at all costs︱𝐉𝐉𝐊

║ 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬

┏━━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━━┓

Jieun was late. So very late—she realized as she slammed her old grey sedan's door shut in a hurry. 

Of all days, she just had to pick the first day of the new semester? What kind of exemplary teacher was she for missing her alarm on important days like that? 

Her best friend would say that it was fine, but only because Yoo Inna was the type of teacher that always took her time. She would sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee no matter how late she was. The school could be burning to the ground for all she cared.

Not Jieun, though.

But the anatomy professor did have good reasons to give for her lateness. Insomnia was the main cause of it. Anyone who had gone through what she had these last few months would be having a hard time as well. Still, it was uncharacteristic of her, and if she ever got called out for doing something unprofessional, she would rather quit her job and move elsewhere. 

The door was pushed open by her to the main Hall where the majority of her classes took place. She was saddened by the undergoing renovations last semester, which caused her to be relocated to the spare classrooms. Luckily, she was back in her office—hooray for small miracles.

With a quick glance at her white smartwatch around her wrist, Jieun clucked her tongue, doing some quick mental calculations. If she skipped her usual morning ritual of grabbing a cup of her favorite Blonde Vanilla Latte, didn't stop to speak to any professor her way, and avoided the hundreds of emails she knew were waiting for her, then she could make it to class almost on time.

Jieun knew she was being a bit irrational. What student would complain about missing a couple of minutes without a lecture? Well, maybe not them, but the tenure board obviously would. If they saw even the smallest slip-up, the tiniest fuck up, no matter what it was, it could spell bad news. 

Jieun refused to handle more drama in her life, especially after what her ex-fiancé did to her. Spending every waking moment till bedtime since January thinking of him was enough. It was time for her to start fresh. And as long as she held onto those bitter thoughts about the man that left her standing at the altar in her perfect white dress in front of all her family and friends, that fresh start would come sooner than later.  

Ahead of her at the end of the hallway, the elevator doors were sliding closed, and Jieun sucked in a breath. "Hold the elevator, please!"

Whoever was inside placed a hand between the sliding doors and jarred them back. The professor breathed a sigh of relief as she hurried into the car—directly into the very person she had asked to hold the door open. 

Jieun didn't expect them to be standing so close, so she awkwardly stepped back. "Sorry."

"It's fine," the person said in a deep but soft voice that pulled her attention up to his height. "Are you okay?"