Chapter 251: Dissonance-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 251: Dissonance-1
"Did you guys make up?"
A few days later. As the bell rang for lunch and he reached for his crutches, Jung Sang-hoon, the boy in the next seat, asked him.
Compared to when Sang-hoon had first found it difficult even to speak to him, they seemed to have grown quite close.
"Make up?"
When In-ho tilted his head at the abrupt question, Jung Sang-hoon gestured toward Shin Jeong-ah with his chin.
In-ho and Sang-hoon’s gazes drifted over to her.
Jeong-ah, whose expression had grown noticeably brighter lately, was just closing her textbook.
After sliding the book—filled with meaningless doodles—into her desk drawer, she whipped around to face him.
The two men pulled their gazes back and looked at each other.
"Well, something like that..."
In-ho let out an awkward laugh.
"It’s good that you made up. Lunch with Jeong-ah again today?"
Sang-hoon asked as if confirming the obvious, and In-ho gave a slow nod.
"Enjoy your meal."
As Jung Sang-hoon headed out with his friends, In-ho watched the door he exited with a hint of regret.
"In-ho~!"
Before he could even dwell on that regret, Shin Jeong-ah was at his side in an instant.
In-ho staggered under her weight.
"I’ll help you."
It was much easier to do it alone, but he couldn't reject her as firmly as he used to.
He pursed his lips with a reluctant face, and Shin Jeong-ah grabbed one of his shoulders, grunting as she helped him up.
Receiving assistance that was more of a hindrance than a help, he stood up awkwardly and managed to leave the classroom on his crutches.
"Guess what’s for lunch today?"
Shin Jeong-ah asked brightly, as if hosting a quiz show.
Feeling like he was back in the military, Kang In-ho recalled the meal plan.
"I only remember the Gondre herb rice."
"That tastes like crap."
When Shin Jeong-ah grumbled, Kang In-ho narrowed his eyes and glared at her.
Gondre herb rice is delicious. Though, granted, I only started liking it in my thirties...
He felt a bit miffed that a food he enjoyed was being disparaged.
Regardless, Shin Jeong-ah remained cheerful.
"Should we just go to the snack bar? Or the convenience store?"
Perhaps she really didn't like the lunch menu, as she suggested other options.
"Do you not see my leg?"
It was only natural for Kang In-ho to look at her with an incredulous expression.
The snack bar was one thing, but the convenience store... it was clearly a huge hassle for someone with an injured leg.
"Then let's go to the snack bar. Let's have bread. Bread!"
Shin Jeong-ah pulled his hand.
Being dragged along by that slight force, In-ho didn't hide his complicated expression.
The snack bar was located in a separate building away from the classrooms.
Correction: it wasn't a building, but a roughly decorated shipping container where they conducted business.
Originally, it had been a warehouse for miscellaneous facility supplies, but it had been transformed into a more useful purpose.
Just like the front of the cafeteria, the snack bar was crowded.
It was no easy feat for a student with casts on his arm and leg to squeeze into that fray.
"Stay here. I'll go."
Shin Jeong-ah balled her fists as if telling him to trust her, then threw herself directly into the tangle of students.
For a few seconds, he watched her back as she struggled to wedge herself between the male students.
Just as he was starting to worry about her after she vanished into the crowd, Shin Jeong-ah’s face popped out from the massive huddle.
"He-help! Pull me out!"
Shin Jeong-ah cried out urgently, and In-ho sighed as he grabbed her and pulled her free.
It was already hard enough to keep his balance, and In-ho grumbled irritably as he hauled her out.
"Phew! Here."
Regardless, Shin Jeong-ah grinned and handed him a bag of bread.
It was a bit squashed, but since the contents hadn't burst out, he accepted it without a word.
The two of them found a suitable bench and sat down.
Located under the shade of a tree, it was the perfect spot to watch the people playing soccer on the field.
By the time the soccer-obsessed students—who had inhaled their food and sprinted out to the field—began splitting into teams and running around, In-ho tore open the bread bag.
It was a Chocolate Roll Cake.
"If you're not collecting the stickers, give it to me."
Since it was the kind of bread that came with character stickers, a square paper wrapper was tucked inside with the cake.
"Here."
In-ho handed it over, and Shin Jeong-ah took it with a beaming smile.
She checked the sticker with sparkling eyes, but her face immediately crumpled.
"Aw... I already have this one."
As if deeply disappointed, she tossed the sticker onto the ground.
Watching this, In-ho brought the bread to his mouth.
As the soft, sliced bread entered his mouth, sweetness spread across his tongue.
Perhaps because of the sugar hit, In-ho watched the scene unfolding before him with a slightly more relaxed expression.
A student dribbled alone, bypassed four other students, and after scoring with a mid-range shot, performed four consecutive aerial somersaults as a celebration.
How the fuck did he do that? he thought to himself.
"The weather's gloomy, isn't it?"
While he was quietly chewing his bread, Jeong-ah’s voice reached him.
In-ho looked up.
They say the autumn sky is high, but today the clouds were hanging thick and heavy.
"Is it... going to rain? It wasn't in the forecast."
"I know... an autumn rain would be pretty cold."
Shin Jeong-ah chimed in.
"......."
In-ho didn't say anything more and just chewed his bread.
She should've bought some milk too, he grumbled inwardly.
And so, time at school passed.
*
"Wow... it's really coming down."
As the tutoring session neared its end, rain began to pour at a terrifying rate.
"It is."
In-ho, whose head had been complicated lately with thoughts about Shin Jeong-ah, gave a brief reply.
"Could I borrow an umbrella?"
"There should be one in the entryway. I'll give it to you when you leave."
"Okay, thanks. Well... shall we call it a day?"
Yun Si-a said, glancing at the clock.
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
"You're the one who worked hard."
Yun Si-a looked at Kang In-ho proudly.
In-ho found a long umbrella in the entryway and handed it to Yun Si-a.
"Don't come out."
Despite Yun Si-a’s polite refusal, In-ho came out to the gate to see her off.
"It's just right here."
Opening his own umbrella, he moved his feet carefully as he followed behind Yun Si-a.
Yun Si-a opened the large iron gate and stepped out.
"The taxi will be here soon. So go back in—"
Yun Si-a couldn't finish her sentence; she let out a startled scream.
Alarmed by her strange behavior, In-ho hurried out the gate as well.
And what he saw was—
"In-ho..."
It was Shin Jeong-ah, crouching in front of the gate, looking like a drowned rat.
"Jeong-ah. Why are you...?"
When he asked with wide eyes, Shin Jeong-ah gave a weak smile and spoke.
"I got caught. By my parents."