Chapter 249: Rebirth-4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 249: Rebirth-4
A few days later.
As the seasons turned colder, the sun began to head home earlier and earlier.
It was the hour when the moon peeked its face through the window, casting a subtle, silver glow.
In-ho was receiving private tutoring in his room on the second floor.
It was a mathematics lesson, and he was currently working through application problems based on a concept Yun Si-a had just explained.
Yun Si-a stared intently at her student’s face.
At a glance, he seemed focused on the workbook, his eyes fixed on the problems, but Si-a realized immediately that his mind was elsewhere.
“……”
He was clearly thinking about something else.
The sight of him so deeply lost in thought was unfamiliar to her, so she watched him in silence for a moment.
“……”
He looked a bit dazed, as if something was weighing heavily on his mind.
It reminded her of how she had looked when she first heard the news of her father’s hospitalization.
“In-ho.”
After observing him for a few minutes and feeling like time was slipping away uselessly, Yun Si-a decided to pull In-ho out of the quagmire of his thoughts.
“……”
In-ho did not react to her call.
He simply continued to stare quietly at the workbook.
“Kang In-ho.”
Yun Si-a called his name again, lightly shaking his shoulder.
“Ah… Yes?”
Only after the physical contact did Kang In-ho finally respond.
“You’re having trouble concentrating today, aren’t you?”
She spoke with worry rather than reproach.
Was he having trouble because of some bad influences? Yun Si-a speculated.
He was a student trying his best to set his heart right and walk the proper path. It was her wish that such a resolve would not crumble.
“Ah, it’s just… today is just one of those days.”
He averted his gaze, turning his eyes back toward the workbook.
“I’m still the adult here. If you have something on your mind, tell me. I’ll help you.”
Though she was an adult who hadn't quite shed her own youthful air, she still tried to comfort him.
“You, Teacher?”
Perhaps those words struck a chord, as he finally spoke while keeping his eyes on the book.
“Yes, I’ll help.”
Yun Si-a answered without hesitation.
She truly wanted to help him.
Within her, an altruistic desire to help a commendable student coexisted with a selfish feeling that her own mind would only be at ease once the dark shadow cast over his face was gone.
Kang In-ho’s eyes turned toward her.
He slowly scanned Yun Si-a from head to toe.
It was a gaze that could have been mistaken for sexual harassment, but Yun Si-a didn't find it particularly unpleasant.
She didn't sense any lustful intent in his eyes.
After looking at her with a serious expression, Kang In-ho gave a short laugh and shrugged.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine. I should handle my own responsibilities myself.”
It was a rejection. Yun Si-a pouted without realizing it.
“‘Responsibility’ is a word for adults. What kind of responsibility does a student have?”
Words more cold than she expected tripped off her tongue.
“Teacher?”
Surprised by her sharp reaction, he looked at her.
Ahem, ahem.
Yun Si-a cleared her throat and gave an awkward smile.
“In-ho. I just think you’re still a bit too young to solve every problem on your own, you know?”
She put on a gentle expression and patted his thigh.
Stroke, stroke.
While In-ho sat there, unsure of how to react to her hand stroking down his thigh, Yun Si-a continued.
“You don’t have any social experience yet. It’s hard to distinguish what’s right or wrong, or what you should or shouldn't do… isn't it?”
Yun Si-a looked at him as if seeking agreement, her face still wearing that smile.
“So, if there’s a problem, talk to me. Okay?”
She nodded her head, prompting him to follow suit.
“……”
Kang In-ho seemed to have forgotten how to make a sound. He just stared at Yun Si-a with his mouth slightly agape, thinking to himself:
What is she talking about? She’s younger than me.
*
The next day, Shin Jeong-ah did not show up for morning classes.
Normally, In-ho would have just brushed it off, but perhaps because of his conversation with Kim Jin-tae, his eyes kept drifting toward Jeong-ah’s empty seat throughout the lessons.
After having lunch with Jung Sang-hoon and a few other students, he sat in his chair, leaning back and rocking it slightly as he pondered.
He wondered if contacting Shin Jeong-ah was the right choice.
“It would be even weirder to contact her now, wouldn't it?”
He felt certain that she would pick up if he called, but he had a strong hunch that a sudden contact might actually make the situation worse.
“I was too complacent.”
Had he been too focused on simply distancing himself from Shin Jeong-ah? In many ways, he had failed in the way he chose to distance himself.
Though he hadn't intentionally created the situation, Shin Jeong-ah’s status within the school had plummeted following the events in the classroom.
It wouldn't have been an issue if her relationships with other peers had been good, but as Jin-tae had explained, the Karma she had accumulated while hanging around In-ho was resulting in a massive backlash.
Jin-tae was apparently acting like a fierce bulldog to prevent any over-the-line bullying, but Jin-tae’s own status had fallen just as much. Their reputations were slowly sinking as if they were trapped in a swamp.
That was why Kim Jin-tae had swallowed his pride to ask Kang In-ho for help.
“What should I do…?”
Having spent his own school days completely unrelated to things like bullying or delinquents, he couldn't see a clear solution.
He could only continue to agonize without reaching a sharp answer.
In the meantime, lunch ended, and the period led by their homeroom teacher began.
In the middle of the lesson, the back door opened and Shin Jeong-ah walked in.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward her.
“Did the hospital visit go well?”
The homeroom teacher asked in a nonchalant voice.
“Yes.”
Shin Jeong-ah answered curtly.
“Go to your seat.”
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the lesson resumed.
“……”
As she walked to her desk, her eyes met In-ho’s for a brief moment.
Perhaps she really wasn't feeling well; she looked thinner than before, and dark circles hung heavily under her eyes.
After sitting down and hanging her bag on her chair, she looked at him once more.
They exchanged a silent gaze.
When the class ended and the teacher left, the classroom became noisy again.
As the moderate clamor filled the room, Shin Jeong-ah stood up quietly, as if hiding herself in the noise, and passed by In-ho’s side.
She headed out the back door again, looking as if she were going to the restroom.
“…What’s this?”
As she brushed past him, she had dropped a note onto his desk.
Kang In-ho watched the door she had exited through, then unfolded the crumpled piece of paper.
[Let’s talk for a bit after school today.]
The note contained a simple request, but for some reason, In-ho felt an ominous premonition.