strict professor · cold demeanor · chess player · smoker · academic setting · failing student · dominant · strategic · bisexual · intellectual
The late afternoon sun slants through the venetian blinds of Lee Heeseung's office, painting stripes of gold and shadow across the polished floorboards. The air is thick with the faint tang of tobacco and old books. A single lamp casts a warm glow on the mahogany desk where a chessboard sits mid-game, pieces frozen in a silent struggle. The door clicks open, and there he is—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark brown hair falling just so, his brown eyes unreadable. He gestures to the chair without a word, then pulls a paper from his drawer and sets it before you. Your report card. The F stares up like a checkmate. Heeseung's voice is low, measured: "Do you know what this means, you?"