had intеnded to saу to Wоo-уeоn scаttеrеd powеrlesslу into the air.
Вeing quick-witted wаs, at times, truly usеless. Не wished he hadn’t understoоd, but Do-hyun immediаtеlу grаsрed the еntire situаtiоn. Who Dannу wаs, how the two of thеm had bесome сlоsе, аnd hоw Woо-уeоn would react if he revеaled thе truth.
‘Pleаse hold me, Тeаcher.’
Wоо-yeоn spokе as hе рulled Dо-hуun towаrd him. Нis eуеs, сlosing and орening slоwlу, wеrе still unfocused. With the hand he wasn’t using to hold Woo-yeon, Do-hyun gently brushed the hair away from Woo-yeon’s forehead.
‘Hugging can have many different meanings.’
Instead of answering, Woo-yeon gazed blankly at Do-hyun. The way he closed his eyes while tilting his head up looked as if he were begging for a kiss. As Do-hyun brought his face closer, their lips touched as lightly as feathers.
‘…….’
‘…….’
Chu. The lips that had parted locked together again in a very short instant. It was because of a single word that escaped Woo-yeon’s mouth.
‘One more time……’
As if possessed, Do-hyun took those lips into his own. He nipped at the lower lip, grazing it with his teeth, before sliding his tongue through the opening. The hot, narrow interior of the mouth was so ecstatic that even the saliva tasted sweet.
‘Nng……’
Woo-yeon made a pleasant sound, but Do-hyun knew that by tomorrow, he would remember none of this. The messily mingled pheromones, the wet, exchanging breaths—he wouldn’t remember any of it.
‘……Yeon-ah.’
Still, he wondered if Woo-yeon might remember, just like last time. Clinging to that hope, Do-hyun pulled his lips away. He lightly held the slender chin and pleaded in a desperate voice.
‘Call me Teacher tomorrow, too.’
‘…….’
‘Don’t pretend you don’t know me.’
If even a tiny opportunity arose, he intended to close his eyes and just tell him. He could already see the future as if it were drawn before him, but he didn’t want to give up yet. Knowing how cowardly this was, he hoped for one more opening.
‘……I can’t.’
However, things did not go as planned. The voice that flowed out firmly shut down all hope completely.
‘I won’t tell.’
With those words, Woo-yeon plummeted into the abyss of sleep. Do-hyun clenched his right hand and let out a hollow sigh.
Naturally, Woo-yeon remembered absolutely nothing. Do-hyun spent the night wide awake, and watching the flustered, panicked Woo-yeon, he realized several things. For instance, that Woo-yeon would never mention the past first, and that he himself would be unable to tell him about the incident with Soo-hyang.
He didn’t know why Woo-yeon was pretending not to know. There must be a reason for his silence, but without words, there was nothing to be known.
Until the very, very end, Do-hyun had lost even the courage to tell him everything.
* * *
The memories that had haunted him throughout his shower finally led back to the day he started dating Woo-yeon.
Woo-yeon’s face had been truly wounded, and he had spoken of sorting out his emotions while tears streamed down his face.
‘I don’t want to like you anymore, Teacher.’
Was it a mistake to call him ‘Yeon-ah’ in a fit of anger when Woo-yeon tried to end everything with a single act of sex? Was it wrong to feel a sense of betrayal, acting as if he were the victim when he was the one who had left Woo-yeon first?
The moment he felt he might lose Woo-yeon, Do-hyun couldn’t think straight. Guilt and conscience were irrelevant; he simply wanted to keep him by his side. The past he had defended for such utterly basic reasons eventually collapsed like a sandcastle.
Do-hyun had lost Woo-yeon once again, and this time, no method to win him back came to mind. His head was simply filled with the vague thought that he had to see his face first. Well, it wasn’t as if he had absolutely no plan.
Checking the watch on his wrist, Do-hyun took a position in front of the building where Woo-yeon’s first lecture was held. Because final exams for the first semester were approaching, the campus was crowded even at an early hour. Roughly two hours. After that much time passed, Woo-yeon would arrive at school.
“Whew.”
He had never been this nervous in his life; it felt as if all his internal organs were twisting. Whether it was because he’d stayed up all night or because of the memories he’d just recalled, he wasn’t in the best condition.
“Hello, Seonbae.”
“Oppa, you’re here early?”
Ten minutes, twenty, then thirty. While waiting for Woo-yeon, many people passed by Do-hyun. Normally, he would have engaged them in longer conversation, but they only offered brief greetings and studied his expression. To others, he must have looked terrible.
“Huh? Hyung!”
The one who called out to Do-hyun was Seon-kyu, who had arrived at school earlier than Woo-yeon. Approaching him in a hurry, Seon-kyu’s eyes widened upon seeing Do-hyun’s complexion.
“Did you not sleep, Hyung? Your dark circles are no joke.”
“I didn’t sleep much…… is it that bad?”
Do-hyun rubbed the area around his eyes awkwardly. He knew he was tired, but he didn’t realize it was so visibly disastrous. Since he had made Woo-yeon angry, he needed to look his best, so having a strange face was quite problematic.
“No, you’re still handsome, so it’s fine.”
Seon-kyu laughed mischievously and gave two thumbs up. He was clearly acting exaggeratedly because Do-hyun seemed to be in a bad mood. Do-hyun tried to smile out of habit, but he lacked the energy and gave up.
