#rbot

Sand, dirt, sweat, bruises- it was the summer of ‘99. The sun was blazing down on you, your eyes squinting every once in a while to adjust to how bright your surroundings were under the blinding rays. It burned. But you couldn’t care less, you were in the middle of a war. 

You panted as you looked up at your teammates. There was so much dirt on your washed-up red t-shirt, and the sweat soaking your back honestly irked you. Not to mention the hair stuck on your forehead added to the stinging in your eyes. 

This was part of your everyday routine-- waking up, eating breakfast with your grandparents, bidding them goodbye, and meeting up with the kids in the neighborhood to see what game would keep you all busy for the next 6 hours. Today, you had all decided to play dodgeball.

“Ya! Don’t step on the line, Jong-hoon-ah!” You heard your friend yell in an annoyed tone as she dragged her feet to where you were and pointed at the boy. “Alright, alright, jeez.” The rather chubby boy apologized, raising his hands at your teammate. He then focused back on what was happening within the game and passed the ‘ball’ he had in his hand to his teammate. What was a normal grade school playground atmosphere quickly turned into something more serious. 

“Hit, Y/n!” “Yeah, hit her!” You heard a few people exclaim from behind you. You turned your head towards the voices and tsked out. ‘Of course. Lee Jieun’s teamma-’ You could hear the “Ohh’s~” and the “Ahh’s~” from various people around you as you tumbled back and immediately cupped your face. “Ohh! Y/n out!” Jin-goo, your best friend who played the role of referee due to the scratches on his knee, yelled out.

You were nothing but annoyed, your now sore left cheek aching as it burned a bright red. You sighed as you rubbed on the soft skin, picking yourself up and tattering your way outside the playing field. “Looks like it’s gonna be a win for us again.” A sudden voice commented out beside you in nothing but a boastful tone. You kept a steady expression on your face, jaw clenching as you stared into nothingness and tried to ignore the girl’s presence. “Just admit we’re better than your team.” She kept on provoking. “Shut up, Jieun.” You spat at the girl, running off to catch the ball coming in a different direction from where you were. 

If there was anyone you hated playing with, it was Lee Jieun. The ‘devil in disguise’ as you had always called her. She stood a bit smaller than most of the kids in the town, but everyone praised her like she was a giant, respectable leader. Jieun lived in the same situation as everyone did, so you didn’t get why the kids acted as if they fed her. Maybe it was because she was the only person who raised their hand that one time your friend group asked if anyone was willing to race ‘The Y/n Y/l/n’, or maybe it was because you all had an agreement that she was the prettiest girl in the neighborhood, (other than Jin-goo’s mother, but you lot would never admit that), or maybe it was because of her grandparents’ social status. Either way, just the cockiness in Jieun’s actions and words ticked you off every time she was around. Not to mention, she was always angry-- for a small girl, she had a lot of pent-up stress in her.

“I can’t believe we lost again.” You heard your friend mutter out as you both tried to catch your breath. “How can we not win? They always choose ‘Big Guy’.” You argued, glaring at Lee Jieun. There was a smug smile plastered on her face as she and her team congratulated each other. 

‘Big Guy’ was no other than Lee Jong-hoon. He stood a whopping 115 cm, a lot taller than everybody else. And other than his grand height for an 8-year-old, he had arms thicker than the dead scarlet oak branches that scattered the floors of Seongjeong-dong in the wintertime. If you had Jong-hoon on your team in any game that involved physical activity, you were set to win. And to make your situation worse, of course, your team had always lost at these games-- Jong-hoon was Jieun’s brother, after all. She always had a free pass on choosing him. 

“Ya, it’s alright~” You heard Jin-goo chirp as he limped beside you, trying to catch up to the pace you were walking in. You stayed silent as he held onto your shoulder and struck up a conversation with your other friends, who continued to complain about the results of the recent game. Eyes still on the Lee siblings, you sighed out. “Ahh~ Seriously...” You exhaled in defeat. 

As the sky slowly dressed itself in orange and pink, the kids who were present busied themselves with their own things. You wiped the sweat off your forehead and zoned out, feeling the aftermath of a long and tiring day under the sun. As you padded to where your things were, you spotted the familiar newspaper ball on the sand. Without thinking much of it, you swung your leg, kicking the ball that was peacefully resting on the sand in a random direction.

“Ow!” You heard a small voice howl. You winced at the realization of who you had hurt and mentally punched yourself. “What was that for, Y/n?” Jong-hoon called out to you, his eyebrows furrowed in shock and confusion. “I didn’t mean it, I swear.” You spoke in a quiet tone, trying not to start a fight with the boy. You could see the surprised expressions of the other kids present in the corner of your eye, making you nervous. “Why are you so jealous of us, Y/n?” Jieun growled at you, her eyes glaring right into your soul. You groaned at both of them, completely irritated. ‘Thanks for this, universe.’ 

“I’m sorry, Jieun, I didn’t mean to hit you with the ball.” You told the girl, meeting eyes with her as you stuffed your hands in your pockets. The tension in the air grew thicker, seeing as you’ve suddenly chosen to apologize instead of biting back at her like you usually do. Jieun scoffed at you, turning around and brushing you off, her face red. This was the first time she let you off, and the first time you’ve caused her to blush out of embarrassment. “Whatever, Y/n.” You heard her mutter. “Ya~ Why are you guys fighting?” A sudden older voice commented out catching all of your attention. 

“Ahh, these kids, I’m sure you’ll end up becoming friends eventually. Jieun-ie, Jong-hoon-ah, time to go home now.” A different voice nagged out as a heavy hand placed itself on Jieun’s shoulder. “Mhmm, when you guys get older, you’ll all act differently.” Your grandfather spoke, adding himself to the picture. 

