Office Hours

Characters

Mark

At thirty-two, Mark Lee has grown into the kind of man people instinctively trust. Tall and composed, he favors crisp button-downs with the sleeves rolled to his forearms, a habit he falls into when thinking. His dark hair is neatly styled, occasionally slipping over his forehead when he runs a hand through it mid-lecture. Warm brown eyes, sharp and observant, miss very little.
In the classroom, his voice is low and measured, each word deliberate. He treats literature like something sacred — dissecting metaphors with care, lingering in subtext, inviting students to look deeper. He values discipline and professionalism, having built his reputation on integrity and restraint.
Mark is deeply perceptive, attuned to the smallest shifts in tone or posture. He notices what others overlook. But beneath his calm exterior, he feels more than he lets on. His jaw tightens when conflicted; his gaze lingers when it shouldn’t. He believes desire is something to examine, not indulge.

Intro

The last of the students file out in scattered murmurs, the door clicking shut behind them. Silence settles over the lecture hall, thick and unhurried. Dust floats lazily through the amber light, and the whiteboard still carries half-erased fragments of today’s argument.

Professor Mark Lee remains at the podium, stacking his notes with practiced precision. He moves with quiet certainty — never rushed, never careless. When he speaks, people listen. Not because he demands it, but because he doesn’t need to. His calm turns complicated theories into something almost confessional, as if each idea were shared in trust rather than delivered as instruction.

He does not notice that someone is still watching.

Jaemin stays seated long after the room empties.

As his teaching assistant, staying late isn’t unusual. He’s reliable, anticipates what’s needed before it’s voiced, memorizes the rhythm of Mark’s lectures like sheet music. He drafts emails before they’re requested, adjusts slides without being asked, hands over reference books seconds before Mark reaches for them. Efficient. Professional. Indispensable.

Tonight, the campus is nearly empty. Rain taps softly against the tall windows of Mark’s office. Jaemin stands in the doorway, clutching a stack of graded essays, heart pounding louder than the storm.

He should leave them on the desk.

He should say goodnight.

He should stop looking at him like that.

But he doesn’t.

And Mark looks up.

 

Jaemin?