Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Because I Wanted To
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"Because I wanted to?"
It was the right thing to do. Scammers deserve to be punished. I knew all that and couldn't just stand by and watch.
Beyond any of that. Just because I wanted to.
"Do you really need a reason to do anything? Can't a person just do something because they want to?"
On the first day of tutoring, I'd quoted the book Seo Jae-kyeom's mom was reading in the living room.
The day she embarrassed me over a peach.
"Don't you hate me?"
"...I cursed you out in my head."
For being immature despite her age.
But hey, that can happen. I'm 29 and still sticking my tongue out at my friends while messing around.
Adult empathy: My chronological age is almost 30 tomorrow, but my mental age is still stuck at 18. It'll probably stay that way at 40, 50, forever.
Kang Da-hye, just you? Sorry, I'll grow up.
"But that's got nothing to do with this."
Honestly, I hesitated right up until the end.
Then the thought hit me.
If she'd always been nice to me, I would've jumped in to help without a second thought.
So why not judge the situation based purely on my own values, regardless of how she'd treated me?
Nevertheless, because I chose to help her anyway, I'm proud of myself now.
Seo Jae-kyeom's mom listened, then sank into a chair. She pressed her forehead and stayed silent for a long time. Just as I was thinking maybe I could head upstairs now, she spoke up abruptly.
"My family was poor when I was little. Dirt poor."
"Oh."
Sudden sob story at this timing?
"Luckily, I had a decent face and was good at acting, so..."
She'd wanted to be an actress. After modeling for a few magazines, her agency president said she needed to network to succeed and introduced her to Seo Jae-kyeom's dad.
Seo Jae-kyeom's mom had rebelled at first—why did she have to go to places like that?—but she couldn't withstand the agency's pressure. Tearfully, she'd gone along with it a few times out of sheer resignation.
And from there, it was the story we could all predict.
"I wasn't smart like you, so I didn't even know what was what. I didn't know how to refuse or what would happen to my life if I did... No one was there to tell me. And back then, it wasn't like today where you could just look everything up online."
"......"
"Truth is, all excuses. I just lacked courage. Stupid."
"...What about your parents? Didn't they stop you?"
"I had an older brother, and he said something like, success as a celebrity isn't guaranteed anyway, so isn't it better to escape your fate like this?"
"Then college..."
Ji-su had said Jae-kyeom's mom went to university.
"Didn't attend. Bought the degree with money. I was so envious of the college girls going to school."
"......"
"That's why I didn't like you."
We started out equally poor, but I'd struggled to succeed only to end up like this. You still had your whole future ahead of you. I was jealous.
"Funny, right? Pathetic old lady."
"...You're not pathetic."
I replied quietly.
I don't know the twists and turns of Seo Jae-kyeom's mom's life, or if it's true she never wanted to live like this.
But looking just at this one thing.
"You're being honest about it and apologizing to me. That's not pathetic."
"......"
"And you're not old, ma'am. You're at an age where you could still hang out with teenagers."
For real.
Male celebrities marry women 39 years younger, have kids, and Jeong Eun-seong calls even 80-year-olds 'noona.' So why can't a woman in her forties be friends with teens?
Just apologize for those rude things you said to me, and we'd be great friends.
"Anyway, ma'am. I..."
"Kang Da-hye!"
As I started to say something, the door to the house flew open, and Seo Jae-kyeom came bursting out.
He rushed over and froze when he saw me facing his mom.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing. Let's go upstairs."
Over Jae-kyeom's shoulder, I locked eyes with his mom and pressed a finger to my lips in a 'shh' gesture.
"That doesn't look like nothing."
"Nosy guys aren't attractive."
I pushed the glancing-around Jae-kyeom aside and stepped into the house. That's when his mom called from behind.
"Da-hye."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry. And thank you."
"No big deal. What are friends for?"
I winked playfully. She burst out laughing so loudly it startled Jae-kyeom.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Escorting Kang Da-hye home is exhausting.
Luckily, today the rain started right when tutoring ended. Using the excuse that rainy days call for instant ramen, Jae-kyeom was heading down the hill with her.
"What'd you talk about with Mom earlier?"
Da-hye shrugged casually at his question.
"Badmouthing you."
