Chapter 70: A Seat Beside Him

Na Eun-hyuk was wearing a black ball cap with white lettering today. Despite being a white font, the word stitched onto it was “PINK.” Over his clothes, he wore a black jersey with a plain white tee underneath. The expensive-looking watch on his wrist caught the morning sun, glinting brightly—though Eun-hyuk’s smile was even more dazzling.

“Waiting for the shuttle?”

“Ah, u-uh, yeah.”

I started to freeze up again like an idiot. They say Medusa was a beauty, and now I finally understood the myth. Every time I looked at Eun-hyuk’s radiant face, I turned into a stiff block of stone, just like her victims. I clenched my fists, digging my short nails into my palms. Wake up, Chae Un-ha. You can’t afford to lose any more points here…

“Want a ride?”

“No, wait, what?”

“A ride. I drove today. It’s over there.”

He gestured toward a car parked at the curb. The shimmering black vehicle suited him perfectly. Even though I knew nothing about cars, I could tell at a glance that it was a luxury model.

“Oh, n-no. It’s okay. I’m…”

“Hurry. If I leave it there too long, I’ll get a ticket for illegal parking.”

With that, he casually took hold of my hand and pulled. All I could do was focus every ounce of my concentration on not reflexively shaking his hand off. My limbs were as stiff as a broken machine, but Eun-hyuk acted as if he hadn’t noticed my abnormal reaction at all. My arms and legs didn’t feel like they belonged to me.

Well done, though. At least I didn’t pull away. I tried to comfort myself, but then realized how pathetic it was to celebrate simply not rejecting the hand of the person I liked. Because I was so focused on keeping my hand still, I couldn’t even remember the texture of his skin or the warmth of his grip. It was a tragic waste.

“I saw you from a distance while I was driving in.”

“Ah, yeah.”

No, Un-ha. That’s not the right answer. Try harder.

“Do you usually commute this way?”

“Yeah. I live in the apartments back there.”

“With your family?”

“No, alone.”

The place Eun-hyuk pointed to was the only “premium” apartment complex in this otherwise unremarkable neighborhood. He lives there alone? As if answering my unspoken question about the high rent, he continued.

“I’m living on my own for school.”

Ah. I see. Your version of ‘living on your own’ involves a luxury apartment.

Suddenly, he felt miles away again. With trembling hands, I opened the passenger door of his car. I was terrified my lowly hands might leave a scratch on his “Lordship’s” vehicle. Eun-hyuk was already in the driver’s seat, buckling his seatbelt.

I carefully closed the door and reached for the belt. The interior smelled like him—a heavy, woodsy scent with a deep musk base. It reminded me of the scent from the massive forest inside the Tower of Trials yesterday.

My hands kept fumbling with the buckle. It took two or three tries before I finally heard the click. I was a total fool in front of him. They say people use the seatbelt moment as an excuse to steal a glance at the person next to them, but I was so scared our eyes might meet that I couldn’t even look at the rearview mirror.

“Un-ha, you’re living on your own too, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

The engine hummed to life, and the car glided smoothly onto the road. A thousand things to say were bubbling in my chest, but not one could find its way out. While my lips grew parched, Eun-hyuk’s long fingers casually flicked on the radio. It was a familiar classical piece. I spoke up awkwardly, trying to break the heavy silence.

“Do you like classical music?”

“My father likes it, so I grew up hearing it a lot.”

“What song is this?”

“Schubert’s Serenade. I think… the Liszt arrangement.”

His languid voice was pleasant to the ear. “Ah, I see,” I replied, my voice feeling like it was floating aimlessly in the air. I should have learned more about classical music. I should have taken that Introduction to Music elective. Having nothing left to say, I bit my lip and stared at the dashboard. Eun-hyuk glanced at me through the mirror and let a small smile play on his lips. As we crested the steep hill toward campus, the large rotary came into view. We were almost there.

The car moved gracefully into the main gate, while I felt like I was rattling along a bumpy dirt road inside. I was so preoccupied with every word, action, and even the sound of his breathing that I had no energy left to manage my own appearance. We might have exchanged another word or two, but I was so out of it I couldn’t be sure if they were real or just imagined.

