“Noona, are you heading home? Let me walk you back,” a familiar voice called to you as you were leaving the computer lab where you held your office hours. You slowed your pace so that you could turn to face the individual, knowing exactly who it was. A giant smile was plastered on the young man’s features as he fell into step with you, slowing from to a walk from his earlier sprint.
 
A gentle sigh let your lips as you walked side by side with him, following one of the many paths that led off of the large university campus. “Seongwu, don’t you have work really soon? I can walk back on my own, you know. Plus you might be late,” you pointed out as the pair of you waited at the familiar and busy crosswalk. This had been your walk home for the last two year since you started your graduate program at this university. And like clockwork, almost every single day, you would cross this crosswalk at the same time, with Seongwu at your side. It had become a common thing for the two of you, and you supposed you could call Seongwu a friend at this point. Yet, you knew that there was another reason why he always walked you home.
 
Seongwu liked you. But unfortunately, you weren’t exactly sure that you returned those feelings.
 
You had met Seongwu when you were accepted into your graduate program at this university. To help pay for loans and supplement your spending, you decided to take on a job as a student teacher for one of the many programming classes that were offered to the undergraduates. Seongwu had come running in on the first day of class, just as you were about to close the door, and almost knocked you over. He apologized profusely for it after the class, not realizing that the girl he had almost collided with, was his lecturer. You had thought he was pretty adorable at the time, but you didn’t think much about it at first. He was just another student to you.

Yet, things changed quickly between the two of you. The more that Seongwu came to your office hours to ask for help, the more comfortable he became with you. The more comfortable he became with you, the more that the two of you talked when you weren't on campus. It was honestly felt like it was hard to not run into Seongwu... mostly when he worked at one of the most popular chicken restaurants just off of campus, a place that your friends liked to frequent. 

Eventually, when he felt like it was right, when the two of you were just comfortable enough to have each other's numbers, Seongwu confessed that he had feelings for you, that they were something that he wanted to pursue. You, of course, had no idea what to do with this information. There was a strict policy within your and Seongwu's department that student teachers couldn't date anyone in the courses that they were teaching because it could be seen as preferential treatment. Aside from that, you were just more surprised that he was interested in you. When you were still in your undergraduate program, the guys seemed more worried about their grades than about girls. And the one that did have girlfriends, had all dated outside of the department. So, you just never thought that your personality or features were particularly desirable to the opposite . Yet, here was this third-year student, just into his major, confessing that he liked you. 

But you couldn't accept. Not with that policy. And...there was another reason.

Truth be told, even if you were given the chance, and Seongwu seemed like a sweet guy, you were wary about dating someone younger than you. Two years didn't seem like such a big deal, but it felt like it was enough of a gap to put the two of you at different parts in your lives. While Seongwu still had time to figure out where he would be interning, and possible places he could work, you were already acting on those plans. You had a company that was interested in you and you planned to go right into the workforce once your courses were completed. You worried that, given where the two of you stood, it could make dating hard. 

Maybe this was the excuse that your brain had cooked up. Maybe the truth was that you just had a preference for older guys, but the one thing you did know for sure was that you were worried about having someone depend on you. You had a handful of friends that had dated younger and they all doted on their younger significant other. The thing was, this was your biggest concern. You worried about someone needing your care when you could barely take care of yourself. How were you supposed to be the older and more mature one when you could barely get everything together in the morning? It was nothing to do with Seongwu, but more with your own reservations. 

You were open with Seongwu about this, about your concerns. You thought that being honest with him, was the way to go, mostly with how open he had been with you as well. However, your words didn't seem to truly deter him. Maybe it was just Seongwu's personality, but he seemed unbothered by it like it was a minor inconvenience. It wasn't that he had disregarded your concerns. Rather, Seongwu had been very attentive as you voiced them to him, understanding why you didn't feel like the two of you would make a great couple. Yet, even after hearing all of these things, there was just something in him, something that told him that it would just take more time, and so he didn't push it, nor did he give up. Instead, he agreed to put his feelings for you on hold while he was still your student. 

Once he finished the course you were teaching and he was no longer your student, he had tried again. Still, you firmly drew a line between the two of you, stating that you weren't interested. Seongwu respected that, and he didn't argue with you. Instead, he started to do little things here and there. He'd walk you home, or bring you coffee when he knew that you would have office hours. This had been going on for about six months now, and you thought that he would let up if he saw that you weren’t interested… but he didn’t.

Honestly, you felt rather bad. With how attentive, kind, and sweet he was, Seongwu would no doubt have made any other girl happy. She would have been the center of his universe and received all of this amazing love. And yet, he clung to you like no other. You had wondered, from time to time, if you were leading him on, even voicing your concern to him. He reassured you that you weren't, that he was doing this of his own accord. You mentioned that there were other girls that had been interested in him - you had overheard them - but he never gave them the time of day. 

