Lee Hansol had never believed in love at first sight. Not once, not for a single moment — not until the afternoon he crossed the campus and laid eyes on the man of his dreams.
He grabbed his friend by the sleeve and demanded to know who the handsome man was, only to learn that he was Professor Bae Minjun, who taught in the architecture department. In those few seconds, Hansol realised he had fallen completely. From head to toe, Professor Bae was exactly his type.
His friend tried quickly to stop him, warning that although the professor was incredibly handsome, he was also extremely strict and hopelessly old-fashioned. Plenty of engineering students had enrolled in his classes just to admire him, and every single one of them had regretted it.
Of course, Hansol ignored the warning. His ideal man was standing only a few steps away, and there was no way he was letting this chance slip by. He would brave any hardship for him — cross a desert, climb the tallest tower, whatever it took. To get closer to him, he transferred into the architecture department, saying goodbye to his friend, because from now on he would be far too busy trying to win over the man of his dreams.
At Professor Bae's office, Hansol introduced himself as a new architecture student. The professor said he appreciated his enthusiasm, then pointed out that his brightly coloured hair and ripped jeans were inappropriate for the department.
That very afternoon, Hansol dyed his hair black, doing it himself to save money. Unfortunately, he ended up staining his hands with the dye — a rookie mistake.
Later, he ran into Professor Bae in the hallway and proudly showed off his newly dyed hair and his patched-up trousers. Instead of complimenting him, however, the professor noticed his stained hands and assumed they were simply dirty. He warned Hansol that poor hygiene could make him sick, and advised him to wash his hands more often.
That weekend, several students were sitting together when the intimidating Professor Bae unexpectedly appeared. Everyone else grew uncomfortable, but Hansol was thrilled to see him. The professor even sat down beside them and brought everyone bottles of black garlic juice, insisting they should start taking care of their health while they were still young. The drink looked terrible, and probably smelled worse, but because Professor Bae was watching him, Hansol forced himself to swallow it anyway.
One morning, despite running as fast as he could, Hansol arrived exactly one minute late to class. The professor shut the door in his face and refused to let him in, declaring that students who lacked punctuality lost the right to attend his lectures — even if they were only a minute late.
A few days later, Hansol went to the professor's office to complain about his terrible grades. Professor Bae calmly explained exactly why his assignments deserved such low marks, point by point.
By the next day, Hansol was exhausted. No matter how hard he tried to impress Professor Bae, he did not seem any closer to winning the man's approval. His friend reminded him that he had warned him from the very beginning, and asked whether he was planning to switch majors again. But Hansol refused to give up after everything he had sacrificed.
Instead, he marched straight to the professor's apartment, determined not to leave until they finally settled things.
Professor Bae answered the door in a bathrobe, wondering aloud who could possibly be making such a racket at that hour. The moment Hansol saw him, he grabbed hold of the robe and poured out everything he had been holding back. He confessed that he had changed majors, dyed his hair, changed the way he dressed, worked tirelessly on every assignment, and even defended the professor whenever people criticised him — all because he had fallen deeply in love.
Now that he had finally reached his limit, he said, he at least wanted some kind of reward.
Before the professor could react, Hansol kissed him.
Completely stunned, Professor Bae pulled away, convinced this had to be some kind of joke. But Hansol insisted he was completely serious. He even warned that if the professor kept dismissing his feelings, he would come back every single night until he got what he wanted.
Eventually, Professor Bae gave in. Realising that Hansol would not back down, he decided to teach his stubborn student a lesson about respecting his professor.
The following morning, Hansol woke up confused, struggling to remember what had happened after all the drinking the night before. He assumed the professor would never want to see him again. Instead, Professor Bae scolded him for sleeping until after lunchtime.
When Hansol tried to explain himself, the professor interrupted. Since they had crossed a line together, he said, he intended to take full responsibility. As the older adult, he believed it was his duty to do so. Since Hansol had risked everything for him, he would do his part as well.
In other words, he was proposing that they officially become a couple.
Hansol was shocked. He had expected anger, not a confession. The professor's personality was difficult to deal with, but none of that mattered anymore. The man of his dreams had accepted him, and Hansol happily threw his arms around him.
Later, Professor Bae prepared a large, healthy meal for the two of them. Hansol was not fond of beans, and joked that even with such a healthy diet, the professor probably would not live to two hundred — though ninety seemed realistic.
The professor insisted that spinach was full of nutrients, and told Hansol that from now on he had to eat balanced meals. Then he bombarded him with questions about his future career, his hobbies, his finances and his long-term plans, so that they could start planning their future together.
Laughing, Hansol gently stopped him. Since this was the professor's first relationship, he told him there was no need to rush everything. They would build their future together naturally, one step at a time.
Professor Bae agreed that perhaps a more modern approach to dating was not such a bad idea. Curious about how young people dated these days, he let Hansol take him to a photo booth. There, Hansol excitedly put animal-ear headbands on him. The professor refused at first, insisting he had only ever taken formal studio portraits, but before long the two of them were snapping all kinds of silly photos together. Each of them kept a copy as a precious memory of their first date.
Unfortunately, the professor had to leave to deal with some paperwork. Even so, Hansol thought their first date had been perfect.
Later, he excitedly told his friend everything. His friend was not worried that Hansol was dating an older man, or his own professor, or that their relationship was forbidden. He was only concerned about whether Hansol could survive Professor Bae's difficult personality.
Soon after, Professor Bae called him. At first Hansol thought he was only checking in — then the professor appeared in person. His friend immediately greeted him politely, and the professor pulled Hansol into a quiet alley.
With a jealous expression, Professor Bae demanded to know why Hansol was out drinking with another man so late at night. Hansol explained that he was only having drinks with a friend, and that it was barely ten o'clock, but the professor reminded him how reckless he became whenever he drank. He also pointed out that drinking so often was not healthy, and told him to quit.
Hansol refused, arguing that if he stopped drinking, his friends would leave him out. The professor calmly replied that if that ever happened, he would stay by Hansol's side instead. He promised to do everything Hansol's friends did for him, and more.
Finding the offer surprisingly tempting, Hansol agreed to stop drinking — but only if they spent more time together. Otherwise, he would start again.
Professor Bae accepted the deal on one condition. After ten o'clock at night, Hansol had to be with him. His new curfew began at ten p.m.
Back at the professor's apartment, Hansol discovered a book about healthy relationships and how to be a good boyfriend. The professor admitted he had bought it because books could teach things that experience had not taught him yet. Hansol teased him, saying that being a good boyfriend was simple: you just had to show your partner love every single day.
Later that night, Hansol was completely exhausted and ready to sleep. But the professor reminded him that they still had things to do before bed.
The next morning, Professor Bae headed out for his usual run and announced that Hansol would be joining him from now on. Hansol could barely keep up. Before they had even finished warming up, he was out of breath and unable to take another step. Running at six in the morning was torture.
The professor could not believe someone so young had such poor stamina. Deciding that Hansol needed to improve, he cheerfully announced that they only had two more laps to go.
By the time they finished, Hansol was even more exhausted than he had been the previous night. He was so worn out that he declared there was no way he could make it to class, and joked that he would simply lie on a nearby bench until sunset — unless some kind soul was willing to carry him on their back.