--

‘Ah, grandpa, if only you were right.’ You thought as you broke out of your trance. You couldn’t deny it, your childhood was the best it could get with your financial situation back then. Other than the constant fighting between you and the Lee siblings, you lived your kid days to the fullest. But nothing had changed; this was your only dilemma. More than 15 years have passed, and you and Jieun have yet to resolve your drama. 

“Riiing riin-” The bell cried, announcing that the time given to the students in your class to finish their quizzes was over. “Alright, guys, time to pass your papers to the front.” You called out as you stood out of your seat and fixed the creases on your pants. As they did so, the room slowly filled with noise. Various conversations erupted from left and right; some about how they did on the given questionnaire, some about what they were going to do for the rest of their day, and some about a topic you were tired of hearing about. “Whoever’s talking about my relationship status again, better stop talking or else.” You told the class half-joking.

“Are you finally confirming the rumors?” A familiar voice poked at you, making you sigh. “I’m not confirming anything, Jiwoo.” You told the scholar as you fixed the stack of paper you had in your hand and took a glance at her. “But there’s no way you aren’t dating her.” Another student voiced out from the back of the classroom. This only triggered a wave of arguments that sucked you in like a whirlpool. "Now, class, this is getting a little out of hand-" "I bet they're married!" Your eyes widened at the sudden exclamation. "W-what?! I-" You tried to argue back, only to be interrupted. "Hell yeah!" 

You could only huff out in exhaustion at what was happening. Cursing under your breath, you left the students alone with their antics in hopes that the situation would die down by itself. This happened regularly, but you swore you could never get used to it. 

Sitting back down on your seat, your fingers came to your temple and drowned everybody out. ‘They’ll stop sooner or later anyway.’

Eventually, there were a few students who started leaving the room. So after a few minutes, everyone was out, and you were left with the remnants of your advisory class. “Stupid fucking rumor.” You grumbled out, annoyed. Never in a million years would you have thought you’d be a professor in a school teaching a subject you’ve always loved, and be bombarded with undergraduates who constantly poked about your imaginary relationship with a childhood enemy of yours. 

As you were embracing the stillness in the room, the door swung open with a clang. Clicking her heels, you could already sense what the woman was feeling. You looked up at the professor, chin on your palm, drained from the previous state of your class. “What brings you here, Ms. Lee?” “This was your plan all along, huh, Y/l/n?” The woman hissed at you. You raised your eyebrow at her sudden outburst. Jieun stood there with her arms crossed, her body reeking of rage.

Taking her tone as an offense, you took your head off of your palm with a sigh and leaned back on your chair in a way that suggested that you wanted to see if she had anything bad to say to you, and if she had the courage to. An encouragement, to say the least. 

“I don't know what you're talking about." You told the young professor in a calm tone. You could see Jieun’s eye twitch at you, her fist balled in anger.

"This whole mess of students is what I'm talking about! Don't act dumb with me." She barked clearly in displeasure. "Huh, you're having the same problem as I am." Was all you said as you took your eyes off of her and shrugged. Jieun couldn’t believe how you were acting-- it was as if you weren’t affected by everything going on. The woman glared at you, her tongue poked at the inside of her cheek before she stomped her way out of your classroom, not forgetting to slam the door on her way out. “Haa~” You exhaled. 

You felt better about your situation knowing that the teacher was angry. It was a feeling of satisfaction-- as if you’ve finally one-upped her. But this was still a problem, and your migraine wasn’t going to help any time soon. So you stood up, packed all your things, grabbed your coat, and called it a day.

--

You never really understood why the two of you were so serious about the whole rivalry thing. You are both grown now. And the whole feud that went on between you and Jieun was when you were both under the age of 10. If you thought about it, everything was just a big misunderstanding because you didn’t know how to communicate properly. You were literal children. But of course, none of your students could understand this. 

It seemed like as the days passed by, your situation got worse; you stood there in front of your 7:45 class dumbfounded as you scanned the lilac piece of paper in your hand; ‘Petition for Ms. Y/l/n and Ms. Lee to stop lying about their marriage.’ ‘3 years in a legal bond,’ ‘Secret relationship’, ‘Mistress?’ Those were only a few of the things written down on the slip. You really couldn’t believe it. This was the first time in your life where you just wanted to scream and thrash around without a care about the world. 

“Maybe you should confirm it, Ms. Y/l/n.” Your head snapped at the student and subconsciously glared at her. “Confirm what, Jiwoo?” You asked the girl, tone bitter as you kept your eye contact. The scholar kept her mouth shut. She could now feel your frustration.

"Listen up! We are not dating, or married, or seeing each other, alright?! Ms. Lee and I are co-workers! I don’t know who started this stupid rumor, but if I keep seeing stuff like this, I’ll personally contact your parents to make sure they know what nonsense you’re spreading in school. This goes for all of you!” You yelled out, your voice loud and clear. Everyone had their eyes on your displeased state, sitting in silence as they all felt scared and guilty. Out of all the classes that had a chokehold on you because of the gossip, your advisory class had its grip on your neck the tightest. 

After giving your students a good scolding, you dismissed your subject and left the room. You sat defeated in the faculty area of your campus. Body feeling like jello and mind on overdrive. You could feel yourself slowly going insane. All you wanted to do was your job. Who knew that after leaving your hometown, you’d still have to face Lee Jieun. But what’s a ‘couple’ if you were the only one in distress? 