Lie. I overheard roughly. You helped our mom.
She must think I'm some little kid.
If it were me, I'd have made a show of it.
Your mom treated me like that, but I still helped her. So who's the adult now?
I might not brag outright, but I'd at least snark about it once.
But Kang Da-hye.
"Oh. A cat."
She was only paying attention to the cat sitting under someone's backyard wall. Jae-kyeom knew that cat.
"Hiding from the rain here?"
"Probably. The owner built a little roof on the wall on purpose. For cats to shelter under."
"Oh, so you know this cat too, Seo Jae-kyeom?"
"Yeah. We're friends."
"Why?"
"The cat says don't lie."
"Tch."
Jae-kyeom pouted.
Ignoring him, Da-hye—who'd been fixated on the cat's plump belly—spoke up.
"But this one's too fat. That belly won't help much against the rain."
"Neighbors feed it whenever they see it. Its house is up that way."
"So it chooses to hang out here? Don't cats hate rain?"
"That's just how it is. Comes out here to watch when it rains."
"A romantic cat, huh."
Da-hye muttered to herself, squatted down, and petted it. The cat flopped over at her touch.
After a while, it made eye contact with Jae-kyeom and sighed.
The cat sighed!
"Ridiculous."
Not a romantic cat—a transfer student cat? While Jae-kyeom wondered, Da-hye set her umbrella down next to it.
"Romantic cat. You're too fat for this anyway. Use it."
"Hey, you're getting wet."
He hurriedly tilted his umbrella over her head.
"It's barely even raining."
Squatting in front of the cat, Da-hye looked up at Jae-kyeom and smiled.
"Thanks anyway?"
"......"
She smiled. At me.
‘You like Da-hye, right?’
> ‘...What about you, teacher?’
> ‘Me?’
> ‘Do you like Kang Da-hye? Romantically?’
> ‘What?! Hey, Jae-kyeom, I’m a normal guy!’
> ‘......’
> ‘Don’t go saying crap like that anywhere. It’d be a disaster.’
> ‘......’
> ‘Gave me chills. Should I put a screen in front of my face during tutoring from now on? Like an empress?’
> ‘......’
> ‘Nah. There’s this senior I really respect. When you get to Korea University, we could all eat tog—wait, no. Just the three of us. You might fall for her.’
> ‘What’re you on about? That won’t happen.’
> ‘True. You like Da-hye anyway.’
> ‘......’
> ‘Right?’ "Seo Jae-kyeom?"
You always seem one step ahead of me.
I might spend my whole life chasing that gap, running as hard as I can just to stay behind you.
Just a few days ago, Jae-kyeom had thought.
Not that he was trying to seduce Kang Da-hye or anything, but if feelings sprouted naturally from being friends, there was nothing he could do about it.
Bright red lie.
And yet he'd kept acting arrogant, unable to snap out of it. When senior year hit, he'd have to break things off in a way that minimized the shock.
As if he had the choice.
"Seo Jae-kyeom? What's wrong? You're totally soaked."
"Ah..."
Jae-kyeom had no choice but to admit it.
He'd tried to seduce her.
But in the end, the one seduced was Jae-kyeom himself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Rain stopped."
At the bottom of the hill, when Seo Jae-kyeom slipped, I thought my heart would drop out.
Was he out of it?
He mumbled nonsense, then bought milk at the convenience store instead of ramen and headed home.
"Wanna grow taller? Or copying Jeong Eun-seong?"
Pretends not to, but clearly likes Eun-seong.
Go for it.
I shook my head and turned into the alley leading up to my house. I folded the umbrella he'd shoved at me and looked up.
Then rubbed my eyes.
"Jeong Eun-seong?"
There he was, on the stairs.
Taller than ever after just a few weeks.
Spotting me, he straightened from leaning against the wall. He tossed aside the suitcase next to him and strode over. Standing in front of me, Jeong Eun-seong leaned down toward me.
Smiling. At me.
"Long time no see?"
Ah.
The sun came out.
📝 Regressor Kang Da-hye's Self-Intro Rejection Honey Tips! For the motivation section, write it like this: Can't you do anything without a "why"? Can't I just do it because I want to? Well, take me then.
—Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
I've never actually used it. Every job application was a precious, desperate opportunity for me...