Chapter 234: The Belief That Things Will Get Better-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 234: The Belief That Things Will Get Better-3
I was walking side by side with Yun Si-a down the hillside road, the chilly night air nipping at us.
After the tutoring session ended, I decided to accompany her, thinking it was too dangerous for a person to walk these secluded night streets alone.
I knew it was unnecessary meddling—that every action like this was another brick in the tower of obsession I was building—but what could I do? This is just my personality.
To put it bluntly, if I die, I can just come back to life somewhere else, but for anyone else, death is the end.
If a sacrifice has to be made, it’s more cost-effective if it’s me.
Of course, calling this walk a "sacrifice" or anything that grand is a bit much....
It was mostly because I wanted some fresh air anyway, and I felt uneasy letting Yun Si-a go home by herself.
"You don't have to walk me every time," Yun Si-a said when we were about halfway down.
I told her I wasn't exactly walking her home.
I claimed I had something to buy at the convenience store and was just heading that way anyway.
"Right, let's go with that."
Whatever she was thinking, Yun Si-a smiled as she looked at the moonlit scenery.
The round moon, perched right on the line of her shoulder, was showing off its full splendor.
"You know, they say this place used to be a 'moon village' a long time ago."
As we walked down in silence, Yun Si-a brought up a new topic, perhaps out of boredom.
"That explains why the hill is so high."
It was a hellishly steep hill. Without a car, it was a struggle just to climb it.
"Isn't it strange? It used to be a neighborhood where poor people lived, but now it's a place for the wealthy."
I kicked a small stone resting on the paved road, sending it rolling down. Yun Si-a watched the stone with her eyes as she spoke.
"I suppose so."
Not knowing what was on her mind, I gave a noncommittal response.
The reversal of fortunes between rich and poor neighborhoods happens everywhere, after all.
"Hmm... I guess this story doesn't really resonate with you."
Yun Si-a gave an awkward laugh at my vague reaction.
We continued down the hill in silence.
A biting wind brushed past our ankles, and I could start to see my breath in the air.
Glancing sideways, I saw Yun Si-a looking a bit dejected.
I wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking, but she probably felt like she’d brought up something pointless.
It might have been a shock to realize that what she considered "normal" wasn't normal for someone else.
Suddenly, a story a friend once told me came to mind.
That friend had been preparing a webtoon with a younger cousin who drew. He told me about a conversation they’d had, and it still stuck with me.
'The protagonist is an ordinary person. An ordinary college student.'
The friend in charge of the story had said that, and his cousin had shot back with a question:
'Why is a college student ordinary? There are more people who don't go to college than those who do.'
In short, people tend to define what is "normal" based on themselves.
That’s why they feel a shock when the standard for that "normalcy" is shaken.
Is that how Yun Si-a feels right now?
I took a wild guess.
"Teacher, what's college like?"
I pulled her out of the deep swamp of thought she was diving into by changing the subject.
"It's different from high school. If high school is a class where someone spoons-feeds you, college is a class where you have to set the table and eat for yourself."
She answered after a moment of contemplation.
"Is it fun?"
"Fun... I'm not sure. But it's busy. The commute takes forever, there are tons of assignments, it costs a lot of money... Ah! Did I only say bad things? College is great. It's very free and all that."
She hurriedly added the last part, worried I might lose interest in university.
No, I've already graduated... You don't have to sugarcoat it.
"So, In-ho, what major do you want to go into? Any dreams for the future?"
"I haven't really thought about it."
It felt like such a distant future that I didn't have much of an opinion.
"Well, these days people often choose jobs regardless of their major... Still, if you find a field you're interested in, let me know. I'll look into which departments are related."
Yun Si-a showed her enthusiasm, clenching her fists.
"Sure~"
I gave her a casual reply.
While we exchanged small talk, we reached the bottom of the hill.
"Well, get home safe. I'm going to the convenience—"
I was about to see her off at the corner of the convenience store when a familiar face appeared before us.
