Campus Log - Chapter 52

“You’ve got a lot of energy. What’s with this teddy bear?”

Jinyoung asked as he looked at the panda plush occupying the drying rack. The new doll, which had been washed clean the day before and left out in the sun all day, was now completely dry, its fluff restored to a full, puffy state.

“It’s not a teddy bear, it’s a panda.”

“Giving it to a girl?”

At the word “girl,” his grip tightened around the hose. The stream of water sprayed out refreshingly, so it wasn’t hot, yet heat suddenly rose up his neck.

“It’s a birthday present for a friend.”

“So that friend is a girl, then.”

Eunseok didn’t answer anymore. Instead, he took out a new diffuser and placed it between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat.

“Is she your girlfriend, or something like a ‘some’?”

“Neither.”

Calling Hong Sang-hee a friend still felt lacking somehow. In any case, she was, just as his brother said, a girl. Wanting to see her face even just for a moment, Eunseok had suddenly shown up at his family home, and to make his excuse more convincing, he had scrubbed and washed the panda plush.

For something meant to show sincerity just to become friends, it had already gone far beyond that.

Eunseok knew well the hesitation in his heart, as if he were lingering while stepping only on clearly drawn lines. Having grown used to people approaching him on their own, it felt awkward for him to be the one to take the first step.

Still, he decided to just follow his feelings for now. If he wanted to exchange even a few words, he would drive two hours in the middle of the night to get there. If he wanted to see that subtly pleased expression, he would tuck a fluffy doll under his arm and go pick her up.

Instead of giving Jinyoung a clumsy explanation, Eunseok headed inside to wash up his sweat-soaked body.

“Don’t touch that.”

He didn’t forget to glare at his older brother, who was hovering around the oversized panda plush.

Hong Sang-hee sounded clearly surprised when she received Eunseok’s call.

—You’re coming to pick me up?

“Yeah. I’m at home right now—ah, my home’s in Cheonan. It only takes about 30 minutes from here to Cheongju. I’m heading to Seoul anyway, so let’s go together.”

—Really?

In truth, it took about an hour, but if he said that honestly, it felt like Hong Sang-hee might refuse out of pressure
A difference like that just meant he could leave a bit earlier.

—Then I’d be grateful.

Hong Sang-hee readily accepted the offer. The moment he received her positive reply, he couldn’t stop a silly grin from spreading across his face. Before leaving the house, a quick glance in the mirror showed yet another version of “idiot Ryu Eunseok.”

Eunseok placed the fluffy, sun-scented panda plush—now completely dry—into the passenger seat. As he fastened the seatbelt around the stuffed animal, he found himself humming.

He was already curious about how Hong Sang-hee would react when she opened the car door, and it took effort not to press the accelerator immediately.

The meeting point was in front of an intercity bus terminal.

He parked by the roadside and waited. A navy SUV pulled up closely behind his car. Then Hong Sang-hee got out from the back seat.

Eunseok stared at her through the side mirror.

Hong Sang-hee was speaking to someone through the lowered passenger window—probably her parents were inside. Her usually stiff expression was softened into an unexpectedly natural smile.

The afternoon sun poured down onto her small face, half-covered by her glasses. Warm sunlight lingered on her gently rounded cheeks and the corners of her fully curved smile. It was a smile he had never once seen at school.

Eunseok lowered the passenger window to get a clearer look. At that exact moment, Hong Sang-hee raised both arms and formed a heart above her head.

“I love you,” her lips clearly said.

Eunseok kept his eyes fixed on her without blinking. And yet, the scene he had just witnessed felt so unreal that he replayed it over and over in his mind.

A brightly smiling Hong Sang-hee. Hong Sang-hee saying “I love you.” Neither of those images felt remotely close to the Hong Sang-hee he knew, making it all seem utterly unreal.

Over there was a screen where Hong Sang-hee was the lead actress, while the car he was sitting in felt like a detached audience seat. A viewer who couldn’t step into the scene could only sit there dazed, silently mouthing words while watching.

His heart suddenly started racing. His legs jittered as if they wanted to get out of the car immediately. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, and his mouth went dry as if a drought had swept through it.

A moment later, the navy SUV signaled and left the roadside. Only then did Eunseok finally let out a faint breath, his exhale tinged with curiosity.

A question surfaced in his mind—

Would Hong Sang-hee ever show him that kind of expression too?