286 – EP.11 When I think about it, things that bother me-3
***
She was someone who did not attach much importance to the food she ate every day, but her school lunch today was particularly tasteless.
Her liver was so strong that it made my eyes water, and the freshness of the vegetables was acceptable.
Her main dish, the meat dish, was the worst. The subtle porky smell did not go away and bothered her nose.
‘I want to eat the food my uncle cooked.’
Stirring the rice with her spoon, she prayed that this meal would end quickly.
I wonder if the person who prepared the food today made a lot of mistakes, or there was a problem with the refrigerator where the ingredients were stored….
Anyway, I have no sense of taste. Even though it wasn’t a food I particularly disliked.
“Oh, that’s right, I saw my homeroom teacher on the weekend.”
One of the students who was eating together said.
“Where?”
“Where the department store is. A downtown area. It looked like she was with a man, but I couldn’t see her face or posture.”
“Is this your boyfriend?”
Hyeji, who was across from Seongah, asked her friend.
“But you don’t have a homeroom boyfriend. You always say you’re lonely. Oh, that’s right. I overheard you talking on the phone in the hallway the other day….”
The female student giggled as if it was a funny memory to think about again.
“Why? What was it about?”
“It seems like it’s my parents, but they must have been asking when I’m getting married. [I have to!] They say this, but it’s so funny.”
“Then I guess what we went on over the weekend was a blind date.”
Hyeji received the message.
“Perhaps? It was a Japanese restaurant.”
“What time was it?”
Seongah came in mid-conversation.
Her three students looked at her, probably surprised that she opened her mouth while she was quietly eating her meal.
“Huh? Ah… It was lunch.”
When the student answered with a blank look on her face, Seong-ah returned her gaze to the plate and continued eating in silence.
The food still didn’t taste good.
***
The inconvenient time extended beyond lunch time and into afternoon classes.
Perhaps because of the food she ate, Kim Seong-ah felt uncomfortable.
I got more questions wrong than usual, and I couldn’t really listen to the class.
She wanted to lie down and rest during recess, but several students, including Hyeji, approached her and spoke to her subtly.
They talked about topics that only they knew about, or subtly asked about Inho.
Kim Seong-ah was uncomfortable with her excessive attention.
Although she is grateful for the kind heart that comes to talk to her, her mood sinks as she senses some inexplicable purpose hidden in his actions.
It was recess again, and seeing the students coming to their seats, she got up first and went out of the classroom.
As if they didn’t know what was coming to them.
Coming out into the hallway, she walked aimlessly.
There is no destination. Because there are not many places you can go in a short break of 10 minutes.
Climb up the stairs and arrive at the rooftop. To be exact, it is in front of the locked rooftop door.
I lean against the cold metal door as a backrest.
“Phew… Why are you like this?”
Her chest feels tight, and the tight feeling doesn’t go away.
These emotional changes have been frequent recently.
It was like that on the weekend, and it’s like that today too.
“I want to go home quickly.”
Then there will be a man at home.
She folded her fingers, counting down the number of lessons she had left. Now it’s 2nd period. All you have to do is be patient.
I instinctively know that if I meet him, this anxious feeling will subside.
She took out her cell phone from her pocket.
Then she moves her fingers and sends her message.
[Come pick me up today.]
[Why? Is there somewhere to go?]
Do you have to have a reason to go together? Seongah Kim pouted her mouth.
[Just come.]
With a huff of air, she sent her text message again.
[Okay, okay. Should we eat out?]
I felt like I could hear his peaceful voice.
A calm smile appeared on Kim Seong-ah’s lips.
[Looking at the situation.]
[Yes, I understand.]
As soon as she sent the text, the bell rang signaling her class.
“…2Nd period left.”
Kim Seong-ah’s footsteps going down the stairs made a pleasant sound.
***
After her class, Seong-ah was looking for In-ho at the school gate. She found In-ho hiding her body far away.
“It’s in front of the school gate. Why are you here? It’s hard to find.”
“I’m not brave enough to stand in front of a girls’ high school.”
Hearing his words, Kim Seong-ah imagined him standing in front of the school gate.
