Campus Log - Chapter 51

Since Cheongju wasn’t far from Cheonan, where his family home was, if she had told him in advance, they could’ve gone down together by car. While he was at it, he could’ve seen his parents too and acted cute like the youngest—more than a few people would’ve ended up happy.

Eunseok glanced toward his desk. The box, still unopened with its shipping label intact, sat there, showing off its considerable size.

-So are you going to stay home over the weekend?

Since her birthday was next Monday, it seemed she was planning to spend the weekend with her family. Then would she have no plans on the actual day? If he said he’d buy her a meal, would that make her feel burdened?

Eunseok scrolled back up and reread the chat. Then he noticed a strange sense of discomfort.

The one-sided stream of question marks. The other person sticking to short replies. The way the conversation didn’t flow back and forth instantly, but instead broke off at intervals. A conversation that only started when one side spoke first.

It was a situation he had experienced countless times, like eating daily meals.

People would try to find any excuse to talk to him, and Eunseok, so as not to damage his reputation, He only responded just enough not to come off as rude.

Very few people noticed the indifference hidden beneath his polite attitude. Far more believed they were receiving special treatment from him.

And how annoying that had been.

But now, Eunseok’s situation was the exact opposite of how it had been until now.

He was repeating the exact same patterns of the people who used to bother him, intruding on Hong Sang-hee’s time. Acting disappointed on his own just because she hadn’t shared her schedule, as if they were something more. Restlessly waiting for her reply. Rambling on without any sense, dragging the conversation out.

No matter who saw it, this was…

“Hah.”

A hollow laugh escaped him. Suppressing the pointless urge to call out Hong Sang-hee’s name, Eunseok set his phone down.

Let’s stop thinking and just sleep. If he sank too deeply into his own late-night delusions, there was a high chance he’d end up kicking his blanket in regret later.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen one or two girls who, drunk on the night air, had impulsively come onto him. He needed to learn from those who couldn’t even meet his eyes the next day.

He quietly closed his eyes, but Hong Sang-hee showed no sign of leaving his thoughts. Frustrated, he pushed off the blanket, turned toward the wall, and tried everything, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d been handed a sheet filled with hundreds of Hong Sang-hee’s name written all over it.

“Ah, seriously.”

Eunseok kicked himself out of bed. The noise he made was so loud that his roommate, who had been gaming with headphones on, flinched and turned around.

“I’m going home for the weekend.”

After informing his roommate, Eunseok grabbed the large box he had placed on his desk. His feet, now in sneakers, hurried down the stairs.

At 10:58 PM, just before curfew began, Eunseok barely managed to submit his overnight leave form and started his car.

***

“Hey, what’s going on with you?”

His older brother, Jinyoung, stuck his head out the front door with a puzzled expression. Under the blazing sunlight, a green hose scattered sparkling droplets of water in every direction.

“Why are you so restless since yesterday?”

It was only natural to find it strange. His younger brother had suddenly come down from Seoul at dawn—yesterday he was hand-washing a large stuffed toy, and today he had flooded the yard, saying he’d wash his car early in the morning.

“I’m just working up a sweat.”

The foam covering Eunseok’s white sedan was washed away by the strong stream of water. Under the sunlight, it looked as good as new— Seeing the gleaming car, he felt as if he had gained an army of a thousand.