Jieun’s black heels clicked on the tiled floor of the space. Her face was red and she held a couple of folders in her arms. Without looking around, she poured herself a glass of cold water and hummed out in annoyance. All you could do was observe the girl.

You never knew of this side of Jieun, though clearly as frustrated as you were, she was unusually quiet. All you were faced with every time you had to interact with her was the loud, mad, and stressed version. It was weird to you, seeing the professor mumble to herself as if she was trying to convince herself not to tear the place down, or how whenever she drank out of the paper cup she had in her hand, there would be a new bite mark on the lining. You knew how the girl was feeling, but you couldn’t be bothered to act like a friend. You had no reason to; you barely cared about her.

“Vriing vriin-” You slipped your phone out of your pocket and swiped on your phonescreen to take the call. “Hello?” You greeted the person on the other side of the line. Jieun’s head snapped at your voice. ‘She was there the whole time?!’ She thought to herself as she clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. You excused yourself from the room, glancing at Jieun, and continued with your call. ‘When I get my fucking hands on you Y/l/n Y/n.’

--

"3 years married?! Seriously Y/n!" And just like that, there she was again.

You remained seated on your chair as she ranted; you were completely and utterly worn out. Hell, if she had ended up ripping your head off, you’d be thankful for her-- it would’ve ended your misery. Jieun waved the lilac piece of paper around as she crumbled in front of you. ‘Paper’s been through a lot.’ You chuckled internally as you noticed the crumpled marks and the tears on the item. "If you wanted to start a fight with me or wanted to see a reaction from me, you could've just said so!" 

Your lips stayed in a thin line as she spoke, some statements worse than the last. She was picking on you, taking all the chances she could get to mock you. The bottle of emotions you had been keeping shut finally bursting.

"I didn't do shit, Jieun!" You snapped back at the woman. The young professor was surprised at your outburst, eyes widening as she felt herself tumble back a little. She felt small under you as you stood up from your seat and kept your eyes on her. You held a tired gaze, arms swinging to your face as you caressed your temple. "If I wanted to ruin your fucking day or even your fucking career, I would've done it a long time ago. Do you think I'd waste my time spreading a stupid rumor around that can easily cost me my job? I'm not an elementary student, Jieun. Even if I wanted to spread this bullshit I wouldn't have chosen you as my imaginary wife!" You countered her.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" The girl suddenly remarked back. You stopped in your tracks as you were caught off guard and turned back to the professor. "What-" "Don’t eat your words now, Y/n. What? Am I not enough?"

You stared at the woman, dumbfounded, mouth agape as you tried to find the right words to say. Jieun waited for your response, crossing her arms as she held an angry expression on her face. You were stunned. ‘What exactly the fuck is happening.’ 

On the other hand, Jieun had slowly realized what she had said. She knew she was in the wrong with her choice of words, but she didn’t want to admit it. Well, not yet. The young professor slammed the lilac piece of paper down on your desk and turned on her heel, scratching the flooring in a piercing noise.

You stood still in your spot as you watched her leave the room, eyebrows furrowed with your hands out in front of you. An expression of perplexity. Every day, it felt like the world was testing your patience. 

"Jesus fucking Christ, Lee Jieun! Do you have to make everything a fucking competition?!" You yelled out to the universe. But you were far from the end. This was only the beginning of your problems; because a little tattletale had been waiting on the other side of your classroom’s wooden portal, and he was over the moon about your fight with Lee Jieun.

--

“Are you serious right now?” You grumbled in your seat. “At the end of the day, you’re both teachers- professors! You’ve both served a good time in the school together, so I don’t see how you’ve suddenly had problems with each other.” The man in front of you argued to the air as he tried to decipher what was wrong with his employees. He held a pitiful gaze towards both of you as he talked, silently telling you that no big risk was on the line. But that you still had to find middle ground for the complications you’ve given him. “I need you both to resolve this. ASAP.” He concluded, throwing the lilac slip, which seemed like it had travelled the whole world, in the bin. 

“If only it were that easy.” You commented out in a tired tone, making the president who sat in front of you chortle. You weren’t joking, though. How were you going to make up with Jieun when she had been boring holes in the side of your face since you had sat down in your seat.

Mr. Kim helped you out the door, giving you a warm smile before thanking you both for cooperating-- Empty words that you had grown accustomed to since the first year of teaching under his wing. Without a delay, Jieun headed back to her classroom. This made you sigh. You dragged your legs back to yours, faking a smile towards the other staff members you had passed by through the hallways, and entered your advisory class. “Alright! Let’s get back to where we were.”

--

Laughter filled the room as you continued with your lesson. You smiled at the students and chuckled to yourself, feeling satisfied at how they reacted to a random story you had decided to tell them as a breather for all the information you had spewed out a few minutes prior. Exhaling deeply, you placed the book you had on your arm down on your desk and checked the time on the watch strapped to your wrist. “Mhmm,” “Time to pass your homework!” You called out in the class. 

15 minutes into checking their work, the bell announced the end of the day. You stayed in your seat writing away on various notebooks and paper pads, trying to finish work as you didn’t want to bring it with you back home. “Goodbye, Ms. Y/l/n.” “See you tomorrow.” “Bye!” “Thanks, Ms. Y/l/n.”

Trudging towards your parked car, you were met with an unexpected guest. “What is it?" You asked as you ignored her gaze and stuffed your hand in your pocket to look for your car keys. "I need you to listen to what I’m gonna say," Jieun told you in a quiet tone. You lifted your head to meet her eyes and were met with a troubled expression. It was unusually quiet as you conversed with the woman, both avoiding each other’s gaze as you spoke.

