Campus Log - Chapter 8

“Then why does everyone else know about it?”

Ryu Eun-seok, spitting the words out through clenched teeth, seemed to finally realize that the surrounding students were watching.

“Come out.”

He jerked his chin toward the door. But I didn’t want to follow.

“Class is starting now.”

“Come out and talk.”

“I didn’t do it.”

I couldn’t hide the irritation in my voice. He already drew attention wherever he went, and now that he was getting angry, I was receiving the spillover of all those stares. Every place their gazes touched felt itchy.

“I told you. I have no one to tell.”

Considering he hadn’t even checked his surroundings before making that careless phone call, it was obvious he’d been overheard somewhere else too. Whoever overheard him must’ve been different from me—someone who didn’t care about loyalty and ran their mouth instead.

“How am I supposed to believe that? Can you prove it?”

But after coming to the wrong person with misplaced suspicion and demanding a reaction he wanted, there was nothing more to say.

“If you don’t believe me, you’re the only one who loses.”

His expression froze at my cold reply. His mouth opened halfway as if in disbelief, then shut, then opened again, but his straight, sharp gaze didn’t lose its force.

He’d cried so hard that the corners of his eyes had reddened.

When that face came to mind, I suddenly felt sorry for the man who had just shoved me into this troublesome situation.
Was this the power of a handsome face? A faint sense of pity crept in. Maybe this is why good-looking guys have an easier time in life.

Out of things to say, Ryu Eun-seok turned his back with a jerk. He left the classroom without even unpacking his bag, so it looked like he was planning to skip the lecture altogether.

Not my problem. I hadn’t told anyone about that day, and I hadn’t lied to him either.

I was innocent. So there was nothing for me to worry about. The rest was his burden to carry.

Whether the classroom buzzed or not, I forced my eyes onto my tablet. That was when someone poked my back. It was one of the seniors who had been gossiping behind me earlier. The man had plastered his hair with wax and wore a hoodie that didn’t suit his prematurely aged face.

“Is it true?”

No greeting — just a blunt question. I really didn’t understand why everyone was so rude. The man was so caught up in satisfying his own curiosity that he’d thrown manners out the window.

“Sorry?”

“Is it true that Ryu Eun-seok’s family went bankrupt?”

There wasn’t even the slightest sign that he was trying to understand how upset a junior might feel.
See? This is what Ryu Eun-seok should’ve witnessed. Then he would’ve realized just how polite I’d been that day.

“How would I know that?”

Even in the middle of being badly misunderstood, I kept his secret. Anyone else might’ve frowned at such rude behavior from a junior, but the man just stared at me as if he still had more to say. Leaving the dazed-looking senior alone, my gaze returned to the tablet.

But my concentration drifted away like a dandelion seed, and the miserable sobs I’d heard last week, along with the dazed expression I’d just seen, began to fill my head.

“Ha, damn.”

Useless sympathy only makes life more complicated. Whatever state Ryu Eun-seok had been in, it wasn’t my responsibility.

I hadn’t done anything wrong.

But……

I did need to correct Ryu Eun-seok’s misunderstanding. I couldn’t be the only villain here when I didn’t even have any friends to defend me. I’d already been cursed out enough by people like Kim Do-wan.

We were allowed up to three absences. So I slipped out the opposite door, avoiding the professor who was just entering the classroom.

Catching up to Ryu Eun-seok wasn’t difficult.

The man, having crossed the quiet corridor, was blankly staring into empty space near the back entrance of the Business Administration building. He wasn’t admiring the beautiful sight of the wisteria bench with its clusters of pale purple flowers.

Approaching Ryu Eun-seok, I wordlessly thrust out the phone I was holding.

“Look here.”

Ryu Eun-seok’s gaze reacted a beat late. His unfocused eyes shifted from me down to the phone.

The screen displayed a cascading list of KakaoTalk chat rooms. Small talk with family floated at the very top, followed below by the Business Department group chat, and then advertisements from banks or shopping sites in order.

“I haven’t told anyone.”

There wasn’t a single personal conversation with anyone in there.

Ryu Eun-seok took my phone and moved his thumb up and down. I opened each chat room one by one to prove to him clearly that I hadn’t spouted any nonsense.

“I’ll show you my call log too.”

This time, I pressed the phone icon, revealing call records filled with familial affection.

[May 9, 8:52 AM Mom]