Chapter 173: Each Person’s Misunderstanding.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 173: Each Person’s Misunderstanding.
It was strange.
If you asked me to be specific about what was strange, it was Ha-ni’s attitude when she welcomed me back to the dormitory.
“So-hyun, is there anything you want to eat? Should we make dinner together?”
Well, looking at her actions alone, they didn’t seem that different from usual, but how should I put it?
There was something strangely… soft about her gaze? She was looking at me as if I were some kind of wounded, fragile little animal.
“Hmm, right. You like omurice, don’t you? I’ll prep the ingredients. So-hyun, could you beat the eggs for me?”
“…Well, sure. Okay.”
“We should probably eat the tteokgalbi soon too, so let’s make tteokgalbi omurice, okay~?”
What was this? It was certainly similar to her usual self, yet her tone was strangely drawn out.
I had been in a good mood until a moment ago, feeling like I’d had a nice time hanging out with Seo-ha for the first time in a while, but this inexplicable phenomenon was starting to get creepy.
What on earth did these guys talk about among themselves?
“Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that? Ah! Our So-hyun wants to use the knife!”
“Look, Han-hee. I never thought the day would come when I’d say this to you, but did you eat something wrong?”
“Oh, hush. Is that any way to speak to a friend?”
Maybe she’s just gone plain crazy…?
“Here! I’ll hold you from behind, so make a cat hand! When you use a knife, you have to do it like this so you don’t hurt your hand!”
“I mean, I might be worse at cooking than you, but I’m not that bad…”
“Yes, yes, I know you’re at that age where you want to look grown-up.”
…What the hell? What is wrong with her?
I suspected Lilac had probably overreacted again and said something like, ‘So-hyun seems to be struggling!’ But through what mental gymnastics did Ha-ni conclude that she should suddenly start treating me like a toddler?
“Now, come here!”
“I don’t want to…”
* * *
Kang Ha-ni, who had arrived at the dormitory a step ahead of the others after parting with her friends, had agonized over the matter for a long time. In the end, she decided to keep it simple.
Unlike the others, didn’t she know the fundamental cause of his deficiency?
Deep in his heart, he carried the wound of losing his mother at a young age, and he had a past of being an outsider even within his own family.
Then, what should be done to solve this problem?
It was simple. She just had to let him experience the things he hadn’t been able to experience until now.
Of course, she couldn’t perfectly become his mother.
Nor could she erase his painful past.
Even so, as more time passed and the days he spent with her eventually outnumbered his sad past, wouldn’t she be able to fill much of the void in his heart?
Yes.
That was why the method she chose to comfort Kang So-hyun was maternal love.
Since maternal love alone wouldn’t be enough, it would be maternal love seasoned with friendship and affection!
A friend, a mother, and a lover… Well, she’d need permission for the last one, so she’d keep it as a candidate for now. Regardless, she decided to heal his wounds as a friend who was infinitely close to being family.
In short, her mind—already exhausted from exams—had been hit with the sudden confusion of only one friend not returning, followed by the finishing blow of hearing that he might be consumed by Demonic Energy. Her brain had essentially short-circuited.
If she were her usual self, she would have quickly realized that it wasn’t exactly easy for maternal love, friendship, and affection to coexist simultaneously. Unfortunately, her current state wasn’t stable enough to notice her own blunder.
And so, she began a bizarre series of behaviors: the relationship was strictly that of a friend, but her actions were like a mother dealing with a child, and her sense of distance was like that of a lover.
“Now that you’ve eaten, you have to brush your teeth, right~?”
“Seriously, why are you being like this!?”
As a result, the only thing echoing through the dormitory were screams of concern for a friend who had suddenly started acting insane.
* * *
The next morning, a relatively sane Ha-ni woke up first and apologized, saying she hadn’t been in her right mind yesterday because she was tired.
Thank god.
Honestly, when Ha-ni tucked me in and offered to sing me a lullaby at the end, I was convinced that either she or I had definitely lost it.