"......"
It was Shin Jeong-ah.
"Oh, hey."
I hadn't heard from her much lately.
Did she live around here? I ran into her here last time, and now we were meeting again.
"Looks like you finished late today?"
Shin Jeong-ah asked, looking back and forth between me and Yun Si-a.
"Yeah, the lesson ran a bit long."
Shin Jeong-ah stared at me, her face flushed red. Her body swayed slightly; she didn't look normal.
"Hey, are you—"
Just as I was about to ask if something was wrong, Yun Si-a stepped forward, moving me behind her back.
"Hi there. You're Jeong-ah, right?"
Yun Si-a greeted her brightly, acting as if they were close.
"......."
Shin Jeong-ah didn't hide her displeasure.
"In-ho, I'll be going now. Jeong-ah takes the same bus as me."
Before I could even get a word in, Yun Si-a rattled off her sentence, grabbed Shin Jeong-ah by the shoulder, and headed toward the bus stop.
I could do nothing but wave awkwardly as I watched them walk away.
*
"What are you doing, Unnie?"
Caught off guard by Yun Si-a’s sudden pushiness in front of the convenience store, Shin Jeong-ah hadn't been able to react properly. It was only when they reached the bus stop that she managed to shake Yun Si-a’s arm off her shoulder.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Yun Si-a looked down at Shin Jeong-ah with a beaming smile.
"Why are you suddenly acting like we're friends?"
Shin Jeong-ah glared at her.
It was a look that would have made any other friend at school flinch, but Yun Si-a didn't react at all.
"You've been drinking, haven't you?"
Instead, she countered with a question of her own.
At Yun Si-a’s words, Shin Jeong-ah’s hand instinctively went to her face.
Despite the chilly weather, a faint warmth lingered on her cheeks.
"And it smells like you've been smoking, too."
Yun Si-a sniffed the air.
"So what?"
Shin Jeong-ah flinched for a moment at Yun Si-a’s remark, but she soon squared her shoulders as if she had nothing to hide.
Her tone was a challenge: What are you going to do about it? Even in the face of that aggression, Yun Si-a didn't lose her composure.
"I just didn't want In-ho to see you like this."
"I didn't realize you cared so much about me, Unnie," Shin Jeong-ah sneered at the gentle words.
"What are you talking about?"
Yun Si-a’s eyes widened at Shin Jeong-ah’s remark.
"I wasn't protecting you. I just didn't want In-ho to see the state you're in."
Yun Si-a corrected her.
The gentleness from before began to drain from her voice as she spoke calmly.
"...What did you say?"
Shin Jeong-ah could only glare at her.
Yun Si-a shrugged.
"Exactly what I said. If he sees a friend who drinks and smokes, he might start thinking he wants to do those things too, right? I want In-ho to stay on the right path."
Yun Si-a crossed her arms and looked down at Shin Jeong-ah.
"Who do you think you are? Do you think you know more about In-ho than I do?"
Shin Jeong-ah looked up at her, dumbfounded.
"Then what do you know?"
Shin Jeong-ah fell silent at Yun Si-a’s counter-question.
"I probably know more than you do, at least."
"No, I don't think you do. Do you even know what a good boy In-ho is?"
"A good boy?"
Shin Jeong-ah certainly had feelings for him, but she couldn't help but question the "good boy" part.
"In-ho is good-natured at heart. He seems diligent, too. That's why I was curious... why he was going astray...."
Yun Si-a took a step closer.
"I think..."
Shin Jeong-ah swallowed hard.
"It's because the friends around him are a bad influence, don't you think?"
They were now close enough to look directly into each other's eyes.
The gaze that slowly approached and weighed down on her was filled with a terrifying sense of righteousness.
"Ha!"
Shin Jeong-ah let out a mocking laugh.
"Unnie... you're really something else, aren't you?"
Without backing down an inch, Shin Jeong-ah tilted her head back and spoke.