--

“Yeah, I forgive you, don’t worry about it,” Jieun said, licking her lips. Her heartbeat raced as she continued to stall on what she had stopped you for in the first place. "So, uhh, do you need anything else?" You asked the girl, cautious with your tone as you noticed how the professor was acting. "I just...” She started only to stop and bite her bottom lip. You raised your eyebrows at her, confused by her body language. Jieun huffed before she spoke again, her chocolate orbs locking in with yours. ”This is going to sound so stupid, but here goes-- maybe if we faked having a relationship, we could fix all the class’s attention."

"W-what did you say?" You asked the professor in disbelief. That was not what you were expecting her to say. "I thought about what Mr. Kim told us.. maybe if we faked being in a relationship, we can get the student's focus back... thus y'know, being able to teach in peace..." The black-haired girl tried to clear up. There was a nervous undertone in her voice, making you feel bad that you were holding your silence for so long. 

"Uhh, what do you think?" Jieun asked out in a soft tone. You pursed your lips, your throat feeling dry, and looked up at her. "I don't know what to say." You answered her honestly. She nodded at you, also not knowing what to say next. “Hmmm.” You hummed out as you spun your keys between your fingers. While trying to think of some sort of middle ground for you both, your surroundings started to get dark.

The sun that danced behind the school building beside you started to set, leaving the sky a beautiful indigo. Stars slowly declared themselves alive on the newly painted canvas, a few blinking at you as you observed them. “Uhh, maybe we can just talk about this some other day? It seems like you need some time...” Jieun suggested, breaking the quietness between you. You looked back at her, nodding your head in agreement and clearing your throat. “I’ll go now.” “Mhmm.” Was all the professor said as she started walking in the direction of her parked car. 

“Jieun-ah!” You called out to her, slightly wincing at the volume of your voice. The professor turned her body towards you, confusion portrayed on her face. “Uh- be careful.. y'know, going home... It’s dark and all.” You stuttered out, your face slowly turning red under the streetlight you had parked your car under. This caused Jieun to chuckle to herself internally. “Yeah, Y/l/n. You too.” She bid amused as she turned back around. 

You kept your eyes on the woman, eyes never leaving her figure as she stepped into her car. You didn’t know what you were feeling, but there was a sense of pleasure that coursed through you. You felt hopeful almost, though you didn’t know what that faith was for. But it felt good. It felt like a rebirth.

--

The next few days after your talk with Lee Jieun were a blur. You’d enter your classes, start your discussion, and a student would end up sparking the wave of conversations about your secret relationship rumor. It’d be hell trying to tame them, and you’d get burnt out after the hour. It was exhausting, especially since it was ‘hell week’. 

The clock ticked away as you sat quietly in your seat, reading a random article that popped up on your feed about dogs and their diets. There was tapping that came from a student in the back of the room, their pencil hitting the hardwood as they studied. You raised your head to look at the undergraduates, biting the inside of your cheek as you remembered what Jieun had confessed that one Friday night. ‘Mhmm, what to do... what to do.’ You thought to yourself. 

“Ms. Y/l/n?” A voice called out to you, breaking the trance you were in. “Yeah?” You questioned as you cleared your throat. “Can you help me with this? I don’t understand it.” The young boy asked in a quiet tone as he opened the book in his hand for you to see. You nodded your head at him, giving him a kind smile as you scanned the page.

As you helped your student, Jieun flooded your mind once again. There was something in the way she had acted that was stuck in the back of your head. She felt like a strand of hair in your throat, one that you couldn’t seem to cough out or reach with your fingertip. Thinking back on her words, you couldn’t help but feel frustrated. There was nothing wrong with what had happened that night, and there was certainly nothing wrong with Jieun suggesting that you two faked a relationship so you could both work in peace. But it just wasn’t Jieun-like of her. This bothered you. 

“Thank you!” The student you were teaching applauded as he finally got the answer right to the problem you had previously given him. You chuckled at his enthusiasm and waved him off, exhaling deeply as the door closed behind him. You were left with silence, the rays of the sun glazing the tables and chairs from the window. But you didn’t feel at peace- you were still trying to figure out what to do with your co-worker.

"Let’s do it." Jieun jumped as you took her out of her daze. “I- what?” She asked out of confusion. You stuffed your hands in your pockets, a habit you had nurtured since you were 8, and spoke, “I agree to your plan. The fake relationship.” 

--

Jieun’s laugh sounded like heaven to your ears. You would have never imagined that you’d be sitting in a restaurant with your childhood enemy, eating dinner as you discussed your plans to start a fake relationship with her, but there you were. And as embarrassing as it would be to admit it, you were having a hell of a good time too. “I felt bad, but y’know, it was funny!” She giggled out as she covered her mouth. You chuckled along with her as you started to feel your cheeks hurt-- the consequence of laughing at your childhood enemy’s jokes and stories. 

The night was young as you ate and conversed, for the first time in your life, it felt good with her presence around. “Would you like anything else- Woah.” The waiter gasped as he stared at you and Jieun. “Well, hello there, Mr. Park.” The black-haired girl who sat in front of you greeted as she held her glass of wine up to her lips. “Y-you two...” He trailed off, his face holding a surprised expression. You could only smirk awkwardly at the teen.

As the two of you continued to eat and drink, you discussed the various rules and promises you'd have to keep and live by during the fake relationship. "So... we'll reveal it after their exams?" "Mhmm-yeah. They won't have time anyway to think about the rumors since they'll be focused on their tests. It'll be a good restart point." The professor explained before she placed the piece of steak she had on her fork in her mouth. You nodded at her, taking a sip of your drink and wiping your mouth. 