Judging by her reaction, it wasn’t me, and it seemed Ha-ni had just suffered a temporary lapse in sanity.
It happens.
Summer vacation was coming up, and the final exam-like events were over, so it was about the time of year when students usually lost their minds.
Yeah, I wanted to believe that these guys being crazy was just because summer was approaching.
I thought things would smooth out now that Ha-ni was back to normal, but two more lunatics joined us on the way to school.
“…What are you guys even doing?”
“Ah! So-hyun, you timed that perfectly! You choose! Cheon Yu-hak here has absolutely no idea what it means to be a friend!”
“…Don’t talk nonsense, Lilac. I’m saying this for your sake, since you don’t even know the basic concept of friendship. Do you really insist on having a duel that will only end in heartbreak?”
Please, I hoped I wasn’t the reason my friends were fighting over such a stupid topic.
Listening to the conversation, Lilac argued that friendship is perfected through sincere dialogue and cooperative work where both parties understand each other, and that reaching out first is crucial to supporting someone. On the other hand, Cheon Yu-hak claimed that friendship is established naturally, and that it’s important to wait until the other person opens their heart and relies on you first.
Sure, neither of them was wrong.
But, are you guys talking about me? Because if you are, I hate both options.
I turned my gaze toward their “pets,” hoping they would do something about their masters, but unfortunately, they weren’t in a normal state either.
“…Listen up, you two. It’s rude to look at a person like they’re some pitiful animal, you know?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, we’re the same as always.”
This is driving me crazy.
They were obviously up to something, but since everyone except me was in on it and playing dumb, it was frustrating as hell.
If Ga-eul were here, I’d try to coax her into telling me what they were planning, but why was she missing today of all days?
Did she go to the classroom early?
In the end, those strangely soft gazes followed me all the way until the moment I stepped into the Academy classroom.
Actually, it was just that they were being a bit more discreet in the classroom because of the eyes around them; the gazes hadn’t disappeared entirely.
Guys, please, can’t you at least tell me why you’re doing this?
* * *
Meanwhile, while everyone was gathered in the Holy Fire Class waiting for the morning assembly, there was one girl who couldn’t join them, caught in a cycle of conflict.
Kim Ga-eul.
She was currently agonizing over exactly what attitude she should take when she met Kang So-hyun.
She had stayed up all night because she couldn’t sleep, but instead of finding an answer, she only felt more and more suffocated.
When she first witnessed him having a secret meeting(?) with another woman, she felt betrayed. She had even felt sad, wondering if the reason he’d been acting softer lately was actually because of another girl.
It was also true that she had considered telling the others everything in a fit of pique.
However, while she was drafting a text message on her smartphone alone last night, she realized a staggering truth.
First, doing such a thing would cause him a significant amount of stress. Second, she couldn’t be certain of their relationship based solely on a scene where a girl ran away crying.
To put it bluntly, what if she had misread the situation because she was worked up, and he had actually just been looking blankly at a girl who happened to be running away?
An apology wouldn’t even begin to cover it.
She had almost made a huge mistake in her excitement.
The moment she realized that, her sense of betrayal quickly subsided, replaced by a strange sense of unpleasantness.
Regret washed over her as she realized she still had a long way to go in fixing her habit of jumping to conclusions. Simultaneously, a sense of self-loathing for having selfish thoughts—even when he might be consumed by Demonic Energy if he got stressed—tightened around her chest uncomfortably.
No, she had to fix these thoughts too.
The other kids were probably all trying to do something for So-hyun right now to cheer him up. What would change if she just moped around by herself?
“Right, So-hyun can meet a girl without us, and he can look a bit intensely at a girl running away crying!”
As long as they weren’t in a relationship—no, even if they were, it didn’t matter.
As long as So-hyun hadn’t decided to be devoted to just one person instead of a harem, there was still a chance!
“Alright, I was late this morning, but starting from lunch, I’ll also…!”
