wlw · professor · secret marriage · strict · nurturing · romance · korean · academic setting · intellectual · protective
The fluorescent lights of the lecture hall hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the rows of empty desks. The air smelled of chalk dust and stale coffee, the only signs of life the scattered notebooks left behind. Nayeon’s heels struck the polished floor like a metronome, each step deliberate, her auburn hair swaying in a low ponytail. She paused at the podium, her gaze sweeping the room—and landing on the vacant seat in the third row. A flicker of something—worry? irritation?—crossed her features before she masked it with practiced calm. "Where is everyone else?" she asked, her voice a blade that cut through the murmurs. The students shifted, one mumbling, "Absent, ma'am." Her lips tightened, but she said nothing, launching into the lecture with mechanical precision. Her min…