"Noona, noona," he called out, pulling you from your thoughts as the two of you walked along the familiar streets. 

"Hm? I'm sorry. My mind was elsewhere. Classes and things of the like," you apologized. 

"Ah, you're done for the day though. You shouldn't be thinking of work and classes. I mean, studying is good, but I think you work too hard sometimes," he answered, lips forming into a pout as he made a face at you. "You should take more time to just relax."

 "I'll admit that relaxing every now and then is good, but I also need to pass my courses, Seongwu. I also need to make sure that students, like you, pass their courses as well," you chided. He gently nudged your shoulder to signal that you should cross the street in the other direction to get to your destination. This light always took an eternity.
 
"Or, perhaps, you could let me take care of you," he said smoothly, and now it was your turn to make a face.

"Do you know how much I'll be in debt for this graduate degree? Do you really think you could support that? And imagine how much it would cost if I failed a course, hm?" you said flatly, making him chuckle. You knew that laugh well. It was a telltale sign that he had purposely tried to rile you up... and it worked. 

"I know, noona. I only wanted to tease you. You're really smart and extremely self-sufficient so I don't think you should worry about your classes so much. Still, it wouldn't hurt to let someone else take care of you though. Not completely, but to be there when you need them," he pointed out, the pair of you stopping in front of a very familiar apartment building. Seongwu's steps stopped as he came to the steps leading up to the main door. He didn't follow you in, he never did. Seongwu only ever walked you up to your steps and stopped, waiting for you to enter before he left for work. 

 "I understand where you're coming from. Someday... maybe I'll find someone like that," you said gently, breaking from his side and making your way up those simple steps. "Thank you for walking me home, Seongwu."

"Of course, noona. You have a good night." He smiled then, that smile that drove all of the girls in the department crazy for him. Even you couldn't help that your heart spend up a bit at that moment. Once you were in the building, you turned momentarily, watching as Seongwu crossed the street, making his way to work. His words still rang in your ears, even after you were back in your apartment. Maybe... maybe it was time to let someone in... to let someone take care of you for a change...

========

Heavy and slow footsteps trudged through the rainy street as the individual made their way through crowds of people, all making their way home as the local restaurants closed. She had no umbrella, her form completely drenched from head to toe, unlike those around her, but she didn't care. She just needed to get home, to a place where she felt safe and comfortable. 

Your heart was shattered into pieces, and if the rain hadn't done such a good job camouflaging it, any passersby would have seen your tear-stained features. You never should have opened yourself up to anyone. You never should have let anyone into your life, to let someone see you in such a vulnerable state. Now, all you were left with was heartache. 

Seongwu was wrong. 

Seongwu's words had you thinking about some of your life decisions and you decided to give dating a shot again. It really wasn't high on your list of priorities. School, finding a steady job, those things were far more important to you, but you should at least try, right? So the first person you had asked was a friend of yours, also in your department, who introduced you to another graduate student. His name was Dongwan. He was a year older than you, and from what you had known of him before you met, he seemed to check off all of the boxes that were important to you. He was driven, already working with the company that he would join once he graduated. After your first meeting, you found out that he was kind, gentle, fun to be around. Everything had been great... at first. 

The honeymoon period lasted for about three months. Slowly your lives became buried in school work. You were both so busy that you rarely saw each other. On a whim, after being apart for so long, you decided to drop by his place after you had finished studying. Yet, what you saw, surprised you. He was there, with another girl, lips locked on his couch. Your brain had a hard time processing the fact that you had been cheated. Never in your life had you been in this situation. So instead of meeting it head on, you fled. You ran as far away from the problem as you could. Needless to say, that relationship was over.

Your feet trudged down the familiar streets, the rain soaking you to the bone as you continued on your slow trek home. You wished you had enough energy in your to pick up the pace, to get there faster, but you couldn't. And at some point, you had stopped, for an unknown reason. Was your body just that emotionally tired that it couldn't continue on? Honestly, you couldn't tell. You were just... so done with it all. You would have been better off if you haven't gotten into a relationship. It was such a dumb idea...  

While you stood under a dinky little awning, just small enough so that it barely covered you from the rain, you realized that you were no longer being pelted by the downpour around you. It didn't occur to you at first. You were too lost in your own thoughts. However, when a breeze bellowed past your soaked form, it became very apparent. This was when you finally looked up, coming face to face with someone you didn't think you would see again.

Seongwu.