In-ho surrounded by women. Even just imagining it made my eyes crinkle.
“Hmm… Now that I think about it, I see you here from now on.”
As if praising her subordinate, she lifted her tiptoe and tapped his shoulder.
The two, who were facing each other, now started walking side by side along the road.
“How was school?”
It wasn’t good. Seongah Kim swallowed her words as they lingered on the tip of her tongue.
“It was just like that. It was the same as usual.”
“Isn’t it hard to follow the class?
The question was whether it would be difficult to keep up with the progress since I missed it often.
“Hmm… It’s a little difficult. But I’m still able to keep up with it.”
“Still, it looks like you have a studying mind. Looking at the way you study while working as a magical girl.”
“Her aunt said that when her mother was young, she was good at studying. Maybe she takes after her mother?”
“If it’s difficult to keep up with the progress, I thought it would be a good idea to take online lectures. After looking into it, I found that these days, online lectures are better than academies.”
As he spoke indifferently, Seongah Kim’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, did you look for it for me?”
The corners of her mouth rose.
“Well, for now. I wondered what the entrance exam was like these days.”
“hehehe… He’s playing the role of a guardian well.”
A feeling of satisfaction filled her heart knowing that there was someone who gave for her.
I feel like I’m getting a bit carried away.
Her steps became lighter.
“Aren’t you hungry? What about lunch?”
“It was just like that. Neither delicious nor tasteless.”
She told a lie that she didn’t have to.
They headed home along the road they walked last time.
The roads during rush hour were extremely congested, and people were moving around busily, each with their own destination.
“The days are getting shorter.”
In-ho said as he watched the sun set today.
“Because summer is over.”
“I’m losing my sense of the seasons.”
“Why?”
“Hmm… There is something like that.”
He smiled secretly.
Kim Seong-ah tilted her head, but she didn’t ask any further questions.
***
She followed him, two steps behind him.
The subtle distance difference makes it look like we are walking side by side.
Kim Seong-ah liked seeing his back.
Her back seemed to resemble that of her own father. It’s big, spacious, and seems to accept you.
Suddenly she felt the urge to cling to his back.
If you run to Dodo and wrap your arms around his neck, will he accept it?
Such thoughts continue to proliferate.
‘Should I just hang on?’
He stopped walking when a strange thought reared its head.
She turned her head to where his gaze was directed.
There was a roadside street vendor selling various snacks, including tteokbokki.
“It’s a snack bar. Do you want to eat?”
“Looks like bungeoppang and hotteok are still available.”
“Shouldn’t it get a little colder to come out?”
“The college entrance exam must be over.”
“I see… Right? That’s right, sir, which do you like better, bungeobbang or hotteok?”
“I am Hotteok. How about you?”
“Um… I don’t know. Am I the tteokbokki over there?”
“Okay, let’s eat that for dinner tonight.”
He laughed when he realized her intention, and she laughed along with him.
From Noble mtl dot com
“But you’re paying the money anyway.”
“That’s true too.”
After buying tteokbokki and fried food for two people, they walked home.
Every time she walked, the black plastic bag containing the food she was holding swayed rhythmically.
***
In a dark space, purple flames were softly lighting up the place.
The door opens and someone comes in.
A simple-looking woman with her bangs covering her eyes.
The fact that she is wearing her school uniform gives us an idea of her age range.
The woman looked around and snapped her fingers.
With a clicking sound, purple flames flickered across her body.
The flames swept through the woman’s body and began to burn her exterior like a flame setting a twig on fire.
Clothes and skin fell apart like a snowman in spring.
Where the flames had died down, a woman with a completely different look from before was standing in the same posture.
Wrong gray hair. Clothes that stick to the body.
“I can’t even do this.”
She stretched her legs.
“Sister… Please send me back home.”
A voice is heard from somewhere. Lilith, the Four Heavenly Kings, looked in the direction of the sound.
A woman with the same face as her earlier was sobbing in prison.
A simple-looking woman with her bangs covering her eyes.
The fact that she is wearing her school uniform gives us an idea of her age range.
[Lee Hye-ji]
It was the name written on the crying woman’s name tag.