“Morning, Kyu.”

Kyuhyun immediately spun around at his desk as soon as he heard the familiar voice. “Donghaeeeeee!!”

“You forgot the ‘hyung’ at the back,” Donghae said with a playful frown. Kyuhyun just stuck his tongue out at the professor before coming over to fuss over him.

“How are you feeling? Still uncomfortable anywhere?” the younger asked, touching Donghae’s forehead with the back of his hand before comparing it to his own. “Wow, I’m actually hotter than you. Maybe I’m the sick one instead.”

Donghae rolled his eyes and set his work bag down at his desk. His gaze landed on the jar of half-dead roses by his computer and he let out a soft sigh. Most of the rose petals had already fallen off the flower, and the centre of the rose was starting to rot. Guess that was what happened to fragile, delicate things if he didn’t take care of them enough. 

He carefully set the jar aside and sat down at his desk, brushing off imaginary dust from the table with his fingers. “So, did anything happen while I was away? How was class?”

“Class was fine,” Kyuhyun responded as he rolled over to Donghae on his chair. “They sent you their best regards.”

“Bet they were glad that I had to call off that pop quiz at the very last minute.”

Kyuhyun snorted. “Who called off what? A pop quiz isn’t a pop quiz if it doesn’t make them pop.”

“Huh?”

“You’re too soft, Hae hyung,” Kyuhyun said with a snicker. “You’re the only professor I know who warns their classes about upcoming quizzes. What’s the point of popping a quiz if you’re not gonna pop it on them?”

“Is this your way of telling me that you still gave them the quiz?” Donghae let out a laugh when Kyuhyun nodded smugly. “They’re gonna hate you for this.”

“I know, and I’m perfectly fine with that.”

“You’re like the devil himself,” the professor said with a soft chuckle. “I somehow can’t imagine you taking orders from anyone else. I mean, you don’t even listen to me all the time, and I’m supposed to be your superior.”

“Pfft, the fact that there’s a ‘superior’ only means that there’s also an ‘inferior’. Rankings are just for making sure we stay put in a system that prioritises wealth and power over the actual welfare of the people who really need them. It’s capitalism at its finest. I’m not letting it take control of my life if I can help it!”

“... that’s just another way to say you just went ahead with the quiz anyway, isn’t it?” Donghae asked, shaking his head in amusement. 

“Maybe.” Kyuhyun grinned and leaned closer to the professor, observing him from close proximity. 

Donghae leaned back with a wary expression. “What are you doing?”

Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes at him and tilted his head. “So, what really happened between you and that boy?”

“... You don’t need to know.” Donghae fidgeted in his seat.

“What do you mean I don’t need to know?” Kyuhyun groaned and leaned back in his chair. “Sungmin was giving me the cold shoulder all day yesterday after I said you were sick at home. I don’t even know what I did wrong, he wouldn’t tell me! All I know is that the boy left your place a couple of days earlier than planned. Did you guys break up or something? Was it because you couldn’t get it up for him?”

“Y-yah, stop talking nonsense!” Donghae shushed, glaring at Kyuhyun with a pout on his lips. “Why don’t you ask Sungmin why he’s mad at you instead of asking me? What’s Hyukjae got to do with this?”

“You know that Sungminnie is best friends with your little boyfriend first,” Kyuhyun replied with a sigh. “We’ve only been going out for a few days. Of course he’d side with that boy of yours.”

“So it’s my fault now that your boyfriend won’t talk to you?” the professor asked. “In case you still haven’t figured it out yet, Hyukjae and I aren’t on the best terms right now.”

“Then make it right!”

“Easy for you to say,” Donghae mumbled softly to himself. He put his bag away and started up the computer, going first to his email inbox to sort out any urgent matters and student enquiries he’d missed while absent yesterday. There weren’t many emails that needed his attention since Kyuhyun had already replied to most of the students’ questions on his behalf. He checked his schedule next and realised that he was pretty much free for the second half of the day. He decided that that would probably be the best time to talk to Hyukjae, if Hyukjae was willing to listen to him. “Has Siwon contacted you about phase two of the experiment yet?”

“No,” Kyuhyun answered. “But I’m not done talking about Sungmin yet!”

Donghae sighed. “I’ll talk to Hyukjae later. But I can’t guarantee that it’ll solve everything between you and your little boyfriend.”

“At least find out why he’s mad at me,” Kyuhyun said, “He keeps avoiding the topic every time I ask.”

“Aren’t you very good at charming people into doing what you want? Or, rather, you always do what you want anyway.”

“Sungmin is different, he’s a feisty one. He doesn’t always do as I say,” Kyuhyun said with a lovesick grin. “That’s why I like him.”

Donghae chuckled and shivered playfully for show. “I’m sorry I asked.”

~

They both entered the cafeteria about an hour after the lunch rush. Donghae had only just finished grading half the quizzes from the day before when his assistant dragged him out demanding a late lunch. So here they were, browsing the menu while waiting in line as the last of the lunch crowd slowly disappeared back to class.

