246 – EP.10. Rebirth-1
***
“I heard his condition has improved a lot.”
Yoon Sia spoke as she took turns with her mother, who had just finished working as a cashier.
She noticed that her father’s condition, which she saw on her way home, had improved noticeably, and she found out by asking her nurse.
“Yes. They changed the medicine… And they said he suddenly got better these days.”
Her mother took out a tangerine from a black plastic bag, probably because she had bought it on sale at the supermarket.
Looking at the season, it seemed that she had been raised at home, but there was still some green left over.
She said that her mother already knew and said it casually, but Yoon Sia did not miss the gentle smile on her mother’s lips.
She was always so tired that she was extremely reluctant to even talk, but Yun Sia sat down for the first time in a long time and plucked some tangerines.
“I think it’s real.”
“It’s not the season yet. But since we have a house, it’s nice to eat tangerines like this.”
Yun Sia peeled off the thin peel with her fingernails, cut the tangerine in half and handed it to her mother.
Yun Sia put a piece of her tangerine in her mouth and chewed it. Her juice splashed into her mouth, and she grimaced.
“Ugh… Sour.”
Contrary to her words, her mouth drew a pleasant line.
For the first time in a long time, the mother and daughter had a real conversation while eating tangerines together.
“When you got accepted to college, honestly, I was more worried than happy. Because I couldn’t pay the tuition.”
When the conversation was ripe, she let out what her mother had in her.
She did not look directly at Yun Sia’s face.
“Are you glad you got a scholarship?”
Grin, Yoon Sia smiled.
“That’s right. Who do I resemble that has such great brains?”
“It’s probably either dad or mom.”
“I still feel like a baby… I’m going to college before I know it, and I’m making money to pay my dad’s hospital bills…”
Little by little, her mother melted the pain that had built up in her heart and let it out in a long sigh.
Her regret, gratitude, and anger at herself for not being able to properly serve as her parent.
Complex emotions that could not be explained in one piece were tangled together and were thrown into her daughter’s chest.
It was a calm statement, but Yoon Sia, who could not have known what was mixed in those words, felt cold in her eyes.
“If it weren’t for the tutoring… It would probably have been difficult. Going to school and paying my dad’s hospital bills.”
She said, staring blankly out her window, as if looking at the passing clouds.
“Oh, by the way, how about tutoring?”
Clapping her hands, her mother asked.
“How do you feel?”
“Why… They say the student is unfaithful.”
Yoon Sia slightly opened her mouth at her mother’s words.
“Ah… He’s nice these days. And…”
She was about to say, ‘And he’s dependable,’ but she closed her mouth.
Looking at her as she spoke, Yun Shia’s mother tilted her head.
“Why does he stop talking? And what?”
“Um… It’s just… The child is kind, trustworthy, understanding, and… Take good care of him?”
“You’re talking about a student you teach, not a senior at school, right?”
“Huh. Isn’t that funny? A high school student acting like an adult?”
Yun Shia made a sound like the wind was falling out and she laughed.
So, Yoon Sia excitedly told the story of her experience with In-ho, and a middle-aged woman who was listening to her story tapped her knee and said,
“I guess he’s interested in you.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“Why… Isn’t he just showing off because he’s interested in you? It’s totally worth it for kids that age.”
“Oh, no. A girl who lacks nothing is interested in a girl like me.”
When Yoon Sia shook her head, her mother held her daughter’s face with both hands.
“That’s not enough, look at your face. You’re this pretty. They say kids your age start fantasizing about it when they go to college.”
“I heard something strange somewhere.”
Yun Shia twisted her body and escaped from her grasp, and the middle-aged woman gave advice to her daughter with her gentle smile.
“The boy is cute because he’s fresh. But don’t think about dating. If you’re dating and the boss of the house catches you, you’ll be fired.”
“That can’t be possible.”
Yoon Sia straightened her eyebrows and made a listless face.
Yun Sia stayed at the hospital for about an hour longer than usual.
She left the hospital in good spirits.
How long has it been since she left the hospital with such light steps?
She felt as if she had been wandering in the pitch-black darkness and found a light the size of a fingernail in the distance.
Her life was still night, but she still had hope that the sun would rise tomorrow.
“Things seem to be going well these days.”
As In-ho began to take classes steadily, her life began to unravel.
Although she may not have a causal relationship, she was grateful to In-ho, who was the starting point.
“Ha… The weather is nice.”
Looking at the cloudless sky, Yun Sia smiled for the first time in a long time.
***
“Ha… It’s a bit tough.”
In-ho, who wanted to test her own limits, climbed the hill with her weak arms and legs.
After getting sick, she took a taxi, and since she was leaving school, it was her first time climbing the hill with her crutches.
When he reached the one-third mark, his body felt warm despite the cool day.
Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
“First of all, moving itself is uncomfortable.”
Thinking about what he would do if a fight like last time broke out again, he moved his uncomfortable body around to check.
The martial arts theory I had learned in the last level and the sense I gained from sparring and actual combat became a solid foundation, so I didn’t think I would lose in most fights.
However, he thinks it would be impossible to fight while protecting someone.
“It’s going to leak me.”
The sun was already setting. He moved his crutches and climbed the hill again.
Wearing the sunset on his right shoulder, he walked down the street, taking each step carefully.
Ttogak Ttogak
The rubber packing on the end of his crutches made a sound as it touched the ground.
“I’ll have to take a taxi again starting tomorrow.”
He didn’t try to tell, but Yoon Si-ah sent a text message to his father saying that it happened because of him.
The story was that In-ho was injured while helping Yoon Sia.
He thought his father didn’t like him, so he expected a penalty, but guess what? The reaction was somewhat lukewarm.
[I see. Please take good care of your son.]
Was the end.
Although he was not his biological father, Kang In-ho felt a little disappointed when he saw the dry answer.
‘That’s why the child is crooked.’
Of course, I don’t know the sequence.
As I was climbing the hill, I saw stairs leading down to the park.
This is the park where he fought a few days ago.
There was no particular intention. It was just a glance.
“…!!”
In-ho stopped climbing when he saw a person sitting on a swing in the park at the bottom of the stairs.
I could feel the person sitting on the swing also looking this way, as if they had spotted him.
From Noble mtl dot com
In-ho, who had been having a snowball fight for a while, turned his body and pointed his crutches towards the stairs.