heeseung sat at the back of the lecture hall, his eyes drawn to her like gravity. she wasn’t trying to be captivating — just focused, scribbling notes and tucking stray hairs behind her ear. yet to him, even the smallest movements seemed hypnotic.

it was harmless, he told himself — this quiet crush on his junior. harmless to linger when she walked by, to notice the subtle curve of her lips when she smiled at her friends’ jokes, to imagine what those lips might feel like against his skin.

when the lecture ended, she gathered her things, but her notebook slipped to the floor. he was quicker, bending to pick it up. their hands brushed briefly.

“oh, thank you, sunbaenim,” she said, her smile warm.

he swallowed hard, heat creeping up his neck. “you don’t have to call me that. just heeseung is fine.”

her eyes lingered on his, and he swore his heart skipped a beat. “okay, heeseung,” she said softly, her voice like a secret.

“are you heading to the library?” he asked, desperate to prolong their moment.

she nodded. “yeah, i’ve got a report due tomorrow.”

“mind if i join you?”

she hesitated, then smiled. “sure.”

they walked together, the distance between them shrinking with each step. at the library, heeseung pretended to study, but his attention stayed on her—the way her lips parted slightly when she concentrated, the soft drumming of her fingers when stuck on a thought.

“heeseung?” her voice pulled him from his daze.

“yeah?”

“your pen stopped moving ten minutes ago,” she teased, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “guess you’re a little distracting.”

her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t look away. instead, she leaned in, her voice barely a whisper. “is that such a bad thing?”

his breath caught, and his gaze dropped briefly to her lips. “not at all,” he murmured.

for the first time, he let himself wonder if she felt the same pull toward him.