“But Hyung, by any chance……”
Looking at Do-hyun, Seon-kyu cautiously broached the subject. Seeing him tread carefully, it was clear he had a general idea. He rolled his eyes a few times before asking in a low voice.
“Did you fight with Woo-yeon…… no, is something going on?”
It was a clumsy attempt at consideration. If it had been Ga-ram, she would have asked bluntly if they fought, but changing his words mid-sentence was very typical of Seon-kyu. Normally, he would have answered in a way that avoided embarrassment, but Do-hyun didn’t even have that luxury right now.
“Just, it happened.”
“……You didn’t break up, right?”
No sooner had those words been spoken than a car approached the building. Between the rare model and the pitch-black tinted windows, it didn’t look like a car a normal student would be in. Keeping his gaze fixed on the vehicle, Do-hyun spoke as if to himself.
“I’m waiting because I don’t want that to happen.”
Click. The car door opened. It was the driver’s seat, not the back. A woman dressed in a neat suit walked around the car without even glancing at Do-hyun. The mechanical way she opened the rear door belonged to someone Do-hyun knew well.
“……Reporter Yoon.”
Leaving the dazed Seon-kyu behind, Do-hyun strode toward them.
Under the gaze of several students, a person wearing a white hat stepped out of the car. A pale face and delicate features. It was Woo-yeon.
“To match the time your class ends……”
Woo-yeon walked away without even listening to Driver Yoon. He didn’t look around, nor was he embarrassed by the pouring gazes. He simply walked toward the building, bag in one hand and the other hand pressing his hat down low.
Whew. After a short deep breath, Do-hyun called him in a low voice.
“Yeon-ah.”
“…….”
Stop. Woo-yeon halted his steps. Driver Yoon, who was about to return to the car, also glanced over.
Driver Yoon would likely report everything seen here to Soo-hyang. If there had been instructions from Soo-hyang, she would have stopped Do-hyun from approaching Woo-yeon.
However, Driver Yoon got into the car, pretending not to see Do-hyun. Seeing that there were no other bodyguards, it seemed this was the compromise between Woo-yeon and Soo-hyang. Of course, once the news story Woo-yeon mentioned broke, even speaking to him like this would be impossible.
“Let’s talk.”
Woo-yeon silently lifted his head and looked at Do-hyun.
A distance of about one step. Do-hyun did not move any closer. Students, including Seon-kyu, watched them, but it felt as if they were the only two people left.
“It’ll only take a moment.”
At Do-hyun’s words, Woo-yeon bit his lower lip hard. Without taking his eyes off his face, Do-hyun watched clearly as his expression changed. The flushed lips turned pale, and Woo-yeon answered in a voice that was barely audible.
“I have nothing to say.”
With that, Woo-yeon walked past Do-hyun. Seon-kyu, standing some distance away, widened his eyes in bewilderment. However, having fully expected this reaction, Do-hyun silently began to follow behind Woo-yeon.
“…….”
“…….”
It was a very strange sight. Neither Do-hyun nor Woo-yeon said a word as they crossed the hallway. Woo-yeon looked only forward, and Do-hyun chased after him. Since both were celebrities in their own right, strange rumors would surely spread if this continued.
“Yeon-ah.”
Only upon reaching the back door of the lecture hall did Do-hyun call Woo-yeon once more. Hesitating as he was about to open the door, Woo-yeon spoke without looking at Do-hyun.
“Don’t call me that.”
“…….”
“That’s not my name.”
His voice was firm and coldly edged. Truly the child of Soo-hyang, he was quite forceful. Not giving up, Do-hyun persisted.
“I’ll wait until your lecture ends.”
“…….”
“No, let’s just take this lecture together.”
Saying this, Do-hyun swung the classroom door wide open. Since it happened to be a first-year major course, there were quite a few familiar faces inside. Leaving the Hubae who greeted him warmly, Do-hyun tilted his head toward Woo-yeon.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
“……What do you think you’re doing right now?”
Only then did Woo-yeon’s gaze turn toward Do-hyun. Although his expression was stiff, it was the face Do-hyun had been thinking about all night. Suppressing the urge to pull him into an embrace, Do-hyun spoke so only Woo-yeon could hear.
“I can’t break up with you.”
It was the same thing he had said just yesterday. It was also the declaration to which Woo-yeon had replied that he could no longer trust his Teacher. As expected, as if to remind him of those words, Woo-yeon’s lips parted slightly.
“I—”
“Course registration.”
Four words were enough. With his mouth clamped shut, Woo-yeon crumpled his face as much as possible. Do-hyun snatched Woo-yeon’s bag and set it down in a seat near the back door.
“You said you’d buy me a meal if I helped you with course registration.”
He didn’t care if he seemed pathetic. It was fine even if Woo-yeon got annoyed and asked when that was. As long as he could create a situation where they could talk, he was prepared to cling to his pant legs this time.
“You said it with your own mouth that you’d buy something that wasn’t cheap.”
Woo-yeon glared at Do-hyun with his mouth shut tight. The eyes visible beneath the brim of the hat wavered with defiance. A long silence followed, but Do-hyun knew this method would work.
“I’ll consider this the last time.”
At the word ‘last,’ Woo-yeon’s eyes shook. The inner feelings he couldn’t hide showed that he hadn’t completely sorted out his heart. Do-hyun smiled bitterly, pinning his hopes on that.
“Just once, Yeon-ah.”