Chapter 95: The Over-Saturation of Reality and the Cryptographic Clue

“No. I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief then.”

As he said that, Na Eun-hyeok naturally reached a hand out toward me. Staring at his gently extended hand, I cautiously took hold of it. The moment his firm, solid knuckles intertwined with mine, the image of a younger Na Eun-hyeok helping me up after a fall a long time ago overlapped with the present.

“Should we head over to the social sciences cafeteria instead?”

“I’m really fine.”

Giving a stiff shake of my head, I hurriedly let go of his hand. It felt as though his hand lingered for a fraction of a second, lightly brushing against my palm as it fell away. Even though I knew it was likely just a delayed reaction on his part, an involuntary shiver ran down my spine. Don’t overread into things. Trying to anchor myself, my heart continued to hammer away.

“What class did you just finish?”

“Information Economics.”

“Is it good?”

“It’s Professor Kim Seon-hyeop’s class, so it’s not bad.”

“Ah. Isn’t Professor Kim Seon-hyeop known for being a really great lecturer? That’s what I’ve heard.”

“Yeah. It’s worth taking.”

Exchanging such mundane small talk finally allowed my racing nerves to settle a bit. It seemed that as the time spent with Na Eun-hyeok accumulated, I was gradually growing a little more accustomed to him. While my constant wooden awkwardly was still enough to bring tears to my eyes, we were now at least capable of carrying out a proper, functioning conversation. For me, this was a monumental leap forward.

“Un-ha, how many credits are you taking this semester?”

“I maxed it out at twenty-one credits.”

“You’re not dropping any?”

“Um…… one of my general education courses is kind of awful, so I’m debating that one.”

“Which one are you taking?”

“Understanding the Structure of the Brain?”

“Ah, I’ve heard that one polarized a lot of people.”

Every time Na Eun-hyeok spoke, his eyes curving into a soft, striking crescent, it was entirely impossible to stop my heart from violently pounding.

Taking deep breaths, I kept the conversation going. Thanks to his skillful way of leading the dialogue, no awkward silences stretched between us. Considering the suffocating, tense quiet of our very first meeting, even this level of comfort was a massive improvement.

The conversation branching out from our respective lectures eventually came full circle back to the class we were taking together.

“Come to think of it, Un-ha, you’re taking Understanding the Performing Arts this semester too, right?”

“Ah. Yeah.”

He actually knew? It was a medium-sized lecture with just under a hundred students, so it wasn’t completely impossible for him to notice, but honestly, I had never imagined Na Eun-hyeok would be aware of my presence there. It sparked a strange, fluttering wave of emotion inside me. The only problem was that my cheeks, trembling from that very emotion, had frozen into a stiff expression, making me look utterly sullen on the outside. Anxious to hide my face from him, I ducked my head slightly.

“Why, Un-ha-ya? Let me see your face.”

Yet, Na Eun-hyeok’s reactions today were unusually strange.

“Are you embarrassed about taking Understanding the Performing Arts?”

“N-No.”

“Then why are your ears turning so red?”

Wait, my ears?

It was a completely unexpected betrayer. Shocked by my body’s blunt honesty, I quickly covered my ears with my hands and snapped my head up. Meeting my gaze, Na Eun-hyeok’s eyes crinkled beautifully as a soft laugh slipped from him.

“Un-ha-ya. Do you know you wear your true feelings on your sleeve a lot more than you think?”

“Uh……?”

It was a baffling statement. My true feelings are showing? In what way?

I had absolutely no clue how Na Eun-hyeok was interpreting my internal thoughts. It didn’t seem like he had caught onto my long-time crush; if he had, there was no way he would be treating me with such heart-fluttering sweetness. But because I couldn’t be entirely sure, I was terrified of what he might say next, leaving me too paralyzed to open my mouth.

The one who rescued me from my stammering, once again, was Na Eun-hyeok. He truly was the living definition of striking a blow and then offering medicine.

“Do you want to go see a performance together?”

“Huh?”

“We have that report assignment, don’t we?”

The Understanding the Performing Arts course we shared required a report. Twice a semester, we had to attend a performance—such as a play, musical, or concert—and submit a written review. I had already been telling myself that I needed to go see something soon once midterm season wrapped up, but I had never envisioned doing it with Na Eun-hyeok. Once again, I completely froze up.

“It’s fine.”

“Why? Do you already have someone else you’re going with?”

“No, it’s not that, but……”

“Then it’s settled. I was actually planning to go to a piano recital at the Seoul Arts Center anyway. We can just go together.”

The slight difference this time was that Na Eun-hyeok was being surprisingly pushy. I had assumed he would immediately back down if I hesitated, so his assertive stance left me entirely dumbfounded.

“W-When is it?”

“This Saturday.”

The timeline was incredibly tight. My mind scrambled to process it, but my mouth moved far ahead of my thoughts.

“Okay.”

A second later, the reality that we were still technically in the middle of exams caught up to me, but it didn’t change my decision. Na Eun-hyeok had just handed me a second chance on a silver platter; there was no way I could reject it again. Honestly, looking back, my initial hesitation was downright insane. Na Eun-hyeok was actively inviting me to go out to a show with him, and I was going to turn him down? How could I even dare? It was unthinkable.

