249 – EP.10 Rebirth-4
***
A few days later.
As the season gets colder, the sun’s return time also comes earlier.
The time when the moon sticks out its face by the window and softly illuminates its delicate face.
In-ho was receiving tutoring in his room on the second floor.
It was a math class, and I was listening to the concepts explained by Yoon Sia and solving application problems.
Yoon Sia looked closely at her student’s face.
At first glance, his eyes fixed on the workbook seemed like he was concentrating on class, but Yoon Sia immediately realized that was not the case.
“…….”
Apparently thinking about something different.
It was unfamiliar to see him thinking about something so intently, so Yoon Sia watched him in silence.
“…….”
He looks a little dazed, as if he is worried about something.
It was similar to what he saw when he first heard the news of his father’s hospitalization.
“Inho.”
Just a few minutes to observe. As time seemed to pass by in vain, Yoon Si-ah decided to pull her In-ho out of the depths of her thoughts.
“…….”
In-ho did not respond to her call.
I just quietly looked at the workbook.
“Kang In-ho.”
Yoon Sia called his name and slightly shook his shoulder.
“Ah… Yes?”
Only after external contact did Kang In-ho react.
“Can’t concentrate today?”
She looks at it with concern, not rebuke.
Could it be that the problem is caused by bad friends? Yoon Sia guessed.
I am a student who makes up my mind and tries to walk the right path. It was her wish that such resolution not be broken.
“Oh, it’s just… I’m a bit like that today.”
He turned his eyes to the workbook and avoided gaze.
“But I’m an adult. If you have any concerns, tell me. I’ll help you.”
Although he was an adult who had not yet shed his student identity, she still comforted him.
“Teacher?”
Perhaps those words resonated with him, as he opened his mouth with his eyes still on the workbook.
“Yes, I will help you.”
Yun Sia answered without hesitation.
Truly, she wanted to help him.
There is an altruistic desire to help a special student,
A selfish thought coexisted with him, thinking that he would feel at ease only if he removed the dark shadow on his face.
Her Kang In-ho’s eyes turned to her.
He slowly glanced at Yun Shia.
At first glance, it could have been misunderstood as a s*xually harassing gaze, but Yoon Sia did not take it particularly unpleasantly.
This is because she did not feel like she was searching with lust.
Kang In-ho, who was looking at her with serious eyes, smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Thank you for your words, but it’s okay. I have to handle my responsibilities myself.”
What came back was rejection. Yoon Sia pouted her mouth without realizing it.
“Responsibility is something that adults can take. What responsibility does a student have?”
Surprisingly cold words came out of her mouth.
“Teacher?”
He looked at her, surprised by her sharp reaction.
Big, big.
Yun Sia smiled awkwardly and cleared her throat.
“In-ho. Do you think In-ho is still too young to solve problems on his own?”
She patted his thigh with a gentle expression.
Swoosh, swoosh
While Inho was at a loss for what to do as the hand stroked her thigh from above, Yoon Si-ah continued her words.
“In-ho has no social experience yet. What’s right and what’s wrong, what to do and what not to do… It’s hard to tell these things, right?”
Yoon Shia looks at him as if asking for consent. Still smiling face.
“So, if you have any problems, consult with me, okay?”
Yun Sia nodded her head, as if asking her to nod her head after her.
“…….”
Kang In-ho thought, looking at Yoon Sia with his mouth slightly open, as if he had forgotten to make a sound.
What are you saying to someone younger than me?
***
The next day, Shin Jeong-ah did not show up for morning class.
Normally, In-ho would have passed it off as just something, but perhaps because of the conversation with Kim Jin-tae, his eyes were drawn to Jeong-ah’s empty seat throughout class.
After having lunch with several students, including Jeong Sang-hoon, he tilted his chair back and thought about it.
Is it the right choice to contact Shin Jeong-ah?
“Isn’t it funnier to contact me now?”
I thought that if he contacted me, Shin Jeong-ah would definitely receive it, but I had a strong feeling that the urgent contact would actually make the situation worse.
“I was complacent.”
Did you pay attention to increasing the distance between you and Shin Jeong-ah? The method of increasing the distance was a failing grade in many ways.
She did not create the situation, but because of what happened in her classroom the other day, Shin Jeong-ah’s status in the school fell infinitely.
If Shin Jeong-ah had a good relationship with her friends, there would have been no problem, but Jin-tae explained that because she got along with herself and had accumulated karma, the reaction on her part was quite significant.
It is said that Kim Jin-tae, like a fierce bulldog, is preventing bullies from crossing the line, but Kim Jin-tae’s status has also fallen. Their status will slowly sink, like being in a swamp.
That’s why Kim Jin-tae crushed her pride and asked Kang In-ho for help.
“What should I do….”
Because he spent his school days having nothing to do with bullies and bullies, he couldn’t find a suitable solution.
He had no choice but to continue worrying without being able to come up with a clear answer.
Meanwhile, lunch time was over, and the class led by the homeroom teacher began.
While class was in full swing, the back door opened and Shin Jeong-ah came in.
Everyone’s eyes were on her.
“Did you go to the hospital well?”
The homeroom teacher asked Shin Jeong-ah in an indifferent voice.
“Yes.”
Shin Jeong-ah answered those words bluntly.
“Please take your seats.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the homeroom teacher resumed class.
“…….”
As she entered her seat, her eyes met his for a moment.
Perhaps because she was not feeling well, she was thinner than before, and there were dark half-moons under her eyes.
After sitting down in her seat and hanging her bag on the chair, she looked at him once again.
An exchange of glances takes place quietly like that.
After class ended and the homeroom teacher left, the classroom became noisy again.
A moderate noise filled the classroom, and Shin Jeong-ah quietly got up, as if hiding her body from the noise, and passed by In-ho.
Going out the back door again felt like going to the bathroom.
“…What is this?”
Shin Jeong-ah passed by her and dropped one of her notes on his desk.
Kang In-ho looked at the door she had left and unfolded her crumpled paper.
[Let’s talk briefly after today.]
The note contained simple business information, and In-ho felt an ominous feeling for some reason.