He had taken your dating news rather hard when he had found out. Though Seongwu had tried not to show it on his features, you could tell he was saddened by it. You pulled him aside one day, when he was headed to the computer labs to study, and asked him if he was really okay. You hadn't meant to hurt him, but you could see how painful this could have been. Still, in his usual sweet-natured way, he told you that he was fine, that he was happy for you. There were times when he would still accompany you when Dongwan wasn't around, but admittedly, his presence wasn't as frequent as it had been in the past.

Initially, this had been okay. A lot of your time had been spent becoming familiar with Dongwan, with your boyfriend. It hadn't occurred to you how little you saw of Seongwu. Yet, as time went on, as you exited the honeymoon stage of your relationship, you felt his absence, the lack of his presence. No longer did you see that toothy grin of his. You didn't get to chat with him about the latest episode of the drama that you had both been watching together. You couldn't roast each other for starting another mobile game when you already had like five of them going. You no longer heard of the ridiculous or silly things that happened at his part-time job. All you felt was an emptiness when a good friend had been.  And that was when you realized that you missed him. But why did the thought of missing him... why did it make your heart hurt so much?

"Why are you here?" you inquired, your words barely above a whisper. 

Seongwu had never seen you like this before. You were normally so bright and happy, a source of energy for him. To see you like this, so broken, so rundown, it hurt his heart. He wanted to make you feel better, to mend everything, to make you happy again... even if he knew how you felt about him. "I was closing up when I saw you walk by the restaurant. You didn't look well, and you didn't have an umbrella, so I ran after you when I finished up..."

"You shouldn't have, Seongwu..." you told him, having a hard time keeping your voice steady. You thought that you had spent all of your emotions crying earlier, but it seemed like your heart disagreed.

Seongwu's lips formed a thin line. Even if you told him he shouldn't have... he would have done it anyway. The way he felt about you was unexplainable. This was the first time where, for him, it didn't matter if you liked him back. The only thing he wanted was for you to be happy, for you to do well.  If you told him to jump, he’d ask how high. If you told him to run, he’d run until you said to stop. Seongwu didn't know what it was about you, but this was how it made him feel whenever he was in your presence. "Let me walk you home," he urged gently, and this time, much to his surprise, you didn't argue. Instead, you nodded, and slowly walked alongside the younger male. 

A bulk of your walk had been in silence. You were trying to sort out your feelings, and it seemed like Seongwu wasn't going to push you to speak. You appreciated and needed that. Eventually, you found your words and broke the silence. "Dongwan has been cheating on me..." you said, your words quiet. The young male next to you didn't say anything in response, which you took as his signal for you to continue, but you did see him stiffen at your words. "I don't know how long it's been going on for. It's probably because I've been so unavailable. But I caught him today when I decided to stop by. Seongwu, I don't know what I was thinking. Relationships are painful..." 

Seongwu didn't speak at first, his brain processing your words while also trying not to show how upset he was at Dongwan. Truthfully, after meeting him, he hadn't been a fan of the older male, but he also knew that his words would have fallen on deaf ears. Seeing you now, he really wished he had said something. You could have avoided this heartbreak if he did. Still, he kept it to himself as the two of you stopped in front of those familiar stairs that led up to your apartment building. It was only then that he decided to speak. "Relationships don't have to be painful. They can be good for you. I just... I don't believe that Dongwan-hyung understood your value. He wasn't right for you."

"You should get some rest tonight, noona. Maybe take tomorrow off if you can. You were out in the rain for a long time. You need to get your energy back," Seongwu proposed softly, as you broke from his side and walked up the steps. 

Just as before, Seongwu kept his distance, even on a night like tonight. He stood at the foot of the stairs, under his black umbrella, waiting for you to enter before he headed home for the night. But tonight... you didn't want him to leave. You wanted him to stay, to be a friend when you really needed one. You needed him. "Seongwu..." you called out when he was turning to leave. He spun back around, looking up at you from under his umbrella. "Do you think you could stay over tonight? I-I don't mean it in that way. I just... I don't want to be alone and I could really use a friend..." you explained. 

Though you couldn't see his features from where you stood, you knew that he was contemplating his next move. You knew he was questioning if he should follow you. Yet, after a moment, Seongwu closed his umbrella, and for the first time, walked past the invisible barrier that encased those stairs to your apartment building...

You woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than you had anticipated. Your emotions had since calmed and you woke up in your own bed, out of your rain-drenched clothes from the night before. What was curious was that you somehow ended up securely tucked into your bed, which was strange because you didn't remember making it back here. Your mind flashed back to last night, trying to remember everything that had happened.

