THE TERMS OF US (Heejake)

TEASER - "THE TERMS OF US"

Nineteen-year-old Lee Heeseung had never been ignored in his life.

Not by teachers.
Not by classmates.
Not by the world his family owned.

So when Professor Sim Jaeyun - gentle, quiet, twenty-eight - treated him like just another student...

Heeseung's pride took it personally.

Jake did not flatter him.
Did not bend for his name.
Did not offer special attention.

And for the first time, Lee Heeseung wanted something he could not simply command.

---

Then Heeseung discovered the truth:

Jake's mother was sick.
The bills were drowning him.
And Jake would rather break than beg.

So Heeseung did what his world had taught him best.

He made an offer.

A contract.

Not of love.
Not of kindness.
But of terms.

A signature to save a mother's life.
And in return - time, presence, obedience.

Three nights a week.
Any call answered.
Any summon obeyed.

Not forced.
But chosen under impossible pressure.

---

Jake signed to save his mother.

Heeseung smiled to soothe his wounded ego.

But neither of them knew...

Once the pen touched paper,
they weren't just tied by a contract.

They were tied to each other's fate.

---

Power.
Pride.
A gentle heart caught in a gilded cage.

This is the story
of a boy who wanted attention,
and a man who paid the price for giving it.