A/N: It's been too long since I updated this, so here is an unedited, drama filled chapter that low key probably makes no sense.
Mina had never in her whole life seen someone who looked more out of place than Im Nayeon in the moments following her exit from the bathrooms. Mina hadn't meant to snoop, but something just didn't sit right with her as she walked down the hall to her next tutorial, spotting Nayeon strutting out of the public bathroom just ahead. Mina took the liberty of ducking into a nearby classroom to spy out of a crack between the door and its frame.
It had been a while since she felt such a sense of adventure. She probably hadn't been so thrilled since her days of skipping class in high school... which was a long time ago, and not a time of her life that she was exactly proud of.
Mina held in her laughter as she watched Nayeon straighten the collar of her polka dotted shirt and peer – almost comically – down each end of the hall. She was wearing her glasses again (she was always wearing them these days... she must be really stressed) and as she bent her body to glare at every door in sight, she pulled down the glasses so that they rested on the very edge of her nose and she could look over the rims.
She looked so ridiculous, that Mina had to physically cover her mouth to prevent herself from giggling out loud.
What the hell was she doing? It was almost as if she was hiding something...
After a few more seconds of exaggerated scanning, Nayeon pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and then lifted an arm to cough unnecessarily loud into her elbow. The sound echoed.
Nayeon's strange behaviour made sense in the next moment when a second head poked out of the bathroom.
Mina lowered her hand and the initial laughter died in her throat.
Her reaction might have been different if she had seen another colleague step out into the hall to take Nayeon's hand. If someone like Kim Namjoon or maybe even Kim Chungha it would have been funny. A workplace shenanigan or something of the sort. After all, what else would you do in the bathroom just before classes began?
But neither of the suggested professors stepped out of that bathroom.
"Quick let's go." Nayeon spoke, holding her hand out.
"We'll get caught if I hold your hand." Chou Tzuyu said, unironically taking her professor's hand anyway.
Nayeon just smiled at her, a look in her eyes that made Mina's stomach churn.
"Just until we reach the end of the hall. I'll miss you after class, so think of this as my goodbye."
"I'm still annoyed you decided to hold a catch-up tutorial after five... I was going to take you back to my house and show you Gucci."
"I know, baby." Nayeon cooed, taking Tzuyu's other hand and once again glancing around before planting a kiss right on the corner of her mouth, standing on her tiptoes and squeezing her eyes shut as she did so.
Mina's lower jaw was on the floor.
"I'm sorry. Can I come see Gucci on the weekend? I don't have anything planned for Saturday..." Her voice was so... cute? Mina almost gagged at the sweetness laced in with her words, but the look on Tzuyu's face was only one of complete adoration.
"I'd love it if you could come." She spoke quietly, a blush forming on her cheeks as she looked down at Nayeon's radiant smile.
"Alright, sweetie, we've really got to go now." Nayeon took a step back, letting her hand catch on Tzuyu's as she stepped away.
Mina ducked further behind the door as the two walked past her, her chest rising and falling and her head buzzing with adrenaline.
What the hell was Nayeon doing?
***
Tzuyu's heart felt full as she watched Nayeon from the back of the lecture hall. She still felt flushed from their escapade to the staff bathroom an hour ago and it was impossible to pay attention to the content when her professor – no she had to stop thinking of her like that... it was too weird – when Nayeon was looking so good with her hair in a ponytail and her glasses and her beautiful full lips painted red... The same lips Tzuyu had tasted only moments before...
She shook her head for the nth time, trying to rid herself of the invasive thoughts and instead started to think of how she was going to look after Nayeon at her apartment on Saturday if she had time to come. She leaned her head to rest against her hand and let her thoughts wander.
She was obviously going to show her Gucci. Her chihuahua she had adopted upon her arrival in Korea. She still wasn't exactly sure if her complex allowed pets... but nobody had called her out yet, so she assumed it was fine. She had even bought him a funny suit outfit that she thought might make Nayeon laugh when she saw it.
She wondered if Nayeon would be okay with eating delivery food... she didn't have enough money for anything else – her only source of income being the monthly sums sent to her bank account by her parents in order to pay her bills and buy her food. She knew that Nayeon loved to eat tteokbokki and samgyeopsal... where would she find a place that sold that? She was used to eating her 2-minute ramen and convenience store kimbap... but she wanted to make a really good first impression...
Tzuyu's thoughts and scenarios played out until class was over, and after sharing a secret smile with Nayeon across the room (one that made her feel slightly euphoric), she stood, packing her things and walked toward the exit.
It wasn't long before Tzuyu's good mood was shattered.
"Chou."
It was Sana.
Tzuyu turned to see her, standing at the exit, her arms folded and her expression dark. It had been a while since she had decided to bully Tzuyu now that Nayeon had been sticking up for her whenever she dared open her mouth or look in Tzuyu's direction, but Tzuyu had never seen such an expression on Sana's face before.
Her eyelids drooped, her eyes were bloodshot and the skin around her eyes was red and blotchy. She had been crying... for a long time.
"That whole lecture went over your head I see." Sana commented. Bystanders and people still trying to exit the theatre glanced awkwardly at the pair as they performed what was similar to a classic western stand-off.
Tzuyu tensed at Sana's words.
"We could all see the way you've been looking at Professor Im." Sana smirked. Tzuyu's blood ran cold. There was a small crowd around them now.
"We're not stupid Tzuyu. Haven't you heard the rumours?"
Of course, she had. She just never thought people really believed them... had she been staring strangely? Had she smiled too widely? Had they seen them together alone? A million thoughts raced around her mind.
"I guess we just never expected sweet little Taiwanese Princess Tzuyu to be bribing the professor for good grades."
"WHAT?" Tzuyu cried out. A little bit because she was shocked that anyone would think that of her, a little because of course that's what people would think... and mostly because they knew.
She had to do something... say something.
"Funny to hear something as outrageous as that from the girl that fucks the opposing netball team's captain. If anyone's bribing for something it's you, Sana."
Tzuyu kept her expression neutral and forced the anxious tears she felt coming up behind her lids to stay dormant.
Sana's tears, however, did not hold back.
She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but her face crumpled before she could do so.
The crowd murmured.
Tzuyu had never seen Sana like this before... so vulnerable... weak... sad... out of control. Her nature told her to ask Sana if she was okay. To check that she was just luring her into a false sense of security only to open her mouth and say something degrading again.
But she didn't.
She watched for one more moment, listening to the pitiful cries Sana released with her head shamefully buried in her hands, and then she walked away.
She selfishly hoped that everyone had forgotten about what Sana had said about her. She hoped that Sana would become the talk of the university instead of her. She hoped the rumours would fly.
Then maybe she and Nayeon would be safe.