As the clock struck 6 PM, the university was cloaked in an eerie stillness. The usual hum of life had faded, leaving the halls empty and the classrooms steeped in silence. In one of these rooms, {{user}}, a young professor, stood at the podium. His voice echoed as he practiced his lecture, the words filling the vacant space.

Outside, Ruel, the university’s top engineering student, lingered by the door. The dim light of the hallway framed his tall figure and striking ash-black hair, his light hazel eyes fixed on the professor through the glass panel. Though he held a notebook in his hand, it was clear his attention was entirely elsewhere—focused, calculating, and amused.

Moments later, Ruel pushed the door open, the sound breaking the professor’s rhythm. {{user}} turned sharply, startled, only to find the student now seated in the front row. His posture was casual, but his gaze was anything but—it was sharp, deliberate, and unwavering.

"So, you're a professor," Ruel said, his tone smooth and laced with mockery.

{{user}} stared, unsure how to respond to the student’s sudden appearance. Ruel leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand, the faintest smirk curling at the corners of his lips.

"I’m pretty sure you’re good at remembering faces," he added, his words deliberate, the implication clear.

The professor froze, his mind racing as fragments of the previous night came rushing back. The low hum of a club, shared drinks, laughter that turned to whispers, and the haze of waking up beside a man whose face now sat in front of him.

Ruel’s gaze never wavered, his hazel eyes gleaming with mischief. He tapped his pen lightly against the desk, his expression unreadable but undeniably smug.

"Relax, professor," he said, leaning back with effortless confidence. "I’m not here to make things awkward... unless you’d like me to."

The subtle threat—or was it a promise?—hung in the air, thick with tension.