Chapter Text
Kyung-Hee University’s Art and Design faculty had its own share of eccentricities, but none quite as enigmatic as Professor Lee Hyukjae. Cold, quiet, impeccably dressed in dark suits with high collars, he carried an aura that repelled casual interaction. He arrived exactly on time, never early, never late. He rarely spoke unless provoked by a question relevant to art theory or technique. His classroom was always silent, the only sound being the low, clipped tone of his voice and the scratching of graphite against paper.
They said he'd once been a prodigy—sculpting breathtaking busts by the age of sixteen, holding solo gallery exhibitions by nineteen. But then, he disappeared from the public eye for years. Rumors whispered of a tragic fire. Of loss. Of a man who abandoned his chisels and marble to live among the ashes.
It wasn’t until he resumed teaching that the world saw him again.
And it was on an early spring morning that he saw him—Lee Donghae.
Hyukjae was walking past the music building after a rare department meeting. Rain had just stopped, and the campus shimmered beneath a light mist. He heard soft piano notes drifting through an open window and paused. Drawn.
Inside, Donghae sat at the piano, playing “Clair de Lune.” His hands moved with grace, his profile lit by golden sunlight. His features were symmetrical, jawline smooth, lips gently parted in concentration. He had a softness Hyukjae thought no longer existed.
Time paused.
And that was the moment it began. The silent descent into obsession.