Chapter 259: What is Responsibility?-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 259: What is Responsibility?-2
"Seriously, what kind of mother acts like that?"
Glancing at Shin Jeong-ah, who was huddled in a corner of the police substation, the officer who had responded to the call grumbled to his senior.
It was all well and good that they had identified the girl and called her mother. However, the mother had claimed it was too much of a hassle to come pick her up and demanded they drive her home instead.
[Officer, we don't usually do that kind of...]
He had tried to explain that this wasn't standard procedure, but an ear-splitting, high-pitched shriek had erupted from the phone, echoing through the station.
[I pay my taxes! Would it kill you to just do it?!]
His face contorted involuntarily at the memory of that voice—a voice that seemed utterly incapable of compromise.
"It’s usually like that. Kids don't just go astray on their own. There’s almost always a problem at home first," the senior officer muttered with an indifferent expression, sipping his instant mix coffee.
After a brief thought about the lottery ticket he’d bought yesterday, the senior officer glanced at the clock and gulped down the rest of his coffee.
"Alright, let's just drop her off while we're out on patrol. Let's be flexible."
"Sigh, alright."
As if this were a common occurrence, the senior gave the order, and the junior nodded with a small sigh.
*
A few dozen minutes later, Shin Jeong-ah stepped out of the patrol car.
"I’m going to watch until you’re inside, so make sure you go in," the female officer in the passenger seat said. Jeong-ah engaged in a meaningless staring contest with her for a moment.
Jeong-ah looked toward her home, located at the end of a secluded alley. On the fifth floor of a shabby villa—the top floor—the lights were still on.
11:00 PM. It was still too early for that person to be asleep.
Jeong-ah grit her teeth. She shot one last glare at the police car before turning and heading inside.
Second floor, third floor... she climbed the stairs. With every flight, the sensor lights flickered on. Through the small windows on each landing, she could still see the red and blue lights of the patrol car flashing.
"......."
The thought of waiting there until they left crossed her mind, but she didn't stop walking.
Fourth floor, fifth floor. She stood before Room 501.
She stood once again before that door with its peeling paint—a sight as familiar as it was loathsome. Jeong-ah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she punched in the passcode and entered.
Before she could even take off her shoes, something flew past her cheek and slammed into the door. The object shattered upon impact, scattering fragments across the floor. Jeong-ah slowly shifted her gaze to the poor victim.
It was a small clock, merchandise featuring a character she liked.
"You crazy bitch! What the hell were you doing for the police to call me?! The police!!"
Her mother, clutching a liquor bottle in one hand, greeted her with a sallow, ashen face. Perhaps she was 'glad' to see the daughter she hadn't seen in a while, as she strode toward her.
Then, with a heavy hand, she slapped Jeong-ah across the face.
Slap!
With a sharp crack, Jeong-ah’s body was thrown against the shoe rack. The rack rattled violently from the impact.
"To think I actually ate seaweed soup after giving birth to a bitch like you! Seaweed soup!"
Several more blows followed. The beating only ended when both the assailant's hands and the victim's body began to swell. Whether her rage still hadn't subsided or she was simply winded from the exertion and the alcohol, the woman—her face even redder than before—huffed and retreated to her room.
Jeong-ah slumped onto the cold entryway floor, waiting for the pain to subside. Her stinging cheek began to swell in earnest, and a bead of blood formed on her lip where it had been split.
It hurt, yet it didn't.
Even as tears pricked her eyes from the physical pain, her mind was filled only with In-ho.
In the end, I'm right back where I started, In-ho.
Staggering to her feet, she went into her room—a space cluttered with trash. Sitting at her desk, Jeong-ah pulled out a spiral notebook she had tucked away deep inside a drawer.
Flip.
As she opened it with her index finger, a neat drawing was revealed. She flipped through a few more pages. Each one was filled with drawings of a charming individual.
Her hand stopped halfway through the notebook. A meticulously detailed drawing of a man with sharp features lay open before her. Jeong-ah traced the drawing with her hand.
"In-ho."
Recalling the day she had fallen for him at first sight, Jeong-ah called his name aloud.
Silence and stillness. No one answered her call. Both his body and heart were already too far away to respond to her voice.
"Ah... I just wish it would all end," she whispered, pulling her legs to her chest.
*
"Teacher?"
The late-night visitor was Yun Si-a.
Wondering what was wrong, In-ho opened the door. She must have run all the way there, as she stood panting for a long time even after entering the house.
"Nothing... happened, right?"
"The police... did you call them, Teacher?"
"Yeah. I thought I’d be late, and I figured she would have gone to your house. Plus, I couldn't get a hold of you."
"Ah...."
Her phone had been in his room. After that video call, she hadn't even wanted to look at it, so she had tossed it onto the sofa.
Yun Si-a explained the situation following the end of the call in detail.
"That was reckless of you," Kang In-ho said bluntly as soon as she finished. His tone was clearly one of reprimand.
"I still did it for you..."
Stung by the rejection of her sincere efforts, Si-a raised her voice for a moment before falling silent. The look on Kang In-ho’s face as he watched her was far too somber.
"Knowing that Jeong-ah acts violently and still doing that... it wasn't anything but reckless."
"......."
He spoke decisively, as if refusing to hear any excuses, and Yun Si-a didn't try to protest further.
"Fine. I'll be careful from now on. But In-ho..."
Accepting his words with a submissive attitude, Si-a tentatively broached a new subject.
"Can I sleep here tonight?"
"Here? Why?"
"Like you said... I don't know what Jeong-ah might do, and I'm a little uneasy."
Si-a tapped her index fingers together, gauging his reaction. Kang In-ho felt a throbbing headache coming on at her shy yet bold behavior.
*
"...I should have done this from the start."
The house was a disaster. Something red was splattered everywhere.
Sitting in the middle of the carnage, the girl clutched a lighter she had taken from her bag as if it were a precious treasure.
"In-ho."
Shin Jeong-ah called his name aloud.
Death and silence. No one answered. The one she sought so desperately was too far away.
"Let's just end it. I'm tired."
She moved her thumb.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The flame flickered to life.