episode_0277

***

Gulping, the man in front of the school gate swallowed his saliva with a nervous look on his face.

The playground comes into his eyes. Students who came out from lunch were walking around the playground in groups of threes and fives.

“Phew….”

He looks at the school gate again. It says ‘Sungin Girls’ High School’. It came to the right place.

He recalled yesterday’s events.

– school?

The first thing Kim Seong-ah, who came home from school, started talking to him was none other than a visit to the school.

– It’s like a parent consultation, but I can’t call my aunt.

She said she introduced him as her relative brother.

– I won’t even check your family relationship certificate or anything, so I’d like to ask you a favor.

Seeing her earnest face, Kang In-ho nodded reluctantly.

“That’s why I came… but wouldn’t I get reported if I just go in here?”

He couldn’t do this or that in front of the school gate.

Kim Seong-ah, who said she would come out on time, shows no signs of coming.

“…….”

Several female students who noticed his presence in front of the school gate began to observe him.

Faced with a barrage of stinging gazes, he helplessly raised his head to the sky and tried not to make eye contact with them.

“I should ask them to buy me a cell phone.”

After waiting for about 10 minutes under guard, I saw Kim Seong-ah coming across the playground.

The wrinkled school uniform, roughly tied red hair, and mysterious eyes were clearly visible even from afar.

Students running around the track turned their eyes to her as she crossed the playground.

“I was a little late because the line was long.”

“If I had come just 5 minutes later, my face would have been pierced by the gaze. Or get caught at the police station.”

When she spoke to him, Kang In-ho finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“I am in a lot of pain. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

Seongah Kim took the lead, and Inho Kang followed behind her.

When the man standing in front of the school gate entered, the female students’ gaze became intense.

As it happened to cross the playground again, it became a perfect spectacle for the students walking along the track.

“You’re persistent today. I’m sorry, mister.”

Seongah Kim apologized.

“Huh? What?”

“No, I’m getting a lot of attention at school for one reason or another.”

Kang In-ho said, ‘Isn’t it just because of me?’ I tried to ask, but he just kept his mouth shut.

“But, you came with some decorations?”

Perhaps uncomfortable with the awkward silence, Kim Seong-ah changed the topic.

“It suits you, right?”

“Well… yeah, it’s pretty good.”

She said and scratched her head as if she was embarrassed.

“It’s rude to dress roughly. If I behave like a beggar, it won’t be good for you either.”

“Really? But… where did you get the clothes? Looking at your hair, it looks like you went to a beauty salon.”

“I bought it. With your card.”

Kang In-ho answered as if asking something obvious.

Ugh, Seongah Kim sighed.

***

When Seongah Kim arrived at the teacher’s office, the homeroom teacher greeted her and him.

“Teacher, this is the relative I told you about yesterday.”

Kim Seong-ah spoke slowly, perhaps because the word ‘oppa’ was difficult to pronounce.

“I said he was a relatively older relative, but he seems young.”

“Thank you.”

After responding to his homeroom teacher’s words, Kang In-ho tilted his head and looked at his homeroom teacher’s face.

“If you have anything to say…”

My homeroom teacher asked about my intentions due to my explicit gaze.

“When I was a student, I thought that the homeroom teachers for third-year high school students were people with a lot of experience… but these days, it seems like teachers in their 20s are also in charge.”

Kang In-ho heard from Kim Seong-ah that his homeroom teacher was in his early 30s.

“Oh my, my…”

The homeroom teacher’s face immediately brightened at the subtle praise.

Kim Seong-ah’s face turned strange, and she looked alternately at her homeroom teacher and Kang In-ho.

“Well… I’m actually in my 30s.”

“Ah? is that so? I made a mistake with this. Sorry.”

“No. Well, that could be true. I’m a bit young too… hehe…”

When Kang In-ho smiled kindly, the homeroom teacher blushed, twisting his hair with his fingers.