"I never saw you as a romantic, Ms. Y/l/n." Jieun suddenly commented out. You chuckled at this, looking up at her and shrugging, a slight pink tinge on your cheeks. "Well, we've always been on each other's throats," You started, causing the woman in front of you to chuckle. "Plus, we've never... uhh.. seen each other do the lovey stuff until now..." You trailed off feeling embarrassed. Jieun could feel her blood rush to her face as she realized what you had meant, nodding quietly at you as she beamed at you.

--

As you walked through the familiar halls of Seoul National High, you were greeted by various students who flocked to their lockers and conversed amongst themselves. You gave them smiles, greeting a few that had acknowledged your presence, and took the keys out of your pocket for your classroom. You placed your bag down before stretching a bit and pulling the blinds up in the room for the light to pass through. “Good morning, Ms. Y/l/n.” You heard a voice call out as the scratch of a chair roughly gliding on the tiled floor filled the room. “Good morning.” You greeted back, turning to the student and giving them a weary grin.

After a while of waiting, the room slowly filled with undergraduates. Your knee bounced up and down as you sat in your seat patiently waiting for the bell to announce the start of classes. 

“They ate at Casa Roja last night!” You eyeballed a student as she talked to her seatmate. You could feel your heartbeat speed up as you listened to their conversation, realizing that almost everyone present either had their eyes stuck on you or talked about your night with Jieun. 

“Fuck.” You muttered out as you remembered the blonde-haired teen who had attended to your needs that special evening. “Ah, she’s gonna kill me.” You groaned out to yourself in a frustrated tone. Hands clasped together as you pursed your lips in a thin line, you scouted the room for the student. 

‘Son of a bi-’ You cut yourself off as he turned to you. His eyes widened, realization flush on his face as you unconsciously glared at the student. After seeing his reaction, all you could do was exhale. ‘Here we go again.’

--

"I thought we made a deal, Y/l/n?!" Jieun’s voice boomed in your ear like a drum. You didn’t know what to say, none of it was your fault, but there you were taking all the blame. The black-haired girl paced around the room as she yelled, her face turning red in distress. “How are we going to have a good examination week when you’ve told the whole damn world about us?!” She exclaimed at you, pointing her finger in your direction. Of course, you had expected this kind of reaction from her, but you couldn’t bear to sit around and let her degrade you.

"Do I look like I'm one to break my promise? The kid spoke to us when we were having dinner last night.” You butt in calmly. Jieun bored holes into your skull, her eyes full of bitterness as you spoke. “You can’t just blame me for something I didn’t do, Jieun-ah.” If it wasn’t for your pride, you would’ve begged the girl to calm down so you could find a solution faster. But you also felt attacked, so out of impulsiveness, you shot back at the strained woman in front of you. 

"So what now, you're going to act like it’s okay?" “I’m not acting like I’m not worried about our situation right now, it’s just that you’re so easy to assume that every time something happens between us, I’m the one at fault!” You stressed out to the girl. You couldn’t help but raise your voice at the professor, the veins in your neck bulging at every word that came out of your mouth. Jieun’s eyebrows furrowed at you, her expression almost showing disgust. 

“Oh, please, Y/n.” The girl scoffed at you, frustrated. Her hands came to her hair, running through her dark locks and massaging her scalp. She huffed before taking her eyes off you, clearly getting burned up. "Look, I don’t see why we’re fighting each other about this-- none of this is our fault. That kid was our waiter; he was bound to tell everyone one way or another.” 

“Jieun,” You called out to the girl to make sure she was listening to you. The professor turned in your direction, eyes bloodshot as she bit the inside of her cheeks. “We aren't in a real relationship. You having it hard isn't my responsibility to take-” “Just shut up, Y/n.” The woman suddenly cut you off. You were taken aback at her words, your mouth drying up as you tried to speak again.

‘Ahh...shit.’ You cursed at yourself as you remembered what the professor had told you the night at the restaurant: “Let’s try to take it easy on each other.”, “4 years and he still dumped me.”, “I just felt neglected.”, “Maybe invalidated?” You reflected back on her words. 

You hissed internally, eyes trailing to the girl in front of you as she wiped the tears that were starting to fall from her chocolate orbs. “I... Jieun-ah,” You spoke as you tried to grab her wrist. “Don’t, Y/n. You’ve said enough.”

After your outburst with the professor, you were left to continue with your remaining classes. The clock ticked away as you worked, the sun slowly dipping itself into the dusk. For a couple of hours, you felt fine-- your lectures distracting you from the thought of Lee Jieun. Until the last bell rang. It only seemed fitting for the noise to be the only thing to remind you of the girl. ‘Last bell-- last chance.’

“Knock knock-” Jieun heard as she zipped her bag closed. The door creaked as it opened, your figure standing small under the big doorframe of the classroom.

You were nervous, lips drying up as your heart pounded in your chest at the sight of the girl's worn-out features. Jieun turned to the visitor, her eyes watering again as she realized that it was you. “Leave me alone, Y/n.” She spat at you, eyes wandering to everything else but yours. “I’m sorry.” You uttered out to her, feeling nervous. But all that filled the room was silence. Cold, dead silence.

"I’m just so exhausted with what's going on with us and the classes. I know it was wrong that I said those things, knowing about your situation. I promise I'll be more sensitive next time." You spoke in a quiet tone, your hands coming up to your nape and caressing the skin there. "What? You're gonna promise shit so you can break me again?" Jieun barked at you as her head turned to meet your orbs. You felt ashamed, but you chose to brush the feeling off, knowing well what you were feeling was there for a good reason. 

