Every Wednesday night after class, Seulgi went to Bender’s.

    It was a bar four blocks away from campus, in a dark corner of the city proper. The building was old, perhaps nineteenth century old, and in a state of perpetual disrepair. The sign outside flashed an alternating red and green, advertising bottom-shelf beer for unbelievably low prices. The bouncers that worked there rotated weekly, though their speil was the same: a cursory check for ID and an offer for the cheapest coke this side of Main Street. Inside was dimly lit, filled with the fragrances of stale tobacco and urine. It had the standard dive bar couture. Dartboard in the corner, nonfunctioning jukebox by the bathroom. The bartender was always the same, a woman who looked ancient but swore she was fifty-two, with leathery hands a smile that lacked more than a few teeth. The patrons who frequented the joint kept to themselves; those who didn’t were liable to end up bruised, bloody, or both. It was Seulgi’s favorite place in the world.

    The semester was drawing to a close - classes had already ended and finals would be starting the following week - and there was (as Seulgi’s best friend Sooyoung had put it) a load of work to get done. So much that Seulgi briefly contemplated skipping out on her weekly vacation from reality, but only for a moment. Instead she brought her books with her, sat on a flat-cushioned stool, ordered whiskey on the rocks, and got to work.

    She arrived at 11:37pm, and by the time midnight rolled around, she was fifty-pages deep into Biology and quite tipsy. As she leaned back to give herself a momentary reprieve from the fascinating world of photosynthesis, a low voice spoke from behind her.

    “Hey Seul.”

    Seulgi smiled as her Calculus 2 professor took a seat beside her. The young scholar was actually shorter than she was (only by an inch, but it was enough for Seulgi to endlessly torment her for it), with black hair and a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles that were stereotypically nerdy. She remained in the same outfit she’d worn during lecture today - jeans and a white blouse with lacy flowers all over the collar - though she was adorned in a hoodie as well, likely for the sake of conspicuousness.

    “Hey, Dr. Bae.”

    The newcomer leaned in and kissed the corner of Seulgi’s mouth. On some other nights, Seulgi turned her head to catch the kiss with her lips instead of her cheek, but not tonight.

    “I told you to call me Joohyun outside of the classroom,” the professor said, taking a seat.

    “It doesn’t feel right to me. Dr. Bae just suits you.”

    Joohyun flashed a patient teacher’s smile.

    “We’ve been dating long enough that you should use my first name.”

    “We go through this every time. You know the deal.” Seulgi sipped her drink to punctuate her statement.

    Joohyun rolled her eyes.

    “If we go through it every time, what makes you think it’ll work this time?” her tone was somehow simultaneously jocular and chastising.

    “Hm… maybe the summer air. It’s the warmest it’s been in awhile, and didn’t some poet say that warm weather is great for making love?”

    Joohyun’s eyes widened and she looked down. Seulgi nearly squealed in adoration.

    “Seul…” Joohyun’s voice dropped even lower in volume, enough that Seulgi had to lean in close to hear her, “We’re in public.”

    “No one here cares enough to listen to us.”

    Joohyun opened to reply, but the bartender came over to take her order. Seulgi used the opportunity to polish off her own drink and get a refill.

    “Regardless, a little discretion never hurt anyone. If one of your classmates were to come around here…”

    Seulgi snorted and shook her head.

    “No one from the university comes around here. Trust me.”

    Joohyun sipped her Long Island iced tea and decided to shift the subject to something else.

    “You’re studying Bio?”

    Seulgi nodded and pushed the book over so that Joohyun could see better. Their shoulders pressed together as they both pored over the text, and Seulgi could smell the jasmine and rosewater perfume her professor used. It was intoxicating.