Chapter 74: A Hollow Campus
Moon Sojeong had been right. Baekje University was utterly barren, with nothing to speak of.
"This is the main building."
The main building. And a sports field that reminded him of a military parade ground.
"Ah... that place really burned down completely."
And the auditorium ( grand hall) that had caught fire. It was the one facility that had still existed at Baekje University. But now it was gone. Half the building's frame remained, not even properly demolished.
"That was the nicest spot around here..."
Regret flickered in Moon Sojeong's eyes as she muttered. There was a parking lot near the auditorium. Truth be told, there were plenty of empty fields outside the campus to park anywhere, but this was the only place with proper lines marked. Shin Jaewoo's Ferrari pulled in there.
And naturally, it drew the eyes of every student passing by.
"Whoa, a Ferrari."
"Who's that?"
"Does anyone at our school drive something like that?"
Eyes filled with envy and jealousy. The moment Shin Jaewoo stepped out of the car, he first experienced what people meant by "door slam presence." And another reason they stole everyone's attention.
"Come on, let's go."
Moon Sojeong drew close and pulled his arm. She linked her arm through his, claiming one side completely.
What the—?
A warm, soft sensation pressed against his arm. It was June now. Honestly, the hot season. It was better to walk apart than stuck together. But Shin Jaewoo didn't entertain such thoughts.
"...Yeah, let's go."
He made no comment on her arm linked with his. He just walked naturally. Confirming this, Moon Sojeong started strolling alongside him like lovers.
Whoa.
Look at that girl. Killer body.
That guy's face is just...
The Ferrari might have faded from view, but even so, the two of them together drew stares just by walking side by side.
"You said you wanted to try the school cafeteria food, right, oppa?"
"Yeah. But there's at least a cafeteria here, right?"
"Well... there is. But honestly, I wouldn't recommend it."
She whispered into his ear. Shin Jaewoo chuckled.
"Not tasty?"
Even back when he'd attended university himself, cafeteria food hadn't been anything special. This place was probably the same.
She let out a deep sigh in response to his question.
"Sigh. There's really nothing likable about this university. The food's the same."
"Haha."
"Usually... look over there."
Moon Sojeong pointed at a couple. A young man and woman sitting on a bench. Not sure if they were dating, but the two sat with space between them, unpacking a bento box in that gap.
"...Bento boxes?"
Shin Jaewoo watched with interest.
"Lots of people bring packed lunches like that. Even the professors always do."
As he listened, Shin Jaewoo thought to himself.
There's a ton of work to do here. Gotta overhaul the cafeteria first.
There were reasons for all of it.
"Is the food that bad?"
"That's part of it... but honestly, it's expensive."
"Expensive?"
Her words caught him off guard, widening his eyes. It didn't seem like they'd serve anything fancy enough to justify high prices. If it tasted mediocre on top of that, no wonder it got complaints.
"Not exactly expensive expensive, but compared to other universities' cafeterias, yeah."
"And the taste falls short?"
"Yes."
"Then who eats it?"
Shin Jaewoo asked. Moon Sojeong gave him an incredulous look.
"You said you wanted to eat it, oppa."
Of course, he had said that.
But right now, it's technically a date with a big spender cam girl.
Moon Sojeong (Nyanbyeol) was on a dinner date with a whale donor. She was working, and so was he, in a way. He responded to her point even amid his silly thoughts.
"I'm just curious to try it once."
"Sigh. Have you seen any restaurants around here?"
Her question made it click for Shin Jaewoo.
"Ahh."
He got the picture.
"No wonder fewer students apply here every year. It was famous back in my high school days, oppa. Not for you?"
"...Come to think of it, I think I heard something."
A lie. Shin Jaewoo had never really heard much about Baekje University specifically.
We had zero connection.
Not a national university in Daejeon, but a private one. And not even in the city—out here in this wasteland. Naturally, Baekje University was the last resort for humanities high schoolers. Plenty of Daejeon students went, but top scorers never touched it.
And then a fire like this...
Shin Jaewoo turned back to look at where they'd come from. The auditorium near the parking lot. Now a half-collapsed ruin from the blaze. Yellow caution tape blocked access, deeming it hazardous. But that was it.
"Doesn't the school plan to demolish it?"
Moon Sojeong gave a wry smile at his question.
"No money, probably. Our university's always short on funds. There's really nothing here."
"Hmm. Weren't there even orchestras back in the day?"
"Eh, not a full orchestra..."
She waved it off.
Not an orchestra? Shin Jaewoo tilted his head. He remembered seeing a performance by Baekje University's music troupe.
"Um. It is an orchestra, but... small scale. Club level, maybe?"
This was a generational gap, sort of. When Shin Jaewoo was in school, Baekje had still maintained some presence, but by Moon Sojeong's time, it had shrunk. There was over a decade between them. He'd seen it as a high schooler; she'd experienced it firsthand as a student.
"And yet the cafeteria's ridiculously overpriced... Oh, and which school puts the cafeteria above the library?"
She vented again.
"Huh?"
"That's our school library. The cafeteria’s right above it. You can't even study there—the noise from the cafeteria leaks straight into the reading rooms."
Moon Sojeong was on a roll, spilling all of Baekje University's flaws to Shin Jaewoo. He listened quietly. Truth be told, this was perfect for him.
Brought her along for a reason.
She was proving very useful. He was getting a clear sense of how much needed fixing.
"...Let's head in."
She led him inside. A question popped up along the way.
"By the way, what major were you?"
"Me? I was just..."
She gave a wry smile.
"Just... French Literature."
"Huh?"
"French. But not linguistics—literature. I'm a foreign lit girl."
"Really?"
He hadn't seen that coming.
"So you speak French?"
"...No."
Her answer made him laugh harder.
"A little, but... honestly, no better than an average person."
He didn't pry further. But it gave him the gist.
She barely studied.
He could guess her high school grades. Probably picked French Lit based on competition ratios.
"Freshman year, I thought... maybe learn a foreign language? That's why I went in."
She sounded indignant about it. And listening, it seemed justified.
"We didn't even have major professors."
"What?"
Then why have students?
"Um. An English Lit professor double-majored in French. Taught us together. Plus some adjuncts... rest was all general ed."
"That's allowed?"
"No way. One of my classmates even reported it to the Ministry of Education."
The ministry warned Baekje: hire professors or shut down the department.
"What happened?"
"Just a warning."
And nothing changed.
"They said they'd hire new profs... but it fizzled out."
"Insane."
Was this really a normal Korean university?
"Other schools give student council budgets for activities... we had zilch, obviously."
By then, they'd climbed the stairs to the cafeteria. Sure enough, it was on the second floor of the library.
Somehow this place stays open.
As they walked the campus like that, they ordered the daily special. 7,500 won. Not outrageously pricey, but her point about it being expensive for "cafeteria food" made sense.
"This one's on me."
"Then coffee's on me after... wait, is there even coffee here?"
"You think?"
The desolate streets he'd seen on the way. Shin Jaewoo shook his head recalling them.
"This really is in the middle of nowhere."
As he muttered that—
"Hey? You're Sojeong, right?"
Someone called out to them. A high-pitched woman's voice. They'd run into someone who recognized Moon Sojeong in the university cafeteria.