“Have you had a look at the assignment yet?”

Right, the assignment. I’d spent all of yesterday focused on Zelpia, so the handout from our major course was still buried in my bag, untouched. I felt a sudden pang of guilt; while I’d been gaming, my teammate was actually thinking about the work.

“Ah, oh? No, not yet. Sorry.”

“That’s a relief. I haven’t looked at it either.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. I’ve been a bit preoccupied with other things lately. Should we pick a date for our first group meeting? We just need to look at it before then.”

“Ah, sure.”

I wonder what those ‘other things’ are? His voice tickled my ear.

“Any days you’re busy?”

“No, none.”

Did I answer too fast? My immediate reply broadcasted my total lack of a social life to the world. Eun-hyuk’s lips curled up handsomely. He gripped the steering wheel, then pressed the brake with a smooth, firm motion.

“Ah.”

He parked in front of the gazebo on the Business School hill. Having parked with practiced ease, he pulled out his phone, likely opening a calendar app. Even that simple gesture looked cool.

“How about next Tuesday?”

“Sounds good.”

“When do your classes end?”

“Three. Or we could meet in the morning. I don’t have morning classes.”

I paused and quickly added, “I mean… if the morning works for you.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I actually prefer the morning. Shall we say ten o’clock?”

“Okay.”

“Let’s meet in the lounge. Is that alright?”

“Yeah.”

His long fingers tapped away at his phone before he opened his door. I hurriedly unbuckled and followed suit. Being extra careful not to scratch the door, I stepped out to find Eun-hyuk already standing there, waiting.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll pick you up next time I see you.”

“I-it’s okay.”

“Why? Was my driving that bad? I thought I was being pretty safe.”

“Oh, no! That’s not it.”

His brows dipped slightly, making him look genuinely hurt. I waved my hands in a panic. The driving was fine—honestly, I couldn’t even remember the drive itself. I’m just too conscious of you to share a car. How could I ever say that out loud?

“I’m kidding.”

Seeing me flustered, he let out a chuckle. The hurt expression vanished, replaced by his usual refreshing smile. He watched me with narrowed, playful eyes, spun his car key around his finger, and stuffed his hands into his jersey pockets.

“See you later, Un-ha.”

“Yeah, see you.”

I nodded like someone who had finally found an escape route. This time, Eun-hyuk didn’t look back as he strode toward the Social Sciences building. He has an Economics class, right? I subconsciously recalled the timetable I’d seen floating around the department group chat and immediately apologized to him in my head. I was basically a stalker.

[Guild] HitMeOnceOppa: hiyeee

[Guild] NasiGoreng: Hello everyone~

[Guild] JujiyukLim: Hey hey

[Guild] ParkJinSol: hi

[Guild] Eiron: ㅇㅅㅇ//

[Guild] BuffNinjaPls: yo

As soon as I logged in, the guild chat was buzzing. Part of it was Gyu-tae’s greeting, but the overall login rate was high. Even IDs I didn’t see often were lit up. Park Jin-sol. Didn’t they say he likes PVP?

[Guild] PungPungLove: Login rate is good today.

[Guild] JujiyukLim: Probably because of what happened yesterday? lol

[Guild] BuffNinjaPls: Those f*ckers lol.

[Guild] NasiGoreng: lol I’ve been practicing since the moment I got on today!

[Guild] NasiGoreng: Gonna kill ’em all~

[Guild] Eiron: ;;

[Guild] JujiyukLim: Oh, Un-ha is here too lol.

[Guild] BlueberryWhiskey: Ah, yeah lol. Just got on.

[Guild] BuffNinjaPls: Welcome, fellow Ninja.

[Guild] ParkJinSol: Begone, roleplayer.

Pushing the noisy chat window to the side, I opened the Hidden Piece window. These were the rewards I’d earned for clearing the Tower of Trials yesterday. While the equipment drops were mediocre, I’d received two Hidden Pieces so good that the item quality didn’t even matter.

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