Chapter 19
I didn’t even make eye contact as I scanned my student ID at the kiosk. Grabbing my tray, I walked toward the serving line, and Ryu Eun-seok immediately followed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him taking side dishes. Had he not eaten dinner yet?
I didn’t bother asking. Whether he ate or not was none of my business. Without glancing to the side even once, I moved to an empty window seat.
Ryu Eun-seok followed all the way and brazenly took the seat directly across from me. He really didn’t want to eat alone, it seemed. His large frame blocked the view ahead, making it feel cramped, but I didn’t say a word.
I didn’t want to get involved.
Even though we were in the same year, we hadn’t exchanged more than a few words since enrolling. Honestly, it was surprising that Ryu Eun-seok had even remembered my name after all this time.
In the meantime, I had accidentally learned his secret, been falsely accused of spreading rumors, and helped someone who couldn’t eat alone. We weren’t particularly close, yet I was already this entangled.
So now it was time to return to normal. Whether Ryu Eun-seok decided to go alone or not was his business. I had no obligation to interfere.
“Sorry.”
Ryu Eun-seok finally spoke for the first time as he fiddled with his food in front of me. I was surprised he apologized, but I kept my head down and silently continued eating.
“I wasn’t trying to tease you or make things difficult.”
He had now fully put down his utensils.
“Well, Joo Seung-jae hyung tends to flirt with anyone, and today he was doing the same thing, so it was a bit annoying…”
“The faster I ate, the more flustered Ryu Eun-seok’s excuses became.”
“No, I didn’t mean anyone in general—I just thought you might get hurt, so I wanted to help in advance.”
Ryu Eun-seok’s voice gradually drew inward. He cleared his throat and continued.
“You handled things smartly on your own, but earlier I didn’t think of that and intervened. Sorry.”
I finished my meal, having emptied about half of the cabbage soybean paste soup. For the first time, my gaze rose to Ryu Eun-seok.
“You don’t need to apologize to me.”
At my firm response, his broad shoulders twitched.
“Why care about something like that between us? Don’t worry about it.”
Even though I mentioned wounds I hadn’t received, it seemed Ryu Eun-seok was the one feeling upset. The corner of his mouth drooped slightly.
“Why do you say we’re not anything? We’re in the same year in the same department, and also…”
He busily tried to find a phrase to define our relationship.
“Yeah, we’re classmates in the same department, and…”
But Ryu Eun-seok repeated the same words like a broken radio. I didn’t reply and left my seat.
“We even ate together.”
Ryu Eun-seok followed, carrying the tray he hadn’t touched much, and added gruffly.
“Thank you for the meal.”
I returned my tray at the return station and poured the cold plum tea from dessert into a paper cup. Then I passed Ryu Eun-seok without a word.
“Hey, Sang-hee.”
Ryu Eun-seok called me by dropping my last name again. Earlier, it had been to show off in front of Joo Seung-jae, pretending to be close to me, but now I had no idea what his purpose was.
Still, my feet stopped on their own, so it had some effect. Ryu Eun-seok eventually caught up to my side.
“I won’t act rudely like that again. So, calm down.”
Ryu Eun-seok and I weren’t anything. Even he couldn’t define us beyond being classmates in the same department.
What happened earlier today couldn’t even be called a quarrel. That term could only be used among people like Ryu Eun-seok and Park Tae-hyun, who were originally close.
But the man was clinging excessively, trying to apologize to me.
“Why are you going to such lengths?”
I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and asked. A faint flush appeared along the edge of Ryu Eun-seok’s cheekbones.
“No, it’s just… I made you feel bad, so I feel really sorry and I wanted you to calm down—.”
“Are you that scared of eating alone?”
Ryu Eun-seok looked down at me, speechless. Whether he was struck at the heart of it or had some other reason, he couldn’t reply.
I left him standing there and stepped onto the east staircase. Ryu Eun-seok still looked anxious, as if he had more to say, and hurriedly followed behind me.
But the east wing of the dorm was reserved for female students only. He wasn’t allowed in.
“How far are you going to follow me?”
When I stopped and asked, he finally seemed to realize where he was going.
With an awkward expression, he went down the stairs and watched me leave.
Today, Ryu Eun-seok didn’t look pitiful at all.
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