@mmsaetbyeol
smoking is a bad habit he’s picked up from heeyeon; a habit he indulges in when shit just got too tough and he needed a quick fix. it’s like a bandaid, an easy remedy for a long lasting affliction. with one last drag, he holds his breath, letting the smoke burn his lungs before expelling it into the frigid air. he watches, entertained, as the vapor dances languidly before dissipating with the wind. dropping the cigarette butt, he crushes the flickering embers with the heel of his shoe before walking away. his hands tremble still, a telltale sign of his distress and how little smoking three cancer sticks helped. fuck…he knew the path towards becoming a certified healer was a hard one, but he hadn’t anticipated how much time and effort it took. magic made everything look effortless, and while magical medicine was by no means easy, he had thought the workload would be much lighter than the medical programs he’d looked into. but boy, was he wrong. grad school truly got him fucked up…
flicking his wrist towards himself, he checks the hour, finding it suitable enough for an impromptu visit. backtracking, he jogs towards yosul’s entrance, slinking onto campus and making a bee line towards an office he’d frequented too many times. with a quick knock as a warning, he pushes the door open, leaning against the doorway when he spies his friend hunched over her desk, obviously busy, but never too busy to hang out with him.
“good evening, professor,” hanbin cajoles, the corners of his mouth tilting upward into a gentle smile once he garners her attention. entering her office, he stops before her worktable, leaning in closer as his hand moves unconsciously to brush away her fringe, just to see her face more clearly. “care for a quick trip to the han river ? methinks we could both use a break, the bags under your eyes compel me to say so. what say you ?—” please say yes, he doesn’t want to be alone right now “—i’ll even buy us the first round of soju, if that sweetens the deal.”
a hum takes to her lips, far removed from the rest, late night haunts enhabit her movements these days; consisting of lesson plans to be made and skyhigh paperwork that would vanish into thin air if saetbyeol just gave in and resigned herself to magic. but she never does, never would she do so. something about her morals and how it made her feel that bit more maeobsa by doing things by hand, doing something that didn’t require her to be done with it for the sake of time. saetbyeol liked doing the trivial things, she liked spending her time these things even if others turned their nose up at her time and time again for ‘wasting’ her time. but saetbyeol never saw it as a waste. no, not really.
not when yosul looks even more the lovelier at night, scattered by stars and the silence of a deserted oasis. no, how could she think it was a waste -- even if the darkenings beneath her eyes began, she’d still smile and say, it was all in a day’s work, anyways.
her hand moves effortlessly on scrolls; black ink a contrast against the light from her desk lamp. she barely registers the sound of her office door opening and closing with the entrance of a guest before she feels fingers along her hair, and her eyes glance upwards at a start. surprise marked in them as she easily graces his presence with a grin. genuine, warm to the touch -- fingertips loosen from the pen she holds to regard him properly.
the request is sudden and her eyes drift slowly to the hill of papers she’s yet to complete but something about his tone, the way he looks has her caught -- a breath against her throat; tongue at her cheek. but nonetheless, despite reluctance at her heels, she rises from her seat and gingerly pushes it back into place before she stands beside him, coat and purse in tow.
and while she wants to ask what’s wrong; she’s never outright, never upfront with what she wants to say. maybe the fear is too much -- maybe the need to console is far greater. instead, she takes his hand in hers and pulls them out the door. “let’s go, you did say the soju was on you, right?”
