Chapter Text
Hangyul knew it was a bad decision, always, to entertain Yohan's ideas. He should have stayed in bed and slept early instead of giving in to his roommate's suggestion to play league of legends until the wee hours of the day. The frustrating thing about it is Yohan still manages to look fresh even with 2 hours of sleep and a kick coming from Hangyul.
Hangyul, on the other hand, looked like he'd kill the next person who would on his way. With the dark circles around his eyes, it only highlights his scary, unapproachable aura. He sighs, shaking his head while watching Yohan look around their classroom. Yohan's not good when he's using his brain for 'smart stuff dude, trust me.', so it was really a good thing that he's a taekwondo student athlete, like Hangyul himself.
"I heard from Minhee that the Business English professor is new." Yohan starts while taking out his Pororo notebook which Hangyul once mocked. Yohan barely takes notes, he only takes that notebook out because it is cute. And cute stuff, attract cute people, that is according to Yohan. That's all.
"They said he was fun and friendly. And cute. Let's not forget that. I wonder how he looks like, though." Hangyul barely pays attention to his friend's blabbering. He just wishes the class would end early since it's the first day. "Hey, dude, I think that's him." Yohan nudges his arm and he would not have looked towards the door if not from the familiar voice he's hearing.
The professor, whom they have indeed never seen in the university before, greets them with a huge warm smile. However, for Hangyul, it was more than that. It was the same warm smile he used to see every day when he was in high school.
"Hello, I'm Cho Seungyoun, I'm your Business English professor." Hangyul gulped, it is really him.
The professor gently placed his bag and tablet, looking around and familiarizing himself with the present students. Hangyul, with his fingers crossed, wishes his professor would look his way. He must have heard him because he looks straight to him, "Hangyul?" smiling wider.
Yohan turns to Hangyul with a disbelieving look on his face. His expression only deepened when he saw the smile on his friend's face. Hangyul doesn't smile often, he doesn't frown either, he's usually just neutral. Some would even think he's brooding if they don't personally know him.
Hangyul nods, whispering, "Seungyoun hyung."
Of course, Hangyul knows, Yohan wouldn't let him live. Yohan slids a paper to Hangyul's table when the professor started discussing his house rules. "How did you know him?" is written on the paper, but Hangyul didn't even read what was written, he just returned the paper without writing anything on it. Yohan sighed to this, but gave up and finally gives his full attention to the professor.
In Hangyul's eyes, Seungyoun still looked the same. It has been almost a decade? But he didn't age even a little. If not, his voice only got softer, but he still has that same lively tone when he's speaking. Hangyul is always, always missing his former tutor's voice, but he just never how much until today.
The professor would crack jokes from time to time, just like how he does to him to keep him interested in every topic he discussed to him before. Now that Hangyul thinks about it, he feels like he's taken years back. Only that it's no longer just him and Seungyoun. There are at least twenty students inside the room who are clearly starting to see how amazing Seungyoun is as a person.
"That's all, you can go." Seungyoun says, earning a confused stare from the students. "I know all of you are expecting me to dismiss the class early since it's the first day." The students laugh and by the sound of it, they're already adoring the professor. "I was once a student too, you know." But Hangyul could sense that the class found it abrupt since they were actually delighted with the professor's presence.
"You can go first." Hangyul whispers to Yohan before ushering his friend to leave the room. His next class will start in fifteen minutes, he should be rushing to get to the other building now, but it can wait, he must talk to Seungyoun first. Yohan originally wanted to pester his friend about his once in a blue moon smile, but with the way Hangyul is looking at their professor now, he'll only be ignored.
"It has been so long." All of the students were gone now except Hangyul. Upon hearing his voice, Seungyoun turns back to him probably half expecting Hangyul to stay behind. "You've grown so much, Hangyul-ah." Seungyoun replies and Hangyul swears he's falling for him all over again.
It was like the first time he saw him again, when he was fourteen years old; pestering his mother to give him another sticky rice cake, also, needing an English tutor. Seungyoun was just twenty-one that time, still in college, needing extra cash. "I almost didn't recognize you, you've grown so big." Seungyoun continued, now tucking his tablet back to its bag.
Hangyul scratched his nape while looking down, concealing a huge smile. "Still not as tall as you, though." Hangyul replied, watching his professor through his bangs. Seungyoun giggles, "Even your voice, you sound like a grown up now." Hangyul looks up and sees Seungyoun still smiling at him.
When Hangyul woke up this morning, all his thoughts were only about going back to bed again. Something as special as this wasn't really supposed to happen. Especially when he looks like he hasn't been sleeping for the past three days because he really wasn't. All of it was Yohan's fault.
"When will your classes end?" Hangyul asks when he realized that he has been staring at his former tutor far too long. Seungyoun giggles, again, "I should be the one asking you that. You're the student, not me. But I'm free after four."
Hangyul nods, looking at his watch "I actually have a class in ten minutes." then he takes his phone out, "But I'll be free 3:30 onwards." and hands it to Seungyoun. The professor takes it and in a second, they hear another phone ringing. "I'll see you later then." Seungyoun says softly as he returns Hangyul's phone.
On a whim, Hangyul hugged Seungyoun, like he always does back when he was younger. Hangyul forgot, in a moment, that he's no longer a high schooler. He definitely couldn't get away with his sudden affection towards him like he used to. He half expects him to push him, or just stop him but instead, he only hears a giggle. Damn Seungyoun and his giggles. And then he feels a hand ruffling his hair.
"Just because it's the first day of class, it already means you can be late. Go now. I'll see you later."
Seungyoun sighs, seeing Hangyul again after all these years wasn't something he was expecting.
He met Hangyul when the younger was just starting out in high school. His first memory of him was something Seungyoun always laughed about. Not because it was funny in a negative way, but because it reminds him of how much Hangyul matured in just a short period.
When Seungyoun moved into the apartment beside Hangyul's house, the boy's mother had given him sticky rice cakes as a welcoming gift. She made it herself, she told him proudly after telling him that his son probably needs an english tutor and maybe Seungyoun knows someone who can help her. Seungyoun could still remember how nice she was to him and Hangyul being a little shit. As she handed Seungyoun the plate of sticky rice cakes, Hangyul ran out of their house wailing about how much he likes to eat one.
"You already ate a lot a while ago." She whispers to him calmly, but not giving in to his son's request. "But I want more." Hangyul replied, reaching his hands to the plate. She doesn't seem like the type to get mad but she was really getting shy in front of Seungyoun. Especially after telling Seungyoun that her son is a good child, but definitely that wasn't the case that moment.
"What's your name?" Seungyoun asked, smiling as he meets the boy's eyes. "Hangyul." The boy replied, his eyes wide and voice sounding like it's starting to crack as he approaches his youth. "Nice to meet you, Hangyul. My name is Seungyoun. You can call me Seungyoun hyung." then, he took one rice cake and handed it to Hangyul.
Probably Hangyul's only a few inches shorter than him when he used to be just around his shoulder. His voice cracking from time to time is also gone. Seungyoun laughed to himself, he forgot boys don't stay as boys for the rest of their lives, they grow to become men. That's just what happened to Hangyul.