Campus Log - Chapter 33

I should’ve sat in a corner from the start.

Holding back a sigh, I lifted myself from the seat. But Ryu Eun-seok, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything, pushed the steamed egg toward me.

“Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Eat this first.”

I stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether to sit back down or leave. Ryu Eun-seok, who had been grilling the meat, glanced up at me. His look seemed to say, Why are you just standing there instead of sitting down?

“Ah, Kwon Ga-ram, you really have a temper.”

Song Hyuk-jun scolded the girl while glancing at me.

“Fine, fine. Hey, just bring one empty chair here.”

When the department representative pushed a chair next to Ryu Eun-seok, Kwon Ga-ram reluctantly sat down. But she soon smiled brightly and greeted Ryu Eun-seok. Only after receiving an “it’s okay now” look from Song Hyuk-jun did my rear touch the chair again.

The round table was already full, but with the added chair, six of us were packed tightly together. Due to the cramped space, Ryu Eun-seok’s arm kept bumping into mine as he cut the meat. But I didn’t show any discomfort and stayed quietly in my spot.

For one, there was no more room to move aside. And since Ryu Eun-seok was the only one I could talk to somewhat comfortably, sticking close to him was my way of getting by.

“Oppa, who did you watch the panda with?”

Kwon Ga-ram asked pointedly as she poured and drank her cola.

“With friends?”

“With her.”

Ryu Eun-seok transferred a well-cooked slice of pork belly to my plate and nodded.

“That photo you posted on Instagram last time? You said you went with Sang-hee Noona?”

Song Hyuk-jun’s eyes widened as if they’d pop out. Whether everyone was already listening in or the department representative’s voice was just too loud, gazes came even from the tables farther away.

“Yeah. Sang-hee said she was going to see the pandas, and I wanted to see them too, so I tagged along.”

“Ah, you like pandas, Noona? But the one that went to China… can’t come back to Korea now, right?”

The sudden shift in topic to my preferences was already awkward, and now it had turned into a subject that was depressing just to hear. I nodded listlessly.

“Yeah. Can’t come back.”

“I heard about the twins being born recently. So when they grow up, they’ll also go to China—”

“How long have you and Eonni been close?”

Kwon Ga-ram sharply redirected the conversation. Given how my eyes were already getting damp just thinking about the baby pandas leaving for China someday, it was a relief.

“You became close recently, right? I never saw you two together before.”

Since Ryu Eun-seok had brought me along to the after-party, it must have looked like we were close to others. Denying it now—

wasn’t possible, so I waited for Ryu Eun-seok to give an appropriate explanation and move on.

“Yeah. We got close because I asked Sang-hee for a few favors.”

“What kind of favors?”

Kwon Ga-ram pressed Ryu Eun-seok while glancing across at me. Our briefly met gazes seemed to carry lingering resentment over the seat I’d taken.

“I asked her to eat with me. And to sit together during classes.”

My chopsticks, about to pick up pork belly, paused. Ryu Eun-seok had always tended to exaggerate in his answers compared to reality. He hadn’t even had a sip of alcohol, yet I couldn’t understand why he was talking as if drunk.

“Why? Ah…”

Song Hyuk-jun, who had been asking loudly, suddenly seemed to realize something and looked somewhere. Following his gaze, I saw Park Tae-hyun’s group sitting in a circle.

The fallout between Ryu Eun-seok and Park Tae-hyun must have been widely known among the juniors.

“Then why didn’t you contact me?”

Kwon Ga-ram pouted as she retorted. Her small face was full of discontent.

There were too many people looking for Ryu Eun-seok. Even though he’d distanced himself from his close friends, there were still enough people wanting to eat with him to trip over.

So why he had decided to navigate school alone and asked me how to do it remained a mystery. If he had just naturally hung out with those clinging to him like Kwon Ga-ram, those kids would be happy and wouldn’t it be more convenient for him too?

“I can eat with you, Oppa. We have three classes together, after all. You could just eat with me and go to class together.”

“Sang-hee is more comfortable.”

A casual, simple answer landed on me as I reached for a lettuce leaf. Ryu Eun-seok’s hand had already arrived at the basket of fresh vegetables.

“…Comfortable?”

“Yeah. She listens carefully to everything I say and knows my situation well.”

Ryu Eun-seok moved the basket full of green vegetables toward me. Then he playfully raised one eyebrow while looking at me.

“Right?”

For a moment, I was glad I had been drinking beer in advance. If my face turned red now, I could blame it on the alcohol.

“I don’t think I’ve really been like that.”

I picked up my beer glass instead of the lettuce Ryu Eun-seok had so thoughtfully offered. Song Hyuk-jun, who had been eagerly watching, quickly clinked his glass against mine and drank with me. For someone who kept calling me “Noona” so freely, he was being quite respectful to me as a senior.

“Ah, so Eun-seok hyung prefers the type who listens well rather than talks a lot. Kwon Ga-ram, you hear that?”