Chapter 252: Dissonance-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 252: Dissonance-2
A week had passed since that day when the rain fell like a monsoon.
Yun Si-a, who had recently resumed walking everywhere, let out a heavy sigh as she climbed the sloped path.
Her physical stamina wasn't so weak that a steep road would tire her. The reason for her sigh was simple.
It was because of a certain female student who had recently taken up residence in In-ho’s house.
Shin Jeong-ah.
Si-a had thought the girl was just someone she would pass by once and never see again, but starting with that incident at the park, their lives had become increasingly intertwined.
To be precise, it was Kang In-ho who was becoming intertwined with her. Yun Si-a was merely an observer watching from the sidelines.
And that fact was slowly gnawing away at her heart.
"What is he thinking, doing something like that...?"
Her stomach felt bloated, as if she had eaten too much greasy food.
Environment is crucial for a student in their formative years. Just as one turns black when near ink, one turns white when near light. There was a reason overbearing parents fought tooth and nail to move into better school districts.
And yet, he had to live with such an insincere student...
Even though it wasn't her own life, Yun Si-a felt a sense of hopelessness.
The night Shin Jeong-ah first came to In-ho’s house.
Whether she had failed to avoid the rain or had chosen not to, she appeared completely drenched.
[I got caught. By my parents.]
Si-a hadn't understood the meaning of those words immediately.
However, In-ho seemed to know. He understood exactly what she meant.
Recalling In-ho’s face—how it had stiffened and turned pale in an instant—Si-a unconsciously bit her lip hard.
Without hesitation, In-ho had brought Shin Jeong-ah inside.
Si-a had been forced to leave that house lonely, unable to even step back inside.
A few days later, when she arrived at his house for tutoring, Shin Jeong-ah, dressed in comfortable clothes, greeted her.
[Me? I live here now.]
Seeing Shin Jeong-ah’s face beaming at her for the first time, Si-a felt a strange, prickling discomfort.
After that, things began to tangle.
Shin Jeong-ah intruded upon the time Si-a used to spend eating dinner across from In-ho. It would have been natural to get angry at Jeong-ah’s self-centered behavior, but for some reason, In-ho followed her words submissively.
It was the same during their lessons.
Not only did she hover by the door every twenty minutes to disrupt the class, but she would also wander into his room during breaks and lie down on his bed to sleep.
[What happened?]
After finally managing to get the girl out of the room, Yun Si-a had pressed her pen firmly against the paper, leaving the question at the edge of the notebook.
Kang In-ho hesitated when he saw the writing. Then, with a deep sigh, he explained his situation on a page of the notebook.
He added a plea not to tell his parents.
Pregnancy. Pregnancy, of all things.
Si-a’s head spun.
"Are you in your right mind?"
Forgetting their silent exchange through writing, Si-a rebuked him aloud.
"I'm in my right mind now, so I have to take responsibility," he said, exhaling a sigh like a puff of cigarette smoke. "Still, I feel a bit better now that I've told you, Teacher. I was feeling so troubled because I had no one to talk to."
Seeing In-ho smile so broadly that his gums showed, Si-a felt an inexplicable surge of emotion.
Was it pity, or was it anger?
*
Retracing those recent memories as she climbed the hill, she soon arrived at his house.
Si-a pressed the bell, and after a short wait, the door opened.
The person who greeted her at the entrance wasn't Kang In-ho, but Shin Jeong-ah.
"Unnie, you're here?"
She even called her "Unnie" now, looking far too pleased about it.
That overly friendly tone was entirely unwelcome, and Si-a’s face crumpled slightly.
"Where's In-ho?"
"In-ho is in the kitchen making dinner."
As soon as Jeong-ah finished speaking, Si-a brushed past her and headed for the kitchen.
"Ah, Teacher, you're here?"
He turned around, wearing an apron and busy cooking.
Si-a gave a bitter smile at his bright expression. She wondered what kind of ordeal this was for a boy who was finally trying to get his life together and live properly.
"The meat took a while to defrost... Please wait just a little bit."
The sizzling sound and the smell of spicy seasoning and meat hit her nose.
As she nodded, swallowing the saliva that naturally pooled in her mouth, Shin Jeong-ah approached Kang In-ho and clung to him.
"Wow... I feel this every time, but aren't you just too good at cooking? That's my boyfriend for you!"
Jeong-ah hugged him from behind, rubbing her face against his back.
"Hey, hey, I'm cooking. It's going to take a while to prep, so go get some rest."
In-ho tried to shake her off by wiggling his body, but his efforts weren't very forceful.
"But I want to stay right next to In-ho."
As the girl continued to beam and engage in cringeworthy displays of affection, Si-a turned away.
"I'm going to go put my things in the room."
Since it was a day for solving mock exam problems, her bag was quite heavy.
Si-a went up to his room on the second floor.
She placed her bag on the chair and unzipped it. As she pulled out the workbooks one by one, she let out another sigh, feeling the strength drain from her body.
It wasn't a sigh for her own sake, but for someone else's.
While she rested her hands on the back of the chair to compose herself, she heard footsteps approaching the room.
"Ah, so you were here."
It was Shin Jeong-ah. She entered the room without the slightest hesitation.
Even though it wasn't her own room, Si-a felt as if something was being invaded.
"He said it'll take about twenty minutes. I came to get some rest."
"Is that so?"
Answering mechanically, Si-a turned toward the door. She felt it would be more comfortable to sit at the dining table than to stay in the same space as that girl.
"Are you leaving? Heave-ho~ I'll head down in a bit."
Shin Jeong-ah threw herself onto the bed.
Her light body landed on the mattress, and she lay face down, rubbing against the blankets as if enjoying their soft texture.
"......."
Si-a watched her for a moment before turning to leave the room.
While she went down to the first floor, while she ate her meal, and even while she conducted the lesson with In-ho...
The image of Shin Jeong-ah lying face down on that bed would not leave her mind.