Taehyung, an orphan and mischievous young boy, fell in love at first sight with Jeon Jeongguk, promising that one day he would marry him.
Years later, Taehyung enrolls at Seoul National University, where his life intertwines with Jeongguk, a literat...
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Taehyung sat in the classroom, waiting for his tormentor to arrive. He had blocked every request from Jeongguk to meet him the previous day, retreating from the world to shield himself from the pain.
But now, he was waiting, desperate for just a glimpse of him.
His eyes kept drifting to the ring on his finger-a constant reminder of a bond that wasn't meant to be his.
As the classroom fell into silence and the students settled into their seats, the door swung open. Jeongguk entered, his elegant presence commanding instant attention. With a warm yet serious smile, he approached the front of the room, his eyes sweeping over the eager faces of his students.
"Good morning, everyone," he greeted, his voice dripping with the same sweet, honeyed tone as always.
Taehyung braced himself for the day's theme. Jeongguk's lectures always seemed to touch on something personal for him. Would today be the same? He waited, his heart racing, to see if the theme would once again speak directly to him.
"Today, we're going to explore a concept that many of you might have encountered in literature and perhaps even in your own lives-unrequited love," Jeongguk said, leaning on the table with a measured ease.
Taehyung's lips curled into a bitter smile at the phrase "Oh my beloved," and he couldn't help but chuckle softly. It seemed Jeongguk was unconsciously tapping into his own emotional wounds, and the irony of it made Taehyung want to laugh, a raw, unrestrained laugh.
Jeongguk began to pace slowly, his hands clasped behind his back, as if grappling with the weight of his own words. "Unrequited love," he continued, "is when one person harbors deep feelings for someone who doesn't return them. It's an experience filled with longing and heartache, a kind of emotional emptiness that can be consuming."
Taehyung's smile wavered, becoming a mask for his grief. Each of Jeongguk's words felt like a dagger, twisting in his heart.
Jeongguk paused, his gaze sweeping over the room, and Taehyung felt an overwhelming urge to shout at him to stop, to silence the piercing truth of his words. It was as if Jeongguk's lecture was a direct assault on his own unspoken suffering.
Jeongguk walked to the whiteboard and wrote "Unrequited Love" in bold, stark letters.
"In poetry," he began, "unrequited love is a profound theme. It explores the depth of longing and heartache with a resonance that deeply touches readers."
Turning back to the class, Jeongguk's eyes were grave, reflecting the seriousness of the topic. "Consider the poem 'Deewana' by the poet Zaheen Shah Taji. Taji captures the essence of unrequited love through evocative imagery and intense emotion, painting a picture of a love that remains unreturned."
