Chapter 246: Rebirth-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: Rebirth-1
"They said he’s doing much better."
Yun Si-a spoke as she took over for her mother, who had just finished her shift as a cashier.
Even to Si-a’s eyes, her father’s condition had visibly improved whenever she stopped by, a fact confirmed when she asked the nurse.
"Yes. They changed his medication... and they said he’s taken a sudden turn for the better lately."
Her mother pulled a tangerine out of a black plastic bag, likely something she’d picked up on clearance at the mart.
Judging by the season, it looked like it had been grown in a greenhouse; it still had a lingering tint of green.
Though her mother spoke nonchalantly, as if she already knew, Si-a didn't miss the faint smile playing on her lips.
Unlike her usual self—exhausted and extremely tight-lipped—Si-a lingered in her seat longer than usual and peeled the tangerine.
"It looks sour."
"It’s not in season yet. Still, it’s nice we can even eat tangerines like this thanks to the greenhouses."
Si-a peeled away the thin skin with her fingernails, split the fruit in half, and handed it to her mother.
Si-a popped a wedge into her mouth and bit down. Juice sprayed inside her mouth, and she winced.
"Ugh... so sour."
Despite her words, her lips curved into a pleasant arc.
As they sat there peeling and eating tangerines together, the mother and daughter shared a real conversation for the first time in a long while.
"When you got into university, to be honest, I was more worried than happy. Because I knew I couldn't afford the tuition."
As the conversation deepened, her mother finally voiced the thoughts she had been holding inside.
She didn't look Si-a directly in the eye.
"It’s a good thing I got a scholarship then, right?"
Si-a gave a bright, playful smile.
"I suppose so. I wonder who you take after to be so smart."
"It’s probably one of you two."
"You still feel like a baby to me... but before I knew it, you were off to college, earning money, and even paying for your father’s hospital bills..."
Her mother slowly dissolved the knots of sorrow that had built up in her heart, exhaling them in a long, heavy sigh.
Apology, gratitude, and a sense of rage at herself for failing to fulfill her role as a parent.
A tangle of complex emotions that couldn't be defined by a single word was cast toward her daughter’s heart.
Though the words were calm, Si-a knew exactly what was laced within them, and her eyes began to sting.
"If it weren't for the tutoring... it probably would have been hard. Going to school, paying for Dad’s bills..."
She spoke while staring blankly out the window, as if talking to the passing clouds.
"Oh, that reminds me. How is the tutoring going?" her mother asked, clapping her hands together.
"What do you mean, how is it?"
"You know... you said the student was insincere."
Si-a’s mouth parted slightly at her mother’s words.
"Ah... he’s been good lately. And..."
She started to say, 'And the kid is reliable,' but she bit her tongue.
Seeing her stop mid-sentence, Si-a’s mother tilted her head.
"Why did you stop? And what?"
"Um... just... he’s kind, dependable, and very understanding... he takes good care of me?"
"Are you sure you're talking about the student you're teaching and not some senior at school?"
"Yeah. Funny, right? A high schooler acting like a total adult."
Si-a let out a small, airy laugh.
She excitedly began sharing stories of her experiences with In-ho, and as the middle-aged woman listened, she slapped her knee.
"He must be interested in you."
"Eh? What are you talking about?"
"You know... he’s acting all nice because he wants to impress you, isn't he? It’s perfectly normal for boys that age."
"No way, that’s not it. Why would a kid who lacks for nothing be interested in someone like me?"
When Si-a shook her head, her mother took her daughter’s face in both hands.
"Lacks for nothing? Look at your face. You’re so beautiful. I heard boys that age have fantasies about university students."
"Where are you hearing such strange things?"
Si-a squirmed out of her mother’s grip, and the older woman gave a soft smile as she offered some advice.
"The boy sounds fresh and cute. But don't go thinking about dating him. If you get caught by the president of that house while dating, you’ll get fired."
"That’s never going to happen."
Si-a’s expression went flat, her eyebrows forming a straight line.
*
Si-a stayed at the hospital for about an hour longer than usual.
She left the building in high spirits.
How long had it been since she walked out of those hospital doors with such a light step?
It felt as though she had been wandering in pitch-black darkness only to discover a tiny, fingernail-sized speck of light in the distance.
Her life was still in the middle of the night, but hope had bloomed—the hope that tomorrow’s sun would actually rise.
"Things seem to be going well lately."
Ever since In-ho started diligently attending his lessons, her life had gradually begun to improve.
There might not be a direct cause and effect, but she felt grateful to In-ho, who seemed to be the starting point of it all.
"Haa... the weather is great."
Looking up at the cloudless sky, Si-a smiled for the first time in a long while.
*
"Hah... this is pretty tough."
Wanting to test his limits, In-ho climbed the hill with his injured arms and legs.
Since he had been taking taxis to and from school after getting hurt, this was his first time tackling the hill on crutches.
By the time he reached the one-third mark, his body was burning up despite the cool weather.
Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
"First of all, just moving is uncomfortable."
Thinking about what he would do if a fight like the last one broke out again, he moved his hindered body this way and that, checking his range of motion.
The theories of Martial Arts he had mastered in the previous dimension, combined with the senses he had acquired through sparring and real combat, served as a solid foundation. He didn't think he would lose in an average fight.
However, he concluded that fighting while protecting someone else would be impossible.
"It’s going to take all night at this rate."
The sun was already setting. He moved his crutches and continued up the hill.
With the sunset draped over his right shoulder, he walked the path with painstaking care, step by step.
Thump. Thump.
The rubber tips of his crutches made a rhythmic sound as they struck the ground.
"I’m taking the taxi again starting tomorrow."
Though he hadn't intended to tell anyone, Yun Si-a had sent a text to his father, claiming it was her fault.
The gist of it was that In-ho had been injured while helping her.
Since he believed his father didn't think much of him, he expected some kind of penalty, but surprisingly, the reaction was lukewarm.
[I see. Please take good care of my son.]
That was it.
Even though he wasn't his biological father, Kang In-ho felt a bit slighted by that dry response.
'No wonder the kid turned out crooked.'
Of course, he didn't know which came first—the neglect or the rebellion.
As he grumbled and climbed the hill, he saw the stairs leading down to the park.
It was the same park where he had fought a few days ago.
He didn't have any particular intention; he just happened to glance that way.
"...!!"
In-ho stopped in his tracks when he saw someone sitting on the swing at the bottom of the stairs.
He could feel the person on the swing looking back at him, as if they had noticed him too.
After a long moment of staring each other down, In-ho turned his body and pointed his crutches toward the stairs.