Chapter Text
Anne liked to think that she had a good head on their shoulders. It’s been a couple of years since she started living on her own, escaping the suffocating clutches of her mother. Well, technically, she wasn’t living independently. It’s unfair to ignore the loving and supportive presence of her boys in her life. Hajun and Allen had been accepting since the very beginning, despite their own personal quirks. Living with both of them was a dream come true, especially with Anne’s horrendous cooking skills.
She also has a steady job as a hostess in Club CANDY, even earning the top spot as their most popular hostess. BAE has been making waves within the rap circuits in Japan, establishing themselves as ones to watch. She’s also excelling in her university, but most specifically, in her linguistics class. However, that could be attributed to one man, Naoakira Saimon, Anne’s linguistics professor.
See, where Anne found the least success was in her dating life. Sure, she’d had boyfriends before, but none of them ever seemed to be a permanent fixture in her life. With how busy she was, she had barely any time to jump back into the dating scene, it’s been more than a year since her last relationship. It wasn’t that she was incapable of not being in a relationship, nor was she in any rush to hop into another passionate but short-lived relationship.
However, she can’t help but miss some of the benefits that come with having a boyfriend. Someone who wants to spend time with her, and satiate her carnal needs. It also isn’t lost on her about the reality of the boys that tend to be attracted to her. Most of those boys were just chasers, who wanted to experiment with Anne to their own selfish pleasures. She was tired of boys, who only wanted to be with her during the night; she'd had enough self-loathing to last a decade.
Right now, she’s happily single, but secretly ready to mingle. Besides, the view during her linguistics classes seemed to help satiate this yearning at least temporarily.
A well dressed 6’0 gentleman who was surprisingly built like a brick-house, despite his gentle demeanor plagued Anne’s sense and thoughts during her linguistics classes. A deep voice that speaks so beautifully and passionately about language, yet always in a gentle manner.
Anne tended to go with the flashier types, the ones that become the center of attention the moment that they stepped into a room.
Saimon-sensei was far from a flashy person, yet there was this quiet command of attention that he obtains when he appears. However, he was always kind to everybody that he had met. His glasses framed his face in a manner that Anne found adorable, which she later found was his phantometal accessory.
Beyond his day profession, he also ran a bar, and was a member of the unit, The Cat’s Whiskers, so Anne could see plain as day that he was a mature responsible man.
Needless to say, Anne was absolutely infatuated with her professor. Beyond her classes with him, she would have the opportunity to see him in his element on stage. That deep yet gentle voice complimenting his unit’s song styles perfectly.
She was so certain that he was the perfect man, so he probably had a perfect wife and kids to go along with him. In fact, the ring sat on his finger as a constant reminder to Anne that you can’t always get the things you want. It wasn’t until she was out with Ryuu, who surprisingly made a great friend, when her whole life changed.
“Boss got mad at me today, so I’m spending time with you today, Anne!” Ryuu pounced on her back as they made their way into a shopping district.
“What did you do Ryuu?” She asked as she indulged the pale boy with a smile on her face.
Ryuu lets go of his grip, and stands in front of her. “Nothing, I just asked why he was wearing a ring when he has no more wife.” Silence encapsulates both of them as Anne processes in her mind what Ryu just told her. Is Saimon-sensei actually single?
Anne just realized that she had stopped moving as the ambiance of a busy street and a walking Ryuu filled her senses, “How do you know he doesn’t have a wife, Ryuu?”
“Duh, cause I never met her.” Ryuu looks back at her. “Oh.”
“Careful, Anne.” She was met with Ryuu’s Cheshire smile like he knew exactly what she’s thinking of. She could only pretend everything was the same as her cheeks flushed pink at the new possibility of hope.
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The sounds of a bell ringing, and the clamoring of her classmates, who were making their way out of the room, breaks Anne from her brief reverie. She begins to fix her things to look busy, as she waits until the only inhabitants of the room are Anne and her professor.
“Sensei…” She softly calls the attention of her teacher who looked unusually distracted and almost… tired.
“Anne?” His handsome face gazes at her figure, looking deep into her eyes.
Anne tries to collect herself as she faces his gaze head on, “I saw your group perform the other day. Your group did great even if Akanyatsura technically won…”
Anne could see how those compact muscles underneath flex that formal exterior, “That’s awfully sweet of you, Anne. I’ll tell the rest of your well wishes. I wish you and the rest of the boys luck for the next round.” He flashes her a genuine smile that amplifies the fluttering of the butterflies in her stomach.
“It must be great for Ryuu and the others to be able to rely on someone as responsible as you.”
“See, now I know why you’re my favorite pupil…” He jests. “I’m always here for anyone who needs a helping hand.”
But before Anne could respond, another bell rings signifying the start of the next class. “I’m sorry for taking up your time. Goodbye, Saimon- sensei!”
“Stay safe, Anne.”
She finally exits the room as she didn’t want to overstay her welcome. The heat from her cheeks are at an all time high, and the smile on her face couldn’t be wiped at any circumstance. She leans at a nearby pillar, to briefly collect herself.
“What the hell was that?” A familiar voice questions her. She jumped at the sudden presence. Hajun Yeon’s towering figure appears, with a suspicious look in his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“Your whole pathetic conversation with Saimon- sensei.”
“You were eavesdropping?!?”
“He’s almost twice your age, Anne.” Hajun’s pink eyes seemed to see right through her.
Anne puts on a last ditch attempt at a bravado, “Hajun, envy isn’t a good look for you.” She knew that their relationship was a sore spot for Hajun, that they never talked about. They casually hooked up a few years ago, in the heat of the moment. It was undeniable that Hajun was attractive, his height and face was enough of a testament to that, and his skills in bed were nothing, but a benefit to that.
The thing was that Anne genuinely felt that they worked better as friends, so she broke it off. She guesses that the reason why it was such a sore spot for Hajun was the fact that he isn’t good with not getting what he wanted. Besides, she does love him, just not in a romantic manner.
Sensing the rising tension in their conversation, she tries to lighten up the mood, but playfully teasing her unit mate, “Anyway, I was being genuinely cordial, something you and Allen need to desperately learn, instead of being too hyper focused on your goals. People have feelings too, you know.”
“Just be careful, Anne.” Hajun leaves her alone without giving her a second glance.