Campus Log - Chapter 18

I looked up to see Ryu Eun-seok, his black cap pulled low, staring intently at the guy. His lips were pressed together in a straight line, looking somewhat displeased.

Soon, his sharp eyes shifted to my face.

“Hi.”

It had been a long time since such a warm greeting, and I missed the chance to respond. While I blinked blankly, Ryu Eun-seok plopped down beside me.

He twisted his body halfway to glance at the back row. His solid knee came dangerously close to brushing against my leg.

“Hello, hyung too.”

“Oh, yeah.”

The guy awkwardly returned Ryu Eun-seok’s greeting.

“Say hi. This is Joo Seung-jae hyung. One grade above us.”

Thanks to Ryu Eun-seok’s introduction, I finally learned the guy’s name. I quickly straightened my posture after awkwardly bowing my head. Since they seemed acquainted, I decided to let them talk.

“Wow, hyung, you got an A+ in Professor Kim Ki-jung’s class? Last time Woo-jin asked, you pretended not to know.”

My gaze kept drifting toward Ryu Eun-seok’s long legs. The tight space between us, almost brushing against each other, was a little distracting, and I wasn’t used to someone occupying the seat next to me.

“Oh, I just wanted to help Sang-hee a bit since she’s taking Business Ethics, as an upperclassman.”

“Sang-hee?”

Ryu Eun-seok tilted his head slightly, mimicking Joo Seung-jae’s friendly tone. I fiddled with my earlobes for no reason, feeling an odd ticklish sensation.

“You’re close with her? Since when?”

Ryu Eun-seok knew I wasn’t close to anyone, which is why he asked so directly.

“Hey, Eun-seok. Cut him some slack. Why are you acting like this when you already know?”

The friend sitting next to Joo Seung-jae chimed in with a chuckle. Joo Seung-jae ground his teeth and muttered something under his breath.

A chill ran down the back of my neck.

Only then did I realize why Joo Seung-jae had mentioned the A+ assignment materials. Although many had coveted my assignments or notes, no one had ever offered to show me theirs, so it took a moment to catch his intent.

My eyelashes flickered rapidly. I was so flustered that goosebumps ran down my spine.

“Ah.”

Ryu Eun-seok seemed to catch on too and nodded slightly.

“So that’s what you were trying with Sang-hee.”

From my neck down, my body felt icy cold, while heat surged upward. My vision blurred, and the words in the lecture slides became hard to read.

I couldn’t believe I could feel this embarrassed without doing anything.

In an instant, Joo Seung-jae quieted down, and his friend banged on the desk, letting out stifled laughter. Ryu Eun-seok stared intently at my side profile, and I clenched my fists under the desk.

“Sang-hee is close to me. If you were interested, you should have said something earlier.”

Ryu Eun-seok had been speaking casually about Sang-hee for a while, and I didn’t like it one bit. My earlobes no longer itched; instead, a simmering heat boiled in my chest.

“But Sang-hee’s already the top of our class. Just offering her materials won’t win her over.”

Who did he think he was to babble like that? I was annoyed at Joo Seung-jae for causing this situation, but I was equally displeased with Ryu Eun-seok for making a big deal out of something that could have passed quietly.

“Sang-hee is popular, huh.”

Now Ryu Eun-seok’s teasing targeted me directly. When the most famous guy at school said something like that, it only sounded like mockery.

It was his normal, everyday thing—was he implying that even someone like me gets attention? A dormant inferiority complex quietly stirred, making me uncomfortable.

Heat surged to my forehead, making my glasses feel cumbersome. I steadied my breathing and rubbed them on my T-shirt to clean them.

My gaze, fixed on the tablet, sharply shifted toward Ryu Eun-seok. The features of his face were so…

The lines of his face were so sharply defined that even with severe astigmatism, the features remained clear.

“Having fun?”

My question, tinged with irritation, slipped out in a lowered voice. Ryu Eun-seok parted his lips in surprise.

“I’m not really having fun.”

My gaze, which had been fixed on him, dropped as I put my glasses back on. The fingertips holding my tumbler trembled slightly, so I gripped it harder on purpose. The water inside sloshed.

I abandoned my usual middle-front seat and moved toward the back. I took a spot at a roughly empty desk and focused solely on my tablet.

I could feel Ryu Eun-seok’s eyes still watching me. But I didn’t lift my head even after the professor started the lecture.

***

As usual, I studied in the dormitory reading room until just before the dinner distribution ended. I went to the cafeteria as late as possible to reduce the chance of running into someone I didn’t want to see.

But my plan went awry right at the entrance.

Ryu Eun-seok was standing there, hands in his pants pockets, leaning at a slight angle.