Campus Log - Chapter 69

“You sprayed too much perfume. Go get some fresh air.”

Ryu Eun-seok spoke bluntly with a smiling face, as if it were nothing. Lee Dong-ha’s face turned bright red in an instant. Watching him scramble to get up with his darting eyes made even me feel embarrassed.

“Yes, sorry. I’ll be back later.”

Even after Lee Dong-ha hurriedly went outside, the perfume smell lingered in his seat. I rubbed the tip of my nose with my finger and glanced at Ryu Eun-seok’s reaction. Inside the kind smile still adorning his lips, more horseradish was hidden.

“What?”

He tilted his eyebrows and asked the reason.

“A little…”

“A little what?”

“Scary.”

If I had been in Lee Dong-ha’s position just now, I might have held back tears and gone back to the dormitory. With so many ears listening here, I wouldn’t have been able to lift my head from embarrassment.

“If you were really scared, you wouldn’t be able to say you’re scared.”

Ryu Eun-seok let out a wry laugh and dismissed my assessment. Then he suddenly stood up. Did he get angry? Before I could even wonder, he moved to the seat next to me.

A faint scent of grass covered the remnants of perfume Lee Dong-ha had left behind.

“Why are you sitting here?”

“To block the smell.”

Ryu Eun-seok leaned back comfortably in his chair. Just like when we walked down from the dormitory, his firm forearm gently pressed against mine again. Although my fingers flinched, I didn’t move away.

“Your expression was bad from the moment Dong-ha came over here.”

Was it that obvious? I sipped my water and covered my mouth. I felt a gaze sticking persistently to my profile. For no reason, I wanted to take a look in a mirror.

“Do you like the seat?”

I only nodded in response to Ryu Eun-seok’s question. I was in a corner seat pressed against the wall, and since Ryu Eun-seok’s large frame was blocking the only pathway, I was isolated from the other students. Being in what felt like a trapped position actually brought me a sense of comfort.

“You’re not a cat. What’s with liking such tight spaces?”

But being compared to a cat was unbearable. Bringing that small, cute creature into the same category as me—he was clearly trying to insult me. I was afraid someone might hear.

“Here we go! The beer is coming out first!”

Before I could get upset, Song Hyuk-jun appeared with the staff carrying draft beer. He looked as natural as if he were the owner of this place.

“Huh? The seats changed. Where did Dong-ha go? He said he arrived.”

“He stepped out for a moment. Hyuk-jun, did you do well on your exams?”

Ryu Eun-seok smiled and redirected the class representative’s attention elsewhere. As if he had been waiting for that question, Song Hyuk-jun started whining.

Meanwhile, more students joined the pub. It was a fascinating sight to me, who had been busy going straight home as soon as exams ended. Their homes probably weren’t in Seoul either, so did they want to stay at school until the very end?

No, rather, they probably wanted to see the faces of friends they’d be contacting less often now that vacation had started. I tried hard to understand the ordinary way of thinking where people like other people.

“What the f**k. This guy’s insane.”

Turning my gaze toward the entrance where loud laughter erupted, Park Tae-hyun’s group was coming in. Their eyes, scanning the pub, eventually reached Ryu Eun-seok, who was stuck in the corner.

A clear glint of mockery and contempt passed through the eyes of the men who had all arrived at the same spot. It was obvious even to me, a complete outsider, so there was no way Ryu Eun-seok, the person in question, wouldn’t know. But he kept his ears focused only on Song Hyuk-jun’s grumbling.

Park Tae-hyun’s steps headed toward the very center table. He and his friends sat around together as if it were only natural, boasting in loud voices. Occasionally, they would glance at Ryu Eun-seok and mutter quietly and quickly. It was obvious what they were talking about.

In the past, Ryu Eun-seok would have been sitting in that very spot where everyone’s attention gathered. I secretly wondered if he had planted himself in this mismatched place because of me.

But soon I shook my head internally. Well, he probably sat here because he wasn’t uncomfortable with it either. Lately, the number of times I found myself paying attention to Ryu Eun-seok’s every move had increased excessively. My value system was to not meddle in other people’s affairs, yet in front of this guy, that standard kept falling apart.