“I’d like that,” I added quietly, driving the nail in.

My lips trembled slightly as I spoke, but I desperately hoped he wouldn’t misinterpret it. Hearing a low, amused chuckle beside me, I cautiously looked up to find his long eyelashes curving gently.

“I’m glad you’d like it. Then I’ll count on seeing you at the Seoul Arts Center at seven o’clock this Saturday.”

Pausing, Na Eun-hyeok tilted his head thoughtfully before shifting the plan.

“Actually, do you just want to take my car together?”

“Your car?”

“Yeah. You rode in it last time. Was the ride that uncomfortable?”

At his teasing remark, I frantically shook my head. “No! It was great.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s meet around five to give ourselves plenty of time. We can grab dinner, have a coffee at a cafe, and then head inside.”

“W-We’re having dinner together too?”

“Isn’t that the perfect time for dinner? Or are you on a diet?”

“No, it’s not that, but……”

Judging solely by his casual, effortless demeanor, the whole conversation could have easily passed as light banter. Yet, the details he was laying out were so incredibly specific and concrete that I had no choice but to accept it as an ironclad plan. I’m making plans with Na Eun-hyeok? While it was technically an extension of a school assignment, it felt remarkably like a date. The moment that thought took root, my heart began to wildly flutter all over again.

“Then it’s a plan. See you at five. I’ll look up a place for us to eat.”

“U-Uh, okay.”

In the end, nodding like a complete fool was the absolute limit of what I could manage.

Even as we continued walking toward the agriculture cafeteria and swapping casual talk, my consciousness was completely hijacked by our upcoming Saturday arrangement. Going to a performance with Na Eun-hyeok, just the two of us. What should I wear? How should I act? If I look like I tried too hard, will it be weird?

And more than anything—would I be able to stop myself from visibly flinching every single time he called my name by then?

“Un-ha-ya.”

“Yeah,” I replied, nodding while mentally brushing away the goosebumps rising on my arms.

Na Eun-hyeok was staring at me with his deep, pitch-black eyes. When I offered a strained, nervous smile, his expression softened into a warm, mirroring grin.

“Do people tell you that you’re cute a lot?”

“Huh? No way.”

Cute? If Han Kyu-tae or Park Seong-jin heard that, they would literally foam at the mouth and pass out. As I vigorously shook my head in denial, Na Eun-hyeok’s smile deepened even further.

“Then am I the only one who knows how cute you are, Un-ha?”

“……No, I mean, that’s—”

“Un-ha-ya, your ears are turning red again.”

Was he teasing me on purpose? Or was he just saying whatever crossed his mind without a second thought?

Pressing a hand firmly against my ear, I could feel the radiating heat. As I stood there stammering, utterly failing to find a single coherent word to fire back, Na Eun-hyeok reached out with his large hand and smoothly stroked my hair. Swallowing hard, I nervously eyed his reaction. A bright, cheerful smile sat on his face; he looked to be in an exceptionally good mood.

“I should really make sure to see you more often from now on, Un-ha-ya.”

Leaving behind a statement whose true intentions were completely beyond my grasp, Na Eun-hyeok took long, confident strides right into the agriculture cafeteria. Stranded in his wake for a split second, I hurriedly rushed inside after him.

Throughout that incredibly awkward lunch, I honestly couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose. To anyone watching from the outside, we probably looked perfectly normal, but the interior of my mind was a landscape of absolute chaos.

What on earth is Na Eun-hyeok thinking right now? I subtly lifted my gaze to read his expression. Utterly oblivious to the storm raging inside me, he simply looked down at me with that same refreshing, crisp smile.

“Looks like we’ll have to meet up tomorrow for the assignment too.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Are you heading straight to another class after this?”

“No.”

Despite my short, rigid answer, the corners of Na Eun-hyeok’s lips tipped upward in apparent satisfaction.

“Then let’s go grab some coffee.”

“Huh?”

“We talked about it earlier. You said there was a really nice campus cafe, and suggested we should go together sometime. Don’t you remember?”

“I-I guess I did.”

It was a total lie. I had absolutely zero memory of it. I had a vague inkling that a cafe might have come up, but my brain had been so completely saturated with the memory of Na Eun-hyeok whispering that I was cute that I must have filed all other external information under miscellaneous clutter.

Sure, if someone mentioned a cafe with great drinks, I would usually suggest checking it out at least once. But did it really have to be right this second?

“I have a break right now anyway, and it’s always best to act on these things the moment they cross your mind, right?”

“U-Uh, yeah, I guess?”

As I gave another awkward nod, Na Eun-hyeok suddenly reached out and clasped his fingers firmly around my wrist. His grip was unyielding, feeling almost like a thick, solid tree root wrapping around me, ensuring there was absolutely no escape. I stared down at the large hand locking my wrist in place before forcing my eyes back up with immense effort. My brain was reaching a point of extreme cognitive overload from the sheer volume of information thrown at it today; I felt completely incapable of processing anything else.

“Do you…… usually grab people’s hands like this so easily?”

The words that finally managed to squeeze past my lips were incredibly foolish. The exact moment they left my mouth, instant regret washed over me. What if my stupid comment ruined the mood and threw away this golden opportunity to hold hands with Na Eun-hyeok? Well, technically, it was just my wrist being held, but still……

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