Campus Log - Chapter 29

Amidst the silence, only Ryu Eun-seok’s voice jutted out sharply.

“Did she say she wanted to do it first? Or did Sang-hee secretly become a sports prodigy without me knowing?”

Ryu Eun-seok was staring intently at Kim Do-wan. A faint smile sat on his lips as usual, but no warmth could be found in his firmly fixed gaze.

“Since when have you become Sang-hee’s spokesperson, Do-wan hyung?”

“No, no, it’s not like that. If she really doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have to. No one’s forcing her. It’s a sports event—everyone should have fun.”

Song Hyuk-jun raised his voice, conscious of the chilly temperature inside the tent.

“So, when did you two get so close?”

But Kim Do-wan showed no intention of defusing the tension.

“I heard rumors you’ve been fighting with Tae-hyun lately, and now you’re hanging around with Hong Sang-hee? Don’t tell me you two are dating?”

Kim Do-wan let out a frivolous laugh, looking quite different from the cowering attitude he had shown in front of the cabinet ten days ago. Probably for similar reasons that Park Tae-hyun’s group started looking down on Ryu Eun-seok.

“Hyung.”

A sigh-like sound escaped from between Ryu Eun-seok’s lips. Judging by the twisted angle of his mouth, it was clearly a scoff.

“You’re twenty-seven years old, and you’re playing school bully games in college?”

“What did you say?”

Kim Do-wan pushed his way through the chairs and strode toward Ryu Eun-seok.

“Hey, you have some nerve talking to a senior like that—”

“I’ll do it.”

I spoke up bravely. But my voice didn’t reach Ryu Eun-seok and Kim Do-wan. Only the department representative right in front heard my small voice.

“Huh? Sang-hee says she’ll do it?”

Fortunately, Song Hyuk-jun had a strong enough voice to lead a group. At his booming call, the attention that had been fixed on the two men shifted toward me.

“Yeah, okay, sure. I’ll put your name down as the third runner. Hey, really, thanks. I won’t forget this favor.”

The department representative hurried off to the headquarters before I could change my mind. Only then did a soft murmur begin to spread through the previously quiet tent.

“Sang-hee made a big decision. Let’s see how well you do later.”

Kim Do-wan, who had been grabbing Ryu Eun-seok’s collar a moment ago, quickly regained his composure and slowly clapped his hands. I put on an expressionless mask and looked down at my phone. Nothing calmed the mind as well as panda photos.

Ryu Eun-seok sat down next to me. But I didn’t lift my head.

I know he tried to help me. He noticed I was cornered and immediately spoke up in my defense. Without caring about anyone’s gaze. Risking not only his relationship with Park Tae-hyun but potentially ruining others as well.

When I imagined how stupid my face must have looked from where he stood, I felt awkward and ashamed.

I wanted to hide somewhere. I wanted to be alone somewhere, away from him.

And I regretted volunteering for the relay. If I had just stayed quiet, I could have escaped the trouble with Ryu Eun-seok’s help. It felt pathetic that, despite his extended hand, I had fallen for Kim Do-wan’s trick, unable to suppress my momentary frustration.

And… I was grateful.

While I wanted to crush Kim Do-wan’s nose, I also didn’t want to make things more difficult for Ryu Eun-seok out of gratitude. I didn’t want his relationships damaged because of me.

He already didn’t like eating alone. Adding a few more enemies might not hurt his popularity, but having seen how happy he looked among friends, I couldn’t let him get caught up in conflict.

“If you don’t want to, you can say so, even now.”

Ryu Eun-seok’s low voice flowed into my ear. My fingertips, which had been swiping through panda photos, twitched.

“I’ll talk to Hyuk-jun. It won’t be hard to find someone else.”

Though no one volunteered for the sponsored goods the department representative offered, there’d be a truckload of girls blinded by Ryu Eun-seok’s gentle smile. So I could pretend not to know and dump all this troublesome aftermath onto him.

But the psychological warfare with Kim Do-wan is undeniably my own battle. It’s a grudge I decided to take on myself when I made the choice to leave the senior’s name off the first slide of the presentation just before it went live.

Since I’ll have to face that annoying guy at least until this year, I couldn’t let the ball be passed to someone else’s hands.

“I can run a little.”

Believe it or not, I even got scouted for the track team in elementary school. I never once worried about my physical education grades throughout my school years.

“You’re the fourth runner?”

At my question, Ryu Eun-seok quietly nodded.

“Just receive the baton from me well. Don’t worry.”

I met his fresh, clear eyes for a moment before dropping my gaze back to the panda on the screen.

I could feel a steady gaze fixed on me from right beside me. As if I’d suddenly developed a pollen allergy, my skin tingled and the tip of my nose itched. I wanted to sneeze, clear and strong.

The flush of heat that should have come when everyone’s eyes were on me earlier finally settled on my cheekbones now.

After the basketball and soccer finals, even the tug-of-war ended, and finally, it was time for the last event—the relay.

The Business and Economics departments were neck-and-neck for the lead, and even a collision had occurred outside the field between students whose eyes were red with the desire to win.