Work Text:
“The law of diminishing marginal utility states that, with all things held constant, as a person consumes more of a product, there is a decline in the additional satisfaction a person derives from consuming one additional unit of production or marginal utility. Continual consumption will at some point result in negative incremental satisfaction.”
Professor Kim points his laser pen at the PowerPoint with a visual of a graph on the huge whiteboard.
“In simpler terms, as more and more quantity of a commodity is consumed, the intensity of desire decreases and also the utility derived from the additional unit.”
Sehun caught Professor Zhang eyeing Professor Kim for a split second when the latter mentioned the intensity of desire a while ago. The way Professor Zhang looked at Professor Kim when he said the word desire you would have thought that it has a double meaning. Sehun wants to shout at them ‘get a room you two!’
Professor Kim teaches Economics 101: The Fundamental Principles of Economics and Professor Zhang invites him as a guest lecturer for his International Economics Class. According to Professor Zhang, the class needs a refresher on the fundamentals that's why he invited the great Professor Kim who has the most brilliant mind in the entire faculty. This is not the first time that Professor Zhang invited someone to be a guest lecturer but something about the interactions between these two professors looks suspicious. They’re currently standing on opposite sides of the platform in front of the whole class but Sehun can feel that there’s something more between them other than just colleagues.
“Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility is considered to be useful in production activities, but cannot be applied universally in all production scenarios. It becomes a constraint in cases where products are less natural. ” Professor Zhang counters.
“Furthermore, since the law assumes that the thing remains constant. The law is restricted to the satisfaction of a single want at a point in time. However, in reality, a man has to satisfy many wants at a point in time.”
Professor Zhang has that mischievous glint on his face. His dimpled smile, which makes students swoon, is deepening than usual. While Professor Kim, who's usually always in calm and collected manner looks flustered. A blush formed on his cheeks.
Sehun fiddles with his pen as he watches the two professors engage in an intellectual banter.
Professor Kim actually blushed! Is he the only one noticing this?
"Can't you feel the sexual tension?" he turns to his seatmate slash boyfriend, Jongin.
Jongin gapes at him, "I'm sorry, what?"
"Those two are clearly fucking each other," Sehun says nonchalantly.
“Oh my god, Shut up Sehun. We’re in class for god’s sake.” Jongin scowls in Sehun's direction. There's an evident scandalized look on his face.
It was hard to imagine that those two professors are dating each other. Both are good looking and great teachers but Professor Kim, with his perfectly coiffed hair and his consistently polished outfit, is sort of a hard-ass, he's like a tyrant in class, ready to call out people. It's considered as an achievement to get an A or a perfect score in his class.
Professor Kim also remembers everyone's name and calls the students by their surnames. There was a time when Sehun was called for recitation, to explain the graph on the board. Thankfully he was paying attention in class at that time but still, his hands were shaking for a bit because Professor Kim was watching him intently with scrutiny while Sehun was trying his best to interpret the supply and demand shifts.
On other hand, Professor Zhang has a reputation for being approachable and laid back, he's like everyone's favorite econ prof maybe because of his kind eyes and dimpled smile and his lectures are always lively. Sehun may have had a bit of a crush on him during the first few weeks of the class before he started dating Jongin. Even Jongin admitted that he also had a crush on Professor Zhang. You can't blame them, Professor Zhang is handsome as fuck, a total dreamboat – maybe that's why no one is ever late for his class no matter how early in the morning it is.
Yeah, it was hard to imagine those two professors dating at first. But seeing them together now, trying to conceal their flirting and affection through their intellectual banters and challenging gaze at each other. It clicks in Sehun's brain that they are definitely together. And they look really good together damn It all makes sense why Professor Zhang always evades the personal questions regarding his dating life whenever the students jokingly ask him when they have spare time in class. He’s in a secret romance with another Professor and they don’t want anyone to find out.
Sehun feels torn, the romantic in him feels giddy at the taught of the thrilling romance of their Professors, and at the same time the mischief maker in him wanted to confront Professor Zhang and tell him that he knows his secret and maybe blackmail him a little to give him a higher grade in the class in exchange of keeping his secret – just a thought but of course, he would not do that, he’ll just watch in the sidelines and cheer for them while having fun with his own boyfriend when he wins the bet that he’ll propose, which he confidently thinks he will.
"Aren't you paying attention in class? I'm 100% sure today's discussion will appear in the exam. That's why I'm taking notes. The lecture today is very important. Why else would Professor Zhang invite Professor Kim to his Class as a guest lecturer?"
Jongin types on his laptop. Typing whatever Professor Kim is saying about Utility Maximization and how to calculate the Marginal Utility formula. Professor Zhang backs him up by giving an example, of how developing countries utilize their government expenditures and how it sometimes leads to corruption.
"And I'm also 100% sure that Professor Zhang and Professor Kim are dating. Wanna bet?"
"Get a grip. I'm pretty sure they're both straight. They got that heterosexual vibe."
"Heterosexual vibe?" Sehun almost chokes from disbelief. He scoffs, "Oh babe, you and your poor poor gaydar."