"I didn’t have a choice, Jieun. You know that. If I hadn’t agreed to them, they’d suspect us when we reveal it next week." You tried to reason with the girl.

But Jieun chose to ignore you. Her hand met with the eraser that sat under the blackboard of her classroom and held it tight in her palm. All your words meant nothing to her; the only thing running through her mind was a constant ‘Right, we aren’t in a real relationship’. You sighed out as you bit your bottom lip, hands wiping themselves on your pants as you observed the woman. You could tell she was crying, her shoulders snapping up and down. 

“Jieun-ah..” You called out to her as you took doughy steps towards the girl. Guilt swallowed you whole as you started hearing her gentle sobs. “Jieun...” You called the professor again. The young woman could only cry. She had so much pent-up anger and frustration that it was hard to control her tears. “Jieun-ie,” You suddenly cooed at her, making your heart race. 

“Don't fucking call me that, Y/l/n.” The woman snapped at you as she turned to your figure with hatred on her face. You sighed at her reaction, closing your eyes for a couple of seconds before grabbing the girl’s hand and pulling her towards you.  “Let me go, Y/n.” You heard her say as she tugged her hand out of your grip. “Jieun-ie, I’m sorry.” You cooed at her again, deciding to take a different approach from before. 

You knew that what you were doing was wrong-- using the nickname almost everybody close to her heart used whenever they referred to her. “I’m sorry, love.” Your hands lifted themselves and cupped the girl’s face. Jieun felt breathless; she could hear her heart thumping in her chest so loudly and clearly. “Look at me.” You told the girl receiving no response. “You’re sick in the head, Y/l/n.” She finally growled at you, eyelids cracking open to look into yours.

Jieun’s left hand stayed by her side whilst her right slowly came in contact with your wrist, her fingers grazing the bottom side of your palm as you spoke to her. “Can we please fix this?” You murmured to the professor in an airy whisper. The tension in the room was thick, the sun bidding its goodbye as the night approached quietly in the background. You remained calm, your mind focused on the girl in front of you as you stared at her with hooded eyes. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Y/l/n.” The black-haired woman whispered back as she let her eyelids fall. You could feel her lean on your hand, her weight shifting as you held her. “I’m sorry.” You muttered at her, your orbs trailing to her painted lips.

You didn’t know where all your confidence was coming from, but it was too late to act shy. Not when you could feel your heart burn a different way for the girl in front of you. Your left hand retracted from Jieun’s cheek, grabbing her wrist as you pulled on her arm to snake it around your neck. The professor watched you intently as you did so. She felt aroused, the act of you controlling her while she felt helpless, making her mind race. “Forgive me, please.” “Let’s just rest. I need some time.” Was all the black-haired girl could say. She fought the urge to fall for your tricks, her body feeling heavy as her heart ached in her chest. “Mhmm.” 

Falling for your childhood enemy? You would’ve never thought such a complicated situation could happen to you. Maybe it was all because of the pretending you were doing with the woman, maybe it was because you had never given yourself an actual chance to get to know her until then, or maybe it was because you had always hoped in the back of your mind that she would see you as worthy. 

--

“Stop exploiting your students, Ms. Y/l/n. Mr. Kim would not like it if he were informed that you’re using your students for your own good." You reread the message you had gotten from your 'girlfriend' a day ago. You smirked to yourself, chuckling a little at the thought of the girl’s reaction to seeing another present you had been planning to give her on her desk. 

Days had passed since you had almost kissed Jieun in her classroom. Nothing had particularly changed, but you had both decided to leave each other alone until the examination period was over. The night of your fight, you couldn’t help but hiss at yourself for your reckless actions. You took your time reflecting, but feeling the emptiness of not having Jieun around to bother you constantly irked you.

As the professor stepped into her classroom, she couldn’t help but feel a heavy load of eyes on her. “What?” She asked as she entered the brightly lit room, head tilted in confusion. Jieun lazily padded to her table, red brushing her cheeks as she stared at the bouquet that rested on the furniture. “Read the card, read the card-” The students in her class started to chant as their gazes were fixated on their adviser. Jieun snickered out embarrassed. 

The woman set her bag down on her chair and rolled her sleeves up. Taking the folded piece of paper that nestled in between the petals and leaves, she read the writing and couldn’t help but grin. ‘How can I prove to you that I feel bad and that I’m sorry for what happened between us? Talk to me, please. I’m starting to miss you, Lee Jieun.’ “I can’t believe you, Y/l/n.” 

You had a smug look on your face as you saw a certain notification pop up on your phone’s screen. Picking the device up, you bit your bottom lip and read Jieun’s message-- ‘I’m still mad at you, but thank you for the effort. Though you’ve completely caused a ruckus amongst my students with your little stunt. I’m sure you can find something to keep you busy in the meantime, Y/l/n. Behave for me, hm?’You could feel Jieun’s sarcasm from her choice of words, her reply making you sigh contentedly. 

“What’s got you so happy, Ms.Y/l/n?” A voice spoke out to you as you slid your phone into your pocket. “Ah, nothing.” You beamed at the student in complete bliss. “Ms. Lee isn’t it?” Jiwoo took a guess, her eyebrow raising at you, an expression of amusement evident on her face. You could only grin at the undergraduate. “Say, Jiwoo, you have classes with Ms. Lee, right?” “Uhh... yeah. I have one with her later at 3.” The scholar answered back as she stared at you questioningly. “Do you mind giving this to her?”

