"Beer? That's your new stomach medicine."

"Wonwoo, I..."

He looked like he was going to say something but then he turned around. He was almost at the front door when Eunhye realized what was happening and she ran after him. She wrapped her arms around his waist to stop him.

"It's not what you think."

"I don't know what to think," Wonwoo said, trying to pull away. "I'm scared to even ask."

"I'm telling you it's not that."

He turned and pried her arms off him, but held both of her shoulders so he could get a good look at her eyes. "You tell me you had to leave because you felt sick. Do you have any idea how worried I was? You said you were home, so I rushed over here at the announcement that 1PM was cancelled. But then no one answered when I rang, so I thought you were asleep already. And then you came out of Zico-sunbae's car reeking of alcohol. What am I supposed to think?"

"I know what it looks like but it's that's not what it is." There was no way she was ready to tell him. Chanyeol told him that Wonwoo was going to ask about it and she would have to tell him everything eventually, but that time was not now. "I swear. I just can't tell you yet."

"Why not?"

"I-it's complicated," she stammered. She knew she was not making sense but she was sure she was not ready. "I promise I'll explain everything, just not now. Please."

She wondered how she held on while she was with her friends but now that Wonwoo was there, her whole morning crashed on her and she felt weak. It was as if all her walls were torn down when it came to him. She had tried to look tough and brave in front of the two people who knew her more than anyone, but with Wonwoo there, she just melted. Her tears she had been holding since she laid eyes on the teacher started to pour. 

Wonwoo's grip on her shoulder loosened. "Should I be worried?" he asked. How could he press her for answers if she looked like that? He knew how much she hated crying. Her tears drilled holes in his chest. "Am I going to lose you already?"

She shrugged his hands off her so she could hold him again. "You won't. I promise I'll tell you everything once I'm ready."

Wonwoo took a deep breath to steady himself before hugging her back. He felt his shirt getting soaked and he almost demanded again for her to tell him what was going on, but then she was just going to cry harder. For now, he pulled her closer, holding on to her words that he was not losing her.

******

"Can you at least explain why you ran off?"

Eunhye shook her head. They were lying on her bed and she was using Wonwoo's arm as her pillow. He rolled his eyes but thought about his questions again. He was trying to at least get the general picture so he would know what to do next time, but she was not saying anything.

"So I guess you didn't go to your brother's hospital." 

What he saw from her was almost like the same reaction she had when they were stuck in the elevator. He was worried that if she get too stressed out, she would have trouble with her stomach again.

"We just drove." This one she could answer. "He saw a beach and wanted to stop over so we did."

"And the beer?"

"Zico thought I needed it," she replied, and then saw the look on his face. "None of them had it. Just me. They would not drink and drive. Chanyeol went back to the school so Zico drove me here."

Wonwoo put his lips together, still trying to work his way around or just get her to slip her tongue and explain. "So, I guess, you can't tell me why you needed the drink, either. How many?"

"A can and a half."

He was absentmindedly brushing his fingers on her hair as he spoke. Eunhye was starting to get sleepy because he was doing that. "So either you didn't have much supply or the problem isn't big enough."

"Stop being so smart," she muttered, snuggling closer to him and yawning.

Wonwoo put his other arm around her, too, sighing. "Jung Eunhye, you're gonna be the death of me."

Eunhye mumbled something but he did not understand it. When he asked her what it was, there was no answer. He studied her and found her breathing steadily, a sign that she had fallen asleep. Her forehead was creased and he poked where her eyebrows met to ease them. Now, she looked peaceful.

While she slept, he reached for his phone. Unlike most of the times though, it was not a video game recording he searched for. He entered their new teacher's name, wondering where he saw him before. When he saw the article about the cyberattack on the Blue House, he remembered. 

She was not looking at Mark Tuan when she went pale. At first he thought she was and he almost got mad at her for being so affected by her ex when they were already going out. But then the guy went over to her and she was still frozen. When she disappeared, so did the new teacher.

Wonwoo went over the man's profile. He was another person with a multiple majors in the field of Computer Science. The guy served in the military longer than necessary, working under the cyber unit because of his expertise, hence, the award after successfully defending the Blue House. He had experience in teaching before and wanted to inspire more Computer Science students to use their intelligence for the country's good so he decided to become a full-time teacher after he got discharged. Lee Junki was the perfect man.

His eyes fell on the civil status. Single, never married.

Wonwoo locked the screen and put the phone away. He kissed Eunhye's hair before closing his own eyes and pulling the covers over them.

*************

"Are you serious?" Myungsoo asked Eunhye. She just told him that she was not going to apply for the TA position the next semester. Their department was expanding with three additional teachers in the next semester which meant they would need more TA's. "You know we need two more."

"I'll just look for a replacement," she said. She already thought hard about it and even if Kim Myungsoo found another logical reason for her to stay, her mind was set. It was not often that she decide about something but when she did, it would almost be irrevocable. "I can't do it anymore."

"Is this about your boyfriend?"

fell open. She had to find who was the snitch that kept telling people this. "No, and I don't have a boyfriend."

He snorted. "You don't even know if their class will be assigned to you next semester."

"I told you it's not about that," she repeated, gritting her teeth. "I am planning on getting a part time job somewhere else, and I need time for the final game output."

"Chanyeol's not resigning." Her bestfriend took the same graduate classes as her.

She shrugged. "That's his problem."

Eunhye figured if she was no longer a TA there would be less chance that she would have interaction with Professor Lee. All her classes for the next semester was for Game Programming and Design, which he was not a part of. She had calculated everything, as well as the days until the last day of the current semester.

He sighed. "If we can't get a replacement, we'll have to split your load. You know that, right?"

Eunhye patted his shoulder. "Thanks, in advance."

Zico was waiting for her outside the TA room. For some reason, he and Chanyeol thought it was necessary for them to take turns and be her bodyguard when Professor Lee became a full fledged member of their faculty.

Speaking of the devil, she recognized the Professor's figure even though he was still ten meters away, as he walked towards them along with a student. She had an eyesight as good as a bat's and she did not have her glasses on but she could tell it was him. The way he walked was too familiar for comfort, and his voice was loud and confident. Instinctiv