“Anyway, thank you for your hard work guiding Seong-ah.”

Kang In-ho gave a courtesy greeting, and the homeroom teacher guided him to the counseling room.

“Then I’ll go back to class.”

Kim Seong-ah returned to her class, looking strangely at Kang In-ho, who showed the appearance of a skilled member of society.

The homeroom teacher made mixed coffee and handed it to him.

Kang In-ho wrapped his hand around the paper cup and enjoyed its warmth.

“I think Seong-ah is very polite. Most people think that students who repeat their grades are bad, but Seong-ah doesn’t have that.”

The homeroom teacher started the story by praising Seong-ah.

“I have personal reasons…”

Day and night, I wear strange cosplay and defeat the forces of evil. Kang In-ho swallowed his next words.

“It’s a psychological problem… isn’t it?”

“Oh, it’s probably not like that. I’m fine at home too.”

Although they had only lived together for a few days, Kang In-ho answered as if he knew everything.

“Then I’m glad.”

“Is there anything you are concerned about?”

In response to the strangely slurred speech of my homeroom teacher, I asked as if I were Kang In-ho.

“I have no idea what Seong-ah is thinking. They don’t come to school, or if they do show up, they suddenly leave…”

She folds her fingers and says strange things one by one.

“And crucially, study….”

“Can’t you study?”

“No, it’s not like that. I study, but… I don’t seem to have any sense of purpose.”

“Sense of purpose?”

“Seongah just studies. I just have to do it because I’m a student. I feel like that.”

“But, there are bound to be students who don’t have a clear goal, right?”

Kang In-ho asked.

“Unless you’ve given up studying at all, you think you’ll study and go to college or what department you’ll go into, right?”

The homeroom teacher shook his head.

“…Um.”

Unable to think of anything to say, he swallowed his words.

“This may be a personal question… Do you meet Seong-ah often?”

“Recently, I have been taking care of Seong-ah at her house.”

“Personally, I’m glad. It is psychologically better to live with family than to live alone.”

“So, your brother commutes from Seong-ah’s house?”

Questions follow.

“Oh, it’s possible to work from home.”

“I see.”

“Then you will do well in life~”

“Ah, what…”

Kang In-ho felt the direction of the question strangely change.

***

Kim Seong-ah, who returned to class and was solving the workbook, opened her cell phone and looked at the time.

It was soon time for lunch to end. 5th period is when the homeroom teacher comes in, so Kang In-ho will go home after lunch.

An image of him smiling cheerfully and talking with his homeroom teacher suddenly comes to mind.

Seongah Kim pouted her mouth.

This was because his appearance was so different from what he showed at home.

While I was thinking about this, the classroom suddenly started to become noisy.

She lifted her eyes from the problem book and looked around.

“It’s a man!”

“You’re coming with your homeroom teacher?”

The classroom buzzes with someone’s voice.

I thought, no way.

The classroom door opened, and the homeroom teacher came in.

“Seong-ah, talk to your brother in the hallway for a moment and then come in.”

All eyes in the classroom were on her. Kim Seong-ah felt as if the back of her head was going to be pierced.

As she went out into the hallway with all eyes on her, Kang In-ho, neatly dressed, smiled at her.

“Why.”

“No, when does school end? Let’s go together.”

Students inside the classroom stare openly into the hallway. Seongah Kim tried hard not to look away.

“It ends around 6 o’clock.”

“About 5 hours… I’ll stay at a nearby cafe and then go to the school gate by 6 o’clock. It’s a bit inconvenient because I don’t have a cell phone.”

“Did the consultation go well?”

“Well, you only say good things.”

“You seemed like an adult. Just now.”

“Because I’m an adult.”

He shrugged.

“Okay, then… See you later.”

“Listen to class well.”

With those words, Kang In-ho left school.

When she returned to class, silent attention was poured on her, and Kim Seong-ah felt a little burdened by it.