Campus Log - Chapter 50

He first stored the box—large enough to cover his upper body—in his room. The items inside wouldn’t see the light of day until three days later.

Before leaving the room again, Eun-seok looked into the mirror and carefully adjusted his hair. His lips seemed dry, so he applied lip balm, then lifted his chin to meticulously check whether his nostrils were clean.

If someone asked why he was putting in so much effort when he wasn’t even going anywhere special, he wouldn’t have much of an answer. Calling it a habit felt like an excuse—after all, it was a bit excessive for someone just heading downstairs to study.

Especially when there was only one person in that study room.

The moment he thought of the person who would be studying there, his heart grew impatient. After brushing off his pants one last time to shake away any possible dust, Eun-seok headed down to the first floor.

But contrary to his expectations, the study room was empty.

The window seat Hong Sang-hee usually occupied was spotless, without even a stray pen rolling around. Was her class not over yet? Not knowing her exact schedule made it inconvenient to plan his movements. He’d have to casually ask her about it later.

Keeping in mind that Hong Sang-hee would arrive soon, Eun-seok sat up straight and began studying.

As expected, before long, the door to the study room opened. Imagining how she would look from the opposite side, Eun-seok slightly raised his head. Pretending not to lose focus no matter who came in, he checked the owner of the footsteps from the corner of his eye.

But the person dragging in with slippers was some male student.

The footsteps already sounded off, and the guy set down a heavy bag and tumbler with loud thuds, creating an unpleasant noise. As Eun-seok’s brows knit together, two more students entered and took their seats.

Right, it’s exam period now.

This study room could no longer be called a hideout just for Hong Sang-hee and him. Starting next week, he might even lose the seat he always used.

Eunseok’s shoulders drooped. His lips jutted out in a pout. The whispering voices of people chatting among themselves, the rattling sound of chairs vibrating as someone shook their legs, the clinking noise of ice being noisily stirred with a straw—everything irritated him.

If Hong Sang-hee came here later, wouldn’t she get annoyed too? If he were still living in the officetel, he could’ve just told her to come over and study comfortably and quietly at his place.

Pointless fantasies kept sprouting in his mind. Before his thoughts could wander any further, Eunseok shook his head vigorously. Unlike those people, he needed to show that he was a diligent student who focused only on studying.

To whom? Hong Sang-hee.

Why? That… he still couldn’t give a definite answer.

But despite his efforts, Hong Sang-hee didn’t show up at the study room at all until dinnertime was almost over that day.

He hurried through his meal and went back to the study room, but the seat Hong Sang-hee always used was already taken by another female student. Even while exercising, he kept his eyes fixed on the study room door, yet Hong Sang-hee didn’t appear—not even her shadow.

Eunseok picked up his phone.

-Where are you?
-Aren’t you coming to the study room?

There was no reply for a long while. Not even the “read” mark appeared. As he stared at the number 1 that stubbornly refused to disappear, the strength gradually drained from his shoulders.

He lost the motivation to exercise or study, so he went back up to his room, washed up, and lay down. Maybe he had overdone it living diligently for the past few days—he was already sick of it. With no one to be conscious of, the fun dropped off sharply.

With a blank expression, he wandered aimlessly through social media, gripping his phone, returning to his chat with Hong Sang-hee about twenty times.

Then, at last, the message bubble he had been waiting for appeared.

-I’m home right now.

Eunseok shot upright. At last, Hong Sang-hee’s location had been updated. So excited by that fact, his fingers began tapping rapidly on the screen.

-Home?
-All of a sudden?
-Where is home?

While waiting for a reply, a sense of disappointment crept in. Why did she leave without saying anything? They even had dinner together yesterday—would it have hurt her to mention it then?

But soon, he realized that Hong Sang-hee had no obligation to do so. They were still in that ambiguous stage where it was hard to even call each other friends, so she didn’t have any duty to report her weekend plans in detail.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling empty, so he lay down hugging his pillow tightly for no reason.

Then, a longer reply than before arrived.

-Cheongju.
-To see my mom and dad.