On the day of the exam, Hansol completely froze. His mind was overwhelmed by terrifying thoughts. If everyone discovered their relationship, the professor would be accused of being seduced by a student, and his entire academic career could be destroyed.
As a result, Hansol performed terribly.
Professor Bae could not understand it. Hansol always participated actively in class — so how could his exam scores be so poor?
Hansol could not tell him about Joyun's threats. He simply insisted that he had done his best. More than being angry about the disappointing grades, the professor was hurt by Hansol's silence. He had expected some kind of explanation, or at least a promise to improve next time, but Hansol said nothing.
Feeling deeply disappointed, the professor walked away. Meanwhile, Hansol silently wished the professor would comfort him instead.
Later that evening, Hansol went drinking with his close friend Hunwoo and finally confessed everything that had been weighing on his heart. He refused to tell the professor, because he did not want Minjun to suffer alongside him.
Hunwoo asked what he planned to do next. Was he really going to throw away everything he had worked so hard for?
By then, Hansol did not care anymore. He just wanted to drink until he forgot all his problems.
Of course, alcohol solved nothing. As the hours passed, Hansol found himself sitting happily at the bar, feeling freer than he had in a long time. Whenever thoughts of Professor Minjun resurfaced, he simply ordered another drink to push them away.
A young man invited Hansol to join his group of friends, and, wanting to forget everything, Hansol accepted. He laughed, he danced, and he tried to enjoy himself — until he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
It was Professor Bae Minjun. Furious, he had come looking for him.
Outside the bar, the professor scolded Hansol for ignoring all of his phone calls. Passers-by even assumed they were watching a father lecturing his son, because of how young Hansol looked.
The professor demanded to know why Hansol was behaving this way after failing his exam. Hansol, however, could not help wondering whether that was the only reason the professor had come searching for him. Was he not worried because Hansol had disappeared?
Unable to hold back any longer, Hansol asked whether Minjun truly loved him, or whether they were only together because the professor felt responsible after sleeping with him.
Minjun remained silent.
Taking that silence as his answer, Hansol decided to end their relationship. He told the professor to forget everything they had shared and pretend none of it had ever happened. The professor tried to stop him so they could talk things through, but Hansol finally admitted what had been hurting him all along. He was tired of constantly being treated like a child, tired of trying to become the person Minjun wanted him to be.
With those final words, Hansol turned around and walked away without looking back.
After returning to his own home for the first time in a while, Hansol broke down in tears. He cried because Minjun had never apologised, but eventually he realised he had reached his limit. He believed he could still live a good life without the professor.
The next morning, Hansol woke up too late for their usual morning run. Then he remembered that they had broken up. Instead of sadness, he felt a strange sense of relief. From that day forward, he decided, he would stop living for someone else and start focusing on himself.
After a long time away, Hansol spent an entire day playing video games at an internet café. By the time he got hungry, he decided to treat himself to something delicious. Eating spicy food again after so long felt amazing. Ever since they had started dating, Professor Minjun had always encouraged him to eat healthily, and Hansol could not help thinking that if the professor saw him now, he would probably scold him for stuffing himself with all those addictive carbs.
Strangely enough, Hansol did not mind being scolded by him. In fact, just thinking about Minjun made him feel depressed all over again.
Meanwhile, back at the professor's apartment, Minjun could not stop replaying Hansol's final words in his mind — that he had been too strict, that he had always treated him like a child.
A few days later, going to the bar had become part of Hansol's routine. He regretted starting the habit, but he knew that if he stayed home instead, he would spend the entire day crying over the professor.
One evening, a handsome young man approached him and asked if he was alone. Since he was, the stranger invited him out for a few drinks. The man was easily one of the most attractive people Hansol had ever seen. Even so, he felt absolutely nothing. His heart was still occupied by one person, so he politely turned him down.
Just as Hansol was about to leave, the stranger stopped him, genuinely surprised that anyone would reject a guy as handsome as him. Hansol simply refused again. No matter how attractive the stranger was, all he could think about was his beloved Minjun.
Back at the university, attendance was being taken. When the professor called Hansol's name, no one answered. He had not shown up for class that day.
Although Professor Bae calmly began explaining the day's lesson, his thoughts were elsewhere. Ever since their break-up, he could not stop worrying about Hansol. He desperately hoped nothing bad had happened to him. He was so distracted that one of the students eventually pointed out he had been explaining the exact same topic twice.