timid // kim seungmin

chapter three

seeing things

"i don't know how you're not hung over." hyunjin groans to seungmin as the pair walk onto campus.

"i only had like, two shots." seungmin laughs, straightening his tie.

"right. you were too busy getting your dick sucked— or... what did you guys actually do in there?" hyunjin's sudden question takes seungmin by surprise.

"oh you know, i don't kiss and tell." he tries to play it off, but hyunjin snorts.

"what are you? fourteen? seriously bro, what happened in there?" hyunjin presses.

"i'm gonna be late to lecture." seungmin rolls his eyes, checking his watch as he effectively dodges hyunjin's question. "i'll see you in the staff meeting tonight."

"don't remind me." hyunjin groans, rolling his eyes as he drops the subject, leaving seungmin alone as he walked to his own lecture. seungmin had done his best to forget about the embarrassing events of the previous night, only thoughts of how his first year as a professor would go was filling his mind. he was definitely nervous, but knowing hyunjin enjoyed teaching here made him feel a little better about the whole situation.

he had planned to get to his first lecture before any of his students, but that plan fell through with hyunjin's hangover this morning. he heard the chatter of a seemingly full lecture hall, but it all fell silent the moment he opened the door. he tried to not let the amount of eyes on him worry him as he sat all of his things down on his podium.

"good morning, everyone." he speaks, scanning his eyes over the class just before he turns around to the board to write his name. but he pauses, brows furrowing as he slowly turns back around, scanning the crowd of students once again because... he swore he saw purple hair.

but his second inspection, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. only noticing how the class was all staring at him, wondering why he kept staring back at them.

"um... i'm professor kim. this is my first year here, though i'm sure you all know that." he speaks, referring to the fact that he was teaching an advanced class, so any students in this class have likely already met every teacher in the english department. "some of you might know a good friend of mine, professor hwang."

"you know professor hwang?" a student closer to the front questions, causing seungmin to dart his gaze in their direction.

"i do. he's a good friend." seungmin nods. "anyway, bare with me as i get used to the university, i know none of you are freshman so you all know your way around here." seungmin chuckles, the class following in a chorus of half-hearted chuckles.

"eunhae is a freshman!" someone calls out, bursting into a fit of giggles afterwards. and nearly the entire class turns to see where the voice came from. everyone's eyes landing on two girls sat near the back, one of them had her hood on, face almost completely covered by the fabric as she slaps the girl next to her, presumably the one who outed her as a freshman to the whole class. a few people chuckle at the interaction.

"well don't worry eunhae, i'm sure we'll figure everything out soon enough." he comforts, though he couldn't even see the girl in question.

but that was the point.

eunhae thought that this kind of stuff only happened in the movies, but here she was, sitting in her first ever college class like a hermit because her professor was the man she had met at her job the night before. the job she only has to make ends meet, because college is quite expensive. the man who she had found extremely attractive, and she was honestly a little disappointed that she didn't get to do anything with him. but she definitely enjoyed his company way too much.