Sehun leans into Jongin's ear, "Whoever loses will do what the winner wants in bed. For 2 weeks. No questions asked. You in?"
Jongin hesitates but eventually gives in, 'the 2 weeks no questions asked in bed' prize sounds very tempting,
"Ok, I'm in." Jongin nods.
"Mr. Kim, care to share what you're discussing with Mr. Oh back there?" Professor Kim calls Jongin out.
Everyone in the room is looking at Jongin.
Jongin shoots Sehun a deadly gaze and mouths ‘you little shit’ before answering Professor Kim's question.
Sehun just snickers at the side, oh I’ll win this bet for sure.
📚
Today’s class with Professor Zhang is via Zoom. Which is favorable for Sehun since he just woke up 10 minutes ago. The lecture starts as usual on time with Professor Zhang discussing their topic for the day: International Trade between countries.
He usually turns on a virtual background but for today he did not or maybe he forgot? The Class can see the background of what looks like a room in Professor Zhang’s house. The cozy interior with a huge bookshelf beside a black leather loveseat.
Sehun's nosy self is on! He tries to squint because there’s a picture on a frame of two people hugging each other on top of the coffee table near the loveseat. He’s trying to see if it’s Professor Zhang and Professor Kim but turns out he didn’t need to squint at all! because lo and behold, there’s suddenly a man with NO shirt on walking into the background. The man sits on the black leather loveseat behind Professor Zhang.
Oh my god.
It’s Professor Kim.
Sehun shouldn't be surprised to see Professor Kim there, since that's exactly what he bet on. But he was still surprised.
He’s not wearing his glasses and he looked ripped with his abs showing for everyone to feast their eyes on or more like for Professor Zhang to feast on. Who would have taught that those solid abs are underneath the usual polished buttoned-up and sometimes, dorky sweater vest of strict and tight-laced Professor Kim? Professor Zhang sure is a lucky guy.
Since all their cameras are turned on, Sehun can see the class' stunned expression, especially Jongin, whose mouth is gaping at the screen. He immediately sends a text to him to gloat.
To: nini babe 🐻
I WIN!!!!!
loser gets to do whatever the winner wants in bed for 2 weeks!!!
get ready u loserrrr 🤪
All their mics are off, except for Professor Zhang still going on with his lecture. Sehun was able to catch Professor Zhang's left hand appearing on the screen with a silver band on his ring finger – so perhaps the couple only wears their ring at home? – one thing crossed his mind, Are Professor Zhang and Professor Kim, married? Are they secretly married???
Well technically, it's not a secret now since everyone in the class saw Professor Kim in the background.
And it seems like Professor Kim is still not aware that he was being captured by the camera from Professor Zhang's computer with the way he's lazily sitting on the loveseat with no shirt on while playing with a cat.
Sehun recognizes that orange cat.
That's Professor Zhang's cat. He once saw a picture of his cat on his desk in the faculty room when he submitted a research paper a few weeks ago.
To save the Professors from further embarrassment, Sehun unmutes himself and raises his hand,
Professor Zhang notices him,
"Yes, Sehun? do you have any questions?"
"Uh I don't have any questions Sir but I think you should tell Professor Kim to put a shirt on?"
Professor Zhang freezes for a moment before turning his head in Professor Kim's direction. He frantically turned off the video but apparently, he forgot to turn off the audio because Sehun can hear their conversation which means the entire class can also hear,
"Bunbun, I'm having a Class right now. You're showing in the background, my students saw you… with no shirt on."
Professor Zhang calls Professor Kim, Bunbun!!! That is so cute! Sehun almost squeals like a fanboy.
"Oh my god I'm sorry I didn't notice. I'm wearing earphones while playing with our son."
"I'm sorry I didn't notice also."
"What are we going to do? For sure the students will spread this like wildfire. Do you think we should officially tell everyone that we're married?"
"Let's talk about this later after my class."
"Ok, love."
"And put a shirt on."
"No, I'll go back to bed. Join me after your class? And let’s disprove the law of diminishing marginal utility?" Seems like Professor Kim is teasing Professor Zhang? Sehun shakes his head and cringe, this couple even does their sexy talk in an intellectual manner.
"You’re so naughty, bunbun. But ok I will, you know I can’t resist you."
"I'll wait for you ."
"Don't start without me."
“I wouldn’t dare.” Professor Kim’s giggles can be heard in the audio. Never in Sehun’s entire stay at the University has he heard Professor Kim giggle like a schoolgirl. He didn’t even dare to imagine but now the mental image of Professor Kim giggling like a schoolgirl will be etched in his mind which unfortunately will distract him when he bumps into Professor Kim the next day in the University library. He can’t help but laugh.
Professor Zhang turns the camera back on. This time, Professor Kim is not in the background anymore.
Sehun smiles triumphantly from his landslide victory to his bet with Jongin. He can see his classmates also smiling playfully at the screen.
Professor Zhang turns red realizing that the students overheard his conversation with Professor Kim. He hides his face behind the palm of his hands.
"Oh no, I forgot to mute the audio, didn't I?"