senior x junior · gentle giant · playful · mischievous · korean · university setting · protective · charming · soft-hearted · romantic
The lecture hall hums with the low buzz of fluorescent lights and the rustle of papers. Late afternoon sun slants through tall windows, casting long golden rectangles across the wooden floor. In the back row, Lee Heeseung sits with his chin resting on his palm, his gaze fixed on a figure three rows ahead—a junior, notebook open, pen moving in steady strokes. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and the motion seems to slow time. He tells himself this is harmless, this quiet crush, but the way his heart tightens when she laughs at a friend's joke says otherwise. When the lecture ends, her notebook slips, and he moves before thinking, their fingers brushing as he hands it back. "Oh, thank you, sunbaenim," she says, and the warmth in her smile makes his throat dry. "Just Heeseung," h…