WHEN IT RAINS

𝟮𝟭﹕tease

the classroom was quiet with only the occasional shuffle of papers and the soft chatters of her classmates. y/n sat at her desk, her fingers tapping restlessly on the edge of her notebook. she was trying to focus on the lecture, but her mind kept drifting.

taesan sat beside her, his usual easygoing demeanor present as always. his head rested lazily against the back of his chair, arms crossed over his chest, looking like he wasn't even trying to pay attention. y/n, however, could feel his presence next to her, and it was making it impossible to concentrate. she hadn't even realized how much his being near her affected her until now.

as the professor went on about the upcoming test, taesan leaned over, his breath warm against her ear. "you've been staring at that notebook for the last five minutes. i don't think you're actually reading it."

y/n quickly glanced at him, a little startled. he was so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. "i'm trying to study," she whispered back, though she knew she had no real focus at all.

taesan's lips twitched into that smirk she was starting to get too familiar with. "you're thinking about something else," he said quietly, his tone teasing. "something... or someone."

her cheeks warmed at the implication. "maybe i am," she muttered, looking down at her notebook, though she wasn't sure what she was even looking at anymore.

taesan leaned a little closer, his shoulder brushing against hers. "if you're going to space out, you should at least do it in a way that's not so obvious."

y/n rolled her eyes, though she couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at her lips. "you're impossible."

"and yet, you're still sitting next to me," he pointed out, clearly amused by her reaction.

"unfortunately," y/n replied dryly, though she didn't mean it.

the professor paused, giving the class a few moments to take notes. y/n immediately turned her attention back to her notebook, trying her best to focus again. but it was hard with taesan so close.

he didn't say anything for a while, just sat there with his arms folded, looking at her in a way that made her feel like he was seeing straight through her. the silence stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. in fact, y/n almost felt like she could relax in it, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

finally, taesan spoke, his voice low. "you know, you're kind of... bold."

y/n glanced up at him, brow furrowed. "bold? how?"

he shrugged. "i mean, who else would steal someone's umbrella and then act like it's no big deal? it takes guts."

"and is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked, her tone skeptical.

"depends," he said, looking at her sideways with that infuriating smirk. "do you want it to be?"

y/n huffed, tapping her pen against her notebook. "i don't even know how to respond to that."

"it's not that hard," he said, leaning in just slightly. "just say thank you."

"no," she said quickly, glancing at him, "i'm not thanking you for that."

taesan laughed under his breath, "well, you should."

the professor called the class back to attention, and the moment passed. y/n tried to focus again, but it was hard to ignore the warmth of taesan's presence beside her. she couldn't stop thinking about his words, about the way he'd called her bold.

notice me.

she couldn't get that thought out of her head. she tried to push it aside, tried to bury it under the pile of notes in front of her, but it lingered. why did it feel so... significant? and why did it make her heart race in a way that didn't make any sense?

taesan shifted in his seat, his elbow grazing hers as he reached for his pen. "you're thinking about it, aren't you?" he asked, his voice low, almost teasing.

"thinking about what?"

"me," he said simply, his gaze locking with hers. "you've been thinking about me all day. i can tell."

"i haven't," she lied, her rapid heartbeat contradicting her words.

"right," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "well, maybe you should."