--

“I-what?” Jieun stuttered out as she turned her head to the carton box a student of hers hurriedly placed on her desk before running off to her classroom’s exit. “Ms.Y/l/n told me to do this!” The teen bid as a goodbye as she skipped out of the room with her group of friends. “What?” The professor muttered out, confused as she stared at the item that waited for her.

‘What is this? A prank?’ The young woman thought to herself. There was nothing written on the outside of the gift; no card stapled on the lid, no marked-out identification writings, no random stickers, just a lilac ribbon that held the lid of the box and its body in place.

The professor kept a puzzled look on her face, jaw clenching unconsciously as her fingers slowly pulled on the said ribbon. Jieun could feel her breath hitching as her eyes travelled to identify the inside of the box. “What the fuck, Y/n?” She mumbled to herself as her hand slapped to cover her mouth.

Jieun laid all of the different chocolate bars out on the table in a neat line and gasped at the amount of sweets in front of her. ‘How much did you have to spend on all of this, and why?’ She shot you a quick message as she inspected the candy. 

She couldn’t help but feel giddy, her heart doing somersaults at the huge amount of confectionery in her grasp. If there was anything Jieun couldn’t live without, it was chocolate. And it woke the butterflies in her stomach, knowing that you had decided to do something about the knowledge she had recently given you.

‘Don’t worry about it, sweetheart ;)’ Jieun read your reply and chuckled at your antics. ‘Unfunny joke, sweetheart,’ She typed out, using your own pun to her advantage. ‘But thank you.’ You couldn’t help but let out a big laugh at her reply. “What a tsundere.”

--

One gift turned into two, two turned into three, and three turned into one every day of the following week. You had no intention to give Jieun so many surprises, but just seeing the girl happy made you feel nice. A sense of hope. This was what it was for-- the birth of a new era for both of you.

“Ohhh~” The students who were present in Jieun’s classroom cooed out as they stared intently at their adviser. You had been the talk of the town in all of the classes Jieun had been assigned to teach. The regular “What was her gift today, Ms. Lee?”, “Why doesn’t she ever give them to you in person?”, and “You really scored a good one, ma’am.” rotated amongst her students. But today was different.

The professor’s eyes brimmed with tears as she stared at the shining piece of jewelry in her palm. A necklace that swung a heart-shaped lilac stone that winked at her. It was beautiful. The link was nice and thin, and rose gold in color. And the stone was gracefully carved into a full geometric heart. It wasn’t too extravagant, but just enough to make an unsuspecting recipient tear up. “What are you doing to me, Y/n Y/l/n?”

You waited patiently in your classroom for your ‘girlfriend’s’ reaction, mind shuffling through the endless statements she could pick out to say to you. But as the minutes passed by and the students who were present for your lecture had started leaving one by one, you couldn’t help but pout at your phone screen and feel as if she had hated your gift for her. 

You stood up from your desk, hand wandering to the blackboard that had always stood behind you, and grazed your fingertips on the smooth surface. You let your arm glide, wrist lazily following the pull, and jumped at the sound of multiple knocks on your homeroom’s door. “Come in!” You called out to the visitor as you swiftly patted the remnants of the chalk from the board you had previously played with on the sides of your pants. “Good afternoon, Ms. Y/l/n!” A curly-haired student greeted you as she stood under the wooden doorframe. “Hello, Ms. Jung. What brings you here?” You questioned as you raised your eyebrows at the teen.

“Ms. Lee told me to give you this! She also told me to tell you that she couldn’t message you this morning because she had left her phone at home.” The undergraduate informed you, her voice echoing around your empty classroom. You smiled at the information, giving the student a kind grin as you walked towards them. “Hmm.” You hummed out amused as you scanned the things the student had given you. “Thank you, Ms. Jung. You may go eat your lunch now.” You bid the student goodbye and closed your homeroom door shut. 

“A little thank you for all of the gifts you’ve been giving me,” The note stapled on the plastic wrapping of the muffin you held in your hand read. “I have plans to go to the rooftop after classes, want to join me?″ The other side of the thick paper added. You stood frozen in your spot, not knowing how to react to such an innocent yet demanding request. You swore you could have fainted there. Sure, you had been sending her presents at your own will, but you couldn’t help but think that maybe she would send you one as a thank you. It was in the back of your mind, in the lowest tier of the list of your desires in life, but it was still there. Alive and well, and Jieun had scratched it off that easily.

The remaining classes you had were painful. You had constantly looked at the arms of your wristwatch and huffed whenever you realized it had only been several seconds since the last time you did. You hadn’t felt the way you did since you were a child; it was as if Christmas was coming in earlier just for you. But as agonizing as it was to wait for the bell to ring, it eventually came. And once it did, you jumped out of your seat, waited for your students to leave the room (which you realized they leave a lot faster than you’ve always thought they did), and jammed your belongings in your messenger bag. You could feel your nerves pick up as you stabbed your homeroom’s key inside its keyhole and twisted the metal to lock the door. ‘Calm down, Y/l/n.’ You thought to yourself as you took deep breaths.

Walking up the campus’s main staircase, you couldn’t help but stall for a few minutes. ‘She might think it’s weird if I go there so early.’ You had previously scolded yourself. So you took slower steps up the stairway and admired the last rays of the sun that wished you good luck from the windows of each floor. 

"Oh hey." Jieun greeted you with pink kissing her cheeks. “Hey...” You replied to the girl, grip tight on the strap of your bag. She beamed at you before lowering her head to look at the concrete underneath her. She felt shy. Her tongue poking the inside of her cheeks as she cursed under her breath for acting the way she did in front of you. 

