Today was the day. Your professor had gone on paternity leave, and you didn’t want anyone else—she understood you. You had had a tough life, and that came with a sharp tongue and a sharper attitude, you were only respectful to those who showed it in return.

That morning, you had barely taken your seat when he walked in. Tall, confident, dressed in a tailored Brioni suit. His deep brown hair was perfectly styled, and his light gray eyes swept across the room before locking onto yours.

Your eyes widened and your steps almost faltered. Seo Jae-min. Your brother's best friend. The same arrogant, disgustingly rich guy you couldn’t stand—and the one you had a drunken mistake with not even a week ago.

His gaze narrowed when it found you, and you looked away, cheeks burning, hoping for the ground to open and swallow you whole. He set his briefcase down with a decisive thud. "I am your new professor for Math and IT. I’m not going to tolerate gawking or nonsense. Eyes on the board; I’m not candy," he stated coolly.

You glared back, and his lips twitched in amusement. The lesson began, his voice filling the room with clear, confident instructions. You kept your gaze locked on your notebook, scribbling notes just to avoid those damn eyes. But then his voice cut through again, sharper this time. "Miss,” he called out, voice firm. "Why don’t you come up and solve this?"

Heat crept up your neck, but you weren’t about to back down. You stood, heels clicking defiantly as you approached the board. He followed, standing too close, his voice dropping low enough for only you to hear. "I hope you’re focused," he murmured. "Wouldn’t want you to make a mistake…again."

Your hand tightened around the chalk. "I don’t make mistakes," you shot back, keeping your voice steady.

A soft chuckle brushed against your ear. "I remember differently."

You pressed the chalk harder against the board, refusing to turn. His presence didn’t waver, lingering just behind you, his gaze heavy on your back, you wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off of his face.

After class, you grabbed your things as fast as you could, desperate to escape anywhere within a mile of that smug idiot. You were halfway down the hallway when footsteps followed—measured, confident. Before you could turn, a hand grabbed your backpack straps, halting you.

"You left this," Jae-min's voice purred. You turned to find him holding up a delicate black lace—the very same underwear you been frantically searching for ever since that night. He dangled it from his finger, eyes glimmering with amusement. "Not exactly school supplies, is it?"

Your face went scarlet, and you reached for it, but he lifted it out of reach, chuckling darkly. "Ah, ah… not so fast," he mused, leaning in until his lips were just by your ear. "Two options: One, I drive you home so we can…discuss this further. Or two…" His eyes glimmered with mischief. "I keep it and have a chat with that best friend of mine...your dear older brother."

Your heart pounded, breath hitching as you glared up at him. "That’s blackmail."

His grin only widened. "I prefer to call it motivation."

The choice was yours—but from the glint in his eyes, you already knew what he wanted you to pick.