Chapter 229: Rehabilitation-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: Rehabilitation-2
The next day, I had to find a way to turn down Shin Jeong-ah’s texts.
Watching the constant stream of message notifications, I belatedly regretted the half-baked excuses I’d given her yesterday.
Shin Jeong-ah: Don’t leave me on read! Check your messages!
She was snapping at me, clearly realizing I was seeing the notifications but choosing not to reply.
Leaving someone on read... I’d been on the receiving end of that a few times myself. Ah, the bittersweet memories of romance....
They say bad habits are picked up quickly. I felt a twinge of guilt realizing I was doing the exact same thing that had been done to me.
Just as I was considering whether to finally send a reply, Jeong-ah’s patience snapped, and she called me.
"Hello?"
[Why are you leaving me on read?]
Contrary to the tidal wave of rage I expected, her voice was surprisingly calm.
"Ah..."
I stalled for time, trying to come up with another excuse, and heard a faint sigh from the other end.
[You’re not even going to deny it.]
"I just don’t feel like going out."
She wanted me to come hang out at a bar run by an older guy she knew. I’d almost typed "Are you crazy?" in the group chat but managed to hold back.
[Be honest. It’s not that you don’t want to go out. It’s that you find us... no, you find me annoying, right?]
Jeong-ah’s voice grew heavy.
Through the cracks in her stiff tone, a faint trace of hurt leaked out.
It wasn't that I found her or the group annoying. It was just that I knew staying involved with them would inevitably lead to trouble, so I was trying to slowly distance myself.
"It’s not that... Um, I’m just trying to practice some self-reflection."
[Self-reflection? What’s that supposed to mean?]
"Huh? Oh, you know... I’m laying low to reflect on my actions. Since I’m on suspension and all."
[......]
Silence followed. Even Jeong-ah must have realized how absurd my excuse sounded.
[Really? Because it feels like you’re trying to distance yourself....]
And yet, she clung to a shred of hope. She hoped that once this "self-reflection" was over, things would go back to the way they were....
Of course, even when it ended, I had no intention of returning to the old group.
"Yeah. Let’s grab a meal then."
[What the? You sound like an old man.]
Her mood seemed to lift slightly, and life returned to her voice.
[Fine... do your self-reflection or whatever, but call me if you change your mind. And at least reply to my texts.]
Unlike the quiet anger from moments ago, she was back to being a cute, bubbly student.
"Sure, okay."
Offering a silent prayer for the volatile emotions of teenagers, I ended the call.
I flopped back onto my bed. The softness of the mattress made me feel drowsy.
Ah... is it evening already?
I should eat something before my tutoring session.
*
Since I’d finished all the food I bought yesterday, I headed back to the convenience store.
Maybe I was starved for ramen, because even after eating so much of it, my body kept craving more.
I threw on some clothes and trudged down the hill.
"Ugh, it’s freezing."
We were in the transition from summer to autumn. If you let your guard down because of the warm daytime temperatures and dressed lightly, the night chill would strike you like an assassin.
Shivering as the cold seeped into my skin, I quickened my pace.
Ding-ring!
I pushed open the convenience store door. The part-timer hadn't been lying yesterday; the bowl by the entrance was overflowing with cat food.
I gave it a casual glance.
There were already customers inside. Two police officers in patrol uniforms were paying for drinks. As I swept various ramen cups into my basket, I eavesdropped on their conversation.
Keywords like "caution" and "report" popped up.
"What did the police say?" I asked the part-timer as I placed the ramen on the counter after the officers left.
"They said there’ve been pickpocketing incidents around here lately."
The woman looked exhausted, but she answered my question kindly enough despite her fatigue.
"Oh, I see."
I held out my card, and she pointed to the card reader.
Ah, right. I have to insert it myself.
By the time I finished my purchase and stepped outside, I had exactly an hour and a half left before my tutoring session.
Ding-ring!
The door chimed as it opened.
Meow.
A few cats had gathered by the entrance, faces buried in the food bowl as if they’d been waiting for dinner.
They eyed me warily at the sound of a stranger, but when I didn't do anything, they went right back to eating.
These little punks have no fear these days.
I watched the cats eat for a moment before heading back.
*
"Did you eat ramen?"
The first thing Yun Si-a said when she walked in was a bit unexpected.
The way she kept sniffing the air was a stark contrast to the serious expression she’d worn on the first day.
"Yes."
It wasn't something I needed to hide, so I answered honestly.
"......."
I saw her pupils tremble slightly.
"Let’s... let’s start the lesson."
She shook her head and led the way to the second floor. I followed silently behind her.
It happened just as Yun Si-a sat down and pulled out the textbook.
Grumbleeee.
A loud growl erupted from her stomach.
"......"
I didn't know a person's face could turn that shade of red.
"Did you skip dinner?" I asked cautiously, watching her face grow even hotter.
"I was... a bit busy...." she muttered in a voice no louder than a mosquito's buzz, looking away.
"I have some food at my place. Do you want some?"
I’d bought several kinds of ramen from the convenience store. Giving her one wouldn't be a problem.
"Umm...."
She seemed to be weighing her dignity as a tutor against her hunger as a human being.
Grumbleeee.
John Stuart Mill was wrong.
"Then... just one... please...."
A person will always choose to be a satisfied pig over a hungry Socrates.