You took small, quiet steps towards the professor, strands of your hair dancing on your face as a cold breeze quickly washed over you. Cringing at the thought of how you looked at the moment, you cleared your throat at the sight of the woman and waved your anxiety away. “Uh... here.” You spoke, a way to catch the young woman’s attention. Jieun raised her head at you, eyes widening at the sight of yet another gift in your hand. The girl timidly took the pack of gummies from your hand and giggled. “T-thank you.” You heard her mutter, nodding your head at the shorter girl, and pursed your lips in a thin line. “I never realized how awkward it would be to give them to you in real life.” You commented out in a joking manner, earning a chuckle from your ‘girlfriend’.

‘Ah, girlfriend.’ The label made you feel certain things. Whether it was wrong because it was all for business, or fucked up because of how fast things were moving from Jieun’s break up, you knew in your heart that you were happy. Happy to be with her-- to be with Lee Jieun. “It’s so pretty.” Her familiar voice pulled you out of your trance. “Huh? Oh... yeah.”

The universe had once again outdone itself-- the sky painting itself with orange and pink, the moon announcing its comeback bit by bit, the birds chirping as if to call their children to go back home (a thought you had always had that reminded you of your childhood), and the breeze engulfing you both. It felt like paradise. 

You didn’t know how you came from hating the girl in front of you to falling in love with her, but you knew you wouldn’t change it for the world. You were willing to fight for her, to make the relationship real. And as the long-time revelation reminded you as to why your heart has been shaking in your chest the whole time you were in her presence, Jieun’s head snapped in your direction, catching you off guard. 

“Are you okay?” Her voice was soft as she stared at your features, silently observing them. “Yeah, I feel great.” You replied to the woman, your orbs never leaving her face. “Mhmm, everything’s only so pretty when the sun starts to set.” The professor commented out in a joking manner.

You chuckled at her, your heartbeat thumping in your ears as you broke your eye contact. “Yeah, I never got the chance to appreciate it.” You muttered under your breath, glancing at the sun setting beside the building you were in. ‘If only you knew, Y/n.’ Jieun thought to herself. If it wasn’t for the godly sight of the view presented to you that kept you distracted, Jieun swore you could read her thoughts by one look. Gaze dripping with honey, the professor couldn’t help but smile to herself as she continued to stare at your side profile. “It’s always so crowded here and-” You stopped in your tracks as you turned your head to Jieun and realized she had been staring at you the whole time. “I-is there something on my face?” You stammered out.

Your face felt like it was on fire. Features turning a pink color, alike the sky that clouded above you. “You’re beautiful, Y/n.” Jieun muttered to you. Her tone was soft, delicate, yet stern as if she had been keeping the thought for the longest time and had finally concluded it. You stared at the girl, shocked, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as you tried to find the right words to make up a reply for her compliment. 

Jieun giggled at your reaction, a wave of satisfaction coursing through her. “You’re pretty, Y/n.” The professor repeated as her chocolate orbs locked in with yours. You had a big smile plastered on your face as she did, heart racing as she gave you one back. “And you’re pretty when you aren’t mad all the time.” You joked at the woman, earning a small slap on your chest from the girl. Jieun’s smile grew bigger as you both stood there in silence. There it was, the sign she had been asking for: ‘She’s the one’. 

"I just wanted to say thank you." The girl beside you finally brought up as she turned her body to look back at the view from the rooftop. “Hm?” You asked, copying her movements but turning your gaze to her. “For the gifts.” She added, feeling shy as she recalled the moments she would enter her classroom and see a newly given present on her desk. 

"Oh, mhmm, it’s nothing. I kind of did fuck up twice that day..." You trailed off, hand coming up to your nape as you remembered your previous fights with the professor. Jieun chuckled at you, more as a habit as she would say, her eyes forming a crescent shape before speaking again. “It’s okay. I mean, what happened was kind of fucked up..” 

You could only titter back at her awkwardly as she trailed off. “But y’know, aren’t we happier now because of that?” She suddenly added. Right there and then, the world felt like it was in slow motion. ‘We are happier now. I am happy.’ 

With eyes locked at eachother, your breathing unsteady, and the tension between the two of you a blurry, heavy, yet comfortable blanket hugging both your figures, you swore you had nothing else you wanted to do but to tell her that you might just be sure of wanting to make your ‘relationship’ real.

"Why'd you do it?" The professor asked as she broke eye contact with you, lips pursing into a thin line. “We’ve talked about it multiple times, and I already told you that I forgave you.” Your breath hitched as she took small steps to get closer to you. “Why all the effort for a fake relationship, Y/n?” 

‘Because you deserve to be treated well?’, ‘Because it made me happy seeing that you were happy?’, ‘Because I want to be one of the reasons why you’re happy.’ “I can’t put it into words right now, but I hope you don’t make me stop.”

Your throat felt dry as there was confusion on Jieun’s face. You took the last steps to close the distance between your bodies and slowly cupped the girl’s right cheek. “I want to properly court you, Jieun.” 

The woman in front of you didn’t know why she felt like crying, but with glossy orbs, she leaned into your touch and giggled. “Court me?” You stood there silent for a few good seconds before exhaling, your nerves leaving your body as you did. “If you give me the chance to, I promise I’ll make this worth your time.” 

Every uncertainty you had felt before and during the relationship vanished as you felt the tension in the rooftop crack with her soft smile. With a short giggle, Jieun pulled on your shirt and snaked her arm on your shoulder, her hand by your nape as she laced her fingers in your hair. The kiss was quick, sudden. It was soft, both your breaths hitching in your throats, your eyelids flickering shut.

“Why would you court me when I’ve already fallen for you, Y/n.” 

--