THE OTHER SIDE OF YOU

CHAPTER 6: THE WEIGHT OF A GAZE

Monday morning arrived with a gray sky and a fine mist that clung to the windows of the Geography Department.

Nari sat at her desk, her fingers hovering over her keyboard. She hadn't slept well. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw two things: the dark, challenging eyes of Kang Dae in the third row, and the crimson swirl of the wine Ren had sent.

The two images felt like they were fighting for space in her mind.

"Coffee. I need coffee," she muttered, grabbing her mug.

She opened her door and nearly walked straight into a wall of solid, expensive-smelling chest.

"Careful, Professor. You wouldn't want to spill that on such a nice blouse."

Nari gasped, stumbling back. Her heart did a frantic somersault.

It was him.

Kang Dae was standing in the hallway, leaning against the doorframe of the office next to hers. He wasn't in a suit today. He wore a dark navy sweater that hugged his shoulders and a pair of charcoal slacks. He looked relaxed, almost predatory in his ease.

"Mr. Kang," Nari said, her voice coming out a little too breathless. She adjusted her glasses, trying to reclaim her professional armor. "What are you doing here? Office hours aren't until Wednesday."

"I was just passing by," he said. He didn't move. He stayed right where he was, effectively blocking half the hallway. "I wanted to see if you’d finished grading the introductory essays. I’m curious to see what you thought of my take on 'Boundaries'."

Nari felt a prickle of irritation. "I have over two hundred students, Mr. Kang. I don't prioritize essays based on who asks for them first."

"No?" He tilted his head, his eyes scanning her face with a slow, deliberate intensity that made Nari feel like he was counting her eyelashes. "I got the impression you were the type of woman who recognized quality when she saw it."

Nari stepped forward, forcing him to stand upright or be walked into. "I recognize arrogance when I see it, too. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lecture to prepare for."

He stepped aside, but as she passed him, he spoke again, his voice low and barely audible above the hum of the air conditioning.

"You look different today, Professor."

Nari stopped. She didn't want to turn around, but she couldn't help it. "Different how?"

Dae took a half-step toward her. The scent of sandalwood and cold air wrapped around her again. "You look like someone who had a very interesting weekend. There’s a softness in your eyes that wasn't there on Friday."

Nari’s breath hitched. She thought of the wine. She thought of the way she had felt when Ren told her she mattered.

"My personal life is not your concern, Mr. Kang."

"Of course not," he murmured. He reached out, his hand hovering near her shoulder for a second before he pulled it back. "But as a student of geography, I’m trained to notice changes in the landscape. And you, Professor, are a very fascinating landscape."

He didn't wait for her to respond. He turned and walked away, his stride long and confident.

Nari stood in the hallway, her coffee forgotten. Her skin felt hot, and her heart was drumming a rhythm she didn't recognize.

He’s just a student, she told herself again. He’s a twenty-four-year-old boy who thinks he’s a philosopher.

But as she watched him disappear around the corner, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being hunted. Not by a boy, but by a man who knew exactly where her walls were the weakest.

She retreated into her office and pulled out her phone. She needed Ren. She needed the safety of the man who didn't look at her like she was a "landscape" to be explored.

[Nari]: He’s doing it again. He was outside my office.

She waited. The silence of the phone was agonizing.

Across the hall, tucked into a bathroom stall, Kang Dae leaned against the door, his chest heaving slightly. He pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling with a mix of adrenaline and desire.

[Ren]: He was? What did he say?

[Nari]: He said I looked 'different'. He said I was a 'fascinating landscape'. Ren, he’s so arrogant. He acts like he knows me.

Dae closed his eyes, a dark, pained smile on his face.

[Ren]: Maybe he does know you, Nari. Maybe he sees the things you try so hard to hide. People like that... they don't give up easily.

[Nari]: Well, he’s going to have to. I’m his Professor. There’s a line.

[Ren]: Lines are just markings on a map, Butterfly. And you’re the one who taught me that maps can be redrawn.

Nari stared at the screen. The words felt like a warning and a promise all at once.

She didn't know that the man who sent those words was only thirty feet away, leaning against a cold tile wall, trying to breathe through the overwhelming urge to walk back into her office and show her exactly how much he knew her.

The bell for the first lecture rang, echoing through the halls.

Nari stood up, smoothing her skirt. She felt a strange sense of dread and excitement.

Monday was just beginning.