“…You’re saying some interesting things, Cadet Kim Ga-eul.”
Her heart nearly stopped at the sudden voice.
No, the voice itself was peaceful.
It was the same kind tone as usual, and the expression she saw when she reflexively turned around didn’t seem much different either.
“What about So-hyun?”
Yet, why did that calm, level, and monotonous voice trigger such anxiety?
“Oh…? Professor? I thought you couldn’t come until today because of the exams?”
“Ah, I was originally planning to join from the afternoon classes, but the exams finished a bit early, so I returned as quickly as possible. But is that important?”
“Hieee…!”
The moment she approached, Kim Ga-eul instinctively took a step back.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Cadet, did I scare you?”
“N-no. It’s not that.”
“That’s a relief. Take a deep breath and calm down. I’ll wait until you’re composed.”
Is she really the same professor as usual…?
“Are you feeling calmer now?”
“Yes, yes. Professor.”
“Then tell me.”
“Pardon?”
“Who So-hyun met yesterday and what happened. Everything you saw, Cadet Ga-eul.”
She wasn’t the same. Although she was desperately feigning composure, it was obvious that she was incredibly agitated inside.
For a moment, Ga-eul wondered if she should hide it, but she decided to just tell the truth.
Spreading it to the other kids emotionally would be a problem, but telling it calmly without adding personal opinions could actually be helpful to him.
What if she caused trouble by making the Professor misunderstand that he was hiding something?
Whether the misunderstanding was cleared or not, her own image as the one who provided the cause would hit rock bottom.
In that case, it was better to just state the facts as neutrally as possible!
Of course, the fact that she was intimidated by Professor Cathy’s aura played a part, but she also truly felt this was the right answer.
So, she confessed.
The fact that everyone had noticed his Demonic Energy.
The fact that they had decided to create an environment where he could be as comfortable as possible and not feel stressed.
And how, on the way back after their discussion, she alone had witnessed So-hyun talking to some girl in a cafe before the other party ran away crying.
…Somehow, she felt like she had given too many details as she spoke, but since it was the truth without a shred of personal bias…
“…I see. Everyone is so admirable. Yes. It’s an issue that could have led to ostracization, so I’m grateful everyone reached that conclusion. Even though you’re only first-years, you’ve shown the qualities of heroes. As both your professor and as a person, I’m proud of you all.”
“Hehe, I think this is the first time I’ve been praised by you, Professor.”
As far as she could remember, she and this kind professor had maintained a relationship that couldn’t exactly be called good since the beginning of the semester, but after talking today, she felt like that grudge had completely melted away.
“Yes. If there is pain, one must embrace it. Vacation is coming soon, too. And if we meet privately during the break, what does it matter who is the professor and who is the cadet?”
“…Professor?”
The reason she felt a sense of dissonance in that warm, cozy atmosphere was because she realized that, at some point, the Professor was no longer looking at her, but at something else.
“We have to make sure he doesn’t get stressed. Yes. While it’s not good to interfere in a cadet’s life during the break, as someone who isn’t a professor, I can certainly offer help occasionally, can’t I? You think so too, don’t you, Cadet Ga-eul?”
Was there anyone who could look into those eyes and say no?
At least, Kim Ga-eul didn’t think so.
“Yes, I suppose so…?”
“You’re more reasonable than I thought, Cadet Ga-eul. Thank you. I was actually hesitating a bit. Thanks to you, I’ve made up my mind.”
She wanted to ask what she had decided, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Had she perhaps made an irreversible, wrong choice?
Just as that uneasy thought crossed her mind, the Professor smiled brightly.
“It’s almost vacation.”
“Pardon? Yes. That’s right. Vacation starts after this week’s classes…?”
“I’m looking forward to it. The break. I’m a professor, so I can’t just rest entirely. But I think I can make some time every now and then.”
The smile blooming on her face as she said that was as beautiful as ever, but Kim Ga-eul saw it.
Within that beautiful smile, her eyes alone were burning with a fierce longing for something.