the bell rings for the third time that morning, and like clockwork, the classroom door slides open.
“late again, lee heeseung,” you mutter under your breath, not even bothering to look up from your notes.
the sound of lazy footsteps follows — slow, deliberate, as if every step is meant to test your patience.
“good morning, president,” heeseung drawls, voice dripping with mock politeness. the thin stick of a lollipop shifts from one corner of his lips to the other as he strolls past ur desk. his tie hangs loose, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, and his bag slung carelessly over one shoulder.
“uniform. rules. attendance,” you say without missing a beat, flipping a page in your notebook. “try following at least one of them.”
he drops into his seat behind you, leaning back until the chair creaks. “but then you’d have nothing to nag me about, sweetheart.”
your pen freezes. “don’t call me that.”
“noted, sweetheart.”
u exhale sharply, turning around with that signature glare — the one that could make even the toughest delinquent sit straight. but heeseung? he just grins, the corner of the lollipop stick bouncing as he does.
it starts raining right after the last bell. the kind of rain that soaks through ur shoes before you can even blink.
u stand under the schools front awning, clutching ur umbrella—the broken umbrella because of course it had to snap today.
u sigh, glancing around the now-empty courtyard. everyone else is gone. everyone except—
“president,” a familiar voice drawls from behind u, “what a coincidence.”
u turn around slowly. there he is. lee heeseung. shirt untucked, hair damp, and a half-melted lollipop stick hanging loosely from his lips.
“why are u still here?” u ask, arms crossed.
he shrugs. “got caugh up. u?"
"my umbrella broke,” u mutter. “im waiting for it to stop raining.”
he glances at the sky, then at u. “thats gonna take hours.”
“then ill wait.”
he raises an eyebrow. “u could just share mine.”
u look at the black umbrella in his hand—slightly torn at the edges but still functional.
“id rather get drenched,” u say flatly.
he chuckles. “so dramatic. u know, its almost like u dont like me. u act like u hate me,” he says, stepping closer, “but u never avoid me.”
ur breath catches for a second, but u recovers fast. “thats because avoiding u would mean letting u win.”
he grins, his voice dropping into that lazy whisper that always gets under ur skin. “then maybe ill just have to keep showing up until u surrender.”
“never.”
he laughs softly, and for some reason, it doesn’t sound teasing this time. It sounds…genuine.
“c’mon,” he says, holding the umbrella over both of you. “you’ll catch a cold.”
you start walking. the space between you is small, too small. the rain patters softly around you, the world dim and quiet.
you keeps your gaze forward, pretending the closeness doesn’t bother u — that the faint scent of his cologne mixed with sugar from the lollipop doesn’t make ur heartbeat stutter.
“you know,” heeseung says after a while, “theres a rumor going around.”
u frown. “what rumor?”
“that the student council president has a thing for the delinquent who wont stop annoying her.”
u nearly trip. “w-what?!”
heeseung smirks, obviously enjoying this. “j didnt start it, promise. but u are always yelling my name. people might get the wrong idea.”
ur cheeks heat instantly. “thats ridiculous! ure delusional.”
he just hums, leaning a little closer under the umbrella. “maybe. but u didn’t deny it right away.”
“i—you—!” you sputter, glaring up at him. “you’re infuriating!”
he grins. “and yet… you’re still walking with me.”
you open ur mouth to snap back, but stop when u see it — the soft smile tugging at his lips, the way his eyes look calm for once. not mocking. not teasing. just… warm.
it makes ur heart flutter in a way u dont understand.
when u reach ur street, you stop under the awning of a small shop. “thanks,” u say stiffly.
heeseung nods, “anytime, president"
then, before you can turn away, he leans in slightly. "try not to think about that rumour too much."