When Seongwu entered your apartment, last night, he seemed apprehensive. He waited at the door until you said that he could make himself comfortable, his actions tentative. Honestly, it kind of amused you. You had your preconceptions as to the type of person Seongwu would be when he finally made it into the apartment of a girl he had been pining for, yet, he was nothing like what you had expected. He didn't make a move unless you gave him the okay and finally was comfortable enough to sit on your couch as he waited for you to change.

Once you were back out and plopped on the couch next to him, the two of you talked for hours. You poured your heart out to him, and he listened, gently nodding in understanding or humming to acknowledge your point. This was not the type of person you had expected. He was gentle, kind, gave advice when he felt appropriate. It was really nice to have someone there, to have someone to talk through your feelings with. You weren't sure when it happened, but you must have fallen asleep while the two of you chatted and drank the tea you had made. But if you fell asleep on the couch, Seongwu... a pink tint crept across your features at the thought. You came to the realization that the young male must have carried you back into your room and tucked you in. Ah, that was kind of embarrassing. 

You were pulled from your thoughts when your nose caught a whiff of what smells like eggs. Huh, that was strange. How could there possibly be... no way... Seongwu... he couldn't have...

Getting out of bed, you pulled on the zip-up hoodie that hung on your desk chair, protecting you from the cold morning air as you wandered out into the living room. The first thing you spotted was the blanket draped over the couch, signaling to you that Seongwu had indeed stayed over. You remembered telling him that he could stay on the couch with how late it was, that it wasn't safe walking back to his place. Obviously, he had taken you up on your offer.

Your slow steps then took you to the kitchen where you caught sight of a person with their back to you, busily working away. Gentle steps carried you closer to him, but it seemed like he was fairly alert, turning to face you just as you reached the edge of the kitchen. You were greeted that by a smile, that smile that lit up his whole face. You hadn't seen it in a long time... and it warmed your heart.  "I hope you slept well last night. I hope you don't mind, but I decided to make us some breakfast," he announced with a chuckle as he went back to the task at hand. He really was too sweet to you. 

"Seongwu, you didn't have to do that," you told him as you peeked over his shoulder to see what he had made for breakfast.

"I know, but, last night you said that you haven't eaten a good breakfast in a while because you've been so busy. I thought it would be nice to make you a healthy breakfast for today!" he reasoned. "Noona, could you do me a favor though? Could you please set up the table? I'll bring everything out shortly..." he added with a sheepish grin, and you couldn't help but smile back.

"I'll make a pot of coffee too," you suggested, earning a nod from the younger male.

It wasn't long before the two of you were situated at your small dining room table, eating away at the amazing breakfast that Seongwu had made.  You complimented him on his cooking skills, though he played it off as best he could. The two of you ate quietly, just enjoying each other's company before you decided to speak up. To ask him about something that had been nagging at you all night. 

"Seongwu, why are you so nice to me? Honestly. I broke your heart and yet you're still at my side trying to put me back together after my breakup. I just... I have a hard time understanding this side of you..." 

The young male next to you only smiled. He knew that you were right. Anyone would have thought he was strange. Hell, even he thought he was a bit off when it came to you. But that was the thing. It was you. And for him, that was okay. It didn't matter what it was, if it was for you, to help you, he would do it. No questions asked. 

He smiled gently. "You already know the answer, noona. I like you."

You couldn't help but pout at his words. "But why, Seongwu? I'm nothing special. If anything I'm a walking mess that pretends to have her life together. Why do I mean so much to you?"

He chuckled gently. "Honestly, I don't know if there is a reason. I'm just... I'm drawn to you. I don't know if I can explain it. Maybe it's love at first sight. Maybe it's something else, but I've just always wanted to be at your side. It was never my intention to rush into anything with you. I just want you to be happy."

"You're silly, you know that right?" you told him, but your words didn't deter that smile from gracing his lips. "Yet, even if you're silly, you've been the only one that has looked after me, and I really appreciate that. Thank you Seongwu..." 

Gently, you felt him reach for your hand, but you didn't pull away as he grasped it in his own. "I'll always be here to take care of you, noona," he told you earnestly, bringing the back of your hand up to his lips to give it a gentle kiss, the action making your heart flutter. 

It felt warm, it felt nice, and it felt... comfortable. Being beside him was comfortable. You didn't know what this meant for the two of you. You didn't know what this would lead to. But you knew that you didn't want Seongwu to disappear from your side again. 

This entire time you thought you needed someone mature to take care of you. Yet, now you knew what you really needed was someone that saw you as an equal. Someone that felt like you were worth something to them. Someone that cherished you and wanted what was best for you. Someone that could provide you shelter when your world shattered. Age didn't matter. What mattered was having that connection with each other...