Teacher's Pet Seongjoong

02

Seonghwa's pov

I rushed to my dorm and shut the door behind myself. I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding and slumped into a chair in my bedroom. My mind raced and ran wild as I sat in thought.

    Did my teacher really just guess that I find him attractive? I mean, I do, but it's just an attraction...

   I stood up from my seat and grabbed an outfit from my closet. I got dressed in some shorts and a tank top before walking to the college's gym.

   As I was in the middle of my set, I could feel my legs begin to give out. I was squatting over two hundred pounds, and my legs clearly didn't like my sets of eight.

   "Woah, careful, Seonghwa," Mr Kim exclaimed as he caught the squat bar before it could hurt me as I fell to the ground.

   "Thank you, Mr Kim," I breathed as I sat on my knees. My legs hurt so badly.

   "Are you okay?" He asked as he helped me stand back up. My legs shook as they supported my weight.

   "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't worked out this hard in a few weeks," I explained as I held my arms above my head.

   "What are you even doing squatting such a high weight?" He asked as he noticed the six plates of forty five pounds locked onto the squat bar.

   "I'm trying to get back to how I used to lift. I could squat more than that in high school, but since I got to college I haven't had the time to work out as much," I sighed. He nodded his head and handed me my water.

   "Still, you need to take it slow. You can't just jump up to above 270 without stretching properly and working up to that weight. Try ending your set at just 200 for a few weeks, then when that's easy add a couple of tens." He advised. I smiled softly and nodded.

   "Thank you, Mr Kim," I thanked him as I shakily walked to a bench. He followed me and said it was nothing.

   "Call me Hongjoong, please, outside of class." He asked as he sat on the bench next to me. I felt confused, but nodded my head.

   "Seonghwa, let me take you on a date tomorrow after classes end," hongjoong said.

   "Why would you wanna take me on a date?" I asked softly. Hongjoong smiled softly.

   "You've piqued my interest; you're smart, you're kind, and you're beautiful," Hongjoong said. My cheeks darkened as I heard his compliments.

   "Thank you, Hongjoong, but I really am not worth your time," I thanked him and staggered my way out of the gym.

   "Seonghwa, why wouldn't you be worth my time?" Hongjoong asked as he stopped me beside a second bench. He gently tugged me to sit down beside him.

   "Because I'm not good enough for you! You have your life figured out and you have a good job, and I'm just a struggling college student. Why would I be good enough for your time?" I asked heatedly.

  "Because you're trying your best! I can see that and so can my coworkers! We all see that you're trying your best, and that's all that matters!" Hongjoong claimed.

   "I just don't want you to waste your time on me when you could get someone much better," I spoke softly. His eyes softened as they looked into mine.

   "Seonghwa, it wouldn't be a waste of my time, I promise," he said just as softly. I nodded my head slowly, looking anywhere but at him.

   "Is that a yes?" Hongjoong asked.

   "Yes," I said, a soft smile on my lips. Hongjoong smiled widely and gave me a soft hug before helping me stand up again.

   "Let me help you get back to your dorm so you can rest up before classes tomorrow, okay?" He smiled as I leaned a little of my weight on his arm.

   "Thank you," I thanked him and entered my dorm. I paused before I turned back around to face him.

   "I don't have a dorm mate, so would you like to come in?" I asked shyly. He smiled and shook his head.

  "I don't want to impose, Seonghwa. Have a-"

   "Just get in here, you sweetheart!" I laughed softly and pulled him inside. He smiled and laced our fingers together.

   "Thank you," he thanked me for allowing him inside. I nodded and motioned towards the couch.

   "Are you hungry?" I asked.

   "I am, but since you're struggling a bit, I could order us pizza or something?" He offered. He helped me to the couch and sat down beside me.

   "I can-"

   "Nope! I'm paying," Hongjoong said as he dialed the number for the closest pizza place on his cell phone.

   "What made you think of me so highly?" I asked softly as I laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

   "Well, since my coworkers all talked to me about how well you do in school, it made mw think pretty positively about you. Then, seeing you actually put into action how much you value your studies made me think highly. You came in with your friends, so that makes me think you're a kind person, and that also makes me think highly." Hongjoong explained.

   "Thank you," I said softly. A knock on my front door cut off our conversation.

  "I've got it," Hongjoong gently moved me to sit back up fully before leaving to grab the pizza. I smiled softly seeing his eyes light up at the pizza.

   "Thank you for the pizza," I thanked him as he handed me a slice. We began eating in a comfortable silence.