“What do you think about samgyetang today?”

Donghae glanced at his assistant in surprise. “I didn’t know they had samgyetang. Doesn’t it take a long time to prep the ginseng and the chicken?”

“Yeah, that’s why it has to be made to order and it takes a small while for the food to arrive. You’re free after this, aren’t you? Not rushing off to the next class or anything?”

“Why not just pick from one of the ready meals here?” Donghae asked, gesturing towards the dishes on the counter. “It’s not like they’ve run out of food yet that they have to specially prepare more food for you.”

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Donghae. “It’s for you, dummy. You’re still recovering, aren’t you?” He stepped up once it was their turn and placed an order for two bowls of samgyetang. Once he received the number, he grabbed a few side dishes, put them on a tray, and walked over to the empty table in the corner. “Sit.”

Donghae sat obediently and picked at some pickled radish with his chopsticks. “I get why you ordered it for me, but for yourself too?”

“I need the energy too, you know.”

“For what?”

“What else?” Kyuhyun asked back with a smirk. “Once you make up with your little boyfriend and Sungmin starts talking to me again, I’m gonna bring him home and—”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Donghae quickly interrupted as he scrunched up his nose. “Don’t wanna listen to your capades.”

“You asked,” Kyuhyun grinned back at the professor. “Oh, speak of the devil, look who’s here?”

Donghae turned around to look and immediately sat up straighter in his seat. Hyukjae had appeared at the door, but he was looking backwards as if waiting for someone to catch up. A few seconds later, Sungmin showed up as well. Both the students didn’t seem to have caught sight of either Donghae or Kyuhyun since they’d chosen a corner table. Donghae had the urge to call out to them but managed to stop himself just before he did. It wouldn’t do to make Hyukjae embarrassed in public like this, and besides, he was pretty sure that Hyukjae still hadn’t forgiven him yet. It was probably better to talk to him privately sometime later that day.

Hyukjae and Sungmin approached another bunch of guys and joined them at their table. Donghae grew a little restless when he saw how close Hyukjae was with one of the guys who had draped his arm over Hyukjae’s shoulders as soon as the latter sat down. He suddenly felt a twinge of pain in his chest and bit on his lower lip to suppress the feeling.

He couldn’t possibly be jealous of Hyukjae’s friend, could he? Hyukjae had every right to be as close with his friends as he wanted to, especially since he was still single after all. Just because they had a couple of times, it didn’t mean that they were exclusive. Donghae vaguely remembered Hyukjae telling him that he used to sleep around and have one-night stands but stopped them once he started getting close to the professor — was Hyukjae back on the market again now, looking for his next hook-up?

Donghae didn’t even know that he’d been staring so focusedly at the table of students that he never realised when the two steaming bowls of samgyetang appeared on his table. Kyuhyun had to snap his fingers to get Donghae back to earth.

“Hey, I know you’re pretty distracted right now, but the food’s here, let’s eat.”

The professor blinked a couple of times at Kyuhyun and glanced down at the bowl of chicken soup. “Oh. Right. Lunch.”

“Lunch first, loverboy later,” Kyuhyun said with a firm nod, pushing a bowl of rice to the elder. 

“Hey look, isn’t that Prof Lee and his assistant over there?”

Hyukjae stiffened when he heard it and immediately looked at where his friend was pointing. From his seat, he could only see part of the professor’s back. He was glad that Donghae felt well enough to return to work today, but that bit of relief was immediately replaced with grief and a bit of disappointment.

He hadn’t heard from Donghae all day, not since he’d left his apartment. Fine, maybe he should have sent that text yesterday after all, but was it too selfish of him to want to wait for the professor to make the first move to reach out to him instead? Would Donghae even realise that he was waiting for him to make the first call or send the first text?

What if all the waiting meant that Donghae had already moved on from him?

Sungmin watched Hyukjae with a soft frown on his face. The look on Hyukjae’s face had first been that of shock, then surprise, then a bit of relief, and then of disappointment. He didn’t like seeing his best friend like that. Since Donghae made no move to contact Hyukjae, it only meant that the professor was indeed just a boy, just like he’d suspected in the first place. Donghae couldn’t be of any good to Hyukjae. It would be even better if the professor continued staying away from his bestie if he knew what was best for him.

He hadn’t sent a professor flying to the ground with his taekwondo skills yet, but there was always a first time for everything.

Hyukjae could barely concentrate on his food. He kept stealing glances at the professor’s table. Donghae seemed to be discussing things with Kyuhyun and hadn’t once looked over at him. Just as well, Hyukjae thought, maybe they didn’t even know he was here.

“Earth to Hyukjae,” one of his friends said, waving a hand in front of him to catch his attention. “Are you going to finish your food? Because we’re all done now.”

“Oh… sorry.” Hyukjae quickly slurped up the rest of his ramen and finished half of the soup in record time. “I’m don