Blooming Prof (Sunghoon x female reader/oc)

7. Dangerous Grounds

Sunghoon gestured for me stand, but I gave him a I literally bled through my skirt-look. When his gentle expression almost faded into something colder, I slowly stood from my seat. A tear from embarrassment teasingly flowed down my cheek as Sunghoon stepped closer and wrapped his blazer around my waist. The scent of cedar and cotton fields hypnotized my thoughts and calmed my restless soul. I realised how tall he was as he stood so incredibly close.

“Has this happened to you before?” He whispered before taking a step back, giving me space.

I shook my head, “No. What about you?”

“I’m a man, if you didn’t notice.” His slight smirk made me squint my eyes.

“I mean, have you been in a similar situation like this where you had to help?”

Prof. Park leaned his palm slightly onto my desk, “Yes. But the other girls were so dramatic, throwing a tantrum like it was the end of the world.”

I fixed my gaze down to my feet, “I feel like I am being dramatic.”

“No, you are just a cry baby.” His tone was teasing and light-hearted, but anything could make me cry at this moment. And it did.

His hand was yet again placed on my shoulder, “Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Wow, you really are sensitive.”

“Shut up.” I spoke through the sobs.

“Did you just tell your professor to shut up?” And the cold professor has returned. I was aware that I was walking on very thin ice, but I just couldn’t give a damn anymore.

I looked up into his orbs, “No, I am telling Sunghoon to shut up.”

By now, I thought he would have retrieved his hand, but to my utter surprise, he didn’t, “You are supposed to be calling me prof.”

“And you aren’t suppose to be calling me your flower girl.” I blurted out in annoyance. Wonderful hormones and mood swings.

The light mood from earlier just jumped off a cliff. We shared eye-contact, no, a silent conversation. We both realised that we were playing hopscotch on a forbidden line and agreed to immediately stop without the need to exchange words.

I gave Prof. Park the address of my apartment and went to the ladies room while I waited for him. Our intense conversation replayed in my mind on a loop. It was obvious that we both felt intrigued by one another. I knew I was slightly crushing on him after seeing his gorgeous flowers, and judging from the nickname and gentle touches, I concluded that the feeling wasn’t one-sided. But as quickly as the blooming interest was piqued, it was put to a stop. Or at least, I hoped so.

After splashing my face with cold water, I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. Damn, I look terrible. I felt worse. My skin was paper pale like a ghost who saw a ghost. A soft knock on the bathroom door woke me out of my trance of insecurity. My eyes caught the bag in Prof. Park’s outstretched hand as soon as I opened the door. Gingerly, I took the bag from his grasp.

“Thank you…” I muttered softly.

His lips formed a calm smile, “My pleasure. Will you be alright?”

I nodded, avoiding his eyes. I didn’t know what emotion those beautiful orbs of his displayed and I was too scared to find out. His stare made my heart slam louder by the passing beat. Eventually, he cleared his throat and I almost jumped in relief.

“I will see you tomorrow in class, Ms. Evergarden.”

Once again, I answered with a nod and watched him walk away.

                             

                                       ***

I made my way to grandma’s house Friday evening. She called last night, demanding that I must visit her because she needed help with something. I flat out ignored the existence of his house and his flowers as I neared grandma’s home. I don’t give a shit about his stunning tulips – I tried to convince myself while taking a deep breath.

The sun was just about to set when grandma and I were going through boxes in her cramped storage room. I opened a giant box and gasped at the sight of the most beautiful floral dress I have ever seen. Carefully I took its form out of the prison to be admired even further. The dress was a very light shade of lilac with tiny white daisies printed all over and had sheer puff sleeves.

“It was the dress I wore when I met your grandfather.” Grandma commented when she saw how I fancied the dress.

My grandfather died when I was very young, so I never really got to know him. Grandma always spoke of him being a romantic and that was the reason why she fell for him.

Grandma persisted that I wear the dress for dinner. I was confused as to why I must dress up for just a normal dinner, but I went along with it since I fell in love with the dress. The top of the dress hugged my waist perfectly and the skirt stopped just above my knees. I took a slow spin in front of the mirror, mesmerising the way the dress flowed with my movements.

I was just about to help grandma take out the cutlery when there was a knock on the front door.

“Oh, my dear, could you get that please?”

My heart dropped to the floor when I opened the door. Prof. Park seemed just as confused to see me. He wore a casual white button up shirt and cream pants. The lighter shades of clothing made him look like an angel. His unguarded eyes travelled down my figure, stopping at my slippers. I immediately felt embarrassed by how my fluffy slippers clashed with the dress.

My eyes focused on the violet inside the pocket of his shirt, “What are you doing here?”

“Your grandmother invited me over for dinner… I didn’t know you were here too.” His eyes were sparkling, I was certain of it.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting guests.” I said as I placed my hand on my hip.

He eyed my slippers, “Clearly.”

Before I could shoot him a glare, my grandmother came over and greeted him. I should have known that she would up her game on being Cupid. I stared at my grandma’s neighbour as they chatted. He really was even more gorgeous without his glasses and strict exterior. His soft smile made me swallow hard. I had to remind myself of the silent agreement he and I made four days ago.

But I got a feeling that this dinner get-together would complicate things all over again.