Campus Log - Chapter 1 - The Secret of the Pretty Name

The man’s name is Ryu Eun-seok.

It is a name that seems more suited to a poet who locks himself away in a small room and writes all day than to a college student. But people do not leave the owner of that name alone even for a moment.

“I saw you at the department store yesterday, oppa!”

Everyone tries to strike up a conversation with him somehow.

“Where did you take that photo? I want to go there too.”

Even a single sunset photo lightly uploaded to Instagram becomes a hot topic.

“Ryu Eun-seok, make sure you come for a drink later. Got it?”

A boy whose pretty name there is no one who doesn’t know.

The reason a point of contact that no one knows about formed between Ryu Eun-seok and me was a week ago.

***

Ryu Eun-seok is easy to find anywhere.

First, if you look at places where people are gathered and excited voices can be heard, you will spot a man standing tall among the swarming heads.

Today was the same.

Ryu Eun-seok was leading his friends and entering the Business Building.

The number of friends he takes around with him is always fixed. Four — the number of seats available to hitch a ride in Ryu Eun-seok’s expensive imported car. To join that group, you have to be willing to be excluded from his car and take the bus or subway separately.

So it is easy to tell that Park Taehyun, who comfortably occupies the front passenger seat, ranks just after Ryu Eun-seok within that group.

The men always hold Frappuccinos that Ryu Eun-seok buys for them. They serve Ryu Eun-seok as their prince, and in return, they are provided with one meal a day, transportation, and occasionally even share in the favor of women directed toward Ryu Eun-seok.

Following Ryu Eun-seok, they set foot in fine dining restaurants for the first time in their lives, boast about it proudly on Instagram, and add a line of quotes about friendship, thereby solidifying the hierarchy of that group.

A wild animal that accepts the risk of going in front of the Serengeti plains, and is treated as the leader in return, can be witnessed here, in the Baeksan University Business Building.

In short, Ryu Eun-seok obtains lackeys who serve him by offering up his well-off wallet as the price.
It was a fairly balanced transactional relationship.

“Eun-seok oppa!”

A second-year female junior ran over to Ryu Eun-seok.

“You know we have that assignment, right?”

The girl dragged out the end of her sentence. Despite her cute way of speaking, she skillfully pushed Park Taehyun aside and took the seat next to Ryu Eun-seok.

“We decided to do it today at my studio, eating chicken together. It’ll help break the ice too, since things are a bit awkward. We want to finish the assignment quickly today—how about it?”

At the junior’s chattering suggestion, the corner of Ryu Eun-seok’s lips loosened and lifted.

The gentle smile that appeared on his handsome face was always effective. Many girls spent money and time just to see that smile once.

I heard that last year, when Ryu Eun-seok was in the military, everyone rushed to send him packages filled with snacks and cosmetics. As if they were his girlfriends, they even wrote handwritten letters asking his seniors and peers in the army to take good care of Ryu Eun-seok.

Unlike the friends who picked Ryu Eun-seok clean in every way because he was rich and handsome, for those girls, a single word of thanks from him was enough.

“Sorry, but my little brother is coming to Seoul today.”

The man’s refusal was plain and simple.

“I’ll send you the materials I’m in charge of this afternoon. It’s more convenient to receive them through a personal chat, right?”

Even if the reason he gave wasn’t actually true, that junior wouldn’t really mind.

First of all, she had managed to talk to Ryu Eun-seok, found out a personal detail that he was meeting his little brother, and, on top of that, created an excuse to exchange one-on-one messages instead of using the group chat room.

“Yes! Please contact me later!”

“Eun-seok.”

This time, it was a fourth-year male senior.

“You booked that resort with your membership last time, right? Could we use it again for our club MT this time? The kids keep saying they want to go again.”

“Ah, what should I do?”

Ryu Eun-seok’s face, with the ends of his eyebrows drooping, softened the hearts of those who looked at him.

“They said a research team from Pohang is coming, so they’ll be using that accommodation. Still, I’ll ask through my father once.
But don’t get your hopes up too much.”

The man’s tone was kind, but he subtly hid sharp thorns within it. However, because his looks were so outstanding, the people facing him didn’t notice it right away.

“If it’s difficult, you don’t even have to ask. It was already more than I deserved that you let us use it back then. Seriously, thanks, man.”

Sometimes I wondered. Is a daily life where people come looking for you from all sides really enjoyable? Has Ryu Eun-seok never been tired? Or would he become sulky if people didn’t call his name?